Shaoran Li

A classmate of Sakura who transferred from Hong Kong to collect the Clow Cards. He appears from episode 8 in both the original work and the anime. He is from the Li family, a distant relative of Clow Reed, and possesses strong magical power. Born on July 13th, blood type O. His favorite flower is the peony, and his favorite color is green. He is excellent in sports, especially martial arts, but struggles with language arts (according to him, because the use of kanji differs between China and Japan). He has a mother and four sisters in Hong Kong (appears in the first movie). Upon learning that the Clow Cards were released into the world, he transferred to Tomoeda Elementary School from Hong Kong to retrieve the cards. When collecting cards, he wears a green ceremonial outfit with a Taiji symbol on the chest (in the second movie, he wears a matching battle costume with Sakura, and in the Clear Card arc, he wears a battle costume designed by Tomoyo, who arranged his ceremonial outfit). He is strict with himself and others, quiet and cool, but at heart, he is extremely shy. He is sincere to his feelings but has a very high pride and is somewhat jealous. Initially, he viewed Sakura as an enemy because he forcefully intervened in the mission to collect the Clow Cards. At first, he called Sakura "you" and "that person," but later he started calling her "Sakura." He calls classmates other than Sakura and Meiling by their last names. In the anime, he obtained several Clow Cards, but during the final judgment by Yue, he unknowingly used "Time," a card under Yue's control, and was defeated, losing all the cards, which then became Sakura's possession after she defeated Yue and was recognized as the rightful master.

Even after Sakura became the new master of the Clow Cards, he stayed in Japan and continued to pursue Clow's presence with her. After the Clow Cards became Sakura's belongings, he used the sword and talismans he originally possessed to perform various spells such as "Fire God Summoning," "Water Dragon Summoning," "Thunder Emperor Summoning," "Wind Flower Summoning," and barriers. He can also use Eastern tracking techniques and magic like "Floating Step," which allows him to stand on water or ice. His magical power grew stronger as he used magic while pursuing Clow's presence, to the point where he could break Sakura's "Maze" spell. Therefore, when Eriol put Tomoeda Town to sleep, he managed to stay conscious, albeit unsteadily, and helped Sakura transform the "Light" and "Dark" cards into Sakura Cards (in the original work, he loses consciousness midway, but in the anime, he remains conscious until the end). Although he doesn't have many opportunities to showcase it, he has mastered Chinese martial arts and has high physical abilities.

He once had feelings for Yukito, but it was not genuine affection; rather, he was influenced by the moon's magical power emanating from Yukito (because the power Li possesses is close to the moon's power, which is why he doesn't get along with Keroberos, who has the power of the sun). He was wary of Kaho because she possessed a different moon's magical power from Clow and had the cause for Yue's defeat by Sakura. Initially, he harbored hostility towards Sakura and often competed with her, but gradually they became close, and he focused more on supporting Sakura in sealing the cards than obtaining the Clow Cards himself. Eventually, they started calling each other by their first names, and he gradually developed feelings for her due to her kindness and gentle nature. Initially, he was confused by these feelings, but with advice from Yukito, Yue, and encouragement from Tomoyo and Eriol, he realized his love for her and broke off his engagement with Meiling (anime episode 60). He tried to confess to Sakura several times but was often interrupted, leading him to consult Tomoyo each time. After learning about Sakura's heartbreak over Yukito, he hesitated to confess his feelings but was persuaded by Tomoyo to try again. Ultimately, he confessed to her, and they became mutual, but he returned to Hong Kong to take care of "things he had to do." A few years later, he completed the procedures and returned to Japan, reuniting with Sakura, who had become a middle school student. Afterward, he attends Tomoeda Middle School with Sakura (class 1-3).

In the Clear Card arc, he lives alone, as in the original work. He is not involved in any club activities. He is the next head of the Li family and possesses magical power second only to his mother, Yelan, but it is revealed that he returned to Japan with the current head's (his mother's) permission, despite opposition from relatives. It seems he underwent quite rigorous training in Hong Kong, but he feels that his current power is "insufficient" and is acutely aware of his immaturity. The sword he originally possessed can be summoned and stored within his body by rubbing his hands together. When drawing the sword and using magic, a magic circle with the same pattern as the compass appears at his feet.

He secretly communicated with Eriol regarding Sakura unconsciously creating new cards, but Kaito interfered with the communication using magic. Initially, he was suspicious of Akiho, but after discovering that her butler, Kaito, possessed magical power, he became wary of him. In the original work, to mitigate Sakura's increasing magical power, he gathered the Sakura Cards to himself through the teddy bear he gave her, with her consent, so he could use them. The person in a robe who appeared in Sakura's dreams multiple times resembled Shaoran, but it was actually someone else (in the anime version, the person in the robe is Akiho).

Touya calls him "brat," and Keroberos calls him "kid," and they don't get along well. In the Clow Card/Sakura Card arc, he often clashed with Touya whenever they met, but in the Clear Card arc, when he encountered Touya working part-time at the aquarium while on a date with Sakura, he reflected on his attitude towards him and seems to have changed his behavior (he was concerned about not being able to greet him properly).

He is always fooled by Yamazaki's tall tales. He likes chocolate and dim sum, and like Sakura, he dislikes konjac. He seems to have an interest in archaeology.