Episode 1

The Girl Who Overcame Time... and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome is the first episode of InuYasha.

Synopsis

 * 1) Inuyasha attempts to steal the Shikon no Tama, but Kikyo seals him to the sacred tree just before she dies
 * 2) Modern-day Kagome, the suspected reincarnation of Kikyo, is pulled through her family's well to the Sengoku jidai
 * 3) Inuyasha awakens
 * 4) Kagome frees Inuyasha from his seal in order to get rid of Mistress Centipede who was terrorizing Kagome and the villagers of Kaede's village

Summary
The setting was the sengoku jidai (aka Feudal Era) of Japan. Inuyasha tried to steal the Shikon no Tama (aka "Shikon Jewel" or "Jewel of Four Souls") from a village. The villagers attacked him in an attempt to prevent him from entering the temple containing the Shikon no Tama, but they were unsuccessful. Inuyasha succeeded in getting the jewel, but on his way from the temple he was attacked by the miko (aka "priestess") Kikyo.

Kikyo pins Inuyasha to the Goshinboku (aka "sacred tree") with a sacred arrow, putting him into a deep sleep. Kikyo, who had already been injured at that point, died shortly after. The Shikon Jewel was burned with Kikyo's body in an attempt to keep it from the hands of demons.



Now we are in modern day (1997) Japan where a young girl named Kagome is being told the story of the Shikon No Tama by her grandfather. Her grandfather gets upset when he notices Kagome isn't interested in his stories. He gives her an early birthday gift, the mummified foot of a water imp, which she gives to her cat Buyo to eat.

The next morning is Kagome's 15th birthday. As Kagome leaves for school she notices her brother near the Sacred Well. Asking him why he is there, she approaches him and stands in the doorway of the well. Once he explains that he believes the cat is down near the well, Kagome heads inside the room and to the well in search of Buyo. They hear a scratching sound that scares Sota, Kagome's brother, but Kagome says it's just Buyo. Kagome walks down the stairs to the well in search of Buyo. After finding her, the well explodes in a flash of blue light and arms reach out and grab Kagome pulling her into the well and transporting her into Feudal Japan.

On the trip to Feudal Japan Kagome notices the thing that grabbed her and gets scared. She pushes it away and when she does so, a purple flash of light hits it sending it away from her. Kagome then lands at the bottom of the well and, thinking she's still home, she calls for her brother to get their grandfather. Using the vines in the well to climb out she quickly notices that she isn't home anymore. She searches around the clearing hoping to find her family when she sees the Sacred Tree from her family shrine. Walking closer to the tree she notices the half-dog demon Inuyasha pinned to the tree. Being a typical girl, she reaches up and pets his cute little dog ears. The villagers, thinking that she is a demon, attack her and capture her when they notice her near Inuyasha.

The villagers take her to their village and call the town priestess Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister, to deal with her. Kaede notices something familiar about Kagome and frees her, then taking her to her hut. Kaede gives Kagome some stew for dinner and tells her that times are troubling and that's why the villagers distrusted her. Kaede then remembers what happened the day her sister died and reflects that it's been fifty years since then.

Meanwhile Mistress Centipede, the demon that brought Kagome into the well, is in the Forest of Inuyasha searching for Kagome and the Shikon Jewel. Mistress Centipede attacks the village in an attempt at getting the Jewel. Sensing the demon is after her, Kagome runs towards the well to try and get it away from the village. While Kagome is running from the demon she calls for help. When she does this, the spell on Inuyasha breaks and he wakes up saying he smells the blood of the women who 'killed' him, Kikyo.

Mistress Centipede attacks Kagome and she lands in front of the Sacred Tree. Inuyasha calls her Kikyo and asks her why she's taking so long to kill the demon, calling her weak in the process. Kagome tells him that she isn't Kikyo and is once again attacked by Mistress Centipede. The villagers attack Mistress Centipede and Inuyasha once again calls Kagome Kikyo. Mad, Kagome yells at Inuyasha that she isn't Kikyo and that her name is Kagome. Inuyasha sniffs her and determines she isn't Kikyo and tells her that Kikyo was much cuter than her. Kagome gets angry and, while she is distracted, Mistress Centipede grabs her. To keep from getting taken Kagome grabs Inuyasha's hair.

Mistress Centipede attempts to bite Kagome but Kagome unknowingly blasts her, cutting off several arms like she had done in the well. Kaede tries to figure out why Inuyasha woke up when the spell should have lasted forever, while Inuyasha wonders why Kagome has the Shikon Jewel. The Shikon Jewel then glows in Kagome's side and Mistress Centipede bites her and throws her into the air. As Kagome falls the Shikon Jewel flies out of the hole bitten in her side. Mistress Centipede then pins Kagome to Inuyasha and the tree by wrapping her long body around it. The demon insults Inuyasha, who claims he can beat her. Kagome asks if what he says is true while Mistress Centipede proceeds to eat the Shikon Jewel.

Inuyasha tells Kagome to pull the arrow out of him so he can save them. Kaede warns Kagome against it, saying Inuyasha will kill them all. Inuyasha says that they will all die if he doesn't save them, and so Kagome pulls the arrow free with the desire to live fresh in her mind. Inuyasha quickly destroys Mistress Centipede with his "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" and Kaede gets the Jewel from her remains once Kagome tells her where it is. Kaede returns the jewel to Kagome, telling her that she is now the protector of the Jewel. Kagome wonders how it even got inside her body when Inuyasha interrupts her thoughts, threatening to kill her if she doesn't give him the Jewel. Kagome wonders how he can be so bad after saving all of their lives and fears she may have been wrong to free him.