OVA
Description
Pai, sometimes also written as Paï and known under the human name Pai Ayanokoji, is the central heroine of 3x3 Eyes and the last surviving member of the Sanjiyan Unkara, a magical race of long-lived beings distinguished by a third eye on the forehead. Although she looks like an ordinary teenage girl, she is about three hundred years old. Her true name is Parvati IV, and she was born in the sacred homeland of the Sanjiyans, where she was destined to become the bride of the being who would later be known as the Demon Eye King. When that being turned into a tyrant, the Sanjiyans fought to seal him away, and nearly her entire race was destroyed in the process, leaving Pai as the sole survivor.
In terms of personality, Pai is defined by two distinct selves. In her everyday state, with her third eye hidden beneath her bangs, she is cheerful, gentle, trusting, naive, and somewhat absent-minded and unworldly. Her compassion and innocence are so genuine that they often turn former enemies into allies. However, when she is endangered, defenceless, or overwhelmed by emotion, her third eye opens and a second personality takes over: the Sanjiyan, or Parvati IV. This alternate self is proud, imperious, and condescending, and speaks in an old-fashioned, regal manner. The two personalities are aware of each other and can even communicate, though Pai generally has no memory of events that occur while the Sanjiyan personality is in control. A protective charm called the Claw of Shiva can suppress the Sanjiyan personality when Pai carries it.
Pai's central motivation is a deep and lifelong wish to become a fully human girl. She has dreamed of this since childhood, partly as a way to escape the pain and loneliness of her troubled past, and she has long believed that becoming human is the only path to peace. Her wish is also tied to another person's fate: because Yakumo Fujii, the young man who becomes her companion, has been bound to her as her undead guardian, he can only regain his ordinary human life if she herself becomes human. This connection gives her quest a sense of responsibility as well as longing.
Her role in the story begins in earnest when she arrives in Tokyo from Tibet, carrying a last letter from Yakumo's father, an archaeologist who had befriended her and promised to help her find the way to become human before he died. During their first encounter, Yakumo is fatally wounded while trying to protect her from her own giant pet bird, Takuhi, and Pai's third eye opens in desperation. She absorbs his soul into her own, transforming him into a Wu, an immortal servant and protector who shares her life. From that moment, she and Yakumo travel through Asia and beyond, searching for the Statue of a Human and the secret of the humanization rite while contending with monsters, sorcerers, and the followers of the Demon Eye King who seek to use her power or resurrect their fallen deity.
Her most important relationship is with Yakumo, who becomes her loyal guardian, her closest companion, and eventually the person she loves. The two repeatedly risk their lives for each other, and they make a tender promise that, if she succeeds in becoming human, they will live together in Tokyo. The Sanjiyan personality also forms a relationship of its own with Yakumo, initially looking down on him but gradually coming to respect him through his courage and devotion. Pai is equally devoted to Takuhi, the great bird that has been her companion since her homeland, and she can summon other magical beasts through her powers. Her deepest connection to the past is with the Demon Eye King Shiva, her former destined husband, whose shadow hangs over the entire story and whom she must ultimately confront.
Over the course of the story, Pai develops from a fragile and forgetful girl into someone who learns to face the truth of her origins. She discovers that she is the last of her race and that her destiny was once tied to the Demon Eye King, and she must wrestle with the grief and guilt of surviving when her people did not. At one point she even loses her memories and lives for a time as an ordinary Tokyo schoolgirl, believing herself to be human, a fragile period of peace that reflects how deeply she longs for a normal life. When her true self finally returns, she grows more resolved and takes part in the final battle against the Demon Eye King, choosing to reject his power entirely. In the end she finds the answer she has been seeking by choosing to live as a human being, and her third eye closes for good, allowing her to share an ordinary life with Yakumo at last.
As a Sanjiyan, Pai possesses extraordinary abilities. She is effectively immortal and has great regenerative power, and her most defining skill is her ability to absorb a human soul and merge it with her own, turning that person into an undying Wu bound to serve and protect her. When her third eye is open, she can wield powerful magic, including offensive and defensive spells and mental abilities, and she commands magical beasts through the tradition of her people. These formidable powers are almost always used by the Sanjiyan personality, and the strain of using her strongest magic can leave her weakened or sleeping for long periods. She is also connected to the humanization rite itself, the ancient Sanjiyan spell she hopes to use, though performing it requires more than one of her kind. Her abilities are thus both a burden and a gift, shaping her as a being of immense power who nevertheless longs only for the simple happiness of being human.
In terms of personality, Pai is defined by two distinct selves. In her everyday state, with her third eye hidden beneath her bangs, she is cheerful, gentle, trusting, naive, and somewhat absent-minded and unworldly. Her compassion and innocence are so genuine that they often turn former enemies into allies. However, when she is endangered, defenceless, or overwhelmed by emotion, her third eye opens and a second personality takes over: the Sanjiyan, or Parvati IV. This alternate self is proud, imperious, and condescending, and speaks in an old-fashioned, regal manner. The two personalities are aware of each other and can even communicate, though Pai generally has no memory of events that occur while the Sanjiyan personality is in control. A protective charm called the Claw of Shiva can suppress the Sanjiyan personality when Pai carries it.
Pai's central motivation is a deep and lifelong wish to become a fully human girl. She has dreamed of this since childhood, partly as a way to escape the pain and loneliness of her troubled past, and she has long believed that becoming human is the only path to peace. Her wish is also tied to another person's fate: because Yakumo Fujii, the young man who becomes her companion, has been bound to her as her undead guardian, he can only regain his ordinary human life if she herself becomes human. This connection gives her quest a sense of responsibility as well as longing.
Her role in the story begins in earnest when she arrives in Tokyo from Tibet, carrying a last letter from Yakumo's father, an archaeologist who had befriended her and promised to help her find the way to become human before he died. During their first encounter, Yakumo is fatally wounded while trying to protect her from her own giant pet bird, Takuhi, and Pai's third eye opens in desperation. She absorbs his soul into her own, transforming him into a Wu, an immortal servant and protector who shares her life. From that moment, she and Yakumo travel through Asia and beyond, searching for the Statue of a Human and the secret of the humanization rite while contending with monsters, sorcerers, and the followers of the Demon Eye King who seek to use her power or resurrect their fallen deity.
Her most important relationship is with Yakumo, who becomes her loyal guardian, her closest companion, and eventually the person she loves. The two repeatedly risk their lives for each other, and they make a tender promise that, if she succeeds in becoming human, they will live together in Tokyo. The Sanjiyan personality also forms a relationship of its own with Yakumo, initially looking down on him but gradually coming to respect him through his courage and devotion. Pai is equally devoted to Takuhi, the great bird that has been her companion since her homeland, and she can summon other magical beasts through her powers. Her deepest connection to the past is with the Demon Eye King Shiva, her former destined husband, whose shadow hangs over the entire story and whom she must ultimately confront.
Over the course of the story, Pai develops from a fragile and forgetful girl into someone who learns to face the truth of her origins. She discovers that she is the last of her race and that her destiny was once tied to the Demon Eye King, and she must wrestle with the grief and guilt of surviving when her people did not. At one point she even loses her memories and lives for a time as an ordinary Tokyo schoolgirl, believing herself to be human, a fragile period of peace that reflects how deeply she longs for a normal life. When her true self finally returns, she grows more resolved and takes part in the final battle against the Demon Eye King, choosing to reject his power entirely. In the end she finds the answer she has been seeking by choosing to live as a human being, and her third eye closes for good, allowing her to share an ordinary life with Yakumo at last.
As a Sanjiyan, Pai possesses extraordinary abilities. She is effectively immortal and has great regenerative power, and her most defining skill is her ability to absorb a human soul and merge it with her own, turning that person into an undying Wu bound to serve and protect her. When her third eye is open, she can wield powerful magic, including offensive and defensive spells and mental abilities, and she commands magical beasts through the tradition of her people. These formidable powers are almost always used by the Sanjiyan personality, and the strain of using her strongest magic can leave her weakened or sleeping for long periods. She is also connected to the humanization rite itself, the ancient Sanjiyan spell she hopes to use, though performing it requires more than one of her kind. Her abilities are thus both a burden and a gift, shaping her as a being of immense power who nevertheless longs only for the simple happiness of being human.