Inuyasha

"Should something terrible be caused again by the Shikon Jewel, whatever it may be, I shall cut it down with my own hands."

- Inuyasha

is the main protagonist, as well as the title character, in the manga series InuYasha and its anime adaptation. The half-demon son of a great demon father, known as the Tōga, and a human mother named Izayoi; he was bound to a sacred tree by a magical arrow from the priestess Kikyō's bow while attempting to capture the Shikon Jewel. Inuyasha sought the Jewel, thinking it could transform him into a full-fledged demon. Kagome Higurashi, Kikyō's reincarnation, released him from this spell, but soon after, she accidentally shattered the Shikon no Tama into hundreds of fragments. They reluctantly agreed to work together as a team on Kaede's behalf to recover all of the fragments that had scattered across Feudal Japan before they fell into the wrong hands. Over time they developed a close bond and eventually fell in love and got married, and became parents to a daughter they named Moroha. Unfortunately, they had to be parted for most of her early life, having been sent away for her own safety.

Early Life
Inuyasha was born to a human noblewoman named Izayoi, and her dog-demon lover, the Tōga. Angered by her fraternization with a demon, Izayoi's own guardsman, Takemaru, pierced her with a spear on the very night of the lunar eclipse for Inuyasha's birth. Izayoi had just enough strength to give birth to Inuyasha before succumbing to her mortal wounds, though she was soon resurrected by Tōga's sword of healing, the Tenseiga. Tōga, suffering mortal wounds from a climactic battle with Ryūkotsusei, had just enough time left to name the newborn Inuyasha and say goodbye to his infant son and Izayoi before encouraging them to run away. He perished that night, using the last of his strength to prevent Takemaru from pursuing them, leaving Inuyasha to be raised by his mortal mother.

Inuyasha's childhood was very lonely, save for his interaction with his mother. Being a hanyō, Inuyasha was accepted neither by humans nor yōkai. He would always be called "half breed" by other kids. Ostracized by all humans except for his mother, he was devastated when she died while he was still young. He was left with only the Robe of the Fire-Rat she had received from his father, as well as a container of rouge (the equivalent of modern lipstick), which he later gifted to Kikyō before being sealed to the sacred tree.

Unable to fight back as a child, Inuyasha was often forced into hiding whenever he encountered hostile yōkai. Such situations left him frustrated at being powerless to defend himself until he was older. Because of this, he developed a hostile and defensive personality, becoming especially reclusive on the night of the new moon, during which he lost his demon powers and became a mere mortal. Inuyasha mentioned he never once slept during the new moon to prevent his weakness from being known. When he heard of the Shikon no Tama's ability to turn even half-demons into full-fledged yōkai, he went in search of it.

First Love
Inuyasha planned to steal the Jewel from Kikyō; the miko tasked with purifying and protecting it. After several unsuccessful attempts to even approach Kikyō, Inuyasha began to develop intense romantic feelings for her, and she for him. After Inuyasha mentioned she reeked with the smell of blood, Kikyō began to take baths every day, and Inuyasha would watch from afar. Their subsequent encounters lead to a close relationship after Inuyasha saved Kaede from Mistress Centipede, who was planning on taking her hostage to take the Shikon no Tama back from Kikyō. Inuyasha and Kikyō met in a non-violent meeting for the first time after this and quickly fell for each other. After this, Kikyō became more human, displaying more emotions and playing with children while Inuyasha gave up his quest for the Shikon no Tama, deciding it wasn't worth losing Kikyō. He lived in the village for a while and assisted Kikyō whenever she needed it. After Kikyō's powers became weakened from falling in love with Inuyasha, resulting in Kaede losing her right eye, Kikyō pondered what to do.

Eventually, Kikyō had the idea of using the Jewel to make Inuyasha a full human, as this would purify the Shikon no Tama and liberate Kikyō from the task of protecting it. The idea of leading normal lives together appealed to them both.

Another hanyō named Naraku, born from a human criminal that was pitied by Kikyō had been observing the pair and hoped to steal the Shikon no Tama for himself. He subsequently tricked Kikyō and Inuyasha into betraying one another. Inuyasha broke into Kikyō's village and stole the Shikon no Tama, convinced that Kikyō had never planned to turn him human, to begin with. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the jewel, Kikyō shot Inuyasha with a sacred arrow and sealed him to the Sacred Tree of Ages with a spell of eternal sleep. Moments afterward, Kikyō collapsed from a fatal wound she had received from Naraku, who was disguised as Inuyasha at the time of the attack. She instructed her younger sister Kaede to burn the Jewel along with her body so that demons and evil men could never again use it for evil deeds. She died soon after, and she wishes to burn the Jewel was fulfilled. Despite how things went, Inuyasha still loved Kikyō.

Reawakened
Fifty years later, Kikyō's modern-day reincarnation, fifteen-year-old Kagome Higurashi, entered the feudal era through the Bone-Eater's Well, unknowingly bringing the Shikon no Tama with her. The jewel's presence awakened nearby demons, but it was the scent of Kagome's blood when she was attacked by a reanimated Mistress Centipede that roused Inuyasha from his spell. Upon first seeing her, Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyō, due to their similar appearances, but his sense of smell proved they were indeed different people. Inuyasha was subsequently freed by Kagome in order to help fight off Mistress Centipede. After killing Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha attacked Kagome to get the Shikon no Tama for himself, but was thwarted by an elderly Kaede. She put her deceased sister's Beads of Subjugation around the hanyō's neck, which allowed Kagome to subdue him simply by saying the word "Sit!"

Being unable to remove the necklace, Inuyasha was effectively rendered powerless in Kagome's presence. Soon after, Kagome accidentally shattered the Sacred Jewel while shooting at a crow demon that was attempting to escape with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inuyasha reluctantly agreed to team up with her to find and collect all of the fragments.

Quest to find the Sacred Jewel fragments
Inuyasha and Kagome began their journey to collect the shards of the Sacred Jewel, their tolerance for one another growing after defeating their first major enemy, Yura of the Demon Hair. Afterward, Inuyasha's half-brother, the full demon Sesshōmaru, came asking the whereabouts of the Tōga's tomb, seeking the treasure that was endowed there. The two brothers' encounter allowed Inuyasha to obtain the Tessaiga, a fang-sword that originally belonged to his father, which Sesshōmaru had sought. After obtaining the sword and temporarily defeating his brother, Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship deepened, and they began to care for one another. As time passed, they started to gain allies in their quest for the shards, notably Shippō, Miroku, and Sango. Inuyasha also learned of the existence of the nefarious shape-shifting demon known as Naraku by Miroku that his grandfather Miyatsu have been cursed to create the Kazaana and realized that Naraku must have set a trap for Kikyō 50 years ago and tricked them both into betraying one another. Upon learning that Naraku was also looking for the shards, Inuyasha vowed to destroy him and avenge Kikyō's death.

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Naraku's Minions and Broken Tessaiga
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Overcome Naraku's Barrier
Desperately seeking a way to destroy Naraku's barrier, he traveled to meet Tōtōsai for advice, and Myōga learned how to strengthen Tessaiga and achieve the feat. Myōga informed Inuyasha he needed to travel to a specific island where a bat Daiyōkai named Taigokumaru uses his half-demon grandchild named Shiori to power his own protection barrier similar to Naraku's, and upon having Tessaiga drink her blood, it would be strong enough to break Naraku's barrier. However, Taigokumaru's barrier could not be penetrated as Shiori generates a barrier with a high enough demonic aura that the Tessaiga was not strong enough to penetrate the barrier. Confident in his ability to defeat Inuyasha, Taigokumaru attacked Shiori's village. Shiori's mother emerged and pleaded for him to stop, but Taigokumaru revealed he had killed Shiori's father for his insolence, so as retribution, Shiori pushed her grandfather out of the barrier and allowed Inuyasha to vanquish him. However, Inuyasha did not have the heart to kill Shiori as he felt she was an innocent child and vowed to find another demon with a barrier to kill to strengthen his sword. However, she offered the Blood coral crystal as penance for her wrongs and allowed him to destroy the crystal. This, in turn, strengthened the Tessaiga to transform into a red evolved version.

Meanwhile, Naraku had plans to absorb Sesshōmaru. He had Kagura abduct Rin, as bait, then lowered his barrier and allowed his scent to escape to lure Sesshōmaru to his castle. At the same time, Inuyasha began tracking the scene to the castle as well. As they drew close, Kagome began to sense a Jewel Shard fragment nearby. Inuyasha forged forward as they investigated the shard. Upon arriving at the barrier's wall, Inuyasha destroyed the barrier with his new Red Tessaiga. Naraku was in the middle of his battle with Sesshōmaru when he sensed Inuyasha's newfound power. He sent Kagura to stop Inuyasha while he dealt with Sesshōmaru. However, Kagura still yearning for her freedom from Naraku, barely put up a fight to stop Inuyasha and instead allowed him to pass.

Upon arriving, Inuyasha used his Wind Scar on Naraku. This freed Sesshōmaru, who had been engulfed in Naraku's body and was in the process of being absorbed. Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha both attacked Naraku and critically injured him in their strikes. However, Naraku fled in a miasma cloud, leaving Rin behind as a distraction to allow him to escape. As Sesshōmaru ran to find Rin, Inuyasha realized that Kohaku might be guarding her and ran to save his life, knowing Sesshōmaru would kill him. At the same time, Naraku used the Jewel Shard implanted in Kohaku's back to command him to kill Rin. Inuyasha arrived in time and stepped between Sesshōmaru and Kohaku's attacks. However, Sesshōmaru used the distraction to threaten Kohaku but releases him and leaves with Rin. Inuyasha began to think Naraku could not have gone far with his injuries but could sense no trace of him.

The Battle with Band of Seven and Mount Hakurei
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In search of the final Shikon Jewel shard
He and the others learn of monks and priests being killed by the Infant who was cut in half by one monk named Shinsen and later encounter one half of the Infant having grown up into the body of a young child and taken the name of Hakudōshi, who reveals to them that one fragment of the sacred jewel other than the ones in possession of Kōga and Kohaku, remains located in the Border of the Afterlife. The group then learn from a Kawauso who was decapitated by Hakudōshi but revived by Sesshōmaru at Tenseiga's request of how the Border of the Afterlife looks like and he and Kagome realize that it is where the grave of his father was of which they had gone before. Thus he goes to Tōtōsai’s to ask Myōga for a way to return to his father’s grave, and the old flea takes him and his friends to the creator of the black pearl named Hōsenki, only to learn that he passed away and his son cannot create a new one before 100 years. Thereafter, Hakudōshi arranges for him and his group to go to the Gate of the Afterlife in the Realm of Fire to test if it was safe. It proved impossible for his sword to defeat the giant statues guarding the gate so he uses the Red Tessaiga to cut the chains that keep the gate closed, only to see that anything trying to pass through the opened gate would turn into stone, although it allowed Kagome to confirm a sacred jewel shard being indeed in the Border to the Afterlife as she could sense its presence beyond the gate before it closed.

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Battle against Mōryōmaru
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Kikyō's Death
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As the sun sets, Inuyasha asks everyone to be left alone with her. During the night, as he cradles Kikyō in his arms, she asks him if he remembers the discussion they had about him becoming human using the Shikon Jewel which would have allowed her to become a normal woman, before Naraku drove them apart, to which he answers that he could not forget, and tells him that she finally became an ordinary woman. Distraught, he tells Kikyō that she is the first woman he ever love and begins to cry and mournfully yells not having been able to save her, but Kikyō surprised to see him cry for the first time tells him that it was enough that he tried, and he kisses her passionately. As Kikyō dies, her body dissolves in a bright light and her soul collectors arrive and carry it into the starry night sky towards heaven. As Inuyasha watches the stars, he at least knows that Kikyō will not suffer anymore.

Thereafter, he and his friends arrive at a village controlled by a yōkai named Kaō who uses people's sufferings as sustenance for his flowers, and he would be lured to Kaō's mansion as his pain was deemed so great by Kaō stating that he wishes to join Kikyō in death, that it would have the finest flavor for his flowers. Enveloped in vines, Inuyasha is pulled through the ground by a pool of blood and is taken inside Kaō's mansion, where he cries blood while dreaming of Kikyō, who extends her hand beckoning him to come with her, but he wakes up by hearing Kagome yelling for him and together with her succeeds in destroying the demon, although he learned that her pain was greater than his. Having realized that he was so focused on his own suffering that he didn't notice that Kagome was also suffering greatly for Kikyō's death, he apologized to her.

Inheriting Meidō Zangetsuha
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Final Battle
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Until a Meidō opens behind Kagome and sucks her in; Inuyasha tries to grab her, but is unsuccessful as the Meidō closes. Kaede points out that the well has vanished along with Kagome.

Everyone is left wondering what just happened; however they then remember Naraku said he made a final wish on the jewel. Shippō reveals that he saw Byakuya sample the Meidō Zangetsuha, which was used on Kagome. Inuyasha thinks about why Naraku was so desperate to reach this well; being his final act, one would think Naraku would have tried taking his enemies with him. Miroku then asks what happened to the Shikon Jewel as it has vanished, making Inuyasha have a realization. Grabbing Tessaiga, Inuyasha begs his blade to take him to Kagome. Jumping into the air, Inuyasha opens a Meidō and dives into it, shocking everyone as they think he's jumping into Hell. However, Inuyasha knows the jewel feared Kagome's spiritual powers and wouldn't want her to live.

Inuyasha explores the Meidō, hearing the voices of Kagome's family, seemingly in the closed off portal between the Modern and Feudal Eras. He yells to them, concerned that Kagome hadn't turned up on their side of the well. Grandpa Higurashi explains that the well vanished while Sōta asks if someone hurt Kagome. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi are confused by Inuyasha's disembodied voice. Inuyasha explains he'll find her and resumes his search in the Meidō.

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He saw a glowing pink light line as the Tessaiga glows black that leads to Kagome so he opens a Meidō and reunite with Kagome and a kiss. They look at the Shikon Jewel as Kagome prepares to grant her wish, she tells it to disappear forever, they're glad it's over. First, the Bone-Eater's Well in the modern era is back as she reunited with her family but she thanked him for saving her life, the magic happened forced him back to the feudal era as he told Miroku, Sango, and Shippō that Kagome is safe.

Epilogue
Three years later in Feudal Era, Miroku is exorcising a demon from a mansion in exchange for a bail of rice for each charm he uses; Miroku places three, which scares his customers. A canine demon escapes from the building, prompting Miroku to call for Inuyasha. Spacing out, Inuyasha hears Miroku and easily slays the demon. He carrying Miroku's payment, Inuyasha scolds his friend for still being a swindler; however, Miroku defends his actions by saying he has a lot of expenses now. This prompts Inuyasha to ask if Sango is having the baby now.

Inuyasha tells Kaede exactly the same thing about Kagome. As Shippō returns from the Fox Demon Exam, Shippō ask Inuyasha keeps checking the well every three days. Kaede is impressed by Inuyasha's persistence as the half-demon kicks Shippō into the distance as punishment for revealing an embarrassing secret.

The next day, Miroku and Sango are hanging their laundry out to dry as the twins play with Inuyasha's ear; Shippō laughs that he's been reduced to the twins toy. Inuyasha asks their parents to do something. He catching a scent, Inuyasha picks up the twins and tosses them on Shippō, telling them to "go slay the fox". Inuyasha races to the Bone Eater's Well, knowing there's no way he could mistake this scent. He looks into the well and holds out his hand; Kagome grabs it and he pulls her out of the well. Crying, Kagome apologizes, and asks how long he was waiting there. Calling Kagome an idiot, Inuyasha wonders what she's been doing all this time. Miroku, Sango and Shippō arrive soon afterwards with the kids, happily surprised to see Kagome again after three long years.

Hanyō no Yashahime
Six months later, Inuyasha and Miroku went to a village to fight Root Head, a plant demon who desired the Shikon Jewel and was then sealed by Kikyō many decades ago, but the enemy escapes. Unaware that Kikyō has been dead for decades but has had her immense spiritual powers reborn in her modern-day reincarnation, Kagome, Root Head attacks Kagome. Inuyasha and Kagome apparently succeeded in defeating it but a small part of the demon survived by attaching itself to the Sacred Tree of Ages.

After a month, Hōsenki II reached Inuyasha to give him a new Black Pearl he was able to create using Izayoi's Beni and the green rainbow pearl, given to him by Riku. Inuyasha decides to keep the pearl in his right eye, where it was originally after he shows Hōsenki II the Hōsenki I's special technique Adamant Barrage.

Four years later, Kagome became pregnant with their first child, a daughter they named Moroha. They arrived at the palace of Sesshōmaru's mother where to stop the Grim Comet. However, Kirinmaru was awakened by Zero, who reminded him of the prophecy made by the Shikon no Tama that Kirinmaru would be defeated by "an existence that is neither human nor demon and that can surpass time". Thus, Kirinmaru decided to kill all half demons, even quarter demon, including Inuyasha and Moroha. Sesshōmaru showed up, apparently to help Kirinmaru in defeating Inuyasha. When Moroha was born, however, his true goal was probably to protect his brother, as Inuyasha and Kagome were already informed of the danger (by Sesshōmaru himself presumably) in which they had given Moroha to Hachiemon and sent her away to Kōga's tribe to protect her. Before Kirinmaru could attack them, Sesshōmaru extracted the Black Pearl from Inuyasha's right eye and used it to trap both him and Kagome in Tōga's tomb in order to protect them from Kirinmaru. Although they are still sealed inside the black pearl, it is said that they will be released eventually, as Jaken claimed Sesshōmaru needs Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha technique.

Personality
Even when his life was in danger, Inuyasha refused to back down. Enemies were taken aback by his unorthodox fighting style, and he achieved victories greater than his abilities would suggest. Inuyasha was driven by a fierce, persistent determination to win, and his guts in battle have proven to work in his favor. However, his volatile emotions could often drive him to behave childishly and became tiresome to his friends at times. Inuyasha himself could not control his tumultuous soul. Even if seriously wounded, he would completely forget about his pain the moment someone he was trying to protect was in danger. Because of this, his emotions often pushed his body past its limits. This was especially true when Kagome was involved. Inuyasha was incredibly hotheaded and easy to upset, often striking out with his fists toward the source of his annoyance. He even occasionally struck young kids if they bothered him, which was often the case with Shippō. He was impatient by nature and could be very prideful, having much difficulty admitting he was wrong about something.

Inuyasha speaks in a rather harsh Japanese. He never uses honorifics to address other characters, and when speaking to someone he doesn't like, he casually uses the term "temee", a highly aggressive way of saying "you" to an opponent, which can be also translated as "bastard". His respect for the elderly is almost non-existent, in fact he often calls them "-baba" or "-jiji", which can be translated as "old witch" and "old", respectively. When referring to himself he uses the masculine pronoun "ore", which suits his personality and strength.

Inuyasha kept the fact that he lost his demon power on the night of the new moon a secret. Having grown up in a dog-eat-dog world, shunned by humans and demons-alike, constantly in danger, Inuyasha grew cynical and, for a long time, trusted no one. He believed, having lived through a cruel past, that he might be killed if he relaxed or let his guard down. However, since meeting Kagome and gaining friends who knew of his secret, he opened his heart to others and forged bonds that allowed him to entrust his life to others. Even with his friends beside him, however, he never truly let go of this worry, and his friends quietly accepted this.

Having lost many of the people he cared about at an early age Inuyasha does not like admitting he cares however he does expose his good inner nature in casual moments. He could not hide his true feelings. Although his friends described him as "easily deceived and honest to a fault" and "unable to understand the subtleties of the human spirit," his personality was difficult to dislike. Inuyasha was extremely susceptible to spells and trickery and had a blunt, almost brutal honesty about most things, which was why he often seemed to be rude and disrespectful to others. For example, he blatantly told Kagome her food was horrible when she made it all to impress him. This was mostly due to the fact that having been ostracized from both human and demonic communities, Inuyasha had very little experience in how to properly react in social situations. Despite his tough and insensitive exterior, he truly cared about his friends who acted as a family to him; each of them, in their own way, saved him from his loneliness, and vice-versa.

While Inuyasha hesitates when killing his enemies, he despises those that killed for fun and gladly rescued people in torment. He believed that all life was equally important. He had a strong distaste for people who ostracized others just for being different, carried over from his own lonely childhood. To that degree, he empathized with Jinenji and Shiori who suffered similar pain like him.

Inuyasha generally valued power more than fighting tactics, and fighting spirit more than wisdom. He fought multitudes of powerful enemies and suppressed them with raw power and instinct. Rather than analyze matters, Inuyasha ran on reckless emotion, and, even if seriously injured in battle, he eventually achieved favorable results in the end. Inuyasha's instinct and experience was less a product of training and more a matter of daily survival. When he saw something new, his eyes lit up, and he tried to interact with it. Additionally, he is capable of incredible cunning. In his first battle with Kagura, she was able to prevent him from using his Wind Scar. However, he was able to direct Kagome into using her arrows to disperse Kagura's wind magic. This way, when she used her magic again, he would be able to momentarily use the Kaze no Kizu, and he did. In his battle with Ginkotsu, Ginkotsu was using his wires to prevent Inuyasha from using his sword, and by transforming his sword into its sealed state, he was able to avoid the wires. Finally, Inuyasha defeated Ryūjin by using his Kaze no Kizu several times so the dragon demon could absorb his energy and fire the energy back at Inuyasha, allowing him to use the Bakuryūha, and defeat Ryūjin. However, he is not a perfect strategist, as he has been repeatedly outmaneuvered by Naraku. Inuyasha was dense and rather slow to catch on; for example, he didn't know of Sango's strong romantic feelings for Miroku until much later than the rest of the group.

Fifty years before his awakening, Inuyasha met Kikyō and began to develop intensely pure romantic feelings for her. By meeting Kikyō, he learned the warmth of the human heart and became romantically attracted to her. Through a conspiracy, however, they have torn apart. When he learned that Kikyō had given her life to follow him in death, Inuyasha vowed never to let another woman die again. Those feelings carried over for Kikyō's modern-day reincarnation, Kagome. The concept of Kikyō being reincarnated was utterly confusing to Inuyasha, and all he ever saw when he looked at Kagome initially was Kikyō; however, this eventually faded with time. Although scorned by a resurrected Kikyō in the beginning, feelings of romantic affection and remorse resurfaced inside of him over time. He felt guilty for causing Kikyō's premature death and offered to die for her for this reason, but Kagome stopped him.

Inuyasha often saw Kagome's tears during their journey. Whenever tears were shed for him, with their gentle scent bringing relief, he felt that he had found his place as a protector above all else. Contact with Kagome healed the deep loneliness in his soul. In the beginning, Inuyasha didn't think there was anyone in the world who would grieve over his death. He found a different kind of comfort in Kagome than he found with Kikyō. This different comfort was based on Kagome's similar and like-minded spirited approach to life, sharing in Inuyasha's own never-give-up attitude as well as her kindness and warmth towards him, which slowly opened him up to a world less lonely. This is opposed to Kikyō's connection to Inuyasha, which was based on two distant and lonely souls finding comfort in each other's arms.

Although his heart was wounded deeply from Kikyō's "betrayal," Kagome was able to quickly mend Inuyasha's heart, enabling him to trust others again. He quickly changed his goals from obtaining the jewel to obtain more powers for himself to wanting more power to protect Kagome, as pointed out by Miroku shortly before Sangō joined the party.

Conflicting Spirit
At the root of the hanyō, Inuyasha was in conflict between his human and yōkai halves. The fear or anger at his lack of belonging caused him to feel intense loneliness. However, Kagome and his allies comforted him, and he was able to develop a strong and gentle disposition over time.

Immediately after being released from his fifty-year seal, Inuyasha sought to become a full demon and acquire power quickly by using the Shikon Jewel. In the rage of battle, he ceased to have concerns for the lives of others. However, after meeting Kagome and other gentle humans, he came to understand his human half and began to search for true strength of spirit instead of raw demonic power. His intention to become a yōkai wavered as he encountered more of them bent on using the Jewel for evil purposes. He realized over time that he had no desire to lose his human spirit, which becoming a full yōkai would have done. As his bond with Kagome and his other companions strengthened, Inuyasha's goal to become a demon faded, and he became content remaining a hanyō.

His daughter Moroha has clearly inherited his attitude.

Physical description
Inuyasha is of average height, standing at 168 cm, with a lean, wiry frame that belies his massive strength. Like his half-brother Sesshōmaru, he has a thick mane of waist-length silver-white hair, golden eyes with slit-like pupils, claws on each digit, and short fangs in his mouth. His ears are furry and pointed like those of a dog and feel like "five uncooked Chinese dumpling shells atop one another." His nose, despite appearing normal, is always damp unless he caught a cold, in which case it dries out.

When he assumes human form, Inuyasha's demonic claws and fangs, as well as his dog ears, disappear. His silver-white hair also changes to black, and his golden eye color changes to brown. In his more demonic form, Inuyasha's dog-demon features resemble that of his brother Sesshōmaru. When transformed as such, Inuyasha's sclera turned deep red, his irises became blue slits with white pupils, jagged purple stripes appeared on the sides of his face, and his fangs and claws lengthened.

Powers
Inuyasha is a hanyō, born from a powerful Inu-Daiyōkai and a human mother. His father, Tōga, was a powerful and respected demon who governed the Western Country of Japan. Despite being a half-demon, his demonic power level is the same as a normal demon with no auxiliary skill. A testament to his powers as a half-demon was that he was able to easily kill Mistress Centipede, who had absorbed the entire Shikon Jewel, with one attack at the beginning of the series when his powers were at their weakest and most untrained which is much more impressive considering that he had done so in mere moments after being unsealed by Kagome. Regardless, Inuyasha was one of the most powerful demons seen thus far, and throughout his journey, he was able to take on many powerful supernatural beings (e.g., Shikon Jewel-empowered opponents, deities, and legendary figures like Magatsuhi and Demon of the Shikon no Tama).


 * Immense Demonic Power: Despite being a hanyō, Inuyasha is a powerful demon in his own right. Being the son of the powerful Inu no Taishō, Inuyasha stands amongst the most powerful demons in the series and boasts an immense amount of demonic power. He can dispatch most low-tier demonic foes, even those strengthened by the Shikon Jewel shards such as Mistress Centipede and Hiten. Inuyasha's power even allows him to wield and unleash the Tessaiga's Kaze no Kizu. Over the course of the series, Inuyasha grew in strength, allowing him to master powerful techniques such as the Bakuryūha, Kongōsōha, and Meidō Zangetsuha. He even had been able to defeat powerful daiyōkai such as Ryūkotsusei (whom not even his father could defeat), Taigokumaryu, and the Panther King. Furthermore, Inuyasha's demonic power and his human resolve seemed to be closely related. During his first battle with Sesshōmaru, after the latter had disrespected his mother and nearly killed Kagome, Inuyasha managed to break his armor in a moment rage. Another testament to his increase in strength is his battle against Jūrōmaru and Kagerōmaru after having his Tessaiga reforged with his fang when it was broken by Goshinki. The Tessaiga was then too heavy for him to wield in battle. However, when Kagerōmaru threatened Kagome's life, Inuyasha's desire to protect her allowed him to wield it with one hand a brief moment. Eventually he decided to fight without the aid of his demonic blood allowed Inuyasha to wield the Tessaiga completely as well as master the Kaze no Kizu and Bakuryūha, and defeat Ryūkotsusei.
 * Superhuman Strength: Inuyasha's yōkai blood gave him intensified physical strength exceeding that of even the strongest human. He was able to uproot trees, lift boulders, break through walls and fortress gates, and was even able to punch through solid steel. In fact, the powerful demon blood inherited from his father gave him greater strength than most low-tier demons. Only powerful daiyōkai (e.g., Sesshōmaru) were ever able to overpower Inuyasha in terms of raw physical strength
 * Superhuman Speed: Inuyasha can run and move at speeds that easily exceeded that of a conventional horse, but he was considerably slower than Entei, the yōkai horse that served as Hakudōshi's steed. While not capable of true flight, having inherited a lesser version of his father's more rudimentary powers, Inuyasha could manipulate his own yōki to an extent when he jumped, allowing him to glide over long distances and slow his falls as he lands.
 * Superhuman Agility and Reflexes: Inuyasha has inhuman reflexes and remarkable reaction time. He has swiped arrows fired at him out the air with his claws. He has also been able to combine his reflexes with his enhanced senses to catch objects thrown at him midair without turning around. Inuyasha's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are similarly enhanced.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Inuyasha's stamina far exceeded human standards and most demons, another result of receiving his father's powerful demon blood. He was able to run and leap vast distances at great speeds and often complained about how his comparatively weaker human companions always slowed him down by needing to rest so much every day.
 * Superhuman Durability: Inuyasha has a very sturdy body and can endure a great deal of physical pain, as was once demonstrated in an early battle with Sesshōmaru when he continued fighting even after being impaled in the stomach. He was also capable of surviving considerable blunt force trauma, a direct blow from a solid wooden log that broke on contact, falling several stories into a crevasse in his fight with Ryūkotsusei, and being thrown hard enough to shatter solid rock. His skin was thick enough for him to survive being tangled by Yura's wire-thin hair strands, which were capable of cutting through solid tree trunks.
 * Accelerated Healing: Inuyasha is capable of rapid recovery from even the most grievous of injuries (i.e., impalement) and can do so without any visible scarring. When Tōtōsai yanked out one of Inuyasha's fangs to repair the Tessaiga, he mentioned that Inuyasha would grow a replacement canine in just half a day. Regardless, the extent of his healing abilities is not unconditional, and it has been implied he could not regenerate lost limbs.
 * Enhanced Senses: While not quite as sensitive as those of Tōga and Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha's senses of smell and hearing are nonetheless remarkably acute. He is able to hear what people were whispering from great distances away; as was the case when, while perched on a tree, he overheard Akitoki Hōjō hiding in a bush, quietly praising Kagome under his breath. Likewise, his sense of smell is extremely keen; he could smell hints of blood from kilometers away and could detect the presence of people by smell long before they could be seen. His sense of smell was also his method of detecting yōki and thus was used in locating the Kaze no Kizu, the striking point of the Bakuryūha and yōketsu auras, and, once, sniffing out the path of the outside world to pierce Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha. He could catch a whiff of Naraku's power from many miles away as soon as he let down his barrier with at least as much accuracy as Kōga, despite the latter being a full yōkai.
 * Claws.jpgClaws: Inuyasha has sharp, blade-like claws, and he can use them to easily slice ordinary foes to ribbons. Normally, he uses these claws in his Sankon Tessō (散魂鉄爪; "Claws of Exorcism" or "Claws of Steel" in VIZ manga; "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" in the English dub) attack. His full-powered Sankon Tessō is at least strong enough to break steel frames and destroy numerous roof tiles.
 * Blood Solidification: By using his demonic power, Inuyasha can harden his own blood and throw them like bladed projectiles in an attack he refers to as Hijin Kessō (飛刃血爪 lit. Flying Blade Blood Claws; VIZ, "Claws of Blood" or "Daggers of Blood"; "Blades of Blood" in the English dub). While he typically used blood from an already open wound, Inuyasha could draw the necessary blood to use the attack by digging his nails into his palms. He would often use this tactic as a surprise counterattack after being wounded when his opponents would assume he was weakened by his wounds and lower their guard.
 * Longevity: Inuyasha's mixed heritage and him being the son of a powerful daiyōkai, afforded him supernatural longevity. Inuyasha noticeably aged slower than normal humans; he was over 150 years old at the time of his sealing but looked to be the physical equivalent of a 15-year-old human.
 * Limited Time Travel: By jumping down the Bone Eater's Well, Inuyasha could travel back and forth five hundred years to and from the future. Inuyasha has repeatedly traveled to Kagome's time without the aid of a Sacred Jewel Shard. Others, besides Kagome and Inuyasha, were unable to travel through the well, as shown when Shippō attempted to go through the well but failed, and when Sōta attempted to go down the well to call Inuyasha for help during the attack of the Noh Mask but was unable to get through either.
 * Transformation: Due to his half-demon heritage, Inuyasha transforms against his will when certain conditions are met. Thus this attribute can fluctuate between strength and weakness, making it an unreliable ability. Most notably, during the night of the new moon, he is temporarily rendered human for the duration of the event. In another case, Inuyasha transforms into a full-fledged demon when his life is in mortal danger. He is also susceptible to being corrupted by an impure Sacred Jewel, turning into a savage demon. This was first seen when he and his friends were trapped in the Stone Ogre's belly, Inuyasha used a shard of the Sacred Jewel to strengthen Tessaiga's power, an effort which backfired when the impure powers of the shard flowed through Tessaiga, causing Inuyasha to transform. After Kagome purified the shard, Inuyasha regressed into a more tamed version of his yōkai form. His yōki increased exponentially, allowing him to enhance the Tessaiga's Kongōsōha's barrier-piercing effect with an intensity far superior to its previous uses, as well as being able to combine the Kaze no Kizu with the Kongōsōha. After the shard was removed from Tessaiga, Inuyasha reverted to his hanyō self. He entered this state a second time while inside Naraku, having been corrupted into his yōkai form by the presence of the black Shikon no Tama and possessed by Magatsuhi, though he entered the purified form after smelling Kagome's blood, freeing himself from Magatsuhi's control. After Magatsuhi's demise, Kagome's spiritual powers returned him to his hanyō state.
 * Flight: Inuyasha use the power of flight up in the sky, all the way to the palace of his stepmother to meet Sesshōmaru to stop the Grim Comet.

Abilities

 * Experienced Combatant: Due to being born a hanyō in a time of great strife between humans and demons, Inuyasha was very experienced in unarmed combat. However, unlike the technical skills displayed by Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha generally relied more on brute force than any type of martial arts. His conventional combat strategy was centered around attacking his opponents quickly and beating them into submission, leaving him at a disadvantage when faced with more sophisticated combatants.
 * Adept Swordsman: After obtaining Tessaiga as his signature weapon, Inuyasha used it as his main form of combat. Since Inuyasha had never used a sword before, and because he often relied solely on Tessaiga's demonic powers, skilled swordsmen normally pointed out how reckless he was when fighting them, using his lack of experience to their benefit. Sesshōmaru remarked early on that the Tessaiga was no different than a wooden club in Inuyasha's hands. However, as he continued to face great challenges from skilled opponents, Inuyasha developed his swordsmanship with Tessaiga to the point of being able to contend against Sesshōmaru in battle, though he still remained inferior in overall skill.
 * Minor Medicinal Knowledge: Inuyasha had limited knowledge of medicine and minor illnesses; for example, he was taught by his mother how to concoct an herbal medicine that could easily cure colds in an instant, which he made for Kagome when she was sick.

Weapons



 * Robe of the Fire-Rat: The robe Inuyasha normally wears is woven from the hair of the Fire-Rat. It serves as a fireproof armor and has the ability to regenerate itself; for example, in the fourth and final film, Inuyasha was able to shrug off the fire of the Cauldron of Resonance, which would have otherwise completely burned and evaporated a hanyō's soul instantly.




 * Tessaiga: Inuyasha wields Tessaiga (鉄砕牙; Japanese for "Steel-Cleaving Fang" or Iron-Crushing Fang), a powerful yōkai sword forged from one of his father's fangs by the bladesmith Tōtōsai. The sword can absorb demonic powers and energy and is useful in preventing Inuyasha from falling victim to his demonic nature, which turns him into a berserker. In its sealed state, Tessaiga resembled a rusty katana with a nicked and dented blade and torn hilt-wrap. When wielded by a user with demon blood, the blade transformed into a five-foot-long fang capable of immense damage. Over the course of his journey, Inuyasha develops Tessaiga's signature Wind Scar (風の傷 Kaze no Kizu), Backlash Wave (爆流破 Bakuryūha) and Adamant Barrage (金剛槍破 Kongōsōha, Adamant Destroying Spears) techniques. Eventually, Inuyasha gains a new ability in Meidou Zangetsuha (冥道残月破 Meidō Zangetsuha, "Dark Path of the Dawn Moon's Wave) that Sesshōmaru prepared for him as part of their father's design.
 * The sheath of Tessaiga: Tessaiga's sheath could deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tessaiga's power. These barriers, though powerful, could only withstand a certain amount of damage before breaking. The sheath also possessed the power to recall the Tessaiga. During Inuyasha's final battle against Sesshōmaru regarding the Tessaiga, the sheath possessed enough power to block the Kongōsōha but not the Red Tessaiga's barrier shattering ability.

Weaknesses

 * Inuyasha_Yokai_Form.pngDemonic Blood: When not in possession of Tessaiga with its sealing power and when his life is in danger, Inuyasha can unwillingly change into a full-fledged demon. While undoubtedly more powerful in this form, his demon blood overwhelms him into a whirlwind of rage whose sole purpose is destruction. In this form, Inuyasha's physical strength was more than doubled, which was more than enough to eviscerate Goshinki and Gatenmaru with a single swipe of his claws and shove Ryūkotsusei's massive body into a cliffside with one arm. His regeneration was also bolstered, allowing him to immediately recover from life-threatening injuries and poisons received prior to transforming. His yōki was also powerful enough to erode Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha after cutting his own yōketsu with the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. However, because yōki is toxic to humans, Inuyasha's half-human body and mind couldn't handle the power he inherited from his father. As a yōkai, Inuyasha was incapable of feeling pain, fear, compassion, or mercy; he only feels rage and hedonistic bloodlust, which, coupled with his newfound predatory instinct, lack of intelligence, and inability to discriminate between friend and foe, drove him to attack and kill anyone in his vicinity. With every subsequent overload, this form's intelligence diminished, and it became easier to trigger and harder for him to recover from. If left unchecked, Inuyasha would continue to fight and kill until his body either gave out or was killed by an opponent. Against experienced opponents, this also made his attacks more predictable while in yokai form; despite his enhanced physical capabilities, Sesshomaru was able to effortlessly evade all of Inuyasha's strikes when the latter had transformed in "The Demon's True Nature", finally knocking him unconscious with a strike from Tōkijin. After he grabbed Sō'unga, it grabbed his arm with its purple tentacles and possessed as he changed and Inuyasha keeps trying to control his transformation with the power of Sō'unga. After using Sō'unga's Dragon Twister, it was quiet as his transformation back to normal. During the fight with Sesshōmaru as Inuyasha holds Sō'unga, Sō'unga's gem glows after he asked Inuyasha that he don't have the strength to defeat him and said, "Then use my power." as his eyes turned red.
 * Inuyasha28.jpgNew Moon: All half-demons, like Inuyasha, lose their demonic power for a period of time; in his case, he loses his demonic powers and form during the night of the new moon. On the night of the new moon, his hair turned black; his eyes turned brown, he lost his yōkai abilities and attributes (i.e., his fangs, dog ears, and claws), and could only use Tessaiga in its katana form. During the night of the new moon before the sun sets, Inuyasha suffered from pre-transformation symptoms, such as losing his acute sense of smell, before eventually turning into a human. Arguably, the ears are the biggest change: while the rest of his body demonstrates physical transformation, like claws becoming fingernails and toenails, his dog ears simply vanish, to be replaced with human ears appearing on the sides of his head.
 * Sensory Overload: Inuyasha's sense of smell is so acute that he is vulnerable to sensory overload (e.g., in "The Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter" he was temporarily knocked out by the strong smell of black ink). His taste buds are also highly sensitive to spicy foods; Kagome sarcastically points out that during battle, Inuyasha will blow off "a gaping hole in his gut", but can't even come near a plate of curry.
 * Spiritual Powers: Inuyasha is susceptible to the effects of spiritual power, seeing as how Kikyō and Kagome were able to subdue him with various spells. This is inclusive of mystical objects such as the sacred arrows, sacred sutra, and the beads of subjugation. The powerful purifying barrier surrounding Mount Hakurei was also able to forcibly transform Inuyasha into his human form; beforehand, the barrier did cause him noticeable discomfort and weakened his demonic abilities.

Romantic interest
Since Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyō, she and Kikyō shared the same soul. In Chapter 546, Naraku stated that the Sacred Jewel used Kikyō's lingering feelings for Inuyasha to allow her soul to be reborn. When Kagome fell into the well, the Sacred Jewel awoke and subsequently utilized her body to return to the Feudal Era. Kagome was only able to go to the Feudal Era because of her soul in one of the same as Kikyō. Once she reached the Feudal Era, Kagome's meandering ways was the reason for releasing Inuyasha from his 50-year slumber on the Goshinboku and was responsible for sealing Naraku's fate. Once Inuyasha woke, at first glance, he mistook Kagome for Kikyō, stating the two smelled and looked very similar to each other. They were forced to team up when Kagome accidentally shattered the Sacred Jewel in an attempt to regain its possession from a demon bird. Throughout the course of their journey, Inuyasha and Kagome began to develop romantic feelings for each other and slowly began to fall in love, despite the numerous arguments and obstacles they faced such as Inuyasha's relationship with Kikyō.
 * Kagome Higurashi

As a result of his feelings towards her, Inuyasha became fiercely protective of Kagome, saying that "the thought of losing two women is unbearable." He would rebuke himself if she got hurt. Inuyasha often competed with Kōga for Kagome's affections, though Kagome never showed any signs of attraction towards Kōga, kindly rejecting his feelings towards her. Inuyasha's love for Kagome was quite obvious amongst the group of friends, and they immediately recognized his very strong and fierce protectiveness over her. Kagome, although flattered that Inuyasha was so jealous of Kōga, was often annoyed and hurt by his temper and insensitivity.

Since Inuyasha held possessiveness towards Kagome, most enemies, including Naraku, used Kagome to gain an advantage over Inuyasha. Several times throughout the series, even when seriously wounded or near death, Inuyasha spontaneously regained physical strength beyond all odds in order to protect Kagome, much to the surprise of his friends. This led them to realize that the strength of his desire to protect Kagome brought on such spontaneous physical strength.

At first, out of guilt and hurt from his previous relationship with Kikyō, Inuyasha denied that he loved Kagome over and over again, but over time he eventually stopped trying to reject his feelings towards her. Despite constantly going to Kikyō's rescue when she was in danger, Inuyasha gradually came to accept that he and Kikyō sadly couldn't have future together, since Kikyō actually was dead and no longer was apart in this world, and when they met in private it was only to speak of defeating Naraku even when lingering feeling remained. (Kagome had a very hard time believing this, due to intense and impulsive jealously but also from knowing that Inuyasha never fully could forget Kikyō.) Kagome and Inuyasha provided each other with strong emotional support following Kikyō's death, as both mourned her loss; this helped bring them closer. When they were both trapped in the Sacred Jewel together, Inuyasha realized that he and Kagome were born to be with each other. Inuyasha then used the Meidō Zangetsuha to find Kagome, and once he did, he came face to face with her, they embraced and shared a long-awaited kiss (note: the kiss occurs in the anime only).

After Kagome wished away the Shikon Jewel's existence, the Bone Eater's Well stopped working, forcing Kagome to return to the modern era for three years, during which time she completed her high school studies. During this time, Inuyasha lived a lonely life missing Kagome (Shippō stated that Inuyasha visited the well at least every three days) and spending much of his time alone. However, Kagome's strong and overwhelming desire to see Inuyasha again allowed her passage to the Feudal Era once more, and she and Inuyasha were reunited. Inuyasha and Kagome married immediately after her high school graduation, and Kagome moved to the Feudal Era to be with him for the rest of her life, vowing to become a priestess. Inuyasha and Kagome proceeded to live a happy life together, where they were able to adapt to their new, permanent life together. Four years after their marriage, they had a daughter named Moroha.


 * Kikyō



Inuyasha met Kikyō 50 years before his awakening when he tried to steal the Sacred Jewel from her. She sensed a different aura about him, stating that they were similar because they were both outsiders. Inuyasha was a hanyō who wasn't accepted by humans or demons, and Kikyō was a priestess who walked a path of blood and violence, unable to live the life of an ordinary woman. She used this as an excuse for being unable to kill him, even after he tried a second time to steal the Sacred Jewel. Eventually, Kikyō and Inuyasha's relationship grew to a point where they were comfortable enough to speak with each other up close. In Chapter 47, Inuyasha stated that "once he saw Kikyō's sad and lonely expression, for the first time in his life, he felt compassion." After that point, Inuyasha and Kikyō spent most of their time with each other, slowly they eventually fell deeply in love, finding a place in the world by each other's sides. Inuyasha came to understand Kikyō's sacrifices and duty as a priestess while Kikyō where when came to understand Inuyasha's loneliness from being a half-demon. Kikyō saw Inuyasha’s pain as a hanyō and Kikyō besides Inuyasha’s mother Izayoi, was the only human accepting Inuyasha as a hanyō. Inuyasha and Kikyō developed an unbreakable bond in loneliness, compassion and love. Kikyō also created a subjugation necklace for Inuyasha, and intended the keyword to be "beloved." But Kikyō later chose not to use it after Inuyasha gave Kikyō his mother's compact lipstick. Before meeting, another priestess called Tsubaki casted a curse on Kikyō, meaning when Kikyō as a priestess begins to accepts human emotions and naturally will fall in love, she is going to end up with a violent death. Kikyō knew about Tsubaki's curse but ended up ignoring it since she thought there was no way she'd fall in love, but after meeting Inuyasha, Kikyō eventually fell in love and she began to weaken as a priestess. After Kaede ended up losing an eye in battle, Kikyō asked Inuyasha to use the Sacred Jewel to make Inuyasha a full human, and to have the Sacred Jewel disappear making both Kikyō and Inuyasha normal ordinary human beings. Inuyasha agreed and both of them would live together as humans. However, a hanyō named Naraku, born from the body of a wounded bandit named Onigumo who was secretly in love with Kikyō manipulated both of them into betraying each other out of jealousy and hatred towards Inuyasha. Kikyō lost her life after being attacked by Naraku disguised as Inuyasha. Kikyō ended up sealing Inuyasha into a 50 year slumber in The Sacred Tree, called Goshinboku. His actions intensely destroyed and damaged Kikyō and Inuyasha's long-standing meaningful relationship and love. In episode 147 and episode 148, called The Tragic Love Song of Destiny is Kaede telling a more in-depth story behind Inuyasha and Kikyō's relationship ending with Kikyō's violent death and Inuyasha being sealed to the Goshinboku. 50 years later is Inuyasha woken up by Kagome, Kikyō's reincarnation, as Kikyō still wanted to see Inuyasha again.

Kikyō was later resurrected by Urasue using her remains and Kagome's soul to animate her body and bring her back to life. She was initially enraged with Inuyasha for what she believed to be a great betrayal, but it was soon realized that neither party was responsible for the actions that occurred 50 years ago and that they both had been tricked. Inuyasha soon realized he still loved Kikyō despite everything that has happened prior, stating in Chapter 76 that there hadn't been a single day where he'd forgotten about her. He later tried to refrain from seeing her, in part due to Kagome's feelings of jealousy. Nevertheless, Inuyasha never forgot Kikyō for the entirety of the series, and he became much more serious whenever Kikyō was in danger or involved in something or with Naraku. Inuyasha even had issues in which Kikyō seemed to be guilty, such as when Kikyō gave Naraku a large portion of the Sacred Jewel after stealing it from Kagome in episode 33, which Inuyasha covered for Kikyō.

Whenever Kikyō was in trouble, Inuyasha instinctively went to save her out of guilt, saying that he was the only one Kikyō had. When Inuyasha found out the connection between Naraku and Onigumo's heart for Kikyō, he expressed rage and jealousy towards Naraku, promising Kikyō that he'd never let Naraku hurt and have her. During a conversation with Kaede in episode 48, Inuyasha even stated that he'd give up his own life for Kikyō if that was their destiny together and if that what Kikyō really wanted because he felt responsible for her initial death. On many occasions, Inuyasha unintentionally hurt Kagome's feelings by ignoring her whenever he ran after Kikyō, or by asking her to leave the two of them together for just a moment. Inuyasha even made clear in some cases that he would pick Kikyō. Kagome often felt heartbroken because she felt she could not compete with Kikyō for Inuyasha's love since she was alive while Kikyō died by Inuyasha’s side. What she eventually later realizes is that she ends up understanding some of Inuyasha's side more than Kikyō ever could, likewise, where Kikyō understood other sides of Inuyasha more than Kagome ever could.



Before Kikyō died for the final time, Inuyasha shed tears over his inability to save her since she was the first woman he has ever loved and cared for. He bid her farewell with a final kiss, stating that he didn't want Kikyō to endure any more sorrow and that he wanted to protect her forever. Even after her death, Inuyasha suffered severely for a few days. Later on in episode 177 and in chapter 473 when Inuyasha meets Kaō, Kaō stated that Kikyō was the woman Inuyasha loved most in all the world when reading Inuyasha's sorrow and pain after Kikyō's death. According to Kaō, Inuyasha was in such a desperate state where he was willing to go after Kikyō to death and beyond. Inuyasha is then seen having a dream where he meets Kikyō, who asks him to go with her to the afterlife, but he is later woken up by Kagome. Inuyasha reveals his dream about Kikyō to Kagome, and when asked about his answer to go in the afterlife with Kikyō, Inuyasha states that he was woken up before he could give an answer. Kagome sees through this, knowing and understanding that Inuyasha is avoiding the question, meaning Inuyasha most likely would have accepted. As Kagome helped heal his heart, he was able to make peace with Kikyō's passing and focus on the future, confirming that Kagome was always the one he was born to be with.

Allies

 * Miroku

Miroku joined Inuyasha's group after he revealed that Naraku was the demon who killed Kikyō and deceived her and Inuyasha in order to get the Sacred Jewel. When Miroku tried to make a move on Kagome, Inuyasha instantly got mad and demanded him to never to lay a hand on her or to make any advances towards her whatsoever. This clearly surprised Kagome and caused Miroku to believe Inuyasha was in love with Kagome, which Inuyasha instantly denied, though Miroku was left unconvinced.

Miroku and Inuyasha almost acted like brothers and always looked out for one another. Although Inuyasha was often annoyed with Miroku's lecherous tendencies towards women and viewed him as a hopeless fool, he acknowledges the spiritual power that he possessed. Miroku often gave advice to Inuyasha when it came to Kagome when she was upset with Inuyasha. When he once admitted that his ideal situation to his romantic woes would be to have both Kikyō and Kagome, Miroku responded with amusement and understanding.


 * Shippō

Shippō became Inuyasha and Kagome's traveling companion after Inuyasha took down the Thunder Brothers, who had killed Shippō's father, making him an orphan. Shippō and Inuyasha argued constantly, but were shown to really care for each other time and again. He often bullied Shippō caused he annoyed him, hitting him in his head all the time, which was often followed by Shippō whining to Kagome and her saying "Sit boy!" to punish him for bullying Shippō. Although Inuyasha himself never had a positive role model for an older sibling (or perhaps because of it), their relationship was quite similar to two brothers, often disagreeing and fighting out of stubbornness. Kagome later stated that they always fought because they were so close to each other.


 * Sango

Inuyasha treated Sango like a sister. They argued from time to time, but Sango always helped Inuyasha when he was in trouble, and occasionally gave him advice when it came to Kagome. Inuyasha sympathized with her situation with Kohaku, and often tried to give encouragement that he could be saved from Naraku's control. He cared about Sango and found her a good ally on the battlefield, though he was incredibly dense to Sango's feelings for Miroku, and often shot his mouth off about Miroku's flirtatious personality among women without thinking. This caused him to receive vicious glares from Sango, greatly confusing Inuyasha. Inuyasha, in reaction to this, usually cowered and thought to himself, "What's with the glares?"


 * Eri, Ayumi, and Yuka

The schoolmates of Kagome's that initially believed Inuyasha to be a long distance and toxic boyfriend. They encountered him during a school cultural festival. When they finally met him, they thought of him as a celebrity. They were fascinated, but not suspicious. Inuyasha did his best to answer their questions. They concluded he is a foreign exchange student that works at the shrine. When he comes to get Kagome, they meet him again.


 * Myōga

Myōga acted as an advisor and ward to Inuyasha's father, and since the Great Dog Demon's death, Myōga had done the same for Inuyasha himself. Myōga often provided information for Inuyasha and his friends during their many adventures, specifical information about other yōkai and Inuyasha's father himself. Inuyasha and Myōga had a relatively close and rather familiar relationship; whenever Myōga would arrive on the scene, he would greet Inuyasha by sucking a bit of his blood, only to be flattened by the irritated Inuyasha. Myōga had a habit of fleeing the scene whenever the situation got too dangerous, much to the annoyance of Inuyasha and the others; at the same time, Myōga's disappearance often signified great danger. Although, in parts of the series, he would come back and warn Inuyasha of danger or instruct him on how to make Tessaiga stronger.


 * Tōtōsai

Tōtōsai was the swordsmith who forged Tessaiga from the fang of Tōga. Inuyasha would often come to Tōtōsai for assistance whenever he had problems with Tessaiga, and Tōtōsai would offer his help, albeit begrudgingly. When the two first met, Tōtōsai was very displeased with the way in which Inuyasha wielded Tessaiga, believing the hanyō to be unworthy of its power. Eventually, Inuyasha proved his might to Tōtōsai, and he proved to be another great source of knowledge and insight, very much like Myōga.


 * Saya

Saya was the spirit and the shealth of Sō'unga belonged to his father Tōga.


 * Kaede

Kaede is Kikyō's younger sister, who Inuyasha referred to as the "brat" when Kaede was still a child 50 years ago when he met Kikyō. When Inuyasha was bound to the sacred tree by Kikyō, 50 years had passed and Kaede grown old, which prevented Inuyasha from recognizing her right away once he was freed from Kikyō's spell by Kagome. 50 years prior when she was still young had Inuyasha saved Kaede from Mistress Centipede when she attempted to take Kaede hostage and use her as a bargaining tool to get the Shikon no Tama from Kikyō. Kaede thanked Inuyasha for saving her, but Inuyasha denies it and said he didn't want anyone else to have the Sacred Jewel, confusing Kaede as she wondered why Inuyasha didn’t take her hostage as well. Kaede also notices how Kikyō’s behavior changed after meeting Inuyasha, she started to pay more attention to her appearance by cleansing herself every day with Inuyasha watching her from a distance. Kaede and Inuyasha also started to share trust with each other as Kaede initially wanted to tell Inuyasha about a wounded evil bandit named Onigumo. Kikyō was in secret taking care of a badly wounded bandit named Onigumo out of pity inside a cave with Kaede’s help. When Kaede wanted to tell Inuyasha about Onigumo was she instructed by Kikyō to not tell him since she thought Inuyasha would become jealous. Inuyasha was often seen being rude to Kaede by using the terms "old hag" or "old woman" on numerous occasions, however, he can be seen caring for her as well with him rushing over to her once he smelled her blood during Urasue's attack. Even though we can see Inuyasha showing many signs of disliking Kaede, we can also see that he masks out his care for her like he does for many of his other allies.


 * Kōga

Inuyasha and Kōga were rivals towards each other. They were constantly fighting for any reason they could find, and whenever Kōga is near, Inuyasha instantly got infuriated, demanding he leaves immediately. The first time was when Kōga's wolves attacked a human village, Inuyasha fought with them, and Kōga attacked and insulted him in retaliation. When Kōga flirted with Kagome, Inuyasha's anger increased, demanding that he leave her alone and maintain his distance whenever he tried flirting with her. Though despite all their fighting, the two did help each other when the other needed it and eventually became friends.


 * Jaken

Because of his suck-up, sycophantic attitude towards Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha despised Jaken and often bullied him much like he did Shippō, except in Jaken's case, he seemed to enjoy it. Inuyasha had a vindictive side, shown when it came to Jaken; for example, when he caught Jaken trying to steal the Tessaiga, he swore to make him pay the next time they crossed paths, an oath he fulfilled by beating him up. In Episode 77, Jaken helped him with his Nintōjō's fire to get rid of Shunran's illusion powers.


 * Kohaku

TBA


 * Kagura

In Episode 145, she guided him and his friends to another way to the Border of the Afterlife, was the gateway to the border in the Realm of Fire. In Episode 167, he felt surprised what Miroku said that Kagura had been betrayed Naraku as she guided them to his heart inside a temple that looked like a monster until she felt surprised that he made a trap. In Episode 168, he used the Wind Scar to save Kagura from her redirecting Dance of the Dragon attack from Hakudōshi as Inuyasha and his friends were shocked that she said that the Infant is inside Mōryōmaru, and that he and Hakudōshi intend to empower Mōryōmaru to replace Naraku.

Family

 * Tōga

Also known as the Great Dog General or Lord of the Western Lands, Inuyasha's father was a great yōkai who was well known and feared, and the original owner of the Tessaiga and the Tenseiga (and the Sō'unga in the third movie). He entrusted Tessaiga to Inuyasha, knowing he'd care for humans and protect them, having human blood in his veins. He also gave him Tessaiga to keep Inuyasha's demon blood in check. During the battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Inu no Taishō was mortally injured, and, after the battle, died from his injuries. In the third movie, while he was still greatly wounded from his battle with Ryūkotsusei, he still managed to save Izayoi and his newborn son, whom he named "Inuyasha." He died shortly afterward. Before he died, Tōga told Izayoi to live a long life with their son Inuyasha. Inuyasha never met his father, but he did know of him and respected his power, gaining even more respect for him after he gained his father's sword, Tessaiga.


 * Izayoi

Izayoi was Inuyasha's human mother. She raised Inuyasha on her own until she died. Inuyasha loved his mother and was very protective of her, often getting angry when someone insulted her. Izayoi was very caring and kind, and she loved her son very much. She once cried when Inuyasha once asked her what a half-demon was since she started to understand that her son would have a difficult time finding acceptance and would live as an outsider by both humans and demons. She was the only human who didn't reject or bully Inuyasha in his young life and stayed by his side. When she died, Inuyasha was devastated. He buried her and visited her grave quite often. He later passed on his mother’s Beni on to Kikyō and his daughter, Moroha, as a parting gift.


 * Sesshōmaru's mother

Inuyasha never met Sesshōmaru's mother the first mate of Tōga's that he had a stepmother, since Inuyasha couldn't identify her scent as Sesshōmaru and his mother crossed the skies above where Inuyasha's group was walking. He only stated that the scent of Sesshōmaru and another yōkai was in the air, that it came from the cloud that it shaped like a dog demon, implying that he had no idea about who Sesshōmaru's mother was, and thus never met her. Even though he felt surprised the location in order to destroy the Grim Comet on the 500th year in the Feudal Era in the evening, where Sesshōmaru's mother lived by Jaken, although she's not there because she's already left her palace for errands.


 * Sesshōmaru

Sesshōmaru hated his brother because his father left Tessaiga to Inuyasha and only left him Tenseiga. Not surprisingly, Inuyasha hated Sesshōmaru because of his cruel treatment towards him. Inuyasha cut off Sesshōmaru's left arm when Sesshōmaru was trying to find Tessaiga to increase his own power. Despite hating Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to use his full power to kill Sesshōmaru when he used the Kaze no Kizu on him. Over the course of the series, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha came to care for one another, and even helped each other on occasion, though they will never admit this to each other. When Kirinmaru was awakened and aimed to take Inuyasha and Moroha's life, Sesshōmaru seemingly joined forces with him and came into conflict with Inuyasha, causing the half-brothers to become foes once again. However, it appeared that Sesshōmaru was trying to protect Inuyasha, as he and Kagome were warned by Sesshōmaru about the attempt on their daughter's life and able to send her to safety and instead of being killed by them, Sesshōmaru instead banished him and Kagome into the Border of the Afterlife and Jaken noted Sesshōmaru intended to release them eventually at the pretense of needing his Meidō Zangetsuha.


 * Rin

A human girl whom followed his half-brother, Sesshōmaru, despite the latter known to not like humans. He was confused as to why Sesshōmaru would allow a human to accompany him. She later becomes his half-sister in law when she married his brother.


 * Higurashi family

Inuyasha always came to the modern era to pick up Kagome from her family to bring back to the Feudal Era. Kagome's mother considered Inuyasha to be a perfect match for her daughter and viewed him as a son to her. Kagome's mother even offered her consent and support with Kagome going back and forth between the two different periods. She often made lunches for Inuyasha and the others, as well as provided medical supplies for them and replaced Kagome's clothing and shoes whenever when her current ones were damaged during her deadly battles with the Feudal Era. Kagome's mother even gave her blessing for Kagome to leave the present time forever to live with Inuyasha in the Feudal Era. Sōta idolized Inuyasha as a hero to the point that he called him Inu-Nissan ("Dog Brother"). Both Sōta and Inuyasha never met or knew their fathers because Sōta's father was killed in a car accident while Ms. Higurashi was pregnant with him, and Inuyasha was born right before his father had sacrificed himself for him and his mother, and they both find Kagome to be a bit of a handful at times, especially when she's in a bad mood.


 * Moroha

Moroha is his only daughter, born from his marriage with Kagome. Tragically, he knows very little of his daughter; shortly after she was born, Inuyasha and Kagome were forced to send her away in order to protect her prior to a battle with Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru. Despite their brief interaction, Inuyasha loved his daughter dearly, as he chose to send her away for her safety rather than put her in danger.


 * Towa and Setsuna

They are his half nieces who are half-demons like him. Like their uncle, Towa loses her powers during the new moon and whilst Setsuna uses a weapon as a medium for her demon blood.

Enemies

 * Naraku

Naraku was the evil half-demon who was responsible for Kikyō's death and Inuyasha being sealed to the Goshinboku 50 years prior. Naraku was born out of the human bandit Onigumo. Onigumo was at that time badly injured and was being taken care of by Kikyō. His initial plan was to have Kikyō and the Sacred Jewel for himself. Later on when learning that Kikyō was in love with hanyō Inuyasha, he then to grew a hate Inuyasha. Later he planned and schemed to make Inuyasha and Kikyō hate each other and kill each other, for them to bathe in each other's blood, and turn the purity of their love into rancid hatred, thus making the Sacred Jewel even more tainted, dark, and "beautiful," as Naraku believed. Inuyasha and Naraku have some similarities. Both are half-demons initially wanting to become full demons, but Inuyasha later abandoned his aim and embraced his human side while in contrast, Naraku despised his human feelings. Inuyasha was born a from a love out of his human mother and his demon father whereas Naraku was created by many demons and out of hatred. Naraku hated and envied Inuyasha because of his with Kikyō love since Naraku's actual intentions were to have Kikyō's heart for himself because his human heart was in love with Kikyō from Onigumo even if Naraku himself didn’t want to acknowledge it. Naraku saw Inuyasha as a nuisance and a meddler between his relationship with Kikyō. When Inuyasha learned of Naraku's existence and that he was the one who ensnared Kikyō and him in a trap 50 years ago, he vowed to destroy him and avenge Kikyō's death. As the series progressed, Inuyasha’s intense hatred for Naraku grew, as the demon became eviler and eviler, using and tricking numerous people for the sole purpose of gaining a complete Sacred Jewel and wanting to kill Kikyō again. Inuyasha was also disgusted when finding out Naraku actually was in love with Kikyō. In the end, Inuyasha was able to defeat Naraku along with the help of his friends and allies, avenging Kikyō and destroying the Sacred Jewel for good.


 * Bankotsu

Inuyasha faced the young leader of the Shichinintai more times than the other members of his group and far more seriously. They often bantered back and forth, deriding the other's fighting ability, though, in an interesting turn of events, Inuyasha admitted that Bankotsu was 100x more decent than Naraku after the former's second death by his hand. Inuyasha's grudging respect for his enemy was likely due to Bankotsu's compassion for his teammates and brothers within the Shichinintai.


 * Takemaru

Takemaru hated Inuyasha due to being the child of a demon and human, even going as far as to kill not only Inuyasha but also his mother despite loving her in order to spare her the shame of being a mother of a half-demon. Inuyasha didn't know of Takemaru until they met when Sō'unga resurrected and used Takemaru's rage towards Inuyasha and Izayoi to make him wield the demonic sword. Inuyasha clearly resented Takemaru for siding with Sō'unga and even more so when he learned of Takemaru nearly killing his mother. Inuyasha managed to defeat Takemaru despite his Tessaiga being inferior to Takemaru's own demon sword by relying on the strength his human side's ability to feel emotions gave him while admonishing Takemaru for his disbelief and lecturing him on the strengths of being a half-demon.


 * Kirinmaru

According to Riku, Kirinmaru would naturally hate Inuyasha as he hated all half-demons. However, it remains unclear whether this is really true or not: When Kirinmaru was awakened, he referred to both Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha as Tōga's sons and believed their combined strength would have been enough to destroy the Grim Comet with no apparent distaste for Inuyasha, showing no desire to kill Inuyasha at first and even some acknowledgment of his status and power. He only decided to kill Inuyasha when he learned she and Kagome had given birth to a quarter demon daughter and when Sesshōmaru sealed him and Kagome away instead, Kirinmaru didn't care that Inuyasha remained alive as long as he was trapped inside Tōga's tomb, even not opposing the fact that he will eventually be released as his Meidō Zangetsuha would apparently be needed by Sesshōmaru in the future. Nevertheless, Inuyasha clearly considered Kirinmaru a dangerous threat, deciding to have Kagome send Moroha away so he and his wife could battle him and Sesshōmaru instead.


 * Zero

Since Zero knew that, but Inuyasha never met her before.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * Although the official translation of his name is "Dog Forest Spirit" or "Wild Dog Spirit," a less profound, albeit more faithful, translation of "Inuyasha" (犬夜叉) is "Dog Yaksha." A yaksha is a race of creatures, or spirits, in Hinduism and Buddhism that traditionally live in forests, which is most likely the intent behind the "official" translation of "Dog Forest Spirit," since, while inaccurate, it is the one translation least likely to generate confusion among fans.
 * "Yasha” (夜叉, Yasha) is the Japanese reading of the Sanskrit word "yaksha" (यक्ष, yakṣa). Interestingly, a yaksha is a close equivalent in Indian culture of the class of creatures in Japanese folklore known as yōkai, featured throughout the series. Because the characters for Yasha (loaned from China) were almost certainly chosen by the Chinese to approximate the original phonetic pronunciation of the Sanskrit word, their literal meaning ("night fork") is purely coincidental, and therefore irrelevant.
 * In Hinduism, the yaksha (male) and yakshini (female) represent a variety of supernatural creatures. Some of them are good, and serve the gods or protect nature, and some of them are evil and are instead called “rakshasa” (male) or “rakshasi” (female). The yaksha was adopted into Buddhist mythology, and in Japanese, the word became “yasha.” The Yasha became part of the Eight Legions that defend righteousness, serving the Heavenly King Bishamonten, who defends the northerly direction. Yasha is typically depicted as having long, fluffy hair and horns. In Inuyasha's case, instead of horns, he has dog ears. Thus, “Inu” Yasha.
 * Ironically, the nomenclature of Inuyasha closely parallels Onigumo (a type of demon + name of the animal, i.e., "ogre spider").

Character Notes

 * Inuyasha frequently wore a baseball cap when in the modern world to disguise his demon nature from people outside of Kagome's family. Humorously, his silver hair and claws went unnoticed by others.
 * In "The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master," Inuyasha revealed that he could still talk in between Kagome's "Sit!" commands.
 * In some episodes, Inuyasha's toenails were shaped just like a human's, while in others, they were sharpened like his claws.
 * In the two episodes, when Inuyasha fights Naraku at Mt. Hakurei, Inuyasha called his Tessaiga to him when it was out of his reach.
 * In InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, Inuyasha was shown to have been born with a full head of silver hair, unlike regular human babies, who are born bald or have small tufts of hair on their heads.
 * Occasionally, Inuyasha would perform dog-like actions, though mostly for comic relief. He would frequently get down on his hands and knees with his nose to the ground to determine where someone had been or would use his feet to scratch his ears. His sitting posture was very dog-like, and he would often shake himself when wet to dry off. This behavior was shown to be instinctual in nature rather than a conscientious choice; at one point, Kagome threw a stick with the intention of playing fetch, causing Inuyasha to instantly and eagerly chase after it before realizing the implications of his behavior.
 * Inuyasha's favorite food from the modern world was instant noodles, much to Kagome's annoyance given her effort to prepare homecooked meals.
 * Based on the information provided in both the anime and movies, it could be concluded that InuYasha was born roughly around the year 1296 in Winter on a Full Moon, which would be during the Kamakura period.
 * Inuyasha wearing the Beads of Subjugation, is hinted to be referencing Sun Wukong being forced into subjugation by wearing a headpiece blessed by the gods for him to obey Tripitaka in the ancient legend of The Journey to the West. Both cannot go against the "word sayer" (Kagome and Tripitaka), nor can they remove the item themselves. It is also similar to a shock collar used to train dogs.
 * InuYasha has at least once, attempted to slay Lum.


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * Inuyasha's canine features (his pointed dogs-ears) are modeled after those of the Japanese native dogs breeds, such as the, the , the , , and the.
 * Inuyasha is the second character in Rumiko Takahashi's works voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi, who initially played Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2, many characters in the Rumiko Takahashi's anthology series  (Bettō from The Merchant of Romance, Minoru Furuda from Middle Aged Teen and Aisaki from Aberrant Family F), Sabato Rokudō from Kyōkai no Rinne and Kōsuke Shirai in the Urusei Yatsura OVA: The Obstacle Course Swim Meet.
 * Interestingly, Ranma Saotome and Sabato Rokudō share a similar trait of Inuyasha of being half something.
 * His appearance is pretty much reused for main character Mao in Takahashi's current work MAO.


 * -|Culture References=
 * In the Final Act's first ending theme song, the theme shows Inuyasha and Kagome with the attached to their pinky since they were destined to meet. In Japanese culture, it is thought to be so by tying around the little finger/pinky finger.


 * -|Other Notes=
 * He makes a cameo together with Kagome in the last episode of Rumiko Takahashi's anthology series Rumic Theater.
 * Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru were parodied by Wataru and Hayate in the series Hayate the Combat Butler. Wataru even imitates Inuyasha's Wind Scar attack. The "Kaze" part of "Kaze no Kizu" was bleeped, most likely to avoid copyright infringement.
 * In the unofficial live-action series Holy Pearl, Inuyasha was renamed as Wen Tian, who was half-dragon and half-human.
 * He was played by Atsuhiro Sato in a live-action stage play and by Yutaka Kyan in the 2016 adaption.