Sesshomaru
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(pronounced Sess-show-maru) is a character in the manga and anime series InuYasha.
Character and History
Lineage
Sesshoumaru is one of the sons of the powerful youkai leader Inu no Taisho. A yokai is a full demon. Since Inu no Taisho is considered to be a daiyokai (great mythical creature ), Sesshoumaru is, technically speaking, a daiyokai himself. However, he is still young and has yet to fully mature and reach the totality of the power he inherited from his father. He is mostly a calm and collected person who hardly shows any emotions and never laughs. He rarely smiles, but when he does, it's usually not a good thing, as once Jaken begged Sesshoumaru to beat him rather than to smile because it was Sesshoumaru’s smile that he feared most. Sesshoumaru believes that struggle is the only way for survival and mostly throughout the series shows his contempt for InuYasha, his half brother.Desire for personal strength
With the ambition to walk the path of conquest, he desires to become stronger, even at the expense of others. He will not, however, use the shards of the Shikon no Tama to gain strength, which separates him from other youkai questing for power. Though some think it's for his lust for pure power, others think it is created to accompany his original grace. The Shikon no Tama increases the user's power while swords like the Tetsusaiga (Iron-Breaking Fang), the Tenseiga, and the Tokijin attack the opponent using the youki (demonic enrgy) of the person wielding them. Sesshoumaru wants to become strong by using his own strength and would never borrow power from another source.
The Tessaiga Heritage
Sesshoumaru originally coveted InuYasha's sword, the powerful Tessaiga. Tessaiga was a destructive sword made from one of his father's fangs. A barrier was cast around the sword so that most youkai (demons) or one without compassion for humans (which would include Sesshoumaru) cannot hold or wield it as it burns their flesh.Even knowing that he cannot touch the sword, Sesshoumaru still desired to take it from InuYasha. While his initial motivation appears to be pride and greed, Sesshoumaru later claims the sword should rightfully be held by one able to fully wield its power. For this reason, he fought with InuYasha in their father Inu no Taisho's grave and by chance, InuYasha transformed the blade for the first time and hacked off Sesshoumaru's left arm. After that, Sesshoumaru began using the arms of other youkai, but they rotted and became useless after a while since the organs of lesser demons can’t bear the power of a daiyoukai that is contained within Sesshoumaru. Later he made a deal with Naraku, he would kill InuYasha in exchange for a human hand with a shard of the Sacred Jewel Shard Shikon no Tama. Normally he wouldn’t use the Shikon Jewel, but for Tessaiga’s sake he was willing to make an exception. That way he could wield Tessaiga and use it. There is a small contradiction in this matter as the sword only transforms when it is wielded by those who have the will to protect humans. At that time, Sesshoumaru certainly was not thinking of protecting anyone but the Shikon Jewel Shard must have acted as an override. Another opinion states that Sesshoumaru was able to compel the sword to obey him through his own demonic power and that it could not harm him with its protective barrier because the arm belonged to a human. The main reason that the arm didn’t quickly rot away as do most of the arms he wields is because the Shikon shard prevented the arm from being destroyed by Sesshoumaru's strong demonic aura (youki). However, he later lost this arm and the ability to wield the Tessaiga with it. Now though, he has stopped trying to steal the sword as he now knows it is the only thing keeping InuYasha under control.
At this point it should be noted that nothing in the manga has yet suggested that Sesshoumaru is capable of wielding the Tessaiga on his own. In the anime and the third movie Sesshoumaru has been shown using the Tessaiga, but he never does so in the manga. He is never so much as able to grab the Tessaiga without the use of additional help (examples are the use of the shikon shard to allow him the usage of a human arm to wield the sword).
Sesshoumaru inherited the Tenseiga, the companion blade of the Tessaiga, another sword made from his father's fang. However, the Tenseiga, which can bring 100 people back to life with a single swing, was originally incapable of harming an opponent, thus it was useless in a battle. This is why he desired the Tessaiga instead. He eventually uses the power of Tenseiga to resurrect the head of Goshinki so that Kaijinbo could forge the Toukijin from his fangs. Although the Toukijin was a formidable weapon, it is later destroyed during a fight with Moryomaru. Recently, however, the swordsmith Totosai reforged Tenseiga with the ability to send opponents into the afterlife with a single swing, making it a weapon to replace Toukijin.
Companions
He is followed by his minion, a youkai named Jaken, and later by a human orphan named Rin, whom Sesshoumaru brought back to life using Tenseiga. Though he told Jaken that he was merely testing his sword, his thoughts revealed that it was Tenseiga itself that compelled him to resuscitate Rin. He is also followed by a two-headed dragon named Ah-Un. Ah-Un is Rin and Jaken's main form of transportation when Sesshoumaru takes flight or when they need to cover long distances quickly, as only Sesshoumaru and Ah-Un are capable of flight.Intelligence
Throughout the series we also get to see glimpses of his intellectual ability. When he first fought Moryomaru we saw how good a tactician he really is when he attacked him using his Kanetsu ability. Moryomaru only kept absorbing his attacks and thought Sesshoumaru was a fool for empowering him. As it turns out Moryomaru's arm then blew into pieces since it couldn't handle the burden of Sesshoumaru's attacks, and thus he permanently lost his ability to absorb attacks of youki and using them in counterattacks. Other times we also get to see how knowledgeable he is of the demonic world; when Rin inquired about a skeleton she saw Sesshoumaru told her that it belonged to youkai with a nearly impenetrable armor called the Meioju, another time when Rin was about to drink the water from a demonic lake Sesshoumaru told her to stop since the lake was a youkai called the Numawatari and it devoured all who came close to it.Examples of his growing compassion
Although Sesshoumaru maintains a cool, uncaring exterior, throughout the story his compassion seems to be growing. When InuYasha went insane after turning into a youkai, Sesshoumaru came to see for himself the power that InuYasha could produce, and managed to defeat him. He then instructed Kagome to return the Tessaiga to InuYasha in order to restore him to his former self. It is possible that he lost interest in obtaining the Tetsusaiga mainly due to InuYasha's need for the sword to control his youkai blood. He then left claiming that he intends to kill InuYasha one day, when InuYasha could adequately fight back. However it is possible that by claiming the right to kill InuYasha for himself, Sesshoumaru is actually doing a backhanded favor for his younger brother. By making this public declaration, Sesshoumaru is claiming first right to InuYasha's death by Sesshoumaru's own hand, and at his choice of time and place. Thus Sesshoumaru can then choose to battle any shared adversary with no loss of face and without admitting any familial attachment or emotions. This is a curious but historically documented manner of saving face and denying emotional attachment.Sesshoumaru not only tolerates a human (Rin), but also acts almost like a father to her and rushes to her aid when she gets in trouble. Naraku once had Kagura kidnap Rin as a get-away plan in his attempt to absorb the body and the youkai power of Sesshoumaru. Naraku's plan failed and he tried to escape - Sesshoumaru was incensed and began to pursue Naraku. But upon hearing that Rin was in danger, Sesshoumaru let him go and came to the aid of the girl.
Even though he is very abusive towards his servant Jaken, he only makes him accompany him when he is facing a weak foe. He has repeatedly warned Jaken to move out of the way prior to an attack. Further when Naraku first emerged in his youkai form, Sesshoumaru told Jaken to stay behind him as he attacked the youkai.
On his way to Mount Hakurei, Sesshoumaru saved Kagome, Miroku, and Sango from the poison user Mukotsu, one of the Shichi'nintai (七人隊), but once again claimed that he only killed someone who was in his way.
When Kagura was injured, Sesshoumaru pulled her from the river she was drowning in, after Rin fell in trying to save her. Some argue that it might be only because Rin wanted him to save Kagura or because he wanted an excuse to save her. Also, when Kagura was dying, Sesshoumaru purposely sought her out and even thought to use the Tenseiga, only to tell himself that Tenseiga could not save her. This is because of two possible reasons: (1) the Tenseiga has the power to resurrect a corpse but Kagura's body was turning into ash as she was dying; (2) since she was once of Naraku's incarnations she lacked a soul and since it is the soul that the Tenseiga brings back via killing the pall bearers Kagura couldn't be saved because there were no pall bearers coming for her. He then simply watched as Kagura's body dissolved into ashes. It should be noted that Sesshoumaru never unsheathed Tenseiga with Kagura, so it is unclear whether the pall bearers came for her or not, as in all the other instances so far, Sesshoumaru could only see the pall bearers with Tenseiga drawn out of its sheath.
In the manga (beyond the anime's current point), InuYasha and his companions were involved in a fight with the "water god" Numawatari. After none of their attacks were able to harm him, Sesshoumaru arrived and insulted InuYasha's inability to kill a "low life youkai". He then easily dispatched the "water god" using his Meidou Zangetsuha ability. Sesshoumaru then leaves after learning about the Tessaiga's new abilities with a strange smile on his face.
Recently in the manga Byakuya, Naraku's newest offspring, seeks out Kohaku, who has one of the last 3 shards of the Shikon no Tama. Byakuya uses his youkai magic to launch shouki snakes at Kohaku, causing him to fall unconscious. He is about to take him back to Naraku, when Sesshoumaru appears and launches a ranged Meidou-Zangetsuha (still in the crescent moon shape), barely missing him. Byakuya flees claiming that he doesn't want to die, and comments on how it is so unlike Sesshoumaru to save someone. Rin goes to help Kohaku, and Sesshoumaru tells her not to touch him, because he is covered with poisonous snakes. Kohaku is later rescued in the battle with Naraku and Kikyo, in which Sesshomaru is not present. It is speculated that Sesshomaru may take an active role in protecting the singluar remaining shard Kohaku now holds.
Attitude toward humans
Rumiko Takahashi explained her choice of the Warring States period as a story setting because she wanted to write a ghost-and-demon story, and it "is relatively easier to draw out a ghost story from that time period ... in the Sengoku Era, there was war, and lots of people died." Her background as assistant to horror-manga artist Kazuo Umezu is clearly seen in her accurate but grizzly manga battlefield scenes, and she pulls no punches in her depiction (in the manga) of the horrors perpetrated upon humans by demons and outlaws.Many youkai are said to be particularly malevolent, and would prey on young, weak or elderly villagers as food; furthermore, youkai were said to hang about battlefields to feed on the dead and wounded. Historically these Japanese legends were told to children as warnings to obey their parents, stay together, and not stray, much like the European "Little Red Riding Hood" story. In canon, we have seen Carrion Crows, Abi-hime (blood sucking birds), Vampire Bats, Birds of Paradise, The Thunder Brothers and even Koga's Wolf tribe devouring villagers, and threatening to eat Kagome.
The subject of "youkai food" is depicted almost explicitly and graphically in the manga - it is touched upon and alluded to in the anime, but out of sensitivity to the viewers/readers, it is treated with more circumspection.
With this in mind, we find Sesshoumaru recovering in a forest, after he is almost killed by InuYasha's successful use of the Wind Scar attack. Rin, having been beaten by villagers and hiding in the forest, finds Sesshoumaru bleeding. Seeing him suffering, she offers him fish to which he replies, "I don't eat human food". In this context, we can clearly see Sesshoumaru's difference in attitude towards humans as opposed to that shown by his fellow demons.On that note demons were thought to have eaten abnormal things besides just human, for example in the Miyazaki's Spirited Away they show how spirits and demons crave roasted newt. It has also been said they eat souls, like an incubus and succubus do. However there are few demons who actually have the characteristic of those kinds of demons in Japanese folklore.
Future role in Naraku's destruction
It is worthwhile to speculate that Sesshoumaru will play a vital role in the destruction of Naraku, yet to be revealed in the manga. After he broke Tokijin, he seemed to swear an ambiguous oath of vengance against Naraku for Kagura's sake. However, he seems to have taken an extended leave of absence from the hunt for Naraku. This is most likely because he does not want to engage Naraku half cocked like Inuyasha often does(if Inuyasha had initially been able to wield Tessaiga with any hint of it's true power, Naraku would have died in their first encounter). Curiously enough however, he is now allowing Kohaku to travel with him, and finding Kohaku in now Naraku's primary objective. So it is doubtless that the two will meet again even though it appears that Sesshomaru is no closer to mastering the Meidou Zangetsuha technique than last we saw him. That plotline has yet to be further developed though.Special Attacks, Abilities, and Items
- The main reason why Sesshoumaru has so many powers that InuYasha doesn't is because Sesshoumaru inherited all of his father's power since he's a full demon (youkai), however, InuYasha's half human body can't handle the power of a full youkai, which is why without the Tessaiga his youkai blood takes over and makes him mad, thus he can't do a lot of the supernatural things Sesshoumaru can. The relative ages of the two brothers may also be a factor: Sesshoumaru was already an adult youkai at the time of InuYasha's birth, plus Inuyasha was sealed for an aditional 50 years; thus Sesshoumaru has had perhaps a few centuries more than his younger brother to discover and develop his powers.
Attacks
- Dokkassou (Poison Flower Claw): Sesshoumaru's claws release deadly acidic poison which can melt flesh. Sometimes he uses it like InuYasha uses his Sankon Tessou attack, but he can also use it in the form of a green attack that looks like he’s spraying acid.
- Whip of Light: Sesshoumaru can generate a thin, whip like strand of yellow energy from his fingertips that can slice through almost anything. This attack was only in the anime and not in the manga, possibly as an alternate way of getting his hands on Tessaiga in one part of the anime. The whip also displays characteristics of poison akin to the burning effect it has on contact, possibly an extension of his claw attack. Appears only in the anime.
- Mokomoko-sama: It is the fluffy boa on Sesshoumaru's shoulder. Sesshoumaru can extend it to great lengths, and use it to whip or constrict people. It was once used to knock the Tetsusaiga out of InuYasha's hands. The creator, Rumiko Takahashi stated that when she was creating Sesshoumaru, the thing was supposed to be armor, but she went a little out of hand. In episode 35 of the anime, both ends of the fluff are seen, therefore allowing one to assume that it is detachable. However, in his fight with the Shichi'nintai, it was grazed by Jakotsu's sword and apparently started bleeding, and that has never been explained. Instead of having the fluff draped over his shoulder, it is instead behind his head, both ends extending down to past his waist, as a pillow. Sesshoumaru's father had two mokomoko-sama, that extended from the shoulders like Sesshoumaru's leading some to believe that when Sesshoumaru fully matures he will have two of them as well, however, the human form of Inu no Taisho was only in the movie and was never revealed in the manga. Also it bears a striking resemblance to the fur that separates Tetsusaiga’s blade from the hilt; this isn’t surprising as both have a common origin.
- Kenatsu: Translated as Sword Pressure, it is Tokijin's ability to cut and harm enemies without physical contact. In the beginning, it takes the form of a rain of needle-like energy which deals moderate damage to foes. Later, as Sesshoumaru fully masters the sword it is released as a blue wave of energy that completely disintegrates the adversary. The strength of this attack depends on how it is unleashed by Sesshoumaru. Usually it shoots beams of blue light, and when Sesshoumaru utilizes its full potential it comes out in the form of parallel blue trails of energy similar to how InuYasha’s Kaze no Kizu is released. Shortly before the Toukijin broke he managed to shatter the Kongoushouha spears that Mourryoumaru launched at him. Also he managed to break off part of Mourryoumaru's armoured shell using Kenatsu. This is especially noteworthy since he was angry at the time, and is the only character in the series to break the shell using sheer force. InuYasha managed to break it with the Dragon-Scalled Tessaiga, but that is different since it absorbes youki. (youkai energy)
- Souryuuha (Dragon Strike): This attack is the most powerful attack Sesshoumaru is capable of releasing with the Tokijin and Tenseiga. It seems that this technique is unique to Sesshoumaru since he executed twice in InuYasha THE MOVIE: Swords of an Honorable Ruler|the third movie, and twice again in InuYasha THE MOVIE: Fire on the Mystic Island|the fourth movie. However, at the end of the third movie the attack is performed with Tenseiga after it calls out to Sesshoumaru and as such, may just be an output of Sesshomaru's demonic energy needing a conduit to unleash it. When Sōryūha is unleashed in the third movie, thick arcs of blue lightning stab the earth and carry their destructive force to Sesshoumaru's opponent. In the fourth movie it is interesting to note that the energy released by Souryuuha resolves into the shape of a dragon right before destroying the enemy (in keeping with the attack's name). It does not exist is either the manga or the anime.
- Meidou Zangetsuha: With the reforged Tenseiga, Sesshoumaru slashes at an enemy and creates a black crescent shaped gap in the world of the living, sending the 'cut' enemy directly to the next world. While at the beginning the wave takes the shape of a crescent resembling a crescent moon, Totousai claims that eventually through training, Sesshoumaru will be able to make the wave into a complete circle resembling a full moon. However, he appears to have started mastering the technique by enlarging the crescent shape before moving on to a full circle. Recently he has been shown to be able to shoot the Meidou-Zangetsuha from a distance.
Abilities and Traits
- Flight: ability to float in the sky or generate a sparkling dust cloud to ride on. Whenever Sesshoumaru uses his flight powers for an extended period of time, the leg bottoms of his hakama extend to semi-transparent ephemeral flowing masses, similar to how one would picture the wind driven cloak of a ghost. This does not happen when he chooses to fly upon his dust cloud or ride Ah-Un. Also sometimes his mokomoko sama extends to a huge length when this happens, and sometimes other mokomoko-sama’s are formed from the original that lift him up in the sky and only disappear or retract back into the original mokomoko-sama when he is no longer flying.
- Super speed: ability to move at blinding speed, though only in short bursts, both on land and through the air. When he does this he leaves behind shadow like images
- Teleportation: ability to morph into a ball of energy and move himself (and small amounts of other material, including other living beings) over great distances in a short amount of time(only in the anime).
- Daiyokai: As the son of a great dog yokai general (Taisho meaning General), naturally Sesshoumaru is a far superior yōkai; endowed with heightened senses, intelligence, strength, and a myriad of demonic powers. While he usually appears to be a very handsome human bearing splendid clothing and armor; he can transform into his true form at will. As he transforms he is either surrounded in a bright red aura or has a tornado circling around him. His eyes then take on a bright red color and yokai marks on his body widen and become more apparent similar to InuYasha during his full demon transformations, however, Sesshoumaru’s transforms much further due to his full demon blood and becomes a gigantic, crimson eyed, acid-breathing (only in the anime) canine with fluffy white fur. In this form his nature changes to adopt an animal-like instinct, in the anime his “Dokkassou” attack is released in his saliva and spread like an acidic aroma that melts anything nearby, and he loses the massive speed he had in his human form; in the manga he uses his claws.
- Immortality: Being a yokai, Sesshoumaru does not suffer from old age the way humans do. He appears to be a young man in his 20s; however he has been around for at least a few hundred years1. According to the official InuYasha character guide (Zusetsutaizen Ougikaiden), Sesshoumaru has the appearance of a nineteen-year-old. An official age has never been given by Rumiko Takahashi.
- Immunity: Various episodes of the anime (perhaps the most indicative being episode #104) inform that Sesshoumaru is immune to diseases, poisons, and gases that can paralyze or kill both humans and weaker yokai. His greatest resistance seems to be towards holy and divine powers; his resistance to purifcation powers was so strong that he was able to enter Mount Hakurei, despite its purification barrier (which was the most powerful barrier in the entire series as its reach extended throughout the surrounding area of entire mountain), without being purified and was only slightly weakened in his battles against Jakotsu, and Suikotsu. Also in episode #19 when Kagome shot Sesshoumaru using one of her Hama no Ya (Sacred Arrow), Sesshoumaru caught it using his right hand’s forefingers. Most demons would have been purified but Sesshoumaru remained unharmed with not even a scar on either of his fingers. It seems that the only mystical powers that Sesshoumaru isn’t resistant to are demonic powers (yoki or Mystic Energy) such as those of InuYasha’s Kaze no Kizu. Another example of his strong body seems to come from Naraku’s inability to absorb him. Once Naraku used Rin as bait in order to absorb Sesshoumaru. As Sesshoumaru blasted pieces of Naraku’s flesh, those same pieces wrapped themselves around him. Then Naraku reconnected himself with the pieces of his flesh that covered Sesshoumaru and attempted to absorb him to no avail; as when Sesshoumaru broke out he didn’t have so much as scar from the absorbing process.
Items
- Tenseiga: Tenseiga is a sword that can revive the dead. It does this by letting Sesshoumaru see the pall-bearer youkai that take away the souls of the dead so that he may destroy them with Tenseiga. In extreme cases, the Tenseiga also protects Sesshoumaru from potentially lethal attacks. When in use, the Tenseiga has a blue aura. Lately in the manga, the Tenseiga is reforged by Totousai to become a weapon allowing Sesshoumaru to execute the "Meidou Zangetsuha". This sword also has the name of 'The Heavenly Fang'.
- Toukijin: Toukijin is a sword crafted by the evil sword smith Kaijinbo from the fangs of Goshinki. It can fire off extremely powerful blasts of pure hate energy and is initially thought to be Tessaiga's equal, however as the series progressed the Tessaiga gains new abilities in its red and crystal forms. There are two different ways of using it. Toukijin can be used to blow back and injure an enemy with a powerful pinkish-purple aura, generated as the manifestation of pure hatred. It can also be used to slash at an opponent and release a massive wave of blue energy known as Souryuuha. The third Inuyasha movie informs that Souryuuha is Toukijin's ultimate technique, and is sufficiently powerful to counteract even Tessaiga's Bakuryuuha. Lately in the manga, Toukijin is destroyed in a battle against Moryomaru. After that, Totousai decides to reforge the Tenseiga into becoming not only a tool that can save lives, but also a real weapon of battle.
- Staff of Two Heads (also called Staff of Skulls, 人頭杖, nintoujo and also known as Two-Headed Staff): Locates his father's grave, can fire streams of flame. The staff is usually held by his assistant Jaken. Also, it's seen that the Staff of 2 heads can be used to summon youkai.
Name
The kanji of 'Sesshou' means 'killing or destruction of life.' 'Maru' is usually a suffix that is often added at the end of a Japanese name for young males in samurai families. They would use this name until they were recognized as adults, whereupon they would adopt a new name. However, it is said that 'maru' can also translate as the word for 'circle', which is a common Japanese motif for what in the West is called 'the circle of life.'#redirect Thus it is widely assumed that the name Sesshoumaru translates literally as 'destruction of the circle of life', or 'end of the circle of life.' However 'maru' also means perfect, so another possible translation is 'perfect destruction.' This may seem to provide a relationship between the crescent mark on Sesshoumaru's forehead, and the Meidou Zangetsuha's now crescent-moon shape/size, to its potential circular shape and size.Appearance
On his right arm, Sesshoumaru has a fluffy cloth, the nature of which is debated. Rumiko Takahashi mentioned in an interview that when she was creating the character, it was originally intended to be armor but she exaggerated it while doodling and decided it looked good. Many fans still believe that it is his tail. In his youkai form, we notice he has longer fur over his shoulder and around his waist which is extremely similar to his 'armor'.
Sesshoumaru has a navy-blue crescent on his forehead easily shown by his parted bangs. This feature is most likely a symbol of his position as lord of the Western Lands. Also the moon seems to be a significant symbol of his family. InuYasha turns human during the time of the new moon and Sesshoumaru's Meido Zangetsuha attack originally takes on the form of a crescent moon.
His alternate form is that of a giant white dog with markings similar to those he has in his human form. Several times during the anime and manga when he becomes furious, badly injured or unable to defeat an opponent, his features can be observed shifting slightly, resembling his alternate form. At that time, his eyes turn red and the features and markings on his face begin to elongate. Oddly enough, he only fully transforms to his alternate form once, during his first battle with InuYasha. Since then, he has not completely changed, although he has threatened to. This is perhaps because he is missing the arm that InuYasha cut off, which would make him a three-legged dog.
Voice Actors
- Japanese Seiyuu: Ken Narita
- English Voice Actor: David Kaye
- Hungarian Voice Actor: Damu Roland
- Brazilian Voice Actor: Sílvio Giraldi
- Latin American voice actor: Gabriel Alfredo Basurto
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Listed in approximate order of appearance.
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