Episode 71

Three-Sided Battle to the Death is the seventy-first episode of the InuYasha anime.

Synopsis

 * 1) Inuyasha continues his fight with Musō and continually destroys his body, only to have the demon regenerate each time; Miroku notes that each time his body is destroyed, the flesh forms around the spider shaped scar on his back.
 * 2) Naraku tracks down Musō and attempts to re-absorb him into his body, saying that he was released too early; Musō reveals that he despises Naraku for using his body to kill the very woman that Musō gave his soul up for.
 * 3) Inuyasha finds the two of them and attacks Naraku, Musō attacks Naraku as well, piercing him with one of his arms; the others think that Musō has killed Naraku, but Naraku instead uses this opportunity to re-absorb Musō back into his body.
 * 4) Naraku reveals that he is indeed a hanyō, but unlike other hanyō he chooses his time of powerlessness himself, and whenever he does so he reconstructs his body, making himself more powerful.

Summary
Musō battles Inuyasha, impaled twice, while in scorpion form. Miroku notices that when Inuyasha unleashed his Wind Scar, Musō regenerates by pulling all his parts to his human torso. As Inuyasha is about to use his Wind Scar to aim precisely at what they suppose is Musō's heart (his spider mark), Kagura deflects his strike to save Musō, who is then taken away by Naraku's insects. As Musō pulls himself together, Naraku appears and demand his return, which Musō refuses. They then battle, Musō being quickly beaten by Naraku, who is interrupted when Inuyasha rejoins them. Inuyasha attacks Naraku, who distractedly let go of Musō. Musō begins to escape, but on second thought returns to the battle, watched by a bewildered Kagura. As Naraku arrives shortly afterward, he is impaled by Musō, but uses the piercing arm to pull Musō to him and reabsorb him. The completed Naraku then faces Inuyasha and Miroku while Kagura ponders the fate of Musō, wondering if that would happen to her if she defied Naraku again. After some bantering from both sides, Kagura and Naraku disappear in a fog of miasma. Meanwhile, Kikyō saw Naraku while she healing wounded men. Back at Kaede's hut, Miroku said that Naraku's barrier can't be destroyed by the Wind Scar. Kagome forgot her stuff by the Bone-Eater's Well and looked at the stars. Kikyō and her Shinidamachū wonders off as wonders whether or not she misses Inuyasha.

Differences from the manga

 * The fight between Musō and Naraku is slightly extended in the anime, including a brief fight between Inuyasha and Naraku. In the manga, Inuyasha and Miroku don't arrive on the scene until Naraku has already reabsorbed Musō.