Kaguya

Kaguya (かぐや) is the Princess of the Heavens and the main antagonist in "InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass". Once Naraku is believed to be dead, she usurps his underlings and seeks out certain items that will allow her to control amazing powers.

Appearance
Kaguya takes the form of a "tennyo", a celestial maiden that looks like very beautiful, young woman, with long dark hair and teal eyes. While she dresses in a traditional kimono at the beginning, she then changes to wearing a more revealing armored outfit after obtaining the five special items and the "Feathered Robe of the Heavens". She wears a fan-like hair ornament with her kimono, but large gold hairpins in her armoured outfit.

Personality
Kaguya despises all living beings because they seem to rely too much in the flow of time. She is somehow arrogant and she shows a particular hatred towards half demons such as InuYasha and Naraku. Kaguya is extremely confident in her own abilities; her utlimate goal is to freeze time and to bring darkness into the world.

Story Plot
Kaguya initially appears trapped within a golden mirror, called "The Life Mirror", which is similar to Kanna's mirror. The Life Mirror is enshrined in a cave within the Forest of Bewilderment, near Mount Fuji. Supposedly a celestial maiden and a self proclaimed Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya is actually a demon who devoured the real celestial maiden, obtaining her eternal youth, and her Feathered Robe of the Heavens. Because Kaguya had previously sought to eliminate life and collapse time once in the past, Miroku's grandfather, the monk Miyatsu, managed to seal her within the Mirror, in order to stop her. The Feathered Robe of the Heavens was entrusted to the Hojo family, which was given explicit directions to destroy the celestial robe by tossing it into Mount Fuji should a full moon shine for many days without changing.

After Naraku's destruction, a directionless Kagura is drawn by an always taciturn Kanna to the cave in the Forest of Bewilderment. After awakening Kaguya, she states that what remains to do (after Naraku's death, which seems too pelase her) is to "eliminate life on this world, bringing and eternal night into my hands". Kaguya promises to grant Kagura her heart's desires in exchange for showing her real liberty. They agree, if for nothing else than to relieve their boredom. Kanna takes Kaguya's mirror and she sets out with Kagura to obtain the five items to break Kaguya's seal.

The Five Items
Five items are required to break Kaguya's Mirror seal and to grant her the power to summon eternal night. With the help of Kagura and Kanna, Kaguya recovers each of these items. Each item is cast in a corresponding lake of Fujigoko (The Five Lakes of Mount Fuji) and then a poem stanza is recited alternately by either Kaguya or Kanna.
 * Jeweled Branch of Hourai: Literally, a jewel branch; this item was enshrined along with the Mirror of Life in the cave inside the Forest of Bewilderment; it represents color green. The Jeweled Branch of Hourai was cast in Lake Shouji with the verses: "I ventured to see if what I had heard was true, with this jeweled branch with leaves so real. T'was nothing more than an empty promise.".
 * Jewel of the Dragon's Neck: Obtained in a unknown-location river; this item is a yellow spherical jewel with markings on it. This jewel was cast in Lake Yamanaka with the verses: "Oh arrow of mine with power pure and immense to slay the dragon, do your good deed fast and swift; grasp the crystal in its neck.".
 * The Robe of the Fire Rat: Naturally, this item corresponds with InuYasha's red robe. Lake Motosu was the place where this item was tossed with the verses: "Could you have but known that it would burn so swiftly this raiment of fur, you would not then have set which was such little show of concern".
 * Swallow's Cowrie Shell: This item was a necklace with a crafted shell, originally carried by Kohaku but stolen from him on an ambush by Kagura.. Its color is blue and it was tossed in Lake Sai with the following words: "Time has passed swiftly as I've waited to see the shell you promised: they say I wait in vain, could this be so?"
 * The Stone Cup of Buddha: The last of the five items, it was Buddha's stone cup and it was enshrined in a unknown village. It was first recovered by Kikyo, but then she gave it on her own accord to Kagura. Its color is purple and it was cast in Lake Kawaguchi, with this words: "I hope to find the gleam of the fallen dew but nothing can I see, why did you coyodew to Mt. Ogura?".

Powers & Abilities
Note: Kaguya's powers and abilities are described in the order of their appearance in the movie.


 * Absorption: This is immanent to Kaguya's nature; just as Naraku, Kaguya has the power to devour other beings and steal their powers. She originally devoured the celestial maiden and she then intended to devour Kagome to get both her holy powers and her ability to erect "time barriers".
 * Immortality: After devouring the real celestial maiden, Kaguya obtained her immortal body and her eternal youth. It is hinted that regular weapons have no effect on her body. Kaguya called Kagome a pretentious girl and she seemed confident to be able to deflect her arrow just with the sleeve of her kimono (not knowing about Kagome's sacred powers). Kaguya could also regenerate her arm after receiving a blow of InuYasha's Wind Scar.
 * The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass: After being awakened, Kaguya summons a celestial castle that appears on the surface of Lake Motosu, Mount Fuji.
 * Nature Manipulation: Kaguya has the ability to summon a continuous full moon. She appears to have a connection with cherry blossoms. This is specially observed when she retrieves the Feathered Robe of the Heavens from InuYasha's group. Instants before making her appearance, the cherry tree located where InuYasha's group was resting, suddenly bloomed. As Akitoki Hojo pointed, it was not natural to have cherry blossoms in that time of the year and so suddenly.
 * Wish Granting: After pointing out that Kagura's freedom (after Naraku's supposed death) is no more than an illusion, Kaguya promises to grant her real freedom. Kagura was also about to grant InuYasha's wish to become a full-fledged demon, in exchange of making him her servant.
 * The Life Mirror: The Life Mirror seems to act as a medium for many of Kaguya's abilities.
 * The Black Hole: Kaguya can use the mirror to summon a "black hole" that absorbs InuYasha's Wind Scar power and throws it back in many directions. This power is particularly destructive as it uses the enemy's power, augments it and redirects it.
 * Deflecting Attacks: Kaguya used the mirror, along with her mystic chants, to deviate InuYasha's Wind Scar when she was fetching the Feathered Robe of the Heavens. She also throws Sango's Hiraikotsu back at her and Kohaku.
 * The Whips of Light: Kaguya makes these whips come out of the mirror. They have the power to thrust people away.
 * Reverse Mirror: After noticing Kagome's sacred powers, she receives Kagome's arrow with the Life Mirror and reverses the attack, pointing the arrow at InuYasha.


 * Pentagram Seal: As a reminiscence of her own broken seal, Kaguya traps Kagome with a pink-colored pentagram. Kagome is only able to break the seal with the power of the Sacred Jewel along with her own sacred powers.
 * The Six-Headed Dragon: When InuYasha, Miroku and Sango try to access Kaguya's castle, she summons forth a six-headed dragon that shoots blasts of fire and thunder. Although its formidable appearance; as Kagura points, it was relatively easy beaten by InuYasha's Windscar along with Kikyo's sacred arrow.
 * The Feathered Robe of the Heavens: Although having multiple functions that overlap with other of Kaguya's abilities, the celestial robe was specifically to avoid getting her soul stolen.
 * Meikyoshisui no Hou: Translated as "The Clarity and Serenity Spell, it is probably Kaguya's best and most fearsome technique. She first uses it to seal Kagura and Kanna away after their bretrayal; but its ultimate use is to freeze time and to bring the world into "eternal night". This spell is ineffective against Kagome, her items, and anyone wearing them (i. e. InuYasha worn the pendant given to him by Kagome) because, as Kaguya herself stated, the flow of time around her is different.
 * The Illusion of Parallel Mirrors: After InuYasha gets into the castle and manages to keep moving after the time was frozen, Kaguya used this power. InuYasha had not really gotten into the real castle, but into a parallel illusion. InuYasha then discovers that the real castle is the one in the reflexion of water; the world within the mirror.
 * Scarlet Tendrils: Scarlet-colored tendrils grow out of Kaguya's armor. She can use them to pierce her enemies, as she did with InuYasha.
 * Golden Hairpins: The golden hairpins Kaguya wears can be enlarged and used as swords.
 * Light Reflexion: After Naraku wakes up from his stasis and reincarnates from Kohaku's body, Kaguya uses the mirror to cast a light that disintegrates Naraku's body. Kaguya was about to use the same spell on InuYasha but Miroku saved him using his Wind Tunnel.
 * Burning Sphere Attack: While fighting InuYasha, Kaguya conjures a Burning Sphere with her golden hairpin sword. This final spell was turn back at her when InuYasha used his Backlash Wave.

Kaguya's End & Aftermath
After having her body destroyed, Kaguya intended to take Kagome as her new body. Naraku wanted to take advantage of this to devour Kaguya's immortal soul, but InuYasha prevented it. Kaguya ceased to exist when her soul was absorbed by Miroku's Wind Tunnel. After destroying Kaguya, however, Naraku had yet to be dealt with. But, as Kagome pointed out, at least they had managed to thwart one of his plans.

Trivia

 * After using the Parallel Mirrors Illusion, everything in Kaguya undergoes a "reflection effect". When she changes to the armored outfit, Kaguya originally wears two golden hairpins in her head's right side and one in the right side. After using the spell, she appears wearing them the other way around. Even Kaguya's laterality changes; in the world of the mirror she used her left hand to cast spells (previously, she had used her right hand).