Mokona Modoki

nihongo|Mokona Modoki|モコナ＝モドキ is the name given to the two rabbit-like creatures from Clamp's sister series ' and "xxxHolic" (Also appearing in one of their earlier works, Magic Knight Rayearth). The name Mokona Modoki (or simply Mokona) refers to any or both characters, as they are never called by their real names. The Black Mokona’s real name is nihongo|Larg|ラーグ|Rāgu, while the White Mokona’s real name is nihongo|Soel"'|ソエル|Soeru. However, the Mokonas always refer to themselves in the third person.

In the Japanese versions of both and "xxxHolic", Mika Kikuchi provides the voices of the two Mokonas. In English, Mokona is voiced by Carrie Savage.

History

Larg and Soel are copies of an original Mokona, who appears in "Magic Knight Rayearth" (another Clamp series). The two were created by Yūko Ichihara and Clow Reed (who appear to be aware of the existence of Sakura Kinomoto and all of the events in her world). One day, Yūko and Clow encountered the original Mokona, who was traveling through different worlds, and Mokona provided Yūko and Clow with the knowledge of alternate dimensions. After learning that one day a Sakura and Syaoran from an alternate world would come to their world to ask for help, Yūko and Clow created the two Mokona, basing them on the original but with slight differences, such as difference in size and the ability to talk (whereas the original Mokona would only say "Puu!"). Each Mokona was also given an earring which matched the color of the gem on its forehead, the blue earring seals magic power while the red earring boosts magic power. It has never been discovered what exactly a Mokona is. The original Mokona was identified as the creator of the universe, but it is unknown whether the original was part of a species or not, which also raises the question as to where the name Mokona came from in the first place. The most common answer to the question 'What is Mokona?' is: 'Mokona is mokona!'(which isn't really an answer).

In Chapter 133 of Tsubasa, Yūko explained to the TRC group that the two Mokona were created in order to stop the plans of Fei Wong Reed's wishes.

The full story of the two Mokona is told in Clamp’s "Soel to Larg: Mokona=Modoki no Bouken" (Soel and Larg: The Adventures of Mokona=Modoki).

We also learn in the Drama CD provided with the first Kei DVD that the Mokonas chose the 14th of February for their birthday.

White Mokona (Soel)

White Mokona is the manju-bun -like creature from Clamp’s Tsubasa Chronicle that possess several astonishing abilities, such as traveling to different worlds, teleporting objects from one world to another, and sensing strong auras. Mokona was what Yûko gave Syaoran and the others in return for the prices they paid, enabling them to go to different worlds in the search for Sakura’s feathers, and as we later find out, without Mokona they wouldn’t be able to communicate (except for Syaoran and Sakura, as they are from the same world) because they all come from different worlds and speak different languages. With the help of Black Mokona, White Mokona is able to stay in contact with Yûko, and in the manga there is an illustration showing Mokona talking to Black Mokona in the background.

Mokona is also responsible for locating Sakura’s feathers, and whenever one is around it goes ‘mekkyon’ (scary face) for an instant, which alerts the others. Mokona is a very cheerful, optimistic and energetic being, and loves to tease Kurogane, who occasionally uses violence to get back at him. Similar to Larg, Soel has a strong fondness for alcoholic drinks. The name Soel comes from the rune Sôwilô meaning sun Fact|date=February 2007 The Soel Larg book shows that it comes from "Sigil".

108 Secret Skills

Mokona has stated that it has 108 Secret Skills. So far the ones that have been revealed are:

# Voice Imitation
# Translator
# Acting
# Breaking In
# Travel Between Worlds (Black Mokona lacks this ability; only White Mokona can travel between worlds)
# Super Disguise
# See Ghosts (White Mokona lacks this ability; only Black Mokona can see ghosts)
# Understanding Lonely People
# Super Suction Power (able to vary the strength)
# Super Aspiration
# Drawing Capabilities
# Time Traveling
# Feel the Feathers' Wavelength
# Clairvoyance
# Flirting
# Singing
# Tease
# Writing kanji (Black Mokona is good at it)*
# Communicating Between Different Worlds (as seen in Tsubasa Chronicle)
# Making Friends
# Super Strength
# Super Transformation (as seen in Tsubasa Chronicle)
# Inhibit Magical Curses (Black Mokona can seal magic with his/her earing)
# Augmenting magic (White Mokona can increase magical powers with his/her earing)
# Teleport items between the Mokonas
# Immune to bad luck
# Drink alcohol
# N'CHA Cannon (a reference to the manga series Doctor Slump)
# Play Chess*
# Knit *
# Know when someone is sad.
# Super Deductive Reasoning
# Eating Apples Whole
# Super Dramatic Power

*Shown in "Larg to Soel" book

Black Mokona (Larg)

Black Mokona isn’t quite as enthusiastic and energetic as White Mokona, but nevertheless a teaser. He usually calls Watanuki 'Watanuki April Fools' which results in a reaction from Watanuki similar to Kurogane's. Little is known about Black Mokona, except that it is able to see ghosts, something the White Mokona cannot do, and that its main purpose is to stay in contact with the White Mokona, so that Yûko can know where the group is and assist them if necessary. Also, Black Mokona is used for teleporting things to the White Mokona, which it does by swallowing them. Yuko has also remarked that of the two Mokona, the red earring on the white one possesses the ability to enhance magical power while the blue earring on black one has the ability to seal magical power. In chapter 157 of xxxHolic it was shown the sealing ear ring is sealing away both Sakura's memories of Syaoran and Watanuki's memory of his past. It also apparently has the ability to devour spirits and compress them into a ball, although it is not evident if the White Mokona possesses this ability either.

Like Yuko, Black Mokona loves to drink sake and thus is often her 'drinking buddy' and has a intimate relationship with her. The two often drink together. The name Larg comes from the rune Laguz meaning water Fact|date=February 2007 The Soel Larg book shows "Lagu" then may have further unreadable letters.

In being referred to by other characters in xxxHOLiC, Black Mokona takes offense to indirect references and pronouns, which are notably more informal or rude in Japanese than in English.

Notes

* Mokona was named after one of Clamp's members, Mokona (formerly Mokona Apapa).
* The name "Mokona Modoki" may be a Japanese pun meaning "fake Mokona" or "replica Mokona".
* The preferred Japanese counter for a number of Mokona is "Mokona", not "hiki/biki/piki" typical of small animals.