Mistress Centipede

was a yōkai that is first encountered by Kagome Higurashi in the modern world when she was looking for her cat Buyo. The demon emerged from the well in the Higurashi shrine and pulled Kagome in, transporting her to the Sengoku jidai. She was the first yōkai that Kagome encountered from the Feudal Era.

History
Fifty years ago, before the creation of Naraku, Mistress Centipede was one of the most powerful yōkai in that era. She defeated various other yōkai and obtained the Shikon no Tama until she was slain by a group of Yōkai Taijiya. It was removed by Sango's grandfather the day after she was killed but she was still able to regenerate thanks to the jewel being near her corpse, but ultimately she was driven away by the demon slayers. She later attempted to take the young Kaede hostage and use her as a bargaining tool to obtain the Shikon no Tama from Kikyō. The demon's plan was cut short when she was killed by Inuyasha for the first time.

Kikyō acknowledged that as long as Mistress Centipede's body was near the jewel she would resurrect to no end. Kikyō had her followers collect all remains of this fearsome demon and throw it down the Bone-Eater's Well, so that the power of the Shikon no Tama would not be able to revive her again.

During the story
In the present era she was able to resurrect herself and attempted to take the Shikon no Tama from Kagome Higurashi's body, dragging Kagome from the modern world to the Feudal Era in the process. In self-defense, Kagome was able to use spiritual power to destroy one of Mistress Centipede's arm which forced her to retreat into the time hole. She resurfaced later that night to take the jewel again and followed Kagome when she ran toward the Goshinboku which Inuyasha was sealed to. The demoness attempted a second time to take the jewel but Kagome was again able to blast off the rest of her arms. Enraged, she bites Kagome, tearing the Shikon no Tama out of her body. The demon then binds Kagome along with Inuyasha to the tree while she swallowed the Shikon no Tama. With the power of the Shikon no Tama, Mistress reattached her five arms and transformed into much more formidable demon. Despite being powered-up by the jewel, she was easily defeated by Inuyasha once he was freed from the Goshinboku. The Shikon no Tama inside her flesh was removed and her body turned into bones once more.

Physical description
Mistress Centipede's initial appearance was that of a pale woman with long black hair with small pupils and eyebrows like Japanese princesses. She had six arms and wore no clothing to cover her breasts. Her lower torso is that of a centipede thus she had at least one hundred feet.

After using the Shikon no Tama her appearance changed slightly; the Shikon no Tama tore away any human-like features Mistress Centipede might have had beforehand, giving her a far more monstrous appearance. Her "human" skin was shed, revealing purple-pink skin underneath which later turned grey. She no longer had any lip or eyebrows and also her eyes turned bright red.

Powers & Abilities

 * Tornado Twister: She rapidly spins her body in a tornado-like motion, which turns it into a weapon. Because she is spinning around so rapidly, she can do a great deal of damage to humans.
 * Enhanced speed & agility: Despite her large size Mistress Centipede was rather agile and quick, so she was capable of catching up with most other demons.
 * Regeneration: As long as there is the Shikon no Tama nearby, Mistress Centipede cannot be truly killed.
 * Time Travel: Mistress Centipede is unique that, like Inuyasha, she can travel between the Feudal Era and the present.

Manga vs. Anime

 * In the manga, Mistress Centipede often has exaggerated breasts, but in the anime her breasts seemed to be edited down, due to censorship.

Trivia

 * Mistress Centipede could be based off Yukiki's demon from , which was also made by Rumiko Takahashi.
 * The marking on Mistress Centipede head is similar to the marking on Japanese princesses and alike, suggesting she is royalty or at least high ranked in Centipede Demon Tribe.
 * Her appearance is similar to the 's, as her mouth stretches from ear to ear.
 * Mistress Centipede, along with the Infant, are the only demons that didn't use the "exact" name in dub, in this case "Mukade Jōrō".
 * Mistress Centipede, along with Shibugarasu and Naraku, are the only characters who successfully used the complete Shikon no Tama.
 * In the Latin American and Brazilian TV broadcast (licensed by Televix) she is heavily censored, with scenes slowed down to avoid showing her breasts and even digitally adding a bikini to cover them. This broadcast is known for censoring blood among other objectionable content.