Jakotsu

"Scream for me. Where's the fun if you don't start whimpering?"

was one of the strongest of the Band of Seven and the third in command. He was a close friend of Bankotsu even before the group's formation and Jakotsu is the only person Bankotsu trusts. His chief weapon, the Snake Sword or Jakotsutō, has segmented retractable blades that curve out across a great distance, making it difficult for an opponent to calculate his next move. Jakotsu is depicted acting in a homosexual manner; examples of which would be his admiration of Koga's loincloth, and his advances toward Miroku and Inuyasha upon meeting the two with Kagome, and of his admiration to how handsome Sesshōmaru is up close in a fight with him. He also claims to have feelings for the latter but due to his sadistic personality he basically wants to kill Inuyasha in what he considers to be an affectionate way and mentions wanting to cut off and claim his dog ears which he adored for their "cuteness".

Jakotsu loses in a lengthy battle to InuYasha and is badly wounded, giving Renkotsu the opportunity to steal his Shikon shard. As he dies from the shard's removal, Jakotsu says he is happy because he got to fight the battle he wanted and that he had had fun with his second chance in life. Bankotsu later avenges his friend's death by killing Renkotsu.

Weapon
Main article: Jakotsutō

Jakotsutō - The Jakotsutō was a broad sword made up of at least 50 chain linked blades held together by pins. When deployed or swung, these blades zig-zagged back and forth unpredictably as they moved forward, resembling the movements of a snake moving in for the strike, which is why its name translated as Snake Bone Sword. This trait and Jakotsu's skill with the sword made him one of the deadliest opponents in the series.

Quotes

 * Jakotsu: "So from seven, that leaves only four." Renkotsu: "Seven minus two is five."
 * "Are you the one I'm searching for? Are you InuYasha? ... You're adorable! I especially love those fuzzy ears of yours! I want them."
 * "Hey! Inuyasha!"
 * "That was too close.... Killed by his brother while on my way to kill InuYasha? I could never forgive myself if that happened."
 * "Goodbye, InuYasha. Of all the men I've killed, I liked you the best!"

Trivia

 * Many fans are rather confused about Jakotsu. Because he is a cross-dresser, gay, and looks rather feminine, many fans believed that Jakotsu is a "she" and believe that all mentions of "he" could be a translation error. Also adding to the confusion is the fact that in the VIZ Media dub, which was aired on Adult Swim, Jakotsu was voiced by a female. However, his body has masculine traits (i.e., large hands, heavily-muscled arms, and a male torso) and he is referred to as a "perverted" and "creepy" by others in the series, terms that would not generally be used for a woman. Rumiko Takahashi originally intended to make Jakotsu female, but did not like the idea of Inuyasha fighting a female human, deciding instead to make him gay.
 * Jakotsu is one of the few characters in the series to change clothes. Other characters include Kagome, Kagura and Naraku.
 * The tattoos on his face mean Death, however instead of referring to him somewhat, they're there more for their resemblance to snake fangs.

Jakotsu