Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student plagued by ayakashi spirits, both of which are invisible to everyone else but him. The series begins when Watanuki stumbles, seemingly by chance, into a shop that grants wishes. The shop is owned by Yūko Ichihara, a mysterious witch of many names and esoteric renown. For a price, she offers to grant Watanuki's wish to be rid of the spirits. The price, according to Yūko, must be of equal value; so, as payment, he must become Yūko's temporary, part-time cook and housekeeper.
The best episode of "xxxHOLiC" season 1 is "Hitsuzen", rated 7.1/10 from 63 user votes. It was directed by Tsutomu Mizushima and written by Michiko Yokote. "Hitsuzen" aired on 4/6/2006 and is rated 0.1 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Falsehood".
Watanuki's life changes completely when he meets Yūko for the first time. Watanuki is given a job at Yūko's shop, paying off his debt. Mokona, Maru and Moro all make their first appearance in this episode.
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Writer: Michiko Yokote
A client seeks Yūko's aid because she has problems with her right little finger; Yūko tells her that it is happening because of a bad habit of hers. Watanuki learns more about Yūko while becoming the shop's cook. Himawari-chan and Doumeki both make their first appearance in this episode.
Director: N/A
Writer: Taiki Sakurai
Himawari-chan asks for Yūko's help to solve a series of mysterious incidents occurring at the school, involving a game called angel. Yūko meets Himawari-chan, and Watanuki is forced to work with Doumeki. Doumeki begins to learn about his true nature.
Director: Tarou Iwasaki
Writer: Tsutomu Mizushima
Yūko decides to show Watanuki what a real Diviner can do. Watanuki learns more about Yūko's powers, while his past is explained. The important butterfly symbolism found throughout the series is also explained.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michiko Yokote
Watanuki encounters an uncommon oden shop in the middle of the night, while engaging in a dangerous task with Mokona's aid. Watanuki meets the Fox family and later gives the Young Fox a Haja Arrow. The full moon brings new life to Yūko's shop.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Watanuki and Yūko pay a visit to a client who desires to abandon her addiction to computers.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
A rain sprite (Ame-warashi) seeks Yūko's help to save a friend of hers.
Director: N/A
Writer: Nanase Ohkawa
A teacher in Watanuki's school gets her hands into a dangerous item from Yūko's shop, the monkey's paw. The teacher's discovery eventually leads to her downfall and of the monkey's paw choking her.
Director: Tarou Iwasaki
Writer: Michiko Yokote
Yūko receives a Pipe Fox as payment from Ame-warashi, while another client with bad habit problems arrives at the shop.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Yūko decides to arrange a ghost stories meeting with Watanuki and his friends.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michiko Yokote
When a Zashiki-warashi accidentally steals Doumeki's soul, Watanuki has to go after her to get it back, aloof to what are her true intentions.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
It's summer and the gang decides to spend some days in a house by the beach. For some reason Doumeki keeps asking Watanuki to call for his help, but he can't figure out why. Unbeknownst to them, there's a ghost lurking inside. When Watanuki discovers this, will he investigate alone?
Director: Yoshitaka Koyama
Writer: Nanase Ohkawa
Watanuki investigates a classmate of his who started to behave strangely since a pair of wings started to grow from her back.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
Watanuki and Doumeki meet a pair of twin sisters and even go to a date with them, but Watanuki can't shake the feeling there is something strange about the older one.
Director: Yukio Kuroda
Writer: Michiko Yokote
The situation involving the twin sisters start to get dangerous as one of them starts to bleed for apparently no reason.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michiko Yokote
In order to make the Pipe Fox revert to its original form, Yūko sends Watanuki to purify it in a mystical mountain, where he meets the Zashiki-warashi again.
Director: Tarou Iwasaki
Writer: N/A
Watanuki brings to the shop a woman with an urge to always take irrational decisions in her choices.
Director: Masahiko Watanabe
Writer: Nanase Ohkawa
Yūko receives a magic lantern, also called a "ground cherry", and asks Watanuki and Doumeki to take it to a very uncommon festival.
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Writer: Tsutomu Mizushima
Watanuki and the gang, including the Zashiki-warashi and the Ame-warashi, have an interesting snowball fight.
Director: N/A
Writer: N/A
A desperate customer seeks Yūko's help because she is being haunted by a strange photo that she can't get rid of.
Director: Yukio Kuroda
Writer: Nanase Ohkawa
Watanuki ignores some old superstitions and put himself in trouble.
Director: Masahiko Watanabe
Writer: Miharu Hirami
Watanuki meets a beautiful woman and starts to see her every day hoping to soothe her loneliness, but somehow he starts to get sick and can't figure out the reason.
Director: N/A
Writer: Michiko Yokote
As Watanuki has more encounters with the mysterious woman, his condition worsens and Doumeki decides to intervene.
Director: Tsutomu Mizushima
Writer: Michiko Yokote
Watanuki reminisces about his childhood, when he was saved by a boy who became a precious friend of his.
Director: Tarou Iwasaki
Writer: N/A