Television series
 is a Japanese anime based on the PlayStation 2 games "Shining Tears" and "Shining Wind". "Shining Tears X Wind" presents an adapted version of "Shining Wind"'s story, seen from the perspective of the character Souma. It is directed by Hiroshi Watanabe and produced by Studio Deen. The series started airing in Japan on April 6, 2007 and finished airing on June 29, 2007. The anime has the same opening and ending themes as the game "Shining Tears". A sequel to this is a mobile game entitled "Shining Wind X", which was released in January 2008.
Storyline.
A group of students from St. Luminous College are investigating the mysterious disappearances that are happening all around Tatsumi Town. One student, who was researching a book entitled 'End Earth', which describes an alternate world, also mysteriously disappears. As Mao, a being from the other world, enters their world in order to look for her friend, Zero, she teams up with Souma and Kureha in order to battle a monster who also came to their world. Just when things seem to go their way, an accident teleports Souma and Kureha into another world. To make things more complicated, Zero appears to the two stating that he will now entrust the world to Souma. As they travel this new world, they encounter familiar friends and enemies, and they begin to realize that getting back to their own world is harder than they previously thought.
In End Earth, a war, surrounding a legendary item called "The Holy Grail", begins. Zero later tells Souma that the world will end if Zeroboros, the guardian of time and space, awakens. This guardian will use whoever wins the war as a body.
*Voiced by: Souichiro Hoshi
An athletic student who, along with Kureha, was transported to the dream continent, End Earth. At the beginning of the series, Souma has feelings for Kureha, despite knowing that she has feelings for Kiriya; he sometimes gets annoyed at Kiriya for not noticing her feelings for him. He then confesses his affection for her, which apparently is not mutual, shortly before being transported to the other world. After seeing Kureha presumably die, he was able to pull out a legendary sword from Kureha's body. Souma turns out to be a 'Soul Blader', which is a person that can form a sword from the heart of any person he shares similar emotions with. Unlike Kureha, Souma would rather stay in End Earth, as he believes that it is the right place for him and since he thinks that he could be "together" with Kureha in End Earth. Later, after Souma and Kureha meet up with Kiriya and Seena, he departs from the group, leaving Kiriya and Seena to take care of Kureha, realizing that she did not feel the same way about him and thus decided to no longer use Kureha's heart as a Soul Blade, since he knew that her heart had feelings for Kiriya. So, he temporarily uses a katana when there are no Soul Blades around for him to use.
When Souma and Kureha were between dimensions, they were greeted by Zero, who entrusted Souma in guarding the world from then on.
After his second meeting with Zero, he receives one of the Twin Dragon Rings, and begins to see the world in a whole new way. His attitude also shifts from a rash and emotional state, to having a calm and understanding demeanor. Souma becomes a sort of mediator, not taking any sides, and travels with Lazarus, Ryuna, Elwyn, and Blanc Neige, in his mission to protect and save the world. After expressing his desire to join Weissritter, he is nominated as its proxy leader. In the end, after seeing Mao's sad and tearful face, he realizes his true feelings for Mao and her feelings for him. Souma then decides to give up his chance of going back to his own world and decides to stay with Mao and Weissritter.
Out of the rest of the characters, Souma was able to extract the most Soul Blades; having drawn blades from Kureha, Hiruda, Kiriya, who in fact possesses his Holy Grail, and also from all the members of the current Weissritter.
*Voiced by: Yui Horie
A student who also happens to work at a shrine as a miko, or shinto priestess. Kureha is skilled in the art of archery, or kyūdō. She was transported to End Earth with Souma after they helped Mao defeat a monster. Upon their arrival, she was attacked by monsters and presumably died. Fortunately, she was revealed to be unscathed after Souma pulled out a sword from her body, the . After Kiriya and Souma's fight, she joins Kiriya and the other Luminous Knights. Kiriya can also draw a sword from her, the .
Kureha has feeling for Kiriya, but she never expresses them to him. In the end, she returns to her own world, together with Kiriya and Seena.
*Voiced by: Akira Ishida
A quiet and shy student who receives a message from an elven woman from End Earth. When he tells his friends, the group dismisses the message as they believe it to only be a dream. Kiriya is a skilled swordsman; ranging from kendo to fencing. It is said that no one could beat him if he was to fight seriously. The cherry blossom of their college transports him and Seena to End Earth right after Souma and Kureha, taking the entire building as well. He becomes the knight for an independent mercenary group called the 'Luminous Knights', which is started by Seena.
Like Souma, Kiriya is also a Soul Blader, who uses Seena's "heart" as a sword. Kiriya is completely oblivious to Kureha's and Seena's feelings for him, the latter being one of his childhood friends. He later forms a close bond with an elf named Xecty, who is later revealed to be an artificial recreation of the Elven Queen. Until Xecty's death, he was confident in his mission to have Saionji admit defeat. Since the start of the war, his attitude shifted from his shy and quiet self, to a rash and emotional state, who sees that fighting is the only way to win (the complete opposite to Souma's change of behavior).
He is later revealed to hold Souma's Holy Grail, Souma's . The one who holds his Holy Grail is Xecty.
In the end, he chooses to return to his own world, together with Kureha and Seena.
*Voiced by: Nana Mizuki
A student who belongs to the Student Council just like the other characters. She, along with Kiriya, are later transported to End Earth shortly after Kureha and Souma. Upon their arrival, Seena and Kiriya form an independent mercenary group called the Luminous Knights; with Seena as the leader. She lets Kiriya use her heart as a sword only to allow him to fight, the .
Seena is also very skilled in fencing.
In the end, she returns to her own world, together with Kiriya and Kureha.
*Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu
An heir to a rich family and Student Council President. He, along with Hiruda, are transported to End Earth before the other main characters. When he first encounters his old friends in End Earth, he is revealed to be an enemy. He became the Emperor of Baelgard, and goes by the name "Traihard".
Like Souma and Kiriya, he is also a Soul Blader, and chooses to draw swords from Baelgard's four guardians, which includes Reia Hiruda. Seeing Soul Bladers as "chosen ones", he offers Kiriya and Souma to join him in his crusade. Saionji plans to conquer all of End Earth, under the pretense that he is actually "saving" it from darkness. His plans, however, are thwarted by Killrain's release of dark energy. After Hiruda reverts to her normal self, Hiruda attempts to rescue Saionji when he is linked to the dark tower, with his life in danger. It is then that Saionji realizes her true feelings for him, and in return, he seems to develop feelings for her also, resulting in him being able to draw his Holy Grail from her heart.
In the end, he decides to stay in End Earth, together with Hiruda, Xecty, and Jin-Crow in Baelgard, to restore the forest back to its former glory.
Saionji is an extremely talented swordsman; he was capable of defeating Kiriya in a duel with normal swords.
*Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma
A seemingly innocent and quiet girl, who is devoted to Saionji. She found the book that allows herself and Saionji to be brought into End Earth. Though she wants to follow him, she does not want to be engulfed in darkness, so she develops a dark second personality, one that will do all the things that she does not want to. She becomes one of Baelgard's four guardians, the Hellfire Alchemist, Hildareia. Her alter ego prefers the darkside, and even betrays Saionji by siding with Killrain after he takes over the dark elven army. She often does experiments on many elves, turning them into mindless soldiers for Baelgard. Her dark soul blade is called . Destroying the evil personality's soul blade is the only way to bring back the original Reia Hiruda.
The good personality contains Saionji's Holy Grail, Saionji's , which was instrumental in defeating Er Fahren. She decides to stay in End Earth, together with Saionji, Xecty, and Jin-Crow in Baelgard, to restore the forest back to its former glory.
*Voiced by: Souichiro Hoshi
Zero is Xion, or what is left of his soul. His angelic wings represent the two entities inside his body, the black one resembles Zeroboros, the white one resembles what is left of Xion, but for all causes, Xion no longer exists. It seems he went to Elde to find someone able to replace him as the "Guardian" of End Earth. He later chooses Souma, and after meeting him between worlds, states that he now 'entrusts' the world to him. He was shown to have still possessed the Twin Dragon Rings, but gave Souma one of the rings, telling him to use it to see the "true" world.
He keeps running from Mao, as some time before, he unwillingly killed Ryuna (she impaled herself upon his sword) in order to destroy Zeroboros, who lived inside her, but instead it possessed him, making him sprout black wings form his back. During that altercation he also killed Lazarus. It was Mao's calling that made him fight Zeroboros' possession, turning one of the black wings white, thus leaving a piece of Xion's soul. He later accepted himself as no longer a human, and revived Ryuna and Lazarus using the capsules in the Sea Dragon King Ruins.
He decides to leave the group and is currently watching the world, entrusting Souma with protecting the world in his place.
*Voiced by: Chiwa Saito
A quarter-beast; she has a pair of cat-like ears. She is also the Princess of Bestia. She traveled to Souma's world looking for Zero. In the process, she accidentally sent Souma and Kureha into her world. She previously saw Xion standing next to the dead bodies of Lazarus and Ryuna. Since Xion flew away before telling her that he has been possessed by Zeroboros, she was left there confused and in shock. This prompted her search for Zero, whom her country of Bestia had placed on the wanted list for murdering a priestess: Ryuna. Though she explains that this makes it easier for her to find him. She is also the true leader of Weissritter. Souma is able to draw a soul blade with fire properties from her, the . Her particular soul blade becomes Souma's preferred soul blade. She falls in love with Souma and her feelings for him are revealed when she cries when he wants to leave, which moves him and he decides to stay with her in End Earth.
*Voiced by: Misato Fukuen
A priestess of Etwarl Shrine who believes in Souma. Zeroboros lived inside her, so in order to stop him, she committed suicide by throwing herself into Xion's sword. She was later resurrected by Zero, along with Lazarus. Souma is able to pull a broadsword type soul blade from her called ; it has the power to paralyze its enemies with a blinding light.
*Voiced by: Yoshinori Sonobe
"Note: Though Japanese versions translated the name as Razalus, the official English translation became Lazarus."
A Dragonian tribesman, who swore to protect Souma. He is also a friend to Ryuna, who acknowledged Zero's intentions. He was