Episode 45

Sesshomaru Wields Tokijin is the forty-fifth episode of the InuYasha anime.

Synopsis

 * 1) The Tōkijin proves too much for Kaijinbō, and he is destroyed from the inside, because of Tōkijin's awesome power.
 * 2) Inuyasha and his friends wonder who could have commissioned Kaijinbō to forge such a sword; to their shock they find out that it was none other than Sesshōmaru.
 * 3) Tōtōsai reveals to Inuyasha that up until this point, before Tessaiga broke, Inuyasha was relying on his father's power to protect him, but now that it has been forged from his own fang, Inuyasha must build up his strength to master his own powers.
 * 4) Sesshōmaru decides to test out the Tōkijin on Inuyasha; Inuyasha is separated from the Tessaiga and his yōkai blood takes him over again, for a moment; Inuyasha's friends whisk him away and they manage to escape.

Summary
As the sun rises, Inuyasha completes his transformation back to his half-demon form and allowing Tessaiga to transform into its' combat form; however, Inuyasha immediately discovers that Tessaiga is much heavier than before, and he is barely able to swing or parry with it. Fortunately, Kaijinbō's use of the demonic blade Tōkijin soon destroys his body, as his own weak demonic powers are no match for Tōkijin's evil aura.

Meanwhile, Kagura seeks out Sesshōmaru (who is resting with his companions Rin and Jaken) and informs him of Tōkijin's location and the destruction of Kaijinbō, which she covertly observed. She takes a moment to flirt with him, finding Sesshōmaru very attractive, then hints that he may have power enough to kill Naraku before she flies away. Kagura muses to herself that she is still bound to Naraku by her heart, but she would rather die than remain his puppet forever.

Inuyasha angrily berates Tōtōsai for having compromised Tessaiga, as he is now barely able to wield it, let alone use the Wind Scar. Tōtōsai replies that there is an easy way for Inuyasha to overcome this, only to reveal that Inuyasha will have to build up his own physical strength accordingly; this earns him a whack on the head from Inuyasha. Tōtōsai then explains that Tessaiga was re-forged with Inuyasha's own fang, rather than that of his father; correspondingly, his own power must be increased to match his father's before he can properly wield the Tessaiga in his own right.

The group then muse over what to do with Tōkijin; none of them is capable of purifying the intense evil aura around it, so Miroku suggests they erect some kind of barrier around it to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. However, moments later they are interrupted by the arrival of Sesshōmaru, riding on the two-headed dragon Ah-Un. Sesshōmaru confirms that he commissioned Kaijinbō to forge Tōkijin and ignores Tōtōsai's warnings that its' aura will overwhelm him if he touches it. Sesshōmaru takes Tōkijin and easily overcomes the blade's aura, claiming it as his own, much to Tōtōsai's dismay. He then challenges Inuyasha, as he wishes to understand why the scent of Inuyasha's blood changed to full-demon during his previous battle with Goshinki.

The ensuing sword fight is extremely one-sided; even though Sesshōmaru only has one arm, his full-demon strength allows him to wield Tōkijin effortlessly, while Inuyasha is barely able to parry his furious attacks with the new, heavier Tessaiga. Noting this weakness, Sesshōmaru soon disarms him and blasts him back across the field with Tōkijin's power. Myōga immediately insists that Inuyasha retrieve Tessaiga. However, reasoning that it is useless against Sesshōmaru anyway, Inuyasha leaves the sword and simply makes a head-on charge at his half-brother; Sesshōmaru easily blasts him back again, inflicting minor injuries in the process. Inuyasha slumps to his knees. Disdainful, Sesshōmaru charges Inuyasha, intending to deliver a killing blow; however, halfway across the field, he freezes, as the scent of Inuyasha's blood has changed to full-demon again. Inuyasha's appearance then changes to its' more monstrous form as he begins to snarl in a feral rage. Tōtōsai tells the group to grab Inuyasha and flee, then blasts a column of flames across the field, separating the half-brothers. Kagome subdues Inuyasha with "Sit" and the group escapes with Tessaiga, leaving Sesshōmaru to muse why the scent of Inuyasha's blood changes when he is in danger.

Music

 * Opening Theme — I Am — TV OST Vol. 2
 * Recap of episode 45 — Fang Sword, Tessaiga (Kiba no Ken Tessaiga) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Inuyasha has trouble wielding Tessaiga, Kaijinbō dies — Fight to the Death (Shitō) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Tōkijin emits evil aura — The Hidden Well to the Sengoku Era (Kakushi Ido kara Sengoku Jidai e) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Tōkijin cannot be broken, Inuyasha refuses to leave — Evil Spirits Desiring the Shikon no Tama (Shikon no Tama o Nerau Chimimōryō) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Kagura meets Sesshōmaru — Sign of Unrest (Fuon na Kehai) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Miroku thinks he should tell Inuyasha about Tessaiga’s role in protecting him — In a Trip of Destiny (Shukumei no Tabi e) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Tōtōsai tells Inuyasha that Tessaiga will bring out his own strength — Kagome and Inuyasha — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Sesshōmaru arrives and picks up Tōkijin — Demon Brother Sesshōmaru (Yōkei Sesshōmaru) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Sesshōmaru attacks Inuyasha, Inuyasha fights him with bare hands — Attack (Shūgeki) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Sesshōmaru charges and Inuyasha’s demon blood takes over, Tōtōsai holds him off — Demon Brother Sesshōmaru (Yōkei Sesshōmaru) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Sesshōmaru was fearful of Inuyasha’s transformation, Kagura thinks he can kill Naraku — The Hidden Well to the Sengoku Era (Kakushi Ido kara Sengoku Jidai e) — TV OST Vol. 1
 * Ending Theme — Dearest — TV OST Vol. 3

Differences from the manga

 * In the manga, Kagura met Sesshōmaru after he fought Inuyasha and was able to locate Tōkijin all by himself. In this episode, he met Kagura before he located Tōkijin and was unable to on his own until Kagura told him how the sword reeked of Goshinki's aura.
 * In the manga, Sesshōmaru arrived to claim Tōkijin immediately after Kaijinbō's death (as opposed to a long time going by between them in this episode), which is a possible explanation as to why Kagome never uses a Sacred Arrow on Tōkijin, though it is not explained why no one ever thinks of it before Sesshōmaru arrives.