Episode 178

Kanna's Gravestone is the eleventh episode of InuYasha: The Final Act.

Synopsis

 * 1) Kanna has proven herself to be more dangerous than anyone believed possible; her Mirror Demon has stolen Tessaiga's powers and is using them against Inuyasha.
 * 2) Inuyasha defeats the mirror demon and restores Tetsusaiga's power.
 * 3) In an attempt to kill Inuyasha, Naraku crushes Kanna's heart, destroying her in an explosion. At the last second Kanna betrays Naraku, and her final act is to tell Kagome that the last light of the Shikon Jewel can destroy Naraku.

Summary
Night has fallen, and Miroku has erected a barrier to seal everyone inside a cave for their own safety. Shippō wonders about the Mirror Demon, asking if this fight is just like the one against Tōshū and Dakki. Miroku explains that though the powers of their opponents are similar, there is one key difference between them; Dakki was wielded by a human, and thus had a limit to the amount of demonic energy it could steal. However, this Mirror Demon is being controlled by Kanna, so the amount of demonic energy it can absorb may be near-limitless. Elsewhere, Kanna continues to search for Inuyasha's group with her Mirror Demon. As she continues looking for her target, Kanna thinks of Kagura, and how she found her fan before tossing it into the pond. The Saimyōshō find Miroku's barrier and thus lead Kanna to it, along with the Mirror Demon. Byakuya of the Dreams arrives, asking Kanna if everything is going to Naraku's plan; Kanna greets him by name.

The Mirror Demon looms next to the entrance of the cave, shocking everyone as it uses the Red Tessaiga to break the barrier. Sango tosses Hiraikotsu at the top of the cave's entrance, stalling the Mirror Demon with debris. Using the distraction, Kagome fires an arrow at its neck, but the arrow does nothing except vanish along with the wound it created. At the same time, a dark crack appears on Kanna's neck. Concerned, Byakuya asks Kanna what happened to her neck; however, she simply ingores him. Annoyed, Byakuya says it's fine to not answer. Inuyasha draws Tessaiga, ready to fight, but is advised against it by Shippō; it's only a shell without its powers. Kanna orders the Mirror Demon to use Adamant Barrage, making the cave rumble. Inuyasha clashes blades with it, to keep the adamant spears from being launched.

However, Inuyasha isn't successful as the Mirror Demon knocks him away. Kagome catches Inuyasha as Sango shields herself, Miroku and Shippō with Hiraikotsu. The adamant spears are fired, with everyone waiting for the inevitable demise that awaits them. However, once the attack is finished, everyone notices not a single one of them was hit; the adamant spears are only embedded in the cave walls. Shippō takes note that it looks like the spears tried to avoid them. Inuyasha explains that it was Tessaiga's barrier that protected them; almost gloating, he says it's not a useless shell after all. Unfortunately, everyone is now looking at Inuyasha in fright; his face has changed, meaning his demon blood has awakened. Kagome tells Inuyasha, making him look at his claws in shock. Shippō panics, saying Inuyasha won't know who they are once he transforms; he'll kill them, and even enjoy it. The Mirror Demon prepares another attack. Inuyasha says for it to bring it on. Kagome asks Inuyasha if he recognizes them. Inuyasha says despite what he looks like, his mind is perfectly clear; Tessaiga is seeking out his demonic energy to help him fight.

Inuyasha lands a blow on the Mirror Demon's left shoulder, knocking it out of the cave; however, the wound heals. At the same time, Kanna receives a crack on her left shoulder. Byakuya guesses that Kanna is taking its damage to keep it fighting. With everyone out of the cave, the fight is now fair. Miroku and Sango tell Inuyasha to let them help him; however, he tells them to stay back or he'll come after them next, saying that he doesn't know what he'll do now that he's in demon form. This makes Kagome worry about him. However, Inuyasha's thoughts reveal it was only a bluff to keep them away; this fight is between him and the Mirror Demon, so he wants no-one to interfere with it.

Elsewhere, Naraku finds it amusing that Inuyasha has transformed into a demon once again; this turn of events will make it all the more easier to kill him, with the very technique he struggled so hard to master. The Mirror Demon switches its fake Tessaiga from Diamond form to Dragon-scaled. Everyone realizes that Inuyasha is a mass of demonic energy when he's transformed, and warn him. However, Inuyasha continues, telling the Mirror Demon to take its best shot. As Inuyasha expected, the Mirror Demon proved to be too slow to hit his demon vortex, allowing him to get behind it momentarily. When it turns, Inuyasha takes the opening to cut its right eye, proceeding to cut that part of its head off. However, a flash of light later, the Mirror Demon's head is back together, healed once again. Able to be nothing more than a mix of shock and annoyance, Inuyasha wonders if the Mirror Demon is immortal. A pink energy escapes the demon and envelopes Kanna for a moment. Once the light dies, her right eye cracks, leaving it blind. Seeing this, everyone realizes Kanna has been taking on the Mirror Demon's damage.

Inuyasha yells for Kanna to stop interfering as he has no intention of killing her. Kanna pays him no mind and forms a circle with her hands; a shadow of the mirror appears around Inuyasha as a portal of light opens above. Inuyasha tries getting away, but the shadow follows him where-ever he goes. Byakuya calls Inuyasha an idiot, saying that killing Kanna would have been the correct move as she cannot defend herself while the mirror is in demon form. Inuyasha shields himself with Tessaiga's barrier, reflecting the beam of light back and cracking the Mirror Demon's stomach; the damage is then transferred to Kanna so it can heal. Kanna pins Inuyasa with a single beam of light, focusing it by pushing down with her palm; both Tessaiga (due to the beating it's taking) and Kanna (due to taking the Mirror Demon's injuries) begin cracking as the stalemate continues. Kagome sees this and realizes Naraku wants Inuyasha and Kanna to killl each other. Naraku tells Kanna that she's to keep going, and not to let up; he materializes her heart in his hand, saying he'll be watching until the end. Sango says Inuyasha can endure Kanna's attack longer than usual thanks to being in demon form, but it won't last forever. Kagome warns Kanna that she's going to fire an arrow into the light. Kanna crosses her arms and the shadow vanishes.

Inuyasha realizes there's a way to wing without having to kill Kanna, moving to destroy the fake Tessaiga. Kanna immediately figures out his plan and has the Mirror Demon sacrifice its left hand, only for hers to come off to replace its. Inuyasha yells at her once again for continuing to interfere; everyone else does the same. Miroku realizes Inuyasha's plan; Tessaiga takes the powers of whatever it cuts, so cutting the copy would restore its stolen powers. Byakuya is confused, thinking Inuyasha's group is insane; Kagome should have fired the arrow into the light and killed Kanna, not give her fair warning. Naraku also finds the idea laughable. Kanna has no emotions, so she can't understand the meaning of pity; the concept is lost to her. Inuyasha tries cutting the blade again, but the Mirror Demon sacrifices its right arm. Looking up at Kanna, Inuyasha furiously calls her an idiot in his mind as her right arm falls off. However, the Mirror Demon doesn't heal, and Tessaiga has successfully cut its copy. Kagome yells at Kanna, asking her why she's maiming herself. Inuyasha is then thrown backwards by a sudden explosion of light.

When Inuyasha pulls himself up, he finds himself back in his normal half-demon form. Looking at the Mirror Demon's still cut-off arm, everyone sees that the fake Tessaiga no longer exists. Since she cannot heal it again, a defeated Kanna stands in front of the Mirror Demon, perhaps shielding it. Inuyasha tells that Kanna their fight is over, pointing his blade at her. Shippō wonders if Inuyasha is going to kill Kanna. However, Inuyasha tells her to scram, sheathing Tessaiga. Byakuya says that they've wasted yet another opportunity. Inuyasha tells Kanna that killing her would give him nightmares; Miroku guesses that's something even Naraku would want. Now that Kanna has been half-destroyed, Miroku believes that Naraku will not bother looking for her since she is of no further use to him. Sango agrees, believing Kanna may be able to survive, despite having no hands. Kagome tells Kanna that it's over, leaving Kanna confused. However, Naraku telepathically tells Kanna it's not over; she's to take Inuyasha's group with her.

Kagome asks Kanna if she understand that she's free now, making Kanna have a vision of Kagura. Naraku orders Kanna to walk over to Inuyasha and his group as he begins squeezing her heart. Kanna and the Mirror Demon begin bursting with light. A worried Kagome asks Kanna what's happening, as Naraku continues ordering Kanna to get closer to Inuyasha's group as she's not close enough to take them with. However, even though her body continues to crack as Naraku's grip on her heart tightens, Kanna remains still; she's defying Naraku's orders. Kagome sees that Kanna is trying to tell her something, but can't hear what it is she's saying. Kagome walks closer to hear Kanna, asking her what she's trying to tell her. However, the moment Kagome gets close enough to his living bomb, Naraku smirks and shatters Kanna's heart. Kanna and the Mirror Demon emit a bright light. Sensing danger, Inuyasha picks up Kagome and rushes away with her.

At the very moment they flee, Kanna and the Mirror Demon explode into hundreds of glass shards. Kagome yells Kanna's name in concern, just as a shard hits her eye. Sango protects herself, Miroku and Shippō with Hiraikotsu while Inuyasha uses Tessaiga's barrier to shield himself and Kagome. Inuyasha asks Kagome if she's okay, to which she answers by saying a shard got in her eye. Holding her eye, Kagome suddenly hears Kanna's voice. She then sees a vision of the Shikon no Tama, which has been defiled by Naraku; however, there's a single speck of pure light deep within it. Kanna's voice says "the light will destroy Naraku." Kagome wonder why Kanna is showing her this.

Once the explosion subsides, nothing is left of Kanna except the crater created by her self-destruction and the frame of her mirror, which holds shards of glass. Byakuya pities the "poor, little thing" for her fate, taking note that Naraku has a cruel steak in him. Decided that he should be careful to avoid the same fate, Byakuya boards his origami crane and flies away; no-one bothers to try stopping him (most likely because their attention is focused on Kanna's suicide/murder). At the same time, Naraku notes that Kanna is dead now, without taking a single of his enemies with her to the afterlife. Annoyed by this result, Naraku then wonders if Kanna regrets being unable to follow his orders. However, he than laughs, asking himself what he's thinking; the very idea is completely ridiculous. Kanna didn't have a "heart", so how could she feel anything, even regret for falling to serve her final purpose.

Back to the site of Kanna's death, Inuyasha picks up her mirror, saying she didn't have to die. As he examines the mirror, some of the remaining shards of broken glass in the mirror crumble into dust and blow away. Shippō wonders if Kanna was trying to take them with her. However, Kagome tells him that wasn't what Kanna wanted. She sheds a tear as the shard falls from her eye; the tear shatters the shard before it can hit the ground. Grieving for Kanna, Kagome explains that Kanna didn't want to die; she wanted to live. Now knowing Kanna wasn't responsible (and was yet another life Naraku took advantage of), Inuyasha places her mirror back in the crater. Kagome promises Kanna she heard her last wish.

The episode ends with everyone looking at Kanna's mirror as tiny shards of glass continue to rain down from above.