Hakudōshi

"So you want the last laugh, do you Hakudōshi? It seems you're just like Naraku."

- Kagura

was a formidable yōkai and Naraku's eighth incarnation. Originally, Hakudōshi was Naraku's Infant, created at Mount Hakurei. However, during his search for the Border of the Afterlife, the Infant was split in half by a powerful monk. Following this event, one half of the Infant grew into Hakudōshi, while the other half (including both his and Naraku's heart) continued to live on as the Infant. Hakudōshi carried out many prominent tasks for Naraku during this time, locating the border between this world and the next and setting a trap for Kikyō.

Eventually, however, Hakudōshi and the Infant conspired to overthrow Naraku, and Hakudōshi created the demon puppet Mōryōmaru from various demons and human haku. Hakudōshi gave the infant this puppet as a means of protection and endeavored to find shards of the Shikon no Tama to increase Mōryōmaru's power.

History
Hakudōshi was made from the Infant who was born from pieces of detached flesh that Naraku discarded inside of Mount Hakurei. Upon learning the last shard of the Shikon Jewel was in the world between the living and the afterlife Naraku sent the Infant and Kagura to kill priests and priestesses in order to discover a way into the next world. One of the monk's attacks managed to cut the baby in half, before he died. Kanna met with Kagura and told her to keep one half of the Infant while she took the other half. The half Kagura is charged to watch grew into the body of a young child. The child took the name of Hakudōshi.

During the Story
Upon awakening he ordered Kagura to bring him new clothes as he had out grown his old ones. The yōkai horse Entei followed Kagura and chose Hakudōshi to become his new master. In the anime Hakudōshi killed Entei's previous owner which earned the demon horse's respect.

Shortly after this he encountered Inuyasha's group for the first time in his new form. He confirmed that Naraku was indeed searching for a way to travel to the world between the living and the dead, and also revealed to them that the last Shikon shard was there, something the group did not know. When Kagura questioned him about this Hakudōshi simply replied that he saw no need to keep it a secret. When Inuyasha tried to kill him with the Wind Scar Hakudōshi put up a barrier, and then left with Kagura and Entei.

Hakudōshi decided that a human priest could not provide him with the location to the world between the living and the afterlife, so he decided that yōkai may hold the key. He began to cut off the heads of demons to search their minds in order to find the way to travel to the next world. After decapitating many yōkai Hakudōshi finally discovered the location of the next world. He ordered Kagura to tell Inuyasha and his friends about the location to a gate that led to the world between the living and dead.

He intended to use them to battle the gate keepers and use Kagura to see if the gate was safe. Kagura questioned Hakudōshi about using her, which he admitted to be doing. This caused Kagura to attack him, only to discover like Naraku he could simply regenerate. He warned Kagura that he was connected to Naraku and that attacking him would only lead to Naraku to squeeze her heart as punishment.

After Naraku made a pact with Princess Abi, Hakudōshi helped Abi and her bird demons collect the blood of humans. He briefly battled Inuyasha, but Inuyasha was unable to overcome his barrier, even with the Red Tessaiga. Hakudōshi's barrier was broken by the purifying arrow to his surprise, this allowed Inuyasha to cut him with the Wind Scar. Hakudōshi started to regenerate, but Entei was killed by the Backlash Wave.

He ordered Kagura to take him and retreat. While regenerating in a hide out Kagura noticed that Hakudōshi did not have a heart, and deduced that his heart was in the Infant. Hakudōshi acted as Naraku's connection to the living world when he traveled to the world between the living and the dead. When Kagome shot Naraku with one of Kikyō's arrows it followed Naraku back to the living world striking Hakudōshi down, however since the Infant was the one who possessed their shared heart neither Naraku or Hakudōshi was killed by the arrow.

Forcing Kikyō Out
Under orders from Naraku, Hakudōshi (along with Kohaku) tried to lure Kikyō out in the open. The pair killed a rat yōkai and took his shrine. Hakudōshi opened the shrine releasing a swarm of yōkai rats that devoured anything in their path. Kikyō finally acted by making a magical tree. Then Hakudōshi ordered Kohaku to guard the shrine and keep it open, while he went to deal with Kikyō. He just missed Kikyō, but destroyed the tree she created to purify the rats by using giant slugs. He told Inuyasha and Kagome that if they saw Kikyō to tell her that Naraku would continue to cause this level of destruction until he found her. He also retrieved Kohaku and took him back to Naraku.

Creating Mōryōmaru
Hakudōshi along with Kohaku hunted down a demon that devoured haku the power that moved the body of all living beings in the InuYasha world. After killing the demon Hakudōshi took the haku it had devoured to use in his experiments. His experiments involved using pieces of other yōkai together as a mish-mashed form, and used the haku to allow them to move. His experimented demons ran around attacking humans and demons alike and drew the attention of both Kōga's group and Inuyasha's group, who killed all of the mish-mashed demons. Eventually Hakudōshi discovered that the closer the created yōkai were to a human appearance the easier it was for them to move. He perfected creating yōkai and created Mōryōmaru.

Hakudōshi decided to test out his creation by having him fight Koga and at the same time try to steal the wolf demon's two Shikon shards. Mōryōmaru had the upperhand, until Inuyasha interfered unleashing the Wind Scar. Hakudōshi protected Mōryōmaru with his barrier. Despite InuYasha joining the fight, Mōryōmaru was able to hold his own while Hakudōshi watched. By working together the two groups managed to create an opening for Inuyasha to use his new technique Kongōsōha, but once Hakudōshi stepped in to protect Mōryōmaru despite knowing that his barrier would be broken by Inuyasha's attack. Unknown to the group the baby urged Hakudōshi to save Mōryōmaru.

Although he failed to steal Kōga's shards Hakudōshi managed to gain a small victory by stealing the yōki crystal from Miroku, preventing the group from locating the Fuyōheki that concealed the baby's yoki. In the anime Kōga was not involved in the fight at all, instead of tracking Kōga down Hakudōshi tested Mōryōmaru out on Inuyasha, however the fight ended in the same manner as the manga.

After retreating Hakudōshi delivered Mōryōmaru to the baby and Kanna. He left telling the baby to use Mōryōmaru any way he wanted to. He questioned Naraku about why he allowed Kagura to live even though he knew she was betraying him. Naraku answered him by saying that he could end Kagura's life anytime he chose because he had her heart and that he (Naraku) needed her for one final job. He appeared before Kagura and took her to the temple of Goryōmaru.

He seemingly killed Goryōmaru shocking Kagura and Inuyasha and his friends. Hakudōshi retrieved Kanna and the baby and left with them, but not before he ordered Kagura to deal with Inuyasha's group. When Naraku lured Inuyasha's gang into a giant oni, Hakudōshi and Naraku appeared before Kagura and mocked her failed attempt to reveal the baby's location to Inuyasha and his friends.

Rebelling Against Naraku
Kagura's final job for Naraku turned out to be guarding Goryōmaru who was revealed to be alive. She questioned why she was guarding him when Hakudōshi appeared before her. He told Kagura if she wanted to know how to release Goryōmaru. He tried to convince Kagura into releasing Goryōmaru despite that Naraku ordered her to guard him. He appeared to have his own motives for freeing Goryōmaru. Hakudōshi confronted Kagura and Kohaku to try to steal Kohaku's jewel shard.

He mused that Kagura was untrustworthy for betraying both Naraku and Mōryōmaru. Kagura questioned if Hakudōshi had betrayed Naraku too, although he did not answer her. Kagura sent Kohaku away on her feather to protect him, before Hakudōshi could go after him he was attacked by Inuyasha.

He got into another fight with Inuyasha, but he effectively took Kagura within his barrier and used her as a shield against Inuyasha. He revealed his true intentions: that he and the baby plan to replace Naraku. Because Naraku removed his heart from his body and put it inside the baby, he could not kill the baby and when Naraku gave the baby the Fuyōheki to conceal his yoki he and Hakudōshi decided now was the time to act against Naraku. Hakudōshi played his part by creating Mōryōmaru to act as armor for the baby to better protect him from not only Naraku's enemies but Naraku himself. Hakudōshi mocked Naraku by saying that Naraku was now an empty shell and he and the baby are the real ones.

Death
Hakudōshi taunted Kagura saying that Naraku knew about her betrayal and would kill her. He told her that her only fate was to be killed by Naraku or absorbed by Mōryōmaru. Kagura attacked him, but, like always, his body regenerated. However his barrier was disabled by Naraku (in a bit dramatic irony, this happened right after Hakudōshi boasted that not even Naraku could kill him). With Kagura out of harms way Inuyasha attacked him with the Wind Scar, Hakudōshi simply continued to regenerate. Miroku threatened to suck him in the Wind Tunnel, but he pointed out that Miroku would also suck up the poisonous insects, thus killing him. Naraku called to the insects, making Hakudōshi realize that Naraku had abandoned him for his betrayal. Kagura mocked him for Naraku's actions comparing their situations.

Hakudōshi told her that his situation was different from hers because he was real. In a last ditch effort Hakudōshi created a cloud of shoki to protect him while he attempted to finish off Kagura shouting to himself that he was not a tool to Naraku like Kagura was, however Kagome purified the cloud and Miroku unleashed his wind tunnel sucking up Hakudōshi.

Personality
Hakudōshi was perhaps the offspring that was most like Naraku—even more so than the Infant. He was cruel, controlling, and self-serving. He took pleasure in watching the suffering of others, much like Naraku, as he had been seen to enjoy watching Kagura suffer for her failed attempts of freedom. When he and Kohaku unleashed a swarm of killer rat demons, he was shown watching the death destruction they caused with childish delight. He also made a special trip to the mountains just so he could watch Abi-hime's birds kill and drink the blood of refugees.

Unlike Naraku, Hakudōshi was fearless, more hands-on and didn't mind getting his hands dirty—something Kagura was quick to notice. Hakudōshi did battle with Inuyasha many times, and unlike Naraku, he was not as quick to run and didn't rely on his barrier as much as his maker. He was not above running if his body took a lot of damage, or using someone else to do his work if his life was in danger. Though he was very clever, Hakudōshi wasn't quite as manipulative as Naraku and tended to take a more direct approach in matters. He openly revealed the location of the last Shikon shard and made it very clear that he was going to use Inuyasha's group to get to it. His solution for luring Kikyō out of hiding using the Zushinezumi was crude and needlessly destructive, but effective. He continuously wondered why Naraku didn't kill Kagura even though he knew she was a traitor.

Appearance
When Hakudōshi was born he took the form of a young child, and given his size, somewhere between 8 and 11. He has pale skin and violet eyes. His hair was light purple down to the middle of his back in length with scraggly bangs framing his face.

Outfits
Hakudōshi's outfit is white with yellow and blue buttons in front.

Abilities
Being a demon gave Hakudōshi many different abilities and powers. What made him unique among Naraku's other detachments was that he shared many of the same abilities as Naraku himself.


 * Barrier: Like Naraku, Hakudōshi had the ability to create a barrier, which was just as powerful as Naraku's himself. The barrier was strong enough to withstand a direct hit from the Kaze no Kizu, one of the most powerful yōki based attacks in the series. He could also adjust the size of his barrier to allow others around him inside it, such as Entei the yōkai horse and later Kagura. His barrier was also immune to the barrier shattering Red Tessaiga. The barrier could be destroyed by beings with great spiritual power (such as Kikyō's purifying arrow was shown to be able to destroy it), and the Kongōsōha, the hardest substance in the world. Naraku could control Hakudōshi's barrier and as such he could disable it should he wish to do so. He did this when he discovered Hakudōshi had betrayed him. It is seen that Naraku is able to return from the netherworld to the real world and teleport to Hakudōshi barrier and regenerates.


 * Reversing Yōki: Hakudōshi could reverse the flow of yōki based attacks that are captured in his barrier. He could use his own yōki to capture the yōki attack and then use his yōki to reverse the flow, which allowed him to redirect the enemy's attack back on him or her. If the attack could break his barrier, then he could not reverse the flow.


 * Shōki: Hakudōshi could produce his own shōki, a poisonous substance. Hakudōshi only used the shōki once in the series, so it is unknown if his was as strong as Naraku's.


 * Regeneration: Hakudōshi was originally part of the Infant; he did not have his own heart, but shared one with the Infant just like Naraku. As a result, he could not be killed by physical attacks. Hakudōshi's body was destroyed many times in the series, but he always regenerated from the damage he took, the time needed to do so varying depending on the nature of the injury. Hakudōshi often used his regeneration to his advantage in battle, such as when he shielded Mōryōmaru from Inuyasha's Kongōsōha, which he knew could destroy his barrier. Hakudōshi rebelled against Naraku openly because he knew that Naraku could not kill him without killing the baby, which would result in his own death as well. Unfortunately, like Naraku, his regeneration could not protect him from being sucked into Miroku's Wind Tunnel, which was what killed him.
 * Mind Reading: Like the Infant, Hakudōshi had the ability to read the minds of others by making physical contact with them. He was shown using this ability in order to catch a glimpse of "the border between this world and the next". It's unknown if he still possessed the mind-control ability that he had before he split from the Infant.
 * Teleportation: Hakudōshi had shown the ability to teleport himself and others. He was able to teleport right behind Kagura and trap her in a barrier and also was able to teleport himself and giant slug demons to the Mayōse tree in an attempt to destroy it. This was an ability that Naraku himself also had and also increased the similarities between himself and Naraku.

Weapons

 * Naginata: Hakudōshi at first had no weapons to speak of until he met Rengokuki and Entei. Rengokuki attacked Hakudōshi and couldn't defeat him, which made Entei choose Hakudōshi as his rider. Hakudōshi killed Rengokuki afterwards and kept Rengokuki's Naginata. In the manga, he stole it from a random pig demon.

Relationships
Naraku: At first, Hakudōshi seems very loyal to Naraku's cause. He, like his creator, loves to manipulate others to his own will, though as Kagura states "he doesn't mind getting his hands dirty." Hakudōshi doesn't set traps quite as much as his creator does, often killing enemies himself instead of entrapping them into killing each other. He, like Naraku, deliberately goes out of his way to cause human suffering when his goals could be accomplished by much easier means, such as when he uses the demon rats to lure Kikyō out, or when he lures Inuyasha to the countryside so Abi's birds can continue feeding on a human village.

Soon after Inuyasha, Kagome & friends gain possession of the Jewel Shard that lies in the border between this world and the next, Hakudōshi creates Mōryōmaru, a shell meant to house the Infant, who is Naraku's heart. Soon, the Infant realizes that Naraku is an empty shell if his heart is not within himself, and that makes the Infant the true Naraku. Of course, Naraku learns of this deceit, and during a battle between Hakudōshi & Inuyasha, he has the Saimyōshō abandon Hakudōshi so he could be killed by Miroku's Kazaana.

Kagura: Hakudōshi looks down on Kagura, thinking of her as a lesser incarnation. Hakudōshi learns very early on of Kagura's intention to betray Naraku, and teases her often, asking where she was when she disappears or what she's thinking about even though he can read her mind. He manipulates her in fatal situations with no regard for her well-being numerous times, such as when he uses her to test Gozu and Mezu. Unlike Kagura, Hakudōshi feels confident in his ability to overthrow Naraku, because he was originally part of the Infant. His dying words are that he is nothing like Kagura, because he isn't under Naraku's control, that he isn't some tool for him to use.

Quotes

 * "Does it hurt Kagura? Probably because Naraku just squeezed your heart... From wherever he is."
 * "Just watch. Enjoy yourself as all these pitiful humans become bird fodder."
 * Inuyasha: "Do you know how many villages were destroyed just so you could lure Kikyo out?!"
 * Hakudōshi: "Oh, please. Is that what you're so upset about?"
 * "She's got a bad habit of doing things on her own, that one. I don't know why Naraku keeps that treacherous witch alive."
 * "I am not like Kagura! I'm not Naraku's tool! I am my own master!"
 * (Final words in the English Dub) "I am not like you, Kagura. I cannot be used up and thrown away like that. I am... I am... his essence!"