| “ |
You cannot defeat me: I am invincible! |
” |
—Menōmaru[src]
Menōmaru (
Upon discovering that the fang had a barrier which prevented demons from using it, Menōmaru lured Tessaiga's owner, the half-demon Inuyasha, to his hideout under the Tree of Ages. In an effort to save Kagome Higurashi, Inuyasha was tricked into destroying his father's fang, thereby breaking the seal on Hyōga's power. Thus, Menōmaru was able to absorb his father's power to become the new Lord Hyōga. Menōmaru then began absorbing souls to complete his transformation. Despite his success, Menōmaru was unable to destroy Inuyasha and the miko Kagome before he emerged from his chrysalis, and squared off against them for a final confrontation.
History
Invasion of Feudal Japan
Menōmaru's father, Hyōga battles Tōga, Beast King of the Western Lands
200 years before the shattering of the Shikon no Tama, a large Mongol army crossed the sea from Mongol and Korea to attack Japan. Far more foreboding was the horde of demons that followed the invasion fleet, led by a giant moth yōkai and Menōmaru's father, Hyōga, who planned on stealing the souls of those who died in battle. Menōmaru accompanied his father, along with his servants, Ruri and Hari. However, Tōga, who was the Lord of the Western Lands at that time, opposed them and a great battle ensued. The swirling demonic auras of both daiyōkai created a massive storm that ended up destroying the Mongol invasion fleet altogether.[1] Eventually, Hyōga was defeated and his great demonic power, along with Menōmaru himself, was sealed within a Sacred Tree of Ages by an incredibly powerful fang from Tōga.[2]
Revival
The vast powers of the Shikon Jewel releases Menōmaru from an additional Sacred Tree of Ages.
Two centuries later, the legendary Shikon Jewel was struck by a sacred arrow and shattered. Hundreds of fragments from the Jewel flew in every direction, and one such shard landed in the Forest of No Return. The jewel shard struck Menōmaru in the chest, reversing the spell laid on him by the Tōga, and awakening him. From his new base beneath the Tree of Ages, Menōmaru recalled his agents Ruri and Hari and plotted to unlock his father's power by breaking the seal placed on it by the Great Dog Demon's fang. To this end he sought out one of the dog demon's famous swords: the Tenseiga, which was bequeathed to his eldest son, Sesshōmaru. He had sent Ruri and Hari to ambush Sesshōmaru and steal the Tenseiga.[2]
Despite their skill, Menōmaru's servants were no match for Sesshōmaru, and the two women were quickly dispatched by the mighty and powerful dog-demon's light energy whip. Menōmaru observed the clash from his base through his link with one of his small demon moths. He was able to sense that Sesshōmaru's sword lacked an aura of destruction. Menōmaru deduced that the Great Dog Demon's other sword, the Tessaiga, had the power to break the seal on Hyōga.[2]
Stealing Tessaiga
Ruri and Hari eventually tracked down the Tessaiga to the Great Dog Demon's hanyō son, Inuyasha. To ascertain whether the half-demon actually possessed the blade, Hari summoned a giant scorpion demon and sent it against Inuyasha. She was somehow able to obtain a second jewel shard and give it to the scorpion. The demon insect then set off to attack Inuyasha's group. Despite its size, the demon was defeated and the Jewel shard was purified by Inuyasha's priestess companion, Kagome Higurashi. During the fight, however, the two-tailed demon cat Kirara was exposed to the insect's poison, which slowly put her under Hari's mind-control spell. Menōmaru observed the entire battle via telepathy with his moth spies, as he had before. After Inuyasha used the Wind Scar to defeat the scorpion demon, Menōmaru was sure that the Tessaiga was in the hanyō's possession. Menōmaru congratulated Ruri and Hari for their good work, and sent them off to draw the demon slayer Sango and the monk Miroku away from the group and into a trap, using Kirara as bait. This would leave Inuyasha open to attack.[2]
Menōmaru stabs Inuyasha through the chest.
While Sango and Miroku fell into Ruri and Hari's trap, Menōmaru revealed himself to Inuyasha at the Goshinboku. Menōmaru immediately attacked Inuyasha and disarmed him shortly thereafter. While Inuyasha attempted to continue fighting without his sword, he was soon stabbed through the chest by Menōmaru's sword, rendering him unconscious. Menōmaru was unable to take the Tessaiga for, as he soon discovered, it was surrounded by a barrier that prevented full-blooded demons from touching it. Menōmaru became frustrated at this obstacle to his otherwise flawless plan. Deciding to spare Inuyasha's life for the moment, he abducted Kagome who had also been rendered unconscious, due to her inability, as a human, to resist the poison powder of his swarm of demon moths. Menōmaru knew that Inuyasha's father had fallen in love with a human, and assumed that if he kidnapped Kagome, Inuyasha would follow him to his hide-out in the Forest of No Return, where he could be tricked into breaking the seal on Hyōga's power.[2]
Breaking the Seal
Menōmaru returned to the Tree of Ages and linked back up with Ruri and Hari. The girls did not understand why Kagome would be sufficient bait to lure Inuyasha into Menōmaru's trap, nor indeed why he needed to be lured to the hide-out in general. Menōmaru explained to them the barrier on Tessaiga, then the fact that Inuyasha's father had fallen in love with a human, and it appeared Inuyasha had done so as well. Assuming this was true, from Menōmaru's viewpoint, it would only be a matter of time before Inuyasha came to the Forest of No Return to rescue Kagome.[2]
Menōmaru explains to Ruri and Hari why he cannot use Tessaiga to break the seal.
Menōmaru had also thought of a way to get rid of Inuyasha altogether: by controlling Kagome's body and using her to attack and kill Inuyasha. To this end, Hari attempted to use one of the shells from her forehead which she used for her mind-control magic. In her attempt to put it on Kagome, however, it was rejected, and flew from her hands. Menōmaru was just as surprised as his servants, though he was more intrigued than dismayed by this display of the girl's latent spiritual powers. To overcome them, he gave Hari the Sacred Jewel shard which had revived him while tainting the shard with his blood to ensure it would not be purified by Kagome's presence. Although loathe to use it, after Menōmaru explained to her that he had no need of it (as his powers were already so advanced), Hari combined her shell with the shard and was then able to put it in Kagome's forehead. By doing so however, Kagome regained consciousness and broke free of the vines keeping her bound.[2]
Enraged by Ruri and Hari's possession of Kirara, Kagome demanded that the two women release her, menacing them with a nearby bow and arrow that had lain as refuse on the floor of the hide-out. Hari commanded the swarm of moths within the tree to attack Kagome, simply for her own amusement, though they were suddenly dispersed by the Hiraikotsu. Sango and Miroku had appeared, having followed Ruri and Hari back to the Tree of Ages to rescue Kirara. Menōmaru allowed Ruri and Hari to deal with the intruders, and felt content to merely watch the skirmish to allay his boredom. While his servants engaged the mortal duo, Kagome fired a shot at the distracted Menōmaru, barely, but predictably, missing his head. Displeased that Kagome was not staying put like polite bait, Menōmaru drew his sword and commanded Kagome to be more compliant. She came back, telling him rather immaturely, "Why don't you make me?" Menōmaru, however, realized that force would be the only way to get her to stop pestering him, and rushed towards the miscalculating priestess, frightening her with his speed. Just as he reached her, though, Inuyasha fired off a blast of his Kaze no Kizu, which Menōmaru was nevertheless able to easily block.[2]
Menormaru finally absorbs his family's mighty demonic power, as the Wind Scar broke the seal placed on it by Tessaiga.
With the target of his trap having arrived, Menōmaru ignored Kagome and turned his attention completely to dueling Inuyasha, with the intention of tricking him into destroying the seal with the Wind Scar. During the course however, Menōmaru was struck in the chest by the Wind Scar and fell to the ground dead. Naïvely, Inuyasha believed that this meant that he had won. However, the fight was nowhere near over, as Menōmaru's body absorbed surplus energy from Hyōga, healing his wound instantly and bringing him back to life. Menōmaru was, of course, aware that this would happen, and pleased by Inuyasha's shock and surprise, explaining to the half-demon that he was immortal. Inuyasha's vassal, Myōga, explained that Menōmaru could use the virtually limitless power from his father to such ends. In response, Menōmaru casually noted his surprise that Myōga had not already run away in the face of danger. While Menōmaru carefully positioned himself in front of the seal, Inuyasha defiantly claimed that he didn't care what kind of demonic powers Menōmaru possessed, and that he would strike him down nonetheless. Allowing himself to be impressed by Inuyasha's audacity, he dared the hanyō to attempt such bold action.
The seal is finally broken!
The more astute members of Inuyasha's group realized that Menōmaru was up to something, but the half-demon himself recklessly ignored his friends' warnings and attacked the moth demon with his Wind Scar. The attack hit Menōmaru accurately, but carried him with it as it also hit the seal, greatly damaging it in the process.[2]
The seal was now too weak to contain the flow of demonic power coming from the gelatinous sphere, and shattered. With the seal undone, the Tree of Ages began to collapse, as Menōmaru shouted triumphantly and Inuyasha's group fled the weakened structure. Eventually, the entire Tree of Ages fell over, then uprooted itself, and Menōmaru and his inheritance was then raised up on a single root. Menōmaru cheekily thanked Inuyasha for undoing the seal and cut open the Hyōga clan's power sphere, which began the clan succession ritual and wherein he descended into the ooze.[2]
Lord Hyōga
"Bring your offerings"
After absorbing his father's power, Menōmaru watched with amusement as a naïve Inuyasha continually tried to break through his chrysalis and attack him; a back flow of demonic energy, however, sent Inuyasha flying each time, without the moth demon lord so much as lifting a finger. Disappointed that Inuyasha was still clueless as to just how powerful he had become, Menōmaru fired a massive blast of energy at the half-demon, sending both him and his friends flying several kilometers away.[2]
Menōmaru laughs triumphantly at his long-awaited success.
Having dealt with the nuisances, Menōmaru loudly proclaimed for all the world to kneel before him and bring him offerings of souls. He proceeded to create a larger, more powerful Tree of Ages; the trunk of the old one having fallen when Menōmaru's power sphere ascended from beneath the tree's roots. Drawing on Menōmaru's demonic power, the roots of the Tree of Ages expanded considerably and several rose together to form a new trunk, with countless branches reaching outward and new leaves sprouting instantaneously. The new tree, with Menōmaru's power orb glowing brightly at the top, could be seen by many villages from miles away, due to its great height.[2]
Menōmaru would use this tree to absorb energy from future generations, stealing it with other tree of ages, such as the Sacred Tree that it now controlled. This would allow him to further augment his power. However, to complete his transformation and become Lord Hyōga, Menōmaru sent out swarms of demon moths in every direction, dispersing their poison powder and rendering human villages unconscious. In their weakened state, the humans' souls could not resist Menōmaru's power, and their souls left their bodies to be absorbed by Menōmaru. Menōmaru rejoiced triumphantly as streams of souls poured into his chrysalis.[2]
Possessing Kagome
Despite his great successes thus far, Inuyasha and his friends were not dead, though they had been separated. Menōmaru sensed Inuyasha's presence the next day, curious as to whether or not Inuyasha's persistence was a trait he inherited from his human blood. Menōmaru decided to initiate the contingency Hari had helped him set up prior to the breaking of the seal. Pulling out a leaf, Menōmaru used the Flute of Manipulation, blowing into the leaf and producing a high-pitched song audible only to Kagome. This activated the mind-control shell augmented by the Sacred Jewel shard that Hari had placed in the young priestess' forehead. Kagome's mind was now in Menōmaru's hands, and he gave her special abilities beyond those of normal humans, such as being able to levitate and produce poison. Her first victim was the old sage Kaede, though she quickly turned her sights on Inuyasha.[2]
Menōmaru prepares to use his Flute of Manipulation on Kagome to put an end to Inuyasha
Kagome intercepted Inuyasha on a bridge, drawing him into a hug. While Kagome was able to force out a warning to Inuyasha, it was too late, and she stabbed through him with poison claws. Inuyasha tried to stop her from doing more harm, but several poison bolts had eaten through the ropes of the bridge, causing it, and Inuyasha, to fall into a river below. Kagome merely flew after him.[2]
After eventually catching up to him, Kagome pinned Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree with her poison bolts, and transformed a leaf into a bow and arrow. Just as she was about to shoot, however, Sango cut a gash into Menōmaru's chrysalis with her Hiraikotsu, breaking Menōmaru's interference. Menōmaru was once again impressed by the resistance put forth by Inuyasha's group despite his immense power, commenting on how strange he found humans. As it turned out, though, Menōmaru did not need to face Sango or Miroku, as Hari and Ruri quickly came to oppose them, leaving Menōmaru free to continue his tormenting of Inuyasha. With his concentration restored, he shot Inuyasha using the helpless Kagome. Shortly thereafter, due to Kagome's severe emotional distress, she broke through the mind-control spell, much to Menōmaru's chagrin.[2]
Metamorphosis
While Inuyasha lay unconscious and Kagome was trapped by the priestess Kikyō in the future, Ruri was consumed by the Kazaana she had copied from Miroku, and Hari was cut in half by the Hiraikotsu. While Hari could have rejuvenated, Menōmaru was so eager for souls to complete his transformation that he absorbed hers, in spite of her long service and loyalty, and much to her dismay.[2]
The new Lord Hyōga.
With both of his servants defeated and Kagome having decided to return from her time, all of Menōmaru's enemies regrouped, by which time Menōmaru's metamorphosis into Hyōga was complete. As Hyōga, Menōmaru had become an enormous demon of tremendous height. Proclaiming that "size ain't everything, Kagome!", Inuyasha rushed forward to attack Hyōga. However, Hyōga effortlessly blasted him away with his powerful breath. Disdaining a direct confrontation with his diminutive foes, Hyōga generated small branch-like structures from his back to form two giant moth wings. Out of these he summoned an army of demons from the continent: the Ming dynasty, ordering them to devour every creature in the world.[2]
While Miroku arrived to distract the demon horde with his Wind Tunnel, Inuyasha attempted to strike at Hyōga with his Wind Scar. Hyōga's demonic aura was far greater than that of Inuyasha, however, and the demon lord simply dispersed the Wind Scar with a wave of his hand, generating enough excess force to also send Inuyasha flying yet again. All further attempts to use the Wind Scar by itself would be thwarted by the swirling vortex of Hyōga's power, which was so great in its scope that it virtually swallowed Inuyasha's own. To circumvent this fact, Kagome shot a sacred arrow at Hyōga, which, while being deflected harmlessly by his aura, nevertheless created a fissure in the aura which allowed the Wind Scar to be employed once more. The resulting attack of Inuyasha's damaged a large area on the lower part of Hyōga's right wing. Dismissive of the attack's relative ineffectiveness, Hyōga concentrated his demonic aura at the point of a taijitu symbol on his forehead, from which he fired an immensely powerful beam of demonic energy at Inuyasha and his friends. While the attack, as a demonstration of Hyōga's power, disheartened the humans, it failed to kill off his enemies, and strengthened Inuyasha's resolve.[2]
Hyōga is overcome at last by a combination of Kagome's sacred arrow and Inuyasha's Backlash Wave.
Inuyasha attempted the same tactic to do greater damage to Hyōga, but the daiyōkai was quick to prevent Inuyasha from firing the Wind Scar again in the same fashion. Kagome's arrow did, however, manage to penetrate Hyōga's aura long enough to cut through his left wing, separating it totally from his body. Infuriated by her insolence, he fired off another blast of his powerful breath to destroy Kagome. Despite her being flung from the Tree of Ages, Kagome was saved by Sango and Kirara. Frustrated by his inability thus far to deliver a lethal blow to his adversaries, Hyōga began to generate a considerably more powerful beam of demonic energy to kill them, but was no better than his previous attacks.
Knowing that his demonic aura was too weak to utilize the Backlash Wave on his own, Inuyasha had Kagome fire one last sacred arrow toward Hyōga, this time aimed at the taijitu on his forehead. When Hyōga fired his beam of demonic energy, Inuyasha was able to use the Backlash Wave, now augmented by the spiritual power of Kagome's arrow, to reverse the flow of the enormous moth demon's attack and destroy him.[3] As his body disintegrated, Lord Hyōga was unable to understand how his awesome power could have been defeated by a mere mortal and a half-demon.[2]
Personality
Menōmaru was an extremely intelligent demon. He proves himself to be a shrewd and devious manipulator, rivaling even Naraku (perhaps even surpassing him, as Menōmaru is generally more successful than the despised half-demon). He is cautious, sending intermediaries to steal the Tenseiga from the dangerous Sesshōmaru, and takes his time in implementing his plan to steal the Tessaiga from Inuyasha. He prefers to use his servants, Ruri and Hari, to do his bidding, but often he will directly confront a foe (such as Inuyasha) if he believes that only he has sufficient power to defeat that foe.[2]
Menōmaru goads Inuyasha into attacking him.
Being the son of a powerful demon and the heir to his clan's tremendous power, Menōmaru has an aristocratic manner, being extremely confident in his own abilities, yet reserved in his temperament, speaking with even his enemies with a taste of courtesy. He displays a consistent levity in dealing with Inuyasha and his friends, often teasing Inuyasha to the point of playfulness. It is unclear if this is how Menōmaru acts towards all his enemies, just Inuyasha, or just those he views as so weak that he sees any attempt to attack him as an amusing diversion and nothing more.[2]
While it is unknown how ambitious Menōmaru was prior to his transformation (his only goal at the time being to simply inherit his father's position), upon becoming Lord Hyōga, he initiates a plan to conquer the entire world, populating it with his demon minions. Menōmaru is by no means delusional in this endeavor, as he has every possible means to accomplish this feat.[2]
Menōmaru is disdainful of humans, like most demons, but also considers them "strange" and is consistently confused by their perseverance in attempts to defeat him. Menōmaru notices this trait in his enemy, Inuyasha, and attributes it to his partial human lineage. Despite his low opinion of mortals, however, he does not express contempt of demons who consort with humans. This is perhaps due to the fact that he respects their power, as the Great Dog Demon was capable of defeating his father. Nevertheless, Menōmaru and his servants consider such behavior "eccentric". He does not display any overt hatred of humans, even taking interest in Kagome's spiritual powers at one point. However, when he becomes Hyōga, Menōmaru is more open in his contempt (perhaps because in proportion to his new powers, humans seem even weaker to him than they did before), and warns Inuyasha that his kind were brought down by those "disgusting creatures."[2] Interestingly enough, Menomaru does seem to see Inuyasha as a noteworthy threat, as he had Hari place her possession stone on Kagome saying outright that he had an 'idea' on how to be rid of Inuyasha, which is a plan he goes through with even after he begins to transform. Furthermore, immediately after entering the chrysalis, when Inuyasha begins to attack him, he both mocks and praises him, before attacking with an extremely powerful blast he said was in Inuyasha's honor. On the other hand, despite Sesshomaru's extraordinary power, Menomaru never gives him a second thought after realizing he doesn't have the Tessaiga. It's likely that Menomaru, who sees himself as his father's heir, sees Inuyasha as Tōga's heir, and takes an interest in him for that reason.
Menōmaru disdains the use of the Sacred Jewel to enhance his powers.
Menōmaru bears a striking resemblance in many of his attitudes to the dog demon Sesshōmaru. Both demons are remarkably confident, perhaps to the point of arrogance, and believe that their powers surpass all others. To this end, Menōmaru, like Sesshōmaru,[4] disdains the use of Sacred Jewel shards, believing, like the dog demon does, that his powers are so great that the jewel shards are unnecessary. Menōmaru is also descended from a powerful daiyōkai, Hyōga;[2] Sesshōmaru from Tōga.[5] Both also attempt to obtain their fathers' former power; Menōmaru by directly absorbing the demonic energy of his father,[2] and Sesshōmaru by acquiring the famed sword Tessaiga.[5] They are also the only demons who have never had any trouble defeating Inuyasha in contests of swordsmanship.[2][6][7]
Physical description
Menōmaru is unlike most moth demons in that he has an actual resemblance to moths in his humanoid form. This stems from the fact that he has two long, red antennae which protrude from the top of his forehead. Below these he has two vertical stripes which point inward towards the center of his brow. He also has a light purple area of skin surrounding both of his red eyes. His blue-green hair is kept neatly behind his ears, with only two thin tufts hanging down in front of either of his pointed ears. Menōmaru's pale white skin contrasts greatly with his red eyes, which, in combination with his large canines (common to most demons), gives him a menacing, almost vampiric appearance in battle. He is never known to have a "true" form which reflects his moth nature,[2] as both Gatenmaru and Garamaru do (e.g. he is not able to turn into a giant moth).[8][9]
When Menōmaru transforms into Lord Hyōga, he is a gargantuan version of his former self. His hair remains the same, but his skin is more flesh-toned than before. Also his eyes become completely different. They are much larger, proportionately, and he loses the whites of his eyes and irises, instead his eyes are entirely blue, with thin, slit-like pupils. In addition to the two vertical stripes on his forehead, he gains two horizontal stripes on either cheek. His antennae are also much larger in proportion to the rest of his body. He also has a taijitu mark on his forehead, at which his demonic aura is centered. Hyōga's body is far more muscular than before, and he has two blade-like growths which protrude from his chest, pointing to either side. Hyōga also has pointed, spike-like growths which reach up from both his wrists and ankles. The only clothing that he retains from his original state is his skirting. The most prominent feature of Hyōga is the incredibly large wings he spontaneously generated from his back. They are many times larger than Hyōga himself, and are made up of hundreds of branch-like formations.[2]
Outfit
Menōmaru's style of dress strongly reflects his origins from the mainland. His armor is of a very ornate style, in contrast with armor worn by Japanese warriors of the period. It is a mixture of dark-green and blue, with various lines of gold. The poleyn-like skirting of his armor has alternating blue and green stripes, giving off a look reminiscent of an insect's abdomen. To reinforce this subtle, insectile appearance, Menōmaru's cape is hemmed at the edges, and split down the middle, strongly resembling insect wings.[2] His armor, especially his boots, bears a distinct similarity to those of the Shitōshin.[10]
Powers & Abilities
Menōmaru is descended from a powerful clan of moth demons. As such, he displays a wide range of powerful abilities, most associated with some form of magic. Despite being an obviously powerful demon, Menōmaru eschews almost any special powers in all of his encounters with Inuyasha.[2]
Swordsmanship
Menōmaru blocks the Wind Scar with an ordinary sword.
In contrast to other daiyōkai, such as Sesshōmaru, who either uses his own array of powers or one of several demon swords, Menōmaru uses only a simple blade in battle. His sword has no apparent special qualities; however, this is made up for by the fact that Menōmaru himself is an unrivaled swordsman. He is able to quickly and effortlessly disarm Inuyasha when they first do battle, a feat which Sesshōmaru is not able to due without some effort on his part. Menōmaru is even able to block the Wind Scar, something no other demon has been able to due without the assistance of a barrier or other special weapon. Sesshōmaru once used Tōkijin to slice through the Wind Scar,[7] to strike at his brother, but has never been known to stop it fully. It should also be pointed out that even though Sesshōmaru did this with a powerful weapon like Tōkijin, not a normal sword, though it still may be possible, however unlikely for even Sesshōmaru to do this with an ordinary sword.[2]
Powers
Despite his preference for swordplay, Menōmaru has demonstrated several abilities outside of this, though it is unknown if he has any offensive powers. Since he has displayed powerful magic when possessing Kagome, including giving her special powers, it can be assumed he could accomplish similar feats himself, yet since he has always been able to defeat his opponents with his sword alone, he has never needed to.[2]
- Flight: Menōmaru possesses the ability to fly through the air and hover. He has displayed the ability to move at a fairly fast speed, being able to hit Inuyasha hard enough to knock the Tessaiga out of his grasp.[2]
- Dissipated Flight: Menōmaru is able to travel in a cloud of pink particles, similar in nature to how Sesshōmaru can travel on a dust cloud. However, Menōmaru actually transforms into a stream of particles, as opposed to riding on it. He was also able to carry at least one person, Kagome, with him as well. It is unknown if this ability is connected to his teleportation, as the particles resemble those found in the poison powder of his demon moths.[2]
- Teleportation: Menōmaru can appear in the middle of a cluster of demon moths. The moths first accumulate and then gather in a tight formation, during which time Menōmaru appears, and then they disperse. While this shows how Menōmaru appears at his destination, it does not explain how he disappears from his starting location.[2]
- Speed: Menōmaru is able to move at very high speeds. While it is impossible to say exactly how fast, or how fast in comparison to other demons, it can be said that he is able to keep up with Inuyasha in their first encounter and was fast enough to surprise Kagome, who is acquainted with the speed of demons like Kōga or Inuyasha.[2]
- Nature Manipulation: Menōmaru has varied effects on nature. Like Hari, Menōmaru is able to summon roots to entangle and restrain people, such as Kagome. He is also able to tap into the power of the Sacred Tree and use its power to feed the Tree of Ages. The Tree of Ages itself uses Menōmaru's demonic power to grow to gargantuan proportions. In a rage after discovering that he was unable to wield Tessaiga, Menōmaru unintentionally summoned a gust of wind which rustled through the surrounding forest.[2]
- Insect Manipulation: Menōmaru commands a vast swarm of innumerable demon moths. He is able to use the insects to teleport, to disorient his enemies with their poison powder, and also as individual spies, being able to observe a battle or other event using a telepathic link which gives himself a glimpse of everything the moth sees. Curiously, Menōmaru can open his mouth and release a small group of moths, which in one case swarmed Inuyasha and temporarily blinded him with poison power. It is unlikely that this is where all of his moths come from, though when he was resurrected by the Sacred Jewel, moths appeared seemingly out of nowhere, possibly from Menōmaru's own demonic aura.[2]
- Self-Resurrection: Drawing on the power of his father, Hyōga, Menōmaru is automatically able to absorb a near unlimited amount of energy to heal virtually any injuries he has sustained and revive himself a theoretically infinite number of times. This makes Menōmaru, in his own words, "invincible" and "immortal".[2]
- Flute of Manipulation: Menōmaru is able to take control of anyone who has been implanted with one of Hari's mind-control shells. He accomplishes this by blowing air onto a leaf, which then produces a high-pitched musical tone, audible only to the person he is controlling. Not only is Menōmaru able to control the person's body, but also grant them a formidable range of powers for their own use, including flight and poison projection.[2]
Hyōga Clan Chrysalis
When Menōmaru descends into the chrysalis which contains the hereditary accumulation of his family's power, he immediately becomes much stronger than he was before, and is even more powerful than his own father, despite his transformation being incomplete. He was then able to feed the Tree of Ages with his strengthened demonic aura, increasing its size and using it manipulate other trees of ages, such as the Sacred Tree, and siphon off even more energy from future generations of time, in addition to stolen souls, to power his transformation.[2]
- Energy Projection: Menōmaru, while inside his chrysalis, is able to fire bolts of pink electricity. He is even able to catch Inuyasha in the air and hold him in place. He is further able to charge this energy and then fire off a powerful beam of demonic energy.[2]
- Soul Absorption: Menōmaru is able to absorb vulnerable souls from within a very wide range. This includes any souls that are not incarnated or even those which are merely in an unconscious body or someone who is severely wounded, as with Hari. Anyone who is not in a position to fight against Menōmaru's will is in danger of losing their soul and being absorbed. Menōmaru uses the poison powder of his demon moths to render thousands of human villagers unconscious. While in this vulnerable state, he would then be able to absorb their souls, as their sleeping bodies lacked the will power to resist him. Even Kikyō was unable to avoid losing many of the souls which kept her artificial body alive, since they were not in a living body and so were unattached and able to be procured by Menōmaru which means he took the souls from her and Kikyō's Shinidamachūs. The more souls Menōmaru obtained, the larger his chrysalis would become, thus propelling the progress of his transformation. As he neared completion, the chrysalis became more opaque, going from translucent to completely solid when his body altered forms.[2]
Possessing Kagome
When Menōmaru uses his Flute of Manipulation, he is able to take control of Kagome's body and give her the following abilities, all of which she uses in her fight against Inuyasha:[2]
- Dokkasō (毒華爪, Poison Claws, "Poison Luster Claw"): Kagome is able to generate a type of poisonous energy on her finger tips, like Sesshōmaru, which she can extend several feet if necessary. She is capable of slicing through wood and causing serious injury even to Inuyasha, puncturing through his body.[2]
- Poison Darts: While possessed, Kagome is able to generate and fire of bolts of poison from her finger tips, the same energy which generates her poison claws. On impact, the poison darts usually explode, releasing a potent gas. This poison is not as strong as other poisons, such as those used by either Sesshōmaru or Naraku, yet is able to quickly burn through both rope and wood, and even cause serious injury to Inuyasha, who was able to move after being hit only with difficulty.[2]
- Poison Wave: By extending her arms and open palms, Kagome is able to create a large wave of poison energy, capable of blasting Inuyasha several yards away and into a tree.[2]
- Magic Materialization: The full extent of this ability is unknown, but Kagome was able to turn a leaf into a bow and arrow. Hari was able to turn a leaf into a group of scorpions, though whether Menōmaru was able to do this himself, or could transfer this complex of magic to Kagome is debatable. A bow and arrow are very simple objects, however, so it is likely that it would have been within Kagome's power to create other, similarly rudimentary items from leaves.[2]
- Flight: Kagome is able to fly and hover in a similarly fluid movement as Menōmaru, and is even fast enough to overtake a fleeing Inuyasha.[2]
- Speech: While not a special ability, it should be noted that Menōmaru is able to make Kagome speak, though when she does this, both her voice and Menōmaru's voices can be heard at the same time.[2]
It is difficult to determine exactly how powerful Kagome is while under Menōmaru's control. While she is able to defeat Inuyasha, it should be pointed out that Inuyasha was unwilling to hurt Kagome, and so was unable to confront her directly, allowing Kagome to attack him without resistance. This was most likely the reason Menōmaru chose Kagome to possess, the same reason she is possessed by the dark priestess Tsubaki.[11] Inuyasha also lowers his guard around Kagome, further making her an ideal assassin. While it is unclear if Menōmaru could use these same abilities himself, since he was able to grant them to Kagome from many miles away, it is probable he could also employ them.[2]
Lord Hyōga
When Menōmaru undergoes his transformation into Lord Hyōga, he becomes exponentially stronger. He is able to dissipate the Wind Scar with a slash of his arm, and eventually his aura is so strong that Inuyasha cannot even use it anymore. He is easily the most powerful enemy Inuyasha has ever faced, since no other demon has been strong enough to negate the Tessaiga just by being present.[2]
- Powerful Aura: As stated above, Hyōga possesses one of the most powerful known demonic auras, potentially second only to Sesshōmaru's. This distinction can be made on the basis that while Hyōga is strong enough to suppress the Wind Scar with his mere presence, not even Hyōga is immune to the effect of Kagome's sacred arrows,[2] whereas Sesshōmaru is almost completely unaffected by sacred powers, is able to catch Kagome's arrows and can dissolve them with no trouble.[12] The reason that Hyōga's aura can cancel out the Tessaiga is due to the fact that the Wind Scar operates on the principle of power fissures. When Inuyasha's aura scrapes against the aura of his opponent, it creates a fissure of wind (hence Wind "Scar"), which he can then cut to release the energy trapped in the fissure.[13] However, where the Wind Scar fails against Hyōga is that there is no fissure. Hyōga's aura is so large and so powerful that it literally swallows Inuyasha's own aura, negating it. Hyōga's aura is tied to, and concentrated at, the taijitu mark on his forehead. This is his only weak point, and if it is destroyed, his aura will be weakened.[2]
- Strong Breath: Hyōga can generate a powerful blast of web-like filaments from his mouth. This attack was able to send both Inuyasha and Kagome flying through the air, yet does not seem to do any significant damage on its own, apart from a mild burning effect, as Inuyasha's clothes start to steam after being subjected to Hyōga's breath blast.[2]
- Energy Beam: Hyōga is capable of firing an extremely powerful beam of energy from the taijitu mark on his forehead. To do this he charges energy in his wings, which collects and flows towards his body. When he has accumulated enough power, the beam shoots out. The beam incinerates anything it comes in contact with and lasts for several seconds before dissipating. The first beam Hyōga uses against Inuyasha's party creates a large, mile-long gash in the earth.[2]
- Finger Extensions: Hyōga can extend his fingers far beyond their normal length. To strike at foes that are far away, he can stretch his arm out and shoot his fingers at a very high speed.[2]
- Demon Summoning: While it is difficult to say how he does this, Hyōga can summon demons from the recesses of his wings. These demons are pointed out by Myōga as coming from Continental Asia, the Asian country Ming dynasty, and their numbers are beyond count. These demons are presumably his servants from before his father and he were sealed by the Great Dog Demon, as they resemble the demons which served the first Lord Hyōga, and Menōmaru refers to them as his "faithful demon servants." Hyōga instructs these demons to devour every creature in the world. The majority of them are either destroyed by Inuyasha or sucked into Miroku's Kazaana. However, the remaining portion end up being inadvertently caught in Hyōga's own energy blast.[2]
Quotes
- "That isn't the one. Find me the other fang; the only one that can break the spell: the Tessaiga!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "My name is Menōmaru. Inuyasha, let my sword be my introduction!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "My father, Hyōga, lost to your father in battle and was sealed away at this very spot. The fang your brother, Sesshōmaru, wields did not have the power to break the spell. The fang that does possess the power is the one passed on to you: the Tessaiga. Now that my family's spell has been broken, I can inherit generations of my family's power!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "Come forth! All kneel before me! Bring your offerings, I hunger for the souls of all living creatures!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "Inuyasha, is your persistence a human trait? No matter, I shall have some amusement at your expense!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "My faithful demon servants! Devour every creature in the world!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "You must be mad! You think a half-breed such as yourself can defeat me?! The new Lord Hyōga?"
- ―Menōmaru
- "Oh? You've witnessed my power and you still wish to defy me. Come at me, then!"
- ―Menōmaru
- "How could a human and a half-demon defeat the great Menōmaru?"
- ―Menōmaru's last words
Trivia
- Menōmaru was created as the main antagonist in the first InuYasha movie, InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time. He is also the first of the movies' antagonists to have a connection with Inuyasha's father (the others being the yōkai sword Sō'unga and the Four War Gods). He is arguably the most powerful of all the movie antagonists, as he is clearly stated as being far more powerful than Inuyasha's father.
- Menōmaru is the first seemingly invincible foe Inuyasha faces to be defeated by a combination of Kagome exploiting a critical weakness and Inuyasha's Bakuryūha. The second was Kaguya.
- Of all the moth yōkai in the InuYasha series, Menōmaru is the only one whose humanoid form actually has similarities to a moth.
- All three moth yōkai from Affections Touching Across Time have names which translate as crystalline materials. Menōmaru's kanji (瑪瑙丸) translate as "Agate". Agate is a micro-crystalline variety of silica. Ruri (琉璃) and Hari's (玻璃) kanji both translate as lazurite and glass, respectively. These materials, like agate, have crystalline features and are reflective. While the kanji for Hyōga (飛妖蛾) translates as "Flying Moth Demon", the Japanese word for glacier (氷河) is also "hyōga." Glaciers are made of ice, which is also reflective like the other materials represented by Menōmaru, Hari, and Ruri's kanji; however, as this is not the way Lord Hyōga's kanji are written, this is strictly a coincidence due to the two words being homophones.
- Despite being from China, Menōmaru's name is distinctively Japanese, ending with the "-maru" (丸) suffix indicative of samurai culture. While it is possible that Menōmaru assumed this name upon arriving in Japan, this is unlikely, due to the fact that he was only there for a limited time before being sealed by Tōga, and thus had little cause or opportunity to change his name. Another option is that he was born in Japan and lived in China before returning.
- While Myōga's brief flashback implied that the battle between Lord Hyōga and Tōga was sudden and over water, Menōmaru and his father were sealed on land, far to the northeast of Kyushu, where the human armies would have been battling.
- Another seeming inconsistency on Myōga's part is that he claims to have not been present for the battle; as such, he and Menōmaru should never have had the chance to meet if the battle was truly sudden. Yet, Menōmaru recognizes Myōga on sight and calls him by name, potentially suggesting that they knew each other before the battle occurred. Menōmaru is even aware of Myōga's cowardly nature.
References
- ↑
Kamikaze (typhoon) on Wikipedia
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26 2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 2.35 2.36 2.37 2.38 2.39 2.40 2.41 2.42 2.43 2.44 2.45 2.46 2.47 2.48 2.49 2.50 2.51 2.52 2.53 2.54 2.55 2.56 2.57 2.58 InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
- ↑ Backlash Wave combined with Kagome's sacred arrow is an outrageous mistake made by the anime producers, since in nature the humans' spiritual power and the demons' magic power can't be combined in that way, as confirmed by Kanade. Indeed, that never happened in the manga.
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 67
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 InuYasha anime; Episode 5
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 45
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 InuYasha anime; Episode 96
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 52
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 100
- ↑ InuYasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 60
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 19
- ↑ InuYasha anime; Episode 35
| 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 |
| ||||||