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 eldest daughter of Sesshōmaru and Rin and the elder fraternal twin sister of Setsuna. Upon being adopted in the modern era, she is the adopted daughter of Sōta Higurashi and Moe Higurashi and the elder adoptive sister 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 hanyō, they were said to be capable of killing the Lord of the Eastern Lands, Kirinmaru, 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 present era of 2009.

When she awoke, Towa was approached by a man named Sōta Higurashi, who adopted 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.

She is reunited with her sister Setsuna after spending ten years in modern times.

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 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.

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 undead 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.

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 adopted younger sister Mei, even the demon turtle kid choose her to have a shell armor than Moroha because the kid was scared of her attitude.

Like her mother Towa had a lively personality, more energetic, and playable, 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.

Much like her paternal half-uncle and as a half-dog demon, Towa exhibits some dog-like behaviors and instincts, such as shaking her body free of water after a battle against Numawatari and Mizuchi. Or running to Setsuna on all fours to make sure she's okay after the fight with Kyūki was over.

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.

Physical Description
Towa is a young woman of average height with fair skin. She has short white hair with a streak of red in one of her bangs and magenta eyes. As an infant, Towa was wrapped up in a light blue blanket. As a child, she wears a lavender kosode with a yellow sash. She also walks barefooted and ties her hair in a ponytail. During her memory of keeping a promise to Sōta, Towa was seen wearing a light blue top with a white collar.

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 red ribbon underneath a white suit with violet accents. She wears matching white pants with a brown belt and brown shoes.

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 magenta bracelet along with Setsuna.

During the nights of the new moon, Towa's hair becomes black and slightly longer. 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.

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 Hitokon, who can draw into its host's abilities, Towa can fight evenly with the battle experienced Setsuna.


 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Demonic Energy Whip: Towa's 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.
 * 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. This has earned her a few awards in kendo, athletics, and martial arts.
 * Enhanced Sense of Smell: Being an inu-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.
 * Poison Resistance: Inherited from her father, Towa is immune from poison-based attacks, such as miasma and poison mist.

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 Kikujimonji replica.
 * Silver Rainbow Pearl: Towa possesses 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.
 * 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.

Weaknesses

 * Venom: Having only inherited her father’s poison immunity, Towa remains susceptible to venom-based attacks, such as venom water.
 * Hanyō no Yashahime12.jpgNew Moon: Like her paternal half-uncle Inuyasha, Towa loses her demonic powers and state during the night of the new moon. On the night of the new moon, her hair turned black; her eyes turned brown, she lost her yōkai abilities and attributes, and couldn't form an energy blade from her replica of Kikujūmonji. During the night of the new moon before the sun sets, Towa suffered 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 restore. However, this only occurs when she's in the Feudal Era, as she never once experienced this phenomena in modern-day Tokyo.

Family
Tōga is her paternal grandfather, whom she only learned of through the Tree of Ages.
 * Tōga

She is her paternal grandmother.
 * Towa's Grandmother

Sesshōmaru is her biological father, though she seems to have no knowledge of him whatsoever. Nevertheless, as her real blood-related father, Towa still has some form of respect for him, refusing the Sacred Tree of Age's request to slay him, except Lord Kirinmaru.
 * Sesshōmaru

They eventually met when Towa, Setsuna and Moroha were defeated by Kirinmaru. Towa was left confused and shocked to see her father save her and Setsuna and fought Kirinmaru yet left her and her sister afterwards, wondering what he was up to.


 * Rin

Rin is her biological mother and the one who named her. Despite deeply loving her newborn daughters, Rin permitted Sesshomaru to take them on the night of their birth to protect them from Kirinmaru. Towa has never met her mother, but she has seen her in a dream when affected by the dream-gazing spell she was under. Towa will later learn of her mother from Kaede in The Secret of the Rainbow Pearls.

Setsuna is her twin younger sister. During their childhood, the two were inseparable and lived happily together. 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.
 * Setsuna

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.

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

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 still unaware Moroha is her half-cousin by, though does know 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.

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. Towa loves her adoptive father 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.
 * Sōta Higurashi

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.

Mei Higurashi is her adoptive younger sister and half-cousin. 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 adopted sister.

Moe is Sōta’s wife and Towa’s adoptive mother and half aunt. According to Moe, Towa has always been the center of chaos. Towa has also mentioned that Moe would play the violin for her whenever she would come home after a fight. Towa has a good relationship with her adoptive mother.
 * Moe Higurashi

Inuyasha is her paternal half-uncle. Like Inuyasha, Towa is a hanyō. At best, she has only heard stories of him from others.
 * Inuyasha

Kagome Higurashi is her paternal half-aunt-in-law. Towa is aware of Kagome's existence through a photo album, finding her aunt beautiful. However in episode 15 flashback, Kagome have witnesses her birth in Kaede's village. She has yet to meet the elder sister of the man who raised her until she is released from the Black Pearl.
 * Kagome Higurashi

Others
Towa meets Riku when she heads out on her own to look for Mt. Musubi and the Dream Butterfly in Meeting Through an Apple. 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. Riku then introduces himself to Towa as a pirate, saying he doesn’t steal from women, children, or poor people.
 * Riku

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. 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.

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

An experienced priestess who witnessed the birth of Towa and her sister, Setsuna. She allowed Towa to stay in her hut whilst she resided in the Feudal Era to search for the Dream Butterfly.
 * Kaede

The vassal to her father, Sesshōmaru, Jaken behaved as a caretaker to both her and Setsuna from when they were young. However, upon meeting him during her father's clash with Kirinmaru, Towa doesn't seem to remember him.
 * Jaken

Enemies
A member of the Four Perils.
 * Konton

A member of the Four Perils.
 * Tōtetsu

A great 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.
 * Kirinmaru

Zero was the one who ordered Homura to set fire to the forest which separated Towa from her twin sister, Setsuna when they were four years old, and even she was the one who sent Joka to kill them when they were babies.
 * Zero

Trivia

 * Depsite having lived in the Modern Era since her childhood, Towa is quick to adapt to the more primitive and turbulent Feudal Era.
 * Unlike most other hanyō, including her paternal uncle Inuyasha, Towa does not have any obvious physical indicia of being a hanyō, such as dog ears. Her only visibly inhuman trait is 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 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.
 * 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 fight with swords.
 * Both were initially unaware of their demonic heritage.
 * Both ended up involved in fights.
 * Both are in a profession that combat demons.
 * Both fight with blue flames.
 * 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 Episode 4, 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 Episode 12, 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. If 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.
 * Towa was the only one of the Half-demon princesses to have landed a hit on Kirinmaru in Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru.
 * In the English Dub, her voice becomes softer when she becomes full human.
 * She is the only half-demon who has a surname.