Episode 38 (Hanyō no Yashahime)

Kirinmaru of the Dawn is the thirty-eighth episode of Hanyō no Yashahime, and the fourteenth episode of the second season titled "The Second Act".

Synospis

 * 1) Kirinmaru seized the Black Pearl from Moroha to force her to get Akuru's pinwheel for him!
 * 2) Towa and Setsuna arrive to help Moroha in retrieving the only hope she has in seeing her parents.
 * 3) Sesshōmaru again stands up to his father's rival and the two beast kings of the East and West engage in yet another fierce earth/heaven-shattering battle as the Half-Demon Princesses, Jaken, Takechiyo and Rin all look on.

Summary
An enraged Moroha challenges Kirinmaru to a fight, but ends up being outnumbered by the Beast King of the East with relative ease, despite the new-and-improved strength of her Beniyasha form and advancement in her spiritual abilities. Having finally been released from the silver-scale curse, Rin is told to remain safe within the Sacred Tree of Ages under Jaken's watchful eye as Sesshōmaru exits to assist his half-niece in taking down his late father's rival. Towa and Setsuna leave the recently departed Lord Nanahoshi's mansion to reunite with their human mother Rin, but decide to help their cousin Moroha take down Kirinmaru. It is then that Sesshōmaru emerges and he and Kirinmaru again engage in a battle causing the very earth and heavens to resound once again. Meanwhile, Rion makes the decision to put an end to her own father, fully aware that by doing so would mean Riku's demise as well, being Kirinmaru's incarnation made from his broken right horn. Riku is not worried, as he has been prepared for such a moment for some time now and cherishes the time, however brief, that he had spent with Towa. To further assist her in her mission, Rion asks that Riku take her back to Mount Musubi.

Hearing shaking from outside, Rin and Jaken exit the Sacred Tree of Ages just as Sesshōmaru has taken the hit for his twin daughters' and half-niece from the Bakuseiken's immensely powerful and lethal Demon Fireball attack, which gradually begins to drain him of his very lifeblood essence (haku) but not before Sesshōmaru uses his remaining strength to send the Half-Demon Princesses into the Black Pearl to protect them from further attacks. Severely injured and weakened, Sesshōmaru still manages to mask his presence as his haku is gradually drained from him. At the Border of the Afterlife, near Tōga's tomb, the Half-Demon Princesses encounter none other than Kagome Higurashi, who at first is skeptical but embraces Moroha in joyful tears. Inuyasha then appears and is thoroughly shocked at suddenly seeing his first child in fourteen years since her infancy.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode to air in 2022.
 * Starting from this episode, Resonance will be replacing ReBorn as the opening theme.
 * In addition, Anaaki no Sora will be replacing Transparent World as the ending theme.
 * The episode's title refers to Kirinmaru's additional title from his battle against demonic Towa and Moroha.
 * The Half-Demon Princesses get together since "The Girl Named Rion".
 * Moroha fires two sacred arrows for the very first time; something that neither Kagome nor Kikyō ever even attempted.
 * Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru battle since Episode 18, causing the very earth and heavens to resound once again as Bakusaiga and Bakuseiken clash yet again.
 * Setsuna uses a brand-new attack from her Yukari no Tachikiri, in addition to Cyclone Burst and Scourge of Swallows; a fire-based one in which a barrage of fiery birds are emitted at incredible speed somewhat similar to when Setsuna had utilized her Scourge of Swallows attack in conjnunction with Ginka's pyrokinetic abilities in "The Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls". This move is named Vermilion Bird Ambush.
 * Moroha encounters her parents, whom she assumed dead, and has her very first conversation with them in fourteen years; Towa and Setsuna therefore meet their paternal half-uncle and half-aunt.
 * It was revealed that if Kirinmaru loses his life, Riku would also perish, which also includes Osamu Kirin as well. This the fate Byakuya mentioned would befall him when Naraku died.
 * Riku had kept a seed from the apple he ate when he met Towa.
 * Time doesn't seem to flow at the Border of the Afterlife; since Kagome still appears to be in her mid-20s (unlike Miroku and Sango, who've noticeably aged)