Kochō

Kochō (胡蝶) and Asuka (飛鳥) are characters are from the anime/manga, InuYasha. They are two shikigami in the form of two young girls, appearing to be about Rin's age. They are mainly used as Kikyo's messengers, after Kikyo was slain at Mount Hakurei, by Naraku, and was unconscious, and close to her second death. They are also attendants for Kikyo's other shikigami, Saint Hijiri, who was just a puppet and container of Kikyo's soul. Kochō and Asuka are also capable of erecting and maintaining powerful barriers.

The girls are slain by Kohaku when Kikyo sends them to divert Naraku's attention and stop the invading demonic rats. However, Kikyo later summons them again to protect Kohaku (who has become her travelling companion since Kagura's death).

They can be distinguished from one another by their appearance. Asuka has two ponytails at the side of her head, and wears a blue kimono. Kochō has a ponytail at the back of her head, like Kikyo, wears a light yellow kimono.

Name Meaning
Kocho roughly translates to "strange butterfly" (ko 胡 - foreign, barbarian; cho 蝶 - butterfly).

The characters in Asuka's name roughly mean "flying bird" (asu 飛 - fly, scatter; ka 鳥 - bird).