Salamander

was a yōkai who was controlling women to help return her to her original form.

History
The Salamander was once the yōkai that ruled the marshlands of the area years ago. One day, she was sealed in into a scroll by a monk. The villagers used the skin of the Salamander to create a painting of the deity Kannon on the scroll to restrict her movements. Many women who lost their loved ones to war sought comfort by praying at the temple where the painting was being kept. That made them more susceptible to the Salamander's influence.

During the story
While Naraku's remarkably strong jaki slowly spread, reaching the painting's location, the Salamander was revived from the seal, and used women that had been praying to its painting by feeding them eggs (seemingly against their will), which later hatched into salamanders in their stomachs. When the eggs hatched, the Salamander assumed complete control of the woman's actions. She used the women to lure men to her so she could obtain their skin to regenerate her own skin. One of the women she infected was Sango after entrapping her while she and her companions were at her village. The Salamander had one of the women escort Miroku to the temple where she attempted to devour his skin. Miroku sensed her presence, however, and was able to escape; but not before hearing the Salamander's origin. The Salamander also had another of the women, Wakana, escort her fianće Shinosuke to the temple. He was saved when Wakana briefly broke free from her control and pushed out of the Salamander's way. The Salamander's soul left the temple to return to her body in the marsh.

She attempted to eat the skin of the hanyō Inuyasha, as she believed it would be enough to complete her revival. She was killed shortly thereafter by Inuyasha with the Wind Scar. However even when the Salamander itself was killed, her hatchlings still possessed the women. They were soon liberated by Kagome using Miroku's sacred sutras, with the exception of Sango, who was free from possession after confronting Miroku.

Personality
The Salamander is resentful for the many years it has been sealed away. She is manipulative and believes that women are weak-willed easy to control.

Powers & Abilities

 * Mind Control: She had the ability to control women by feeding them her salamander eggs.

Manga vs. Anime

 * In the manga, the painting of Kannon is the only thing that sealed that Salamander's soul. In the anime, sacred sutras are also placed on the painting to seal the Salamander.
 * The Salamander's remarks claiming that women are weak-willed and are easy to control are exclusive to the anime.

Trivia

 * It is never shown if the Salamander eggs were able to possess men as they did with women. It may be possible the eggs used the internal reproductive system to mature and hatch from inside the belly of the woman thus not possible to work the same way on men.
 * Aside from the intake method and presumably only working on women, the method of being possessed is the same as the Plagas injection from Resident Evil 4
 * Though an inconsistency is that with the Salamander egg is that Sango was possessed before the egg hatched while the Plagas required time even after it hatches to take control of it's host.
 * The Salamander's English voice actress, Patricia Drake, also voiced Youkihi from Rumiko Takahashi's previous series Ranma ½. Both characters are similar in terms of them killing men and having their spirits trapped in an object after their deaths.

Media appearances
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Manga

 * Chapter 288
 * Chapter 289
 * Chapter 290
 * Chapter 291

Anime
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 * Episode 131
 * Episode 132

Sanshōuo Salamandra Demonio 山椒鱼妖怪