Notes:
While it would be impossible for Kimahri to pass as a human being due to his radically different appearance, Auron manages to pass as a normal human for most of the game. His marginality stems from the fact that he is actually dead. Because he was never Sent by a Summoner, and made promises that tied him to this world, he walks the world as an Unsent, someone who is not alive, but not quite dead either. Death is a highly polluted state in Japan, because of the Shintō emphasis on purity (Ohnuki-Tierney, 36), and because he is neither alive nor dead, his marginality is even greater. In order to hide the fact that he is an Unsent, he acts aloof and reticent, always standing apart from the rest of the group and discouraging any attempts at friendship. The fact that he successfully hides this highly polluting state, even at the high cost to his social relationships, indicates just how important passing is. In addition, his character may represent a sort of fear that seemingly ordinary people are really hiding impurity. Auron illustrates well the high costs of passing – feelings of separateness and deceit, as well as the strain of always keeping up a false front.