Hoshiyomi

is a humanoid demon ninja and daiyōkai who fought for good and justice alongside his human love, the priestess Tsukiyomi, until he was sealed away by her and he began to despise humans from then on.

History
A powerful pair, Hoshiyomi eventually employed Kaijinbō, Tōtōsai's evil former apprentice, to craft a weapon for him, after Tsukiyomi began to show extreme signs of fatigue from their battles. With the bodies of 222 demons Kaijinbō forged the Naginata of Kenkon (trans. “Halberd of Heaven and Earth”), a powerful sword with a stave in the middle of two separate, yet equally balancing powerful blades. After Hoshiyomi received his prize Tsukiyomi no longer had to fight their common foes, but he struggled with the evil from the sword that was possessing him. Tsukiyomi eventually sealed Hoshiyomi within a pentagram with the intent of destroying the naginata; however, her plans went awry as fatigue overtook her and she died before she could both destroy the naginata or release Hoshiyomi.

During the story
Decades later, Hoshiyomi was freed and eventually reacquired both blades (one of which Akitoki Hōjō had in his possession to guard), waging war on all of humanity for “its betrayal.” After creating a black hole-like vortex, Inuyasha and Kagome are eventually able to defeat him with the combined power of Inuyasha’s Backlash Wave, Kagome’s sacred arrow, and a little spiritual help from Tsukiyomi’s soul; the Naginata of Kenkon is destroyed along with him. In addition, just before Hoshiyomi’s death, he realizes Tsukiyomi’s true intent (having begrudged her for sealing him away) of her last actions, forgives her, and, upon his death, is reunited with her.

Personality
Hoshiyomi, in many aspects, is Inuyasha in reverse. Inuyasha originally only sought power, such as when he learned of the Shikon jewel and wanted to become a full-fledged demon, but after meeting Kagome and friends, he started to value human life and became more kind: Hoshiyomi was originally caring and protected human life, but after being betrayed by a human he now despises them and only seeks to become more powerful. In battle, Hoshiyomi has shown reservedness to killing, having the opportunity to slay Inuyasha several times but instead says: "I'll say it again. While this blade means everything to me, it has absolutely no value to you or your friends. If you back off, I'll spare you and the other humans, too. Or do you place no value on your life?" This is odd compared to many other daiyōkai in the series, who wouldn't even give their opponents a chance to run and would simply kill them without a thought, akin to Sesshōmaru. Further separating him from most daiyōkai is the fact that he seems to have no real hatred towards half-demons, even appearing to view them as equals in some ways. When possessed by the Naginata of Kenkon, however, he seems more hostile, calling Inuyasha 'impudent'. Hoshiyomi also had strong human emotions, and fell in love with the priestess Tsukiyomi, and thought that the woman betrayed him.

Tsukiyomi's betrayal hurt him deeply, to the point that when he found out the truth, he refused to abandon his desire to kill all humans as he was too filled with rage. It should be noted, however, that with Tsukiyomi dead, Hoshiyomi didn't have anything else to live for. Indeed, he himself stated that he had gone too far to give up. He also forgave Tsukiyomi after he died and seemed happy to be reunited with her, suggesting that he had been lying to himself the entire time and, in the end, all he truly wanted was peace.

Powers & Abilities

 * Demon Ninja Shadow Incarnation: Hoshiyomi has the ability to create doppelgangers of himself, concealing copy is his true self so that his opponents will attack false enemies. However, this technique doesn't work very well when he battles Inuyasha, because the half-demon is able to detect which doppleganger is the real one by determining which one has a scent.


 * Demon Ninja Shadow Hold: Hoshiyomi throws a dagger into the shadow of his opponent, holding them down by their silhouette and rendering them unable to move. However, when there is total darkness and the shadow is unrecognizable from the rest of the darkness, the technique weakens in power. This is seen when the light of the moon is covered up by clouds and Inuyasha notices that he can move again.


 * Demon Ninja Pentacle Barrier: Hoshiyomi creates a barrier with a pentacle-star spell, making it impossible to be disturbed. Its unknown if Inuyasha's red Tessaiga would have been able to break the barrier, as Inuyasha, Akitoki Hōjō and the others were occupied with battling the four demon ninjas. Hoshiyomi dispels the pentacle barrier when the Naginata of Kenkon is completed, choosing to rely on only the blade for protection.


 * Ball of Light: Much like Sesshōmaru, Hoshiyomi transforms into an orb of light when travelling great distances. This is seen when he flees with Kagome as his hostage.

Weapons

 * Naginata of Kenkon:

Allies
Hoshiyomi loved Tsukiyomi a great deal, to the point that he even changed his name to show how much he cared about her. After seeing how exhausted she was getting, Hoshiyomi became very worried and so created a weapon known as the Naginata of Kenkon to protect her. It is also clear that Tsukiyomi loved Hoshiyomi just as much he loved her, as she easily risked and, in the end, sacrificed her own life in order to free him from the Naginata's corruption. Even though it was to save him, she still considered what she did to him as a betrayal. Upon learning the truth, Hoshiyomi began to wonder if the true reason for his creation of the Naginata was that his heart didn't have faith in her. Just before his death, he forgave her, and, upon his death, was reunited with her in the afterlife.
 * Tsukiyomi

Not much is known about Hoshiyomi's relationship with his underlings, but it is clear that he considered them reliable, frequently dispatching them on tasks that he could easily do himself. However, he seemed indifferent towards their deaths, suggesting that, in the end, he only saw them as tools towards his ultimate goal.
 * Byakko, Suzaku, Genbu and Seiryū

Enemies
When Kagome awoke in the Shrine of Furai, Hoshiyomi questioned why she was travelling with Inuyasha, wondering what a human could be to a half-demon. He immediately dismissed their bond as one that would not last, convinced that one day, Kagome would betray Inuyasha. When Kagome retorted that she would never do that, Hoshiyomi countered with his opinion of humans, describing them as weak-willed creatures who betray others in order to protect themselves. These words merely convinced Kagome that he didn't understand humans at all.
 * Kagome Higurashi

Even though they were enemies, Inuyasha was able to see himself in Hoshiyomi due to the fact that the latter was exactly how the former used to be. Hoshiyomi can also be seen as a foil to Inuyasha's father, the Inu no Taishō; both were daiyōkai who fell in love with a human and forged a weapon to protect them. However, while the Inu no Taishō had his weapon forged by Tōtōsai, Hoshiyomi had his forged by Kaijinbō, and in turn was unable to control it.
 * Inuyasha

Quotes
Hoshiyomi 星黃泉