Episode 40 (Hanyō no Yashahime)

The Three Princesses Escape is the fortieth episode of Hanyō no Yashahime, and the sixteenth episode of the second season titled "The Second Act".

Synopsis

 * 1) The Half-Demon Princesses along with Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi are ready to return to the land of the living. Inuyasha tells Towa that she must call upon Tenseiga to ensure their escape from the Border of the Afterlife.
 * 2) Shippō and Takechiyo reach the village of demon-slayers and meet up with Sango, who informs her twin daughters that the time has finally come for the "Black Hiraikotsu" to be used.
 * 3) Meanwhile, Sesshōmaru's haku continues to be drained further endangering his life as a gravely concerned Rin and Jaken watch over him.

Summary
With Sesshōmaru growing ever weaker, Rin and Jaken take him to the Sacred Tree of Ages as they await Towa and Setsuna's return. Meanwhile, Shippō transports himself and Takechiyo to the village of the demon-slayers and reunites with Sango. Takechiyo explains that Inuyasha and Kagome have been within the Black Pearl all this time, prompting Sango to realize that the time to utilize the Black Hiraikotsu has finally come. Towa manages to call forth Tenseiga, but it is embedded in the pedestal that Tessaiga was once in all those centuries ago. As more demonic power is required, Setsuna and Moroha join their demonic strength with that of Towa's and manage to pull it out. They all finally escape the Border of the Afterlife, where Shippō and Takechiyo await them. Moroha decides to keep the Black Pearl within her late grandmother's rouge, as it holds memories that are most precious to her, assuming that keeping her paternal grandparents residual essences so close together would please Tōga.

Shippo manages to transport them to the Bone-Eater's Well, Towa and Setsuna running off to the Sacred Tree of Ages. Inuyasha and Kagome notice that Moroha declines to go with them, knowing that she does want to interfere with her half-cousins reunion with their parents. Rin finally reunites with Setsuna and meets Towa for the very first time, with Jaken reminding the twins that their father is in grave danger. Towa utilizes the supreme power of the Kyūyōkon Root within Zanseiken to absorb all of the Demon Fireball's energy. Sesshōmaru tells his eldest daughter to desist, but she continues, even her strength diminishes. Towa then falls unconscious as her mother screams out her name.

Trivia

 * The pedestal from which Tessaiga, in "Tetsusaiga the Phantom Sword", was embedded in reappears; both it and Tenseiga are embedded in it to help the Half-Demon Princesses escape, along with Inuyasha and Kagome, to return to the physical world.
 * Towa has trouble pulling out Tenseiga, just as Inuyasha had with Tessaiga.
 * The identical twins Kin'u and Gyokuto still play with Shippō, even as young adults.
 * This marks Sango's first actual appearance in the second season as we have seen her only in cameos via flashbacks beforehand.
 * Sango reunites with Kirara.
 * Miroku is the only main characters from Inuyasha to be missing in this episode.
 * It is revealed that the repaired and upgraded Hiraikotsu she had received all those years ago has now been further enhanced into a "Black Hiraitoksu", indicating that its new and greater abilities are quite deadly and destructive.
 * Towa's hair turning black for infusing demonic energy into Tenseiga is similar to when she attempted to return her twin sister to life.
 * Towa, Setsuna and Moroha meet Shippō for the first time while Inuyasha and Kagome meet Takechiyo for the first time.
 * The fact that Inuyasha knew that Shippō can teleport means he learned that technique before he and Kagome were imprisoned in the Border of the Afterlife.
 * Inuyasha mentions that Tessaiga and Tenseiga were originally one sword, which was revealed in "A Complete Meidō."
 * This is the very first time Moroha refers to her rouge as Grandma's rouge which she now uses to hold the Black Pearl as it holds precious memories for her.
 * Towa meets her biological mother for the first time since her release from the silver-scale curse.
 * Takechiyo mentions that Shippō has motion sickness, despite that the fox-demon is freely capable of utilizing highly advanced Fox Magic.
 * Since her kon was absorbed by the Zanseiken, Towa is the second main character to die, until she was saved by Akuru in the following episode.

Errors

 * As they arrived at Tōga's tomb, Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha, haven't met one of their grandfather's companions Hōsenki I.
 * After Towa listens to Jaken and uses the Star-Slicer Flute to summon the Zanseiken, Sesshōmaru is seen with Tenseiga although Towa didn't return it to him.