Miroku

Miroku is a monk and one of the protagonists of the series.

Summary
Miroku (弥勒、みろく) is the Buddhist Monk who travels with Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo. He is known for the Wind Tunnel in his right hand, which was passed down from his grandfather because of a curse put on him by Naraku. He is also known for being a pervert, or as Sango says, the "lecherous monk." He loses his Wind Tunnel when Naraku is defeated and marries Sango. In the timeskip at the end of the series, it is shown that they have three children together--twin girls and a boy.

Miroku seems to be very intelligent and learns very fast. After witnessing Kagome ride a bicycle in his first meeting with Kagome and Inuyasha, Miroku could ride this same bike with prowess, despite the fact that was the first time he had seen a bike--an invention far subsequent to the current era.

Biography
Miroku was raised and trained by his father's friend named Mushin (夢心，むしん) who became Miroku's guardian when his father was violently swallowed by his Wind Tunnel.

His grandfather was cursed by Naraku, the chief antagonist of the InuYasha series. In the past, the two fought many times, and each time Naraku appeared to Miroku's grandfather in a different form. Though Miroku's grandfather was a powerful monk, he was also a "lecher" (just like his grandson) and Naraku used this to his advantage. Naraku took the form of a beautiful maiden in order to catch Miroku's grandfather off guard. When Naraku revealed himself, the battle between the two foes began. Whilst battling Naraku, Miroku's grandfather was pierced though the hand creating the Wind Tunnel. The Wind Tunnel will grow bigger as time passes, and eventually will over grow the victim's hand, which will suck in the victim (in this case Miroku). This curse has been passed down from father to son, and thus to Miroku. Miroku is able to control the Wind Tunnel by sealing it with prayer beads.

Prior to meeting Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku traveled the countryside performing (as he viewed it) his Buddhist duties towards the people he meets on his Journey. This includes praying for any who ask, comforting the sick and dying, and (his particular specialty) exorcising unwanted spirits and demons (妖怪，ようかい，Youkai), sometimes destroying them in the process. These exorcisms should not be confused with the work done by the "Demon Slayers' (妖怪退治屋，ようかいたいじや，Youkaitaijiya)" such as Sango.

As a Buddhist monk, one of his main concerns is that the spirit or soul of the individual (even demons) should "find rest" and pass peacefully into the "next world". Without this, the spirit is doomed to wander this world, often in a malicious or malevolent form, and further can be taken over by other demons.

In addition to these duties, Miroku is constantly searching for Naraku, the demon that cursed his family with the Wind Tunnel; for if he does not find and destroy Naraku, Miroku will be consumed by the curse as his father and grandfather were before him. Near the end of the series, his wind tunnel reaches it's limit and Naraku plans on having him use it one final time to destroy the demons coming toward them so that way he'll suffer his father and grandfather's fates but Naraku is defeated, his Wind Tunnel starts to close. At the end of the series, Miroku no longer bears the Wind Tunnel, and marries Sango. They have three children: twin girls and a boy.

Abilities and Weapons
A curse placed upon Miroku's grandfather by Naraku during a battle, and passed down through the male line in Miroku's family. The curse pierced the palm of the monk and resulted in a hole or void into another dimension which sucks everything into it creating a terrible sucking wind in the process. While Miroku has leveraged this curse into a formidable weapon, the Wind Tunnel is difficult to control. Miroku has learned to seal it with a Buddhist rosary until he wishes to unleash its power, but it slowly grows larger with time and will eventually consume him. Naraku has been forced to use the demonic poison bug, the Saimyoushou (最猛勝，さいみょうしょう) just so he would not use it. By the time of the final battle against Naraku, the Wind Tunnel has grown too large for Miroku to use at his leisure and only had one last use before the void would consume him. As Sesshomaru's Bakusaiga (爆砕牙，ばくさいが) tears apart the demon from the inside out, the Wind Tunnel's power begins to fade away, and by the time Naraku is reduced to a mere head, the curse has finally been lifted, the tunnel having left Miroku's hand completely.
 * Wind Tunnel (風穴，かざあな，Kazaana)

Miroku has the ability to put up barriers that can vary in size and protect him and the team by blocking demons and attacks as seen in some episodes and in the game Inuyasha Feudal Combat.' (  犬夜叉ー奥義乱舞，いぬやしゃーおうぎらんぶ ,  InuYasha-Ougi Ranbu  )
 * Barrier (結界，けっかい，Kekkai)

In Japan the Shakujou Staff is still used by monks, pilgrims, and practitioners of Shugendou ( a school of Buddhism teaching spiritual practices in the mountains). A yamabushi or mountain priest may use it for magic or exorcism, as does Miroku. In the Shingon and Tendai sects, the Shakujou is used as a ritual object in special ceremonies, much like the Tibetan Dorje. The head of Miroku's is sharpened, while the staff portion is not wood, but a metal pole.
 * Shakujou (錫杖，しゃくじょう)

These "Jufu Talismans" are strips of paper upon which special prayers have been written and prayed over, imbuing them with spiritual power and energy against specific evil. Each Ofuda (お札，おふだ) has a special prayer, and thus is tailored for a specific purpose such as general protection, good luck, safe travel, removing a ghost or spirit, or sealing off a demon or spirit. Miroku uses them in his work to "exorcise" ghosts and demons from homes and people. Similar Ofuda' are used by Kagome's Grandfather early in the series after Kagome returns from the Feudal era for the first time. Grandpa (a Shinto Priest (神官，しんかん，Shinkan)) attempts to seal off the "Bone Eaters Well (骨食いの井戸，ほねくいのいど，Honekui no Ido)" with numerous Ofuda but as we saw from InuYasha's arrival, Grandpa's Ofuda were not strong enough to stop him.
 * Sacred Sutras

Outfit
Miroku wears a blue two-piece robe typical of a Japanese Buddhist monk. It appears to be Jikitotsu Susugata. Periodically he appears with leggings, but he always wears woven rice-straw sandals. Occasionally, he wears a conical rice-straw hat typical to the era.

The robes of most wandering monks are actually quite poor and ragged - often stitched together out of whatever pieces of cloth a person might give them on their travels. Miroku's robes are quite extravagant and expensive compared to those of most itinerant monks. However, this is consistent with his tendency to loot the wealth of greedy merchants whose homes he rids of demons and ghosts.

Miroku carries a string of beads used for Buddhist prayer and invocation. They are usually associated with a chant repeating "Amida Nyorai". The most common type has 108 beads. The nenju carried by Japanese Buddhist monks were typically made of 112 wooden beads.
 * Miroku's Rosary:

Originally rare and made of semi-precious stones, the spread of Buddhism brought wider use of nenju from the Heian Period (8th-12th century) through the Kamakura Period (12th-14th century). By the Warring States era, most poor monks carried wooden beads. The number "108" (a sacred number in many Buddhist traditions) represents the number of earthly passions and desires that blind and delude us, entrapping us in the Six States of Existence (the wheel of life, the cycle of samsara, the cycle of suffering and reincarnation).

Miroku makes further use of his nenju to seal off the Wind Tunnel in his hand.

The arm protectors worn by both Miroku and Sango are called Tekko. Miroku normally wraps the Tekko over the Wind Tunnel, then seals it with his Nenju (rosary).
 * Miroku's Tekko:

Aliases

 * Master Miroku (by Hachi)
 * Monk
 * Lecherous/Degenerate Monk
 * Good Monk/Lord Monk/Houshi-sama
 * Crooked Monk (by Hachi in Inuyasha Movie 1)
 * Peeping Tom
 * Flirting Cheat
 * Idiot (by Shippo and Inuyasha)
 * Two-Timing Monk
 * Delinquent Monk
 * The Monk
 * Pervert
 * The Monk (by Inuyasha and various yokai)

Perverted Acts
Miroku's perverted acts serve as comic relief throughout the series.

Groping women's rears
His main perverted act. Miroku as been seen stroking the rear ends of many women within the series. The first woman he was seen groping was in fact, Kagome, After she collided with him in Mystical Hand of the Amorus Monk, Miroku, he pretended to faint and stroked Kagome's rear, causing her to jump and tell Inuyasha to kill him. He is also seen groping Sango many times, which usually earns him a slap or a bonk on the head with her Hiraikotsu (in The third movie, she gave him a black eye). He also tends to grope her during a battle. He may also pretend to pass out or die so Sango can get close enough for him to grope her. Miroku also has a habit of groping Sango while he's speaking, which he said he picked up from his father. In some artwork, he was seen getting slapped by Sango. Miroku groping Sango while he's praying in one of the Co-Op attacks in Secret of the Cursed Mask.

Touching Sango's breast
Seen only once. After talking to Sango, who was concerned about Kohaku, he got up to leave and Sango was shocked, saying that he'd usually try something perverted. Miroku then placed a hand on the top of her breast, saying that if she wanted him to do something, she could have just said so. This earned him a slap, which even Shippo, Kaede, and Inuyasha could hear.

Peeping Tom
Being a pervert, Miroku has been known to look at Sango and Kagome while they bathe. If they saw him, he'd be punished greatly by Sango, as in the Second Movie, Sango threw a huge rock on him. And in one episode, while Sango and Kagome were talking about little brothers, Sango threw a pebble behind some bushes, thinking it was Miroku. It was really a monkey. When Miroku and Inuyasha looked at the monkey, the girls thought they came to spy on them, and gave Inuyasha and Miroku many slaps. Miroku comments that is was worth it. He is also seen in the background of one official picture spying on Kagome, Shippo, and Sango while bathing in a hot spring.

Trivia

 * Miroku, along with Shippo, Inuyasha, and Kagome make a cameo appearence in Ranma 1/2 OVA Episode 13. During one of Akane's nightmares, Miroku's body is seen behind Akane. The only part that's seen is the bottom part of his robe and his sandals.

Quotes

 * "Please bear my child."
 * "It's impossible, it's irrational, it's against my religion"
 * "You're a real sight for sore eyes."
 * "Lay down, be silent, sleep, rest, sleep... how many times do I have to tell you..."
 * "I see, Inuyasha, that you are in love with Kagome. This is awkward."
 * "I do so hate to get rough."
 * "Pain is nothing. It is death that concerns me."
 * "Well, it's a common problem between men such as ourselves. That's one thing to have both, but another to keep it a secret. For, if either girls were to find out."
 * "Life itself is a frightening image for every human being... being strong in life isn't easy."
 * "Well? Is the power behind you, Naraku?"
 * "I have decided that it is much more pleasant traveling with a beautiful lady, after all."
 * "You think I'd buy a longer life... With the blood of the woman I love?!"
 * "There is no other woman I'd rather have insult me, than you."
 * "Don't you dare mess with my girl again, you got that straight?!"
 * "I do not destroy you for my own sake! This is also for Sango and Kohaku!"