Kirinmaru

"Ah, yes... If Tōkotsu served under me, then he must have been quite the formidable warrior indeed. Sesshōmaru's daughters defeating him is quite the accomplishment."

- Kirinmaru

is a Daiyōkai that rules over the eastern lands and the main antagonist of Hanyō no Yashahime. After the death of Tōga, the ruler of the west, as well as his eldest son Sesshōmaru refusing to inherit his title, Lord Kirinmaru plans to distort time and swallow the world into a dark age with the assistance of his most trusted servants, the Shikyō, and their own underlings.

History
The equal of Tōga, the Lord of the Western Lands, as the Lord of the Eastern Lands, Kirinmaru alongside Tōga joined forces to repel the Grim Comet and protect their respective lands and afterward came to a truce, leaving one another to rule their respective lands.

Kirinmaru was informed by Konton and Kyūki that Tōga had been gravely injured from battling Shishinki and Ryūkotsusei and they suggested they use this opportunity to kill Tōga. Kirinmaru was angered by this as it used an underhanded approached that involved no honor, stating unless Tōga was in his prime, defeating him is pointless, which means he refused. He then instructed Riku to gather medicinal herbs for Tōga to heal his injuries.

Upon being awakened by Zero, his older sister to learn Tōga's sons had taken care of the Grim Comet, he was shocked that Sesshōmaru had married a human girl just like Tōga married Izayoi 209 years ago. Zero also told him that Sesshōmaru had sired daughters as Rin had given birth to twin half-demon daughters, then the Shikon no Tama is already gone 7 years ago, (which they didn't know that Naraku is what he wanted) and that Inuyasha had also already married a human woman 4 years ago who had given birth to a quarter-yōkai daughter. With the prophecy that he would be defeated by a being neither human nor yōkai, Kirinmaru was about to kill Inuyasha, but Sesshōmaru showed up and offered help. Kirinmaru accepted, and the two confronted Inuyasha and Kagome. This forced Inuyasha's wife, Kagome Higurashi the reincarnation of Kikyō, to send away their newborn daughter for her own safety with Hachiemon while she and Inuyasha faced the two daiyōkai. Before Kirinmaru could fight the married couple, Sesshōmaru removed the Black Pearl from Inuyasha's right eye and used it to seal him and Kagome into his father's grave at the Border of the Afterlife under the reason that Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha would be needed by Jaken. Lord Kirinmaru accepted this reasoning and left.

The Sacred Tree of Ages itself deems Lord Kirinmaru a grave threat for wishing to warp time itself, which it controls.

Fourteen years later, he is visited by Kyūki, who informs him that one of the Shikyō, Tōkotsu, has been slain and the Red Rainbow Pearl entrusted to him stolen by Moroha. Kirinmaru was apathetic, only praising the strength of Sesshōmaru's daughters as they defeated someone who must have been a mighty warrior, and shows no interest in hunting them down, as Kyūki leaves to take care of them instead.

Even with Kyūki and Tōkotsu having been defeated, Kirinmaru still would not personally act against Sesshōmaru's daughters even as Zero calls him out on this, being more interested in Riku's movements and choosing to entrust matters to him since he is his most trusted retainer.

Kirinmaru was eventually forced to take action, however, when the Half-Demon Princesses had killed Konton and overwhelmed Tōtetsu, forcing the latter to escape and drive them to the sea, intending to have Kirinmaru dispatch them. With his enemies lured into his ship, Kirinmaru went to the mainland and after admonishing the last surviving member of the Four Perils send him on his way and blasted Towa, Setsuna and Moroha off Takechiyo and introduced himself to them. After remaining silent as they ponder on whether to engage him or not and on his connection to the Yume no Kochō, Kirinmaru challenged them to try to kill him and fulfill the prophecy that Hanyō would be the one to destroy him. He quickly proved himself to be much stronger than their combined might as he effortlessly handled their assaults while easily overwhelming them without even using any special technique, simply using his sword and demonic energy, mocking them for their poor effort.

Even as Moroha tapped into the full power of her demonic blood, Kirinmaru swiftly overpowered her as she passed out from exhaustion before proceeding to decisively overpower Setsuna in battle and despite taking a slight injury from Towa soon knocked her down with an energy blast. However, before he could kill them, Sesshōmaru threw Bakusaiga at him before landing down to engage him. Sarcastically commenting on how even Sesshōmaru did care for his daughters, he fought Sesshōmaru to a draw, their clash causing tremendous shockwaves that rose the tide of the oceans and eventually began to affect the weather, releasing thunder claps that knocked out Towa and Setsuna. Deciding to respect Sesshōmaru's wish to keep his daughters safe as they clearly couldn't kill him, Kirinmaru reminded him that they still need to work together before leaving.

Kirinmaru was later seen in the office of his ship as he touches the scar Towa had inflicted on him when Zero entered the room. He admitted it was the half-demon princesses who gave him that wound but stated it was hardly an entertainment for him, calling them pups who have yet to grow their fangs fully, and requested her to not attack the Half-Demon Princesses, wishing to wait for them to grow more and telling her not to get too carried away. However, his sister was not convinced and revealed that not only the quarter demon Moroha but the half-demon sisters powers have also been sealed away when Kirinmaru tried to dismiss it as Moroha was only using the power of the Great Dog Demon to go wild and hadn't mastered it, believing at their full power even Kirinmaru wouldn't be able to get away unscathed, before leaving.

During the night of the same day, Kirinmaru looked up as the Grim Comet approaches while Osamu Kirin also noticed it appearing in the modern era and commented he couldn't let the Comet rampage. He then visited Sesshōmaru's mother and asked if the Windmill of Time had moved yet, learning that it hasn't and she hasn't seen Akuru for several years, commenting Sesshōmaru was also having trouble finding Akuru's pinwheel, while expressing his disapproval that Zero continued to hunt her granddaughters and stating he can't let them go unharmed if they try to attack him once more.

He later on appeared before his sister, Riku, Sesshōmaru, and the Half-Demon Princesses as Zero had been killed by Setsuna but was resurrected and Zero destroyed Tenseiga in a rage. Expressing remorse and regret that Zero destroyed Tenseiga, Kirinmaru offered his apologies and coldly told Zero that she had went too far when she demanded he not interfere. Stopping Sesshōmaru from killing Zero, Kirinmaru tried to make him back off by reminding him he didn't find Akuru's pinwheel but he refused. As Sesshōmaru commented on how pitiful his sister had became, Kirinmaru decided to scatter the Rainbow Pearls through the land to prevent her from regaining her demonic power as punishment for her repeated disobediance of his order to leave the Half-Demon Princesses alone and grow and destruction of Tenseiga. This infuriated Zero to where she disowned Kirinmaru as her brother and left. Before Kirinmaru could pursue her, Riku stabbed him to weaken Kirinmaru so Towa could have a chance to survive before going after Zero and Sesshōmaru also went after her, but not before Kirinmaru asked him about the girls.

With Sesshōmaru telling him to fight them as he wished, Kirinmaru mused on how half-demons were always meant to fight to prove their worth to survive before descending down and throwing away his mask as he revealed that he had been holding back in their previous fight but now that he had been injured, he could not spare such measures. Still proving to be more than a match for them despite his injury and their growth in strength and experience in fighting him before, he effortlessly countered Towa's sword attacks before proceeding to easily deflect Setsuna's attacks. Even as Moroha unleashed her new Crimson Backlash Wave and her spiritual power attack Tenkū no Yabusuma, Kirinmaru still easily overwhelmed the attacks while lecturing them on being unable to properly grow their powers due to relying on the Rainbow Pearls and praising Moroha's spiritual power while mocking how the Rainbow Pearl only weakened it and soon knocked her out and flung her to Kirara.

Proceeding to fight Towa and Setsuna two-on-one, he easily pressured her while commenting on how she was much weaker than when she injured him and easily parried Setsuna's attack with 2 fingers while stating her form may be excellent but her blade is subpar and not sufficient to damage him. Realizing that Towa must see Setsuna in danger to tap into her power, he flung her aside and commented on how she was a good older sister before going after Setsuna. He was stopped mid-way as Towa stabbed him in the same spot Riku stabbed him and as Setsuna charged in, Kirinmaru, further injured, blasted Towa aside and blocked Setsuna's attack but she managed to use her Blood Blade to scratch him close to where Towa had earlier injured him, causing him to critically injure her. As Setsuna seemingly succumbed to her injuries, Kirinmaru lamented the loss of the girl and that Tenseiga had been broken by Zero so she couldn't be brought back to life, before Moroha engaged him with her Beniyasha form.

Initially dismissive, he was soon impressed when he saw her manifest a huge flaming dragon and commented how it was natural as it was where her grandfather died and as such she could unlock her full potential there and even more so when Towa also unlocked her full power and furiously promised to kill Kirinmaru to avenge Setsuna. Challenging them to attack him at once, he blocked Towa's amplified Sōryūha and Moroha's amplified Crimson Dragon Wave and named Towa's attack Twin Azure Dragon Wave as it had two dragon heads and clearly showed she had refined her father's technique while he also praised Moroha's crimson dragon for being able to use it to where he can't force it away from him.

Deciding to take the attack with his barriers head-on, destroying much of the landscape, he was left injured and praised them for their magnificent capabilities and ability to control such massive demonic energy before summoning his sword back. He was even more impressed and entertained when the landscape changed into a galaxy-like field, stating it was the battle he had always wished. After a lengthy struggle, Kirinmaru eventually defeated them and knocked them down and unconscious where as Towa woke up he praised the Half-Demon Princesses for giving him such a battle and lamented how it ended that way and expressed his wish to meet them again while promising to remember Setsuna's name before leaving, injured but alive and victorious.

Personality
Kirinmaru appears as a resolute and detached individual, speaking the bare minimum. He seems to be distant to even his closest followers as he did not remember Tōkotsu, who was one of his four central lieutenants, much less that he even gifted Tōkotsu the red Rainbow Pearl in the first place. Upon learning of his demise, Kirinmaru showed apathy, merely giving some praise to Sesshōmaru's twin daughters, who terminated him as he reasoned that anybody serving under him must have been quite a powerful fighter. He was also apathetic to the deaths of the other Four Perils. Likewise, when Zero woke him up, Kirinmaru treated his sister with a to-the-business attitude.

When he and Sesshōmaru joined forces to kill Inuyasha and Moroha, he immediately engaged them while responding to Kagome's defiant refusal to hand Moroha over to him with a cold rebuttal. He also could show an authoritarian side, remaining unmoved by Zero's wishes to kill Sesshōmaru's twin daughters. Despite the Tree of Ages stating that Kirinmaru was power-hungry by wishing to warp time itself to his will, it was noted by Myōga that Kirinmaru was content in only ruling the Eastern Lands, which was supported by the fact that he left Tōga to govern the Western Lands in peace for years, with him expressing shock that Kirinmaru would be trying to rule the Western Lands and desires to warp time to his will and stating that he isn't the type to go this far. However, he does have a dark sense of humor as he chuckled at Jaken's claim that Inuyasha and Kagome would be paying their respects to his rival's tomb and sarcastically commented Sesshōmaru when he saved Towa and Setsuna from him that even someone like him still cares for his children.

In battle, Kirinmaru is shown to be capable of being mocking and condescending while remaining focused and composed, remarking on the lack of strength showed by his foes and criticizing their flaws, as shown when he mocked Towa, Setsuna and Moroha for their lack of skill and technique. He seems to hold spirit, skill, mind and heart as important aspects in battle, repeatedly mocking the Half-Demon Princesses for showing a lack of those. At the same time, he was capable of enjoying a good fight and admitting it, as shown by how he showed sincere respect towards Towa and Moroha for their efforts in forcing him to fight seriously to keep up and later on commenting he had long since wanted to engage in such a fierce battle.

According to Riku, Kirinmaru hates humans and half-demons. Still, it's unclear to what extent he really resents them: Though Zero indicated he shared Sesshōmaru's initial views of such creatures, with Kirinmaru expressing shock that his rival's older son would marry a human, and he did scoff at Kagome's defiance and vow to stop him from killing Moroha, when he was first woken up, he acknowledged Inuyasha as having the strength to alongside his half-brother destroy the Grim Comet and showed no inclination to slay him until he learned Kagome had given birth to a quarter demon daughter and even then when he and Kagome were instead sealed into the Black Pearl, Kirinmaru accepted it when Jaken reasoned that Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha would be needed in the future with no protest at all.

Likewise, he proved disinterested in going after Towa and Setsuna and freely acknowledged that he expected them to be powerful due to having such a mighty demon as their father. Even when Zero had specifically demanded Kirinmaru kill them, he still chose not to act personally just for that. He only decided to fight them when they were about to reach his ship and despite showing his belief that half-demons should not exist and repeatedly mocking them, he freely admitted that Towa truly was his rival's granddaughter after she managed to land a blow on him. Towa, Moroha and Setsuna would later successfully earn his full respect in his second fight with them to where he promised to carve Setsuna's name into his heart and repeatedly praised the two sisters for unleashing and controlling their full power and giving him such a good fight. Overall, while Kirinmaru seems to consider himself superior and has a disdain towards them, it doesn't seem to prevent him from acknowledging half-demons when they prove formidable.

For all his self-importance and justified belief on his own might, Kirinmaru is also an honorable fighter who firmly believes in proving oneself in combat through rightful means. He refused to take advantage of Tōga's weakened state to have him killed and take Japan for himself, even chastising Kyūki and Konton for ever so much as suggest it, and even ordered Riku to aid on Tōga's healing, as he thinks an underhanded victory would never leave one truly satisfied. Even Zero believes he is a bit too uncomprimising which causes problems for their crew.

He could also show sincere respect and reason towards those who had earned it, as shown by how he treated Sesshōmaru's mother with the formal title of your ladyship even when she no longer ruled the Western Land and showed respect towards Sesshomaru despite his failure of finding Akuru's pinwheel and apparent desire to take care of his daughters, going as far as to bow to him and sincerely apologize for Zero breaking Tenseiga and agree to prevent Zero from unleashing her wrath upon his daughters. Likewise, he seemed to genuinely regret killing Setsuna and even lamented she couldn't be resurrected as the Tenseiga was broken. When he had defeated Towa and Moroha, instead of killing them, he instead patiently waited and watched over them until Towa woke and sincerely praised her for the good fight and expressed hope to meet her again in the future and he even showed the deceased Setsuna genuine respect by promising to remember her always.

Physical Description
Kirinmaru appears as a young man with a violet suit of armor, a red belt across his waist, and a golden plate on his left shoulder. He wears lavender clothes underneath, darkened reddish pants, and black battle boots, with golden adornments.

He wears a pair of armored gauntlets decorated with the same adornments as his boots and a white dog-shaped mask with several markings leaving only his left green eye visible along with the blue marks on his cheek. The mask concealed his right eye for an unknown reason, however it is seen that the right side of his face seems to be filled with dragon scales. He has pointed ears which are hidden due to his mask and bulbous, long, red hair. Expectedly from a bestial Daiyōkai, he has sharpened nails of a greyish-purple coloration. He eventually gets a minor scar on his left cheek after his encounter with Towa.

On his true demonic form, Kirinmaru's face becomes more monstruous with two horns emerging from his forehead (the left one being shorter), longer fangs and more feral eyes with purple marks on his eyelids and longer more messier darker eyebrows. His left arms drastically changes into a draconian green with several spiked protrusion.

Powers & Abilities

 * Immense Demonic Power: Kirinmaru is said to rival Tōga in terms of strength. He was confident he could kill Inuyasha, an extremely powerful half-demon who had defeated other powerful Daiyōkai, and Sesshōmaru even went as far as to banish Inuyasha and Kagome into the Border of the Afterlife rather than allow Kirinmaru to fight them, suggesting he believed Kirinmaru could indeed kill both Inuyasha and Kagome despite their own incredible powers. He was able to easily overwhelm Towa Higurashi, Setsuna and Moroha, all three of them holding incredible demonic powers, even when Moroha was using the full extent of her demonic power which rivaled Inuyasha's base strength, and fight Sesshōmaru to a stalemate, the clash of their powers being such that it caused massive shockwaves and even shifted the weather, causing storm clouds and thunder strikes, with him even stating that he had been holding back against the Half-Demon Princesses in their first fight. Even after being injured by Riku, Kirinmaru was still more than powerful enough to maintain the upper hand over them in their second fight, going as far as to kill Setsuna and ultimately defeat Towa and Moroha accessing their full powers simultaneously, although not without serious effort and considerable injuries. He has displayed excellent control over his demonic energy, capable of manifesting it in various ways and varying intensity.
 * Demonic Telekinesis: Kirinmaru displayed the ability to use his demonic energy for precise purposes such as manipulating objects, as shown by how he levitated and then scattered the Rainbow Pearls across the land by surrounding it with demonic energy with a clench of his fist before waving it wildly, and he could remove a sword impaled on his person by Riku with no gestures and control it to land on his hand and later on summoned his sword back with a meager hand wave.
 * Demonic Energy Blasts: Kirinmaru is shown to be capable of releasing powerful energy blasts from his bare hands that were strong enough to easily pressure Setsuna's defenses and even cancel Towa's ability to absorb demonic energy. He could also channel demonic energy into his sword without any special technique to release powerful slashes of energy easily able to batter Setsuna and Moroha, even forcing her back to her human form when she was using her full demonic power. He was even able to cut through Setsuna's weapon and critically injure her with a single demonic-energy enhanced slash, even more impressive considering how he was using a normal sword instead his own demonic sword.
 * Demonic Energy Barriers: Kirinmaru could create powerful circular barriers, even when using a normal sword, able to easily negate Moroha's Tenkū no Yabusuma and he also displayed a reflective variant that could reflect her Crimson Dragon Backlash Wave. He could manifest such barriers swiftly, as he was able to create one quick enough to block Setsuna's attack moments after knocking aside Towa. Upon tapping into his full power, he displayed the ability to create from his bare hands powerful demonic shields that were able to stop Towa's Twin Azure Dragon Wave and Moroha's Crimson Dragon Wave and also seemingly use it to lessen the damage when he couldn't dissipate it as well manifest from his sword a large barrier strong enough to eventually repel the slash of Moroha's giant fiery dragon projection.
 * Aerokinesis: Kirinmaru is capable of manifesting his demonic energy in the form of powerful waves of wind-like demonic energy without even having to move his hands at all, which he can control the intensity of, ranging from simply intimidating the Half-Demon Princesses and Kyuki and Konton while also opening the door behind them to easily dispersing Tōtetsu's demonic smoke and knock him down as well as shoot down Takechiyo and repeatedly easily ground the Half-Demon Princesses. He could also release a powerful tornado of wind that were able to easily launch Moroha off the ground and to a considerable distance and knock her out.
 * Levitation: Kirinmaru is capable of levitating himself off the ground and remaining suspended as well as flying through the air at incredible speeds with ease.
 * Master Swordsman: Kirinmaru proved to be an incredibly skilled swordsman, casually fighting off the assault of Moroha, even when she was using the full power of her demonic heritage to execute powerful melee blows, and easily overwhelming Setsuna and Moroha using their weapons, going as far as to mock them for their inferior combat skill, as well as going toe-to-toe with Sesshōmaru in a sword fight. He even displayed the ability to use a normal sword with great skill, able to effortlessly defend himself from Towa, despite having been injured by Riku before, and he was able to use his own sword to still outfight Towa with ease.
 * Immense Strength: Kirinmaru possessed an enormous amount of physical strength, being able to easily counter Moroha's Sankon Tessō even while only using his armored hand with enough force to toss her aside, and casually block Towa's sword attacks and even easily bruise her with a simple light blow from his sword. He could also clash equally with Sesshōmaru with such force that their sword fight released shockwaves that rose the tide of the ocean and left considerable pressure on Towa, Setsuna and Jaken and even shattered the ground with a single blow from his sword. Even in a weakened state, he remained able to effortlessly block attacks from Towa with one hand and was still able to easily overwhelm Towa in a sword lock without really trying to overpower her and even go as far as to comfortably maintain the struggle with one hand while using only two fingers of the other hand to stop Setsuna's Kanemitsu No Tomoe and knock her aside simply by flicking those fingers before tossing Towa aside even as she tried to intensify her demonic power. He even managed to slice through Setsuna's weapon and fatally injure her.
 * Immense Speed: Kirinmaru showed vast levels of superhuman speed, being able to move fast enough to form afterimages while easily reacting to and outpacing the attacks of Towa, Setsuna and Moroha and even go toe-to-toe with Sesshōmaru, also an extremely fast individual.
 * Immense Stamina: He possesses tremendous levels of superhuman stamina to exert himself at full capacity for prolonged periods of time with little strain, being totally unfazed from his fight with Towa, Setsuna and Moroha and then Sesshomaru and even remaining fully conscious and able to leave his second fight with them even after fighting Towa and Moroha at their full power despite suffering remarkable injuries whereas they were left unconscious and struggled to walk afterwards.
 * Immense Durability and Endurance: Kirinmaru displayed massive levels of superhuman endurance and durability, as he showed little pain and only suffered a slight scratch from Towa's full-strength sword slash to his face. He was even able to survive being stabbed in the side by Riku with only minimum pain, going as far as to casually walk down the stairs with it still embedded in his body while able to talk normally, and still retain more than enough power to effectively fight, even being able to take having it worsened by Towa stabbing him in the same place without much pain, going as far as to be able to still talk and even blast her aside even when she had intensified her attack and took an attack from Setsuna's Blood Blade that broke through his barrier with only a scratch. He was even able to astonishingly take Towa's Twin Azure Dragon Wave and Moroha's amplified Crimson Dragon Wave and survive and still continue to fight until he eventually overwhelmed his opponent.
 * Spellcasting: By his own accord, Kirinmaru is able to use spells, although he has not been seen using any.
 * Natural Leadership: He has great power and authority over dozens of demons from the mainland but especially his top minions, the Four Perils.
 * Shapeshifting: It appears that Kirinmaru can change his appearance to resemble a human's, like Tōga, Sesshōmaru, and Sesshōmaru's mother. He also seems to be able to partially transform into his demonic form, manifesting horns in his foreheads and transforming his right hand into a green spiky arm.
 * Longevity: Like many Yōkai, Kirinmaru is capable of living for many centuries and remains unchanged even after the birth of Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha.

Equipment

 * Sword: Kirinmaru owned an unnamed sword with a golden hilt. It is powerful enough to clash evenly with Sesshōmaru's Bakusaiga and durable enough to easily block Moroha's Kōryūha and Hijin Kessō.
 * Blasting Barrage: Kirinmaru slashes his sword and releases a large slash of energy that fires multiple powerful energy projectiles capable of destroying the Grim Comet and easily overpowering Moroha's Crimson Dragon Backlash Wave even when using a normal weapon.
 * Unknown Black Hole Technique: Kirinmaru fires from his sword a powerful black hole that was strong enough to plow through Towa's gigantic demonic dog projection and overwhelm her ability to absorb demonic energy to where she passed out.

Relationships

 * Zero

Zero is his older sister and also the one that warned him about the prophecy of his downfall, showing great loyalty to him. Kirinmaru clearly trusts her as well, taking the news that she brought over his rival's sons giving birth to more Hanyō seriously and deciding to kill Inuyasha when she heeds him to act. Still, he doesn't seem to be emotionally close to her, referring to her with a formal attitude. Likewise, he shows no inclination to follow her desires, as he would not act against Towa and Setsuna even when she outright demanded him to kill the half-demons. He does refer to her with the formal term あねうえ (Aneue) but shows that he is more than willing to defy her wishes, as he was furious when she broke Tenseiga and as she insisted on killing the Half-Demon Princesses, he lost all tolerance and decided to punish her by scattering the Rainbow Pearls through the land to prevent her from regaining her demonic power. Still, he did refer to her respectfully even when Zero furiously declared Kirinmaru was no longer her brother for doing so.

The former Lord of the Western Lands and an old-rival of Kirinmaru, the two worked together to deal with the Grim Comet when it first landed and made a truce with one another, leaving the other to rule their respective lands peacefully. Before Tōga's death, Kirinmaru clearly respected his rival and they appeared to have a friendly relationship, to where Kirinmaru could casually sleep with him around and he was offended when Kyūki and Konton asked him to kill the Great Dog of the West in his weakened state and stated he would only challenge him when he was at his full power and even ordered Riku to find and give the most potent herbs to help him recover. Even after his death, Kirinmaru retained considerable respect for him, as he was confident that both his sons, even including his half-demon son, would be enough to destroy the Grim Comet. He seemed amused when Jaken commented that Inuyasha and Kagome would be trapped in Tōga's tomb and "pay respects" to his grave and decided to leave it be. He even admitted when the half-demon Towa managed to injure him lightly that he expected no less from his rival's granddaughter. He also was enraged when Zero broke Tenseiga, despite it being a healing sword, simply because Tenseiga was made of Tōga's fang, and punished Zero for such a deed by scattering the Rainbow Pearls through the land, which also ensured Tōga's granddaughters would remain safe from her wrath. He showed the full extent of his respect for his rival's power when he commented how his granddaughters were able to use the place where he died to gain their full power and give him such a fierce fight, stating that he had never been able to go all out ever since their last fight.
 * Tōga

Kirinmaru seems to hold Kyūki in a higher standard than most of his subordinates, as he remembers her name and trusts her with handling Sesshōmaru's daughters after they had killed Tōkotsu even Inuyasha's daughter killed his son Jakotsumaru. He is unaware that Kyūki wanted to overthrow him, and even when she was dead, Kirinmaru showed detached feelings.
 * Kyūki

Kirinmaru refers to Riku as his most trusted retainer, expressing confidence he could defeat Towa and Setsuna. Interestingly enough, even though Riku serves Kirinmaru, he hates the Four Perils that work under him.
 * Riku

Kirinmaru seemed to hold Tōkotsu in little regard as he didn't remember his name until Kyūki reminded him that he has bestowed the Red Rainbow Pearl to him.
 * Tōkotsu

Enemies
Inuyasha is his old rival's half-demon youngest son. Although Riku claimed that Lord Kirinmaru would naturally despise him as he is a half-demon, it appears that Kirinmaru doesn't actually have much of a grudge towards him: When he was woken up by his older half sister, Kirinmaru openly acknowledged Inuyasha's worth as Tōga's son and that his strength along with his brother would have sufficed to destroy the Grim Comet, showing an initial lack of inclination to kill Inuyasha. Only opting to exterminate Inuyasha when he learned Inuyasha had married Kagome and gave birth to Moroha, even when Sesshōmaru instead sealed them away to the Border of the Afterlife, Kirinmaru showed no eagerness to kill Inuyasha and accepted when Jaken noted Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha will be needed, showing Kirinmaru doesn't really have any personal spite towards Inuyasha or at least not enough to actively wish for his death until he was pushed into doing so.
 * Inuyasha

Being that Kagome the reincarnation of Kikyō as Inuyasha's wife, had married Inuyasha and gave birth to a quarter demon girl, Kirinmaru wanted to kill her and her husband. Still, like with Inuyasha, he showed no personal enmity towards her and calmly accepted Sesshōmaru's decision to instead trap them in Tōga's tomb. However, as he attempted to attack her, he did scoff at her statement that Kirinmaru won't be able to get through her and Inuyasha to kill Moroha, calling her a mere human.
 * Kagome Higurashi

Being Sesshōmaru is his rival's first and pure demon son and the viable heir to the title of the Lord of the Western Lands, Kirinmaru seems to acknowledge and respect him. Zero noted that Kirinmaru was very well aware that Sesshōmaru hated humans and Hanyōs. He would be shocked to hear that he had married and sired two half-demon daughters, which was confirmed by the shock Kirinmaru showed upon learning it. Despite this, Kirinmaru still showed respect towards Sesshōmaru, being willing to let him kill Inuyasha and even accept his decision to seal him and Kagome away instead. Indeed, he even acknowledged that despite being half-demons, he had expected Sesshōmaru's daughters to be very powerful and was not surprised when he learned they had managed to kill one of his Shikyō. He seemed to be more amused than annoyed when Sesshōmaru came to save his daughters and as they fought to a stalemate, Kirinmaru decided to respect Sesshōmaru's willingness to protect his daughters and told him they would continue to work together before leaving. Despite Sesshōmaru acting out of character by prioritizing his daughters and not being fully focused on finding Akuryu's pinwheel, he still treated him with respect and even bowed to show his regret that Tenseiga was broken by Zero. He also tried to reason with him when he tried to kill Zero by reminding him of his failure in a respectful manner instead of mockery and decided to heed his desire to keep his daughters save from Zero by scattering the Rainbow Pearls through the land. He even asked him what to do with his daughters and Moroha.
 * Sesshōmaru

They probably had never met before, but Kirinmaru was shocked when he learned that Rin had become Sesshōmaru's wife just like his old rival Tōga married Izayoi, and that she gave birth to twin hanyō daughters. It remains unknown if he has anything to do with Rin's current slumber. Still, it appears that he isn't after her daughters herself, showing disinterest in doing so even after they had killed one of his foremost generals, with the separation of the twins being ordered seemingly solely by Zero with no order from Kirinmaru, making it seemingly unlikely that he has anything to do with her current condition. Indeed, although he was aware of Zero's link to Rin, Kirinmaru seemed to have literately no interest in it.
 * Rin

Although Kirinmaru showed shock that Sesshōmaru's daughters were half-demon, unlike Zero, he showed no inclination to kill them, even when he was willing to act to kill Inuyasha and Moroha, likely as he seemed to have genuine respect for Sesshōmaru. Even though Zero ordered Homura to burn down the forest they were in, it appeared that it was out of Zero's own volition. Kirinmaru had nothing to do with it, as he showed disinterest in hunting down Towa and Setsuna when they had killed not only Tōtetsu but even Kyūki as well and would not oblige to Zero's demands to kill them himself, even showing them some respect by admitting he had expected them to be powerful considering the immense power their father had.
 * Towa and Setsuna

He only finally decided to kill the half-demon twins and their cousin once Konton was killed and Tōtetsu escaped to his ship. While fighting them, he effortlessly overwhelmed them while criticizing them for their lack of skill, easily nullifying even Towa's ability to absorb demonic energy and sense his demonic energy and flaunting the fact he wasn't even using any technique to handle them before proceeding to swiftly batter Setsuna to submission with a casual sword technique. However, he acknowledged Towa's demonic abilities when she managed to actually land a single blow on him, stating he expected that from Tōga's granddaughter and Sesshōmaru's daughter. When Sesshōmaru appeared to save them, Kirinmaru showed a lack of desire to kill the half-demon twins as they proved to be quite powerless before him and decided to stop fighting and leave.

He refers to them as pups who have yet to grow their fangs and stated that he cannot allow them to leave unharmed if they challenged him but seemed disapproving of Zero's relentless desire to kill them and he even allowed them to remain safe from his sister's wrath by scattering the Rainbow Pearls through the land. During his final battle with the two, Kirinmaru was finally impressed by their skills as they gave him a harder time and referring to them by their names, showed more respect towards Setsuna as he fought her and her sister after knocking out Moroha, admitting her skills were remarkable but her weapon was too weak, and retained his interest in Towa, wondering why she couldn't fight him like before. He was willing to attack Setsuna to bring out Towa's full potential but when he accidentally killed her, he appeared to regret her death, lamenting it couldn't be undone as Tenseiga was destroyed. He was visibly impressed when Towa unveiled her full power and hatefully vowed to avenge Setsuna's death and even more so when she created the Twin Azure Dragon Wave, naming the attack and commenting her for perfecting her father's technique. After finally defeating her, he not only decided to spare Towa but also patiently waited for her to wake up and respectfully admitted she and Moroha had given him a fierce battle that he thought he would never experience again since his battle with the Great Dog Demon and expressed regret he had to end the fight prematurely and looked forward to their next meeting. He even showed sincere respect and condolences to Setsuna by promising to never forget her and carve her name into his heart.

As a quarter demon, Kirinmaru considered her a threat to him and attempted to slay her, but was unable to when Inuyasha and Kagome sent her to safety. In the present, he seems to have abandoned his interest in killing her, as she did not yet know of his existence, whereas she knew of her grandfather's, indicating that he probably made no further attempt on her life.
 * Moroha

He only finally decided to kill her and her half-demon cousins once they kill Konton and force Tōtetsu to escape to his ship. Kirinmaru easily overpowered Moroha while mocking her for her lack of skill and casually shrugged off her Kōryūha and even remained fully dominant as Moroha tapped into the full extent of her demonic blood, easily forcing her back to her normal form and battering her to exhaustion with a single attack after completely blocking her Hijin Kessō while mocking her for not being conditioned to remain in that form for long, although he did praise her somewhat increase in strength she acquired when applying the blood of her paternal grandfather to her lips, showing her minor respect for her being the mighty Tōga's granddaughter. He seemed to scorn her for being unable to master her grandfather's power, stating she was only going berserk under it's influence.

However, in their final battle, Moroha finally gained Kirinmaru's respect when she revealed her ability to use spiritual power and even more so when she achieved full mastery over the power of her blood and perfected her Crimson Dragon Wave, outright praising her for being able to use it to where even he cannot fully block it and acknowledging her as worthy of being called the Beniyasha.

Five Hundred and Fourteen Years Ago

 * "Blasting Barrage!"

Two Hundred and Twenty Three Years Ago

 * "Fools! If I am to challenge him to battle, it cannot be when he is wounded and weak. A battle must be won with honor is that too much for you fools to understand?"
 * "Riku! Riku, are you here?"
 * "Gather the finest medical herbs you can find and go deliver to him. Hurry!"
 * "Battle is meaningless unless you poor your all into it. Winning with underhanded tactics will only leave you empty."

Fourteen Years Ago

 * "Why have you awakened me? The Great Dog Demon's sons have surely dealt with the Grim Comet's fragment by now."
 * "He did what?"
 * "That was my intention, yes."
 * "Very well. Sesshōmaru, come with me."
 * "Quit your squawking, Human."
 * "Why did you helped them?"
 * "I will allow it."

Present Day

 * "Sesshōmaru's daughters, you say."
 * "Remind me, Kyūki. Who is this Tōkotsu again?"
 * "Ah, yes. If Tōkotsu served under me, then he must have been quite the formidable warrior indeed. Sesshōmaru's daughters defeating him is quite the accomplishment."
 * "It doesn't suit my taste."
 * "Riku is making his move. He is my most trusted retainer."
 * "Was I?"
 * "Fool. Do you intend to invite unnecessary guests to my ship?"
 * "Be gone."
 * "I am Kirinmaru."
 * "Listen, Half-Demons. You want my head? Then go ahead and try."
 * "Destroy me, and the Dream Butterfly will vanish."
 * "Half-Demons. There exists a prophecy that a half-demon shall be the one to kill me. I must find out whether this is true or else my conscience will not be at ease. Regardless, you half-demons should not be allowed to exist in this world at all."
 * "Not even a skill or spell to behold. "
 * "I see. You can absorb demonic energy."
 * "However, you are lacking in strength."
 * "My demonic energy cannot be sensed by the likes of you. Heart, skill, strength all so lacking. Was the prophecy false? Or perhaps you are not the half-demons destined to take my life?"
 * "Of course the Heavens and Earth resound when we clash."
 * "You have gotten a bit stronger."
 * "But your skills still cannot catch up. You cannot even maintain that form."
 * "I still have not used any skills or spells. But here, have a glimpse."
 * "Disappointing."
 * "As expected of his granddaughter. Sesshōmaru's daughter."
 * "However...I tire of you."
 * "Sesshōmaru, so you have compassion as a father, after all."
 * "Have you come to stop me out of concern for your daughters' lives?"
 * "Of course the Heavens and Earth would resound whenever we cross each other. It seems your daughters' are not sufficient enough to threaten my life. However, I will have you work for what I desire you to do."

Trivia

 * The Shikon Jewel prophesied that half-demons would be Kirinmaru's downfall. Hence why he desired Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha's deaths along with Inuyasha. However, this may have lead to a "self-fulfilling prophecy" where Kirinmaru may have started the chain of events that leads to his doom, very similar to the Empress Dowager of China from The Twins of Destiny, and Lord Voldemort from the hit Harry Potter novels. All desired the destruction of their enemy as infants but were ultimately felled or destroyed by them as preteens or teenagers.
 * Kirinmaru's Japanese voice actor (Yoshimasa Hosoya) and English voice actor (Crispin Freeman) both voiced Osamu Kirin.
 * Kirinmaru is the first opponent to defeat all three Half-Demon Princesses with ease
 * During his first battle with the three Half-Demon Princesses, he criticizes them for lacking mastery of their hearts or minds, skills or techniques and bodies (心, 技, 體) the three most important aspects of martial arts, implying he himself has fully mastered these aspects.
 * While he is considered as possibly the main antagonist Kirinmaru's personality, actions and skills heavily contrasts with that of previous antagonist Naraku:
 * Kirinmaru is a full-demon while Naraku was a half-demon.
 * Naraku saw himself as superior to all beings, human and demon alike and especially despised half demons while Kirinmaru is at best apathetic to most beings and supposedly hates humans and half demons but still gives praise to those who gain his respect which even includes humans and half demons like Inuyasha, Towa, Setsuna and Moroha.
 * Naraku was cowardly and preferred to trick and manipulate others to fight his battles for him whereas Kirinmaru would openly face his opponents in open combat.
 * Whereas Naraku would enjoy seeing people suffer Kirinmaru seems to prefer granting swift and quick deaths to his enemies.
 * Naraku would often take advantage when his enemies were weakened but Kirinmaru is insulted by the idea, preferring his enemies be at their best when he fights them as seen when he orders Riku to take medicinal herbs to his arch-rival the Great Dog Demon.
 * Whereas Naraku sought the Shikon Jewel and its power for himself Kirinmaru gave the Rainbow Pearls he had to his lieutenants and seemingly has no desire to retrieve the ones that were taken or the ones in possession of Towa, Setsuna and Moroha.
 * Naraku would often bring the fight to Inuyasha and his friends in form or another through allies, people he had tricked or his incarnations but Kirinmaru only acted when provoked such as when he was told the prophecy of his death or when the Half-Demon Princesses were close to his ship. His lieutenants often battled against the Half-Demon Princesses on their own, not under orders to kill them by their master.
 * Those under Naraku’s command were often incarnations whose hearts he removed and threatened with death to ensure their obedience the demons under Kirinmaru’s command are completely loyal to him with the exception of Kyūki. While Naraku never cared about the lives of his incarnations Kirinmaru at least acknowledges that anyone who serves under him must be a powerful warrior.
 * Naraku would seldom resort to physical combat, relying on his barrier to protect him and his miasma to kill his foes Kirinmaru not only fights directly in combat but even enjoys it against worthy foes.
 * While Naraku would flee from battle if the tables were turned Kirinmaru would stand and fight but would stand down if he gained nothing from victory such as when he decided to let Sesshōmaru's daughters live after seeing they were no threat to him and because of his respect for Sesshōmaru.