HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The characters of the ''
Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'' manga series were created by
Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with '' Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, Takahashi is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are popular worldwide, where they have ...
. Most of the series takes place in a fictional version of Japan's Warring States period with occasional time-travel/flashback elements to modern
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
or the Heisei period. The setting and plot incorporate many elements of traditional
Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study o ...
and religion. Its main characters (both protagonists and antagonists) include a Shintō priestess, a Buddhist monk and several types of
yōkai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore. The word is composed of the kanji for "attractive; calamity" and "apparition; mystery; suspicious." are also referred to as , or . Despite often being translated as suc ...
, usually rendered as "demon" in English-language translations of the series. The
anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
adaptation of ''Inuyasha'' is followed by a sequel titled '' Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'' where its characters are also listed here.


''Inuyasha'' main characters


Inuyasha

: was born of a dog-demon father and a human mother. He is an arrogant, prideful and stubborn half-demon, but has a soft side to him. He also has an older half brother, Sesshomaru, who is a full-demon with a full-demon mother. He has the appearance of a fifteen-year-old boy. As a half-demon, he had a difficult and lonely childhood, as demons and humans despised him for his mixed bloodline.


Kagome Higurashi

: is a brave and kind girl, the
reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...
of the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
priestess Kikyo, who believes in never turning her back on someone in trouble. Although physically weak, she is not lacking in courage. She becomes highly skilled in archery as the series progresses, and eventually learns to master her immensely strong spiritual powers. Of all characters in the series, she has the most emotional strength, never allowing anger or jealousy to commit acts of evil. By the start of Yashahime she is spiritually as strong as Kikyo, and possibly stronger given that she developed her own powers of arrow disappearance. Despite her inexperience, Naraku greatly fears Kagome's purifying powers, causing him to target her even more often than Inuyasha.


Miroku

: is an eighteen-year-old lecherous and intelligent Buddhist monk who travels the countryside performing spiritual services, such as exorcisms and demon exterminations, though he has a habit of either ripping off or outright robbing weathy clients. Miroku can attack enemies with his
khakkhara A khakkhara ( sa, khakkhara; ; , sometimes referred to in English as a pewter staff, is a staff topped with metal rings traditionally carried by Buddhist monks, particularly in East Asian Buddhism. Originally used as a noisemaker to announce a m ...
and sutra scrolls. But Miroku's greatest weapon is the , a
blackhole A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts that a sufficiently compact mass can defo ...
embedded in his right palm which is actually a hereditary curse originally inflicted upon his paternal grandfather by Naraku. Due to the curse's nature to eventually kill him, Miroku sought to find himself a wife to sire children before eventually falling in love with Sango. In the sequel series, after starting a family with Sango after his curse was lifted, Miroku left his family to train himself to fight demons without his Wind Tunnel.


Sango

: is a sixteen-year-old . She hails from a village that practices the act as their profession and is also the original home of the Shikon Jewel; she is described by her father as the most skilled exterminator in the village. While travelling, she wears a traditional woman's kimono, over which she wears long skirt, most likely "mo-bakama", and traditional woman's arm guards and leg guards, and straw sandals. As a demon slayer, Sango dresses in a black skin-tight
jumpsuit A jumpsuit is a one-piece garment with sleeves and legs and typically without integral coverings for feet, hands or head. The original jump suit is the functional one-piece garment used by parachuters. The original skydivers' jumpsuits wer ...
, and pink armor plates made of demon parts, and a red sash. Of her broad repertoire of tools and tricks for fighting demons, Sango usually wields her most powerful weapon called the , a human-sized boomerang made of purified demon bones, which she can throw using her enhanced strength.


Shippo

: is a young orphaned
kitsune In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to '' yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing ...
, who attempts to steal the Shikon Jewel from Inuyasha and Kagome, wanting to become stronger and avenge his father's death. Though his plan fails, Inuyasha and Kagome aid him after hearing his story, and he becomes their companion. Deeply loyal to Kagome, he often calls Inuyasha out on his bad behavior toward her. He is frequently clobbered by Inuyasha for playing tricks on him, and for blurting out uncomfortable or embarrassing facts. Despite this, he views the entire group as his surrogate family.


Kirara

: is Sango's faithful companion who usually appears to be a small kitten-sized feline with two tails, but can become large enough to carry several passengers across the air whenever the need arises. She is a spiritual entity and traveled with Midoriko in the past. In the sequel series, Kirara becomes Hisui's companion while occasionally aiding Setsuna.


''Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'' main characters


Towa Higurashi

: is fourteen-years-old. She is Sesshōmaru and Rin's eldest daughter and Setsuna's twin sister making her a half- demon. When she was four-years-old, she was transported to the modern era through the power of the Sacred Tree of Ages. She was raised by Sōta Higurashi, her half-uncle-in-law. Ten years later, she is reunited with Setsuna. Towa wields the sword and carries the Silver Rainbow Pearl inside her left eye. When her sword is broken, she is capable of unleashing her demonic power to form her demonic energy into the remaining blade. Later she learns to absorb the demonic energy of enemies to empower herself and becomes capable of unleashing her father's personal attack. Afterwards, it was upgraded into her own variation of her attack. While they joined forces with Osamu Kirin to stop the Grim Comet, Towa used the Zanseiken's Kyūyōkon to absorb the comet's demon energy to make her new technique for the Azure Dragon Wave: the .


Setsuna

: is Towa's younger twin sister and youngest daughter of Sesshōmaru and Rin, the former placing the Gold Rainbow Pearl in her right eye after she was born. She was separated from Towa when they were four-years-old during a forest fire Zero arranged, Jaken erasing her memories with a Dream Butterfly before she is placed in the care of Shiori and later Kaede before being taken under Kohaku's wing as a demon slayer. She is reunited with Towa and gradually regains pieces of her memory before being fully restored once the Dream Butterfly's hold is broken. While under the Dream Butterfly's influence, Setsuna is unable to sleep while unaffected by the disadvantages of being a half-demon save enter a berserker rage when she lets her demonic blood take hold of her. Sestuna also uses the
naginata The ''naginata'' (, ) is a pole weapon and one of several varieties of traditionally made Japanese blades (''nihontō''). ''Naginata'' were originally used by the samurai class of feudal Japan, as well as by ashigaru (foot soldiers) and sōhei ...
, which is used a seal to keep her demonic blood in check, using it in her signature attacks and , and briefly . After Kanemitsu no Tomoe is shattered and later reforged by Totosai into Yukari no Tachikiri with the ability to see and sever the invisible threads of fate along with accessing the most personal memories of those that the threads are connected to. At the base of Mount Musubi, since the barrier is down and as they start heading back to Kaede's village with Rion, the Dream Butterfly have been cut by her father Sesshomaru with the Tenseiga, as she will go to sleep as well, but it is unknown what the sleeping technique will effect on her without the Dream Butterfly. Sestuna later developed a third attack called . It is revealed later on that she has feelings for Hisui.


Moroha

: is fourteen-years-old and the only daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi, making her three-quarters human and quarter-demon. Sent away by her parents as an infant for her safety, Moroha was raised by Koga’s clan before her mentor sold her to Jyūbei. Moroha since became a bounty hunter known as , selling parts of demons she is hired to slay to Jyūbei as payment to settle debt and earn her freedom. Aside from being capable of using her father's claw attacks and exorcising demons with a bow and arrow like her mother, she wields the yōkai sword . She also carries a shell-shaped makeup compact similar to the one owned by Izayoi, which she stored the Red Rainbow Pearl in while it was in her possession, holding Tōga's
rouge Rouge is the French word for "red" and may refer to: Compounds * Rouge (cosmetics), a cosmetic used to color the cheeks and emphasize the cheekbones * Jeweler's rouge or iron(III) oxide * Rouging, a form of corrosion applicable to stainless ...
that she applies to her lips to become with full access to her demonic heritage for the duration of one minute. But she later is able to maintain her form for longer durations after her second battle with Kirinmaru. After finding her parents, who she presumed dead, she placed the second Black Pearl in the rouge since the Red Rainbow Pearl and other Rainbow Pearls have been become Zero's tears again, and she was given a special longbow they had made for her. Using it greatly boosts her sacred arrows spiritual power and effectiveness. After retrieving a strong ice sword from an ice demon, with aid from her long-lost father Inuyasha, Moroha's debt is finally paid.


Recurring ''Inuyasha'' characters


''Inuyasha'' supporting characters


Kikyo

: was a powerful, high-ranking priestess who lived fifty years prior to the events of the series. Kikyo was given the task by demon slayers to guard and purify the Shikon Jewel. She fell in love with Inuyasha, who considered using the Shikon Jewel to turn him completely human so it would fade and she could live with him as a normal human. Unfortunately, she was used by Naraku to trick both Kikyo and Inuyasha by disguising as them, and kills Kikyo. She later gets resurrected by the ogress, Urasue, whom robs her grave and forced her to return to life. In the events of
the spinoff ''The Spinoff'' is a New Zealand online magazine and news website that was founded in 2014. It is known for current affairs coverage, political and social analysis, and cultural commentary. It earns money through commercial sponsorship and su ...
, set eighteen years after her third and final demise at the hands of Naraku, her appearance and voice is utilized by the Sacred Tree of Ages itself as a means of communication. The adult Kohaku had told Towa how his travels with Kikyo had left him admiring the undead priestess very much as she was unassailable and had never backed down from anyone. It was she who had defeated and sealed away a strong plant-demon called Root Head shortly before meeting Inuyasha.


Sesshomaru

: is a powerful dog demon ( daiyōkai), feared throughout the feudal era. Born of a great demon bloodline, he is the older, more powerful half-brother of Inuyasha. He is usually accompanied by his demon minions, Jaken and A-Un. Chronologically, he is over 200 years old, while according to the official ''Inuyasha Profiles'' guide by Rumiko Takahashi, his appearance is equivalent to being 19 years old in human years.


Jaken

: is a small green
imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony'' * Imp, a character in the '' Cl ...
-like demon who is extremely loyal to Sesshomaru, often praising his master's greatness, although Sesshomaru usually ignores and sometimes abuses him. Jaken himself is not especially powerful, but he wields the , a fire-throwing staff that Sesshomaru gives him. The manga explains little about Jaken's past, but the anime shows that Jaken was once a lord among similar demons. After the older Rin gives birth to Sesshomaru's twin half-demon daughters, Jaken is tasked with protecting them after Sesshomaru hides them in the forest of the Sacred Tree of Ages.


Rin

: is a barefoot orphan girl who tended to Sesshomaru's injuries when she found him under a tree, having lost her family to bandits prior. Rin ended up being killed by wolves under Koga's tribe when they raid her village, resurrected by Sesshomaru using Tensaiga on her. She since accompanied Sesshomaru throughout the events of the series, marrying him many years later as an adult and later giving birth to their twin daughters Towa and Setsuna. However, Rin is targeted by Zero as she placed the on Rin's neck, with Sesshomaru placing her within the Tree of Ages until Zero's curse on her is broken.


A-Un

is a two-headed dragon demon with some
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
-like features and Sesshomaru's beast of burden who is one of the two yōkai in the series explicitly stated to be a herbivore, like Totosai's ox. Despite traveling with Sesshomaru for centuries, he has no name until Rin gives him one, calling the right head "A" and the left head "Un" (the kanji symbols 阿吽 together translate as "Alpha and Omega"). A-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.


Kohaku

: is Sango's eleven-year-old brother who, like his family, is also a demon exterminator. He grew into a confident leader of a new generation of demon-slayers, which included his teenage nephew and Sesshomaru's younger twin half-demon daughter Setsuna. He uses the larger chain-sickle he had gotten from Totosai on demons.


Koga

: is a
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...
demon who is the young leader of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe that 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 about their relative combat strengths and the courtship of Kagome. After initially kidnapping her for her ability to locate Shikon shards, Koga becomes attracted to Kagome's kindness, spirit and beauty. Inuyasha is always foul-tempered and jealous during Koga's visits because he worries that Kagome might have feelings for Koga, though she has only ever seen him as a friend.


Kaede

: is Kikyo's younger sister that assisted her with various tasks, such as gathering herbs or holding her quiver of arrows. After Kikyo's death, Kaede became an unusually strong shrine priestess in her own right and defends the village against demons. Kaede lost her right eye sometime during her life and wears an eyepatch over it. Supplementary information states that she "lost her elder sister and her eye in an incident fifty years ago."


Myoga

: is a flea demon in service to Toga who was assigned to guard Tetsusaiga's resting place before it was acquired by Inuyasha, accompanying him and later Moroha while providing them intel on topics that include current events and foes. He tends to run and hide during fights despite being a loyal retainer, his presence being a tell-sign of no present danger. 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.


Totosai

: is an elderly yokai
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
with large, bulging eyes and the creator of Tessaiga and Tenseiga, from the fangs of his old friend, the Great Dog General, 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 .


''Inuyasha'' antagonist characters


Naraku

: is the half-demon responsible for the misery of most of the main cast, serving as the main antagonist. He was born fifty years ago from the desires of a gravely burned bandit named , who was found, sheltered and fed by Kikyo. Paralyzed by his injuries, Onigumo met a Small Spider Demon and forms a pact with the Small Spider Demon's friends. The surrounding demons attracted to his darknessconsume him in return for his soul to occupy a new body created from their merged bodies so that he could satisfy his frustrated lust for Kikyo. But Naraku instead orchestrated Kikyo’s death and Inuyasha’s imprisonment, biding his time until the Shikon Jewel resurfaced in the Feudal Era. Assuming the appearance of a feudal lord, Naraku spends most of the series modifying his body while attempting to remove what little humanity he had left. It was only at the end of his life that Naraku was revealed to be only a pawn of the Demon within the Shikon Jewel. He is destroyed by Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha in the manga, while purified by Kagome's wish in the anime version.


Demon of the Shikon Jewel

: is the true central antagonist of the entire story. He is the incredibly powerful dragon yōkai created from numerous demons from ancient time that battled the priestess Midoriko before forcing the priestess to trap their souls in what became the Shikon Jewel. The demon is eventually revealed as the force behind Naraku's actions while providing him aid in his offshoot Magatsuhi, having intended him and Kagome to continue the Shikon Jewel's existence, so he can revive in the material world. He is destroyed by Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha in the manga, while purified by Kagome's wish in the anime version.


=Magatsuhi

= : is the evil corrupting presence within the Shikon Jewel, born from the spirit of the dragon demon. His existence is eventually made known to Inuyasha's group when Naraku gave him a temporary human-like body to act through to assist in the restoration of the Shikon Jewel with the personal goal to completely defile it. As it would later be revealed, Magatsuhi is responsible for sealing Kagome's full spiritual power out of fear of the girl being a threat to him. After losing his temporary body due to Bakusaiga, Magatsuhi resorts to bodily possessions before being stopped by Inuyasha with Dragon-Scaled Tetsusaiga with the power of the demon vortex and killed by Sesshomaru with Tenseiga during the final battle against Naraku.


Naraku's incarnations

After acquiring enough Shikon Jewel shards, Naraku gained the ability to create new demons from his being that are technically his "offspring". However, each is treated by Naraku as expendable minions; tools to use as he wishes. He manipulated some of his earliest creations through threatening to destroy their disembodied hearts should they betray him. Eight detachments were directly created by Naraku within the series' storyline.


=Kanna

= : is Naraku's first detachment, appearing in the form of a ten-year-old girl in white with a mirror. Kanna is the only person that Naraku trusts with important information about his actions, allowing her to dictate in his stead. As a "concealed incarnation" of Naraku, Kanna has no scent or demonic aura, which makes her undetectable to Inuyasha, Miroku and Kagome, and immune to demonic aura-related effects such as the Hakurei barrier. She also is nice to Kagura and informative of Naraku's warnings. She is immune to the Infant's ability to read hearts to know what someone is truly thinking, but possesses thoughts and feelings of her own.


=Kagura

= : is Naraku's second detachment, although she is introduced before her "elder sister" Kanna. As a wind
witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...
who is always barefoot, Kagura uses a fan to enhance her powers where 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. Kagura has a particularly strong feud with Koga as she slaughtered his tribe on Naraku's orders, and she later attempted to kill him and steal his Shikon shards (though for her own gain, not Naraku's). Kagura desires her freedom from Naraku, indirectly supporting Inuyasha’s group despite being their enemy and developing feelings for Sesshomaru. Kagura is later fatally wounded by Naraku when he poisoned her while restoring her heart, spending her final moments with Sesshomaru.


=Goshinki

= : is Naraku's third detachment, a large horned
oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess ...
with bladed elbows and extremely powerful fangs. He is extremely agile for his size; however, his most dangerous ability is reading minds, which he uses to avoid dangerous situations and exploit his enemies' weaknesses. When Goshinki breaks Tetsusaiga, he provides Inuyasha's demon lineage the opportunity to take over. Goshinki struggles to read the now feral and blood-lustful Inuyasha before he is completely ripped apart with only his head remaining. Goshinki's head is then found by Sesshomaru, who momentary revives the demon so his fangs can be used by Totosai's expelled apprentice, , to create the cursed blade Tōkijin.


=Juromaru and Kageromaru

= : and are respectively Naraku's fourth and fifth incarnations, but are extremely dangerous. While the more human-like Juromaru is like a berserker who is normally shackled with a mask covering his mouth, the parasitic Kageromaru uses his sickled arms to kill Naraku before being placed in his brother's stomach. Acting through a puppet, Naraku later removes the restraints on Juromaru so he and Kageromaru can slaughter Inuyasha's group and Koga. But the two fail and are killed by Inuyasha.


=Muso/Onigumo

= : While technically Naraku's sixth incarnation, is actually Onigumo himself. Originally faceless and without memory of his past, Onigumo took the face and name of a wandering monk. Eventually with Kagura watching on Naraku's order, Muso ventures to Kikyo's former village and regains his memories of Onigumo and desires for Kikyo. He sees Kagome with Inuyasha and, assuming she is Kikyo, fights him in order to possess Kagome. But Naraku absorbs Muso to restabilize his body.


=Akago (the Infant) and Moryomaru

= : : The is Naraku's heart and seventh detachment, appearing in the form of a human baby yet can speak fluently and control people with the darkness in their own hearts. It is later revealed that the Infant's appearance was intentional by Naraku as he expected the detachment to be as devious as himself. His goal was 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. Because the Infant possesses his heart, Naraku had the infant placed under much protection by placing him into an artificial body called . But the Infant and Hakudoshi conspired to destroy Naraku while making themselves the dominant aspect of his being, only for the former and a fully aware Moryomaru to be absorbed by Naraku.


=Hakudoshi

= : While indirectly Naraku's eighth detachment referring to himself as the embodiment of his "essence", possessing his sadism and love for chaos, is actually created from the right half of the Infant when he was severed in half by the power of a dying monk and matured into a barefoot boy who is extremely dexterous and proficient with a halberd and other handheld weapons. As they were originally one, Hakudoshi possesses many of the Infant's abilities while unable to be killed directly as he does not possess Naraku's heart. Hakudoshi also acquired the demon horse Entei before the steed was killed by Inuyasha. Hakudoshi is destroyed when Naraku calls back his wasps so Miroku can use his Wind Tunnel on him.


=Byakuya

= : also known by his alias is Naraku's final detachment created for the sole purpose of acting during Naraku's final moments, a moth-Demon who uses illusions and
origami ) is the Japanese art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of paper into a f ...
magic while able to detach his left eye to serve as recon. As Byakuya was designed to only exist as long as Naraku lives, his body can be severely damaged when Naraku suffers mortal injuries. Originally, his purpose is to observe Inuyasha and Moryomaru's growing powers and report back to Naraku, gradually becoming more active in his creator's plans. During Inuyasha's final battle with Naraku, Byakuya uses his bladeless sword to absorb a stray Meido Zangetsuha, then carry out his final task: slashing Kagome with a time-delayed Meido that would activate upon Naraku's death. Though killed by Inuyasha's Meido seconds later, Byakuya accepts his fate as he achieved his purpose.


The Band of Seven

The were group of human mercenaries that were killed a long time ago. They are resurrected in an
undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by supe ...
state and manipulated by Naraku through Shikon Jewel shards to hold off his enemies during his time at Mount Hakurei.


=Kyokotsu

= : is a
giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''gigas'', cognate giga-) are beings of human-like appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''giant'' is first attested in 1297 fr ...
who happens to be both the largest of the Band of Seven and the weakest. Though a giant, Kyokotsu has developed a taste for demons. Kyokotsu terrorizes the wolf-demon tribes before being defeated by Koga in battle, who pulls out his Shikon shard and returns him to the dead.


=Jakotsu

= : is the Band of Seven's third-in-command and Bankotsu's most trusted ally. A homosexual and homicidal woman-hater who wears women's kimono and sadistically kills his male opponents as a sign of affection. Jakotsu is armed with a snake-like sword which has segmented retractable blades that reach a great distance and bend at a moment's notice, making it difficult for an opponent to calculate his next move. When Inuyasha and his group arrive at Mount Hakurei, Jakotsu battles Inuyasha until he is defeated. The fight leaves Jakotsu severely weakened and Renkotsu uses the opportunity to steal his Shikon shard.


=Mukotsu

= : is a short man who acts as the Band of Seven's poison maker, concealing his face behind a veil. He abducts Kagome out of lust, attempting to rape her (the anime depicts him initiating a wedding ceremony before Miroku and Sango come to their friend's aid). Though he succeeds in poisoning the human heroes, Mukotsu is killed by Sesshomaru.


=Renkotsu

= : is the second-in-command of the Band of Seven that often uses wires and fire-breathing skills and later a hand cannon. Renkotsu is the band's most intelligent member and secretly acts against Bankotsu by stealing their comrades' Shikon shards for his use. When Bankotsu learns of this, he kills Renkotsu.


=Ginkotsu

= : is a
cyborg A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.
-like member of the Band of Seven, with a slew of different weapons, such as saw blades and a firearm on his back. Renkotsu maintains Ginkotsu's mechanical body, before it is destroyed by Inuyasha. Renkotsu then rebuilds Ginkotsu into a tank-like body. Eventually, Koga causes Ginkotsu to self-destruct by clogging his cannon with a piece of Renkotsu's armor. Ginkotsu's jewel shard is subsequently used by Renkotsu to heal his wounds.


=Suikotsu

= : was originally a
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
who developed a bloodthirsty second persona and is armed with artificial iron claws. After being revived, Suikotsu's good side attempts to live a normal life before his alter ego assumes control at the coaxing of his comrades. At one point, Suikotsu returns to the village with his normal "good" appearance, but is still violent and willing to kill. His good persona ultimately asks Kikyo to take his Shikon shard and kill him to prevent further carnage, but he is killed by Jakotsu before she can do so.


=Bankotsu

= : is the leader of the Band of Seven, and its youngest and strongest member. Though a skilled mercenary who killed many people, Bankotsu retains a sense of honor and compassion where his comrades are concerned. Bankotsu carries the
Zanbatō The ''zhanmadao'' () was a single-bladed anti-cavalry Chinese sword. It originated during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) and was especially common in Song China (960–1279). General characteristics The zhanmadao is a single-edged sab ...
-like
halberd A halberd (also called halbard, halbert or Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. The word ''halberd'' is cognate with the German word ''Hellebarde'', deriving from ...
, a weapon he reclaims by attacking the daimyō who executed the band. Defeated by Inuyasha by slicing him in half based on the manga series, and when Banryu's power was reflected by Inuyasha's Bakuryūha attack.


''Inuyasha'' guest characters


Feudal Japan characters


=Hachiemon (Hachi)

= : , otherwise known as simply , is a ''tanuki'' from Awa who is a retainer to the tanuki of the Mamidaira clan before becoming Miroku's servant. His basic abilities are low and he has no weapons or skills for battle. He is an unremarkable being, but he understands Miroku well. Although Hachi is Miroku's servant, he often does not travel with him. Since he is a ''tanuki'', he has the ability to transform. If he puts a leaf on his head and transforms, he can assume the form of a giant yellow gourd. He can fly in this state. When he runs away, he can lay down a smoke screen to deceive enemies.


=Jinenji

= : is a half-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 miasma and Inuyasha and Kagome 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.


=Shiori

= : is a half-demon who was born from a human mother named Shizu and a
bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...
demon father named Tsukuyomaru, who had died when she was an infant; murdered by his own father in cold blood. She helped grant Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga the useful ability to break through demon barriers, and even Naraku's for a time, after he saves her from her grandfather's grip. In the sequel series, after her mother passed away, Shiori established a haven for half-demon children to live in peace with Setsuna one of her students.


=Goryomaru

= : was a
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
who lived in an old temple with a group of orphaned kids. The children, whose parents were killed by demons, were rescued by him and were taken care of. Goryomaru was attacked by a demon which tried to "absorb" him. While trying to overpower the demon, his arm got replaced by the demon's laser-shooting cannon-like arm. The demon attached to his arm is later revealed to be Moryomaru, who is able to consume the rest of Goryomaru's body following his death at the hands of Hakudoshi.


=Toga the Great Dog-Demon

= : , also known as the or , was an infamous yōkai lord of great power who ruled the Western Lands, having battled Kirinmaru during the Heian Era before they established a truce, as they joined forces to stop the Grim Comet. He fathered Sesshomaru with a dog demoness before he fell in love with Izayoi during the
Kamakura era The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle betwee ...
. Tōga was fatally wounded sealing Ryūkotsusei after being unable to defeat the dragon, meeting his end when he sacrificed himself to cover Izayoi's escape with their newborn son Inuyasha when her estate is burned to the ground.


=Lady Izayoi

= : was a gentle, beautiful human, who is the daughter of an impoverished noble house during the Kamakura Era. She fell in love with Toga and bore him Inuyasha, forced to leave her ancestral home when her former suitor Takemaru burned it to the ground in an attempt to kill her and Toga. She died sometime during Inuyasha's childhood, leaving her son Toga's Robe of the Fire Rat and a shell containing Izayoi's favorite rouge, which he gave to Kikyo as a gift via flashbacks in the anime before ending up with Kaede and later Moroha.


=Hosenki I

= : is an
oyster Oyster is the common name for a number of different families of salt-water bivalve molluscs that live in marine or brackish habitats. In some species, the valves are highly calcified, and many are somewhat irregular in shape. Many, but not ...
-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 Tetsusaiga, the sword his father willed to Inuyasha. Needing to return to the
netherworld Netherworld (''nether'', ″beneath, lower″) may refer to: *Underworld, a region thought to be beneath the surface of the world in many religions and mythologies Film and television * ''Netherworld'' (film), a 1992 American horror film *''Nethe ...
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 the Dog General'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.


=Hosenki II

= : is an oyster demon who took over his father's duty of creating black pearls, as well as his father's name, after the latter's death. Hosenki II visit Riku to gave him the green Rainbow Pearl, later visit Kagome and Inuyasha at their house in Kaede's village as he heard that Inuyasha inherited his father's powers with the Tetsusaiga: the Adamant Barrage.


=Midoriko

= was an extremely powerful priestess who lived centuries before the events of the series. She was well known for her vastly strong spiritual abilities, more specifically her ability to purify demon souls and spirits, rendering them completely powerless. It was because of this ability that she was both hated and feared by demons. In her final battle, she was ambushed by many yōkai. Her spirit is dissolved by Naraku's wish in order to prepare the new place for Kagome in the manga, while purified by Kagome's wish in the anime version.


=Naohi

= : Naohi is the good will of the Jewel of the Four Souls, that the four souls described are referenced as the four
Mitama The Japanese word refers to the spirit of a ''kami'' or the soul of a dead person. It is composed of two characters, the first of which, , is simply an honorific. The second, means "spirit". The character pair 神霊, also read ''mitama'', is ...
s from the Shintō philosophy of : , , and .


=Ginta

= : is a wolf demon from the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe that always follows Koga around, alongside Hakkaku. They both deeply worry about Koga and Kagome since she is almost always in trouble with Inuyasha around.


=Hakkaku

= : is a wolf demon from the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe that always follows Koga around, alongside Ginta. They both deeply worry about Koga and Kagome since she is almost always in trouble with Inuyasha around.


=Ayame

= : is a red-haired wolf demon that appears only in the anime. She is the granddaughter of the North Wolf Demon Tribe's leader. Koga once saved her from the Birds of Paradise and promised to marry her when she got older. In the epilogue of the anime, Ayame finally married Koga.


=Mushin

= : is an elderly Buddhist monk who raised Miroku after his father was consumed by the Wind Tunnel curse. Despite being a lazy drunk who taught Miroku many of his bad lecherous habits, he cares for the young monk and is a father figure to him. In his first appearance, he was possessed by a demon worm charmer hired by Naraku to kill Miroku, but was saved by Inuyasha. Mushin is not seen in the manga again after this, but is given a slightly larger role in the anime.


Modern Japan characters


=Kagome's Family

= ; : :Mrs. Higurashi is the mother of Kagome and Sota. She is never given a name. The novel ''Shousetsu Inuyasha'' reveals that her husband, Kagome's father, was killed in a car accident when Kagome was five years old. Since then, she was widowed and left to take care of her two children, with the help of her father-in-law. She is very supportive of Kagome and welcoming to Inuyasha. She helps Kagome by taking care of the lunches and dinners for her to bring to Inuyasha's world for them to share with her friends. She does not appear to mind Kagome spending long periods of time in the feudal era. ; : : is Kagome's younger brother, with whom she has a typical brother-sister relationship. He sees Inuyasha as an older brother figure. In ''Yashahime'', he adopted Inuyasha and Kagome's niece Towa as his daughter. He has an optimistic wife named Moe and young daughter named Mei. ; : : is the paternal grandfather of Kagome and Sota, and Kagome's mother's father-in-law. Grandpa often covers for Kagome's prolonged absences at school with interesting, and often absurd, excuses, which only worries Kagome's friends further. ; : : is the Higurashis' cat, who was the reason Kagome first found the Bone Eater's Well while she was looking for him. Inuyasha often plays with Buyo when he visits Kagome in her time.


=Kagome's Middle School

= ; : : is a school friend of Kagome's with an unreciprocated crush on her. Kagome's girlfriends think that they should be together, but Kagome never took the dates he asked her on seriously, despite having agreed and every single time would either forget or bail out on the dates so that she could go back to the feudal era to be with Inuyasha. Hojo is always under the pretense that Kagome has a fatal illness, due to the excuses Kagome's grandfather tells in order to keep Kagome out of school for long periods of time. Because of this, Hojo is frequently seen giving Kagome traditional remedies and supplies for her various fictional illnesses. Sometimes, her grandfather uses the gifts from Hojo on himself. In the climax of ''The Final Act'', Hojo is seen dating his college classmate. ; : : is one of Kagome's friends and classmates. She has wavy shoulder-length black hair. Being the naive, optimistic, gentle one of the trio, she is the only one of the group to support Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha. ; : : is one of Kagome's friends and classmates. She has straight shoulder-length black hair and is frequently shown wearing a yellow headband. Like Yuka, she is very outspoken and concerned with Kagome's relationship health, and because of this, she never hesitates to give her opinion on Kagome's potential boyfriends (Hojo and Inuyasha). ; : : is one of Kagome's friends and classmates. Yuka has neck-length brown hair. Being the most outspoken of the trio, as well as being very sharp-witted, she often expresses concern over Kagome's relationship with her "delinquent boyfriend", Inuyasha.


Recurring ''Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'' characters


''Yashahime'' supporting characters


''Yashahime'' Feudal Japan characters


=Kin'u and Gyokuto

= : and are the identical twin daughters of Miroku and Sango and the older sisters of Hisui. Their first appearance was at the end of the ''Inuyasha'' when they were about two-years-old. Kin'u wears a Green kimono whereas Gyokuto wears a Pink kimono. In ''Princess Half-Demon'', Gyokuto is with her mother in the demon slayer village. Kin'u is a
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...
who is undergoing upper-level training to further develop and increase her innate Buddhist-spiritual abilities by her
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
father.


=Hisui

= : is Miroku and Sango's youngest child and only son, and younger brother to Kin'u and Gyokuto. His first appearance is at the end of the ''Inuyasha'' as a baby. In ''Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon'', he has become a demon slayer having inherited an ordinary Hiraikotsu from his mother. It is revealed in the second season finale of the spin-off that he is in love with Setsuna.


=Lord Takechiyo

= : is a young ''tanuki'' who serves under Jyūbei, later revealed to young lord of the Mamidaira clan who was placed in Jyūbei's care by Miroku at the behest of Hachimon. He uses his abilities to shape-shift as means for transport others to places sufficient enough for profit, or when bribed with Towa's modern sweets.


=Riku

= : is Jyūbei and Takechiyo's mysterious employer who intends to obtain all seven of the Rainbow Pearls for himself. He later develops feelings for Towa and tries to protect her and her family from harm. It is later revealed that he is in fact a living doll created from Kirinmaru's severed horn, and is in the service of Zero with the goal of returning her emotions by collecting the seven Rainbow Pearls for their creator who had taken care of him since he was "discarded like a piece of trash." He becomes Towa's love interest.


=Jyūbei

= : is the owner of the corpse-dealing shop that specializes in bounties placed on demons. Moroha currently lives under Jyūbei's shop in order to pay off a very large debt.


''Yashahime'' Modern Japan characters


=Mei Higurashi

= : is the six-year-old daughter of Sota and Moe Higurashi, younger adoptive sister and half-cousin-in-law of Towa, and half-cousin-in-law of Setsuna and the niece of Kagome Higurashi, and the first cousin of Moroha.


=Moe Higurashi

= : is the wife of Sota Higurashi and the mother of Mei Higurashi, adoptive mother and half-aunt-in-law of Towa, half-aunt-in-law of Setsuna, and the maternal aunt of Moroha, and she is sister-in-law to Kagome Higurashi.


''Yashahime'' antagonist characters


Kirinmaru

: is an ancient qilin demon armed with the Bakuseiken
katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...
, having traveled the world before establishing his domain in the eastern area of Japan. In the distant past, Kirinmaru was a rival to western lands' great demon Tōga, losing his right arm and horn to the dog demon during one of their earlier fights before they established a truce. Kirinmaru also lost his daughter Rion when she killed by a half-demon loyal to
Emperor Daigo was the 60th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 醍醐天皇 (60)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Daigo's reign spanned the years from 897 through 930. He is named after his place of burial. G ...
named whose going to avenge his master's death, binding her soul among the living with the intent of reviving her while since despising half-demons in general. They preventing a fragment of the Grim Comet from destroying the world. Kirinmaru also disregarded a prophecy foretold by the Shikon Jewel that he would die at the hands of someone neither human nor demon, despite Zero’s assumption that Tōga’s half-demon descendants could be what the prophecy foretold. After entering a ceasefire with Sesshōmaru after he and Inuyasha prevented another fragment of the Grim Comet from descending, Kirinmaru arranges a plan to send Osamu Kirin to future to bring the Grim Comet back to their time so he can destroy it. Kirinmaru's plan prompts the Sacred Tree of Ages into enlisting Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha to stop him from causing a calamity to unfold from his attempt to alter time.


Zero

: is Kirinmaru's older sister who had coveted the love of Tōga of the Western Province, the Great Dog-Demon, and remained deeply embittered and heartbroken since his prophesied demise. Her sorrow at losing him is what created the seven Rainbow Pearls containing her demonic powers and emotions. At the mansion of Nanahoshi, her second thread of fate between her and Tōga have been severed by Setsuna's Yukari no Tachikiri, as the Rainbow Pearls come shown of her memories that she refused to help Tōga of what Kirinmaru asked that led to Tōga's sacrifice to save Izayoi and his second half-demon infant son Inuyasha from Takemaru of Setsuna, that the Pearls become her tears, the unstable thread between her and Rin has untied that the Silver-Scale Curse has been broken, and after Riku killed her, she revealed to Towa and Setsuna (except for Moroha while she was gone to save the Mamidaira clan of the Mamidaira Island) why Kirinmaru hates humans and half-demons from her staff. After that she goes to
nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
.


Jakotsumaru

: was the son of Tōkotsu, whom he wanted to revitalize by giving him enough bones from mortals, demons, and animals, and after that, turn the bones to red to resurrect his father.


Rion

: is the fourteen-year-old daughter of Kirinmaru, and the niece of the late Zero, whose spirit has been sealed away for 600 years since her murder at the hands of a half-demon by named Sakasa whose going to avenge his master's death, and hidden away at Mount Musubi. Once rescued by the Half-Demon Princesses, she transferred her mind and spirit into a clay doll containing her bones and grave's soil and achieved an artificial human-looking form similar to Kikyo. Becoming a traveling companion of Riku, she then traveled briefly with Towa, as her own aunt was threatening the young half-demon girl's life.


Osamu Kirin

: was the English teacher at Saint Gabriel Academy and Towa’s homeroom teacher. Osamu is revealed to be created from Kirinmaru's right arm after Riku dumped into the Bone-Eater's Well as part of Kirimaru's plan to monitor the Grim Comet's arrival to Earth so it can be brought back to the past so it can be destroyed for good. Ending up in the Heisei Era, Osamu learned of how much the world changed since demons went extinct. In the
Reiwa is the current Japanese era name, era of Japan's official calendar. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's elder son, Naruhito, Enthronement of the Japanese emperor, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The ...
era, he's been keeping an eye on the Grim Comet that it's coming closer to the Earth for weeks. But devastated upon hearing of Rion's death, Kirin brought the Grim Comet to the Feudal Era so he can have it wipe out all the demons while he and Rion remain to rule over humanity for its own good. He is ultimately defeated by the Half-Demon Princesses with Rion dealing the final blow.


Grim Comet

is a cocoon of a primordial being called the , which travels across the cosmos and approaches Earth every five centuries. Tōga and Kirinmaru destroyed a demon infested fragment of the Grim Comet that broke off during the
Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...
, Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru doing the same 500 years later. Kirinmaru expected the Grim Comet's eventual return in the distant future, arranging Osamu Kirin's arrival to the present so the comet would be brought to the past and be destroyed for good. But Osamu, after learning of Rion's death, betrays Kirinmaru and awakens the Grim Butterfly to use its power to wipe out every demon while placing himself and Rion as humanity's rulers.


The Four Perils

The are a quartet of demons that serve under Kirinmaru, each entrusted with a Rainbow Pearl.


=Kyūki

= : is one of Kirinmaru’s Four Perils who possesses the Purple Rainbow Pearl. Her demon form is a winged tiger. She gave the Purple Rainbow Pearl to Yotsume, the four-eyed owl demon to find weaknesses in the minds of the Half-Demon Princesses via the dream-gazing spell. She is defeated by Towa's ''Azure Dragon Wave'' attack, and Riku steals the Purple Rainbow Pearl as he kills her by draining her of her bodily fluids via the blue earring. More about her history with Lord Kirinmaru and Riku is revealed in "Secret of the Rainbow Pearls", and "The Barrier of Mount Musubi" via flashbacks.


=Tōkotsu

= : was one of Kirinmaru's the Four Perils, who possessed the red Rainbow Pearl Kirinmaru bestowed him before being killed by Moroha prior to her meeting Setsuna. After he was resurrected by his son Jakotsumaru, as a spector, he was defeated by Setsuna by using her Buddhist powers sealed by Miroku, and Towa banished Tōkotsu to the afterlife. More about his history with Lord Kirinmaru is revealed in "The Barrier of Mount Musubi" via flashbacks.


=Konton

= : is one of Kirinmaru's Four Perils. After Kyūki is defeated he takes over trying to annihilate the demon princesses. He has the blue Rainbow Pearl in his second armor after Moroha produced the Crimson Backlash Wave from her Crimson Dragon Wave and her mentor the wolf demon Yawaragi: the ''Scattering Winds''. More about his history with Lord Kirinmaru and Riku is revealed in "Secret of the Rainbow Pearls", and "The Barrier of Mount Musubi" via flashbacks.


=Tōtetsu

= : is the last of Kirinmaru's Four Perils to appear. More about his history with Lord Kirinmaru is revealed in "The Barrier of Mount Musubi" via flashbacks.


See also


References

{{Inuyasha Inuyasha characters
Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...