Status: Hoshigami
Summoning Call: Lailai Rishu!
Height: 2-3 inches tall [in the manga, there have been pictures of her in "normal" human size]
Weight: maybe 4 ounces
Distinguishing Marks: pink hair in odango on either side of her head; blue eyes; kimono; often seen with a paintbrush; speech impediment (she says "sh" instead of "s", which is so cute when you hear it in Japanese!)
Special Powers: telepathy; ability to fly (?)
Occupation: Rishu is the Hoshigami that Shaolin summons to protect Tasuke when Shao is unable to be with him. Rishu takes her job very seriously and is willing to risk her life to protect Tasuke. However, her height is often a source of frustration since it makes her job harder.
Hobbies: Rishu loves to paint! She is often seen with a Japanese-style paintbrush. Rishu draws pictures for Tasuke to communicate. She speaks telepathically, but only Shao can hear her. Thus, she draws pictures for Tasuke. And she's a good artist too!
Favorite Food: Takoyaki and a nice cup of tea.
Why Rishu?: Rishu is my favorite character in the whole show (if you haven't figured out by now ^_~). She is sweet and very dedicated. Her faithfulness to Shao is very profound, especially since she is willing to risk her life to follow through with her orders. Even when Tasuke was angry with Shao in the first episode (after she destroyed his school and risked Tasuke and Rishu's lives), Rishu cried and begged Tasuke not to be angry with Shao.
With Tasuke, Rishu genuinely likes him. She is concerned for him, not just because she feels it is her duty as his guardian. She appreciates his kindness, especially when Tasuke wiped away her tears and thanked Shao at the end of the first episode.
Side Notes: Rishu, though the unoffical mascot of the show, only has a few episodes where she is prominently featured. One such episode revolves around Rishu and Tasuke being attached by a magical red string. It provides insight into Rishu's attachment to Tasuke and the frustration that comes with being small enough to go just about everywhere he does.
Also, in the manga, it appears that Rishu has a crush on the Shinto priest Izumo (who is best known for his gravity-defying hair and his persistance in wooing Shaolin). At some point in the manga, Rishu is in her "human" form and brings gifts to Izumo (which seems to irritate Konan). This pairing of Izumo and Rishu is hinted - albeit briefly - during the OVA beach episode, where Rishu and Izumo explore the beach together.
Bonus!
Here is a cute site that has a few character descriptions and a ton of links to other anime character trials/cliches/etc. It's over here.
Settei
These are the settei created for the TV anime and the OVA anime. Though the personalities of the characters remained the same, the character designs were pretty different. The TV used bolder colors and more "realistic" designs. The OVA has more pastel colors and Rishu's design exaggerates her chibi features.
