Kikyō

"...To live is to die. To die is to live. My name is Kikyō. I am a priestess who is unable to leave this world and reach the sacred place. No, that is not entirely the truth. Once I was a priestess. Now I am but a corpse with a cursed, false existence. No matter how much I desire to do good and help others, the truth is I live off the souls of the dead. Pure is Impure. Impure is pure. Good is evil. Evil is Good. Or is it?"

- Kikyō

was a miko during the Sengoku jidai and, at one time, Inuyasha's romantic love interest, sweetheart, girlfriend and long-time lover. She was entrusted by the yōkai taijiya to guard and purify the mighty Shikon no Tama. Along with her younger sister, Kaede, Kikyō dedicated her life to protect the jewel, slaying many demons in the process and thus could not live a normal life like other girls. It was not long until she met the hanyō Inuyasha, who also desired the jewel to become a full-fledged yōkai. Somehow, she falls strongly in love with him and desires to live a normal life with him. However, fate turns cruel against her when another hanyō Naraku tricks them both into betraying each other. When she is led to believe that Inuyasha wanted nothing but the jewel, she seals him to the Goshinboku and dies a painful, untimely death. Before dying, she asks her younger sister, Kaede, to burn the jewel along with her body so that it would not fall into the hands of evil.

Fifty years after the incident, she is resurrected by an ogress called Urasue, using her grave soil and Kagome, her look-alike reincarnation's spirit to do so. When Kagome called the portion of the spirit back to her, she starts to rely on the souls of the dead, collected by her faithful shinidamachū, to sustain her life and presence in the world of the living. Though she was initially cold-hearted and harbored deep hatred towards Inuyasha, her hostility gradually melted, and she still loved Inuyasha even when her main goal in her new life was to kill Naraku in order to reclaim the Shikon jewel from him. In the end however, Naraku's darkness proves too powerful and overcomes Kikyō's spiritual energy and power, completely corrupting the jewel. He strikes her down with one of his tentacles, wounding her fatally. After sharing one last romantic and loving kiss together with Inuyasha, her spirit finally finds peace and her body disappears into a bright cluster of souls and light. The shinidamachū then carried Kikyō's soul into the star-filled sky.

History
During their youth, Kikyo and her younger sister Kaede (whose parents died when they were younger) traveled through villages as a part of their training to become priestesses and killed many demons as a part of it. While on their journey, they met Tsubaki, who would later become a dark priestess. Kikyō's great spiritual power and purification abilities became well-known, and thus the Shikon no Tama was entrusted to her, much to Tsubaki's dismay. It became Kikyō's duty to spend her life guarding the jewel, protecting it from the wicked humans and demons who sought it for their own selfish means. However, her duty as the jewel's protector also meant that she could not show any signs of weakness, lest demons or evil men should take advantage of her.

As a high-ranking priestess, Kikyo spent her life fending off demons who attempted to steal the Shikon Jewel, as well as protecting the village from disease and famine. However, the one demon whom she refused to kill was Inuyasha because she sensed that he was only a hanyō (half-demon), and has lived an abnormal life of solitude, much like herself. She also tended to Onigumo, a paralyzed bandit with burn scars all over his body. Later on, Kikyo confronted Inuyasha and told him about how she had to hide her real self in order to protect the jewel, and Inuyasha sympathized with her. Eventually, Inuyasha and Kikyo fell in love. Sometime during this period, Tsubaki attempted to attack Kikyō, assuming that she was weaker after falling in love. However, Kikyō reflected the curse back at Tsubaki, and then ordered her to leave.

During her time with Inuyasha, Kikyō and Inuyasha had once sailed to an island that only appears every fifty years. Kikyō suggested using the Shikon jewel to turn Inuyasha into a human, an offer to which Inuyasha agreed. Had that plan succeeded, the jewel would have been purified and ceased to exist, and Kikyō would be relieved of her duty as the guardian of the jewel. She would be free to live as a normal human being with Inuyasha. She promised to deliver the jewel to Inuyasha on a certain day. However, the thief Onigumo, who desired both Kikyō and a corrupted jewel, decided to use that day to gain control of both. He offered his body to a horde of demons, and thus, the demon shapeshifter Naraku was born. Naraku disguised himself as Inuyasha and struck down Kikyō, and then attacked Inuyasha while disguised as Kikyō.

Thinking that Inuyasha had betrayed her, an angered and hurt Kikyō summoned the last ounce of her strength and spiritual power to stop the real Inuyasha, who attacked the village for the Shikon Jewel. However, unable to kill the man she so strongly loved with her sacred arrow, Kikyo instead shot a sealing arrow at Inuyasha to pin him to the Goshinboku (the sacred tree or the Tree of Ages), where Inuyasha remained in slumber for fifty years. She then ordered her younger sister Kaede to burn her body along with the Shikon jewel so that its immeasurable power would never be used for evil again. Because Kikyō was full of bitter hatred for Inuyasha at the time of her death, the Shikon Jewel became corrupted. However, because of her love Kikyo wished to see Inuyasha again, and the Shikon Jewel used this desire to return to the world through Kagome, Kikyo's look-alike reincarnation.

During the Anime
Fifty years later, an demon-witch named Urasue stole Kikyō's remains and some graveyard soil to create a new body for her out of clay and bones. However, Urasue was disturbed to find out that the body she created would not entirely animate without its spirit and soul. She quickly realized that it was because her spirit and soul had already been reincarnated into another body, and that Kagome's soul, being the reincarnation of Kikyō, was needed in order to completely animate Kikyō's clay body. When the lifeless body was infused with Kagome's soul, Kikyō was revived. Having yet to discover what truly happened fifty years before, her immediate priority was to kill Inuyasha. She nearly succeeded in this task until Kagome's body began recalling the soul back to her own body, which effectively stopped Kikyō from completing this task. Kikyō managed to retain a part of her soul, and thus was able to escape into the mist, where she was pursued by Inuyasha. Quickly thereafter, Kikyo fell off a nearby cliff, presumed dead by the group.

Kikyō survived the fall and moved to a small village, tending to the wounded and curing the sick. She was loved by the children and the villagers respected her. However, she was faced with an internal struggle with what she had become, not a living woman, nor a dead person, but the walking dead. She wanted to live peacefully in the village, but was troubled by the thought that even such a simple existence may be forbidden. A curious monk sensed something abnormal about the resurrected priestess and intended to find out her true nature. He spotted her absorbing the souls of deceased women as a means to sustain her clay body, using her soul collectors (Shini-dama-chuu). The monk tried to lay her soul to rest by attacking her with one of his spiritual demons called the "Demon binding spell", but Kikyō used her tremendously strong spiritual power to blast the demon to pieces. The monk was killed by a piece of the demon that struck him in the neck. Before he died, the monk asked Kikyō why she continued to wander this earth as the walking dead. He told her that time continues for the living, but it does not continue for the dead, thus the dead do not belong in such a place, and such an existence is tragic. While Kikyō pondered on what the monk had said, she discovered that Sayo, a child who was very fond of Kikyō, had watched the entire scene and was now terrified of her. Saddened, Kikyō gave up on living in the village and left, apologizing to Sayo for scaring her.

After leaving the village, Kikyō tried to spend the night alone in a forest, placing a barrier around her to prevent being noticed. However, Kagome was able to cross Kikyō's barrier. Filled with jealousy towards her living reincarnation, Kikyō paralyzed Kagome with her touch and bound her to a tree such that Inuyasha could neither see nor hear Kagome when he arrived. When Kagome tried to explain to Kikyō the true circumstances of her death, Kikyō dismissed her, saying whoever caused her death is unimportant, as it cannot bring her back to life. A dead like herself wished only to live again, which cannot be granted, so she instead wished not to be forgotten. This can be achieved through deepening bitterness, enabling the dead to live in the heart of the living. Before Kagome could convince Kikyō otherwise, Inuyasha arrived. Kikyō told Inuyasha he must despise her for collecting souls to drive her vengeance, but Inuyasha told her he could not stop loving her, even if she hates him. Moved, Kikyō kissed him and professed her love in his arms. Sensing that Kikyō's body lacks warmth, Inuyasha realized that he could not help her and wished time stops, to which Kikyō responded by attempting to take him with her to the Netherworld. However, Kagome was able to reach Inuyasha with her voice in time, and Inuyasha left Kikyō to free Kagome from the tree. Kikyō, heartbroken, asked if Kagome was more important to him than her, and left with her soul collectors, telling Inuyasha not to forget that her deep feelings for him when they kissed were indeed genuine. Afterwards, she visited Kaede and learned that Naraku was indeed the one behind her death, and her separation from her true lover, Inuyasha.

Kikyō then moved to a temple, healing the wounds of soldiers. When men from the palace asked her to heal their master's disease, Kikyō unwillingly accompanied them to the palace, only to discover a dark aura around the castle. Kikyō was disturbed to find that the master of the castle was already dead from the neck and down. As it turned out, the master of the castle was the man who once called himself Onigumo before he was born as Naraku. Kikyō tried to leave the palace, but couldn't and thus, Naraku erected a barrier that prevented her Shikigami from accessing it, which rendered her powerless. Naraku set her up to battle Kagome, however, when Naraku gave her a soul attached with a tainted Shikon Jewel shard, she instantly purified the Jewel and struck Naraku's puppet. When Kagome arrived, she was attacked by Kikyō, and lost custody of her Jewel shards. Once Inuyasha arrived to save Kagome, she left while laughing at Inuyasha, as he could not fight a woman he still loved. Kikyō went back to the palace, and broke the barrier around it. She willingly gave Naraku the shards and revealed to him that she knew that he was a half demon before she departed. Kikyō, now finally feeling the freedom that she did not have in her past life, stated that once Naraku gained all of the shards of the sacred Shikon Jewel, she would purify him along with the entire Sacred Jewel and send his evil and corrupt spirit to the Netherworld.

When Naraku confronted Kikyō again and threatened to kill her, she announced that he could not kill her, as Naraku still had the heart of Onigumo and Onigumo loved her with all his wicked heart. Naraku sent a giant soul collector to steal the souls that Kikyo used to sustain herself in order to kill her indirectly, but Kikyō managed to escape, and Inuyasha found and saved her. When Kikyō told Inuyasha that Naraku still harbored romantic feelings for her due to having the heart/mind of Onigumo (who had quite obessive, romantic feelings for Kikyo), a disgusted Inuyasha takes her into his arms and tells her he is the only one who could ever truly and deeply love and protect her from the likes of Naraku. Though Kikyō pretended to comply, she later wielded a knife to his neck and left after telling Inuyasha that she would use Naraku's weak spot in order to purify both him and the Shikon Jewel from existence. Watching Inuyasha call after her, not wanting her to leave him, Kikyō sadly thought to herself once the threads of fate had been tangled, they could not be undone since it had already been cut by Naraku's wicked decption, implying that she could no stay and be with the one man she truly loves and cares for.

Later, Naraku made a second attempt to kill Kikyō by prematurely getting rid of his human heart, but he stopped himself, realizing that he was much weaker without his human heart. Some time afterwards, Naraku left to Mount Hakurei in order to strengthen himself, and succeeded in both completely removing his human heart and becoming much stronger. He confronted Kikyō, and when she asked him what his true objective was, he responded by wounding her chest, belittling her inability to bleed, and pushed her into a river of his poisonous miasma, presumably killing her.

Much later, villagers told Inuyasha's group of a mysterious person known as Saint Hijiri who was rumored to be extremely powerful. Inuyasha encounters her with two Shikigami that had human form: Kochō and Asuka, who told him that Kikyō survived but her body was ravaged by miasma and her voice was lost. Kochō and Asuka assisted Kikyō by bringing Kagome to a waterfall, where Kikyō's severely injured and weakened body lay submerged under the water. They told Kagome that she was the only one able to save Kikyo, and stated that by rubbing some of the soil from Kikyo's grave site into her wounds, she would successfully save Kikyō's life. Kagome agreed to perform this task, and in doing so, witnessed in a dream the events that occurred between Inuyasha and Kikyō fifty years previously. She passed out during the process of purifying the wounds Naraku had inflicted upon Kikyō, but seemingly saved Kikyō by temporarily purifying the wounds in Kikyō's chest.

However, Kagome's purification abilities proved insufficient and Kikyō's wounds reopened. This drove Kikyō to fuse the soul of Midoriko, the all-powerful priestess who created the sacred Shikon jewel, into her own body to close her wounds and hold out the miasma until she could defeat Naraku before she died. Inuyasha arrived to witness the wounds in Kikyō's chest healing very quick, and she explained to him that since Midoriko was also a priestess who died fighting yokai, she would understand Kikyō's desire to defeat Naraku. She also told Inuyasha that Naraku could not be killed with the Tessaiga; the only way to completely destroy Naraku was by purifying both his soul and the Shikon Jewel the instant Naraku completes the entire jewel. Kohaku, arriving at the scene by Midoriko's will, overheard what Kikyo told Inuyasha and decided to follow Kikyō in order to aid Kikyō's plan to defeat Naraku. She left promptly saying she had no time hesitate, leaving Inuyasha to think to himself that Kikyō's plan involved removing Kohaku's life-sustaining shard, and that Kikyō could not be capable of doing such a thing.

Kohaku later offered Kikyō his shard to use against Naraku, and Kikyō allowed him to travel by her side, but wished to herself that they had met on different terms so that she could have nurtured his scarred soul and encouraged him to live. While traveling with Kohaku, she kept the Shikon Shard in Kohaku's neck extremely pure, rendering it untouchable to Naraku. During her journey, she saved Kōga and asked that he hand over his shards to her, telling him her plan to purify the Shikon Jewel once it is complete, but Kōga refused. She later encountered Sango and Kagome, who begged Kikyō not to take Kohaku's life and trust in Inuyasha, who was continually working to strengthen his sword, to defeat Naraku. Meanwhile, Miroku and Inuyasha battled Naraku, during which Miroku opened his Wind tunnel and sucked in an enormous amount of miasma. Miroku was near death, but Kikyō saved him by absorbing and purifying the miasma in her body, although this greatly worsened her own body's condition. When Sango asked her why she would go so far to save Miroku yet sacrifice Kohaku, Kikyō responded that she wished to save anybody she could afford to save.

Kikyō and Kohaku encountered Naraku's spiderwebs during their travels together. He used these spiderwebs as a way to contaminate and weaken Kikyō. However, Kikyō had already realized Naraku's plan and remained under her own incredibly strong and powerful spiritual barrier. However, she contaminated herself when she attempted to save a child from the webs. She summoned her Shikigami Kocho and Asuka to place a barrier over Kohaku in order to protect him from Naraku's reach, however, due to the fact that she was entangled in Naraku's spiderwebs, she became defiled and the barrier over Kohaku was broken by one of Naraku's incarnations, Byakuya and Kocho and Asuka is destroyed by Byakuya. She told Kagome, who had also been defiled by Naraku's webs, that the only way to save her life was by acquiring the longbow from the sacred Mount Azusa, but only if it was truly what she wished. Kagome traveled to Mount Azusa, where she was tested by an illusion cast upon her by the Spirit Guardian of the sacred mountain. After passing the test, Kagome and Inuyasha returned to find that Naraku had already captured Kikyō.

The strong connection between Kagome and Kikyō was shown when Kagome was successfully able to tell Kikyō's thoughts by shooting her with the longbow and arrow she had obtained from Mount Azusa at the right time. Kikyō, shot by the sacred longbow from Mount Azusa, fired the sacred arrow from her own body at Naraku. The Jewel was purified before it entered Naraku's body, but Naraku won against Kikyō's powers and successfully contaminated the Shikon Jewel, rendering Kikyō completely powerless and on the verge of death. Though Naraku declared his victory and Kikyō's defeat, Kikyō thinks to herself that Naraku will find out about that after he dies, as she had let a sliver of purifying light in the Shikon Jewel. While Kagome grieves that her powers were insufficient to save Kikyō, Kikyō told Kagome in her spirit that she was able to save her soul. The wounds Kikyō sustained from saving Miroku from Naraku's miasma spread, and she lay in Inuyasha's arms for one final loving, romantic kiss before she died and bade Inuyasha and his friends a final farewell with her spirit, which flew off into the twinkling stars carried by her soul collecters.

The speck of purity Kikyō had left in the defiled Shikon Jewel remained after her death, and this prevented Naraku from taking the last shard out of Kohaku's neck, until Magatsuhi defiled it and sealed Kagome's spiritual powers, preventing her from purifying it again. He was possessed by this demon and left in order to give Naraku the last shard, meanwhile being forced to relive his painful past through an illusion in his sleep. In this illusion, one of Kikyō's soul-collectors lead Kohaku out of his past, to his sister, who asks for his help and encourages him. He was successfully brought out of this illusion and released from Magatsuhi's possession, and Kohaku gained the strength to stop running from his past and continue to live. However, after a struggle with Naraku, Kohaku has his shard removed, killing him. Naraku mocks Inuyasha's inability to prevent the deaths of both Kikyō and Kohaku, and Sango holds hher younger brother in tears. At that moment, Kikyō decides to leave the task of defeating Naraku to Inuyasha's group and removes her speck of light and purity from the complete Shikon Jewel into Kohaku, so that he may live.

Personality
Kikyō was always known as a compassionate woman. Kind, caring, and considerate, she was very sympathetic toward everyone, even her enemies. This was seen when she tended to Onigumo's well-being despite him being a bandit. She also had compassion toward Kansuke, and sympathy toward Inuyasha. She poured out her soul to anyone in need of help, even after her resurrection. Kikyō was also very good with children during her lifetime; no matter what village she went to, the children were always fond of her. However, Kikyō, after her resurrection, was not always as kind as she once was. She had developed a new-found hatred that she never had when she was alive. At first, she wanted revenge on Inuyasha, believing him to be her murderer. However, she eventually found out the truth and turned her hatred toward Naraku. Slowly, she started to become more like her former self.

Kikyō was a very wise woman for her age, and quite deceptive. Kikyō devised cunning plans to destroy Naraku, although she went about it in strange ways. For a time, Kikyō seemed to be on Naraku's side since she handed him Kagome's Shikon jewel shards, to which this action caused Inuyasha to accuse Kikyō of betrayal. However, she explained that she gave him the shards to cast Naraku toward death and that she would never allow him to take Inuyasha's life. She wanted revenge just as much as he did and desired to end Naraku's life. She figured out that Naraku was a half-demon and that he still possessed Onigumo's heart, whose owner still had feelings for her. Kikyō found his feelings for her ironic and ludicrous, and felt much contempt toward him. She was never intimidated by Naraku and was bold whenever she faced him.

After Kikyō's resurrection, she developed a strong attachment to life that she didn't have when she was alive. Refusing to die alone, she decided she would take Inuyasha with her to hell. However, this goal eventually faded as she learned more about the circumstances behind her death. Kikyō's feelings for Inuyasha were complex and strained. At first, Kikyō's pure love for him turned to deep hatred (although deep down, part of her still loved him). As the series progressed, Kikyō's hateful feelings toward Inuyasha disappeared. Although Kikyō and Inuyasha's feelings were mutual, their relationship was awkward and strained because of Kagome, her 20th cenutry reincarnation. Kikyō was well aware of Kagome's love for Inuyasha (as well as his for Kagome), and the situation did not sit well with her. Because of this, Kikyō was jealous of Kagome, believing that she was replacing her, and as a result, was not very fond of her. Despite her hidden discomfort over this, Kikyō came to accept the fact that Kagome was taking her place in this world and in the anime, would go as far as to protect Kagome since Inuyasha would be heartbroken if she died( See Inuyasha episode Kikyo and Kagome: Alone in the Cave).

Appearance
Kikyō was often described as a very beautiful woman. She had flawless alabaster-white skin and long, rich black hair that fell past her slim waist, which was often tied into a loose ponytail with a ribbon. She stood around five foot two, and had big, brown, doll-like eyes.

Outfit
Kikyō wore the traditional dress of a miko, which has remained essentially unchanged to this day except for the lack of the slit-shoulder seam. Kikyō wore a white jacket with sode-kukuri (cords) through the sleeves and open shoulders (similar to Inuyasha's and Jaken's outfits). Strings called muna-himo were attached to each lapel and tied in front to keep the garment closed. Kikyō's kosode would be very much like a modern Kendo or Naginata Keikogi, with the sleeve fitting somewhat closely like a modern loose shirt and extending slightly past the wrist. The slits on the side of her hakama, and the openings at the sleeves and shoulders of her hitoe (jacket) showed the white kosode she sported. This was a deliberate fashion effect. Kikyō wore a bright red nagabakama (a very long hakama), which included the small board on the lower back. On her feet, Kikyō wore common tabi (socks) and rice straw sandals. Kikyō sported a red Obi, or belt, over all her other garments.

Powers and Abilities
Kikyō is a highly respected priestess with tremendous skills and powers even her sister Kaede noted that Kikyo is too powerful, even for a priestess and even Naraku was scared of her, such as that he killed many people just to kill Kikyo.
 * Spiritual Powers/Abilities:Kikyō is able to erect unusually strong and powerful barriers and perform several mystic spells or enchantments that can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes. Likewise, Kikyō has the power and ability to break seals, barriers, spells, and detect fragments of the Shikon Jewel wherever they may be. Kikyō can also combine Shikon jewel shards into one shard.
 * Note: Her spiritual powers manifest as a light lavender glow of light in color though it is light blue on a few occasions.
 * Purification Abilities: These powers and abilities come in a variety of different forms when used by Kikyō. When she was resurrected, she used her purification powers to strike Urasue as well as Inuyasha with light purple-colored glowing bolts of purification. These powers killed Urasue and injured Inuyasha during this occasion. On another occasion, when Kikyō and Kagome were trapped alone in a cave together, Kikyō used these abilities to create a large glowing orb of light purple-colored light from her hands in order to destroy insects that were attacking Kagome. She can also purify the Shikon Jewel Shards just touching them.
 * Reflection Powers/Abilities: This power and ability was once used on Tsubaki the dark priestess when Kikyō was still alive. She infuses her spiritual power into her longbow, which will reflect any oncoming demonic energy back at the demon or person.
 * Healing Powers/Abilities: Kikyō is an extremely skilled and experienced healer and is able to treat and save even those on the brink of death. She is able to see the beings from the Netherworld and can dispose of them with a single touch possibly by purifying them.
 * Archery: Coming from an era of endless wars, Kikyō has fully mastered the power of archery. She can easily shoot enemies from long or short distances and has an uncanny power and ability to strike demons from much longer and greater distances.
 * Mayose: The Mayose is a high-level mystical spell cast on a twig that can only be performed by a highly skilled and experienced priestess with exceedingly strong and powerful spiritual power and knowledge. The twig grows into a huge tree that reaches the clouds once it is enchanted with a special spell. It is used to lure and purify demons of a specified type when the demons climb to the top.
 * Shikigami Creation: She is able to create human-like Shikigami that she uses to perform various tasks for her, which she used most when she hid herself. Another Shikigami Kikyō had created was Saint Hijiri, who much like herself, contained immense spiritual power. She used Hijiri as a distraction so that she could take time to fully recover from the miasma-filled wounds Naraku had inflicted upon her at Mount Hakurai. She also created two other Shikigami: Kochō and Asuka who originally stayed by Hijiri's side, but after St. Hijiri was destroyed by Kagura, they went on to help Kikyō.
 * Soul Collectors:These serpent-like creatures collect the souls of the recently departed to sustain Kikyō's body. They can also steal the souls of the living making them her mindless slave. Additionally, soul collectors could enhance Kikyō's spiritual powers by delivering souls to aid her.
 * Spiritual Immobilization: Kikyō is able to stun someone and make them invisible to everyone else but her ,she does this by touching someone with two of her index fingers. She used this skill on Kagome.
 * Eyesight: Kikyō, is able to see things that are or may seem invisible to the human eye.
 * Teleportation: Seen in episode 61, she fades away as she said, "Be warned it is no idle threat"
 * Reflexes: Seen in episode 61, she quickly dodges an arrow before teleporting away.

Weapons
Kikyō often carries a traditional red Saigu-Yumi and a quiver of Hamaya. She has the power to imbue each arrow with great amount of spiritual power and has destroyed, disabled, purified or sealed many demons.
 * Bow: The bow is usually used by Kikyo for launching sacred arrows, other than that it is also shown that the bow can also act as a temporary barrier, can block off Attacks, curses and reflect the curse or attack back to the enemy as Kikyo did to the Dark Priestess, Tsubaki by imbuening the bow with great spirtual power.
 * Sacred Arrows: The sacred arrow is an arrow used by high-level priestesses like Kikyō and Kagome. It can easily break through barriers, destroy spells, obliterate demons, and even deal fatal blows to powerful demons. Kikyo's Sacred Arrows are too powerful and contains enough spiritual powers to penetrate Naraku's Barrier with ease.
 * Arrow of Sealing: The Arrow of Sealing is a sacred arrow that places a demon under a spell of eternal sleep. It is said that these arrows are meant to seal demons that are utterly invincible. If a demon is sealed onto the Goshinboku (the sacred tree or Tree of Ages) the demon's body with remain perfectly intact. They will only awaken when the one who shot the arrow desperately wishes for the demon to be revived.

Inuyasha
Kikyō and Inuyasha met when she first started guarding the jewel. At first they battled each other but as time went on they both fell in love. Wanting to be a normal human, Kikyō asked Inuyasha if he would use the Shikon no Tama to become a human and to be with Inuyasha. Naraku then takes action by causing to get Inuyasha and Kikyō to turn against other ending in Inuyasha being sealed to the Tree Of Ages and Kikyō's death. However, both Inuyasha and Kikyō would meet again after the demon Urasue brings Kikyō back to life and the seal on Inuyasha is broken by her modern reincarnation, Kagome. All Kikyō wanted in the end was to live together with Inuyasha as a normal woman, but in the end she was killed by Naraku. However, after a long period of suffering, she said her soul was saved, so she shared a final kiss with Inuyasha and died in his arms. Although she died, her light saved Kohaku instead of destroying Naraku.

Kagome Higurashi
Kagome is Kikyō's reincarnation, even though their personalities are very different. At first, Kagome's body is used by a witch to revive Kikyō. However, not much later after Kikyō is reanimated, Kagome begins to call back her soul. Kikyō eventually escapes the scene with a small fragmant of her soul intact. Early into the series, Kikyō has a confrontation with Kagome. Kikyō tried to kill Kagome (which she tells to Inuyasha afterwards). Both of them care and are in love with Inuyasha and several times they've work together and helped each other out and both have saved one another on numerous occasions throughout the series. Kagome and Kikyō have jealousy of one another as both share a special bond with Inuyasha. At Mount Azusa, Kagome is able to accept that a part of Inuyasha will always love Kikyō and is able to get over her jealousy over it. No scene is shown proving that Kikyō has also overcome any ill feeling she may have towards Kagome, but right before Kikyō's death Kikyō gives Kagome her own bow and wishes Kagome well, asking her not to cry as Inuyasha takes her off. Kikyō also entrusts Kagome with the duty of destroying Naraku and the jewel, as well as keeping the "light" in Kohaku's shard. Unable to save Kikyō from Naraku's spiderweb's wounds, Kagome sheds tears and wishes she could have somehow done more to save her. Kikyo is also eventually able to accept the fact that Kagome has taken her place as the living as well as Inuyasha's true love.

Kaede
Kikyō was fond of her younger sister Kaede. The two were very close at the time that Kikyo was alive. During the time she was young, Kikyō accidentally shot a demon within close proximity of Kaede and a part of the demon flew at Kaede, blinding her in one eye. At the time of Kikyō's resurrection, Kikyō could not recognize Kaede (mainly due to her now being a older lady) but as the story progresses, Kikyō visits Kaede occasionally. At Kikyō's final death, Kikyō's soul visits Kaede and bids her last apologies and farewell to her younger sister, showing her great love for her younger sister.

Kohaku
Kohaku was founded sometime around the fourth year by Kikyō who felt pity for the boy. During her journey, Kikyō would try purifying Kohaku. During the last season, Kohaku would be Kikyō's travel companion as he travels along with Kikyō after being freed from Naraku's corruption. Kohaku, believing that his shard would help in destroying Naraku decides to sacrifice his shard and dies. As her last act of compassion for Kohaku, Kikyō withdrew her spirit and power from the now-contaminated Shikon Jewel and instead use it in resurrecting Kohaku.

Naraku
Naraku is the man who tricked Kikyō into betraying Inuyasha. While Kikyō harbors an obvious hatred for him, Naraku is mixed between hatred and love for Kikyō due to his human heart that once belonged to a bandit named Onigumo. Onigumo had once been in love with Kikyō when tended to him. Throughout the series, Kikyō and Naraku interact on several occasions. At one point, Kikyō gives Naraku sacred jewel shards. It is misunderstood at the time that Kikyō had formed an alliance with Naraku, however in truth, she had been planning to purify the Shikon jewel along with Naraku once it was completed. Naraku also attempts to kill Kikyō on many occasions because she is one of his largest weaknesses, eventually succeeding. At the end of the series, it is revealed that Naraku's true wish on the Sacred Jewel had been to have Kikyō's love but it was not granted.

Quotes

 * "I must show my weaknesses to no one. I must never have doubts or demons would overtake me. I am human yet I cannot be human. We are quite alike, you and I. You half-demon... That is why I could not kill you."
 * "It's possible. It's true you are a half-demon, but you are also half-human. If the Shikon Jewel of the Four Souls fell into the hands of a demon, their powers would undoubtedly increase. However, if it is to be used to turn you into a human, it would be purified. The Jewel of the Four Souls would probably cease to exist."
 * "Liar! I was a fool beyond compare in believing your farfetched tales and wishing to live together with you. I despise you with my last breath. My spirit cannot forget that all-consuming hatred. So as long as you live, my spirit cannot be freed."
 * "You are saying you wish for me to die, is that it? For if my soul were to return to the girl, then I would cease to exist forever. You must know that. Is that what you desire, Inuyasha? I refuse to die. My spirit cannot rest in peace until I see you dead!"
 * "Inuyasha, after meeting you I renounced my position as a shrine priestess. I became an ordinary woman. I longed to embrace you like this when I was alive. We are unable to turn back the hands of time. So please, allow me to embrace you a little longer."
 * "If I had lived, it would have been I who tended to the wounds in his soul."
 * "Go, Naraku... Gather the shards of the Jewel and once you've found them all, I will send you to Hell. I am free to hate. My soul is so much freer now than it was then. Free to hate. Free to love."
 * "Inuyasha, Naraku will only grow stronger and stronger. You mustn't allow him to kill you. Until I am able to cast both Naraku and the Shikon Jewel from this world, your life belongs to me. No one else shall have you."
 * "He is reluctant to admit it, but I am certain he has a lingering desire for me. And in an effort to ease that desire, he is trying to get rid of me."
 * [to Tsubaki] "Do as you please with Kagome, I have no intention of interfering. However, if you do any harm to Inuyasha, I will personally see to your demise!"
 * "You can never be with Inuyasha again. Nor I, for I am one of the dead and as such... I too don't belong here."
 * "To live is to die. To die is to live. My name is Kikyō. I am a priestess who is unable to leave this world and reach the sacred place. No, that is not entirely the truth. Once I was a priestess. Now I am but a corpse with a cursed, false existence. No matter how much I desire to do good and help others, the truth is I live off the souls of the dead."
 * "I choose to stay here. I want to stay close to those children for a while. Besides, even if I wish to, I cannot go. Inuyasha, you saw them. You saw my soul collectors being repelled by the aura of this land. It took everything I had to stand at the base of the mountain."
 * "The battle continues. The fact that I walk this path once more only serves to confirm my wretched fate. And what awaits me beyond this darkness. Once more, just once more, I must ascertain the whereabouts of those resurrected from the grave."
 * "No! Why are these memories coming back to me now?"
 * "Nothing's stopping me. I will put an end to Naraku's life. That's what this means."
 * "I'm surprised you allowed yourself to be distracted by that abomination. How pathetic."
 * "Naraku, I will not die now. Do you expect me to die in your filthy arms!?"
 * "I died despising you. The moment I died, my soul was rendered paralyzed. As long as you live, my spirit cannot be freed."

Trivia

 * Noriko Hidaka who voiced Kikyō also voiced Akane Tendo in Ranma ½, another series by Rumiko Takahashi.
 * Willow Johnson also voiced Kasumi Tendo in Ranma ½.
 * In the Korean dub, her name was changed to Geumgang.
 * Of all his enemies, Naraku considers Kikyo his only serious threat, the only one who scares him.
 * Rumiko Takahashi once stated in an interview that Kikyō had died around the age of 17, but this wasn't a direct statement. Plus, it seemed to contradict her official character profiles book, which states she was 18.
 * Kikyo is barefoot in the manga and doesn't wear tabi (socks) and rice straw sandals.