Episode 156

'''Final Battle at the Graveside! Sesshōmaru vs. Inuyasha!' is the 156th episode of the InuYasha'' anime.

Plot
Kagura shows Sesshōmaru and Jaken the pathway to the borderlands in the Realm of Fire.

As Kagome searches for Inuyasha, Hōsenki is now pleased at the coming of the dark jewel shards with Naraku. Naraku comes to Hōsenki to claim the last shard. Kagome tries to break Naraku's barrier with an arrow, but is unable to purify the shield.

Kagura takes Sesshōmaru and Jaken to the gateway, but refuses to enter the chamber with the guardians. When Jaken tells the guardians they wish to pass, the statues step forward and Sesshōmaru draws his Tōkijin.

Inuyasha wakes near the base of his father's remains. Naraku, ignoring Kagome, Miroku, and Sango, flies down to Hōsenki and mocks his weakened state as Hōsenki attempts to repair the shattered armor over his darkened jewel shard. An infuriated Hōsenki lashes out with an adamant arm at Naraku; the blow breaches Naraku's previously inpenatrable barrier and impales him through the chest, but Naraku seems unharmed and extends his right hand into tentacles, which exit his barrier and begin trying to remove the shard from Hōsenki. Kagome, seeing Naraku destroying the partial repairs Hōsenki made to his body, fires a sacred arrow at the exposed tentacles, but Hōsenki spits adamant shards at her, snapping the arrow in two. The jewel shard completely corrupts Hōsenki, and he ceases to resist Naraku, allowing him to remove Hōsenki's arm from his chest; Naraku promptly regenerates the gaping hole in his chest. Naraku laughingly tells Kagome that the hatred from the fight helped taint the jewel shard Hōsenki has even further, and that the combined attacks of Kagome and Inuyasha are the only reason Naraku can reach the shard within Hōsenki.

Inuyasha arrives on the heels of his Wind Scar, interrupting Naraku's attempt to absorb the final jewel shard. Using his Red Tessaiga, Inuyasha tries again to break Naraku's barrier, without effect. Inuyasha then attacks Naraku with his Wind Scar and his Backlash Wave, but both are unsuccessful. Naraku's tentacles sieze Hōsenki and hurl him into Inuyasha, impaling him on the adamant spikes and knocking him aside.

Sesshōmaru fells both guardians with a single slash from Tokijin. The guardians rise, stating that they cannot be slain by a sword of this world. Tenseiga begins pulsing, and Sesshōmaru smiles, stating that he will instead use Tenseiga to destroy them. He plants Tokijin in the ground, (presumably to free his hand for a moment, as he only has one arm) and draws Tenseiga. As soon as he draws the blade, however, the gate opens and the guardians kneel, saying that he who wields the sword of the netherworld may pass. Commenting that the guards are admirable to refusing to fight an unwinnable battle, Sesshomaru sheathes Tenseiga and retrieves Tokijin, entering the gateway as Kagura thinks that Sesshomaru is the only one capable of destroying Naraku.

Naraku mocks Inuyasha while retrieving the final shard of the Shikon Jewel. Naraku tosses away Hōsenki and Inuyasha, and turns his mocking to Kagome, Miroku and Sango, claiming they are all stuck in the netherworld. Miroku declares that Naraku won't escape, and begins to unbind his Wind Tunnel, but Naraku holds up a Samiyosho hive and the poisonous insects surround him. He says that Miroku can either die quickly from the poison, or spend eternity in the borderland. A battered Inuyasha sits up, shouting that the battle isn't finished, but his sword has reverted to its untransformed state. Naraku declares that it is all over, and holds up his red-eyed right hand. As he finishes his gloating, however, a bluish-green sphere of energy hurtles towards him, and detonates on his barrier. The attack destroys the Samiyosho and pushes Naraku back several meters, but his barrier holds. Puzzled at how Sesshōmaru (for it was his attack) managed to access the borderland, Naraku nonetheless mocks him, inquiring whether he "rushed to his kid brother's assistance" and sarcastically commending his fraternal devotion. Sesshōmaru, however, ignores him, preferring to gaze upon his father's corpse, and causing Naraku to scowl in annoyance at being disregarded. Sesshōmaru then heads over to Inuyasha and punches him, presumably for disgracing himself with their father's sword in front of their father's remains. Sesshōmaru then confronts Naraku.

With the darkened shard gone from Hōsenki, he is once again sane. Hōsenki asks Inuyasha if he still has the strength to fight.