InuYasha (character)

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Inuyasha (犬夜叉, ' dog + ' demon) is the main character of the manga and anime series Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi. His name is punctuated/capitalized multiple ways: Inuyasha, Inu-Yasha, Inu-yasha, Inu Yasha, Inu yasha.

Inuyasha is a han-yō (half-youkai), the result of a relationship between a powerful InuYoukai lord and a beautiful human princess technically making him a Yōkai onikō, or a Yōkai Prince. Orphaned at a young age, and despised and looked down on by both youkai and humans, Inuyasha apparently had a very sad childhood. He is rejected by humans because of his youkai side, and looked down upon by youkai as a 'filthy hanyou, because of his human blood supposedly tainting his superior yōkai blood. Thus, before Inuyasha met Kikyo, he found it very difficult to trust anyone, and even more to find anyone who accepted him as a hanyou.

He was originally going to use the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of the Four Souls) to become a youkai. The high priestess who guarded the Jewel, Kikyo, whom Inuyasha developed feelings for, talked him into becoming human (he wished to gain acceptance, and she wished to be a normal woman.) Another hanyou, formerly a human known only as Onigumo, but now called Naraku, made them believe they betrayed each other. Because of Naraku's schemes, and their own lack of faith in each other, their relationship ended when Inuyasha broke into Kikyo's village and stole the Shikon no Tama. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the Jewel, Kikyo fired a Fuin no Ya at Inuyasha, sealing him to the Goshinboku (Time Tree) in an eternal enchanted sleep. Moments afterward, Kikyo collapses from a wound she received from Naraku -- though at first the viewer is lead to believe that Inuyasha wounded her -- and dies within a few short moments. Part of her final instructions to her sister Kaede was to have the Jewel burned with her body so that it would travel to Hell with her.

50 years later, Inuyasha was released from the tree by Kagome, the reincarnation of Kikyo from 500 years in the future, who unknowingly carried the Shikon no Tama inside her body (this is due to Kikyo being burned with the Jewel, but also makes reference to Midoriko, the creator of the Jewel). When he was finished with Kumade Jōrō (Mistress Centipede), he tried to steal the Jewel but ends up with the Beads of Subjugation around his neck. When Kagome says "Sit!" ("Osuwari!" in Japanese) his head plunges to the ground. Kagome accidentally shattered the Jewel when shooting at a yōkai trying to flee with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inuyasha, Kagome, and their friends then began the search for the shards of the Shikon no Tama).

Inuyasha is offended when someone calls him a dog or suggests that he is inferior to youkai, due to his human parentage.

Relationships

• Kagome Higurashi - Although their interaction was initially very adversarial, over time Kagome and Inuyasha have become very close, and Kagome's kindness and acceptance of Inuyasha have had a noticeable effect on his attitude. Due to the fact that it is stated in the series that the reason Naraku was able to break Inuyasha and Kikyo apart was due to their mistrust, this is significant. He is often seen touching or holding her, he blushes when in contact with her, and it's her near death that causes him to shed his first tears.

• Shippo - Inuyasha is continually annoyed by this fox youkai, who is rather smart for his age. Their interaction consists mostly of Shippo annoying Inuyasha and the han'yō then hitting him and being scolded by Kagome for it. However, Inuyasha does care for Shippō and encourages him when really necessary. Shippo once cried when he thought Inuyasha had been killed, and then hugged him while still in tears when he found out that he was still alive. Shippo is also considered one of Inuyasha's most popular characters for his cuteness and chibiness. Nevertheless, InuYasha probably cares for Shippo more than anyone.

• Miroku - Even though Miroku is a perverted and lecherous monk, Inuyasha clearly respects Miroku for his skills, powers, and knowledge. Each knows he can trust the other with his life if need be. Also, Miroku is the only male companion of Inuyasha with whom he doesn't always bicker. Whenever Miroku is sucking Naraku's poisonous wasps into his Kazāna or otherwise putting himself in danger to help his friends, Inuyasha forces him to stop these dangerous acts. Once he even promised to break Miroku's arm if he tried to open his Kazāna again (as doing so would have resulted in Miroku's death)--Inuyasha's way of saying that he cares. More recently, in the manga, Miroku almost got himself killed trying to suck in Naraku but was stopped by Inuyasha.

• Sango - Inuyasha respects Sango's strength as a fighter, to the point that he was actually the one to ask her to join them in their quest to defeat Naraku, and went out of his way--in his blunt and awkward fashion--to help take her mind off her troubles after she first joined them. After she initially joins, Sango proves to be a very worthy companion and often fights side by side with Inuyasha, and her Yōkai hunting skills proving to be a valuable asset in hunting down Naraku. Sango is the only person who InuYasha never fights with, perhaps out of sympathy and because the two are suffering in similar ways.

• Kikyo - When Kikyo was brought back in a body of clay by the yōkai Urasue, she was filled with the anger and bitterness with which she had died, and she acted with hostility toward Inuyasha and Kagome both. Over the course of the series, Kikyo has gradually become more and more like the miko she was before her death. While there are still clearly feelings between Kikyo and Inuyasha, for the most part Kikyo has held herself apart; nevertheless, she is important to Inuyasha, and threats to her safety tend to make him react without much thought for the consequences to himself or the effect it has on Kagome.

• Sesshomaru - Inuyasha's older half-brother and also son of the Great InuYoukai. He doesn't like the fact that Inuyasha wields Tessaiga and he was stuck with Tenseiga. The two openly hate each other; Inuyasha because Sesshomaru tried to take his sword, and while many fans think the reason Sesshomaru hates Inuyasha is because of a childhood incident involving Sesshomaru's (fan-dubbed) 'fluffy,' the actual reason is that Sesshomaru is a taiyōkai, while his brother Inuyasha is technically a Hanyou. Sesshomaru also considers himself innately superior to Inuyasha by merit of being a full-blooded youkai. Sesshomaru is another of the most popular characters of ''Inuyasha'.'

• Kouga - Inuyasha and Kouga have a very complex relationship. They are often seen bickering over Kagome, something that is often used for comical purposes in the series. However, they have aided each other in the battlefield on more than one occasion; Inuyasha even saved him from Kagura by using his Kaze no Kizu attack which would have destroyed her had Naraku not intervened, and managed to bring him back to safety after he was almost melted by Naraku's shōki in liquid form. Kouga has also never revealed to Naraku that Inuyasha loses his powers once a month, because during that time it would be easy for Naraku to dispatch him since he is in human form and can't use the Tessaiga. Close to the end Kouga gets sucked into a youkai's body and for some strange reason he is forgotten about after that, even though many people know that he is still alive.

• Myoga - This flea youkai was a loyal servant of Inuyasha's father. He now acts as Inuyasha's retainer. He often provides Inuyasha with information on his enemies and on ways to upgrade his sword in order to defeat them. However, he often flee' from battles, and mysteriously reappears in a safer place in the area, or after the danger has passed.

• Totosai - This is the sword smith who forged Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Sesshomaru's Tenseiga. He often gives Inuyasha advice on how to better upgrade his sword. Indeed all of Inuyasha's achievements in strength can be credited to Totosai. He was also a servant of Inuyasha's father, like Myōga. He, Myoga and Saya seem to have been best friends all serving under the great general.

• Sota Higurashi - Sota sees Inuyasha as a role model, due to his father being deceased, and tries to spend time with him when he is in the modern age. Sota even calls Inuyasha "Inu no nī-chan" (dog brother). Sota and Inuyasha seem to be getting closer and closer as once him and Inuyasha even took a bath together; the deal being that Sota will wash Inuyasha's back if he does the same for him. Unfortunately, this ended with Inuyasha running out of the bath tub naked with Sota and landed in front of a horrified Kagome. (Note: Despite what many fans consider to be a display of homosexuality, in Japanese culture it is considered perfectly acceptable to give a child a bath in such a way, though it is usually done by family, further proving the two character's growing closeness).

• Bankotsu - Even though he was his enemy, Inuyasha understood Bankotsu's desire to be strong. After Inuyasha kills him he tells Bankotsu that he was "too greedy" and that "his bare hands would have been enough" to beat him. Later when Naraku insults Bankotsu, Inuyasha, who angered by the way he had used Bankotsu, tells Naraku that even though he was evil, Bankotsu had more honor than Naraku ever had.

• Jinenji - He is the polar opposite of Inuyasha, in that he is able to show compassion to both friends and enemies, even though he too has been badly mistreated by humans and yōkai alike. Inuyasha felt a need to encourage Jinenji to stand up to his oppressors, and in the end managed to get the villagers to stop abusing him.

• Kinka and Ginka - These two youkai brothers wielded the power of fire and lightening. Their relationship was very similar to the relationship that Inuyasha has with Sesshomaru. In the end, their contempt of each other lead to their deaths at the hands of Moryomaru. Inuyasha apologized for having them dragged into his struggle with Moryomaru, and perhaps even got a glimpse of what future awaits him and Sesshomaru if they continue despising each other.

Inuyasha's Special Traits

Physical Abilities

• Strength: Inuyasha's yōkai blood gives him superhuman strength. No upper limit has yet been shown in the canon, but, according to the Zusetsutaizen Ōgikaiden official character data book, he is at least strong enough to easily lift a boulder with a diameter greater than the height of his body over his head with one hand. Something like that is easily one to three tons on the weight scale.

• Speed: While not as fast as Entei the Horse youkai that served as Hakudoshi's steed, Inuyasha's speed has been shown to easily exceed that of a normal horse; possibly as fast as, if not faster than, a cheetah. Due to the speed he can accumulate in his runs, added with his incredible strength, he is able to cross great distances with a single jump. Altogether working for him, this creates the illusion that he is flying every time he leaps. The Ogikaiden says he can reach the top of tall cliffs with a single leap as well.

• Defensive Ability: For the most part, his fire-rat robe provides most of the added protection to his body. However, Inuyasha's physique is capable of taking a lot of damage, more than the average human, or even most youkai. He has also been seen to be unaffected by severe blunt force trauma - he was hit on the head with a log hard enough for it to break in two without any effect. He appears weak against strong smells like ink from the episode "The Cursed Hell Painter" because of his sensitive nose. Though, he has shown the ability to withstand direct contact with fire and tremendous heat for example, against Renkotsu's flame attacks and in many other situations - though the fire-rat robe may be partly responsible for this, but parts of his body not covered by the robe appear equally invulnerable; plus he appears resistant to acid as when trapped by Naraku in the Ogre's Belly. He is susceptible to some youkai and holy weapons, but appears to be invulnerable to most human ones. Able to catch normal arrows out of the air and break steel swords with his bare hands. And while he doesn’t have the stronger resistance that Sesshomaru has, mainly due to his human blood weakening his youki (youkai energy), he still has an impressive ability to stay alive. Even when injured, his recovery rate (his healing factor) is much faster than that of a human. Similarly, attacks powerful enough to severely injure him are rarely fatal, as they would be to humans. He recovered quickly from numerous serious attacks, including a large fist-sized hole punched through his gut.

Physical Techniques

• Sankon Tessō Soul Shattering Iron Claw: Inuyasha's basic claw attack is powerful enough to tear apart iron making it easy for him to rip his enemies in half.

• Hijin Kessō Blades of Blood: Inuyasha's blood, when combined with the "Sankon Tessō", does damage when thrown -With this he is able to attack his enemies from afar instead of in close combat. Inuyasha splashes his own blood on the end of his claws and flings them boomerang-like to cleave his foes in two.

• Time Travel: This technique basically involves Inuyasha jumping down the “Bone Eater’s Well” and traveling back and forth 500 years from the future.

Manga-Specific Tessaiga Techniques

• Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar) : A special attack that can kill 100 yōkai with one strike. Inuyasha first used this attack by accident, but eventually learned to see the Wind Scar. This attack uses the collision of yōkai winds between two enemies to create a path ("the scar") to unleash an attack of cutting wind. Once he has mastered this, he is able to take 100 lives in one strike of his sword. If he does the Kaze no Kizu too many times it eventually will wear him out since the Kaze no Kizu is from his yōkai spirit. It nearly wore Inuyasha out once when he fought Musō. Later on after he stabs the heart of the yōkai, Ryūkotusei, he gains the ability to unleash the wind scar whenever he wants.

• Bakuryūha Backlash Wave: The Tetsusaiga's ogi (or ultimate technique). Uses the opponent's strong youki and the Kaze no Kizu to return the attack, magnified hundreds of times. With this movement of the Tessaiga, he forms enormous charging twisters that sucks the foes power into the "Wind Scar" and forces it to flow backwards. The wind and the power twist together into a vortex, pushing it backwards and the enemy is attacked by its own youki and Tessaiga's might combined! But to use it, he must see where to cut the youkai's aura and have strong enough "ki" himself to overpower his foes. An alternate way to look at it is this: when an enemy fires any type of youki, Inuyasha is able to use that attack and send it back entwined in a twister along with Kaze no Kizu. This only works on foes with a youki.

• Barrier shatter (Red-colored Tessaiga): Gained from the blood of Taigokumaru which was absorbed into Shiori's orb. This technique renders barriers including Naraku's for a while useless. When being used, Tessaiga glows red. Only the strongest barriers cannot be shattered by this attack.

• Kongosoha (Diamond Spear Wave): Attack gained from Hosenki after Naraku had used the shard to make him fight Inuyasha. After defeating the diamond yōkai with the power to obliterate any type of barrier, Inuyasha absorbed his power to combine his Kaze no Kizu with the diamonds to wreck havoc on the foe. The Tessaiga turns into a massive diamond, whipping diamond shards from its blade with huge youki explosions to destroy any and foremost Naraku's Barriers.

• Ryurin no Tessaiga/Dragon Scaled Tessaiga: This attack involves one half of Tetsusaiga being covered in large dragon scales. This move is different from the rest because it absorbs youki instead of causing direct damage to an opponent. Inuyasha gained this attack when a sword smith that got possessed by a sword forged from a youkai's scale, named Datsuki, attacked Inuyasha. During the fight Datsuki absorbed the Kaze no Kizu attack as well as the Bakuryuha, and Tessaiga almost snapped, again. In the end, the sword smith couldn't handle it and died, causing the sword to break and give its special power to Tessaiga.

Tetsusaiga’s Techniques

These techniques are revealed in the movies and the games.

• Kongō-Bakuryūha (Diamond Explosive Flowing Wave): A combination of Kongosoha & Bakuryuha. This attack is only used in Inuyasha The Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island. It is never used in the manga or in the anime.

• Hama-Bakuryuha (Sacred Explosive Flowing Wave): This isn't really an attack as much as it is a combined effort between Inuyasha and Kagome, which is only used in the first and fourth movies, episode 140 and the 5th Inuyasha opening. Basically consists of Kagome firing one of her Hama no Ya in the center of Inuyasha's Bakuryūha before it connects. This isn't the most powerful combo attack in the series as Sesshōmaru's Soryuha and Meido Zangetsuha attacks and Miroku's Kazana can overwhelm it. In the first movie when Menomaru shot a beam of light from his forehead Kagome first shot her Hama no Ya and then Inuyasha countered Menomaru’s beam by unleashing his backlash wave Bakuryuha on his beam. This resulted in the Hama no Ya destroying the Jewel in Menomaru’s head thus eliminating his power, and the backlash wave then destroying Menōmaru himself. In the second movie, instead of using the Bakuryuha, he used the Kaze no Kizu to replace it when they were fighting Naraku in the beginning of the movie. In the fourth movie this attack came in the form of the opponent, who was a combination of the movie’s four main antagonists, unleashing a barrage of lightening which was then countered by Kagome shooting her Hama no Ya attack which was then followed by Inuyasha who combined his Bakuryuha with his Kongosoha. The attack resulted in a dispersion of the Hama no Ya and the opponents’ energy in the Bakuryuha as all that was left were a trail on Kongosoha diamonds connecting the Tessaiga with the enemy, after which the Kaze no Kizu portion which was left from the Bakuryuha then attacked the opponent following the trail of diamonds and subsequently destroying them as they were combined in the attack as well. Thus in the end the entire attack resulted in the Kaze no Kizu being combined with the Kongosoha, which was what unleashed the deathblow on the opponent. Thus there was no need for Kagome to have shot her Hama no Ya at all as it was dispersed along with the enemy’s energy because of the Kongosoha.

• Ultimate Bakuryuha: This is Inuyasha's Bakuryuha without countering his foe’s attack and adding his or her youki into the Kaze no Kizu to unleash the traditional Bakuryuha. This only appears in Inuyasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask. This attack isn't canon because it exterminates the main reason Inuyasha is able to release the Bakuryuha which is by combining his power with that of his enemy.

Tessaiga's Transformations/Abilities

• Rusty Form: Tetsusaiga's basic form when in Inuyasha's human hands or those of another human. Despite its appearance, it can still be used as any other sword and repel most youkai with its other forms. This form as well as all the other forms carries a barrier that protects humans holding the sword and hurts full youkai trying to wield it.

• Transform; True form: With Inuyasha's youki fused with the Tetsusaiga, the katana becomes a giant fang with fur flickering at the hilt. This can block and of course use any of his "weapon techniques" It is also known that the Tessaiga can keep Inuyasha's yōkai form from emerging. However, some attacks can purify the yōki such as the Hama no Ya or destroy it such as the hatred from the Tokijin, during which Inuyasha has to send in more of his youki into the blade to transform it again. It is in this form that the blade can unleash the Kaze no Kizu and the Bakuryuha in the manga and the anime, but in the movies this rule doesn’t seem to apply.

• Crimson: After the bat youkai king Taigokumeru was defeated his blood was absorbed into a red orb used by each son of his family to set up a powerful barrier. By destroying the orb and bathing the Tetsusaiga in his blood the sword was able to assume a crimson form capable of destroying all but the strongest barriers in the series.

• Diamond: An ability granted by the powerful youkai Hosenki. Tessaiga transforms into a massive silverish diamond sword that allows him to break though any barrier, which is useful when Inuyasha needs to overcome a barrier that his crimson Tetsusaiga can’t. It is in this form that the blade can unleash the Kongosoha.

• Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga: Another form of the Tessaiga gained in the manga after the anime ended. This form is gained by destroying "Datsuki" a youki-absorbing sword. Whenever he used it to absorb youki it burned his hands, and if he absorbed too much of it, the sword let off an enormous explosion of youki, that nearly killed him once. However, later on Tetsusaiga absorbed a priest's senki or holy energy which stopped the backflow of youki from hurting Inuyasha and allowing him to properly use this form of the Tessaiga. The sword doesn't permanently absorb youki as most of the time the energy lasts only long enough to be used by Inuyasha against his opponents. The only exception to this is the youki from Yourei-Taisei (below) and the senki that it absorbed from the priest because he absorbed all their powers rather than just a blast of energy. Eventually, Inuyasha trains under a youkai named Yourei-Taisei (who later infuses Tessaiga with his power). The youkai teaches Inuyasha to sense and attack youketsu, whirlpools of youki that channel the powers of youkai. Most youkai have one youketsu, but youkai like Moryomaru and Naraku have many youketsu due to the fact that they're composed of many youkai. To destroy a youketsu is to ruin an opponent's ability to channel youki, or in some cases utterly destroy them, as the youkai in Yourei-Taisei's training disintegrated when their youketsu were destroyed. This is potentially one of the series' most effective techniques as it can totally disempower his opponent. Breaking Youketsu does not seem to fill Tessaiga with any additional power. On a side note, Inuyasha was told that there was a final form that the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga was capable of achieving. We have yet to discover what this form is, however, Sesshomaru seems to have a vague idea of what it is.

Miscellaneous

• Sheath of Tessaiga: Can deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tessaiga's power. It is also capable of returning the Tessaiga to Inuyasha's hands when they become separated. The sheath is capable of resisting any amount of offensive force; however, if that force is used continuously then the sheath will crack. This why it was able to hold off Sesshomaru’s Soryuha since it was an attack that was only unleashed once, but couldn’t hold off Hiten’s thunder attacks which were of weaker power than the Soryuha, since he was unleashing them constantly.

• Robe of the Fire Rat: Inuyasha's kimono, or haori (jacket) and hakama (pants) set, allows him to resist fire it also works on others to whom he lends it.

• Beads of Subjugation (Kotodama no Nenju): The beads around Inuyasha's neck are activated if Kagome says to Inuyasha, "Osuwari!" (Japanese for "Sit!" as one would say to a dog as a command.) The beads of subjugation are forced upon Inuyasha by Kaede so he would no longer pose a threat to Kagome. When activated, the beads slam Inuyasha head-first into the ground. Kagome tends to activate them whenever she and Inuyasha are in heated arguments and such, although she's also activated them unintentionally. These serve mainly for comic relief in the series, and so far, after the end credits of each movie, Inuyasha says or does something to upset her enough to activate them.

Transformation

• Human: Once a month he turns completely human due to his half human, half youkai biology. During this time he loses all his powers. This only happens during a time when the moon isn't visible at night (new moon), which makes sense since the moon seems to be an important symbol of his family; Sesshomaru has a crescent moon on his forehead and his Meido Zangetsuha attack originally takes on the form of a crescent moon. His hair turns black and he loses his superhuman strength, speed and defensive abilities, as well as his dog ears, claws, fangs, etc. In this form, basically all of his youkai powers are gone and he can only use Tessaiga in its rusty form. He prefers to keep it a secret because on that night he is vulnerable. Only his friends and a few others know his secret.

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