Episode 167

'''The Bond Between Them, Use the Sacred Jewel Shard! (Part 2)' is the one hundred sixty-seventh and the final episode of the InuYasha'' anime.

Summary
Kagura soon realizes the infant is not in the temple, and after receiving a serious wound she retreats.

She falls from her feather near Sesshōmaru, Jaken and Rin. Rin wades into the river to help Kagura. Jaken tries to help and is swept along as well. Sesshōmaru pulls all three from the river. As they watch, Kagura regenerates and awakens.

Meanwhile, Hakudōshi stands with Naraku in their mountain base. He inquires why Naraku lets Kagura live, since both of them know full well that she is a traitor. Naraku summons Kagura's heart in his right hand, and points out that he could crush it if he wished, but he won't. When asked why, Naraku replies that she will make the perfect bait for leading Inuyasha into a trap. He then declares that he has a task for Hakudōshi.

Sesshōmaru begins to leave when Kagura reveals that she knows where Naraku is hiding his heart. She gives a crystal shard to Jaken so they can detect the gem protecting Naraku's heart. Sesshōmaru wonders if she intends to use him, only for Kagura to respond only he is intelligent and strong enough to slay Naraku; Jaken is shocked by her flattery towards Sesshōmaru. When Kagura leaves, Rin guesses the reason Kagura is helping Sesshōmaru is because she loves him; after, "She said all those nice things."

Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango and Kagome leave Goryōmaru's temple and they find a cave filled with the remains of demons and a strong demonic aura. Goryōmaru is annoyed that they've found this place.

Hakudōshi teleports in front of a flying Kagura, and declares that there's work to do. He brings her to the temple Inuyasha and his friends have recently vacated. Hakudōshi and Goryōmaru engage in a battle after Hakudōshi cuts Goryōmaru in the neck/shoulder. Goryōmaru fires his arm-cannon in retaliation, but is surprised to find his light has no effect on Hakudōshi, being harmlessly deflected by the latter's barrier. Inuyasha smells the blood and he and his companions race back to the temple to attack Hakudōshi, but they only arrive in time to see Hakudōshi, calmly absorbing the children's attacks. Spying Inuyasha, Hakudōshi fires the absorbed energy at him and his friends, which forces them to dodge. Hakudōshi uses the distraction to dart in, whirling his naginata, and strikes Goryōmaru fatally. Kanna and the Infant appear and Kagura realizes Naraku's heart was at the temple all along; Hakudōshi takes them away and demands Kagura deals with Inuyasha by battling him. Instead, Kagura tells Inuyasha that the infant carries Naraku's heart and then follows Hakudōshi; disobeying her given orders.

Miroku helps the children bury Goryōmaru's corpse and tells them they must leave if they value their lives. Kagura follows Hakudōshi to a stone demon. She turns back to lead Inuyasha and his friends to the stone demon and they realize she is actually leading them to Naraku.

Inuyasha and Kagome head into the stone demon's stomach where they sense Naraku. Kirara carries Miroku, Shippō and Sango down to join Inuyasha. The group then finally comes face-to-face with Naraku and he then pulls out the almost complete Shikon Jewel. The stone demon suddenly comes to life, and Naraku gloats over the fact that they will all be digested by the demon and leave the jewel shard behind. Miroku tries using his Kazaana, but when he starts absorbing the saimyōshō, Inuyasha stops him. After asking Miroku to put up a barrier to shield the others from the acid dripping from the demon's stomach walls, Inuyasha tries using his Kongōsōha, which tears Naraku to pieces, but the spears of adamant only embed themselves in the stomach of the demon. Kagome tries to purify the Shikon Jewel with an arrow, but fails as well. Naraku teleports away, leaving Inuyasha to his presumed death by acid.

Meanwhile, Kikyō comes across Kanna and the Infant and realizes that it is Naraku's heart. As she draws her bow to shoot the infant, Mōryōmaru, left to guard the Infant, attacks Kikyō, allowing Kanna to leap off of a cliff and be caught by Mōryōmaru, who flies away.

Inuyasha then tells Kagome to give him her jewel shard to make Tessaiga stronger, but due to being in a demon and only barely able to be kept pure by being in Kagome's possession, the shard becomes corrupted and begins to overcome Inuyasha, allowing his full demon form to come out. Inuyasha struggles to withhold his inner demon but slowly begins to fail and gives in to it.

Outside, Kagura watches the reanimated demon, realizing that the Shikon Jewel has revived it to slay Inuyasha. Naraku, still in pieces from Inuyasha's Adamant Barrage, appears behind her with an unharmed Hakudoshi. Floating inside a mutual barrier just behind Kagura, Hakudōshi innocently asks Naraku how he thinks Inuyasha found the demon. Equally as innocent, Naraku replies that he doesn't know, and mockingly asks Kagura her opinion. Inuyasha smacks the Sacred Jewel Shard onto Tessaiga. Instantly realizing that he is about to lose and give in to his full demon form, Kagome bravely leaps out and dashes and runs forward to hold onto Inuyasha begging him to not give in to his full demon; completely ignoring the fact she is having her feet badly burned due to being in the acid of the demon's stomach. Now back in her possession, the jewel shard becomes pure again and Inuyasha regains control of himself and fights off his full demon. He asks Kagome to hold onto him a little bit longer so he can maintain control of himself and she holds onto him as he uses the Tessaiga with the jewel shard power boost to tear open the stomach of the demon, destroying the demon and allowing them to escape. As they see daylight again, Kagome passes out due to her inflicted wounds from her burns trying to save Inuyasha and he yells out her name as she collapses and becomes unconscious.

Sesshōmaru, Rin and Jaken arrive at Goryōmaru's temple, to find it empty, and a recently dug grave has been dug up and stands open and empty.

Back in Kaede's village, Kagome and Miroku are healing from their wounds in their battle. Inuyasha comes in and asks Kagome to come out and talk. Sitting in a tree, Inuyasha expresses guilt and says how he feels guilty that she's in so much pain. Kagome tells Inuyasha it was because of him they even got out alive and that she is fine. She then says how, in a weird way, she was kind of glad when it was happening; because she got to be there with him by his side. She then leans into his shoulder and closes her eyes. Smiling to himself, Inuyasha leans into her as well. Silently, Inuyasha thinks, "Me too. I'm glad you are by my side. I really am, Kagome."

In the credits montage, we see Sesshōmaru and Jaken and Rin walking during the night, Kikyō standing looking out on the top of a mountain, Naraku and Hakudōshi with the near complete Shikon jewel, Kagura looks outside, Kohaku use his kusarigama in attempt to clear his mind, Kanna, with the Infant holds the Fuyōheki and Mōryōmaru walks through the mist, Kōga, Ginta and Hakkaku are running, at Tōtōsai's house, Tōtōsai and Mō-Mō makes a ring, at Mushin's temple, Mushin resting while Hachiemon cleaning the floor, and Kaede is having dinner. At the modern era, we then see Grandpa Higurashi still makes the Shikon no Tama keychain while Buyo plays with the Mummified kappa hand, at the amusement park, Sōta is still dating with Hitomi, Kagome's mother buying her a pair of new shoes she needed and Kagome meeting up with Inuyasha by her family's well. They then go back the Feudal Era where Sango, Miroku, Shippō and Kirara are waiting for them.

While traveling, Sango asks Miroku if he is well enough to be up and his cocky remark implies he is. Inuyasha then thinks, "As long as there is a path, nah, even if there is no path we'll keep moving onward in order to destroy Naraku." Kagome then thinks, "We'll put on new shoes and keep going 'cause this adventure isn't over yet." Out loud Inuyasha declares, "We'll hunt Naraku down to the ends of the Earth!" as the gang shouts "Yeah!"

Trivia



 * As this was the final episode (until the Final Act), My Will from episodes 1 to 20 is played as the ending theme for this episode while showing clips of what all the characters are doing.
 * At the ending scene, Sōta is wearing the same clothes that Conan Edogawa wears in the anime Case Closed, as he is dating Hitomi at an amusement park.
 * As it was the final episode at the time, a special "Thank You" to the audience appears right after the credits, while simultaneously letting the audience know that the series would eventually continue.
 * This would be the last episode to have Moneca Stori voice Kagome in the English dub.
 * It is also the last time David Kaye voices Sesshōmaru in the English dub (not counting the fourth movie) until his return in Hanyō no Yashahime.
 * The fourth InuYasha movie, Fire on the Mystic Island, was aired between this episode and the Final Act episode 1.
 * In the scene in which Kikyō confronts Kanna and the infant there's a part of her bow that was left undrawn.
 * At the end of the post-credits scene, when the camera pans up as the group keeps moving, there are three frames in which Kirara's tale is cut.