Plot
The story begins with a flashback to Feudal Japan, when the half-demon Inuyasha raids a human village to steal the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, a magical jewel that enhances its wielder's powers and can grant a single wish. InuYasha hopes to use the gem to turn himself into a demon, but is soon stopped when Kikyo, the young miko of the village, shoots him with a sacred arrow, sealing him onto the sacred tree Goshinboku in the nearby forest. Mortally wounded, Kikyo tells her younger sister, Kaede, to burn the jewel with her body to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil.
The story then shifts to modern Tokyo, where a junior middle school girl named Kagome Higurashi lives on the grounds of her family's hereditary Shinto shrine. When she goes into the well house to retrieve her cat, Buyo, a centipede demon bursts out of the enshrined Bone Eater's Well and pulls her through it.
Kagome emerges into a strange wilderness, initially unaware that she has traveled back through time to the Sengoku period of Japan, fifty years after Kikyo's death. Other than the Bone Eater's Well itself, the only familiar landmark is Goshinboku. She finds Inuyasha still sealed onto the tree in an enchanted sleep, and a group of hostile peasants who drag her back to their village.
Their old priestess, Kaede, recognizes Kagome as the reincarnation of her sister Kikyo; when the centipede demon returns, Kaede realizes that the Jewel of Four Souls has also been reborn in Kagome's body. Kagome frees Inuyasha so he can kill the centipede demon, but after defeating it, Inuyasha again tries to take the Jewel for himself. Kaede thwarts him by placing a magical rosary around his neck, allowing Kagome to subdue him with the simple command, "Sit!" (Often said as "Sit, boy!" in the English adaption.)
The Jewel of Four Souls attracts more demons, and the jewel is shattered into numerous shards that disperse across Japan. Even the individual shards are capable of granting great power, and are eagerly sought by humans and demons alike. Kagome and Inuyasha set out to collect the shards and restore the Jewel of Four Souls. Along the way, they befriend Shippo, a small fox demon; Miroku, a perverted cursed monk; and Sango, a demon-slayer with a tragic past,and her trustworthy companion, a demon cat called, "Kirara" who is first seen when InuYasha and his friends come upon the demon slayer village after Naraku's visit.
The group encounters many friends and foes during the adventure, including InuYasha's older half-brother Sesshomaru; Kikyo, partially resurrected with a fragment of Kagome's soul; Naraku, a devious and powerful collective half-demon and the main antagonist who manipulated the initial conflict between Kikyo and Inuyasha; and a wolf demon named Koga, who is Inuyasha's dedicated rival in both love and war.
Eventually, Naraku collects all of the shards and reassembles the Jewel of Four Souls. Although Inuyasha defeats him, Naraku uses his power as the Jewel's owner to wish for Kagome's soul to be trapped inside it with his own, which would allow Naraku to survive within it in eternal conflict with her. Naraku's wish can only be fulfilled by tricking Kagome to also make a selfish wish to save herself, but she has enough confidence in Inuyasha, who eventually comes to her rescue, and Kagome instead wishes for the Jewel to disappear forever.
Kagome is thrown back into her own time, also Inuyasha is thrown back to the feudal world, and the well stopped working. However, after 3 years Kagome graduated high school, she comes to realization which allows the well to work again. This leads Kagome and Inuyasha to meet again and get married. The series ends with a narrative from Kagome explaining the events that occurred during her absence, and the future of the characters.
Concept and creation
According to interviews with the author, the style for InuYasha's clothing was based on "priest's garb" of Japan's Warring States period. The series was conceptualized as a "hakama story" historical drama, a genre which Takahashi had not yet attempted as an entire series; she described the initial concept as "a melodrama, something with a strong storyline" with less focus on comedy than many of her previous series such as Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura.
InuYasha himself was envisioned as "someone who hates to lose", a complex character with "a tense and conflicted personality" rather than being "cheerful and refreshingly straightforward." In contrast, Takahashi wanted "to show [her] readers that InuYasha's opponents are this bad and do these kinds of things to gain their understanding of his actions" and "portray what InuYasha is really angry at, not just that someone is no good because they are evil." She originally planned to make Jakotsu a woman to give the Band of Seven "more diversity" but changed her mind, saying, "when I started thinking about it, I didn't feel comfortable having InuYasha fight and defeat a girl."
Protagonists
InuYasha
InuYasha (犬夜叉) is the male protagonist of the series, aged sixteen in appearance and mindset. Born to a dog demon father and human mother, InuYasha is a half-dog demon who initially wants to use the power of the Sacred Shikon Jewel to become a full-blooded demon like his older half-brother, Sesshomaru. Fifty years prior to the main era of the storyline, though, InuYasha fell in love with the priestess Kikyo, who guarded the jewel. InuYasha changed his mind about the jewel, and wanted to use it to become human so he could live with her, but Naraku manipulated both of them into believing they had been betrayed by one another. A shapeshifter, he used Kikyo's form to attack and taunt InuYasha, and InuYasha's form to mortally wound Kikyo. Before she died, however, she shot the real InuYasha with a sacred arrow to seal him to a sacred tree. InuYasha remained in suspended animation for fifty years, until Kagome Higurashi, Kikyo's reincarnation, pulled out the arrow and broke the seal. Later, Kagome shot a sacred arrow at a demon who was escaping with the jewel, which had been hidden in Kagome's body until a demon tore it out. The arrow slew the demon, but it also hit the Shikon Jewel, which shattered. InuYasha and Kagome must then travel together to retrieve its fragments. At first, he is hostile and uncooperative, but Kikyo's sister, Kaede gives Kagome a magical necklace that restrains him by hurling him to the ground whenever Kagome gives the simple command "Sit!" called the Subjugation Beads. Initially wary of Kagome's resemblance to Kikyo, InuYasha grows to trust her as a friend and useful companion. As the series progresses, InuYasha begins to develop feelings for Kagome, which are reciprocated, but strained by the resurrection of Kikyo. At the end of the manga, Kagome and Inuyasha share a kiss right before the Sacred Jewel is destroyed and separated for 3 years. InuYasha works with Miroku to exorcise demons and is reunited with Kagome, soon after Inuyasha and Kagome get married and live their lives together.
In the anime, he is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi. In the English dub, he is voiced by Richard Ian Cox.
Kagome Higurashi
Kagome Higurashi (日暮 かごめ, Higurashi Kagome?), aged fifteen, is the female protagonist and narrator of the series. A middle-school student born in modern Japan, she is the reincarnation of the deceased priestess Kikyo. Kagome has the sacred Shikon Jewel unknowingly hidden inside her body until her 15th birthday on May 14th, 1997, when a demon pulls her into the Bone Eater's Well at her family's shrine and takes her five hundred years back through time. They emerge in the Feudal Era about fifty years after Kikyo's death, where the demon tears the jewel from Kagome's body. She releases InuYasha from his seal, and he defeats the demon, but the jewel's power proves to be a strong lure for evil. When another demon seizes the Sacred Jewel, Kagome attempts to stop it with a longbow and arrow, but in doing so accidentally shatters the jewel into numerous fragments that disperse throughout Japan. She agrees to help find them, as she can sense the presence of nearby shards, and InuYasha comes along as protector and companion (and, ostensibly, so he can steal the jewel from her when it's complete, though he makes no secret of this). As the series progresses, she begins to fall in love with InuYasha, and finds herself competing with the revived Kikyo for his affections. During the search for the Shikon Jewel, Kagome's own innate spiritual powers and abilities and archery skills continue to improve, and she unlocks her true powers and full potential after Sesshomaru kills Magatsuhi, the evil spirit within the Shikon na Tama that was sealing her powers. At the end of the manga, her and Inuyasha kiss right before the Sacred Jewel is destroyed and separated for 3 years, they are reunited and Kagome and Inuyasha marry one another living alongside InuYasha in the Sengoku period, while learning to be a miko under Kaede's guidance.
In the Japanese version of the anime, she is voiced by Satsuki Yukino. In the English dub, she is voiced by Moneca Stori in the original series and all four movies, and by Kira Tozer in InuYasha: the Final Act.
but on the and they were in love each other kagome and inuyasha
Miroku
Miroku (弥勒?) is a Bhikkhu Buddhist, lecherous monk, aged nineteen, who travels the countryside performing spiritual services such as exorcisms and demon exterminations, although sometimes he deliberately falsifies these to earn comfortable rewards. Miroku can attack enemies with his holy staff and sutra scrolls, but his greatest weapon, the Wind Tunnel embedded in the palm of his right hand - which is actually a heriditary curse originally inflicted by Naraku upon Miroku's grandfather. Though the Wind Tunnel is extremely powerful because it can suck in almost anything in its path, it grows larger with increasing use and will eventually consume Miroku, as it consumed his grandfather, Miatsu, and his father. Miroku is able to seal up his wind tunnel with his sacred sutra beads that are wound around his arm, but the curse can only be broken by killing Naraku.
Miroku first meets InuYasha by stealing the Shikon Jewel, causing them to fight one another until Kagome leaps between them. After Miroku explains his situation, Kagome asks him to join her and InuYasha, given their mutual goal of wishing to destroy Naraku. He reluctantly complies, though he soon becomes one of InuYasha's most trusted companions. However, Miroku remains notorious for his recurring lechery, usually manifesting as shameless flattery, semi-surreptitious groping, and every woman he meets to bear him a child, except for Sango, who eventually does. While he learned these bad habits from the monk Mushin, who raised him, Miroku also has the more serious motive of wanting an heir to follow him if he dies without defeating Naraku.
Over time, Miroku's feelings mature and he begins focusing his affections more exclusively on Sango. However, because of his love for her, he fears that he cannot love her as an ordinary woman and hopes that if his wind tunnel consumes him, she will not die alongside him. He later proposes to her, which she accepts, though their relationship takes longer to solidify since Miroku is still prone to flirting with other girls, but expresses jealousy when other men act the same way towards Sango. When Naraku is finally killed near the end of the series, Miroku's wind tunnel disappears, freeing him from the curse. In the end of the manga, Miroku marries Sango and has three children with her. He supports his family financially by exorcising demons with InuYasha.
In the anime, he is voiced by Kōji Tsujitani. In the English dub, he is voiced by Kirby Morrow.
Sango
Sango (珊瑚?) Sango is a demon slayer, aged sixteen, who hails from a village of professional demon slayers. Of her broad repertoire of tools and tricks for fighting demons, Sango's most powerful weapon is the Hiraikotsu, a massive boomerang made of purified demon bones. Her other weapons include a concealed sword and poisons. She is accompanied by the demon cat Kirara, who accompanies Sango into battle.
Sango is first seen when she and her family and companions were on a mission to slay a evil demon, while another demon had actually possessed the lord of the castle. The demon possessing the lord ends up controlling Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, and causes him to slay all the demon slayers except Sango. Realizing a demon was possessing both the lord and Kohaku, Sango attempts to attack the lord, but she and Kohaku are shot by the lord's retainers and assumed to be dead and buried at the orders of the lord's son, Kagewaki Hitomi, who stops his possessed father by killing him. Sango, who has survived the attack, learns from Lord Kagewaki (now possessed by Naraku) that her village has been destroyed, supposed at the hands of InuYasha. Unaware that Naraku was responsible for her village's destruction, Sango swears vengeance and attempts to kill InuYasha. When the plot fails and Sango joins InuYasha's group, Naraku revives Kohaku, controlling him as a pawn to manipulate Sango's emotions and attack the rest of Inuyasha's group. While Sango seeks revenge against Naraku, her primary goal is to rescue Kohaku from Naraku's influence and save his life.
Sango is often the victim of Miroku's lecherous tendencies and slaps him for it, though she eventually falls in love with him. While she accepts Miroku's proposal of marriage, she requests that Miroku stop his lecherous actions and not to flirt either. He gradually acquieses to her request, focusing his attention on her exclusively. At the end of the Final Act, when Miroku loses his Wind Tunnel, Sango marries Miroku, using the next three years with Miroku and form a family with a pair of twin girls and a baby boy. The two move into a larger home in Kaede's village and InuYasha is usually with them.
In the anime, she is voiced by Hōko Kuwashima. In the English dub, she is voiced by Kelly Sheridan.
Antagonists
Naraku
Naraku (奈落 Naraku?) is the series' primary antagonist. Naraku is responsible for most of the characters' misfortunes, including the death of Kikyo,the sealing of Inuyasha to the sacred tree, Miroku's curse, and the death of Sango's family. Naraku was born from the fusion of Onigumo, a crippled human bandit tended by Kikyo, and a horde of weak demons. Driven by frustrated lust for Kikyo, Onigumo made a bargain with the demons: they could eat his flesh, and the demons would combine into one entity to become part of that new body. However the resulting half-demon promptly caused Kikyo's death in an attempt to corrupt and possess the Shikon Jewel-his intent being that she would use the jewel to save herself and thus both would be corrupted and be his. Unlike other Half-Demons, he can choose what time will he lose his powers, however he reverts to a head attached to multiple demons. During this time he discards the weaker demons that he's attached.
Naraku is driven by three goals: To become a full demon, to possess a fully-corrupted Shikon Jewel, and to possess Kikyo. The third goal is rooted in Onigumo's heart as a vital part of Naraku's body, causing an obsession with Kikyo that prevents him from killing her. He attempts to rid himself of Onigumo's heart multiple times, ultimately separating it into globs of flesh he leaves in a mountain. With his heart freed from his obsession, he is able to later kill Kikyo. On his final death, he faintly remembered why he made the bargain in the first place and expressed regret at not being able to have Kikyo for his own. He then understood the true essence of peace and recovered himself from his sins.
Throughout the series, Naraku creates many subordinate beings from his own body to aid his goal of killing his opponents and reuniting the shards of the Shikon Jewel, whose corrupted form he hopes to use to gain ultimate power.
In the Anime, he is voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Paul Dobson.
Kagura
Kagura (神楽 Kagura?) is a Naraku's second detachment although she is introduced before her "elder sister" Kanna. As a wind sorceress, Kagura uses a fan to enhance her powers; she can create a blade-like tornado or use wind to animate dead bodies. She can also use her feather hair-ornaments as transportation, enlarging them to ride in the wind. Though initially cold and calculating, her hatred for Naraku increases and she attempts to free herself from his control, covertly opposing him to the point of offering aid to both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru in hopes that they can kill him.
As time goes on, Kagura becomes much more sympathetic and caring toward Inuyasha and even more hostile toward Naraku and his minions. After Kohaku's memories return, Kagura becomes increasingly protective of the boy: she shares information with him about Naraku's weaknesses; she thwarts her fellow "detachment" Hakudōshi from taking the Shikon shard that keeps Kohaku alive; finally, she openly defies Naraku by helping Kohaku escape. Naraku mockingly returns her heart before fatally wounding her and leaving her to die. While tracking Naraku, Sesshomaru finds her dying; she seems happy to see him, although his sword Tenseiga cannot save her. Inuyasha's group also arrives, helplessly watching her body dissolve into the wind. Afterwards, Inuyasha asks if she suffered; Sesshomaru replies that she was smiling when she died. During the series, Kagura had developed feelings for Sesshomaru.
In the anime, she is voiced by Izumi Oogami. In the English dub, she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.
Kanna
Kanna (神無?) is Naraku's first detachment. She appears aged ten with hair and clothing in white. As a "concealed incarnation" of Naraku, Kanna has no scent of demonic aura, making her undetectable to InuYasha's senses and immune to demonic aura-related effects such as the Hakurei-zan barrier. Kagura seems to be jealous of this. Kanna is the only person that Naraku trusts with important information about his actions, allowing her to give orders in his place. She also is nice to Kagura and imformative of Naraku's warnings.
Kanna carries a demonic mirror that can steal the souls of those reflected in it. Once a soul is trapped by her mirror, Kanna can control that person's body to carry out her bidding. However, the mirror can be overwhelmed by an especially powerful soul such as Kagome's, forcing Kanna to release all of the trapped souls before the glass shatters. The mirror can also create a glass demon to copy the abilities of whatever it reflects, though Kanna herself suffers damage when the glass demon is wounded. In her last battle, Kanna is ordered by Naraku to commit suicide, shattering herself and her glass demon into thousands of tiny shards. Driven by Kanna's final thought, one of the shards hits Kagome's right eye and gives her the knowledge of how to destroy Naraku saying that light will kill him.
She is voiced by Yukana Nogami in the anime. In the English dub, she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.
Muso
Muso (無双, Musō?) Naraku's sixth detachment, discarded in an attempt to remove his human core, Onigumo. Naraku cares so little for this incarnation that he gives it no name or face; Muso takes both of those for himself from a wandering monk that he kills. Muso ventures to Kikyo's former village, where he fights Inuyasha's group. Naraku's constituent demons attempt to win their freedom, since Onigumo (who made the initial pact with them) is no longer there; to stop them, Naraku finds Muso and reabsorbs him back into his body.
In the anime, he is voiced by Hiroshi Yanaka. In the English dub, he is voiced by Brian Dobson.
The Infant
The Infant (赤子, Akago?) is Naraku's heart and seventh detachment. He appears to be a human baby, but can speak fluently and control people with the darkness in their own hearts. His goal is to use Kagome to find the remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel. He finds her jealousy of Inuyasha's feelings for Kikyo, but Inuyasha saves her before The Infant can control her. Like Hakudoshi and Kagura, the Infant is not loyal to Naraku. Hakudoshi creates the demonic golem Moryomaru to provide the Infant an impenetrable defense, and the Infant adds new demons to further increase his abilities. Both the baby and Moryomaru are killed when Naraku reabsorbs them.
In the anime, he is voiced by Ai Kobayashi. He is voiced by Chiara Zanni in the English dub.
Hakudoshi
Hakudoshi (白童子, Hakudōshi?) is Naraku's eighth detachment. Created from The Infant's body, he takes the form of a young child. Because his heart remains inside The infant, he can use all of the same powers and his own body can endlessly regenerate from any damage . Both Akago and Hakudoshi eventually grow tired of Naraku's rule and seek to betray him. Hakudoshi creates Moryomaru to protect Naraku's "heart". Naraku discovers their traitorous intentions and has the Saimyosho (poisonous insects) abandon Hakudoshi in battle, giving him no protection against Miroku's Wind Tunnel. Hakudoshi is subsequently sucked into the Tunnel and killed.
He is voiced by Ai Kobayashi in the anime. In the English dub, he is voiced by Chiara Zanni.
Byakuya
Byakuya (白夜?) is Naraku's ninth and final detachment, meant to replace Kagura. His main purpose is to observe Inuyasha and Moryomaru's growing powers and report back to Naraku. He has an incredible power to create illusions, but has many other powers as well: he can possess people with paper soldiers, summon vines to entrap his enemies, teleport others to different dimensions, detach organs from his body, and erect barriers. He travels on a giant origami paper crane in a similar fashion to Kagura's expanding feather ornament.
After taking the power of one slash of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, he slashes Kagome with the blade. However, before he gets a chance at a second strike, InuYasha attacks him with his Meidou Zangetsuha and Byakuya is absorbed into it. When Naraku dies, a Meidou appears behind Kagome, due to Byakuya's Meidou Blade. In the anime television series, Byakuya is voiced by Mitsuaki Madono.
Band of Seven
The Band of Seven (七人隊, Shichinintai?) are seven mercenaries brought back to life by Naraku using the Shikon Jewel shards. All of their names end in kotsu (骨?), meaning "bone."
Kyokotsu
Kyokotsu (凶骨?) is the largest but weakest of the Band of Seven. His weapon is his size itself, and he proves to be a formidable foe. Against Koga, Kyokotsu also uses a giant iron ball attached to a flail-like long chain, but this is nearly useless against Koga's speed. He terrorizes yōkai-wolf tribes who are defenseless against his size and invulnerability. Despite his massive size and fearsome looks, Kyokotsu is human. He eats other demons. Kyokotsu is defeated when he holds Koga too close to his face, allowing Koga to pull out his Shikon jewel shard and kill him instantly.
In the anime, he is voiced by Daisuke Gōri. In the English dub, he is voiced by Mark Gibbon.
Jakotsu
Jakotsu (蛇骨?) is the second strongest of the Band of Seven and the third in command. He has been a close friend of their leader, Bankotsu, since before the group's formation and is still the only person Bankotsu trusts. Jakotsu's chief weapon, the Snake Sword or "Jakotsuto," has segmented retractable blades that curve out across a great distance, making it difficult for an opponent to calculate his next move. Jakotsu is depicted acting in a homosexual manner, (which greatly confuses InuYasha and Miroku in their first meeting with Jakotsu) such as admiring Koga's loincloth and claiming to have feelings for InuYasha, but because of his sadistic qualities, he wants to kill them in what he considers to be an affectionate manner.
Jakotsu loses a lengthy battle to Inuyasha and is badly wounded, giving Renkotsu the opportunity to steal his Shikon shard. As he dies from the shard's removal, Jakotsu says he is happy because he got to fight the battle he wanted and her
[edit] Mukotsu
Mukotsu (霧骨?) is a short poison master and is the second weakest of the Band of Seven. He abducts Kagome; in the anime, he initiates a wedding ceremony with her but becomes angry at her reaction to his facial features, and attacks her when she tries to remove his Shikon Jewel shard. However, in the manga, Mukotsu attempts to harass Kagome until she stabs him, and soon after Miroku and Sango appear. Mukotsu poisons Kagome, Miroku, and Sango, nearly killing them, but is soon killed by Sesshomaru, who is immune to his poisons. After, the Saimosho (poisonous bees from hell) take the Shikon Jewel shard.
In the anime, he is voiced by Tetsu Inada. In the English dub, he is voiced by Trevor Devall.
Renkotsu
Renkotsu (煉骨?) is the second in command and is the third strongest member of the Band of Seven. An expert military engineer, he creates explosives and incendiary devices, including a type of flaming oil that he can spew from his mouth, and he reconstructs Ginkotsu into a living artillery weapon that resembles a modern tank. He is also a gifted strategist and has some skill at hand to hand combat, although the only members of the group he surpasses in fighting skills are Mukotsu and Kyokotsu.
He becomes resentful of Bankotsu's power and dares to betray him. After Ginkotsu self-destructs to save Renkotsu from Koga, Renkotsu takes Ginkotsu's shard and inserts it into his own wounded shoulder. Later, he kills the injured Jakotsu after his battle with InuYasha and takes his shard. As punishment for hiding the shards and killing Jakotsu, Bankotsu kills him.
In the anime, he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. In the English dub, he is voiced by Brian Drummond.
Ginkotsu
Ginkotsu (銀骨?), the third weakest of the Band of Seven, has metal parts on his body and various weapons built inside it. His speech is rarely intelligible, only changing when angered. In his early, relatively human form, he carries a katana, an axe attached with a chain, a spear, "steel" wires, a grappler that replaced his left arm, disk-blades, a cannon on his shoulder, and a drill in his chest.
He barely survives his first encounter with Inuyasha and is reconstructed by Renkotsu into a siege tank with spider-like legs and disk-blade wheels. In tank form, his offense is two main cannons along with the "steel" wires. In the anime, his additional weapons include a larger array of firearms as well as a rocket-like launch of his main body, which contains wire launchers and a flamethrower. His final weapon is a self-destruct mechanism.
He and Renkotsu fight Koga together. In the manga, he explodes when Koga stuffs pieces of Renkotsu's armor into his cannons, causing them to backfire. In the anime, he survives this attack, but goes berserk when Renkotsu receives a heavy wound to his left shoulder; to save Renkotsu, Ginkotsu fruitlessly unleashes his entire arsenal at Koga, then self-destructs in an explosion while shielding Renkotsu with his own jewel shard.
In the anime, he is voiced by Hisao Egawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Mark Gibbon.
Suikotsu
Suikotsu (睡骨?) is the fourth strongest of the Band of Seven. He has a split personality: "Doctor Suikotsu" has a normal human appearance and is good, kind, and respected by villagers; "Suikotsu of the Band of Seven" has bristly hair and shaded patterns on his face, and is evil and bloodthirsty. He has phenomenal strength, agility, and savage combat skills, and uses exceptionally long-bladed iron claws as weapons. He returns to his former village with his normal appearance, but still violent and willing to kill. After taking Rin as a hostage, he is beaten by the combined strength of Sesshomaru and Kikyo's sacred arrow, and asks them to remove the Shikon shard from his neck to let him die peacefully. Respecting his wishes, Kikyo reaches for the shard but is stopped by Jakotsu, who takes it to Bankotsu.
In the anime, he is voiced by Hiroaki Hirata. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael Donovan.
Bankotsu
Bankotsu (蛮骨?) is the leader of the Band of Seven and in general is handsome. Both the youngest and strongest member of the group, he carries the huge Banryu halberd. Bankotsu is a skilled mercenary and has killed many people; he retains a sense of honor and compassion, but only for his six companions.
After his resurrection, Bankotsu uses Banryu to kill everyone in the surrounding area. The scent of blood draws InuYasha's group to engage in battle until Naraku summons the Band of Seven back to him. During the fight, Banryu is damaged by InuYasha's "Wind Scar" attack, but gains the ability to deflect that attack after Bankotsu repairs it with the jewel shards Renkotsu stole from Kagome. After learning that Renkotsu murdered Jakotsu, Bankotsu kills Renkotsu for his betrayal. With seven fragments in his body and two in his halberd, Bankotsu heads off to destroy InuYasha.
In the manga, InuYasha gradually cuts the Shikon shards out of Bankotsu's body as the battle progresses until Bankotsu is cut in two, with Naraku stripping the remaining half of its Shikon shard. In the anime, Bankotsu slays 1,000 yōkai and kills 1,000 warlords with Banryu, transforming it into a demonic weapon that projects its wielder's hatred as powerful demonic energy. However, this proves to be his downfall as InuYasha reflects this attack with the Backlash Wave, crushing Bankotsu and shattering Banryū. Naraku then confiscates his last shard from his remains, reverting him back into a fleshless corpse.
In the anime, he is voiced by Takeshi Kusao. In the English dub, he is voiced by Matt Hill.
Supporting Characters
Kaede
Kaede (楓?) is Kikyo's younger sister and assists her with various tasks such as gathering herbs or holding her arrows. After Kikyo's death, Kaede becomes a miko in her own right and defends the village against demons. When Kagome Higurashi arrives, Kaede recognizes her as the reincarnation of Kikyo. After Kagome frees InuYasha, Kaede puts the "Subjugation Beads" onto him to give Kagome the power to control him with a spoken word. Kaede is highly respected by the villagers and the members of InuYasha's group, and she often advises them about demons and other spiritual anomalies. Though InuYasha is easily annoyed by her, he listens to her when necessary and doesn't hesitate to protect her from a threat.
Kaede loses an eye sometime during her life. In the manga, her eye appears to be freshly bandaged and bleeding when Kikyo was trying to defeat the demons with her sacred arrows; supplementary information states that she "lost her elder sister and her eye in an incident fifty years ago."In the anime, she loses her eye while helping defend the village from a demon attack shortly before the Shikon Jewel incident.
In the anime, she is voiced by Hisako Kyoda. In the English dub, she is voiced by Pam Hyatt who depicts her with an archaic tone and vocabulary, such as using "ye" even extra-grammatically as an accusative and dative.
Myoga
Myoga (冥加, Myōga?) is a flea demon who appears randomly and gives InuYasha information on current events, foes, and the shards of the Shikon Jewel. Assigned to protect Tetsusaiga's hiding place in the grave of InuYasha's father, Inu no Taisho, he runs away when Sesshomaru comes there in search of the sword. Myoga often flees before or during a battle, which the others recognize as a sign of pending danger; his mere presence in any area is enough to determine its safety. Myoga enjoys drinking demon blood, and actually saves InuYasha's life at one point by drinking a spider demon's venom out of his blood. He can save the others in a similar manner, but often gets slapped for drinking their blood without permission. In the anime, he is engaged to another flea demon named Shoga, but continually runs from her to avoid the marriage.
In the anime, he is voiced by Kenichi Ogata. In the English dub, he is voiced by Paul Dobson.
Jaken
Jaken (邪見?) is a small green imp-like yōkai who is extremely loyal to Sesshomaru, often praising his master's greatness although Sesshomaru usually ignores him. Jaken himself is not especially powerful, despite bearing a weapon known as the Human Head Staff (人頭杖, nintōjō). He seldom engages in battle and is actually killed by Kaijinbo with Tōkijin, but Sesshomaru resurrects him with Tenseiga.
The manga explains little about Jaken's past, but the anime shows that Jaken was once a lord among similar demons. During battle with another yōkai tribe, the enemy leader had Jaken by his neck when Sesshomaru appeared and told the demon to move out of his path. When this was not obeyed, he destroyed the yōkai with this poison whip. Out of a sense of obligation, Jaken followed Sesshomaru, who allowed him to become a servant if he could use the Staff of Two Heads.
In the anime, he is voiced by Yuichi Nagashima. In the English dub, he is voiced by Don Brown.
Kirara
Apparition of the monstrous cat
Kirara (雲母?) is Sango's faithful demon-cat companion. Kirara usually appears to be a small kitten-sized feline with two tails, but can become large enough to carry several passengers (usually Sango, Miroku, and Shippo). Her full-sized form has more prominent fangs, flames around her feet and tail, and enough power to fly through the air fast enough to keep up with InuYasha's top speed. It is made apparent that Kirara once belonged to Midoriko when they go to her cave for the first time.
She is voiced by Tarako in both the original Japanese and the English dubbed version of the series.
Totosai
Totosai (刀々斎, Tōtōsai?) is an elderly blacksmith yōkai who forged Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga from the fangs of his old friend, The Great Dog Demon, who entrusted him to help his two sons. As Inuyasha grows stronger and Sesshomaru grows more compassionate, they become more capable of mastering their respective swords, which Totosai strengthens accordingly. He spends most of his time at his forge inside a volcano, but sometimes travels elsewhere on a flying three-eyed ox named Mō-Mō.
Totosai often appears to be a cowardly, absent-minded old man, but he has the strength to pause an attack from Sesshomaru long enough to allow InuYasha to get away; he can breathe fire and his giant forge hammer can open large fire pits in the ground. At the end of the manga, he continues his role as a blacksmith as seen when giving Kohaku a new weapon.
In the anime, he is voiced by Jōji Yanami. In the English dub, he is voiced by Richard Newman.
Kohaku
Kohaku (琥珀?) is Sango's younger brother aged eleven. Disguised as the young nobleman Kagewaki Hitomi, Naraku summons Sango's family and companions to slay a false demon, then controls Kohaku with a Shikon shard and makes him kill all of the other demon slayers (Sango survives solely by sheer luck). The castle guards were also killed by Kohaku that night.
Naraku resurrected him as an amnesiac puppet, but after several encounters with Sango and her friends, Kohaku begins to recover his painful memories. Kagura helps him escape from Naraku, who kills her for her betrayal. In hopes to redeem himself to be loyal, after slaying the Shinigami by mistake, Kohaku travels with Kikyo until she tells him he must leave her to keep his shard pure. During in the anime, whenever Kohaku was with Naraku, or with the Band of Seven, he was to act as if he was being enslaved by Naraku in order to stay alive. After being freed from Naraku's control with a Jewel shard embedded in his back, and after traveling with Kikyo being forced to leave in order to stay alive, Kohaku joins Sesshomaru and Jaken, where he meets up with Rin, bonding a strong kind-hearted friendship with her.
Being very protective of her, Kohaku becomes Rin's protector as well as her best friend. Like Rin, he suffers from terrible memories of his family being slaughtered. During their initial meeting, when she was abducted by Kagura, Kohaku was to guard Rin, treating her with kindness and being unable to kill her even under Naraku's control due to them being best friends. When they meet again at Mount Hakurei, Kohaku strictly ordered Rin to leave the cave as he kindly stops demons from attacking her, protecting her, allowing her to escape. When joining Sesshomaru in the Manga, Kohaku shows loyalty and bravery while traveling with Rin and Jaken, protecting Rin from all sorts of harm.
At the end of the manga, while continuing slaying demons, Kohaku travels with Kirara and gains a new demon-slaying weapon which Totosai makes for him, to help innocent villagers troubled by demons, although his friendship with Rin still remains pure. He does not visit home often, commenting to Totosai that Sango's house is too crowded.
In the anime, he is voiced by Akiko Yajima. In the English dub, he is initially voiced by Alex Doduk, then later by Danny McKinnon.
Rin
Rin is an orphan girl, aged eight, who finds Sesshomaru in the woods after he is badly injured by Inuyasha's sword. Although Sesshomaru snubs her, she visits him regularly and attempts to nurse him to health, even stealing fish from the village for him until she learns that he doesn't eat human food. The villagers beat her for stealing the fish, but when Sesshomaru idly inquires about her injuries, she seems strangely happy about his interest in her welfare. During this time, she never speaks, only communicating with hand gestures and smiles.
Later, the wolf-demon Koga chases a thief to her village, lets his wolves kill and eat the villagers. Rin flees through the forest towards Sesshomaru, but the wolves catch up to her. Recovered from his wounds, Sesshomaru is leaving when he catches Rin's scent and follows it to her lifeless body. Remembering her friendly smile, he retests Tenseiga by using it to resurrect her. After setting Rin on her feet again, Sesshomaru walks away, leaving the dumbfounded Jaken and a wide-eyed Rin standing on the path. After a moment, they both follow. Rin's presence in his group encourages a more lenient attitude from Sesshomaru towards his followers, even towards the faithful Jaken.
From Rin's next appearence, she is seen wearing a new, colorful kimono with white and orange squares, and talking and acting more like a typical child. Throughout the series, she continues to follow "Lord Sesshomaru," as she calls him; when he is away on dangerous tasks, she waits for him with Jaken and a two-headed dragon which she names "Ah-Un." Rin also develops a strong kind-hearted friendship with Kohaku, beginning with her abduction by Kagura, when Kohaku is left as her guard. As their friendhip joins in the Manga, Kohaku's personality changes from being enslaved by Naraku into a kind, strong-hearted protective person, which is seen in the Manga when he shows a strong protective streak towards Rin protecting her when joining Sesshomaru after the deaths of Kagura and Kikyo.
Though Sesshomaru never states any feelings for Rin, he displays a strong protective instinct, and Rin is obviously devoted to him. Rin is killed a second time when she and Kohaku, now also traveling with Sesshomaru, are taken by the "Hellhound." When he finds her body, Sesshomaru is visibly disturbed, especially when he learns that Tenseiga can only resurrect a person once. Rin's lifeless body is taken by the Hell Master, with Sesshomaru and Kohaku following to rescue her. When they return from the Dead Land, Sesshomaru's mother, Inukimi, uses her Meidou Stone to revive Rin. Jaken confirms that it made Sesshomaru happy while Sesshomaru puts his hand on Rin's cheek.
At the end of the manga, set three years after defeating Naraku, Rin no longer travels with Sesshomaru and Jaken. Instead, she lives with Kaede, which Inuyasha comments is "practice" for her to live in a human village so she can choose to follow Sesshomaru or to live in the village when the time comes. Sesshomaru is shown visiting her and bringing her gifts.
In the anime, she is voiced by Mamiko Noto. In the English dub, she is voiced by Brenna O'Brien.
Koga
Koga (鋼牙, Kōga?) is the young leader of the eastern yōkai-wolf tribe, aged fifteen, who was nearly wiped out by Kagura and Naraku. He first meets Inuyasha as an opponent in battle, but becomes a reluctant, occasional ally despite maintaining a strong sense of rivalry with the "useless mutt" about their relative combat strengths as well as his persistent courtship of Kagome.
Koga possesses a weapon named Goraishi, which becomes his most powerful weapon. He is also seen carrying a sword, but he doesn't use it often, only in chapter 340 against Mouryoumaru. In the same chapter, he reveals that he took the sword from a human as "decoration," and he didn't think he'd have to use it.
After suffering serious wounds, Koga is partially restored by three Shikon shards embedded into his legs and right arm. The shards are eventually taken away from him by Naraku, gravely weakening him; he leaves and disappears from the manga, after telling Kagome that she may leave Inuyasha and come to him at any time. In the epilogue of the anime, it is revealed that Koga united all of the wolf demon tribes and married Ayame, the wolf demon girl he had long ago promised to marry "on the night of the lunar rainbow," a promise he had seemingly completely forgotten when she appeared earlier, but evidently eventually decided to keep.
In the anime, he is voiced by Taiki Matsuno. In the English dub, he is voiced by Scott McNeil.
Minor characters
Inu no Taisho
Inu no Taisho (犬の大将, Inu no Taishō?) was a powerful yōkai lord who was known throughout Japan. Never formally addressed with a name, he fathered two sons by two different mothers: Sesshomaru from a dog demoness named Inukimi, and InuYasha from a human woman named Izayoi. Inu no Taisho is first mentioned in chapter 12 of the manga as InuYasha's father, "a demon dog that prowled the lands of the west."
Inu no Taisho's major foe in the manga was the dragon Ryūkotsusei, whom he could not kill but sealed onto a cliff face with his claw; Myōga calls this battle the "cause" of his death. In the third film, "InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler," Inu no Taisho survives long enough to save Izayoi and their newborn child InuYasha; still weak from his battle with Ryukotsusei, he dies defending them from a human foe.
The gateway to his tomb is hidden in a black pearl (a mystical gem that creates a path between the mortal and spirit worlds) inside InuYasha's right eye. Within the pearl, their father's body is shown as an enormous dog skeleton in a suit of armor: his true form, according to Myoga. The sword Tessaiga, forged from Inu no Taisho's own fang, rests inside this cavernous skeleton, protected by a barrier that repels any non-human with malice toward humans. Because of this, InuYasha inherits the sword rather than Sesshomaru.
In the anime, he is voiced by Akio Ōtsuka. In the English dub, he is voiced by Don Brown.
Kikyo
Kikyo (桔梗, Kikyō?) is the one who was given the task of guarding and purifying the Shikon no Tama. She falls in love with InuYasha and considers using the Shikon no Tama to turn him from a half-dog demon into a full human; this would cause the Shikon no Tama to vanish, allowing her to live as an ordinary woman by his side. However, Naraku disguises himself as Inuyasha to attack her village, leaving her seriously wounded. Fooled by Naraku, Kikyo believes InuYasha has betrayed her and uses her remaining strength to seal InuYasha to the Sacred Tree, leaving him in a sleeping state for fifty years. Shortly before she dies, she orders that the Shikon no Tama be burned along with her remains on her funeral pyre. The Shikon Jewel disappears and is apparently destroyed, but is reborn five hundred years later in the body of fifteen-year-old Kagome Higurashi, her reincarnation.
After Kagome travels back through time and reappears fifty years after Kikyo's death, an evil demon sorceress named Urasue tries to pull her reincarnated soul into a clay body made with graveyard soil and Kikyo's bones and ashes. Kagome appears to suffer no permanent harm, but a small part of her soul detaches and reanimates the new body with Kikyo's memories, personality, and human appearance. Although Kikyo retains some of her original spiritual powers in this form, she remains "undead" and must absorb the souls of dead women in order to move. At first, she wants to vengefully drag InuYasha into Hell. However, Kikyo gradually returns to her former compassionate nature and when she learns that Naraku caused the real circumstances of her death. Her old feelings for InuYasha is still true throughout the series, which strains Kagome's relationship with InuYasha, since InuYasha reciprocates Kikyo's lingering feelings. Naraku regards Kikyo as a threatening presence throughout the series, not only because of Kikyo's spiritual powers and knowledge, but also because he still retains the human heart of Onigumo at his core and Onigumo still desires Kikyo above all else.
When Kikyo is attacked by Naraku at Mount Hakurei after he transforms his body and cast out Onigumo's human heart, she falls into a river of miasma, thinking of InuYasha as she falls in. InuYasha arrives shortly after and finds her broken bow and believes that she has perished. However, Kikyo actually survived the attack and is inflicted with miasma wounds, which are healed by Kagome, though the miasma wounds continue to have a lingering affect on Kikyo. When Naraku realizes that Kikyo intends to use Kohaku's purified jewel shard to destroy him once the Shikon Jewel is complete, Naraku attempts to kill her again. Kikyo's wounds begin to spread throughout her body, obliging Kagome to go to Mount Azusa to retrieve a special bow to heal Kikyo. However, Kikyo conceals the fact that she sent Kagome to Mount Azusa so that Kagome could rid herself of the miasma Naraku had tainted her with and that she knows that the purifying arrow Kikyo instructs Kagome to shoot her with will end her own life. Kikyo shares her last moments and a final kiss with InuYasha and finally dies in his arms peacefully. Her will is then transferred into Naraku's shard showing a tiny speck of purity in the darkness.
In the anime, she is voiced by Noriko Hidaka. In the English dub, she is voiced by Willow Johnson.
Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru (殺生丸, Sesshōmaru?) is InuYasha's older half-brother, an extremely powerful full-blooded demon, easily invulnerable when fighting, and is able to fly in the air like "Ah-Un." Unlike most demons seen in the series of the anime and manga, he shows no interest in possessing any of the Shikon Jewel shards, feeling confident of his own strength and seeming to find the use of the gem to enhance one's power distasteful. He is initially ruthless in dealing with InuYasha, whom he hates as a half-demon who consorts with humans, and attempts to steal the sword Tetsusaiga from him. He even had a sword forged from the fangs of Goshinki, an incarnation of Naraku, that sliced the Tetsusaiga into two, knowing that this will match the Tetsusaiga's power. This sword's name is Tokijin, which later gets destroyed by Moryomaru. However, Sesshomaru gradually becomes more sympathetic and caring after meeting the human child Rin, who never shows any fear of Sesshomaru's demon-self. Even going as far as using Tenseiga to revive her, Sesshomaru becomes a guardian to Rin, coming and opting to Rin's aid whenever she's in trouble, while Rin is considered as his ward. His growing compassion and the reaction of the Tenseiga to Sesshomaru's compassion for Kagura and her slow death prompts the master swordsmith Totosai to reforge Tenseiga, enabling the Meidou Zangetsuha ("dark path of the dawn's moon blast") attack. After Naraku attempts to manipulate him by using Rin as a hostage, Sesshomaru becomes determined to destroy Naraku as his main goal. He eventually gains his own blade that is a manifestation of his own power, Bakusaiga, which appeared after he let go of his attachments and preoccupation with Tetsusaiga - at the same time, he also regained his left arm. At the end of the manga, Sesshomaru continues to travel with Jaken by his side, while occasionally visiting Rin, whom he has left in Kaede's village, and bringing her gifts.
In the anime, he is voiced by Ken Narita. In the English dub, he is voiced by David Kaye in the original series and movies and by Michael Daingerfield in InuYasha: the Final Act.
Izayoi
Izayoi was a gentle, beautiful human, the daughter of an impoverished noble house. She loved Inu no Taisho and was saddened that the young InuYasha was shunned for his half-demon status. Little else is revealed about her family, age, or even how she died, with InuYasha only noting that she died "a long time ago" and that her manner of death "wasn't her fault." Upon her death, InuYasha inherits the Robe of the Fire Rat, which Inu no Taisho gave Izayoi to protect her on the night InuYasha was born, and a shell containing Izayoi's favorite lip coloring which he gives to Kikyo.
The third "InuYasha" film, InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, which is not directly based on the manga, gives Inuyasha's mother the name Izayoi (十六夜?). The film shows her on the night of InuYasha's birth as a captive of Setsuna no Takemaru and his samurai, who plan to lure the Great Dog Demon into coming to rescue her so they can kill him. Izayoi pleads with Takemaru to leave and save his own life, but Takemaru claims he loves her and stabs her through the chest with a spear. Before she dies, she is able to give birth to InuYasha. Inu no Taisho, already injured by his battle with Ryūkotsusei, fights his way through Takemaru's men and the burning building to reach his dead lover and his newborn child. He uses the "Tenseiga" to restore her to life, then covers her with the Robe of the Fire Rat and orders her to flee. Before Izayoi leaves, Inu no Taisho names his son InuYasha. Inu no Taisho remains behind to fight Takemaru to the death as Izayoi flees with their child.
In the anime, she is voiced by Kikuko Inoue. In the English dub, she is voiced by Alaina Burnett.
Jinenji
Jinenji (地念児?) is a half-human, half-horse demon who lives in a hut with his human mother. Together they grow a variety of medicinal plants, including some known for being powerful against poisons. He is first seen when Kirara is poisoned by Naraku's "shōki" and Kagome and Inuyasha travel to the village to find a cure. Because of his demon blood, the villagers falsely suspect him of killing people, but Jinenji is a gentle giant who is scared of humans because of the way they treat him. He is surprised when Kagome is not frightened by his appearance at all and willingly helps him collect herbs. Jineji also holds a somehow a crush to Kagome and loves Kagome's warm smile. Shunned and abused by humans during his own childhood as a half-demon, InuYasha attempts to convince Jinenji that he needs to be more forceful towards the villagers, especially after he rescues them from the demon who really committed the murders. In the end, Jinenji decides to continue his more gentle approach, giving healing herbs to the men injured during the demon attack. Like InuYasha, Jinenji becomes fully human once a month. During one of these times, Rin visits his home searching for the same cure to heal Jaken, who was poisoned by the wasps while protecting her.
In the anime, he is voiced by Hisao Egawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael Dobson.
Ah-Un
Ah- Un (阿吽, A-Un?) is a two-headed dragon demon and Sesshomaru's beast of burden. He is one of two yōkai in the series who is explicitly stated to be an herbivore the other one is totosai's ox. Despite traveling with Sesshomaru for centuries, he has no name until Rin gives him one, calling the right head "Ah" and the left head "Un." Ah-Un can fire yōkai energy from both mouths. The right head shoots blue beams of lightning, while the left shoots green lightning that can control clouds and possibly the weather, and has the ability to fly like Sesshomaru. A grey cloud-like gas trails from his legs in flight, similar to Kirara's flames.
On their journeys, Rin and Jaken often rest on his back to fly over great distances. When Sesshomaru leaves Rin in a safe place, Ah-Un stays with her as her protector. He saves Rin from a group of lesser demons while she is collecting herbs to save Jaken from being poisoned by Naraku's Saimyōshō. Ah-Un also defeats many of Setsuna no Takemaru's zombie warriors in InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler.
Moryomaru
Moryomaru (魍魎丸, Mōryōmaru?) is an enemy of Naraku, despite being indirectly created by his powers via Hakudoshi. He is a 100-foot-long (30 m) demonic golem who can shoot blasts of energy from his arm. At first, he is merely a life force puppet made from yōkai, lacking any true personality, soul or will. Kanna places The Infant inside him, giving Moryomaru Naraku's physical life force. He absorbs a turtle demon, two fire and lightning demons, the human goryomaru, Tessaiga's adamant barrage and almost absorbed Tokijin's demonic power. Moryomaru increases in power as he absorbs different yōkai to gain their abilities, and nearly defeats a combined onslaught of most of Naraku's enemies, including Kikyo, Kohaku, Kagome, InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Sesshomaru. He succeeds in breaking Sesshomaru's sword, Tokijin, but flees after nearly losing a shard of the Shikon Jewel. He is killed when he devours Naraku, and Naraku absorbs his power from the inside and uses it to be reborn. In the anime television series, Moryomaru is voiced by Masaki Terasoma.
Hosenki
Hosenki (宝仙鬼, Hōsenki?) is an oyster-demon who cultivates a variety of magical jewels. He created the black pearl in InuYasha's right eye that enabled Sesshomaru to travel to his father's grave and try to steal Tessaiga, the sword his father willed to InuYasha. Needing to return to the netherworld later in the series, InuYasha's group seeks out Hosenki, but learn that he has died and his namesake son cannot make the gems yet. He tells InuYasha that he must wait a hundred years before he can make the gems. They find another path to the netherworld where they find the departed Hosenki sitting among the bones of Inu no Taisho's body. However, he has been corrupted by a tainted shard of the Shikon Jewel and attacks Inuyasha. After Naraku reclaims his shard, Hosenki returns to normal and gives InuYasha the use of Adamant Barrage; an attack gained by Inuyasha's loyalty to his friends and lack of greed.
In the anime, he is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo. In the English dub, he is voiced by Dave Pettitt.
Shippo
Shippo (七宝, Shippō?) is an orphaned young fox demon, aged seven, who attempts to steal the Shikon Jewel from Kagome and InuYasha, wanting to become stronger and avenge his father's death. Though his plan fails, Kagome and InuYasha aid him after hearing his story, and he becomes their companion for the rest of the series.
Shippo normally appears to be a young boy with certain fox-like features: his legs, feet, ears, and tail. He can shape-shift, but his other forms (such as a large pink flying balloon) are temporary and often ineffective, usually given away by his lingering fox tail. He can also create illusory duplicates of himself, as well as weak fox-fire magic and toy-based tricks such as his giant spinning top attack. Naively observant, he often directs cheeky comments to InuYasha, earning a smack on the head. Inuyasha and Kagome serve as older sibling figures to Shippo. Because of his small size, Shippo often rides on Kirara or the shoulders of others. His actual age is never stated in the series; according to the official InuYasha guide by Rumiko Takahashi, his appearance is equivalent to that of a seven year old boy.[1] He often bears crushes toward the little girls in the village and strives to protect and impress them, and usually works. Though he is the weakest member of InuYasha's group, Shippo gradually becomes braver during the series and is dedicated to his friends. Despite InuYasha's attempt to stop Shippo from joining their final battle against Naraku, Shippo goes anyway in hopes of helping his friends in the ways that he can. At the end of the series, Shippo resides in Kaede's village, but often leaves to train and take the kitsune demon examination.
In the anime, he is voiced by Kumiko Watanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Jillian Michaels.
Manga
Written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi, InuYasha premiered in Japan in the November 13, 1996 issue of Shōnen Sunday, where it ran until its conclusion in the June 18, 2008 issue.The chapters were published by Shogakukan in 56 tankōbon volumes, with the first volume released in May 1997, and the last released in February 2009.
Viz Media free the series for an English translated release in North America. Initially, Viz released it in monthly American comic book format, each issue containing two or three chapters from the original manga, but eventually abandoned this system in favor of trade paperbacks with the same chapter divisions as the Japanese volumes. Viz released its first trade paperback volume in March 1998. At the time, American manga reprints were normally "flipped" to conform to the American convention of reading books from left to right by mirroring the original artwork; among other effects, this caused right-handed characters to appear left-handed. Viz later stopped flipping its new manga releases, although InuYasha was already well into printing by the time this change was made. Reprints of older volumes have not been "re-flipped" to match the newer ones. As of March 9, 2010, 46 volumes were released in North America, and new volumes of the series are being released monthly. Viz has also started to reprint the series in their "VizBig" format, combining three of the original volumes into each omnibus with slightly larger pages and full-color bonus art that was previously reduced to grayscale.
Viz Media also issues a separate series of "ani-manga" volumes which are derived from full-color screenshots of the anime episodes. These volumes are slightly smaller than the regular manga volumes, are oriented in the Japanese tradition of right to left, feature new covers with higher quality pages, and a higher price point versus the regular volumes. Each ani-manga volume is arranged into chapters that correspond to the anime episodes rather than the manga.
InuYasha is also licensed for regional language releases in Argentina by LARP Editores, Brazil by Editora JBC, Italy by Star Comics, France by Kana, Finland, Germany, Norway, and Poland by Egmont, Spain by Glénat, Indonesia by Elex Media Komputindo, Mexico by Editorial Vid, Israel by Aruts Hayeladim, Vietnam by NXB Trẻ and South Korea by Haksan Publishing.
Anime television series
Based on the first 36 volumes of the manga series, the InuYasha anime adaptation produced by Sunrise premiered in Japan on Animax on October 16, 2000 and ran for 167 episodes until its conclusion on September 13, 2004. It was also broadcast on Yomiuri TV and Nippon Television. In East Asia and South Asia it was aired on Animax's English-language networks.
The English dub of the anime was licensed to be released in North America by Viz Media. The series was broadcast on Adult Swim from August 31, 2002 through October 27, 2006.A year later the series aired in Canada on YTV's Bionix programming block from September 5, 2003 through December 1, 2006
In the 34th issue of Shōnen Sunday, it was announced that a 26-episode anime adaption of volumes 36 to the end of the manga would be made by the original cast and crew and would air on Japan's YTV.The following week, Viz Media announced it had licensed the new adaptation, titled Inuyasha: The Final Act (犬夜叉 完結編, Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen?).The series premiered on October 3, 2009 in Japan with the episodes being simulcast via Hulu and Shōnen Sunday in the United States.In other parts of Asia the episodes were aired on the same week on Animax-Asia. The anime completed its run on March 29, 2010, with the two series together totaling 194 episodes. The release of a version dubbed in English by Viz Media is expected in 2011.
Episode listing
Season 1: Episodes 1–27
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 1)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate
1 "The Girl Who Overcame Time... and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome"
"Toki o Koeta Shōjo to Fūinsareta Shōnen" (時代 を越えた少女と封印された少年) October 16, 2000 August 31, 2002
2 "Seekers of the Sacred Jewel"
"Shikon no Tama o Nerau Monotachi" (四魂の玉を狙う者たち) October 23, 2000 September 7, 2002
3 "Down the Rabbit Hole and Back Again"
"Honekui no Ido kara Tadaima!" (骨喰いの井戸からただいまっ！) October 30, 2000 September 14, 2002
4 "Yura of the Demon-Hair"
"Sakasagami no Yōma Yūra" (逆髪の妖魔 結羅) November 6, 2000 September 21, 2002
5 "Aristocratic Assassin, Sesshomaru"
"Senritsu no Kikōshi Sesshōmaru" (戦慄の貴公子 殺生丸) November 13, 2000 September 28, 2002
6 "Tetsusaiga, the Phantom Sword"
"Bukimi na Yōtō Tetsusaiga" (不気味な妖刀 鉄砕牙) November 20, 2000 October 5, 2002
7 "Showdown! InuYasha vs. Sesshomaru"
"Gekitaiketsu! Sesshōmaru tai Tetsusaiga!" (激対決！ 殺生丸ＶＳ鉄砕牙!!) November 27, 2000 October 12, 2002
8 "The Toad Who Would Be Prince"
"Tono Yōkai Tsukumo no Gama" (殿様妖怪 九十九の蝦蟇) December 4, 2000 October 19, 2002
9 "Enter Shippo... Plus, The Amazing Thunder Brothers"
"Shippō Tōjō! Raijū Kyōdai Manten Hiten" (七宝登場！ 雷獣兄弟 飛天満天!!) December 11, 2000 October 26, 2002
10 "Phantom Showdown: The Thunder Brothers vs. Tetsusaiga"
"Yōtō Gekitotsu! Raigekijin tai Tetsusaiga" (妖刀激突! 雷撃刃VS鉄砕牙!!) December 18, 2000 November 2, 2002
11 "Terror of the Ancient Noh Mask"
"Gendai ni Yomigaeru Noroi no Nōmen" (現代によみがえる呪いの能面) January 15, 2001 November 9, 2002
12 "The Soul Piper and the Mischievous Little Soul"
"Tatari Mokke to Chiisana Akuryō" (タタリモッケと小さな悪霊) January 22, 2001 November 16, 2002
13 "The Mystery of the New Moon and the Black-haired InuYasha"
"Shingetsu no Nazo! Kurogami no Inuyasha" (新月の謎 黒髪の犬夜叉) January 29, 2001 November 23, 2002
14 "Kikyo's Stolen Ashes"
"Nusumareta Kikyō no Reikotsu" (盗まれた桔梗の霊骨) February 5, 2001 November 30, 2002
15 "Return of the Tragic Priestess, Kikyo"
"Hiun no Miko Kikyō Fukkatsu" (悲運の巫女 桔梗復活) February 12, 2001 December 7, 2002
16 "Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk, Miroku"
"Migi Te ni Kazaana Furyō Hōshi Miroku" (右手に風穴 不良法師 弥勒) February 19, 2001 December 7, 2002
17 "Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter"
"Jigoku Eshi no Kegareta Sumi" (地獄絵師の汚れた墨) February 26, 2001 December 14, 2002
18 "Naraku and Sesshomaru Join Forces"
"Te o Kunda Naraku to Sesshōmaru" (手を組んだ奈落と殺生丸) March 5, 2001 December 14, 2002
19 "Go Home To Your Own Time, Kagome!"
"Kaere, Kagome! Omae no Jidai ni" (帰れ、かごめ！ お前の時代に) March 12, 2001 December 21, 2002
20 "Despicable Villain! The Mystery of Onigumo!"
"Asamashiki Yatō, Onigumo no Nazo" (あさましき野盗 鬼蜘蛛の謎) March 19, 2001 December 21, 2002
21 "Naraku's True Identity Unveiled"
"Naraku no Shinjitsu ni Semaru Kikyō no Tamashii Zenpen" (奈落の真実に迫る桔梗の魂 前編) April 9, 2001 December 28, 2002
22 "A Wicked Smile; Kikyo's Wandering Soul"
"Naraku no Shinjitsu ni Semaru Kikyō no Tamashii Kōhen" (奈落の真実に迫る桔梗の魂 後編) April 9, 2001 December 28, 2002
23 "Kagome's Voice and Kikyo's Kiss"
"Kagome no Koe to Kikyō no Kuchizuke" (かごめの声と桔梗の口づけ) April 16, 2001 January 14, 2003
24 "Enter Sango the Demon Slayer(Exterminator)!"
"Yōkaitaijiya, Sango Tōjō!" (妖怪退治屋 珊瑚登場！) April 23, 2001 January 15, 2003
25 "Naraku's Insidious Plot"
"Naraku no Bōryaku o Uchi Yabure!" (奈落の謀略をうち破れ！) May 7, 2001 January 16, 2003
26 "The Secret of the Jewel of Four Souls Revealed"
"Tsui ni Akasareta Shikon no Himitsu" (ついに明かされた四魂の秘密) May 14, 2001 January 17, 2003
27 "The Lake of the Evil Water God"
"Suijin ga Shihaisuru Yami no Mizūmi" (水神が支配する闇の湖) May 21, 2001 January 21, 2003
Season 2: Episodes 28–54
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 2)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate Asia airdate
28 "Miroku Falls Into a Dangerous Trap"
"Kakokuna Wana ni Kakatta Miroku" (過酷な罠にかかった弥勒) May 28, 2001 January 22, 2003 July 29, 2010
29 "Sango's Suffering and Kohaku's Life"
"Sango no Kunō to Kohaku no Inochi" (珊瑚の苦悩と琥珀の命) June 4, 2001 January 23, 2003 July 30, 2010
30 "Tetsusaiga Is Stolen! Showdown At Naraku's Castle!"
"Nusumareta Tetsusaiga Taiketsu Naraku no Shiro!" (盗まれた鉄砕牙 対決 奈落の城!) June 11, 2001 January 24, 2003 August 2, 2010
31 "Jinenji, Kind Yet Sad"
"Kokoroyasashiki Aishū no Jinenji" (心優しき哀愁の地念児) June 18, 2001 January 28, 2003 August 3, 2010
32 "Kikyo and InuYasha, Into the Miasma"
"Jaki ni Ochita Kikyō to Inuyasha" (邪気に落ちた桔梗と犬夜叉) June 25, 2001 January 29, 2003 August 4, 2010
33 "Kikyo, Captured by Naraku"
"Torawareta Kikyō to Naraku" (囚われた桔梗と奈落) July 2, 2001 January 30, 2003 August 5, 2010
34 "Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga"
"Tenseiga to Tessaiga" (天生牙と鉄砕牙) July 9, 2001 January 31, 2003 August 6, 2010
35 "The True Owner of the Great Sword"
"Meitō ga Erabu Shin no Tsukai Te" (名刀が選ぶ真の使い手) July 16, 2001 February 3, 2003 August 9, 2010
36 "Kagome Kidnapped by Koga, the Wolf-Demon"
"Kagome Ryakudatsu! Chōsoku no Yōrō Kōga!" (かごめ略奪! 超速の妖狼 鋼牙) July 23, 2001 February 4, 2003 August 10, 2010
37 "The Man Who Fell In Love With Kagome"
"Kagome ni Horeta Aitsu" (かごめに惚れたあいつ) July 30, 2001 August 25, 2003 August 11, 2010
38 "Two Hearts, One Mind"
"Hanarete Kayou Futari no Kimochi" (はなれて通うふたりの気持ち) August 6, 2001 August 26, 2003 August 12, 2010
39 "Trapped In A Duel To The Death"
"Shikumareta Shitō" (仕組まれた死闘) August 13, 2001 August 27, 2003 August 13, 2010
40 "The Deadly Trap of Kagura the Wind Sorceress"
"Kazetsukai Kagura no Yōennaru Wana" (風使い神楽の妖艶なる罠) August 20, 2001 August 28, 2003 August 16, 2010
41 "Kagura's Dance and Kanna's Mirror"
"Kagura no Mai to Kanna no Kagami" (神楽の舞と神無の鏡) August 27, 2001 September 1, 2003 August 17, 2010
42 "The Wind Scar Fails"
"Yaburareta Kaze no Kizu" (破られた風の傷) September 3, 2001 September 2, 2003 August 18, 2010
43 "Tetsusaiga Breaks"
"Tsui ni Oreta Tetsusaiga!" (ついに折れた鉄砕牙!) September 10, 2001 September 3, 2003 August 19, 2010
44 "Kaijinbo's Evil Sword"
"Kaijinbō no Jaaku na Tsurugi" (灰刃坊の邪悪な剣) September 17, 2001 September 4, 2003 August 20, 2010
45 "Sesshomaru Wields Tokijin"
"Sesshōmaru, Tōkijin o Furū" (殺生丸、闘鬼神を振るう) October 8, 2001 September 8, 2003 August 23, 2010
46 "Juromaru and Kageromaru"
"Jūrōmaru to Kagerōmaru" (獣郎丸と影郎丸) October 15, 2001 September 9, 2003 August 24, 2010
47 "Onigumo's Heart Still Beats Within Naraku"
"Naraku ni Nokoru Onigumo no Kokoro" (奈落に残る鬼蜘蛛の心) October 22, 2001 September 10, 2003 August 25, 2010
48 "Return to the Place Where We First Met"
"Deatta Basho ni Kaeritai!" (出会った場所に帰りたい!) October 29, 2001 September 11, 2003 August 25, 2010
49 "Kohaku's Lost Memory"
"Ushinawareta Kohaku no Kioku" (失われた琥珀の記憶) November 5, 2001 September 15, 2003 August 26, 2010
50 "That Unforgettable Face"
"Ano Kao ga Kokoro kara Kienai" (あの顔が心から消えない) November 12, 2001 September 16, 2003 August 27, 2010
51 "InuYasha's Soul, Devoured"
"Kokoro o Kuwareta Inuyasha" (心を喰われた犬夜叉) November 19, 2001 September 17, 2003 August 30, 2010
52 "The Demon's True Nature"
"Tomerarenai! Yōkai no Honshō" (止められない! 妖怪の本性) November 26, 2001 September 18, 2003 August 31, 2010
53 "Father's Old Enemy: Ryukotsusei"
"Chichi no Shukuteki, Ryukotsusei" (父の宿敵 竜骨精) December 3, 2001 April 24, 2004 September 1, 2010
54 "The Backlash Wave: Tetsusaiga's Ultimate Technique"
"Tetsusaiga no Ōgi Bakuryū" (鉄砕牙の奥義 爆流破) December 10, 2001 May 1, 2004 September 2, 2010
Season 3: Episodes 55–82
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 3)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate Asia airdate
55 "The Stone Flower and Shippo's First Love"
"Ishi no Hana to Shippō no Hatsukoi" (石の花と七宝の初恋) December 17, 2001 May 8, 2004 September 3, 2010
56 "Temptress in the Mist"
"Kiri no Oku ni Bijo no Yūwaku" (霧の奥に美女の誘惑) January 14, 2002 May 15, 2004 September 6, 2010
57 "Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part I"
"Subete wa Tōgenkyō no Yoru ni (Zenpen)" (すべては桃源郷の夜に 前編) January 21, 2002 May 22, 2004 September 7, 2010
58 "Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part II"
"Subete wa Tōgenkyō no Yoru ni (Kōhen)" (すべては桃源郷の夜に 後編) January 28, 2002 May 29, 2004 September 8, 2010
59 "The Beautiful Sister Apprentices"
"Bishōjo Shimai no Deshiiri Shigan" (美少女姉妹の弟子入り志願) February 4, 2002 June 5, 2004 September 9, 2010
60 "The 50 Year-Old Curse of the Dark Priestess"
"Kuro Miko Gojūnen no Noroi" (黒巫女 五十年の呪い) February 11, 2002 June 12, 2004 September 10, 2010
61 "Kikyo and the Dark Priestess"
"Arawareta Kikyō Shikigami Tsukai" (現れた桔梗と式神使い) February 18, 2002 June 19, 2004 September 13, 2010
62 "Tsubaki's Unrelenting Evil Spell"
"Sokoshirene Tsubaki no Jubaku" (底知れぬ椿の呪縛) March 4, 2002 June 26, 2004 September 14, 2010
63 "The Red and White Priestesses"
"Ikute o Habamu Kōhaku Miko" (行く手を阻む紅白巫女) March 11, 2002 July 3, 2004 September 15, 2010
64 "Giant Ogre of the Forbidden Tower"
"Tahōtō no Kyodai na Oni" (多宝塔の巨大な鬼) March 18, 2002 July 10, 2004 September 16, 2010
65 "Farewell, Days of My Youth"
"Saraba Seishun no Hibi" (さらば青春の日々) April 8, 2002 July 17, 2004 September 17, 2010
66 "Naraku's Barrier - Kagura's Decision"
"Naraku no Kekkai Kagura no Kesshin" (奈落の結界 神楽の決心) April 15, 2002 July 24, 2004 September 20, 2010
67 "The Howling Wind of Betrayal"
"Fukiareru Uragiri no Kaze" (吹き荒れる裏切りの風) April 22, 2002 July 31, 2004 September 21, 2010
68 "Shippo Receives an Angry Challenge"
"Shippō e Ikari no Chosenjō" (七宝へ怒りの挑戦状) May 6, 2002 August 7, 2004 September 22, 2010
69 "Terror of the Faceless Man"
"Kao no Nai Otoko no Kyōfu" (顔のない男の恐怖) May 13, 2002 August 14, 2004 September 23, 2010
70 "Onigumo's Memory Restored"
"Yomigaetta Onigumo no Kioku" (よみがえった鬼蜘蛛の記憶) May 20, 2002 August 21, 2004 September 24, 2010
71 "Three-Sided Battle to the Death"
"Mitsudomoe no Shitō no Hate" (三つ巴の死闘の果て) May 27, 2002 August 28, 2004 September 27, 2010
72 "Totosai's Rigid Training"
"Tōtōsai no Kimyō na Shiren" (刀々斎の珍妙な試練) June 3, 2002 September 4, 2004 September 28, 2010
73 "Shiori's Family and InuYasha's Feelings"
"Shiori Ayako to Aitsu no Kimochi" (紫織母子とアイツの気持ち) June 10, 2002 September 11, 2004 September 29, 2010
74 "The Red Tetsusaiga Breaks the Barrier"
"Kekkai Yaburu Akai Tetsusaiga" (結界破る赤い鉄砕牙) June 17, 2002 September 18, 2004 September 30, 2010
75 "The Plot of the Panther Devas"
"Hyōneko Shitennō no Inobu" (豹猫四天王の陰謀) June 24, 2002 September 25, 2004 October 1, 2010
76 "Target: Sesshomaru and InuYasha"
"Tāgetto wa Sesshōmaru to InuYasha" (標的は殺生丸と犬夜叉!) July 1, 2002 October 2, 2004 October 4, 2010
77 "The Panther Tribe and the Two Swords of the Fang"
"Hyōnekozoku to Futatsu no Kiba no Ken" (豹猫族とふたつの牙の剣) July 8, 2002 October 9, 2004 October 5, 2010
78 "Only You, Sango"
"Sango Mezashite, Onrī Yū" (珊瑚目指してオンリーユー) July 15, 2002 October 16, 2004 October 6, 2010
79 "Jaken's Plan to Steal Tetsusaiga"
"Jaken no Tetsusaiga bun Torisakusen" (邪見の鉄砕牙ブン取り作戦) July 22, 2002 January 10, 2005 October 7, 2010
80 "Sesshomaru and the Abducted Rin"
"Sesshōmaru to Sarawareta Rin" (殺生丸とさらわれたりん) July 29, 2002 January 11, 2005 October 8, 2010
81 "Vanishing Point: Naraku Disappears"
"Broken, The Whereabouts of Naraku // Tachikireru Naraku no Yukue" (断ち切れる奈落の行方) August 5, 2002 January 12, 2005 October 11, 2010
82 "Gap Between the Ages"
"The Interval between Present Day and the Warring Age // Gendai to Sengoku no Hazama" (現代と戦国のはざま) August 12, 2002 January 17, 2005 October 12, 2010
Season 4: Episodes 83–110
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 4)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate Asia airdate
83 "The Female Wolf Demon and the Lunar Rainbow Promise"
"The Female Yōrōzoku and the Rainbow Moon Promise // Onna Yōrōzoku to Gekkō no Yakusoku" (女妖狼族と月虹の約束) August 19, 2002 January 18, 2005 October 13, 2010
84 "Koga's Bride-to-Be"
"The Super-Fast Bridal Candidate // Chōsoku no Hanayome Kōho" (超速の花嫁候補) August 26, 2002 January 19, 2005 October 14, 2010
85 "The Evil Within Demon's Head Castle"
"Maliciousness Rising! The Oni Head's Castle // Jaki ga Michiru Oni no Kubi Jō" (邪気が満ちる鬼の首城) September 2, 2002 January 24, 2005 October 15, 2010
86 "Secret of the Possessed Princess"
"Secret of the Possessed Princess // Yorishiro no Hime no Himitsu" (依り代の姫の秘密) September 9, 2002 January 25, 2005 October 18, 2010
87 "Kikyo's Lonely Journey"
"Meguru Kikyō no Kodoku na Tabiji" (めぐる桔梗の孤独な旅路) September 16, 2002 January 26, 2005 October 19, 2010
88 "Three Sprites of the Monkey God"
"Sarugamisama no San Seirei" (猿神さまの三精霊) October 14, 2002 January 31, 2005 October 20, 2010
89 "Nursing Battle of the Rival Lovers"
"Aitsu to Kare Omimai Taiketsu" (アイツと彼のお見舞い対決) October 21, 2002 February 1, 2005 October 21, 2010
90 "Sota's Brave Confession of Love"
"Omoikitta Sōta no Kokuhaku" (思いきった草太の告白) October 28, 2002 February 2, 2005 October 22, 2010
91 "The Suspicious Faith Healer and the Black Kirara"
"Ayashii Kitōshi to Kuroi Kirara" (怪しい祈祷師と黒い雲母) November 4, 2002 February 7, 2005 October 25, 2010
92 "Plot of the Walking Dead"
"Fukkatsu Shita Monotachi no Yabō" (復活した者たちの野望) November 18, 2002 February 8, 2005 October 26, 2010
93 "The Mysterious, Lecherous Monk"
"Shutsubotsu Suru Nazo no Sukebe Hōshi" (出没する謎の助平法師) November 25, 2002 February 9, 2005 October 27, 2010
94 "The Sacred Jewel Maker Part I"
"Shikon no Tama o Tsukuru Mono (Zenpen)" (四魂の玉を造る者 前編) December 2, 2002 February 14, 2005 October 28, 2010
95 "The Sacred Jewel Maker Part II"
"Shikon no Tama o Tsukuru Mono (Kōhen)" (四魂の玉を造る者 後編) December 9, 2002 February 15, 2005 October 29, 2010
96 "Jaken Falls Ill"
"Byōki ni Natta Ano Jaken" (病気になったあの邪見) January 13, 2003 February 16, 2005 November 1, 2010
97 "Kirara, Come Home!"
"Kaette Konai Kirara" (帰ってこない雲母) January 20, 2003 February 21, 2005 November 2, 2010
98 "Kikyo and Kagome: Alone in a Cave"
"Dōkutsu ni wa Kikyō to Kagome no Futari Dake" (洞窟には桔梗とかごめの二人だけ) January 27, 2003 February 22, 2005 November 3, 2010
99 "Koga and Sesshomaru, A Dangerous Encounter"
"Sesshōmaru to Kōga Kiken Sōgū" (鋼牙と殺生丸 危険な遭遇) February 3, 2003 February 23, 2005 November 4, 2010
100 "Truth Behind the Nightmare: Battle in the Forest of Sorrow"
"Akumu no Shinjitsu Nageki no Muri no Tatakai" (悪夢の真実 嘆きの森の戦い) February 10, 2003 February 28, 2005 November 5, 2010
101 "The Snow from Seven Years Past"
"Are Kara Shichinen Me no Nagori Yuki" (あれから七年目のなごり雪) February 17, 2003 March 1, 2005 November 8, 2010
102 "Assault on the Wolf-Demon Tribe"
"The Yōrōzoku Attacked by the Dead // Bōrei ni Ozowareta Yōrōzoku" (亡霊に襲われた妖狼族) February 24, 2003 May 28, 2005 November 9, 2010
103 "The Band of Seven, Resurrected"
"The Shichinintai, Resurrected // Yomigaetta Shichinintai" (よみがえった七人隊) March 3, 2003 June 4, 2005 November 10, 2010
104 "The Stealthy Poison User, Mukotsu"
"The Stealthy Poison User, Mukotsu // Shinobiyoru Doku Tsukai Mukotsu" (しのびよる毒使い 霧骨) March 10, 2003 June 11, 2005 November 11, 2010
105 "The Ghastly Steel Machine"
"Heavy Equipment made of Ghastly Steel // Bukimi na Hagane no Jūsōbi" (不気味な鋼の重装備) March 17, 2003 June 18, 2005 November 12, 2010
106 "Kagome, Miroku, and Sango: A Desperate Situation"
"Kagome, Miroku, and Sango: A Desperate Situation // Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Zettai Zetsumei" (かごめ、弥勒、珊瑚、絶体絶命) April 14, 2003 June 25, 2005 November 15, 2010
107 "InuYasha Shows His Tears For the First Time"
"Shown For the First Time; Inuyasha's Tears // Hajimete Miseru Inuyasha no Namida" (初めてみせる犬夜叉の涙) April 21, 2003 July 2, 2005 November 16, 2010
108 "The Secret of the Pure Light"
"The Secret of the Pure Light // Kegarenaki Hikari no Himitsu" (けがれなき光の秘密) April 28, 2003 July 9, 2005 November 17, 2010
109 "Hidden in the Mist: Onward to Mt. Hakurei"
"Hidden in the Mist: Onward to Mt. Hakurei // Kiri ni Kakureta Hakureizan e Mukae" (霧に隠れた白霊山へ向かえ) May 5, 2003 July 16, 2005 November 18, 2010
110 "Enter Bankotsu, The Leader of the Band of Seven"
"Enter Bankotsu, The Leader of the Band of Seven // Shichinintai no Shuryō Bankotsu Tōjō" (七人隊の首領 蛮骨登場) May 12, 2003 July 23, 2005 November 19, 2010
Season 5: Episodes 111–138
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 5)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate Asia airdate
111 "The Big Clash: Banryu vs Wind Scar!"
"Clash! Banryū vs Kaze no Kizu! // Gekitotsu! Banryū vs Kaze no Kizu!" (激突! 蛮竜VS風の傷!) May 19, 2003 July 30, 2005 November 22, 2010
112 "Afloat on the Lake Surface: The Barrier of Hijiri Island"
"Afloat on the Lake Surface: The Barrier of Hijiri Island // Komen ni Ukabu Hijiri Jima Kekkai" (湖面に浮かぶ聖島の結界) May 26, 2003 August 7, 2005 November 23, 2010
113 "The Sacred Vajra and the Mystery of the Living Buddha"
"The Sacred Vajra and the Mystery of the Living Buddha // Seinaru Dokko to Sokushinbutsu no Nazo" (聖なる独鈷と即身仏の謎) June 2, 2003 August 14, 2005 November 24, 2010
114 "Koga's Solitary Battle"
"Kōga's Solitary Battle // Kōga no Kokō Naru Tatakai" (鋼牙の孤高なる戦い) June 9, 2003 August 21, 2005 November 25, 2010
115 "Lured by the Black Light"
"Lured by the Black Light // Suikomareru Kuroi Hikari" (吸い込まれる黒い光) June 16, 2003 August 28, 2005 November 26, 2010
116 "The Exposed Face of Truth"
"The Exposed Face of Truth // Sarakedasareta Shinjitsu no Kao" (さらけだされた真実の顔) June 23, 2003 September 4, 2005 November 29, 2010
117 "Vanished in a River of Flames"
"He Vanished in a River of Flames // Honō no Kawa ni Kieta Aitsu" (炎の川に消えたアイツ) June 30, 2003 September 11, 2005 November 30, 2010
118 "Into the Depths of Mt. Hakurei"
"The Depths of Mt. Hakurei // Hakureizan no Oku no Oku" (白霊山の奥の奥) July 7, 2003 September 17, 2005 December 1, 2010
119 "Divine Malice of the Saint"
"Divine Malice of the Saint // Kōgōshii Akui no Seija" (神々しい悪意の聖者) July 14, 2003 September 24, 2005 December 2, 2010
120 "Fare Thee Well: Jakotsu's Requiem"
"Good-bye: Jakotsu's Requiem // Sayonara Jakotsu no Chinkonka" (さよなら蛇骨の鎮魂歌) July 28, 2003 October 1, 2005 December 3, 2010
121 "Final Battle: The Last and Strongest of the Band of Seven"
"Decisive Battle! The Last and Strongest of the Shichinintai // Kessen! Saikyō Saigo no Shichinintai" (決戦! 最強最後の七人隊) August 4, 2003 October 8, 2005 December 6, 2010
122 "The Power of Banryu! Duel to the Death on Mt. Hakurei"
"Powerful Banryū: Duel to the Death on Mt. Hakurei // Kyōretsu Banryū Hakureizan no Shitō" (強烈蛮竜 白霊山の死闘) August 11, 2003 October 15, 2005 December 7, 2010
123 "Behind the Darkness - Naraku Reborn"
"Behind the Darkness - Naraku Reborn // Kurayami no Saki ni Shinsei Naraku" (暗闇の先に新生奈落) August 18, 2003 October 22, 2005 December 8, 2010
124 "Farewell Kikyo, My Beloved"
"Farewell Kikyō, My Beloved // Saraba Itoshiki Kikyō yo" (さらば愛しき桔梗よ) August 25, 2003 October 29, 2005 December 9, 2010
125 "The Darkness in Kagome's Heart"
"The Darkness in Kagome's Heart // Kagome no Kokoro no Yami" (かごめの心の闇) September 1, 2003 November 5, 2005 December 10, 2010
126 "Transform Heartache into Courage"
"Transform Heartache into Courage // Kokoro no Itami o Yūki ni Kaero" (心の痛みを勇気にかえろ) September 8, 2003 November 12, 2005 December 13, 2010
127 "Don't Boil It! The Terrifying Dried-Up Demon"
"Don't Boil It! The Terrifying Dried-Up Yōkai // Nichadame! Kyōfu no Himono Yōkai" (煮ちゃダメ! 恐怖の干物妖怪) September 15, 2003 January 4, 2006 December 14, 2010
128 "Battle Against the Dried-Up Demons at the Cultural Festival"
"The Dried-Up Yōkai and the Fierce Fighting Cultural Festival // Himono Yōkai to Gekitō Bunkasai" (干物妖怪と激闘文化祭) October 13, 2003 January 11, 2006 December 15, 2010
129 "Chokyukai and the Abducted Bride"
"Chokyukai to Ryakudatsusareta Hanayome" (猪九戒と略奪された花嫁) October 20, 2003 January 18, 2006 December 17, 2010
130 "Shippo's New Technique, The Heart Scar!"
"Hoero Shippō Ōgi Kokoro no Kizu" (吠えろ七宝奥義 心の傷!) October 27, 2003 January 25, 2006 December 20, 2010
131 "Trap of The Cursed Wall Hanging"
"Kannon Kakejiku Noroi no Wana" (観音掛け軸 呪いの罠) November 3, 2003 February 1, 2006 December 21, 2010
132 "Miroku's Most Dangerous Confession"
"Miroku Hōshi no Mottomo Kiken na Kokuhaku" (弥勒法師の最も危険な告白) November 10, 2003 February 8, 2006 December 22, 2010
133 "The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru (Part 1)"
"Sesshōmaru o Aishita Onna (Zenpen)" (犬夜叉スペシャル 殺生丸を愛した女) November 24, 2003 February 15, 2006 December 23, 2010
134 "The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru (Part 2)"
"Sesshōmaru o Aishita Onna (Kōhen)" (犬夜叉スペシャル 殺生丸を愛した女) November 24, 2003 February 22, 2006 December 24, 2010
135 "The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master"
"Miroku no Shishō Saigo no Utage" (弥勒の師匠最後の宴) December 1, 2003 March 1, 2006 December 27, 2010
136 "A Strange Invisible Demon Appears!"
"Kaikitōmei Yōkai Arawaru Arawaru!" (怪奇透明妖怪現る現る!) December 8, 2003 March 8, 2006 December 28, 2010
137 "An Ancestor Named Kagome"
"Gosenzo-sama no Namae wa Kagome" (ご先祖の名はかごめ) January 12, 2004 March 15, 2006 December 29, 2010
138 "Mountain of Demons: Survival of the Duo"
"Yōkai Sanga Futari no Sabaibaru" (妖怪山河ふたりのサバイバル) January 19, 2004 March 22, 2006 December 30, 2010
Season 6: Episodes 139–167
Main article: List of InuYasha episodes (season 6)
Ep# Title Original airdate English airdate Asia airdate
139 "The Great Duel at Shoun Falls"
"Shōun no Taki no Dai Kettō" (昇雲の滝の大決闘) January 26, 2004 March 29, 2006 December 29, 2010
140 "Eternal Love, The Naginata of Kenkon"
"Eien no Omoi Kenkon no Naginata" (永遠の思い 乾坤の薙刀) February 2, 2004 April 5, 2006 December 30, 2010
141 "Entei, The Demon Horse Unleashed"
"Tokihanatareta Yōba Entei" (解き放たれた妖馬炎蹄) February 9, 2004 April 12, 2006 December 31, 2010
142 "Untamed Entei and Horrible Hakudoshi"
"Bōsō Entei to Senritsu no Hakudōshi" (暴走炎蹄と戦慄の白童子) February 16, 2004 April 19, 2006 January 3, 2011
143 "3000 Leagues in Search of Father"
"Chichi o Tazunete San Senri" (父を訪ねて三千里) February 23, 2004 April 26, 2006 January 4, 2011
144 "Hosenki and the Last Shard"
"Hōsenki to Saigo no Kakera" (宝仙鬼と最後のかけら) March 1, 2004 May 3, 2006 January 5, 2011
145 "Bizarre Guards at the Border of the Afterlife"
"Ano Yo to no Sakai ni Iyō na Monban" (あの世との境に異様な門番) March 8, 2004 May 10, 2006 January 6, 2011
146 "The Fiery Bird Master, Princess Abi"
"Kishōarai Toritsukai Abi-Hime" (気性荒い鳥使い 阿毘姫) March 15, 2004 May 17, 2006 January 7, 2011
147 "The Tragic Love Song of Destiny (Part 1)"
"Meguriau Mae no Sadame no Koi Uta (Zenpen)" (めぐり逢う前の運命恋歌) April 19, 2004 May 24, 2006 January 10, 2011
148 "The Tragic Love Song of Destiny (Part 2)"
"Meguriau Mae no Sadame no Koi Uta (Kōhen)" (めぐり逢う前の運命恋歌) April 19, 2004 May 31, 2006 January 11, 2011
149 "The Single Arrow of Chaos"
"Haran o Yobu Ippon no Ya" (波乱を呼ぶ一本の矢) April 26, 2004 June 7, 2006 January 12, 2011
150 "The Mysterious Light that Guides the Saint"
"Seija o Michibiku Fushigi na Hikari" (聖者を導く不思議な光) May 3, 2004 June 14, 2006 January 13, 2011
151 "Kagome's Instinctive Choice"
"Kagome Honnō no Sentaku" (かごめ 本能の選択) May 10, 2004 June 21, 2006 January 14, 2011
152 "Protect and Plunder!"
"Mamore Soshite Ubaitore!" (守れそして奪い取れ!) May 17, 2004 June 28, 2006 January 17, 2011
153 "The Cruel Reunion of Fate"
"Ummei wa Zankoku na Saikai" (運命は残酷な再会) May 24, 2004 July 5, 2006 January 18, 2011
154 "The Demon Linked with the Netherworld"
"Ano Yo to Tsunagaru Yōkai" (あの世とつながる妖怪) May 31, 2004 July 12, 2006 January 19, 2011
155 "The Demon Protector of the Sacred Jewel Shard"
"Shikon no Kakera o Mamoru Oni" (四魂のかけらを守る鬼) June 7, 2004 July 19, 2006 January 20, 2011
156 "Final Battle at the Graveside! Sesshomaru vs. Inuyasha"
"Bozen Kessen! Sesshōmaru vs InuYasha" (墓前決戦! 殺生丸vs犬夜叉) June 14, 2004 July 26, 2006 January 21, 2011
157 "Destroy Naraku with the Adamant Barrage"
"Naraku o Tsuranuke Kongōsōha" (奈落を貫け金剛槍破) June 21, 2004 August 2, 2006 January 24, 2011
158 "Stampede of the Countless Demon Rats"
"Daibōsō Musū no Yūkai Nezumi" (大暴走無数の妖怪ネズミ) July 5, 2004 October 12, 2006 January 25, 2011
159 "Kohaku's Decision and Sango's Heart"
"Kohaku no Ketsui to Sango no Kokoro" (琥珀の決意と珊瑚の心) July 12, 2004 October 13, 2006 January 26, 2011
160 "The Lucky but Two-Timing Scoundrel"
"Shiawase o Yobu Futamata Bōryoku Otoko" (幸せを呼ぶフタマタ暴力男) July 26, 2004 October 17, 2006 January 27, 2011
161 "Miroku's Past Mistake"
"Miroku-hōshi Mukashi no Ayamachi" (弥勒法師昔のあやまち) August 2, 2004 October 18, 2006 January 28, 2011
162 "Forever with Lord Sesshomaru"
"Sesshōmaru-sama to Eien ni Issho" (殺生丸様と永遠に一緒) August 9, 2004 October 19, 2006 January 31, 2011
163 "Kohaku, Sango and Kirara: The Secret Flower Garden"
"Kohaku Sango Kirara: Himitsu no Hanazono" (琥珀珊瑚雲母 秘密の花園) August 23, 2004 October 20, 2006 February 1, 2011
164 "Possessed by a Parasite: Shippo, Our Worst Enemy!"
"Saikyō no Teki, Yadori Sanagi Shippō" (最強の敵 宿り蛹七宝) August 30, 2004 October 24, 2006 February 2, 2011
165 "The Ultimate Key to Defeating Naraku"
"Naraku o Taosu Saidai no Tegakari" (奈落を倒す最大の手がかり) September 6, 2004 October 25, 2006 February 3, 2011
166 "The Bond Between Them, Use the Sacred Jewel Shard! (Part 1)"
"Futari no Kizuna - Shikon no Kakera o Tsukae! Zenpen" (二人の絆 四魂のかけらを使え! 前編) September 13, 2004 October 26, 2006 February 4, 2011
167 "The Bond Between Them, Use the Sacred Jewel Shard! (Part 2)"
"Futari no Kizuna - Shikon no Kakera o Tsukae! Kōhen" (二人の絆 四魂のかけらを使え! 後編) September 13, 2004 October 27, 2006 February 7, 2011
Film series
The series spawned four anime films which feature original plot, rather than being based specifically on the manga, written by Katsuyuki Sumisawa who wrote the anime episodes.[15] The films have also been released with English subtitles and dubbed audio tracks to Region 1 DVD by Viz Media. Toshiyo Shinohara directed the film series. The first film, InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time, was released in Japan on December 16, 2001. In the film, InuYasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku must face Menomaru, a demonic enemy brought to life by a jewel shard, as they continue their quest for the Shikon Jewel shards. In the second film, InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, released on December 21, 2002, the group defeats Naraku and returns to their normal lives only to have to deal with a new enemy named Kaguya. The third film, InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, was released on December 20, 2003. In it, a third sword of InuYasha's father called So'unga is unleashed from its centuries-old seal and seeks to destroy the Earth forcing InuYasha and Sesshomaru to work together to stop it. The fourth film, InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island, was released on December 23, 2004, and depicts InuYasha and his friends attempting to rescue children trapped on the mysterious island Houraijima by the wrath of the four gods, the Shitoushin (or "The Four War Gods", as named in the English dub of the film).
Games
InuYasha (InuYasha RPG) PlayStation December 27, 2001
(Japan) Japanese title: InuYasha (犬夜叉)
InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale PlayStation April 9, 2003
(North America) Japanese title: InuYasha: Sengoku Otogi Kassen (戦国お伽草子–犬夜叉)
InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask PlayStation 2 November 1, 2004
(North America) Japanese title: InuYasha: Juso no Kamen (犬夜叉 呪詛の仮面)
InuYasha: Feudal Combat PlayStation 2 August 23, 2005
(North America) Japanese title: InuYasha: Ōgi-Ranbu (犬夜叉 奥義乱舞)
InuYasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel Nintendo DS January 23, 2007
(North America) English only.[24]
InuYasha: Kagome no Sengoku Nikki (犬夜叉 〜かごめの戦国日記, InuYasha: Kagome's Warring States Diary?) WonderSwan November 2, 2001
(Japan) Japanese only.
InuYasha: Fūun Emaki (犬夜叉 風雲絵巻?) WonderSwan July 27, 2002
(Japan) Japanese only.
InuYasha: Kagome no Yume Nikki (犬夜叉 かごめの夢日記, InuYasha: Kagome's Dream Diary?) WonderSwan November 16, 2002
(Japan) Japanese only.
InuYasha: Naraku no Wana! Mayoi no Mori no Shōtaijō (犬夜叉〜奈落の罠!迷いの森の招待状, InuYasha: Naraku's Trap! Invitation to the Forest of Illusion?) Game Boy Advance January 23, 2002
(Japan) Japanese only.