Jūra

Jūra is a member of the Shitōshin and is based on a tiger. Carrying a powerful cannon known as Saitenho (Thunder Cannon in the english dub) on his shoulder, that he stole from an opponent years earlier, Jura is a fearsome opponent with lightning fast speed. He is extremely aggressive and violent. He faces off against Sango, Miroku and Kirara singlehandedly and holds his own without any problems. His true form is so powerful that he able to 'kick' off the air.

Invasion of Hōraijima
Many ages ago, the island of Hōraijima was a sanctuary for humans and demons alike. The two groups existed in harmony for many years and intermingled, giving rise to a sizeable population of half-demons. The existence of a half-demon community earned contempt from demons, so, to protect themselves, the people of Hōraijima created the powerful Cauldron of Resonance, which generated a time barrier that separated Hōraijima from the outside world. However, every 50 years the time barrier weakened, and the island reappeared, rendering it vulnerable to raids by demons. The Four War Gods were among the many demons which despised the people of Hōraijima, and one day decided to attack the island during its brief vulnerable period and annihilate the inhabitants.

The humans and demons of Hōraijima were no match for the Four War Gods, among whom was the demon Jūra. The village became engulfed in flame and many villagers fell in battle. However, Jūra and the other War Gods had neglected to kill the island priestess, Kanade. Lady Kanade was quite powerful, but not even she could defeat the combined power of the Four War Gods. In desperation, Lady Kanade was able to seal away the power spheres which granted the four demons their immense power inside a jeweled comb box. With this accomplished, Kanade leapt inside the Cauldron of Resonance, putting the box beyond the reach of any of the Four War Gods. With the island already conquered, Jūra and the others established themselves temporarily on Hōraijima, until they could find a solution to their missing powers.

In time, the Four War Gods discovered that by throwing live half-demons into the Cauldron of Resonance, they could retrieve a portion of their powers trapped inside. In order to survive, the War Gods corrupted the Cauldron with their demonic energy and put their mark on each of the island's half-demons and established a powerful demonic barrier around the island. Anyone who carried the mark would be unable to pass outside the barrier. In this way, the Four War Gods were able to keep the half-demons enslaved, sacrificing them one by one whenever their powers needed rejuvenation. Nevertheless, this was a temporary solution at best, since the War Gods could never retrieve their full powers; furthermore, if they left the island, they would slowly fade away from a lack of demonic energy and die. In order to stay alive, the Four War Gods would have to remain on the island, where they could retain access to the Cauldron. But, due to the slowing effect of the time barrier, the Four War Gods could minimize the amount of power they lost, meaning that they would only need to sacrifice a half-demon whenever the barrier itself weakened (e.g. every 50 years). Nevertheless, until they could retrieve the jeweled comb box from within the Cauldron, the Shitōshin would be trapped on the island forever.

1st form
Jūra is a tan-skinned demon of average height, with short black and white striped hair. Like most humanoid demons, he has pointed ears. He has tan skin and a diamond mark that expands when his sphere of power is inserted. He has very narrow slit-like gold eyes. He has a dark strip-like mark on both sides of his face right above his ears.

2nd form
In his second form, Jūra becomes a lot more muscular. He sprouts three spikes from each of his shoulders. All of his limbs grow a great deal. His eyes become entirely yellow. All of his teeth become fangs, and his regular fangs become larger.

Outfit
Jūra's style of clothing is similar to the armor worn by the other humanoid members of the Shitōshin. On his arms, chest, and back he wear black armor with a gold trim, his boots have a similar design. He wears a tiger-print skirt and what appears to be a giant set of tiger paws an his shoulders. He wears a grey hakama and sash.

Trivia

 * Jūra is one of the four antagonists created for InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island. Each of the Four War Gods is based on one of the Four Sacred Animals of Chinese mythology and astronomy, a common motif in anime and manga. Of the four animals/constellations that make up the group, Jūra represents the White Tiger of the West, known in Japanese as Byakko. Jūra's tiger-striped pelt, black and white hair, animalistic war cries and the form the energy of his power sphere takes after he has been defeated, all reflect this.
 * Coincidentally, Byakko is one of the demon ninjas under Hoshiyomi. Each of these four ninjas have, like the Four War Gods, an affiliation with one of the Four Sacred Animals. Byakko is a tiger demon, similar to Jūra, signifying that he also has an affiliation with the White Tiger.
 * Similar to Menōmaru, the style of dressed employed by the three humanoid members of the Shitōshin is very Chinese in appearance, and does not reflect any Japanese influences. This reflects the Chinese origins of the Hōrai Island myth, known in China as Mount Penglai.
 * Jūra is the only one of the Four War Gods who does not attack with some form of energy.