Banryū

was Bankotsu's weapon.

Description
Banryū was depicted as an incredible large halberd rivaling the strength and size of Inuyasha's Tessaiga. Its blade resembled that of a large double edged sword. Its pommel had a large, crescent moon like design. Due to its size, Bankotsu was the only known human to wield it effortlessly as it took at least three men to haul it around. Even so, it had its limits as it was damaged by Inuyasha's Wind Scar. Bankotsu embeded four stolen Shikon Jewel shards in the blade to repair it, allowing it to fight on the level of the Tessaiga. Banryū was later obliterated after being struck full-force by the Backlash Wave. That attack also ended up killing Bankotsu.

In the anime, it was revealed that Bankotsu made a wish on the halberd; should he slay a thousand demons and a thousand humans and bask Banryū's blade in their blood, it would gain terrible demonic powers. Banryū achieved this status before Bankotsu died.

Powers & Abilities

 * Dragon Thunder (ドラゴンサンダー Ryuraisen, literally meaning "Dragon Thunder Flash") Bankotsu is able to summon a thunderstorm and manipulate the lightning, creating a number of lethal electric bolts that almost kills everyone on Hijiri island. The attack cannot be fully controlled, and hits randomly. He only uses this attack in the anime, in Episode 113.


 * Dragon Hammer (ドラゴンハンマー, Banryusen, literally meaning "Barbaric Dragon Flash): By channeling the energy of the four Shikon Jewel shards embedded in Banryū, Bankotsu can use an attack that is almost identical to Inuyasha's Wind Scar, except it's pink in color, but matches its strength. He only uses this attack in the anime, in Episode 113.
 * Heat Blast (熱ブラスト, Kanetsu Bakufuu): After embedding his deceased Band of Seven's Shikon Jewel shards, Bankotsu became able to unleash a red wave similar in appearance to Inuyasha's Wind Scar, excepting that it's red, that can overwhelm the Wind Scar.
 * Banryū Flash (禁止流フラッシュ, Banryu Furasshu): Bankotsu used this attack during his final confrontation with Inuyasha in the caves of Mt. Hakurei. He swings his Banryu and unleashes a wave of red energy that is strong enough to cancel Inuyasha's Wind Scar.
 * Hatred Ball (憎しみボール, Gojou Tama): Bankotsu's most powerful attack. The hatred of one thousand humans and demons built inside Banryū, combined with the power of the four Shikon Jewel shards embedded in the halberd, creates a huge and powerful ball of swirling, fiery yōki. However, this all-powerful attack is ultimately his downfall: because it is flowing with demonic energy, Inuyasha is able to use the Backlash Wave to reflect the attack back at Bankotsu, shattering the Banryū and defeating him soundly. He only used the attack in the anime, in episode 122.

Manga vs. Anime

 * In the manga Banryū stayed intact despite Bankotsu's death and, after having it's Shikon Jewel shards taken by Naraku, it was seemingly destroyed in the destruction of Mount Hakurei.

Trivia

 * Despite the fact that the anime and the manga refer to Banryū as a halberd, which is a European styled pole-axe, it has no resemblance to it, and more resembles a Zanbato.
 * In the anime, It is suggested by Inuyasha that Banryū, after its transformation into a demonic blade, would have eventually destroyed Bankotsu due to being exposed to its intense demonic aura. This is possibly a reference to what happened to Kaijinbō when he was possessed by Tōkijin, which Banryū was also subsequently compared to.
 * At the end of episode 111, it shows Bankotsu inserting the 4 shards that Renkotsu stole from Kagome into Banryū (one of which was the large shard Kagome and Kikyō fused from Kagome's 3 shards in episode 98), making a total of 6 sacred jewel shards in Banryū. In episode 113 however, Kagome states that there are only 2 shards in the halberd. (However, episode 98 being an anime-only episode would explain this discrepancy.)

Banryū Banryu 蛮龙