Inuyasha

was an inu hanyō, son of the Inu no Taishō and human Izayoi. He was pinned to a sacred tree by a sacred sealing arrow shot by the priestess Kikyō after he attempted to steal the Shikon no Tama. Kagome Higurashi released him from the seal fifty years later, but soon after, she accidentally shattered the Shikon Jewel into hundreds of fragments. They reluctantly agreed to work together as a team to recover all of the fragments that had scattered across Feudal Japan before they fall into the wrong hands.

Early life
Inuyasha was born to a human noblewoman Izayoi, and her dog-demon lover, the Inu no Taishō. His mother was killed by her own former love moments after his birth, though she was soon resurrected by the Inu no Taishō's fang, Tenseiga. The Inu no Taishō had just enough time left to name the newborn Inuyasha and say goodbye before he sent them away. Inuyasha's father perished that night, leaving him with only his mortal mother as he grew up.

His childhood was very lonely, save for his interaction with his mother. Being a hanyō, Inuyasha wasn't accepted by humans or yōkai. Ostracized by all humans except for his mother, he was devastated by her death while he was still young. He was left with only the Robe of the Fire-Rat she had received from his father, as well as a container of make-up, which he later gifted to Kikyō before being sealed to the sacred tree.

Unable to fight back as a child, Inuyasha was often forced into hiding whenever he encountered hostile yōkai. Such situations left him frustrated at being powerless to defend himself until he was older. He developed a hostile and defensive personality due to growing up in such a perilous manner, becoming especially reclusive on the night of the new moon, during which he loses his demon powers and becomes a mere mortal. When he heard of the Shikon no Tama's ability to turn one into a full-fledged yōkai, he went in search of it.

First Love
To acquire the Jewel, he would have to steal it from Kikyō, the miko tasked with purifying and protecting it. After several unsuccessful attempts to even approach Kikyō, Inuyasha began to develop intense romantic feelings for her, and she for him. Their subsequent encounters lead to a close relationship, and the idea of using the Jewel to make Inuyasha a full-fledged human being, so that he could live a normal life with Kikyō, appealed to them both. In addition to their own desires to live a normal life together, Kikyō stated that if the jewel were to be used to turn Inuyasha into a human, the jewel itself would be purified, and thus she would no longer be tasked to guard it.

Another hanyō named Naraku, born from a human criminal that was pitied by Kikyō, had been observing them and hoped to steal the Shikon no Tama for himself. He subsequently tricked Kikyō and Inuyasha into betraying one another. Because of Naraku's schemes, their relationship ended when Inuyasha broke into Kikyō's village and stole the Shikon no Tama, convinced that Kikyō had never planned to turn him human to begin with. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the jewel, Kikyō shot Inuyasha with a sacred arrow and sealed him to the Sacred Tree of Ages with a spell of eternal sleep. Moments afterward, Kikyō collapsed from a fatal wound she had received from Naraku, who was disguised as Inuyasha at the time of attack. Part of her final instructions to her younger sister Kaede was to have the jewel burned along with her body so that demons and evil men could never again use it for evil deeds. She died soon after, and her wishes for the jewel to be burned were fulfilled.

Reawakened
Fifty years later, Kikyō's modern-day reincarnation, fifteen-year old Kagome Higurashi, entered the feudal era through the Bone-Eater's Well, unknowingly bringing the once disappeared Shikon no Tama with her. The jewel's presence awakened nearby demons, but it was the scent of Kagome's blood when she was attacked by a reanimated Mistress Centipede, that roused Inuyasha from his spell. Upon first seeing her, Inuyasha mistakes Kagome for Kikyō, due to their similar appearances, but his sense of smell proved powerful enough to tell the difference. Inuyasha was subsequently freed by Kagome, in order to help fight off Mistress Centipede. After killing Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha attacked Kagome to get the Shikon no Tama for himself, but was thwarted by a now-elderly Kaede. She put her deceased sister's Beads of Subjugation around the hanyō's neck, which allowed Kagome to subdue him simply by saying the word "Sit!"

Being unable to remove the necklace, Inuyasha was effectively rendered powerless in Kagome's presence. Soon after, Kagome accidentally shattered the sacred jewel while shooting at a crow demon that was attempting to escape with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inuyasha reluctantly agreed to team up with her to find and collect all of the fragments.

Quest to find the Sacred Jewel fragments
Inuyasha and Kagome began their journey to collect the shards of the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, their tolerance for one another growing after defeating their first major enemy, Yura of the hair. Afterwards, Inuyasha's half-brother, the full demon Sesshōmaru, came asking the whereabouts of Inu no Taishō's tomb, seeking the treasure that was endowed there. The two brothers' encounter allowed Inuyasha to obtain the Tessaiga, a fang-sword that originally belonged to his father, and the treasure that Sesshōmaru was seeking. After obtaining the sword and temporarily defeating his brother, Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship deepens, and they begin to care for one another. As time passes, they start to gain allies in their quest for the shards, notably Shippō, Miroku, and Sango. Inuyasha also learns of the existence of the nefarious shape-shifting demon known as Naraku, and realizes that Naraku must have set a trap for Kikyō 50 years ago and tricked them both into betraying one another. Upon learning that Naraku is also looking for the shards, Inuyasha vows to destroy him and avenge Kikyō's death.

Personality
Even when his life is in danger, he refuses to back down. Enemies are taken aback by his unorthodox fighting style and he achieves victories greater than his abilities would suggest. Inuyasha is driven by a fierce, persistent determination to win and his guts in battle have proven to work in his favor. However, his volatile emotions often turn into childish behavior and becomes tiresome to his friends. Inuyasha himself cannot control his tumultuous soul. Even if seriously wounded, the moment he detects the presence of those he must protect at all costs he would completely forget the pain. The overflow of his emotions goes beyond his body's limits. This is especially true when Kagome is involved. Inuyasha is incredibly hotheaded and easy to upset, often striking out with his fists toward the source of his annoyance. He was even occasionally seen striking little kids if they bothered him, which is often the case with Shippō. He is impatient by nature and can be very prideful, having much difficulty to admit he was wrong about something.

The fact that Inuyasha loses his demon power on the night of the new moon is kept a secret. It is Inuyasha's policy, having lived through a cruel past, to believe he might be killed if he relaxes or lets his guard down. However, since meeting Kagome and gaining friends who know of his secret, he opened his heart and forged bonds that allow him to entrust his life to others. Even with his friends beside him however, there is a certain anxiety inside of him that never disappeared and they quietly accepted this.

However, despite how cynical and asocial he outwardly behaves, the sides of himself that he reveals in casual moments exposes his good inner nature. He cannot hide his true feelings. Although his friends describe him as "easily deceived and honest to a fault" and "unable to understand the subtleties of the human spirit," his personality is difficult to dislike. Inuyasha is extremely susceptible to spells and trickery, and has a blunt, almost brutal honesty about most things, which is why he often seems to be rude and disrespectful to others. Such as he blatantly told Kagome her food is horrible when she made it all for him to impress. This is mostly due to the fact that, having been ostracized from both human and demonic communities, he had little experience in how to properly react in social situations. Despite his tough and insensitive exterior, he truly cares about his friends who are as good as family to him, for each of them, in their own way, saved him from his loneliness.

He hates those that kill for fun and gladly rescues people in torment. He has realized that all life is equally important. He has a strong distaste for people who ostracize others for just being different, which he likens to his own lonely, miserable childhood.

Power more than fighting tactics, fighting spirit more than wisdom. Inuyasha has fought multitudes of powerful enemies and suppressed them with raw power and instinct. Rather than analyze matters, Inuyasha runs on reckless emotion and - even if seriously injured in battle - he eventually achieved favorable results in the end. Inuyasha's instinct and experience is a product of daily training. When he sees something new, his eyes light up and he tries to interact with it. Inuyasha is dense and rather slow to catch on to something; such as he didn't know Sango's strong romantic feelings for Miroku until way later.

Fifty years ago, Inuyasha met Kikyō and began to develop intensely pure romantic feelings for her. By meeting Kikyō, Inuyasha learned the warmth of the human heart and became romantically attracted to her. Through a conspiracy, however, they were torn apart. When he learned that Kikyō had given her life to follow him in death, he vowed to never let another woman die again. Those feelings increased all the more for the one that looks like Kikyō; Kagome being the modern reincarnation of Kikyō was utterly confusing to him and all he ever saw when he looked at her was Kikyō, however eventually this fades with time. Although scorned by a resurrected Kikyō in the beginning, feelings of romantic affection and remorse resurfaced inside of him. He was guilty of Kikyō's death and offered to die for Kikyō since he was the cause, but Kagome stopped him.

Inuyasha often saw Kagome's tears during their journey. And when tears were shed for him, with their gentle scent bringing relief, he feels that he has found his place as a protector above all else. Contact with Kagome healed the deep loneliness in his soul. In the beginning, Inuyasha didn't think there was anyone in the world who would grieve over his death. He finds a different kind of comfort in Kagome than he found with Kikyō.

Conflicting spirit
At the root of the hanyō Inuyasha there is a conflict between human and yōkai. The fear or anger at his lack of belonging caused darkness to be in his heart. However, through the involvement of Kagome and friends, he was comforted and able to develop a strong and gentle disposition.

Immediately after being released from his fifty-year seal, Inuyasha sought to become a demon and acquire power quickly by using the Shikon Jewel. In the rage of battle, he ceased to have concerns for the lives of others. However, after meeting Kagome and other gentle humans, he came to understand his human half and began to search for true strength of spirit. His intention to become a yōkai wavered with more encounters with evil yōkai. He had no desire to lose his human spirit, and becoming a full yōkai might have led to that. As his bond with Kagome and his other companions deepened, Inuyasha's goal to become a demon faded and he became content remaining a hanyō.

Physical description
Inuyasha has long silver hair, golden eyes, and claws on his fingers. His dog ears feel like "five uncooked Chinese dumpling shells atop one another." His nose, despite appearing normal, is always damp unless he gets a cold, in which case it dries out.

Outfit
Inuyasha's signature red garment is the Robe of the Fire-Rat, which is made of Fire-rat fur. It is a tough armor and has regenerative properties. It also loses some of its power when Inuyasha is mere mortal.

Powers & Abilities

 * Superhuman strength: Inuyasha's yōkai blood gives him intensified physical strength exceeding that of the strongest human. He is able to uproot trees and break through walls and fortress gates, and is even able to punch through solid steel. He could easily lift things larger than himself.


 * Superhuman Speed: Inuyasha's speed has been shown to easily exceed that of a normal horse, but is considerably slower than Entei, the yōkai horse that served as Hakudōshi's steed. He has been observed by many characters as running like he is flying and slowing his falls in mid-air. While not capable of true flight, Inuyasha, having inherited a lesser version of his father's more rudimentary powers, can manipulate his own yōki to an extent when he jumps, allowing him to glide over long distances and slow his falls as he lands. He can "scale the highest cliff."


 * Superhuman Stamina: Inuyasha's stamina likewise far exceeds human standards, possibly derived from the fact that his yōkai blood is that of an Inu Yōkai. He is shown to be able to run and leap vast distances at great speeds and often complains how his comparatively weaker human companions always slow him down by needing to rest so much every day. He is also able to endure a great deal of physical pain, as was once demonstrated in an early battle with Sesshōmaru, when he continued fighting even after being impaled in the stomach. While not a show of durability, it indicates how strong Inuyasha's life force is, as he can continue fighting while ignoring grievous injuries.


 * Superhuman Durability: While not immune to stronger yōkai, holy weapons, spiritual powers, bladed weapons, yōki attacks, or shrapnel, Inuyasha's physique is about as durable as a human with his level of strength. He has shown to be capable of surviving considerable blunt force trauma, able to withstand a direct blow from a solid wooden log that broke on contact, falling several stories into a crevasse in his fight with Ryūkotsusei, and being thrown hard enough to shatter solid rock. His skin is thick enough for him to survive being tangled by Yura's wire-thin hair strands, which are capable of cutting through solid tree trunks. His Fire Rat Robe serves as a sort of armor, granting him resistance against heat and fire. His physiological makeup also grants him resistance to certain acids, as shown when he stood up to his ankles in the Stone Oni's stomach acid and resisted having Sesshōmaru's acid injected into his wrist (albeit with injury; with the latter blinding him by spraying his acid in his eyes).


 * Regeneration: When injured, Inuyasha heals far more rapidly than a human. For example, when Tōtōsai had to yank out one of Inuyasha's fangs to repair the Tessaiga, he mentioned that Inuyasha would grow a replacement canine in one day. Combined with his considerable stamina, he can recover from critical, non-dismembering injuries (such as being stabbed in the chest with a sword and having a hole punched through his gut by Sesshōmaru) with no trace of a scar after several hours.


 * Superhuman Senses and Olfaction: While inferior to those of the Inu no Taishō and Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha's senses are nonetheless developed beyond those of any ordinary human or animal. He is shown to be able to hear what people are whispering from great distances, as was the case when, while perched on a tree, he overheard Akitoki Hōjō hiding in a bush and quietly praising Kagome under his breath. Likewise, his sense of smell is shown to be extremely sensitive - he can smell hints of blood from kilometers away and can detect the presence of people by smell long before they can be seen - but can also be overloaded by strong scents and tastes, as shown in "The Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter" where he was temporarily knocked out by the strong smell of black ink. His sense of smell is also his method of detecting yōki, and thus is used in locating the Kaze no Kizu, the striking point of the Bakuryūha and yōketsu auras, and, once, scenting the path of the outside world to pierce Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha. On the day of the new moon, Inuyasha seems to suffer pre-transformation symptoms such as losing his sense of smell. He has also been able to catch a whiff of Naraku's power from many miles away as soon as he lets down his barrier, with at least as much accuracy as Kōga, despite the later being a full yōkai.


 * Longevity: Because of his mixed heritage and being the son of a once powerful Inu-Daiyōkai; Inuyasha ages slower than normal humans as he is over 200 years old in demon years but appears to be the equivalent of a 15 year old human.

Techniques

 * Sankon Tessō (散魂鉄爪 lit. Soul-Scattering Iron Claws, "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" in the English dub): By channeling his yōki through his claws, Inuyasha can increase his claws' range and strength to cut though objects and demons deeper than logically possible, allowing him to destroy weaker demons many times his size in one hit. Despite being Inuyasha's most rudimentary yōki-powered attack, it is still strong enough to destroy weaker demons even if they are enhanced by the Shikon Jewel, as shown when he easily disposed of Mistress Centipede. Rumiko Takahashi stated in an interview that Inuyasha's full-powered Sankon Tessō is strong enough to cut through an industrial steel support beam. In his yōkai form, his Sankon Tessō becomes crimson-colored and is strong enough to cut through a daiyōkai's skin, as shown when he battled Ryūkotsusei.
 * Hijin Kessō (飛刃血爪 lit. Flying Blade Blood Claws; "Blades of Blood" in the English dub) : A ranged version of the Sankon Tessō. By dipping his claws in his own blood and charging his blood with yōki through his claws, Inuyasha can sling his yōki-infused blood at his enemies in the form of multiple, red shurikan-like crescents. Because it requires his own blood to attack, Inuyasha only uses the Hijin Kessō as a last resort to catch his opponents off guard, or if they are too fast to land a direct attack/employ ranged attacks. While he prefers taking blood from an already open wound, Inuyasha can draw blood by digging his nails into his palms.
 * Time Travel: By jumping down the Bone Eater's Well, Inuyasha can travel back and forth five hundred years to and from the future. In episode four among others, Inuyasha traveled to Kagome's time without the aid of a jewel shard. Others besides Kagome and Inuyasha are unable to travel through the well, as shown when Shippō attempts to go through the well but fails and when Sōta attempts to go down the well to call Inuyasha for help during the attack of the Noh Mask, but is unable to get through either.

Transformations

 * Human Form: Like all hanyō, Inuyasha turns completely human once a month (barring one incident in Mount Hakurei due to unique circumstances); in his case, during the new moon. On the night of the new moon his hair turns black, his eyes turn brown, he loses his yōkai abilities and attributes, his fangs and claws, and can only use Tessaiga in its katana form. Only Inuyasha's friends and a few others know his secret as Inuyasha tries to stay hidden during the new moon.
 * Yōkai Form: If Inuyasha's life is in danger and the Tessaiga is out of Inuyasha Yokai Form.png, his latent yōkai blood overloads his system and drives him into fits of feral rage. When transformed, Inuyasha's sclera turn deep red, his irises become blue slits with white pupils; jagged purple stripes appear on the sides of his face, and his fangs and claws lengthen. In this form, Inuyasha is capable of utilizing his full physical yōkai strength, which was more than enough to destroy Goshinki and Gatenmaru with a single swipe of his claws in both encounters and land shallow cuts on Ryūkotsusei. His yōketsu is also powerful enough to erode Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha after cutting his own yōketsu with the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. However, because yōki is toxic to humans and hanyō alike, Inuyasha's body and mind cannot handle the power he inherited from his father. With every subsequent overload, this form's intelligence diminishes and it becomes easier to trigger and harder for him to revert to normal. Not only his mental state, but Inuyasha's hanyō body is also unable to fully cope with the stress of his full yōkai strength, meaning that if left unchecked, Inuyasha will continue fighting until his body either gives out or is destroyed by another opponent. In one special case however, Inuyasha was able to retain his full psyche when Tessaiga's own demonic energy flowed into him during his final duel with Sesshōmaru.
 * Purified Form: While trapped in the Stone Ogre's belly, Inuyasha used a shard of the Shikon no Tama to strengthen the Tessaiga's power, an effort which backfired when the impure powers of the shard flowed through Tessaiga, causing Inuyasha to transform. Kagome, seeing Inuyasha's predicament, ran to him and her embrace purified the shard, leaving Inuyasha in a purified version of his yōkai form. In this form, he retained the stripes, eye markings, and pronounced fangs and claws of his yōkai form, but his eyes remained unchanged and he retained his self-awareness. His yōki was increased exponentially, allowing him to enhance the Tessaiga's Kongōsōha's barrier-piercing effect with an intensity far superior to previous usage, as well as being able combine the Wind Scar with the Adamant Barrage. After the shard was removed from the Tessaiga, Inuyasha reverted to his hanyō self.

Tessaiga
The Tessaiga is a yōkai sword forged from a fang of the Inu no Taishō by the sword-smith Tōtōsai. In its sealed state the Tessaiga resembles a rusty katana with a nicked and dented blade and torn hilt-wrap. When wielded by a half-yōkai the blade transforms into a five-foot-long fang capable of immense damage.


 * Katana Form
 * The Inu no Taishō placed a protective barrier around the Tessaiga that will burn full-blooded yōkai who attempt to touch it. Though unable to transform it, humans will be protected from harm if they are holding it. In the case of hanyō, the barrier also serves as a means of preventing the hanyō's latent yōkai blood from overwhelming their sanity when in danger, while making up for their suppressed power with the transformed sword's own power.
 * The sheath can deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tessaiga's power. These barriers, though powerful, can only withstand a certain amount of damage before breaking. The sheath also possesses the power to recall the Tessaiga.


 * True Form
 * It has the ability to cut opponents without touching them, surrounding the blade in yōki. Inuyasha forgoes this ability once he learns the Kaze no Kizu.
 * Wind Scar: The Tessaiga's signature attack that can kill one hundred yōkai with a single strike. Originally, Inuyasha activated this technique by finding the rift between the aura of his yōkai opponent and his own. According to Inuyasha Profiles, the Kaze no Kizu has a maximum range of 80 meters. During Inuyasha's battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Kaze no Kizu wrapped itself around the Tessaiga, allowing him to fire it at will by putting his own yōki into the attack. However, repetitive use will drain his energy until he is too weak to fire it.


 * Backlash Wave: the Tessaiga's ultimate technique catches yōkai opponent's yōki-based blasts with the Kaze no Kizu and striking the specific weak point, Inuyasha can reflect the attack back at his opponent with the added power of the Kaze no Kizu.


 * Red Tessaiga
 * This form allows Tessaiga to cut through most holy and yōki-based barriers (including Naraku's original shield). When in use, the Tessaiga's blade glows red.


 * Diamond Tessaiga
 * Adamant Barrage: This technique fires a barrage of diamond shrapnel when Inuyasha swings the Tessaiga. The diamond shrapnel's effect allows it to negate stronger holy and yōki-based barriers that the Red Tessaiga cannot, including Naraku's later barriers. It can also be used in conjunction with the Wind Scar.


 * Dragon Scaled Tessaiga
 * Yōki Absorption: Because yōki is toxic to both humans and hanyō, Inuyasha's half-breed nature limited how much yōki the Tessaiga could absorb at once. As the Tessaiga reached its limits, the blade and hilt would grow hotter as a warning sign to Inuyasha. If Inuyasha tried to push past the Tessaiga's limit, the sword would "regurgitate" the absorbed yōki back at him and causing him critical injury. He got to a point where the sword now purifies the yōki it absorbs, removing its original limits without regurgitating the energy.


 * Black Tessaiga
 * Meidō Zangetsuha: This technique opens up a black portal several meters in diameter that sends anything within its radius directly to the Netherworld itself. However, the portal can be destroyed if the target's energy reserves are sufficiently powerful enough - as shown when Sesshōmaru tried to use it on Inuyasha when the latter was in his yōkai state. It can also be used to enter/exit the Netherworld at will. Inuyasha has also used this ability to enter and exit pocket dimensions (specifically, the Shikon no Tama and the Bone Eater's Well's closed-off time tunnel).
 * Cutting Meidō Zangetsuha: After absorbing the original Meidō Zangetsuha from the Tenseiga, the Tessaiga's variant fires a barrage of black crescent-shaped portals that, after cutting its demonic opponent, traps the severed portion of their body in the underworld, thus the technique keeps the original ability intact while adding the Tessaiga's cutting nature, making for a much stronger technique.

Allies
Because Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyō, she and Kikyō share the same soul. Naraku stated in chapter 546 of the manga that the Shikon no Tama used Kikyō's lingering feelings for Inuyasha to allow her soul to be reborn in Kagome; the jewel subsequently utilized her body to return to the Feudal era. Kagome is responsible for releasing Inuyasha from his 50 year slumber on the sacred tree and is responsible for sealing Naraku's fate. At first glance, Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyō, stating the two smelled and looked similar. They were forced to team up when Kagome accidentally shattered the Shikon no Tama in an attempt to regain its possession. Throughout the course of their journey, Inuyasha and Kagome began to develop romantic feelings for each other and slowly begin to fall in love.
 * Kagome Higurashi

As a result of his feelings towards her, Inuyasha became fiercely protective over Kagome, saying that "the thought of losing two women is unbearable." Inuyasha often competed with Kōga for Kagome's affections, though Kagome never showed any signs of attraction towards Kōga, kindly rejecting his advances towards her. His love for Kagome is quite obvious as his friends immediately recognized his very strong and fierce protectiveness over Kagome. His enemies - including Naraku - have noted this and have used Kagome to gain an advantage over Inuyasha. At several times throughout the series, even when seriously wounded or near death, Inuyasha spontaneously regained physical strength beyond all odds in order to protect Kagome, much to the surprise of his friends. This led them to realize that the strength of his desire to protect Kagome brought on such spontaneous physical strength.

At first, out of pride, Inuyasha vehemently denies that he loves Kagome. Over time, he stops trying to reject his feelings towards her. While they were trapped in the Shikon Jewel together, Inuyasha realized that he and Kagome were born to be with each other. Inuyasha the used Meidō Zangetsuha to and find Kagome, and once he did he came face to face with her, they embraced and shared a long-awaited kiss (note: the kiss occurs in the anime only). After Kagome wished away the Shikon Jewel's existence, the Bone Eater's Well stopped working, forcing Kagome to return to the modern era for three years to complete high school. During this time, Inuyasha lived a lonely life missing Kagome (Shippō stated that Inuyasha visits the well at least every three days) and spending much of his time alone. However, Kagome's strong and overwhelming desire to see Inuyasha again allowed her passage to the Feudal era once more and she and Inuyasha were reunited. Inuyasha and Kagome married immediately after her high school graduation and Kagome moved to the Feudal era to be with him for the rest of her life, vowing to become a priestess. Inuyasha and Kagome proceed to live a happy life together where they are able to adapt to their new, permanent life, happily married to each other in the Feudal era as husband and wife.

Inuyasha met Kikyō 50 years ago when Inuyasha tried to steal the Shikon no Tama from her. She sensed a different aura about him, stating that they were similar because they were both outsiders. Inuyasha was a half-demon with who wasn't accepted by humans nor by demons; Kikyo was a priestess who walked a path of blood and violence, unable to live the life of an ordinary woman. She used this as an excuse for being unable to kill him, even after he tried a second time to steal the Shikon no Tama. Eventually Kikyō and Inuyasha's relationship grew to a point where they were comfortable enough to speak with each other up close. In chapter 47 of the Manga Inuyasha stated that: "once he saw Kikyō's sad and lonely expression, for the first time in his life he felt compassion." After that point, Inuyasha and Kikyō spent most of their time with each other. Together they decided to use the Shikon no Tama to make Inuyasha a full human, granting both of them the lives of normal humans and people. However, a half demon named Naraku, born from the body of a wounded bandit who secretly lusted after Kikyō and coveted her love, tricked them into betraying each other. Kikyō lost her life after she was attacked by Naraku and sealed Inuyasha into a 50-year slumber.
 * Kikyō

Kikyō was later resurrected by Urasue using a small portion of Kagome's soul to animate Kikyō's body and to bring her back to life. She was initially enraged with Inuyasha for what she believed to be a great betrayal, but it was soon realized that neither parties were responsible for the actions that occurred 50 years ago and that they had both had been tricked. Inuyasha soon realized he still loved Kikyō, stating in chapter 76 of the manga that there hasn't been a single day where he's forgotten about her. He later he tried to refrain from seeing her in part due to Kagome's feelings of jealousy whenever he sees Kikyo. Nevertheless, Inuyasha never forgot Kikyō for the entirety of the series, and he became much more serious when Kikyō was involved in something. Even if he faced an issue in which Kikyō seems to be guilty, such as when she gave Naraku a large portion of the Sacred Jewel, he covers for her, expressing his firm trust for her.

Whenever Kikyō was in trouble, Inuyasha instinctively went to save her, saying he's the only one Kikyō has. When Inuyasha found out the connection between Naraku and Onigumo's heart for Kikyō, he expressed both rage and jealousy toward him, promising Kikyō that he'll never let Naraku hurt her. During a conversation with Kaede, he even stated that he'll give up his own life for Kikyō if that's what she really wants. On many occasions, Inuyasha unintentionally hurt Kagome's feeling by ignoring her whenever he ran after Kikyō or by asking her to leave the two of them together for just a moment, causing Kagome to moan in pain and jealousy. Kagome often felt heartbroken because she felt she could not compete with Kikyō for Inuyasha's love.

Before Kikyō died for the final time, Inuyasha shed tears over his inability to save her since she was the first woman he has ever loved. He bid her farewell with a final kiss, stating that he didn't want Kikyō to endure any more sorrow and that he wanted to protect her forever. Even after her death, Inuyasha suffered severely. This is shown bluntly during his confrontation with Kaō in the chapter 473 of the manga. When Kaō read Inuyasha's pain, he described Kikyō as "the woman Inuyasha had loved most in all the world."

Miroku joins Inuyasha's group after Miroku reveals that Naraku is the demon who killed Kikyō and deceived her and tricked Inuyasha into believing they had betrayed the other in order to get the Shikon no Tama. When Miroku had tried to make a move on Kagome, Inuyasha instantly got mad and demanded him to never to lay a hand on her or to make any advances towards her whatsoever. This clearly surprises Kagome and causes Miroku to believe Inuyasha is in love with Kagome, which Inuyasha instantly denies, though Miroku is left unconvinced. Miroku and Inuyasha almost act like brothers and always look out for one another. Although Inuyasha is often annoyed with Miroku's lecherous tendencies towards women and views him as a hopeless fool, he does acknowledge the spiritual power that he possesses. Miroku often gives advice to Inuyasha when it comes to Kagome when she is upset with Inuyasha, and Inuyasha fails to see what's wrong even though it can be blatantly obvious, annoying Miroku.
 * Miroku

Shippō becomes Inuyasha and Kagome's traveling companion after Inuyasha takes down the Thunder Brothers who had killed Shippō's father, making him an orphan. Shippō and Inuyasha argue constantly, but are shown to really care for each other time and again. He often bullies Shippō, such like hitting him in his head all the time, which is often followed by Shippō whining to Kagome and her saying "Sit!" to punish him for bullying Shippō. Quite similar to two brothers often disagreeing and fighting and it is, unsurprisingly, often used as a running gag for comic relief in the series. Kagome later states that they always fight because they're so close to each other.
 * Shippō

Inuyasha treats Sango like a sister. They argue from time to time, but Sango always helps Inuyasha when he's in trouble and she occasionally gives him advice when it comes to Kagome. Inuyasha sympathized with her situation with Kohaku and often tried to give encouragement that he could be saved from Naraku's mind control. He cares about Sango and finds her a good ally on the battlefield, though he was incredibly dense to Sango's feelings for Miroku and often shoots his mouth off about Miroku's flirtatious personality among women without thinking; causing him to receive vicious glares from Sango, greatly confusing Inuyasha. Inuyasha, in reaction to this, usually cowers among these times and thinks to himself, "What's with the glares?"
 * Sango

Myōga acted as an advisor and ward for Inuyasha's father, and since the great dog demon's death, Myōga has done the same for Inuyasha himself. Myōga often provided information for Inuyasha and his friends during their many adventures, specifically information about other yōkai and Inuyasha's father himself. Inuyasha and Myōga had a relatively close and rather familiar relationship; whenever Myōga would arrive on the scene he would greet Inuyasha by sucking a bit of his blood, only to be flattened by the irritated Inuyasha. Myōga had a habit of fleeing the scene whenever the situation got too dangerous, much to the annoyance of Inuyasha and the others; at the same time, Myōga's disappearance often signified great danger.
 * Myōga

Tōtōsai was the swordsmith who forged the Tessaiga from the fang of the Inu no Taishō. Inuyasha would often come to Tōtōsai for assistance whenever he had problems with the Tessaiga, and Tōtōsai would offer his help, albeit begrudgingly. When the two first met, Tōtōsai was very displeased with the way in which Inuyasha wielded the Tessaiga, believing the hanyō to be unworthy of its power. Eventually Inuyasha proved his might to Tōtōsai and he proved to be another great source of knowledge and insight, very much like Myōga.
 * Tōtōsai

Family
Also known as the Great Dog General or Lord of the Western Lands, Inuyasha's father was a great yōkai who was well known and feared, and the original owner of the Tessaiga and the Tenseiga (and the Sō'unga in Movie 3). He entrusted Inuyasha the Tessaiga knowing he'd care for humans and protect them, having human blood in his veins. He also gave him Tessaiga to keep Inuyasha's demon blood in check. During the battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Inu no Taishō was mortally injured and after the battle died from his injuries. In the third movie, while he was still greatly wounded from his battle with Ryūkotsusei, he still managed to save Izayoi and his newborn son, whom he named "Inuyasha," from Takemaru of Setsuna. He died shortly there afterward. Inuyasha never met his father, but he did know of him and respected his power, gaining even more respect for him after he gains his father's phantom sword, the Tessaiga.
 * Inu no Taishō

Izayoi was Inuyasha's human mother. She raised him on her own until she died. It is not known how she died. Inuyasha loved his mother and was very protective over her, often getting angry when someone insults her. Just after giving birth to Inuyasha, she was killed by Takemaru, who fell in love with Izayoi and hated the thought of her being in love with a yōkai. She was later revived by Tenseiga. Izayoi was a very beautiful and young princess. She was very caring and loved her son. The only time she was seen in the series was when Inuyasha asked her what a "half-breed" was. Izayoi was also the only human who didn't reject or bully Inuyasha, thus leaving the two to their own and excluded them from other humans. Inuyasha's mother was very special to him. He loved her very much as she was the only family he had left. When she died, Inuyasha was devastated. He buried her and visited her grave quite often.
 * Izayoi

Sesshōmaru hated his brother because his father left Tessaiga to Inuyasha and only left him the Tenseiga. Not surprisingly, Inuyasha hated Sesshōmaru too because of his cruel treatment towards him. Inuyasha cut off Sesshōmaru's left arm in the early part of the series when Sesshōmaru was trying to find the Tessaiga to increase his own power. Over the course of the series, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha come to care for one another and even help each other on occasion. They have a love/hate relationship, but in the end help each other fight and defeat their common enemy, Naraku. They also help one another in the third Inuyasha movie against the demon sword, Sō'unga.
 * Sesshōmaru

Inuyasha always comes to the modern era to pick up Kagome from her family to bring back to the Feudal era. Kagome's mother considers Inuyasha to be a perfect match for her daughter and views him like a son to her and Sōta obviously idolizes him as a hero to a point that he calls him Inu-niisan ("Dog Brother"). Kagome's mother even offers her consent and support with her going back and forth between the two different periods. She often makes lunches for Inuyasha and others as well as medical supplies for them along replacing Kagome's clothing and shoes whenever when her current ones are damaged during her deadly battles with the Feudal Era. Kagome's mother even gave her blessing for Kagome to leave the present time to live with Inuyasha in the Feudal Era. It is also a similar fact that both Sōta and Inuyasha never met or knew their fathers because Sōta's father was killed in a car accident while Mrs. Higurashi was pregnant with him, and Inuyasha was born right before his father had sacrificed himself for him and his mother.
 * Higurashi family

Enemies
Naraku was the enigmatic demon who was responsible for Kikyō's death and Inuyasha's being sealed to the sacred tree. He was born of the bandit Onigumo. His plan was for Kikyō and Inuyasha to kill one another, for them to bathe in each other's blood, and turn the purity of their love into rancid hatred, thus making the Shikon Jewel even more tainted, dark, and 'beautiful', as Naraku called it. When Inuyasha learns of Naraku's existence and that he was the one who ensnared Kikyō and he in a trap 50 years ago, he vows to destroy him, and avenge Kikyō's death. Throughout the series, his intense hatred for Naraku grows, as the demon becomes more and more evil, using and tricking numerous people for the sole purpose of gaining a complete Shikon Jewel. In the end, Inuyasha is able to defeat Naraku along with the help of his friends and allies, avenging Kikyō and destroying the Shikon Jewel for good.
 * Naraku

Inuyasha and Kōga are known to be rivals towards each other. They're constantly fighting for any reason they can find and whenever Kōga is near, Inuyasha instantly gets infuriated demanding he leave immediately. Though what is known to infuriate Inuyasha the most is when Kōga flirts with Kagome always increasing his anger towards Kōga demanding that he leave her alone and maintain his distance whenever he tries flirting with her. Though despite all their fighting, the two do help each other when the other needs it and eventually become friends. Inuyasha faced the young leader of the Band of Seven more times than the other members and far more seriously. They often banter back and forth, deriding the other's fighting ability. Though in an interesting turn of events, Inuyasha admits that Bankotsu was 100x more decent than Naraku after the former's second death.
 * Kōga
 * Bankotsu

Trivia

 * In the unofficial live action series Holy Pearl, Inuyasha was renamed as Wen Tian who was half-dragon and half-human.
 * He was played by Atsuhiro Sato in a live action stage play.
 * When Inuyasha attacked the Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha was seen spinning while performing the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer. This technique has not appeared again after its initial use.
 * Inuyasha, along with Shippō, Miroku, Tessaiga, and Kagome make a cameo appearance in Ranma 1/2 OVA Episode 13. During one of Akane's nightmares, Inuyasha is seen face down, dead with Shippō's body on top of his and Tessaiga stuck in the floor.
 * In "The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master," Inuyasha reveals that he can still talk in between sits.
 * Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru were parodied by Wataru and Hayate in the series Hayate the Combat Butler. Wataru even imitates Inuyasha's Wind Scar attack. The "Kaze" part of "Kaze no Kizu" was bleeped, most likely to avoid copyright infringement.
 * In some episodes, Inuyasha's toenails are shaped just like a human's, while in others, they are sharpened like his claws.
 * In the two episodes when Inuyasha fights Naraku at Mt. Hakurei, it is seen that Inuyasha calls his Tessaiga to him when it is out of his reach.
 * Coincidentally, both Kappei Yamaguchi and Richard Ian Cox have also voiced Ranma Saotome's male half in Ranma 1/2.
 * In InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, Inuyasha is shown to have been born with a full head of silver hair unlike regular human babies who are born bald or have small tufts of hair on their heads.
 * Occasionally, Inuyasha will perform dog like actions, though mostly for comic relief. Inuyasha will sometimes get down on his hands and knees with his nose to the ground, much like how a real dog does. It usually attracts too much attention, though Inuyasha usually doesn't care because his mind is on other things. He will also sometimes sit down and scratch his ears with his feet. Being a dog yōkai, he does growl from time to time and usually does this when he's angry, annoyed, or frustrated. Also like a real dog, he might shake himself dry or play fetch (much to his annoyance).
 * Inuyasha's favorite food from the modern world is instant noodles, although this can be annoying to Kagome such as in episode 9 and the 1st movie
 * In the Final Act's first ending theme song, the theme shows Inuyasha and Kagome with the attached to their pinky since they were destined to meet. In the Japanese Culture, it is thought to be so by tiding around the little finger/pinky finger.
 * Inuyasha is second character in Rumiko Takahashi's works voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi who played Ranma Saotome in Ranma 1/2 and Rinnie's father Sabato Rokudo in Rin-ne.