Daiyōkai

A Daiyōkai is a very powerful type of demon that is much stronger and smarter than the common yokai. Most Daiyōkai have long life span possibly even longer than that of a normal yokai. They tend to remain calm in battle even if the situation is dire or their life threatened. Daiyōkai vary in shape. Some have, or are able to transform into, human looking forms -- the Great Dog Demon and Sesshomaru, for example. Others, like Ryukotsusei, are very large in size and don't at all resemble humans. Though it is not clear whether this applies to all Daiyokai, it seems that some became feudal rulers over vast territories, commanding lesser demons. They sometimes wage war against other yokai and humans alike.

As in all other yokai-human matches, a Daiyokai who mates with a human will produce a half-demon. But the descendants from a Daiyōkai-human pair will be more powerful not only than the average hanyo but also than the average full yokai. As their powers are too vast to be properly absorbed by a hanyo body, under life threatening situations hanyos who descend from daiyōkai can transform into berserk, blood-thirsrty and highly powerful yokai. If this happens often, the full-demon-like form eventually becomes permanent. Inuyasha is an example of such a hanyo.