Towa Higurashi

"The Feudal Era is ahead of us... Setsuna's dreams were stolen there. Don't worry. I promise I'll get them back for you!"

- Towa Higurashi

is the main protagonist and one of the titular characters in the anime series Hanyō no Yashahime. She is the firstborn daughter of Sesshōmaru and Rin and the elder fraternal twin sister of Setsuna. Upon being adopted in the modern era, she is the adoptive daughter and half-niece-in-law of Sōta Higurashi and Moe Higurashi and the adoptive older sister and half-cousin once removed of Mei Higurashi.

History
Towa and Setsuna were born in Kaede's village to Rin and were taken away by Sesshōmaru shortly after birth. Sesshōmaru left them at the Sacred Tree in the forest to protect them from Zero, who would target them due to a prophecy of their grandfather as being half-demons, they were said to be capable of killing the Lord of the Eastern Lands, Kirinmaru, (since the Shikon Jewel had been disappeared granted a wish by her half-aunt Kagome Higurashi seven years prior after the battle with Naraku) with Jaken placing a barrier around the woods to keep them safe. Towa and Setsuna lived together in the woods until they were four years old when a forest fire broke out due to Homura burning the forest at Zero's order, with her father unable to intervene less Zero kill them herself, and Towa was sucked into a time portal to the modern era of.

When she awoke, Towa was approached by a man named Sōta Higurashi, who adopted her. Following Mei's birth, Sōta and Towa made a promise that she wouldn't show her powers infront of anyone. In elementary school, Towa got picked on when the other children claimed that Setsuna didn't exist which hurt Towa's feelings. On her 6th (allocated) birthday, Towa accidently blew the frosting off the top of the cake which made her foster family laugh. Despite laughing as well, Towa felt lonely as Setsuna wasn't there to celebrate with her. Towa grew up having to deal with bullies constantly annoying her. She also became good at sports thanks to her hanyō physiology; winning many trophies. Some underclassmen from a previous school found her as a cool, lone wolf type.

Reunion with Setsuna
During her first day at Saint Gabriel Academy, Towa ends up running into a gang that constantly annoyed her. At the end of the school day, she was in a discussion with her teacher, Osamu Kirin who was lecturing her about trying to conduct herself as one of the students. Upon returning home, Towa jumped up onto the roof to tend to the Kikujūmonji when she suddenly caught the scent of Mei's tears from her great-grandfather's shrine. The gang from earlier that day had taken Mei, Grammy and Grandpa Higurashi hostage. Towa manages to rescue her adoptive family from the bullies, but was yelled at by Mei for getting into fights again. Later that night, Towa picks up a familiar scent from the Sacred Tree which was revealed to be Mistress Three-Eyes, along with a teenage Setsuna and a girl in red. Upon seeing her long-lost sister in trouble, Towa runs in to save her. However, the blade of her katana ends up breaking upon contact of the demon's skin. Angered by the sight of her sister hurt, Towa activates her demon powers for the first time by transforming the broken katana into a Demon Energy Blade and impaling the centipede demon. Following Mistress Three-Eyes' downfall, Towa approached Setsuna only to be shocked that the latter didn't recognized who she was. She attempted to apologize to Setsuna only to be greeted by Setsuna attacking with her naginata. The girl in red soon introduced herself and confirmed not only Towa being Setsuna's sister, but also a half-demon and her father being Sesshōmaru. Whilst Setsuna and Moroha were in conversation, Towa was soon taken over by a parasitic root demon who started attacking the new comers. When Mei tried to reach her sister, the Hitōkon leaves Towa and decides to control the young girl. Having felt guilty for putting her adoptive sister in danger, Towa embraces the controled Mei in an attempt to calm her down.

Back at the apartment, Towa was shocked to learn Setsuna hasn't slept since they were last together and felt a deep sense of guilt for letting go of Setsuna's hand that day. A few days later, Towa decided to follow her sister and Moroha back to the warring age to search for the Dream Butterfly to recover the dreams and memories that Setsuna had lost. Towa was grateful to Sōta for taking her in and raising her, but worried that if she stayed with the family any longer, she would only cause more trouble for them.

After jumping through the rainbow corridor, she and the other girls encounter a projection of a priestess whom requested of them to slay the Beast King, Kirinmaru. After hearing that she would have to fight her biological father as well, Towa refused the Tree of Ages' request, saying she wouldn't allow anyone to choose the path for her. Following the conversation with the spirit, the three girls were suddenly transported to where Root Head was awaiting them. During the fight with Root head, Towa unleashes a blue dragon of energy which destroys the plant demon.

The following morning, Towa went with Setsuna to the demon slayers' base to ask about the Dream Butterfly. She learns from Kohaku about Mount Musubi and insists about searching for that place. Towa soon goes on her first demon slayer mission to take down a young male apparition who was collecting bones. At the bridge that night, Towa starts to feel drowsy for which she apologies to Setsuna upon remembering her sister's condition. Following the traces of blood to the Red Bone Palace, she and Setsuna encounter Moroha who was on a Bounty Hunt for Jakotsumaru and Tōkotsu's head. Towa and the other girls were shocked to learn from Myōga that Tōkotsu was one of Kirinmaru's underlings.

Sometime afterward, Towa and Setsuna accompany Moroha on an investigation of people going missing on the mountain pass. Due to her upbringing in the mordern era, Towa wasn't able to discern a demon from a regular cat.

Personality
At first, she has a rowdy personality and gets in fights at school. Towa despises bullies, seeing them as weak people who only target those weaker than themselves. She is very protective and caring toward her adoptive family, especially Mei, whom she sees as a substitute for Setsuna.

Unlike her half-aunt Kagome, Towa is aware of the dangers of what having knowledge of the future in the past could bring. Hence she recovers the bicycle seat from Kagome's long-lost bike and refuses to leave behind the history textbook. Towa also considers something very minor, like the core of an apple from the future, to be dangerous if left behind, due to the fact that it's not a natural apple and had been treated with modern chemicals (which can alter the environment).

Towa is aware of the more firmly established gender divisions in modern Japan, and the pressure to look and act more "feminine" occasionally irritates her. However, she has no interest in conforming to those standards, keeping her androgynous fashion style (though she claims this is because men's clothing is more practical for fighting), and never backing down from a fight. (Even her choice of underclothes reflects this, as she chooses sports bras and boxers over feminine versions.) Her adoptive sister Mei is not very happy about this, mainly from concern about Towa getting into trouble and her belief that Towa would prefer not to have to fight.

Towa is soft-hearted and refuses to kill others. Even with Mistress Three-Eyes, she could not bring herself to deliver the fatal blow. During the fight against Jakotsumaru and Tōkotsu, she felt sorry for Jakotsumaru, who had been defeated by Moroha. She also felt guilty about the three of them attacking Jakotsumaru and Tōkotsu, after which Setsuna angrily rebuts that the two had killed several humans for their bones. Setsuna and Moroha are annoyed several times by Towa's soft-heartedness, believing it will put them in danger. However, Towa doesn't have much of a problem with destroying un-dead creatures or minor demons. Much of this attitude appears to be due to Sōta's influence, whom she promised to not reveal her powers. Though, upon finding out that Homura was responsible for the fire that separated her from Setsuna, she was shown to be vengeful as she still wanted to take him down despite the demon self-combusting. When Setsuna was slain by Kirinmaru, Towa announced that Kirinmaru was her prey. Determined to avenge her sister, Towa awoke her full demonic abilities with the intention of bringing the beast king down. When Towa's past was exposed by Zero and Nanahoshi, Towa becomes overwhelmed by rage at the two demons to the point where she ruthlessly slew the Eternity Bug and Nanahoshi without hesitation. Similar to that of her uncle, Towa becomes consumed by rage to the point that she would disregard the other matters when fighting an opponent such as her birth mother's intertwined fate to Zero or the advice from Riku and Setsuna.

Due to growing up in the modern era, where there is a stable society that taught her to value and respect the lives of others, Towa was shocked by Kaede's casual indifference to whether Rin could still be alive after disappearing years ago; though she accepted this is due to the turbulent state of the Warring age the old woman lived in.

She thus seeks to defeat evil without doing harm to humans. This goal is tested during a battle with the possessed monk Juan, but she succeeds after finding out that she can absorb yōki. Towa appears to be good at handling children, it resumed that they reminds her of her adoptive younger sister Mei, even the demon turtle child choose her to have a shell armor than Moroha because the kid was scared of her attitude.

Like her mother, Towa has a lively personality, is more energetic, and playable, but after reuniting Setsuna, her aura has changed, and she is very protective of her, not even minding her attitude just to ask if she was okay. As mentioned by Kaede and Rion, Towa is a kind person.

Much like her paternal half-uncle and as a half-dog demon, Towa exhibits some dog-like behaviors and instincts, such as lapping water from a stream with Setsuna and shaking her body free of water after a battle against Drifting Pond and Venom Serpent. Or running to Setsuna on all fours to make sure she's okay after the fight with Kyūki was over and laying her head on Setsuna's body when she was grieving. When in a kneeling position, she places her hands in front or on top of her knees in a similar manner to how a dog would sit. Sōta noted that her movements were remniscent of Inuyasha's.

Due to being raised in the modern era, Towa refuses to inflict pain on anyone, including that of her enemies. This was pointed out by Setsuna when Towa had Tōtetsu read her expression from Moroha's sneak attack or from when Towa refused to cut her sister. Setsuna mentions that the naivete would eventually lead to her downfall.

Following the reunion with her long lost sister, Towa felt deep guilt from the moment when she had accidentally let go of Setsuna's hand during the fire and believed that Setsuna's incapability to sleep was her fault. She became determined to locate the Dream Butterfly in order to restore her sister's lost dreams and memories. When Setsuna was slain by Kirinmaru, Towa felt like she was truly weak, leaving her sister unprotected, until her father Sesshōmaru offered his Tenseiga onto her, meaning that she could still save her by recreating her father's sword and restore Setsuna to life. As noted by Kohaku, Towa doesn't consider evasion as an option when fighting someone, which leads her vulnerable to an attack. This suggests that the incident from ten years ago has traumatised Towa to the point where she had mainly been using Setsuna as an excuse for her own weaknesses. This mindset was noted to be very dangerous by Riku who feared that Towa would end up on the same path as his madam, Zero.

Towa is inexperienced when it comes to romance, but is well aware of the concept of liking someone. Despite this, she is shown to be easily flattered and flustered when someone makes romantic advances towards her, to the extent of leaving her blushing and speechless. Similar to her aunt Kagome, such romantic inclinations can make Towa clumsy and naive, as after Riku partially confessed his feelings for her, she trusted him so much that she gave him her Silver Pearl, only to regret it after she remembered he was Kirinmaru’s servant.

Towa has been shown to take advantage when the opportunity arises. She decided to assist Moroha in one of her bounty hunts in order to get enough funds to hire someone to seek out the Dream Butterfly or from when she learnt of Riku's sensory connection to Kirinmaru, she sent a message through Riku towards the Great Demon. Towa also doesn't judge or discriminate against others because of their origins. Despite her sheer hatred of Kirinmaru for killing her sister, Towa doesn't bear any prejudice towards Rion for being his daughter or Riku for being one of his incarnations, still regarding them as friends.

Physical description
Towa is a young woman of average height with fair skin. She has short silver hair with a streak of paradise pink in one of her bangs and magenta eyes. In the manga, she initially had plain silver hair without the paradise pink streak until her confrontation with Mistress Three-Eyes.

As an infant, Towa was wrapped up in a light blue blanket. As a child, she wore a lavender kosode with a yellow sash. She also walked barefooted and tied her hair into a ponytail by a violet hair tie. After being adopted by the Higurashi family, Towa was seen wearing a light blue dress with a white petal collar, two buttons, short puffy sleeves with white petal-shaped ends and a blue ribbon at the back, white socks, and pink shoes. She also wore another version of her first modern era dress that was colored lavender respectively instead. She was even shown to have worn a frilly white top with celeste accents on the collar and the short puffy sleeves, four buttons and a yellow ribbon, a dark green skirt, white executive socks, and brown loafers.

As a teenager, Towa prefers to wear a male school uniform as she finds it more comfortable to fight in them. The uniform consists of a light graphite dress shirt with a paradise pink ribbon underneath a white blazer with violet accents and golden buttons. She wears matching white pants attached to a brown belt with a golden buckle, white socks, and brown boots with laces. In the manga, she is shown to wear the Saint Gabriel Academy school uniform consisting of a black sailor style dress with a white collar and brown sash. She wears mid-length black socks and wears white flats inside the school building.

In her dream, she wears feminine clothes consisting of a cream-colored off-shoulder top, a graphite long-sleeve shirt partnered with a matching velvet cloth necklace, jeans and sandals. She also wears a pink bracelet along with Setsuna.

During the nights of the New Moon, Towa's hair becomes black and grows to shoulder-length. Her eyes take on a more brown hue to their color. Her hair reverts to its usual color and original length when the moonless nights come to an end, and her eyes regain their magenta coloring.

When she becomes a full demon, Towa gains the same violet crescent moon marking on her forehead as Setsuna, her father, and her grandmother's. Her ears become pointed and her hair grows to the same length as her mother's. Her fangs become more pronounced and she gains the same magenta cheek markings as Setsuna's. Her irises has same color, her body gives off a bright sky blue aura when using her powers. When not in control of her powers, Towa's sclera becomes red as her irises became teal slits with white pupils just like her half-uncle's and lacks the crescent moon marking on her forehead, in which the awaking the blood of her grandfather's. In addition, her body gives off a crimson aura instead of her usual light blue aura. Her fingernails also lengthen to claws.

When wielding the broken Tenseiga, Towa's hair turns black but retains its usual length, gains the crescent moon marking on her forehead and a blue glow to her eyes.

During the ending theme Anaaki no Sora, Towa wears a light colored kimono with a tiger stripe style pattern with a lavender sash with a crimson accent. She also wears bandage around her corset with woven sandals.

Powers and Abilities
Despite being highly athletic, having grown up in the modern era for her preteen and early teenage years, Towa is the least combat-experienced of the three Half-Demon Princesses. She would easily let her guard down and be susceptible to attacks, which initially let her be possessed by a Hitōkon. She was also initially unaware of her status as a hanyō, resulting in her powers not be as developed as either Setsuna's or Moroha's.

Despite this, Towa is still shown to be a powerful hanyō in her own right. She was able to land a critical blow to Mistress Three-Eyes, whose strength was increased by two Rainbow Pearls, a feat neither Setsuna nor Moroha could accomplish. While possessed by the Hitōkon, who can draw into its host's abilities, Towa can fight evenly with the battle experienced Setsuna. Later on, she was the only one who actually managed to hold her own and injure Kirinmaru out of the trio, impressing Kirinmaru to where he admitted her worth as one of Tōga's granddaughters.

According to Zero, Towa's strength comes from the love that surrounds her.


 * Dog-Demonic Power: Being the daughter of an extremely powerful daiyōkai, Towa boasts incredible demonic power, impressing even Setsuna and Moroha. However, having grown up with no one teaching her how to utilize her powers, Towa is unaware of her own abilities and what she could accomplish. It appears that her powers only manifest when she is in a heightened emotional state.
 * Demonic Energy Projection: Towa can strike silently at a distance with thin projections from her fingers. Her Demonic aura takes on the form of Sesshōmaru's true form.
 * Swordsmanship: Being that swordplay is her main form of combat, combined with the various bokken and shinai in her room, Towa is implied to be proficient in swordsmanship. Indeed, she was skilled enough to hold her own against Kirinmaru and even manage to cut him during their first encounter, causing him to compliment her skill, whereas Moroha and Setsuna were easily defeated by him in a straight fight.
 * Demonic Energy Blade: By channeling her demonic power into her broken katana, Towa can generate an energy blade. The blade's size and length can be controlled at will, granting Towa great offensive and defensive abilities.
 * From the tip of her energy blade, Towa can unleash a powerful demonic energy wave in the form of a blue dragon similar to the one her father had frequently had generated from his Tōkijin.
 * Twin Sōryūha.png: An evolved and much stronger version of the technique used by Towa in her full demon form, Kirinmaru was the one whom gave it the name. She can utilize it with her legendary Zanseiken as well.
 * Spell: Since Setsuna had a seal from Miroku with his Buddhist powers, she learned it from him as to banish Tōkotsu as she chant, "On meeting an arhat, slay the arhat; on meeting your parents, slay your parents. Know that the light to your path lies there ends." Then Towa uses her Energy Blade of the replica of Kikujūmonji to rest in peace.
 * Demonic Energy Whip: Towa can manifest her demonic energy around her opponent and ensnare them. Her father possesses this ability as well, but only in the anime.
 * Demonic Energy Absorption: Towa can absorb demonic energy, effectively increasing her own. This can be done both through direct enemy contact or by simply absorbing any leftover traces on her body after receiving an attack. In addition, Towa is also capable of infusing demonic energy into objects as seen when she infused her own power into Meiōjū's shell to activate his spirit.
 * Demonic Energy Barrier: Towa manifests a pale blue barrier when in her full demon form which she can use to protect herself and others.
 * Experienced Combatant: Towa is very proficient in unarmed combat, able to easily switch between kicks, throws, and elbow strikes. Even while holding her strength, she can still easily defeat a gang of bullies, who were significantly larger and heavier than her, regularly.
 * Enhanced Physical Abilities: Being a hanyō, Towa's physical abilities are far superior to the average human. As a child, she could jump from a tall tree and land on the ground without injuring herself. As a teenager, she can easily lift up and throw a man many meters through the air with just one hand. She is also capable of jumping incredible heights and leap vast distances. When she fought Kirinmaru, a sword blow she landed was actually able to injure him and cause him some pain. This has earned her a few awards in kendo, athletics, and martial arts.
 * Enhanced Sense of Smell: Being a hanyō, Towa possesses an incredibly acute sense of smell, able to detect a human's presence and/or whereabouts even at far distances. However, having lived in a peaceful modern era for a long time, she wasn't familiar with this skill.
 * Enhanced Durability and Reflexes: Being a hanyō, Towa is far more durable than the average human. A gangster hit her several times in the face with a wooden katana and did not cause any real injuries. She can also withstand demonic attacks and absorb the latent yōki.
 * Enhanced Agility: Towa can quickly jump great heights due to her superhuman strength and dexterity. She is also well versed in climbing and jumping up a building in the city. Her stamina, however, is not as strong, leaving her unable to physically keep up with Moroha or Setsuna on foot.
 * Telekinesis: When fighting against Kyūki, Towa was able to retrieve her Kikujūmonji from the tiger demoness's tail right before using the Azure Dragon Wave.
 * Poison Resistance: Inherited from her father, Towa is immune from poison-based attacks, such as miasma and poison mist.
 * Cold immunity: It is unknown that Towa can stand very low temperatures, as seen in Episode 21, that turns out to be a demonic power because when she turns into a human, she then suddenly freezes.
 * Transformation: Due to her dual nature as a half-demon, Towa is able to take on either a full-human or full-demon state. For the former case, this takes place during the night of the new moon. Whilst the latter case occurs when she enters a heightened emotional state, namely through rage and/or vengence.
 * Levitation: Through her full demon state, Towa was shown to be capable of flying with a light blue aura surrounding her body.
 * Spiritual sight: When using the broken Tenseiga, Towa gains the ability to see the messengers of the netherworld. She also has the unique ability to see the spirit of the Windmill of Time, Akuru.
 * Flute playing: Towa has been shown to have some skills of a flutist when she played the Star-Slicer Flute.
 * Accessing the Time Portal of Sacred Tree of Ages: Towa has briefly entered the Sacred Tree of Ages by the barrier of Mount Musubi.

Weapons

 * Replica of Kikujūmonji: Towa’s primary weapon. Initially believed to be the real national treasure sword, it was later revealed to be a museum loan. The blade broke during the fight with Mistress Three-Eyes. However, Towa’s ability to create an energy blade from its handle allows her to continue wielding the sword in combat.
 * The sheath of Kikujūmonji: The sheath used to hold the Kikujūmonji replica.
 * Silver Rainbow Pearl : Towa possessed the Silver Rainbow Pearl inside her left eye. It appears that many of her natural demonic abilities are due to the influence and boost from the Silver Pearl, as her left eye tends to glow when she utilizes any one of them. She later gave it to Riku so he could return it to Zero.
 * Time Travel: Towa could travel back and forth five hundred years between the Feudal Era and modern-day Tokyo, though not by her own doing.
 * Protection: The pearl granted Towa protection from spells. When she was separated from the pearl, it made her vulnerable to Zero's manipulation.
 * Tenseiga : Towa receives the Tenseiga from her father, Sesshōmaru. She had to pour large quantities of demon energy in order to form a full blade of energy. The sword was later given to Tōtōsai to fix it.
 * Hoshikiri no Fue: A mystical flute forged from the Kyūyōkon Root that she receives from Rion.
 * Zanseiken: A legendary sword bestowed by the God of Stars, it is summoned when Towa plays the flute.

Weaknesses

 * Venom: Despite inherited her father’s poison immunity, Towa still remains susceptible to some venom-based attacks, such as venom-infused water.
 * New Moon: Like her paternal half-uncle, Towa loses her demonic powers and state during the night of the New Moon. On the night of the New Moon, her hair turns black, her eyes turns brown, she loses her yōkai abilities and attributes, and her energetic blade doesn't form from her replica of Kikujūmonji. During the night of the New Moon before the sun sets, Towa suffers from pre-transformation symptoms, such as losing her acute sense of smell, before eventually turning into a human, while the rest of her body demonstrates physical transformation. Most notably, her hair is a bit longer, and the Silver Rainbow Pearl inside of her left eye won't activate until her demonic powers are restored (according to Riku that the Silver Pearl lies much deeper with her eye). However, this only occurs when she's in the Feudal Era, as she never once experienced this phenomena in modern-day Tokyo.
 * Demonic power overload: Whenever Towa absorbs demonic energy, there come times for when she becomes overwhelmed by strong demonic energy such as Kirinmaru's eventually needed to be released.
 * Mental Trauma: Due to the forest fire plotted by Zero, Towa became traumatised from losing grip of her sister's hand. This mindset prevents her from using evasion as an option in combat, leaving her open to attack. Even after listening to the advise from Kohaku, Towa still couldn't consider fleeing from Kirinmaru when their paths crossed. Her enduring sorrow and self-doubts are then taken advantage of by Zero and Nanahoshi, who cause her to tap into her full demon form and abilities by drawing on the depths of her deepest fury and hatred towards them.
 * Demonic Blood: When overwhelmed by rage, Towa's demonic blood fully activates out of bloodlust.

Family
Sesshōmaru is a great and powerful daiyōkai as well as Towa's biological father. Towa had never heard of him until Moroha mentioned him when she could sense and identify Towa as his half-demon daughter, just by smelling her, but even then doesn't Towa recognize who Sesshōmaru is. Towa doesn't seem to have any knowledge of him whatsoever as well as her half-demon heritage. Due to being raised in the Modern era, Towa had very limited knowledge of her half-demon background and didn't know she was born from both a human and a demon. When the Tree of Ages requested Towa and Setsuna to end the life of their father along with Kirinmaru does Towa undoubtedly refuse because she doesn't want to kill her father, despite having never met him. Towa seems to have some sort of respect and consideration for Sesshōmaru as her blood-related father but it's also based on Towa's kind nature and moral standards.
 * Sesshōmaru

In Episode 15 is it revealed that shortly after when Towa and Setsuna were born, Sesshōmaru took them away from Kaede's village in order to protect them from Zero and Kirinmaru. Zero approached Sesshōmaru early on and warned him that when Kirinmaru awakens, that he most likely would kill his daughters since he hated all half-demons and humans. Sesshōmaru sees through this and knows that Zero wants his daughters dead as well, as she wished to see his entire family suffer in agony. Sesshōmaru hides his daughters in a forest and gives his daughters the silver and golden rainbow pearls respectively. Jaken also creates a barrier to protect his daughters from any yōkai or danger.

Towa eventually encountered Sesshōmaru in Episode 18 when her father arrives just in time before Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha were easily being defeated by Kirinmaru. Even though Sesshōmaru comes across as harsh and barely acknowledges his daughters, does he clearly act out of concern for his daughter's lives and well-being. When Sesshōmaru subsequently leaves with Jaken is Towa left confused and shocked to have seen Sesshōmaru step up and fight against Kirinmaru. Towa is then seen thinking, wondering what her father is doing as well as what his actual motives and intentions are.

After Towa and Moroha's battle second time with Kirinmaru in Episode 24, Towa is seen crawling to reach Setsuna's departed body. Towa in deep grief and utter sorrow was later apologizing to Setsuna, sobbing uncontrollably and blaming herself, calling herself weak for being unable to protect her as Towa wanted to protect her younger sister the most. Sesshōmaru is then seen approaching his eldest daughter, in a serious, but calm manner. Sesshōmaru addresses Towa by name for the first time. Sesshōmaru is afterward seen entrusting Towa his broken sword Tenseiga, inherited from Towa's grandfather Tōga. Sesshōmaru simply asks his daughter, “Will you try using this, Towa?” implying Towa to use Tenseiga to possibly resurrect Setsuna (In the English Dub, he says "The choice is yours, Towa"). Towa accepts her father's sword Tenseiga in order to revive Setsuna.


 * Rin

Rin is her biological mother and the one who named her and Setsuna. Despite deeply loving her newborn daughters, Rin permitted Sesshōmaru to take them on the night of their birth to protect them from Kirinmaru and Zero. Although Towa didn't met her mother yet, she has seen her twice in her dreams. Towa learned of her mother's name from Kaede in Episode 21, even stating that Towa resemble her mother in both kind personality and human appearance. Like with Sesshōmaru but to a greater extent, Towa cares for her biological mother and was dismayed to hear that she had disappeared and Kaede's apparent detachment over it.

However, she later meets her mother for the first time at Mount Musubi. After entering to the Tree of Ages through the barrier, Towa came to the realization that she saw her before in dreams, and Setsuna told her that she is indeed their biological mother.


 * Setsuna

Setsuna is her younger twin sister. During their childhood, the two of them were inseparable and lived happily together in a forest. Unfortunately, the two were separated during a forest fire, which resulted in Towa traveling to modern-day Tokyo. Towa loves her younger sister dearly, willing to risk her life in the forest fire to find Setsuna. Even after living in modern Tokyo for ten years, Towa still remembers her sister fondly.

The two were reunited ten years later. Towa immediately recognizes Setsuna's scent and protects her from Mistress Three-Eyes; her anger towards the demon for hurting her younger sister causes Towa to manifest her powers the first time. Though initially happy to be reunited, Towa was sad to discover that Setsuna had no memories of her and how coldly she treats her older sister.

Towa regretted letting go of Setsuna's hand during the forest fire, which resulted in their separation and causing Towa to feel an immense sense of guilt during her ten years in modern Tokyo. After reuniting with Setsuna, Towa immediately apologizes to her sister, believing that she blames her for what happened that night. The realization that Setsuna lost her ability to sleep or dream only made Towa feel worse. She is now determined to help cure Setsuna of her condition to redeem herself and be willing to leave the modern era's safety.

Throughout their journey, Towa would constantly tried to re-bond with Setsuna, such as cuddling up to her or similar gestures of affection. These would often met with angrily rejections from Setsuna, who insists that they are complete strangers, much to Towa’s dismay. She also expresses annoyance when Setsuna refuses to join her in her quest to find the Dream Butterfly. Her pacifistic nature also puts her at odds with Setsuna's more pragmatic approach.

Nevertheless, Towa continues to remain protective over younger sister. She became able to freely use Sōryūha after witnessing Setsuna being injured. After discovering that hanyōs losses their demonic powers over the new moon for the first time, she immediately rushes to help Setsuna despite her weekend state, only to be stopped by Moroha. When Setsuna was rampaging due to the demonic blood, Towa went to calm her sister down so Kin'u could reapply the seal.

During their second fight with Kirinmaru, Towa tried to protect her but failed and was completely fraught and angered by her decease to where she furiously challenged Kirinmaru and unlocked her full power. After the fight ended with her and Moroha still defeated, Towa unreservedly broke down in tears over her sister's cadaver until their father appeared to give her the Tenseiga as he implied Towa to use it and possibly resurrect Setsuna.

Following Setsuna's resurrection, Towa became extra concerned with her sister's safety as she was well aware if Setsuna loses her life once more, she'll be lost forever and there will be nothing she could do to bring her back.

Through a fantasy, it was revealed Towa would like to take Setsuna to the modern era so they can live together, meaning Towa is strongly considering returning to the modern era after recovering Setsuna's memories back, and later saving their mother.

Moroha is her paternal half-cousin. Towa appears to be on good terms with her, although she would sometimes be annoyed at Moroha's recklessness and lack of manners.
 * Moroha

Towa freely shares modern pleasures such as snacks and music with her and has shown an almost motherly side. She helped Moroha make pancakes and worry she would get a stomachache for drinking dirty water. Towa has also established a bit of curiosity toward Moroha's need for money, information she was not able to get as Moroha quickly changed the topic.

Towa is initially unaware that Moroha is her half-cousin by blood, though does quickly learn that they are adoptive cousins, although not really close, Towa shares a sense of trust for her. Moroha, on the other hand, knows of her familial relationship and considers both Towa and Setsuna as her friends. Especially, Towa demonic power loses and transform to human during in new moon phase as Moroha taking care of her as well as showing worry whenever a twin is in danger. When Moroha let her participation in a battle slip, Towa immediately went to save her and even got upset for when she believed that Moroha was critically injured by Hisui's Hiraikotsu. Upon returning home from the "contest", Towa expressed her relief that Moroha was alright in an embrace.

Sōta Higurashi is her adoptive father and half-uncle-in-law, who found her shortly after being transported to the modern era as a child. Though initially frightened, Towa immediately became attached to Sōta after realizing Towa was from the Feudal Era. After that night, Sōta ended up adopting Towa and raised her with his wife Moe as if she was his own. Towa loves her adoptive father/half-uncle-in-law dearly, affectionately calling him "Papa Sōta". Despite being prone to fighting, Towa promises him she will hold back and never use her powers in front of people. While Sōta does disapprove of her fighting habits and does find her a handful sometimes, he still loves his adopted daughter unconditionally and is shown to be very forgiving towards her habits. Sōta even decided to make the day they met her birthday. Before she travels back to the Feudal Era, Towa has one final conversation with Sōta, apologizing for having to cause nothing but trouble for him after he adopted her. When she realizes that he isn’t bothered by it and wishes her well, Towa tears up and hugs her adoptive father, affectionately calling him "dad".
 * Sōta Higurashi

Mei Higurashi is her adoptive younger sister and half-cousin-in-law. The two share a close bond, and Towa is exceptionally protective of her, immediately going to her location after realizing she is crying. She also refrains from fighting in Mei’s presence, knowing that it will make her sad.
 * Mei Higurashi

Despite this, Towa questions whether she cares for Mei because she sees her as a replacement for Setsuna. Nevertheless, when she thought the latter would hurt the former, Towa did not hesitate to point her sword towards Setsuna to protect Mei. She also hugs and promises Mei to return once she restores Setsuna's memories and ability to sleep, showing that Towa truly loves her adoptive sister.

Moe is Towa's adoptive mother and half-aunt-in-law. According to Moe, Towa has always been the center of chaos (a trouble maker in the English Dub). Towa has also mentioned that Moe would play the violin for her whenever she would come home after a fight. Towa has a good and loving relationship with her adoptive mother/half-aunt-in-law and is grateful for having accepted her into the Higurashi family with Sōta and calls her "Mama Moe". Moe even notes that Towa could become an athelete due to her strong lung capacity.
 * Moe Higurashi

Others
A homeroom teacher of hers at Saint Gabriel Academy, he gave her first day tardiness an overlook. He showed concern over her long absence since she left for the Feudal Era.
 * Osamu Kirin


 * Riku

Towa meets Riku when she heads out on her own to look for Mt. Musubi and the Dream Butterfly in Episode 7. Riku approaches himself to Towa since both of them appear to be lost. Riku initially mistakes Towa as a samurai but later addresses Towa as “hime-sama” meaning princess. Riku also addresses Towa as Towa-sama (Lady Towa). Riku later mentions to Towa that he has difficulties finding his ship, indicating that water is nearby. Towa smells water and afterward leads him to a river. Towa later invites Riku to a picnic with modern food. When Riku then introduces himself as a pirate, Towa is left shocked and startled but is put at ease when he says he doesn’t steal from women, children, or poor people. Towa also receives a stolen katana from Ogigayatsu Hiiragi Danjo from Riku but later ends up being captured as a presumed thief by Yotsume disguised as Sōkyu. Riku immediately seems to have a significant interest in Towa and says in a conversation with Jyūbei that he likes her, considering her to be a fine young woman. Riku is also aware that Towa is Sesshōmaru's daughter, implying his interest and recognition in Towa. Riku even stated that Towa inherited the Azure Dragon Wave from Sesshōmaru. In private however in a conversation with Kyūki does he voice his dismay over how weak she is compared to her father, calling her Azure Dragon Wave half-assed, clearly displaying his disappointment in wanting more from her as Sesshōmaru's eldest daughter. Towa, for her part, seems to view Riku as a friend, despite seeing him as an odd individual. Eventually, Riku decides to confront Towa on the night of the new moon, the night when her powers are temporarily lost, in order to take the Silver Rainbow Pearl in her eye. Having wandered away from Kaede's village in search of the Dream Butterfly, Towa encounters Riku in the forest. To Towa's surprise, Riku compliments her human form, calling her beautiful and affectionately caressing his fingers upon her cheek. Due to her inexperience with romance, Towa was taken aback by Riku's advances and compliments, but did not object to them, instead being flustered by his kind words. The two later sit down and have tea together, during which Riku reveals that he seeks to collect all the Rainbow Pearls and return them to the madam that raised him. When Towa realized that Riku intended to take her pearl as well, she prepared to fight him despite him attempting to remove it from her painlessly. However, before the two could fight Tōtetsu appeared and attacked Towa. During the attack, Riku defended Towa from Tōtetsu's attacks, risking his life by using himself as a shield to protect her, despite this gesture leaving him seriously injured. Towa, despite briefly being enemies with him but moments ago, also came to the injured Riku's aid and the two worked together to escape Tōtetsu. During their time together in the forest, Riku confessed to Towa that he was a vassal of Kirinmaru. When Towa learned of this she questioned Riku on why he would be helping her when she is Kirinmaru's enemy. When Riku partially confessed his feelings to Towa, she was shocked to the point of blushing. When Riku referred to himself as an imitation, Towa says that he is himself. Riku was even willing to sacrifice his life just for Towa to escape from Tōtetsu when he eventually found them again. After Tōtetsu's death and Towa regains her powers with the end of the new moon’s night, Riku even goes as far as to hug her and takes relief in her safety, leaving her in a state of flustered and speechless shock. Despite this, it is implied that she actually enjoyed the tender moment with him. As he makes his leave, Towa states that she likes him, even to the point of handing over her Rainbow Pearl to him in gratitude for saving her life though she eventually remembers that he is a vassal for Kirinmaru and regrets her decision.

Despite this however, it's shown that Towa contemplates her feelings after Riku hugs her, noting to herself that she possesses a new feeling that has never come to her before, not even when Sōta hugs her. This may imply that she is slowly beginning to reciprocate Riku's feelings for her, though she doesn't yet understand them due to her inexperience with romantic affection and interest. Even though she and Riku are willing to fight each other again if they have too, Riku still looks out for her. Towa and Riku later encounter each other when she, Setsuna, and Moroha go after Zero. When they encounter each other, Towa is shocked to discover that Zero was the madam that Riku told her about. Later, after Kirinmaru arrived, Riku betrayed his master, stabbing him through the abdomen in order to to weaken him enough, not only to allow Zero to escape, but to also give Towa and her relatives a chance to defeat or escape from him as well. This showed that his feelings for Towa exceeds his loyalty to Kirinmaru. Upon witnessing this, Towa was visibly touched by Riku's aid and was saddened upon seeing him teleport away, wishing she and him could've had more time to talk. This possibly shows that she has come to enjoy Riku's presence and wishes to be around him more. When Towa stabbed Kirinmaru twice on the same spot as Riku did, she tells him that she'll take the advantage of the wound he left behind.

Towa refers to him as an odd, yet handsome pirate.

In Episode 26, Towa was surprised that she was saved by Riku and she knew. In Episode 29, as they heading back to Kaede's village with Rion, she saw Riku. She was surprised that Riku said everything he see and hear gets back to Kirinmaru which makes her an opportunity and shouts to him all the way to Kirinmaru.

Takechiyo told Moroha and Setsuna that Jyūbei believed that of the three of them, Towa was the most reliable and orderly. This annoyed the two girls because they see Towa as a person who is frequently causing trouble. When Towa asked him about the Dream Butterfly, Jyūbei tells her that he'll keep an ear out.
 * Jyūbei

A tanuki who serves Jyūbei, he acts as a form of transport for Moroha and, at times, for Setsuna and Towa. Takechiyo enjoys the gummies that Towa gives him.
 * Takechiyo

The current head of the demon slayers, Kohaku commented Towa on how she was progressing in her spiritual awareness when they took on the spider demon.
 * Kohaku

A fellow demon slayer who works with her sister, Setsuna. Towa tells Hisui that fathers do what they can to support their families when he was at odds with his own father, Miroku. She even gave an example of what her adoptive father would've been doing as a reference to Hisui's current dilemma, only to get an odd look.
 * Hisui

Kaede is an experienced priestess and had previously lived together with Towa's human mother, Rin for several years in her village before Towa's birth. Even she was present when Rin gave birth to Towa and her sister, Setsuna, and witnessed the birth along with Kagome and Sango. When Sesshōmaru took Towa and Setsuna away with him after their birth, Kaede was initially very confused but Sesshōmaru explained it as a "rite of courage and cowardice". Fourteen years later, Kaede allowed Towa stay with her after she returned to the Fuedal Era from the modern era to search for the Dream Butterfly. In Episode 21, Kaede telling a human Towa during a new moon night about her mother Rin, a kind and caring human woman. After Rin gave birth to Towa and Setsuna fourteen years prior, had she suddenly disappeared. Kaede and Towa discussed the possibility of Rin being dead, with Towa eventually calling Kaede cold. Kaede then apologizes but says nowadays in our current age, death and life comes and goes. Towa then sadly realizes that she still doesn't understand anything and apologizes, but Kaede simply answers back that Towa, just like her human mother Rin, is a kind child.
 * Kaede

Just like her half-aunt before her, Towa is extremely fond of Kirara, finding her kitten form absolutely adorable and often riding on her in her larger form. Towa's fondness for the nekomata can often be seen by her petting and holding Kirara while in her smaller form. Kiara, likewise, is fond of Towa knowing she is Setsuna's sister and because of the kindness she shows her. They also enjoy listening to Setsuna playing her violin together, finding its music soothing. It is also possible that due to both having been raised in the modern world, Towa reminds Kirara a lot of Kagome.
 * Kirara

The daughter of her foe Kirinmaru, Towa felt horrible for Rion being sealed away for 600 years and not being able to pass on. She even promised the lonely spirit that she would help set her free from Mount Musubi.
 * Rion

Enemies

 * Kirinmaru

A great dragon demon who, according to the Tree of Ages, wishes to distort time. Towa was not interested in granting the spirit's request, not only because it meant she would have to take down her own father, Sesshōmaru, but also because she saw no point in doing so, opting to focus on retrieving Setsuna's dreams. She only decided to confront him when she learned he had a connection with the Dream Butterfly and tried to get him to return Setsuna's dreams voluntarily but was quickly forced to fight him. In the resulting fight, she was the only one who managed to earn Kirinmaru's respect when she lightly injured him, causing him to admit her worth as Tōga's granddaughter, but was still no match for him and only saved by her father's arrival. She referred to him as a romanticist (Dreamer in the English Dub). After he had murdered her sister, Towa states that Kirinmaru is her prey. Displaying complete rage at him for taking her sister away from her and declaring that she will never let him get away with what he had done to her sister, Towa engaged in her full demonic powers to attack him.

Faced with Moroha's immunity to the barrier at Mount Musubi and Setsuna's new naginata, Kirinmaru had no other choice except to let Towa obtain a Kyūyōkon Root which increases her power against him. After learning of the sensory connection between Riku and Kirinmaru, Towa broadcasts a message through the pirate to tell the Beast King to challenge her and the others any time.

The elder sister of the Beast King Kirinmaru, Zero is the one who was targeting Towa and her sister from the moment of their birth. Under the guise of protecting her brother, Zero sent Joka to take the newborn twins from Sesshōmaru and even threatened Sesshōmaru to reveal their whereabouts to undo the curse on Rin.
 * Zero

Zero was revealed to be the one who ordered Homura to set fire to the forest which separated Towa from her twin sister, Setsuna when they were 4 years old. She even manipulates Towa in order to hold Setsuna down whilst she removed Miroku's seal on Setsuna's blood. When Zero was furious at Sesshōmaru for reviving her, Towa sympathizes with her in regards to following certain rules or else be treated as an outcast.

Zero later declares to Riku through Rion that she plans to end Towa's life herself. Upon being tormented by Zero and Nanahoshi with the Eternity Bug, Towa declares angrily that she'll never forgive either of them.


 * Homura

Homura was the cause behind the forest fire that separated Towa from her sister, Setsuna at age 4. Upon finding out, Towa became enraged to the point of wishing to end him herself.

A demon who aligned himself with Zero to savour the suffering that Towa had endured during her life using his Mini Galaxy. She mercilessly slays him upon reawakening her full demon form.
 * Nanahoshi

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Character Notes

 * While not stated, Towa likely took interest in time travel fiction (which grew increasingly popular in the 2000s) due to her transposition between Eras. This would explain why she is so adamant about keeping things from the Future from laying around the Feudal Era.
 * Despite having lived in the modern era since her childhood, Towa is quick to adapt to the more primitive and turbulent Feudal Era.
 * It's implied Towa doesn't wear pajamas when she sleeps, going by Episode 2 and the fact she sleeps in her uniform in the Feudal Era; a stark difference between her and her half-aunt Kagome.
 * Unlike her her half-uncle and sister, Towa has not been taken over by her demonic blood in life-or-death situations; this includes the fact her powers were never sealed. It seems to be a byproduct of never having real danger threaten her during her life in the modern era (where law enforcement handles such things and school thugs are very weak in comparison to Towa). Instead however, her blood activates whenever she goes through emotional pain (or after when she suffers a mental breakdown during the Eternity Bug); evident in Sesshōmaru's Daughter and A Place (Not) for Towa.
 * The fact Towa only gains full access to her demonic powers through her strong love and compassion is deeply ironic; Setsuna said numerous times to abandon such things for strength, when it proved to be what made Towa stronger than her and maintain her sanity; this wasn't until however in A Place (Not) for Towa is when she fell under Zero's influence and begun a rampage.
 * When she speaks once she becomes a full demon in the English Dub, her voice becomes deeper and raspier.
 * Unlike most other hanyō, including her paternal half-uncle, Towa does not have any obvious physical indications of being a hanyō, such as dog ears. Her only visibly inhuman traits are her abnormally-colored hair and eyes.
 * Of note, her hair and eye colors are opposite her sister's, as red and violet are opposite ends of the visible spectrum and black and white are polar opposites.
 * Towa's name, like that of her sister Setsuna, is homophonous with a time word, "Eternity." This could allude to the fact that both sisters travel through time.
 * Despite being an inu-hanyō like her half-uncle Inuyasha, she and Setsuna seem to age at the same rate as humans. According to Rumiko Takahashi in a Shōnen Sunday Super interview, she explains that hanyō age at the same rate as humans, but that rate steadily decreases once they reach adolescence.
 * Meaning like her parental half-uncle, Towa would still look like a teenager at 150 years old.
 * While Towa mostly takes after her mother in personality and life circumstances (kind-hearted and "losing" family at a young age), she does inherit her father's temper and fierce loyalty to loved ones.
 * In Gateway to the Past, Towa is noticeably horrified that she might not be able to get back to the Modern Era with Root Head dead. This shows that despite Towa not fitting in well in the Modern Era, she considers it her home, as she also promised Mei that she (alongside Setsuna and Moroha) would return.
 * In Night of the New Moon and the Black-Haired Towa, it was implied all half-demons share the same date for their human transformation, the new moon night. This information contradicts the original manga as it was established all half-demons have different transformation days. Whether Towa shares the same day as Inuyasha due to sharing Inu-hanyō blood is still unknown.
 * Coincidentally, Towa and Setsuna were born during the night of a lunar eclipse like Inuyasha.
 * Towa inherited some of her mother, Rin's traits;
 * Both share the same lively personality, facial expressions, and having the same bangs.
 * In addition, her hair and eye color when the former loses her demonic power. During the concept of her design for the new moon, Yoshito Hishinuma included the idea of giving Towa the feeling of bouncy hair that her mother has.
 * Towa was the only one of the Half-demon princesses to have landed a hit on Kirinmaru in Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru.
 * That was true until Sesshōmaru's Daughter, when Setsuna was also able to hit Kirinmaru with her attack.
 * In the English Dub, her voice becomes softer when she becomes full human.
 * She and Sara Asano are the only half-demons who has surnames.
 * It's most apparent when her hair grows out during her new moon and full demon transformations, but she seems to have inherited her mother Rin's rather messy hair, as opposed to Setsuna, who's hair is straight, like their father Sesshōmaru's.
 * Second to Naraku, Towa is another half-demon to have more than three forms.
 * When Towa uses Sōryūha, she doesn't shout the name. This is most likely due to her not knowing the name of the attack. She later learns the name of the power from Kirinmaru in Sesshōmaru's Daughter.
 * Towa's favorite tea is Earl Grey and her favorite food is red apples.
 * Unlike Setsuna who inherited more of their mother’s looks and their father’s personality, Towa inherited the opposite.
 * Her full demon form was teased in BURN.
 * Whenever Towa changes between her full human or demon forms and her normal state, her hair grows and recesses.
 * Ironically, Towa bears a stronger resemblance to Setsuna when in human form.
 * Towa's documented birthday was decided to be the day that she arrived in the Modern Era.
 * -|Comparison=

Comparison with other characters

 * Towa is also the name of a character from Rumiko Takahashi's earlier manga, Mermaid Saga. Coincidentally, both Towas has a twin sister.
 * She looks physically similar to Tsubasa Jūmonji from Kyōkai no Rinne, and the name of her weapon, Kikujūmonji (掬十文字), contains the same kanji as his last name (十文字).
 * Towa bears some similarities with Rin Okumura from Blue Exorcist;
 * Both are the elder sibling of the fraternal twins.
 * Both are half-demons (born of a demon father and a human mother).
 * Both were separated from their mothers after birth.
 * Both fight with swords.
 * Both were initially unaware of their demonic heritage.
 * Both awakened their demonic form following the loss of a family member (Setsuna for Towa and Shirou Fujimoto for Rin).
 * Both had lost control of their demon powers in their later episodes.
 * Both ended up involved in fights.
 * Both are in a profession that combat demons.
 * Towa bears some similarities with that of Bloom from Winx Club;
 * Both were adopted at a young age.
 * Both never knew of their other worldly heritage until they were teenagers.
 * Both lived a fairly normal life until they encountered monsters.
 * Both have a power in the form of a dragon.
 * Towa also bears similarities with Yuuri Shibuya from Kyou Kara Maoh!;
 * Both have their hair grow when they enter their demon forms and then regress back when returning back to normal.
 * Both wield blue dragon based attacks.
 * Both are referred by noble ranks by people outside the modern world.
 * She also shares similarities with Haruka Tenou from Sailor Moon;
 * Both are voiced by Erica Mendez in the English Dub.
 * Both have a tomboyish attire and short hair.
 * Both wield swords as their main weapon.
 * Both are involved with sports.
 * She also bears some similarities with Akame from Akame Ga Kill!;
 * Both wield katanas.
 * Both are older sisters (Towa being the older sister of Setsuna and Akame being the older sister of Kurome).
 * Both of them had dealt with the loss of their younger sisters in their anime (Towa losing Setsuna and Akame losing Kurome).
 * -|Other Notes=

Other Notes

 * Her English voice actor, Erica Mendez, is well known for voicing many other anime characters, including Aladdin from Magi, Yuuki Konno from Sword Art Online, Gon Freecss from Hunter X Hunter, and Atsuko Kagari from Little Witch Academia. She also voices Raphtalia from The Rising of the Shield Hero and Puck from Re:Zero: Starting life in a Another World.
 * According to her seiyū, Sara Matsumoto, Towa is represented by the Lily.
 * Towa was ranked 8th in Animage's June 2021 Character Poll.
 * In Animage's 43rd Anime Grand Prix, Towa was ranked 3rd for Best Female Character.
 * According to Takahashi Rumiko, Sumisawa told her that Towa is a white Sesshōmaru whilst Setsuna is a black Sesshōmaru.
 * According to Hishida-san in the December 2021 issue of Animage, a full dog Towa would be extremely attatched. Her breed would be that of a Miniture Dachshund/Akita mix.
 * According to Hishida-san in the January 2022 issue of Animedia, it takes Towa a minute to fall asleep and recovers from things after a good night's sleep with the exception of the incident with Setsuna.
 * -|Difference=

Difference from the manga

 * Towa wears the St. Gabriel Academy uniform to school rather than her white suit.
 * Towa didn't have the paradise pink streak in her hair permantly until her encounter with Mistress Three-Eyes.
 * Towa fights with a full Kikujūmonji rather than a broken katana.
 * Towa grew up in a mansion prior to being separated from Setsuna instead of a forest.
 * Towa and her sister lived with Moroha and some Un-mothers that resembled their mothers rather than only each other.