Kansuke

, also known as, was a bandit leader responsible for the near-fatal injury of Onigumo, setting in motion the tragic events that surrounded the birth of Naraku. 50 years later, Naraku used the dying Kansuke to lure Kikyō to Mount Hakurei.

History
Kansuke, who was originally known as "Rasetsu Kansuke" (羅刹勘助), lead a group of bandit thugs, which included a man named Onigumo. After being tricked by Onigumo into attacking the priestess Kikyō in an attempt to acquire the Shikon no Tama (which ended in Kansuke's defeat at the hands of Inuyasha and the loss of his right eye), Kansuke sought to make the man who had tricked him and stolen his men pay. As the rest of the bandits who had declared Onigumo their new leader celebrated at a local inn, Kansuke planted and set off a bomb, which left Onigumo severely injured; all of his body was badly burned except for the spider shaped scar that was already on his back. To finish the betrayer off, the men threw Onigumo off a cliff. This act set the plot of the entire series in motion, making Kansuke the sole perpetrator of not only the creation of Naraku, but the shattering of the Shikon Jewel.

During the story
Fifty years later, Kansuke, now an old man, met the revived Kikyō, not realizing that she was the same Kikyō he had tried to kill decades earlier. He was later attacked and killed by demons, but before he draws his final breath, Kansuke asks Kikyō to take a lock of his hair to the sacred Mount Hakurei. Unknown to Kansuke and Kikyō, Naraku had filled Kansuke's head with the idea that he his soul would be saved if his remains were taken to Mount Hakurei. It was Naraku's plan to lure Kikyō there so he could test out if he had gained the ability to kill her after he cast out his human heart (Onigumo).

Personality
As a young man, Rasetsu was a violent, impulsive, and vengeful man who did whatever he pleased. He committed every crime known to man, believing that he would die at a young age. He had no tolerance for treachery, the perfect example being when he did not hesitate to try and kill Onigumo when he set him up to be killed by Inuyasha as part of a plan to steal the Shikon Jewel from Kikyō. As Rasetsu aged, he became more frustrated, as he lived a longer life than he originally expected to. His growing age fostered a fear of dying in Rasetsu, knowing he was going to Hell for his past crimes. As an old man, he wished for salvation when he heard about Mount Hakurei, a place where villains such as himself could have their souls purified and saved. Before he died, he cut off a lock of his hair and gives it to Kikyō, asking her to bury it there so that he can be forgiven for the life that he lived.

Physical description
Kansuke was an old man, looking to be in his late 70's. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye, where a scar remained due to his run-in with Inuyasha. As an old man, he had short grey hair, and wore it in a small ponytail.

Weapon
Rasetsu possessed a bow and arrow, and was a fairly skilled archer.

Relationship

 * Onigumo


 * Kikyō

Manga vs. Anime

 * Unlike the anime version of Kansuke, in the manga, he was an old and weak bandit without mentioning his name. In his first appearance in the manga, he managed to stop a travelling priestess, Kikyō, and told her that he could feel her divine powers. With his last breath, he cut a lock of his hair and gave it to Kikyō as an, hoping that she would honor his request of sending the hair to Mount Hakurei so that his soul could be saved.
 * Apart from the difference of his history, in the anime, Kansuke wears an eye-patch on his right eye, but in the manga, he wears nothing. Moreover, in the anime, he doesn't wield any shards of the Sacred Jewel.

Trivia

 * His last words were "A bad joke for a dying man."