Karan

is the fire user of the Panther Devas. The panthers are the sworn enemies of the dog demons, which brought them into conflict with Inuyasha's father.

History
Many centuries ago, Inuyasha's Father battled the Panther King and killed him. The 4 Siblings of the Panther Demon Tribe fought along side their master in this battle, losing to the Inu no Taishō and his soldiers, Lord Sesshōmaru being among them. After the humiliating defeat, The Panther Demon Tribe swore revenge against the Dog Demons, promising that one day they would repay them for the death of their master. Many years later, about 50 Years before the start of the story when Inuyasha was still bound to the Sacred Tree, The Panther Demon Tribe returned, attempting to regain control of the western lands. However, Lord Sesshōmaru stepped in and defeated them, sending them back to the east with the assistance of some other demons (notably Rōyakan) who felt grateful to Sesshōmaru's Father for defeating the cats the first time.

Revived by Tenseiga
When the Panther King is resurrected by the power of the Shikon shards, he requires flesh and a soul to completely reanimate his body. The Panther tribe had gathered several humans for this purpose, planning to sacrifice them in order to revive their master. However, the Panther King proves to be impatient, and steals the souls of Karan, Shūran, and Shunran in order to regain his own power. However, Lord Sesshōmaru uses his Tenseiga to take their souls back, thus reducing the king to his former mummified self, allowing Inuyasha to deliver the final blow with Tessaiga and kill the Panther King once and for all.

Appearance
Karan is a Panther Demon with red hair and eyes. Like the other Panther Devas, she has cat-like eyes and has pointed ears. Karan, unlike many Panther Demons with more human appearances, also has a tail. Her speech is also cat-like, adding pronunciation to her s's and h's.

Powers
Like all four of the Panther Demon leaders, Karan's name is a reference to one of the Four Seasons. Karan is associated with Summer, and her powers reflect that. She has the ability to create and manipulate fire, as seen when she throws fireballs at Kōga and Inuyasha during their numerous encounters, and she is seen spewing flames from her mouth, much similar to Tōtōsai. She is also seen lighting her entire body in flame, creating a wall of heat between herself and her opponent. Unlike the other four panther siblings, Karan is shown using some technology. She carries small bombs that create smokescreens, using them to escape from her enemies, and in the hidden village, she uses a scented smoke-bomb in an attempt to weaken Inuyasha because of his keen sense of smell. The scented smoke seems to have no effect against Sesshōmaru, however.