Inuyasha

was an inu hanyō, son of the Inu no Taishō and human Izayoi. He was pinned to a sacred tree by a sacred sealing arrow shot by the priestess Kikyō after he attempted to steal the Shikon no Tama. Kagome Higurashi released him from the seal fifty years later, but soon after, she accidentally shattered the Shikon Jewel into hundreds of fragments. They reluctantly agreed to work together as a team to recover all of the fragments that had scattered across Feudal Japan before they fell into the wrong hands.

Early life
Inuyasha was born to a human noblewoman, Izayoi, and her dog-demon lover, the Inu no Taishō. Angered by her fraternization with a demon, Izayoi's own guardsman, Takemaru, pierced her with a spear on the very night of Inuyasha's birth. Izayoi had just enough strength to give birth to Inuyasha before succumbing to her mortal wounds, though she was soon resurrected by the Inu no Taishō's sword of healing, the Tenseiga. The Inu no Taishō, suffering from his own mortal wounds from a climactic battle with Ryūkotsusei, had just enough time left to name the newborn Inuyasha and say goodbye to the infant and his mother before sending his small family away. He perished that night, using the last of his strength to prevent Takemaru from pursuing them, leaving Inuyasha to be raised by his mortal mother.

Inuyasha's childhood was very lonely, save for his interaction with his mother. Being a hanyō, Inuyasha was accepted neither by humans nor yōkai. Ostracized by all humans except for his mother, he was devastated when she died while he was still young. He was left with only the Robe of the Fire-Rat she had received from his father, as well as a container of make-up, which he later gifted to Kikyō before being sealed to the sacred tree.

Unable to fight back as a child, Inuyasha was often forced into hiding whenever he encountered hostile yōkai. Such situations left him frustrated at being powerless to defend himself until he was older. Because of this, he developed a hostile and defensive personality, becoming especially reclusive on the night of the new moon, during which he lost his demon powers and became a mere mortal. When he heard of the Shikon no Tama's ability to turn one into a full-fledged yōkai, he went in search of it.

First Love
Inuyasha planned to steal the Jewel from Kikyō, the miko tasked with purifying and protecting it. After several unsuccessful attempts to even approach Kikyō, Inuyasha began to develop intense romantic feelings for her, and she for him. Their subsequent encounters lead to a close relationship, and the idea of using the Jewel to make Inuyasha a full human being so that he could live a normal life with Kikyō appealed to them both. In addition to their own desires to live a normal life together, Kikyō stated that if the Jewel were to be used to turn Inuyasha into a human, the Jewel itself would be purified, and thus she would no longer be tasked to guard it.

Another hanyō named Naraku, born from a human criminal that was pitied by Kikyō, had been observing the pair and hoped to steal the Shikon no Tama for himself. He subsequently tricked Kikyō and Inuyasha into betraying one another. Inuyasha broke into Kikyō's village and stole the Shikon no Tama, convinced that Kikyō had never planned to turn him human to begin with. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the jewel, Kikyō shot Inuyasha with a sacred arrow and sealed him to the Sacred Tree of Ages with a spell of eternal sleep. Moments afterward, Kikyō collapsed from a fatal wound she had received from Naraku, who was disguised as Inuyasha at the time of the attack. She instructed her younger sister Kaede to burn the Jewel along with her body so that demons and evil men could never again use it for evil deeds. She died soon after, and her wish to burn the Jewel was fulfilled.

Reawakened
Five hundred years later, Kikyō's modern-day reincarnation, fifteen-year-old Kagome Higurashi, entered the feudal era through the Bone-Eater's Well, unknowingly bringing the Shikon no Tama with her. The jewel's presence awakened nearby demons, but it was the scent of Kagome's blood when she was attacked by a reanimated Mistress Centipede that roused Inuyasha from his spell. Upon first seeing her, Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyō, due to their similar appearances, but his sense of smell proved they were indeed different people. Inuyasha was subsequently freed by Kagome in order to help fight off Mistress Centipede. After killing Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha attacked Kagome to get the Shikon no Tama for himself, but was thwarted by an elderly Kaede. She put her deceased sister's Beads of Subjugation around the hanyō's neck, which allowed Kagome to subdue him simply by saying the word "Sit!"

Being unable to remove the necklace, Inuyasha was effectively rendered powerless in Kagome's presence. Soon after, Kagome accidentally shattered the Sacred Jewel while shooting at a crow demon that was attempting to escape with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inuyasha reluctantly agreed to team up with her to find and collect all of the fragments.

Quest to find the Sacred Jewel fragments
Inuyasha and Kagome began their journey to collect the shards of the Sacred Jewel, their tolerance for one another growing after defeating their first major enemy, Yura of the Demon Hair. Afterwards, Inuyasha's half-brother, the full demon Sesshōmaru, came asking the whereabouts of the Inu no Taishō's tomb, seeking the treasure that was endowed there. The two brothers' encounter allowed Inuyasha to obtain the Tessaiga, a fang-sword that originally belonged to his father, which Sesshōmaru had sought. After obtaining the sword and temporarily defeating his brother, Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship deepened, and they began to care for one another. As time passed, they started to gain allies in their quest for the shards, notably Shippō, Miroku, and Sango. Inuyasha also learned of the existence of the nefarious shape-shifting demon known as Naraku, and realized that Naraku must have set a trap for Kikyō 50 years ago and tricked them both into betraying one another. Upon learning that Naraku was also looking for the shards, Inuyasha vowed to destroy him and avenge Kikyō's death.

The Red Tessaiga
Inuyasha and his crew desperately sought ways to pass Naraku's barrier. When Inuyasha traveled to meet Tōtōsai for advice, Myōga learned how to strengthen Tessaiga and achieve the feat.

Myōga informed Inuyasha he needed to travel to a specific island with bat Daiyōkai. There, they used Hanyō to power their own protection barrier similar to Naraku's. Myōga informed Inuyasha he would find Taigokumaru there, and upon having Tessaiga drink his blood, it would be strong enough to break Naraku's barrier. However, Taigokumaru's barrier could not be penetrated as Shion, a Hanyō born of a specific blood line, was able to generate a barrier with a high enough demonic aura that the Tessaiga was not strong enough to penetrate the barrier.

When Taigokumaru become confident in his ability to defeat Inuyasha, he attacked Shiori's village. When Shiori's mother emerged and pleaded for him to stop, Taigokumaru revealed he had killed Shiori's father for his insolence. As retribution, Shiori pushed Taigokumaru out of the barrier and allowed Inuyasha to vanquish him. However, Inuyasha did not have the heart to kill Shiori as he felt she was an innocent child. He vowed to find another demon with a barrier to kill to strengthen his sword. She offered the Blood coral crystal as penance for her wrongs and allowed him to destroy the crystal. This in turn strengthened the Tessaiga to transform to a red evolved version.

Naraku's Barrier
Meanwhile, Naraku had plans to absorb Sesshōmaru. He abducted Rin, as bait, to lure Sesshōmaru to his castle. He lowered his barrier and allowed his scent to escape to lure him in. At the same time, Inuyasha began tracking the scene to the castle as well.

As they drew close, Kagome began to sense a Jewel Shard fragment nearby. Inuyasha forged forward as they investigated the shard. Upon arriving at the barrier's wall, Inuyasha destroyed the barrier with his new Red Tessaiga. Naraku was in the middle of his battle with Sesshōmaru when he sensed Inuyasha's new found power. He sent Kagura to stop Inuyasha while he dealt with Sesshōmaru.

However, Kagura still yearned for her freedom from Naraku. She barely put up a fight to stop Inuyasha and instead allowed him to pass. Upon arriving, Inuyasha used his Wind Scar on Naraku. This freed Sesshōmaru, who had been engulfed in Naraku's body and was in the process of being absorbed. Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha both attacked Naraku and critically injured him in their strikes. Naraku fled in a miasma cloud, leaving Rin behind as a distraction to allow him to escape.

As Sesshōmaru ran to find Rin, Inuyasha realized that Kohaku may be guarding her. He knew Sesshōmaru would kill Kohaku and ran to save his life. At the same time, Naraku used the Jewel Shard implanted in Kohaku's back to command him to kill Rin. Inuyasha arrived in time and stepped between Sesshōmaru and Kohaku's attacks. However, Sesshōmaru used the distraction to threaten Kohaku. When Sesshōmaru peered into his eyes, he realized he was an empty husk and was commanded to perform his action. He released Kohaku to Inuyasha and his group and escaped with Rin. Inuyasha began to think Naraku could not have gone far with his injuries. He could sense no trace of him and was surprised given the wounds he had inflicted upon Naraku.

Personality
Even when his life was in danger, Inuyasha refused to back down. Enemies were taken aback by his unorthodox fighting style, and he achieved victories greater than his abilities would suggest. Inuyasha was driven by a fierce, persistent determination to win, and his guts in battle have proven to work in his favor. However, his volatile emotions could often drive him to behave childishly, and became tiresome to his friends. Inuyasha himself could not control his tumultuous soul. Even if seriously wounded, he would completely forget about his pain the moment someone he was trying to protect was in danger. Because of this, his emotions often pushed his body past its limits. This was especially true when Kagome was involved. Inuyasha was incredibly hotheaded and easy to upset, often striking out with his fists toward the source of his annoyance. He even occasionally struck young kids if they bothered him, which was often the case with Shippō. He was impatient by nature and could be very prideful, having much difficulty admitting he was wrong about something.

Inuyasha kept the fact that he lost his demon power on the night of the new moon a secret. He believed, having lived through a cruel past, that he might be killed if he relaxed or let his guard down. However, since meeting Kagome and gaining friends who knew of his secret, he opened his heart to others and forged bonds that allowed him to entrust his life to others. Even with his friends beside him, however, he never truly let go of this worry, and his friends quietly accepted this.

However, despite how cynical and asocial he outwardly behaved, Inuyasha exposed his good inner nature in casual moments. He could not hide his true feelings. Although his friends described him as "easily deceived and honest to a fault" and "unable to understand the subtleties of the human spirit", his personality was difficult to dislike. Inuyasha was extremely susceptible to spells and trickery, and has a blunt, almost brutal honesty about most things, which was why he often seemed to be rude and disrespectful to others. For example, he blatantly told Kagome her food was horrible when she made it all to impress him. This was mostly due to the fact that, having been ostracized from both human and demonic communities, Inuyasha had very little experience in how to properly react in social situations. Despite his tough and insensitive exterior, he truly cared about his friends who acted as family to him; each of them, in their own way, saved him from his loneliness, and vice-versa.

Inuyasha hated those that killed for fun, and gladly rescued people in torment. He believed that all life was equally important. He had a strong distaste for people who ostracized others just for being different, carried over from his own lonely childhood.

Inuyasha valued power more than fighting tactics, and fighting spirit more than wisdom. He fought multitudes of powerful enemies and suppressed them with raw power and instinct. Rather than analyze matters, Inuyasha ran on reckless emotion, and, even if seriously injured in battle, he eventually achieved favorable results in the end. Inuyasha's instinct and experience was a product of daily training. When he saw something new, his eyes lit up and he tried to interact with it. Inuyasha was dense and rather slow to catch on; for example, he didn't know of Sango's strong romantic feelings for Miroku until much later than the rest of the group.

Fifty years before his awakening, Inuyasha met Kikyō, and began to develop intensely pure romantic feelings for her. By meeting Kikyō, he learned the warmth of the human heart and became romantically attracted to her. Through a conspiracy, however, they were torn apart. When he learned that Kikyō had given her life to follow him in death, Inuyasha vowed to never let another woman die again. Those feelings carried over for Kikyō's reincarnation, Kagome. The concept of Kikyō being reincarnated was utterly confusing to Inuyasha, and all he ever saw when he looked at Kagome initially was Kikyō; however, this eventually faded with time. Although scorned by a resurrected Kikyō in the beginning, feelings of romantic affection and remorse resurfaced inside of him over time. He felt guilt for causing Kikyō's death and offered to die for her for this reason, but Kagome stopped him.

Inuyasha often saw Kagome's tears during their journey. Whenever tears were shed for him, with their gentle scent bringing relief, he felt that he had found his place as a protector above all else. Contact with Kagome healed the deep loneliness in his soul. In the beginning, Inuyasha didn't think there was anyone in the world who would grieve over his death. He found a different kind of comfort in Kagome than he found with Kikyō.

Conflicting spirit
At the root of the hanyō, Inuyasha was in conflict between his human and yōkai halves. The fear or anger at his lack of belonging caused him to feel intense loneliness. However, Kagome and his allies comforted him, and he was able to develop a strong and gentle disposition over time.

Immediately after being released from his fifty-year seal, Inuyasha sought to become a full demon and acquire power quickly by using the Shikon Jewel. In the rage of battle, he ceased to have concerns for the lives of others. However, after meeting Kagome and other gentle humans, he came to understand his human half, and began to search for true strength of spirit instead of raw demonic power. His intention to become a yōkai wavered as he encountered more of them bent on using the Jewel for evil purposes. He realized over time that he had no desire to lose his human spirit, which becoming a full yōkai would have done. As his bond with Kagome and his other companions strengthened, Inuyasha's goal to become a demon faded, and he became content remaining a hanyō.

Physical description
Inuyasha had long silver hair, golden eyes, and claws on his fingers. His dog ears felt like "five uncooked Chinese dumpling shells atop one another." His nose, despite appearing normal, was always damp unless he caught a cold, in which case it dried out.

Outfit
Inuyasha's signature red garment was the Robe of the Fire-Rat, which was made of Fire-rat fur. This robe was originally given to Inuyasha when he was still a child living with his mother. On the day of his death, the Inu no Taishō gave it to Izayoi so she could escape unscathed from the burning mansion. Despite it being soft, it was a tough armor, and had regenerative properties. This toughness was shown when Kagome managed to stay almost completely unscathed when she wore it while facing Yura, despite sharpness of the hair the latter manipulated. The robe was most efficient in defending against fire-based damages; for example, in the fourth InuYasha movie, Inuyasha was able to shrug off the fire of the Cauldron of Resonance, which would have otherwise completely burned and evaporated a hanyō's soul instantly. It also lost some of its power when Inuyasha became human during the night of a new moon.

Powers & Abilities
Despite being a hanyō, Inuyasha was actually the strongest member of his group besides Kagome, and one of the most powerful characters in the series. Throughout his journey, he was able to take on or hold his own against many enemies, ranging from ordinary or Jewel-empowered opponents, to more powerful entities, to legendary figures like Magatsuhi.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Due to being born a hanyō in a time of great strife between humans and demons, Inuyasha strived to become stronger in order to survive after his mother passed away. In this way, Inuyasha developed great skills in unarmed combat which allowed him to defeat almost any demon barehanded. However, because Inuyasha never received proper training in any special fighting skills, as well as the strong emotion that affects his moves, making opponents with greater experience, such as Sesshōmaru, could predict and dodge his moves easily, eventually pushes him back. Nonetheless, as Inuyasha continued his journey and gained experience, he eventually developed his overall skills to greater levels.

Expert Swordsman: After obtaining Tessaiga as his signature weapon, Inuyasha used it as his main form of combat. Because Inuyasha never had used a sword before, and since he often relied solely on Tessaiga's demonic powers, skilled swordsmen pointed out how reckless he was when fighting them, using his lack of experience to their benefit. Sesshōmaru remarked early on that the Tessaiga was no different than a wooden club in Inuyasha's hands. However, as he continued to face great challenges from skilled opponents, Inuyasha developed his swordsmanship with Tessaiga to the point of matching Sesshōmaru in battle.

Healer: Inuyasha had healing skills when it came to medicine and minor illnesses; for example, he was taught by his mother how to concoct an herbal medicine that could easily cure colds in an instant, which he made for Kagome when she was sick.

Enhanced Reflexes: Inuyasha has faster than normal human reflexes. He has swiped arrows fired at him out the air with his claws. He has also been able to combine the reflexes with his enhanced senses to catch objects thrown at him midair without turning around. He could sense their direction and react in time to catch it.

Enhanced Strength: Inuyasha's yōkai blood gave him intensified physical strength exceeding that of the strongest human. He was able to uproot trees and break through walls and fortress gates, and was even able to punch through solid steel. In fact, the powerful demon blood inherited from his father gave him greater strength than almost any ordinary demon. Only daiyōkais like Sesshōmaru were ever able to overpower Inuyasha in pure physical strength.

Enhanced Speed and Agility: Inuyasha's speed easily exceeded that of a horse, but was considerably slower than Entei, the yōkai horse that served as Hakudōshi's steed. While not capable of true flight, having inherited a lesser version of his father's more rudimentary powers, Inuyasha could manipulate his own yōki to an extent when he jumped, allowing him to glide over long distances and slow his falls as he lands.

Immense Endurance: Inuyasha's stamina far exceeded human standards, another result of receiving his father's powerful demon blood. He was able to run and leap vast distances at great speeds, and often complained how his comparatively weaker human companions always slowed him down by needing to rest so much every day. He was also able to endure a great deal of physical pain, as was once demonstrated in an early battle with Sesshōmaru, when he continued fighting even after being impaled in the stomach.

Immense Durability: While not immune to stronger yōkai, holy weapons, spiritual powers, bladed weapons, yōki attacks, or shrapnel, Inuyasha's physique was extremely durable. He was capable of surviving considerable blunt force trauma, a direct blow from a solid wooden log that broke on contact, falling several stories into a crevasse in his fight with Ryūkotsusei, and being thrown hard enough to shatter solid rock. His skin was thick enough for him to survive being tangled by Yura's wire-thin hair strands, which were capable of cutting through solid tree trunks. His Robe of the Fire Rat served as a sort of armor, granting him resistance against heat and fire. His physiological makeup also granted him resistance to certain acids, as shown when he stood up to his ankles in the Stone Oni's stomach acid and resisted having Sesshōmaru's acid injected into his wrist (albeit with injury, with the latter blinding him by spraying acid in his eyes). Additionally, he was able to have his spinal cord severed without being paralyzed, as shown when Sesshōmaru impaled him through the lower torso and out his back without crippling him.

High-Speed Regeneration: When injured, Inuyasha healed far more rapidly than a human. For example, when Tōtōsai yanked out one of Inuyasha's fangs to repair the Tessaiga, he mentioned that Inuyasha would grow a replacement canine in just one day. Combined with his considerable stamina, he could recover from critical, non-dismembering injuries (such as being stabbed in the chest with a sword and having a hole punched through his gut by Sesshōmaru) with no trace of a scar after several hours.

Enhanced Senses: While inferior to those of the Inu no Taishō and Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha's senses were nonetheless developed beyond those of any ordinary human or animal. He was able to hear what people were whispering from great distances away, as was the case when, while perched on a tree, he overheard Akitoki Hōjō hiding in a bush, quietly praising Kagome under his breath. Likewise, his sense of smell was extremely sensitive; he could smell hints of blood from kilometers away and could detect the presence of people by smell long before they could be seen. However, his sense of smell could also be overloaded by strong scents and tastes, as shown in "The Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter" where he was temporarily knocked out by the strong smell of black ink. His sense of smell was also his method of detecting yōki, and thus was used in locating the Kaze no Kizu, the striking point of the Bakuryūha and yōketsu auras, and, once, sniffing out the path of the outside world to pierce Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha. He could catch a whiff of Naraku's power from many miles away as soon as he let down his barrier with at least as much accuracy as Kōga, despite the later being a full yōkai. During the night of the new moon before the sun sets, Inuyasha suffered from pre-transformation symptoms, such as losing his acute sense of smell, before eventually turning into a human.

Longevity: Because of his mixed heritage and being the son of a powerful daiyōkai, Inuyasha aged slower than normal humans; he was over 200 years old at the time of his awakening, but looked to be the physical equivalent of a 15 year old human.

Immense Demonic Power: Despite being a hanyō, Inuyasha possessed an incredible amount of demonic powers inherited from his father, the Inu no Taishō. Due to his father being one of the most powerful demons to ever live, Inuyasha in turn was one the most powerful half-demons in existence. A testament to his powers as a half-demon was that he was able to easily kill Mistress Centipede, who had absorbed the entire Shikon Jewel, with one attack at the beginning of the series when his powers were at their weakest and most untrained. However, more experienced and skilled individuals (like daiyōkai) could still pose a great challenge to him. As Inuyasha continued his journey, eventually he grew strong enough to surpass his father in strength, proven when he managed to kill Ryūkotsusei, a dragon daiyōkai that even his father was incapable of killing and was only able to temporarily seal away. Eventually, Inuyasha became strong enough to withstand the jaki of the Meidō Zangetsuha, which was initially believed to be impossible for a hanyō like him to use and perfect. In fact, right before Inuyasha attained the technique, his yōketsu in his demon form was large enough to engulf and erode the Meidō that Sesshōmaru sent him into when he cut it using the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. The yōketsu was even strong enough to draw out Magatsuhi's spirit, and prevented him from possessing another for Sesshōmaru to finish off.

Sankon Tessō (散魂鉄爪 lit. Soul-Scattering Iron Claws; VIZ, "Claws of Exorcism" or "Claws of Steel"; "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" in the English dub): By channeling his yōki through his claws, Inuyasha could increase his claws' range and strength to cut through objects deeper than otherwise possible, allowing him to destroy weaker demons many times his size in one hit. Despite being Inuyasha's most rudimentary yōki-powered attack, it was still strong enough to destroy weaker demons even if they are enhanced by the Shikon Jewel, as shown when he easily disposed of Mistress Centipede. His full-powered Sankon Tessō was at least strong enough to tear apart a steel I-beam. In his yōkai form, his Sankon Tessō became crimson-colored, and was strong enough to cut through the hide of Ryūkotsusei, who was able to withstand a direct hit from the Kaze no Kizu.

Hijin Kessō (飛刃血爪 lit. Flying Blade Blood Claws; VIZ, "Claws of Blood" or "Daggers of Blood"; "Blades of Blood" in the English dub) : By drenching his claws in his own blood, Inuyasha could use his Hijin Tessō to charge the blood with yōki and sling it like a barrage of crescent-shaped blades. While he typically used blood from an already open wound, Inuyasha could draw the necessary blood to use the attack by digging his nails into his palms.

Time Travel: By jumping down the Bone Eater's Well, Inuyasha could travel back and forth five hundred years to and from the future. In Episode Four, among others, Inuyasha traveled to Kagome's time without the aid of a Sacred Jewel Shard. Others besides Kagome and Inuyasha were unable to travel through the well, as shown when Shippō attempted to go through the well but failed, and when Sōta attempted to go down the well to call Inuyasha for help during the attack of the Noh Mask, but was unable to get through either.

Transformation: Due to his half-demon heritage, Inuyasha transformed against his will when certain conditions are met. Because of that this attribute at times makes it more of a weakness than a reliable ability.
 * Human Form: Like all hanyō, Inuyasha turned completely human once a month (except one incident in Mount Hakurei due to unique circumstances); in his case, during the night of the new moon. On the night of the new moon his hair turned black, his eyes turned violet, he lost his yōkai abilities and attributes, such as his fangs and claws, and could only use Tessaiga in its katana form. Only Inuyasha's friends and a few others knew his secret, as Inuyasha tried to stay hidden during the new moon.
 * Yōkai Form: If Inuyasha's life was in danger and the Tessaiga was out of reach, his yōkai blood overloaded his system and drove him into fits of feral rage. When transformed, Inuyasha's sclera turned deep red, his irises became blue slits with white pupils, jagged purple stripes appeared on the sides of his face, and his fangs and claws lengthened. In this form, Inuyasha's physical strength more than doubled, which was more than enough to eviscerate Goshinki and Gatenmaru with a single swipe of his claws, and shove Ryūkotsusei's massive body into a cliffside with one arm. His regeneration was also boosted, allowing him to immediately recover from life-threatening injuries and poisons received prior to transforming. His yōki was also powerful enough to erode Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha after cutting his own yōketsu with the Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga. However, because yōki is toxic to humans, Inuyasha's half-human body and mind couldn't handle the power he inherited from his father. As a yōkai, Inuyasha was incapable of feeling pain, fear, compassion, or mercy; he only feels rage and hedonistic bloodlust, which, coupled with his newfound predatory instinct, lack of intelligence, and inability to discriminate between friend and foe, drove him to attack and kill anyone in his vicinity. With every subsequent overload, this form's intelligence diminished, and it became easier to trigger and harder for him to recover from. If left unchecked, Inuyasha would continue to fight and kill until his body either gave out or was destroyed by an opponent.
 * Power Supplementation: Though Inuyasha's demonic powers possessed him at times, if there was an outside container for the excess energy, like the Tessaiga with its powers drained, Inuyasha could retain his sanity in this state, as the amount of energy that he couldn't control overflowed into the Tessaiga. However, this particular ability could only be used if the Tessaiga didn't have any energy in it, and he couldn't control the process.
 * Purified Form: While trapped in the Stone Ogre's belly, Inuyasha used a shard of the Sacred Jewel to strengthen Tessaiga's power, an effort which backfired when the impure powers of the shard flowed through Tessaiga, causing Inuyasha to transform. Kagome, seeing Inuyasha's predicament, ran to him, and her embrace purified the shard, leaving Inuyasha in a purified version of his yōkai form. In this form, he retained the stripes, eye markings, and pronounced fangs and claws of his yōkai form, but his eyes remained unchanged, and he retained his self-awareness. His yōki increased exponentially, allowing him to enhance the Tessaiga's Kongōsōha's barrier-piercing effect with an intensity far superior to its previous uses, as well as being able to combine the Kaze no Kizu with the Kongōsōha. After the shard was removed from Tessaiga, Inuyasha reverted back to his hanyō self.

Weapons
Tessaiga: Tessaiga was a yōkai sword forged from a fang of the Inu no Taishō by the sword-smith Tōtōsai. In its sealed state, Tessaiga resembled a rusty katana with a nicked and dented blade and torn hilt-wrap. When wielded by a user with demon blood, the blade transformed into a five-foot-long fang capable of immense damage.
 * Sealed Katana Form: This was the base form that Tessaiga usually took when not in use or in the hands of a human or demon incapable of unlocking its powers.
 * Anti-Demon Barrier: The Inu no Taishō placed a protective barrier around the Tessaiga that would burn full-blooded yōkai who attempted to touch it. However, some demons like Shippō and its creator, Tōtōsai, could grab hold of the Tessaiga in this form without consequences. This implies that only demons with power hungry or malicious intent couldn't touch the Tessaiga without getting burned. In the case of hanyō, the barrier also served as a means of preventing the hanyō's latent yōkai blood from overwhelming their sanity when in danger, while making up for their suppressed power with the transformed sword's own power.
 * Human Protection: Though unable to transform it, humans were protected from harm if they were holding Tessaiga. This was shown when Kagome emerged unharmed from being attacked by Sesshōmaru's poison claws while holding the Tessaiga, when Myōga stated that there was no way a human could survive the attack unharmed.


 * True Fang Form: When held by Inuyasha while he had the desire to protect another, the blade of Tessaiga transformed into a giant fang. While in this form, it had the ability to cut opponents without touching them, surrounding the blade in yōki. Inuyasha overlooked this ability once he learned the Kaze no Kizu.
 * Power Assimilation: Tessaiga possessed the unique ability to absorb and steal another yōkai's power through physical contact with the blade. This was shown when Shishinki remarked that Tessaiga was the one that stole his Meidō Zangetsuha, and when Sesshōmaru broke Tenseiga's blade on Tessaiga, it regained the technique.
 * Kaze no Kizu (Wind Scar): Tessaiga's signature attack, the Kaze no Kizu, could kill one hundred yōkai with a single strike. Originally, Inuyasha activated this technique by finding the rift between the aura of his yōkai opponent and his own. According to the InuYasha Profiles, the Kaze no Kizu had a maximum range of 80 meters . During Inuyasha's battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Kaze no Kizu wrapped itself around the Tessaiga, allowing him to fire it at will by putting his own yōki into the attack. However, repetitive use drained his energy until he was too weak to fire it.
 * Bakuryūha (Backlash Wave): The Tessaiga's ultimate technique, the Bakuryūha, when it caught a yōkai opponent's yōki-based blasts with the Kaze no Kizu and struck the specific weak point, Inuyasha could reflect the attack back at his opponent with the added power of the Kaze no Kizu. Two major requirements of this technique was that it could only be used against yōki energy attacks and only if the user's own yōki is stronger than the opponent's.


 * Red Tessaiga Form: This form was attained when Inuyasha destroyed the Blood Coral Crystal of the Bat Demon Clan that held the source of their impenetrable demonic barriers. During its use, the sword glowed red and the blade took on a red color.
 * Barrier Shattering: This form allowed Tessaiga to cut through most holy and yōki-based barriers (including Naraku's original shield).
 * Barrier Shattering Wind Scar: Inuyasha could combine the barrier shattering properties of this form with the Kaze no Kizu, which allowed him to destroy demonic barriers from a distance as well as harming the foe at the same time.

Tessaiga's sheath: Tessaiga's sheath could deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tessaiga's power. These barriers, though powerful, could only withstand a certain amount of damage before breaking. The sheath also possessed the power to recall the Tessaiga. During Inuyasha's final battle against Sesshōmaru regarding the Tessaiga, the sheath possessed enough power to block the Kongōsōha but not the Red Tessaiga's barrier shattering ability.
 * Diamond Tessaiga Form: This form was obtained when Inuyasha shattered Hosenki's diamond covered skull, which caused the demon to bequeath his demonic powers to Tessaiga in his signature technique. While in transformed into this form, the blade of Tessaiga resembled a diamond sword.
 * Kongōsōha (Adamant Barrage): This technique fired a barrage of diamond shrapnel when Inuyasha swung the Tessaiga. The diamond shrapnel's effect allowed it to negate stronger holy and yōki-based barriers that the Red Tessaiga couldn't, including Naraku's later barriers.
 * Adamant Wind Scar: This attack could also be used in conjunction with the Kaze no Kizu. This eventually became one of Inuyasha's signature techniques.
 * Dragon Scaled Tessaiga Form: This form was attained when Inuyasha defeated the possessed blacksmith, Toshu, wielding the yōkai sword, Dakki. This was perhaps the riskiest form for Inuyasha to take, as he almost caused Tessaiga to lose all of its demonic powers, as Dakki absorbed them whenever they clashed. While in this form, the blunt upper edge of Tessaiga was covered in dragon scales much like Dakki.
 * Yōki Absorption: Because yōki is toxic to both humans and hanyō, Inuyasha's half-breed nature limited how much yōki the Tessaiga could absorb at once. As the Tessaiga reached its limits, the blade and hilt would grow hotter as a warning sign to Inuyasha. If Inuyasha tried to push past the Tessaiga's limit, the sword would "regurgitate" the absorbed yōki back at him, causing him critical injury. He got to a point where the sword instead purified the yōki it absorbed, removing its original limits without regurgitating the energy.
 * Yōketsu Cutting: Because Tessaiga's overall nature is a sword that cuts, this came into conflict with the yōki absorption ability gained from the yōkai sword, Dakki. Also, due to Inuyasha's nature as a hanyō, he couldn't handle too much demonic power without it consuming him, and thus, he was trained by the Yōreitaisei to see a yōkai's yōki vortex and cut through it to destroy the demon's source of energy and that body part when the specific vortex was struck.
 * Black Tessaiga Form: This form was obtained when Sesshōmaru broke the Tenseiga's blade onto Tessaiga in order for the sword to reabsorb the Meidō Zangetsuha technique that it originally stole from Shishinki when the Inu no Taishō cast it off into Tenseiga as a container for the technique. While using the technique, the blade of Tessaiga gained the appearance of the Meidō Zangetsuha's portals itself.
 * Meidō Zangetsuha: This technique opened up a black portal several meters in diameter that sent anything within its radius directly to the Netherworld itself. However, the portal could be destroyed if the target's energy reserves were sufficiently powerful enough, as shown when Sesshōmaru tried to use it on Inuyasha when the latter was in his yōkai state.
 * Meidō Zangetsuha Blades: After absorbing the original Meidō Zangetsuha from the Tenseiga, the Tessaiga's variant fired a barrage of black crescent-shaped portals that, after cutting its demonic opponent, trapped the severed portion of their body in the underworld. Thus, the technique kept the original ability intact while adding the Tessaiga's cutting nature, making for a much stronger technique.
 * Dimensional Travel: The Meidō Zangetsuha could also be used to enter/exit the Netherworld at will. Inuyasha also used this ability to enter and exit pocket dimensions (specifically, the Shikon no Tama and the Bone Eater's Well's closed-off time tunnel).

Allies
Because Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyō, she and Kikyō shared the same soul. Naraku stated in Chapter 546 that the Sacred Jewel used Kikyō's lingering feelings for Inuyasha to allow her soul to be reborn in Kagome; the Jewel subsequently utilized her body to return to the Feudal Era. Kagome was responsible for releasing Inuyasha from his 50 year slumber on the Goshinboku, and was responsible for sealing Naraku's fate. At first glance, Inuyasha mistook Kagome for Kikyō, stating the two smelled and looked similar. They were forced to team up when Kagome accidentally shattered the Sacred Jewel in an attempt to regain its possession. Throughout the course of their journey, Inuyasha and Kagome began to develop romantic feelings for each other and slowly began to fall in love, despite the numerous arguments and obstacles they faced.
 * Kagome Higurashi

As a result of his feelings towards her, Inuyasha became fiercely protective of Kagome, saying that "the thought of losing two women is unbearable." Inuyasha often competed with Kōga for Kagome's affections, though Kagome never showed any signs of attraction towards Kōga, kindly rejecting his advances towards her. His love for Kagome was quite obvious as his friends immediately recognized his very strong and fierce protectiveness over Kagome. His enemies, including Naraku, noted this, and sometimes used Kagome to gain an advantage over Inuyasha. At several times throughout the series, even when seriously wounded or near death, Inuyasha spontaneously regained physical strength beyond all odds in order to protect Kagome, much to the surprise of his friends. This led them to realize that the strength of his desire to protect Kagome brought on such spontaneous physical strength.

At first, out of pride, Inuyasha vehemently denied that he loved Kagome. Over time, he stopped trying to reject his feelings towards her. While they were trapped in the Sacred Jewel together, Inuyasha realized that he and Kagome were born to be with each other. Inuyasha them used the Meidō Zangetsuha to find Kagome, and once he did, he came face to face with her, they embraced, and shared a long-awaited kiss (note: the kiss occurs in the anime only). After Kagome wished away the Shikon Jewel's existence, the Bone Eater's Well stopped working, forcing Kagome to return to the modern era for three years, during which time she completed her high school studies. During this time, Inuyasha lived a lonely life missing Kagome (Shippō stated that Inuyasha visited the well at least every three days) and spending much of his time alone. However, Kagome's strong and overwhelming desire to see Inuyasha again allowed her passage to the Feudal Era once more, and she and Inuyasha were reunited. Inuyasha and Kagome married immediately after her high school graduation, and Kagome moved to the Feudal Era to be with him for the rest of her life, vowing to become a priestess. Inuyasha and Kagome proceeded to live a happy life together where they were able to adapt to their new, permanent life together.

Inuyasha met Kikyō 50 years before his awakening when he tried to steal the Sacred Jewel from her. She sensed a different aura about him, stating that they were similar because they were both outsiders. Inuyasha was a hanyō who wasn't accepted by humans or demons, and Kikyō was a priestess who walked a path of blood and violence, unable to live the life of an ordinary woman. She used this as an excuse for being unable to kill him, even after he tried a second time to steal the Sacred Jewel. Eventually, Kikyō and Inuyasha's relationship grew to a point where they were comfortable enough to speak with each other up close. In Chapter 47, Inuyasha stated that "once he saw Kikyō's sad and lonely expression, for the first time in his life he felt compassion". After that point, Inuyasha and Kikyō spent most of their time with each other. Together they decided to use the Sacred Jewel to make Inuyasha a full human, granting both of them the lives of normal humans. However, a hanyō named Naraku, born from the body of a wounded bandit who secretly lusted after Kikyō and coveted the Jewel, tricked them into betraying each other. Kikyō lost her life after she was attacked by Naraku, who disguised himself as her beloved, and sealed Inuyasha into a 50-year slumber.
 * Kikyō

Kikyō was later resurrected by Urasue using her remains and Kagome's soul to animate her body and bring her back to life. She was initially enraged with Inuyasha for what she believed to be a great betrayal, but it was soon realized that neither party was responsible for the actions that occurred 50 years ago, and that they both had been tricked. Inuyasha soon realized he still loved Kikyō, stating in Chapter 76 that there hadn't been a single day where he'd forgotten about her. He later tried to refrain from seeing her, in part due to Kagome's feelings of jealousy. Nevertheless, Inuyasha never forgot Kikyō for the entirety of the series, and he became much more serious when Kikyō was involved in something. Even if he faced an issue in which Kikyō seemed to be guilty, such as when she gave Naraku a large portion of the Sacred Jewel, he covered for her, expressing his firm trust in her.

Whenever Kikyō was in trouble, Inuyasha instinctively went to save her, saying that he was the only one Kikyō had. When Inuyasha found out the connection between Naraku and Onigumo's heart for Kikyō, he expressed both rage and jealousy toward him, promising Kikyō that he'd never let Naraku hurt her. During a conversation with Kaede, he even stated that he'd give up his own life for Kikyō if that was what she really wanted. On many occasions, Inuyasha unintentionally hurt Kagome's feelings by ignoring her whenever he ran after Kikyō, or by asking her to leave the two of them together for just a moment, causing Kagome to moan in pain and jealousy. Kagome often felt heartbroken because she felt she could not compete with Kikyō for Inuyasha's love.

Before Kikyō died for the final time, Inuyasha shed tears over his inability to save her since she was the first woman he has ever loved. He bid her farewell with a final kiss, stating that he didn't want Kikyō to endure any more sorrow and that he wanted to protect her forever. Even after her death, Inuyasha suffered severely. This was shown bluntly during his confrontation with Kaō in Chapter 473; when Kaō read Inuyasha's pain, he described Kikyō as "the woman Inuyasha had loved most in all the world."

Miroku joined Inuyasha's group after he revealed that Naraku was the demon who killed Kikyō and deceived her and Inuyasha in order to get the Sacred Jewel. When Miroku tried to make a move on Kagome, Inuyasha instantly got mad and demanded him to never to lay a hand on her or to make any advances towards her whatsoever. This clearly surprised Kagome, and caused Miroku to believe Inuyasha was in love with Kagome, which Inuyasha instantly denied, though Miroku was left unconvinced.
 * Miroku

Miroku and Inuyasha almost acted like brothers and always looked out for one another. Although Inuyasha was often annoyed with Miroku's lecherous tendencies towards women and viewed him as a hopeless fool, he acknowledge the spiritual power that he possessed. Miroku often gave advice to Inuyasha when it came to Kagome when she was upset with Inuyasha.

Shippō became Inuyasha and Kagome's traveling companion after Inuyasha took down the Thunder Brothers who had killed Shippō's father, making him an orphan. Shippō and Inuyasha argued constantly, but were shown to really care for each other time and again. He often bullied Shippō, hitting him in his head all the time, which was often followed by Shippō whining to Kagome and her saying "Sit!" to punish him for bullying Shippō. Their relationship was quite similar to two brothers often disagreeing and fighting. Kagome later stated that they always fought because they were so close to each other.
 * Shippō

Inuyasha treated Sango like a sister. They argued from time to time, but Sango always helped Inuyasha when he was in trouble, and occasionally gave him advice when it came to Kagome. Inuyasha sympathized with her situation with Kohaku, and often tried to give encouragement that he could be saved from Naraku's control. He cared about Sango and found her a good ally on the battlefield, though he was incredibly dense to Sango's feelings for Miroku, and often shot his mouth off about Miroku's flirtatious personality among women without thinking. This caused him to receive vicious glares from Sango, greatly confusing Inuyasha. Inuyasha, in reaction to this, usually cowered and thought to himself, "What's with the glares?"
 * Sango

Myōga acted as an advisor and ward to Inuyasha's father, and since the great dog demon's death, Myōga had done the same for Inuyasha himself. Myōga often provided information for Inuyasha and his friends during their many adventures, specifically information about other yōkai and Inuyasha's father himself. Inuyasha and Myōga had a relatively close and rather familiar relationship; whenever Myōga would arrive on the scene, he would greet Inuyasha by sucking a bit of his blood, only to be flattened by the irritated Inuyasha. Myōga had a habit of fleeing the scene whenever the situation got too dangerous, much to the annoyance of Inuyasha and the others; at the same time, Myōga's disappearance often signified great danger.
 * Myōga

Tōtōsai was the swordsmith who forged Tessaiga from the fang of the Inu no Taishō. Inuyasha would often come to Tōtōsai for assistance whenever he had problems with Tessaiga, and Tōtōsai would offer his help, albeit begrudgingly. When the two first met, Tōtōsai was very displeased with the way in which Inuyasha wielded Tessaiga, believing the hanyō to be unworthy of its power. Eventually, Inuyasha proved his might to Tōtōsai, and he proved to be another great source of knowledge and insight, very much like Myōga.
 * Tōtōsai

Family
Also known as the Great Dog General or Lord of the Western Lands, Inuyasha's father was a great yōkai who was well known and feared, and the original owner of the Tessaiga and the Tenseiga (and the Sō'unga in the third movie). He entrusted Tessaiga to Inuyasha knowing he'd care for humans and protect them, having human blood in his veins. He also gave him Tessaiga to keep Inuyasha's demon blood in check. During the battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Inu no Taishō was mortally injured, and, after the battle, died from his injuries. In the third movie, while he was still greatly wounded from his battle with Ryūkotsusei, he still managed to save Izayoi and his newborn son, whom he named "Inuyasha". He died shortly afterward. Inuyasha never met his father, but he did know of him and respected his power, gaining even more respect for him after he gained his father's sword, Tessaiga.
 * Inu no Taishō

Izayoi was Inuyasha's human mother. She raised him on her own until she died. Inuyasha loved his mother and was very protective of her, often getting angry when someone insulted her. Just after giving birth to Inuyasha, she was killed by Takemaru, who fell in love with Izayoi and hated the thought of her being in love with a yōkai. She was later revived by Tenseiga. Izayoi was a very beautiful and young princess. She was very caring and loved her son. Izayoi was also the only human who didn't reject or bully Inuyasha in his young life, thus leaving the two to their own and ostracizing them from other humans. Inuyasha's mother was very special to him. He loved her very much, as she was the only family he had left. When she died, Inuyasha was devastated. He buried her and visited her grave quite often.
 * Izayoi

Sesshōmaru hated his brother because his father left Tessaiga to Inuyasha and only left him Tenseiga. Not surprisingly, Inuyasha hated Sesshōmaru too, because of his cruel treatment towards him. Inuyasha cut off Sesshōmaru's left arm when Sesshōmaru was trying to find Tessaiga to increase his own power. Over the course of the series, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha came to care for one another, and even helped each other on occasion. In the end, they helped each other fight and defeat their common enemy, Naraku. They also helped one another in the third Inuyasha movie in the attack against the demon sword, Sō'unga.
 * Sesshōmaru

Inuyasha always came to the modern era to pick up Kagome from her family to bring back to the Feudal Era. Kagome's mother considered Inuyasha to be a perfect match for her daughter, and viewed him like a son to her. Kagome's mother even offered her consent and support with Kagome going back and forth between the two different periods. She often made lunches for Inuyasha the others, as well as provided medical supplies for them and replaced Kagome's clothing and shoes whenever when her current ones were damaged during her deadly battles with the Feudal Era. Kagome's mother even gave her blessing for Kagome to leave the present time forever to live with Inuyasha in the Feudal Era. Sōta idolized Inuyasha as a hero to a point that he called him Inu-niisan ("Dog Brother"). Both Sōta and Inuyasha never met or knew their fathers because Sōta's father was killed in a car accident while Mrs. Higurashi was pregnant with him, and Inuyasha was born right before his father had sacrificed himself for him and his mother.
 * Higurashi family

Enemies
Naraku was the enigmatic demon who was responsible for Kikyō's death and Inuyasha's being sealed to the Goshinboku. He was born of the bandit Onigumo. His plan was for Kikyō and Inuyasha to kill one another, for them to bathe in each other's blood, and turn the purity of their love into rancid hatred, thus making the Sacred Jewel even more tainted, dark, and "beautiful", as Naraku believed. When Inuyasha learned of Naraku's existence and that he was the one who ensnared Kikyō and him in a trap 50 years ago, he vowed to destroy him and avenge Kikyō's death. Throughout the series, his intense hatred for Naraku grew, as the demon became more and more evil, using and tricking numerous people for the sole purpose of gaining a complete Sacred Jewel. In the end, Inuyasha was able to defeat Naraku along with the help of his friends and allies, avenging Kikyō and destroying the Sacred Jewel for good.
 * Naraku

Inuyasha and Kōga were rivals towards each other. They were constantly fighting for any reason they could find, and whenever Kōga is near, Inuyasha instantly got infuriated, demanding he leave immediately. The first time was when Kōga's wolves attacked a human village, Inuyasha fought with them, and Kōga attacked and insulted him in retaliation. When Kōga flirted with Kagome, Inuyasha's anger increased, demanding that he leave her alone and maintain his distance whenever he tried flirting with her. Though despite all their fighting, the two did help each other when the other needed it and eventually become friends.
 * Kōga

Because of his suck-up, sycophantic attitude towards Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha despised Jaken, and often bullied him much like he did Shippō, except in Jaken's case he seemed to enjoy it. Inuyasha had a vindictive side, shown when it came to Jaken; for example, when he caught Jaken trying to steal the Tessaiga, he swore to make him pay the next time they crossed paths, an oath he fulfilled by beating him up. Inuyasha faced the young leader of the Band of Seven more times than the other members of his group and far more seriously. They often bantered back and forth, deriding the other's fighting ability, though in an interesting turn of events, Inuyasha admitted that Bankotsu was 100x more decent than Naraku after the former's second death.
 * Jaken
 * Bankotsu

Other half-demons
As two of them were both hanyō, Inuyasha reminded himself of the similar experience of his past when he faced discrimination as a child being a hanyō. This fueled his anger towards Taigokumaru, who was responsible for the death of his own son, which made Shiori rebel against her grandfather.
 * Shiori

Trivia

 * In the unofficial live action series Holy Pearl, Inuyasha was renamed as Wen Tian, who was half-dragon and half-human.
 * He was played by Atsuhiro Sato in a live action stage play.
 * When Inuyasha attacked the Mistress Centipede, Inuyasha was seen spinning while performing the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer. This technique never appeared again after its initial use.
 * Inuyasha, along with Shippō, Miroku, Tessaiga, and Kagome, makes a cameo appearance in Ranma 1/2 OVA Episode 13. During one of Akane's nightmares, Inuyasha is seen face down, dead, with Shippō's body on top of his and Tessaiga stuck in the floor.
 * In "The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master," Inuyasha revealed that he could still talk in between Kagome's "Sit!" commands.
 * Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru were parodied by Wataru and Hayate in the series Hayate the Combat Butler. Wataru even imitates Inuyasha's Wind Scar attack. The "Kaze" part of "Kaze no Kizu" was bleeped, most likely to avoid copyright infringement.
 * In some episodes, Inuyasha's toenails were shaped just like a human's, while in others, they were sharpened like his claws.
 * In the two episodes when Inuyasha fights Naraku at Mt. Hakurei, Inuyasha called his Tessaiga to him when it was out of his reach.
 * Coincidentally, both Kappei Yamaguchi and Richard Ian Cox have also voiced Ranma Saotome's male half in Ranma 1/2.
 * In InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, Inuyasha was shown to have been born with a full head of silver hair, unlike regular human babies, who are born bald or have small tufts of hair on their heads.
 * Occasionally, Inuyasha would perform dog-like actions, though mostly for comic relief. Inuyasha would sometimes get down on his hands and knees with his nose to the ground, much like how a real dog does. It usually attracted quite a bit of attention, though Inuyasha usually didn't care, because his mind was on other things. He would also sometimes sit down and scratch his ears with his feet. He did growl from time to time, and usually did this when he was angry, annoyed, or frustrated. Also, like a real dog, he sometimes shook himself dry or played fetch (much to his annoyance).
 * Inuyasha's favorite food from the modern world was instant noodles, although this could be annoying to Kagome, such as in Episode 9 and the first movie.
 * In the Final Act's first ending theme song, the theme shows Inuyasha and Kagome with the attached to their pinky since they were destined to meet. In Japanese culture, it is thought to be so by tying around the little finger/pinky finger.
 * Though Inuyasha tended to hold back his tears, he cried completely during Kikyō's second death.
 * Inuyasha is the second character in Rumiko Takahashi's works voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi who played Ranma Saotome in Ranma 1/2 and Rinne's father
 * The flashback in his childhood suggested that Inuyasha was a late bloomer, due to the fact that he didn't have many fighting skills then, obtaining his physical prowess as he aged.