The Rainbow Pearls (
They were created 200 years prior to the events of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon when a heartbroken Zero shed a tear of deep regret and sorrow upon the Shikon Jewel for her inability to protect Tōga, whom she had loved until the very end.
Description[]
The Red Pearl in Moroha's possession.
Each of the seven pearls is a different color, hence why they are referred as "Rainbow" even though some colors are not one of the usual seven seen in a rainbow. The colors of the seven pearls are:
- Silver (銀, "Gin")
- Gold (金, "Kin")
- Red (赤, "Aka")
- Orange (橙, "Daidai")
- Green (緑, "Midori")
- Blue (青い, "Aoi")
- Purple (紫, "Murasaki")
After learning of the death of Tōga, her unrequited romantic interest, Zero wished for her emotions and all her demonic powers to be cast away, so she brought about the Rainbow Pearls, containing all her emotions and demonic powers.
Mystical Abilities and Effects[]
The Rainbow Pearls are infused with Zero's own immense demon power and the power of the Shikon Jewel itself.
- Time-Traveling Portal: This ability first activated when Towa's Silver Rainbow Pearl transported her to the modern era when she was a toddler. Years later, another portal to the modern era transported Setsuna, Moroha, and Mistress Three-Eyes. After defeating Mistress Three-Eyes, the pearls of the three heroines facilitated their return to the feudal era.
- Demonic Power/Ability Augmentation: When Mistress Three-Eyes consumed the Red and Golden Rainbow Pearls, it greatly enhanced her offensive and defensive capabilities as it had for Yotsume.
Towa's Silver Rainbow Pearl activates the Energy Blade
- Activating the Energy Blade of Kikujūmonji: Using the Silver Rainbow Pearl, Towa can fully use the powers of Kikujūmonji, and form a blade of pure energy that extends from the broken sword.
- Exorcism of Demonic Energy: In cases demonic possession, the Silver Rainbow Pearl allows Towa to separate the demonic entity from the victim, and grants direct attack to the demon without harming the host.
- Demonic Energy Absorption: After being used by Yotsume, Kyūki used the power to drain the demonic power from the victims of the Dream-Gazing spell. Upon changing to her true form, Kyūki was able to swallow the power from Setsuna's attacks.
- Dream-Gazing: Yotsume had used the purple Pearl to gaze into the various dream-like memories of Moroha, Takechiyo and Towa in order to find out their flaws. This ability was completely ineffective against Setsuna, as her personal dreams and memories were take from her. Zero had cast it to successfully locate the young half-demon twins of Sesshōmaru ten years prior.
- Summoning: Konton summoned a Blue Ogre for his shikigami via the Blue Pearl.
- Creating Demonic Shields: Konton uses the Blue Pearl to create a barrier of water.
- Teleportation: In order to avoid destruction by Moroha's Crimson Backlash Wave, Konton used the blue pearl to escape Moroha's Kōryūha.
- Location Tracking: If given parameters, a pearl can lead its owner to whatever they wish; a twinkle will appear on the "side" of the pearl in the direction the target is. Tōtetsu used the Orange Pearl to locate monks and priests with strong spiritual power; ignoring those who were weaker.
- Probability Manipulation & Good Luck: Jyūbei used his Green Rainbow Pearl to attract a greater horde of demon bounties than he ever had without it. It gave him unusually good luck in his business.
- Memory Absorption & Projection: Each absorbs and presents certain memories of a possessor who has had it for a long period of time.
- Immobilization: Zero had the blue Pearl immobilize Nanahoshi in place as she was ready to carry out her plan involving the mighty demon deity to set a trap for the Half-Demon Princesses during a new moon.
Weakness[]
All of their various abilities are proven to be completely ineffective whenever its half-demon holder temporarily loses their demonic powers as their respective Pearl amplifies one's own strength, abilities and techniques tenfold, much less so than the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, which could further develop and greatly augment one's strength and powers one hundredfold.
True Form[]
According to Konton in "Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru", once all seven merge into one, they summon an even greater demonic power that is far too strong and dangerous to even exist. Although, according to Riku in "Secret of the Rainbow Pearls", no one has ever been able to successfully gather all seven and he had no idea what would actually happen when all seven were brought together. He did have a couple of theories, that the individual would get stronger, or that they would bring about an era of chaos.
As of the season one finale, they have once again been scattered throughout the lands of the feudal era, but this time by Kirinmaru himself, to prevent his elder sister from continuing to interfere with his and Sesshōmaru's ultimate motives.
However, Zero had easily recovered the red, silver, gold and orange Pearls and was about to absorb each one of them into her left eye to regain her full demonic strength and abilities at last after Riku had given her the purple blue and green ones. When taking the Red Pearl into herself, she was shocked and infuirated to see a glimpse of none other than Izayoi, her rival, but remembered that it was kept in the woman's rouge by her only grandchild Moroha.
Revealing herself to Nanahoshi, Zero used the blue Pearl to immobilize the demonic deity and bend him to her will. She claims that she will only absorb all seven into herself as a last resort. However, when she succeeds in making Towa fully embrace her deepest fury and hatred, she then decides to absorb them all into her eyes; therefore possesing even greater daiyōkai strength and abilities than ever before.
History[]
Warring States Era[]
The seven Pearls created from Zero's tears of intense sorrow via the wish she had made on the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls.
In 1297 of Kamakura period after the demise of the Great Dog-Demon, a saddened Zero, who had affections for him, upon learning this decides to use the Shikon Jewel to seal her emotions, which creates the seven Rainbow Pearls.
In Episode 15, the Green Pearl is revealed to have been in Riku's possession for quite some time. And he briefly gave it along with Inuyasha's mother's rouge, which contains her tears of grief for her husband's death, to Hōsenki II, to create Black Pearl that can create a path to Tōga's resting place.
Setsuna and Towa receive their Pearls as newborns
Sometime after they were born, Towa and Setsuna each had a Rainbow Pearl - silver and golden, respectively - inserted one of their eyes by their father after he stole them from Joka. He claimed the Rainbow Pearls were actually Zero's tears.
Towa's Silver Rainbow Pearl opens the time portal
When Towa and Setsuna were just four-years old, they were separated from each other in forest fire, created by Homura, a evil god of the Northern mountains under Zero's command. While desperately searching for her younger sister, Towa's Silver Rainbow Pearl opened a a time portal that forcefully sent her into 2009 of present-day Japan, where she is found and raised by Sōta Higurashi, and his family.
The Red Pearl was previously owned by Tōkotsu, and was confiscated by Moroha after she slew him.
Throughout the series[]
For 10 years since the twins' separation, Towa lived in the present with the Higurashi family, and Setsuna lived in the past with the demon slayers, respectively.
Mistress Three-Eyes steals the Golden Rainbow pearl from Setsuna
Back in the past, the demon slayers Hisui, Kohaku and Setsuna cornered Moroha because they mistook her for a demon that is attacking the locals. However, real culprit Mistress Three-Eyes appeared and stole the Red and Gold Rainbow Pearls in Moroha and Setsuna's possession.
Setsuna and Moroha get their Rainbow Pearls back from Mistress-Three-Eyes
Suddenly, a portal opens, dragging Setsuna, Moroha, and the Mistress Three-Eyes to the present before Towa, who recognizes her long-lost beloved twin sister. Sensing the Silver Rainbow Pearl in Towa's possession, Mistress Three-Eyes attacks Towa. Much to Towa's surprise, her sword breaks when she tries to slash Mistress Three-Eyes, but Towa manages to use the Silver Pearl's great power to convert the broken hilt into a light blue blade of pure demonic energy and damage Mistress Three-Eyes. Setsuna finishes her off with her weapon, allowing her and Moroha recover theirs.
As Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha returning to the Feudal Era, they have to give Root Head the Red, Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls so the portal can be open.
Later it is revealed that Jyūbei currently possesses the Green Pearl, which he received from Riku, which he returns to its former holder in Episode 17.
Setsuna and Towa get their Rainbow Pearls back from Kinka and Ginka
Noticing that both Towa and Setsuna carry Rainbow Pearls, Kinka and Ginka hold a truce so that they can steal them for themselves. The two possess Towa and Setsuna's bodies respectively, forcing them to fight each other until Setsuna uses some poison to expel them, but they end up running away with the pearls. The brothers report their feat to Joka, their clan's leader, who decides to absorb both while claiming the pearls for herself. After defeating Joka and after the deaths of both twins Kinka and Ginka, Towa and Setsuna regain their Rainbow Pearls.
Tōtetsu of the Four Perils has his strength amplified greatly by his Orange Rainbow Pearl, which he talks to.
By Episode 21, Riku managed to get five of the Pearls after defeating Tōtetsu by himself, by tricking Towa into giving it away to him, which she later regrets.
Seven pearls scattered
Later on, Riku reveals that he has gotten five of the Pearls to Zero, which enrages her, causing her to retaliate by exerting her power over them and causing the ones in Setsuna and Moroha to be released from Setsuna's right eye and out of Moroha's rouge along with the ones Riku already had. It was unclear what she intended to do with them at first, but after being resurrected by Sesshōmaru, she furiously decided to use the Rainbow Pearls to regain her demonic power to kill the half-demon twins herself. However, she was stopped by Kirinmaru who punished her for destroying Tenseiga and decided to stop her interference by scattering the Rainbow Pearls across the land. Although their locations are unknown after this, the furious Zero stated she would be able to find them with ease as they were her tears.
In Episode 26, Riku ask Mimisenri where is the other Rainbow Pearl. He tells him that the Blue Rainbow Pearl is located at the eastern forest. In Episode 27, while Setsuna fights one of three ogres, there's a green Rainbow Pearl inside his left eye until they were killed by Riku as he collected three. At the temple, Zero collected all four and when Riku arrives he has three since she have all seven. After Riku left, she looked at the orange one that is Tōtetsu, then took the red one that would Tōkotsu's, but that would be Moroha's since she put it on the rouge, and she saw Izayoi. Later, she look the gold one and saw Setsuna, until, she was angry and realized that Sesshōmaru did put the two pearls on his daughters from Joka.
In Episode 31, Zero have the Pearls swirling around her still as she uses her staff to contact her niece Rion.
In Episode 32, she used it to encounter Nanahoshi. In Episodes 34, 35, and 36, that Zero holds the Silver Pearl after Towa have been transported to Nanahoshi's mansion. So she started to use the look the Silver Pearl that she didn't use while making Towa torture to sorrow by the Eternity Bug. As she looks at Towa's Pearl, she saw her childhood memories at the modern era with the Higurashi family.
As she put the Gold Pearl to show Setsuna's childhood to Towa. After looks Setsuna's childhood memories, there's the glow of the gold on the left and the silver on the right to get back on Towa's memories. It continues for both of the pearls now with Towa and Setsuna reunited, but Towa have been possessed by the Hitōkon. After the Eternity Bug and Nanahoshi have been sliced by Towa since the bloodlust is exactly that of her grandfather Tōga, which means that her demonic blood have been awakened in full, Zero put all the Rainbow Pearls in her eyes with the intent of sending her to Hell. All seven rainbow pearls were destroyed when Setsuna severed the thread of fate connecting Zero to Setsuna's grandfather Tōga's spirit by her Yukari no Tachikiri, releasing her from all regrets and allowing her emotions to return.
Known Possessors[]
Setsuna, Moroha and Towa possessing three Rainbow Pearls
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Trivia[]
- They are quite well-known as "the fabled treasure" throughout the Feudal Era.
- When Towa and Setsuna's eye glows, their Pearl is in use and boosting their strength temporarily.
- As each Pearl is 1/7 of the demonic power from a daiyōkai like Zero, it's no wonder the Rainbow Pearls give such great power ups.
- For some reason, despite the numerous times the Pearls have been removed, they automatically return to Towa and Setsuna's eyes. Possibly because the pearls adapted to their bodies due to having been with them since birth. This explains as to why the Red Pearl does not go into Moroha's eye after she had taken it for herself.
- Like the Black Pearl, they were created from the tears of those who expressed great sorrow and grief.
- The Rainbow Pearls share similarities with the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls:
- They are both coveted by a female centipede demon who eventually manages to swallow them and magnify her strength when first introduced.
- They are orbicular.
- They are capable of transcending time itself across five centuries into the distant future.
- Both have split into smaller fragments that have been scattered all across the lands of the feudal era. The only difference is that there are only seven fragments; whereas the Sacred Jewel of Foul Souls had hundreds of shards that greatly strengthened and further empowered demons until it was finally reassembled.
- They can further develop and drastically enhance demonic power to higher levels, thus gaining new and even greater abilities and skills.
- In Episode 18, Tōtetsu swallows his orange Pearl giving him greater demonic abilities; namely fire breath.
- They are also pursued by both demons and humans to fulfill their own selfish wishes and desires for self-superiority.
- The Gold and Silver Pearls inside the right eye of Setsuna, and left eye of Towa, respectively, mirrors Inuyasha's right eye holding the Black Pearl that opened a portal to Border of the Afterlife that led to the tomb of Tōga.
- They were inspired by the seven mystical Rainbow Crystals in the first season of Sailor Moon- Both summon an ancient object of supreme mystical power once they are merged into one; the Rainbow Crystals ended up forming the all-powerful legendary Silver Crystal of the moon kingdom, Silver Millennium. Katsuyuki Sumisawa was in charge of the script of episode 34 in which Sailor Moon shed a tear for her lover being mortally wounded which caused the rainbow crystals to merge into one, similar to Zero shedding a tear on the Sacred Jewel for the death of Tōga.
- In Mermaid Melody, the mystical pearls of the mermaid princesses of the seas give them the ability to transform into idols are pink, blue, green, indigo, yellow, purple, and orange.
References[]
| Dog Yōkai | |
|---|---|
| Daiyōkai | Tōga • Sesshōmaru • Sesshōmaru's mother |
| Hanyō | Inuyasha • Towa Higurashi • Setsuna • Moroha (quarter) |
| Allies | Bokusenō • Hōsenki I • Higurashi family • Jaken • Kaede • Kohaku • Kujaku • Myōga • Rōyakan • Saya • Sea God • Seiten • Tōtōsai • Mō-Mō • Miroku • Kirinmaru (formerly) • Zero (formerly) • Riku • Rion • Spirit of the Tree of Ages • Akuru • Nanasuke • Rokuta • Hisui |
| Enemies | Hyōga clan (Hyōga • Menōmaru) • Naraku • Panther tribe (Panther King) • Ryūkotsusei • Shishinki • Shitōshin • Takemaru • Shikyō • Kirinmaru (currently) • Zero (currently) |
| Locations | Kagome and Inuyasha's house • Sesshōmaru's mother's manor • Stone tomb • Tōga's tomb |
| Unique Items | Bakusaiga • Black Pearl • Meidō Stone • Robe of the Fire-Rat • Sō'unga • Tenseiga • Tessaiga • Hoshikiri no Fue • Rainbow Pearls • Kyūyōkon Root • Kikujūmonji • Kurikaramaru • Kanemitsu no Tomoe • Windmill of Time • Pinwheel • Yukari no Tachikiri • Zanseiken |