Episode 180

A Complete Meidō is the thirteenth episode of InuYasha: The Final Act.

Synopsis

 * 1) A mysterious demon named Shishinki appears before Sesshōmaru, claiming to know the secret to Tenseiga's failure to produce a complete Meido Zangetsuha. Sesshomaru follows the demon to Shishinki, the original creator of Meido Zangetsuha, who then attempts to kill Sesshomaru in revenge for his technique being stolen by the Inu no Taisho.

Summary
Sesshōmaru's group is traveling with Jaken sighing; he knows the Meidō isn't a complete circle. This has made Sesshōmaru's worse qualities come to the surface much more. An eyeless boy, approaches them, asking if Sesshōmaru would wishes to know what Tenseiga is missing. Jaken yells at the boy, but is silence by Sesshōmaru; as always, Jaken claims to not have said anything as Rin asks why he lies. The eyeless boy has Sesshōmaru follow her.

Elsewhere in a ravine, Inuyasha's group follows after Kohaku's shard; Inuyasha can smell Sesshōmaru as well. Though this makes it harder for Naraku to complete the Shikon no Tama, Sango is worried. Ahead, Sesshōmaru's group is lead by the boy, with Jaken asking if his master knows her; this is not the case. Jaken then wonders if Sesshōmaru has suspected this a trap; promising a secret about Tenseiga is a bait too juicy to resist. Sesshōmaru says he'll slay the boy if that's the case. However, the boy has vanished. A sphere of purple energy comes at them, barely missing; Kohaku and Rin board A-Un while Jaken falls. Sesshōmaru flies up to see the sender of the attack, a slender, black-clad daiyoukai, and the boy. Sesshōmaru tries to destroy their footing with a Meidō while Kohaku rescues Jaken. The daiyoukai notices Sesshōmaru deliberately aimed below them so he can learn about Tenseiga, and comments mockingly. Sesshōmaru demands the stranger reveal what he knows, and the daiyoukai discloses that he fought Tenseiga when the blade was wielded by the Inu no Taishō; however, Tensiega "looked different" back then. Jaken yells in anger for the demon appearing so young when he's much older. Sesshōmaru swipes at the daiyoukai with his toxic claws, but his opponent vanishes in a blur of black, so the blast only kills the assistant. The demon tells Sesshōmaru it's a deadly mistake to underestimate him, launching another blast, which barely misses A-Un. Upon striking the cliff, however, the blast is revealed to be a perfectly-circular Meido Zangetsuha.

This confuses everyone, who note its size is small, but in the shape of a complete circle. The demon reveals that the technique was stolen from him along with the upper left side of his face, which he hides with a mask; despite missing half his brain, he's still alive. Sesshōmaru quickly guesses this is just a plot for revenge against the son of the Inu no Taishō as he is no longer around. The demon says only one user is needed for a technique, and that Tenseiga is an incomplete blade. This shocks Sesshōmaru, who barely is missed by another Meidō. As the demon refuses to reveal the truth, Sesshōmaru attempts to send him to Hell with his own Meidō. However, it is merely sucked into a smaller one as Sesshōmaru is taunted by how malformed and needlessly large the Meidōs created by Tenseiga are.

Inuyasha's group arrives, something that annoys Sesshōmaru. The demon notices Tessaiga at Inuyasha's side. Myōga yells the demon's name "Shishinki", explaining that Shishinki is known as the "Ogre of Death", and should be dead. Myōga is now worried that Tenseiga's secret will be revealed. Recognizing Myōga, Shishinki sends a blast at Inuyasha's group, which everyone manages to evade. Pissed off, Inuyasha jumps in to attack Shishinki with the Wind Scar. Shishinki evades it, revealing he knows Tessaiga well and that he knows that the Inu no Taishō had two sons. Inuyasha demands answers from Sesshōmaru, who is told by Shishiki that Tessaiga should have been his inheritance. This brings back bad memories for Sesshōmaru. Shishinki wonders why Inuyasha has Tessaiga, making Jaken yell in anger about all the time Sesshōmaru has failed to take Tessaiga; he even losing his left arm as a result. Kohaku tells Jaken that the explanation makes sense, but Rin says if Sesshōmaru heard him, he'd have been punished for revealing one of Sesshōmaru's losses.

Sesshōmaru demands to know why Shishinki is wasting fighting time on chatter. Inuyasha's group is surprised as they watch both Meidōs clash and vanish. Myōga has now abandoned Inuyasha for the safer location his friends are at. Shishinki explains that he faced Tessaiga, not Tenseiga; in fact Tenseiga didn't even exist back then. Shishinki guesses the Inu no Taishō couldn't control Meidō Zangetsuha after stealing it from him, leading to it being discarded in Tenseiga, a sword born of Tessaiga. This angers Sesshōmaru, who Shishinki believes was ignored by the Inu no Taishō, who left Tessaiga to Inuyasha. Sesshōmaru thinks of what Tessaiga has done: rejecting him with a barrier, cutting off his left arm. Tenseiga had been useless until Kagura's death allowed him to master Meidō Zangetsuha, which is now revealed to be a cast-off technique. Sesshōmaru furiously wonders why his father did this to him. Shishinki explains that Tenseiga is an incomplete sword, so the Meidōs it launches are incomplete themselves as a result; no amount of training can change that. Shishinki tries sending Sesshōmaru to Hell, but Inuyasha uses the Wind Scar to divert the Meidō.

Shishinki tells Inuyasha not to be impatient by helping Sesshōmaru; they'll fight once Sesshōmaru is dead. Sesshōmaru punches Inuyasha, telling him not to interfere. Kagome, Miroku and Sango quickly realizes Sesshōmaru is at the boiling point after hearing the truth about Tenseiga; however, Kagome wonders why the Meidō Zangetsuha was left in Tenseiga instead of being destroyed. Knowing how angry Sesshōmaru will be once the full truth is revealed, Myōga keeps quiet. Sesshōmaru attempts to kill Shishinki, but is forced back by a barrage of Meidōs. Everyone tries warning him against it, but Sesshōmaru's judgement is too clouded by rage to think clearly. Myōga says he must tell Sesshōmaru the truth about what the Inu no Taishō had planned, but laments being unable to reach him. Miroku sends Myōga to Sesshōmaru via a thrown sutra. Myōga explains since unlike a half-demon like Inuyasha who would be overwhelmed by the Underworld's demonic energy, a full-demon like Sesshōmaru was entrusted with mastering the Meidō Zangetusha. Shishinki then wonders why Tessaiga was not simply bequeathed to Sesshōmaru instead. Myōga says it's a good point and flees.

Sesshōmaru charges at Shishinki, who sends his left sleeve to the Hell; however, Sesshōmaru breaks Shishinki's mask with his claws as being reminded of losing his left arm angers him. Shishinki is angered by this, but Sesshōmaru says a filthy mouth like Shishinki's defiles Tenseiga. Inuyasha tries using the Adamant Barrage, but the Meidōs simply absorb the spears of adamant. Tessaiga and Tenseiga begin simultaneously pulse, which Sesshōmaru realizes is Tenseiga telling him to help Inuyasha and Tessaiga, much to his great frustration. Shishinki fires a barrage of Meidōs, which cannot be dodged. Though he may never be able to understand his father's reasons, Sesshōmaru is now angry Shishinki thinks he can take his life. Sesshōmaru fires a Meidō, but rather than emerging incomplete, it appears as a gigantic sphere and swallows Shishinki's Meidōs. As Shishinki is pulled in, he realizes Tessaiga helped Tenseiga complete the Meidō, and thus divines the Inu no Taishō's real plan. As he is consumed into the darkness of the Underworld, Shishinki yells that he pities Sesshōmaru, for what his father had planned was truly cruel.

Once the Meidō closes, everyone is left amazed. Not too surprising, Myōga ended up on Kagome's shoulder, a safe distance from the fight. Sesshōmaru stares at Tenseiga, but merely sheathes it and begins to depart silently. Inuyasha claims that Shishinki was lying; Tenseiga is a complete blade with a complete Meidō Zangetsuha; Inuyasha is only trying to get Sesshōmaru to stop bugging him about Tessaiga, wanting him to accept Tenseiga as a proper inheritance from their father. Sesshōmaru is annoyed by Inuyasha's lack of understanding; it was because both blades were together that the Meidō could become a complete circle. In response to Inuyasha's proffered olive branch, he replies that they are destined to fight to the day they die. Sesshōmaru leaves with Kohaku, Rin and Jaken following on A-Un. Sango is left concerned.

Myōga goes on to explain that Tenseiga was entrusted to Sesshōmaru because he was trustworthy of mastering the Meidō Zangetsuha; however Myōga is now left worried as Sesshōmaru knows the true hidden purpose of Tenseiga. The episode ends with Inuyasha looking off in the direction Sesshōmaru left in, and pondering about his brother.