Kansuke

, also known as, was a bandit leader responsible for the near-fatal injury of Onigumo, setting in motion the tragic events that surrounded the birth of Naraku. 50 years later, Naraku used the dying Kansuke to lure Kikyō to Mount Hakurei.

History
Kansuke, who was originally known as "Rasetsu no Kansuke" (羅刹の勘助), lead a group of bandit thugs, which included a man named Onigumo. After being tricked by Onigumo into attacking the priestess Kikyō in an attempt to acquire the Shikon no Tama (which ended in Kansuke's defeat at the hands of Inuyasha and the loss of his right eye), Kansuke sought to make the man who had tricked him and stolen his men pay. As the rest of the bandits who had declared Onigumo their new leader celebrated at a local inn, Kansuke tracked them down. He spared his men if they served him again and set off to find Onigumo. Upon confronting Onigumo, he planted and set off a bomb, which left Onigumo severely injured; all of his body was badly burned except for the spider-shaped scar that was already on his back. To finish the traitor off, the men threw Onigumo off a cliff. This act set the plot of the entire series in motion, making Kansuke the sole perpetrator of not only the creation of Naraku, but the shattering of the Shikon Jewel.

During the story
Fifty years later, Kansuke, now an old man, met the revived Kikyō, not realizing that she was the same Kikyō he had tried to kill decades earlier. He was later attacked and killed by demons, but before he draws his final breath, Kansuke asks Kikyō to take a lock of his hair to the sacred Mount Hakurei. Unknown to Kansuke and Kikyō, Naraku had filled Kansuke's head with the idea that his soul would be saved if his remains were taken to Mount Hakurei. It was Naraku's plan to lure Kikyō there so he could test out if he had gained the ability to kill her after he cast out his human heart (Onigumo). After Kikyō helped Hakushin move on to the afterlife, Kansuke's soul finally found peace as the lock of hair he gave Kikyō to bury dissipated into orbs of light and ascended into the sky.

Personality
As a young man, Rasetsu was a violent, impulsive, and vengeful man who did whatever he pleased. He committed every crime known to man, believing that he would die at a young age. He had no tolerance for treachery, the perfect example being when he did not hesitate to try and kill Onigumo when he set him up to be killed by Inuyasha as part of a plan to steal the Shikon Jewel from Kikyō. As Rasetsu aged, he became more frustrated, as he lived a longer life than he originally expected to. His growing age fostered a fear of dying in Rasetsu, knowing he was going to Hell for his past crimes. As an old man, he wished for salvation when he heard about Mount Hakurei, a place where villains such as himself could have their souls purified and saved. Before he died, he cut off a lock of his hair and gives it to Kikyō, asking her to bury it there so that he can be forgiven for the life that he lived.

Physical description
Kansuke was an old man, looking to be in his late 70's. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye, where a scar remained due to his run-in with Inuyasha. As an old man, he had short grey hair, and wore it in a small ponytail.

Weapons
Rasetsu possessed a bow and arrow, and was a fairly skilled archer.

Relationships
Kansuke originally trusted Onigumo's advice and strategy. After he discovered that Onigumo tricked him so he could steal his men, he despised him and sought revenge. He attempted to kill him after he found him by blowing up the inn he resided in with his subordinates. He threw Onigumo's badly burned body over a cliff and mockingly told him the say hello to Kikyō for him.
 * Onigumo

Kansuke fisrt attempted to kill Kikyō in order to steal the Sacred Jewel from her when she was still alive. After 50 years, he confided to Kikyō (unaware that she was the same women he met 50 years ago) about all of his sins. He asked her as a final wish to purify his soul by taking a lock of his hair to Mount Hakurei. Kikyō intended to honour his final request.
 * Kikyō

Manga vs. Anime

 * Unlike the anime version of Kansuke, in the manga, he was an old and weak bandit without mentioning his name. In his first appearance in the manga, he managed to stop a travelling priestess, Kikyō, and told her that he could feel her divine powers. With his last breath, he cut a lock of his hair and gave it to Kikyō as an, hoping that she would honor his request of sending the hair to Mount Hakurei so that his soul could be saved.
 * Apart from the difference of his history, in the anime, Kansuke wears an eye-patch on his right eye, but in the manga, he wears nothing. Moreover, in the anime, he doesn't wield any shards of the Sacred Jewel.

Trivia

 * He may be based on the real life samurai, who was rumoured to have been blind in one eye.
 * His last words were "A bad joke for a dying man."

Media appearances
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Manga

 * Chapter 227

Anime
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 * Episode 87
 * Episode 88
 * Episode 107
 * Episode 120