The Accursed Youth is the first chapter of the InuYasha manga.
Synopsis
- Inuyasha, a hanyō (half-demon), is sealed to a tree by the miko (priestess) Kikyō.
- Modern-day Kagome Higurashi is pulled into the Sengoku jidai by Mistress Centipede.
- Mistress Centipede attacks Kaede's village and Kagome runs into the forest.
- Inuyasha awakens because he smells the blood of "the woman who killed him" in Kagome.
Summary
The story starts when a half-demon named Inuyasha attacks the village and steals a jewel known as the Shikon no Tama. However, as he escaped from the village, a young priestess named Kikyō shot her arrows at Inuyasha's heart. She pinned him to the Goshinboku, a sacred tree in the forest. She suffers from a severe wound on her shoulder. Just before succumbing to the wound and death, she asked her younger sister Kaede to cremate the jewel along with her body so she could take the cursed jewel with her to the next world.
550 years later, in modern-day (1997) Japan, Kagome Higurashi is celebrating her 15th birthday at Higurashi shrine. As Kagome prepared to leave for school, she heard her brother Sōta calling for their cat Buyo in the well house. When Kagome goes down and finds the cat by the well, a centipede woman pulled her into the well. While in the well, Kagome used her unknown spiritual powers to temporarily repel and subdue the demon.
Kagome realized that she was no longer in Tokyo and happens to find Inuyasha, who is pinned to the tree. The villagers then capture her, thinking she is a demon. An aged Kaede was shocked that Kagome resembled her own sister Kikyō who passed away 50 years ago. Later that same night, Kaede apologized to Kagome on behalf of the villagers. She gave dinner to her just before Mistress Centipede, who was searching for the Shikon no Tama, attacked the village. Kagome leads her away and runs for her life. Meanwhile, Inuyasha finally awakens, smelling Kagome who smells similar to Kikyō.
Characters in Order of Appearance
- Inuyasha (First appearance)
- Kikyō (First appearance)
- Kaede (First appearance)
- Grandpa Higurashi (First appearance)
- Kagome Higurashi (First appearance)
- Buyo (First appearance)
- Mama Higurashi (First appearance)
- Sōta Higurashi (First appearance)
- Mistress Centipede (First appearance)
- Rikichi (First appearance)
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