Ippō (
History[]
Ippō and his brothers were wondering a forest one night. His brothers were tired and wanted to rest. Ippō let them do so for a minute. A yōkai suddenly appeared in front of them. Ippō and his brothers got scared, but the yōkai did not notice them. It was immediately destroyed by Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu (though they did not see Inuyasha). Shippō suddenly appeared and boasted that the yōkai deserved to be destroyed for trying to eat him. He then left after hearing Miroku called for him. Ippō and his brothers assumed that Shippō was the one who destroyed that yōkai based on what they saw and that he was the great hero that they were searching for.
When Shippō and his friends arrived at a village to destroy a lizard yōkai, he decided to wander outside the village. He was making a ring of pink flowers when he was suddenly approached by Ippō and his brothers. The surprise caused Shippō to fall down the hill that he was sitting on. The kitsune brothers slide down the hill and landed on him. The explained that the yōkai running rampart due to Naraku's actions caused them to be separated from their parents. Ippō hand his brothers soon heard rumors of Shippō and his friends during their travels. They believed that he was a great master that cold train them well. They held Shippō with such high regard because they believed that he was the leader of his group of friends. Hearing their praises caused Shippō to indulge in their beliefs by stating that he was indeed the leader of his group of friends. They asked Shippō to show them his most deadly techniques. Shippō thought that they were referring to his Smashing Top and unleashed it. The kitsune siblings thought, however, that Shippō was making fun of them with that display. They said they wanted him to demonstrate the Kaze no Kizu. Shippō was unsure how to respond since he did not no the technique, but the kitsune siblings were determined that he'd teach it to them. Shippō agreed and told them to wait for him while he went to the village to get something. The five kitsune cheered with excitement as he left
Shippō left the village again after trying to get Inuyasha to teach him the Kaze no Kizu, he came across his new friend from the village Mizuki. He gave her his ring of pink flowers and told her to head back to the village for her safety. As she left, the kitsune siblings surprised Shippō by revealing themselves from behind a gray tarp that made them blend in with a nearby rock. Shippō was about to explain that he could not show them the Kaze no Kizu, but they suddenly interrupted praising him. They mistakingly believed that his interaction with Mizuki was a way for him to bewitch her (much to the surprise of Shippō). The lizard yōkai who was had attacked the villager suddenly appeared and kicked Shippõ out of his way. The kitsune siblings became angry at the lizard for what he did. Ippō asked what he thought he was doing. They bragged to the lizard about how great Shippō was after he disrespectfully pushed him aside. This caused the lizard to want to fight Shippō. He tried to get away discreetly, but his tail was snagged by Gohō. They were persistent in Shippō showing his skills to them. Shippō used his Weeping Mushrooms technique as a distraction for him to runaway from the lizard yōkai. He was angry at the kitsune siblings for making him look like a fool and they ran after Shippō out of fear.
They finally caught up with Shippō by the hillside of a river. They started to express their doubts as to whether Shippō was as great as they believed. They wanted Shippō to prove his greatness by playing a joke on the Mizuki, who was also at the river. He transformed into his pink balloon form and approached her. The five kitsune brothers suddenly appeared on top of Shippō and started throwing acorns at Mizuki. She rolled down the hill and landed in the shallow water facedown. A distraught Shippō changed back and went to check on Mizuki. He asked if she was alright. When she got back up, she asked Shippō if he was the one who caused her to fall. He could only stutter while the five kitsune brothers praised him for pranking her. Mizuki gave Shippō an angry look and told him that she hated him before running off. This broke Shippō's heart.
The lizard yōkai arrived again and was eager to fight. The kitsune brothers hid behind Shippō and asked him to deal with the yōkai. Shippō decided to take all of his anger of hurting Mizuki's feelings out on the lizard. He attacked the lizard, but he was knocked out easily. He was prepared to attack the other kitsune, but Shippō got back up. As the lizard was preparing to attack Shippō again, he could see the flow of demonic energy around the lizard. This allowed Shippō to unleash his new technique, the "Kokoro no Kizu." The kitsune siblings were awe-inspired. Ippō proclaimed that it was even better than the Kaze no Kizu. Shippō constantly bit down hard on the lizard yōkai and told the other kitsune to help him. They also attacked the lizard by biting him and were able to knock him out in the end. The kneeled and in front of Shippō and praised Shippō for his teachings with the hope that he would permit them to use it themselves. Shippō told them to do as they wished. They expressed their gratitude for the confidence he gave them. They were now planning to search for their parents. They thanked Shippō for all he did and walked off.
Personality[]
As the oldest brother, Ippō has assumed a leadership role among his siblings. He shows a lot of enthusiasm when he and his brothers try to get Shippō to teach them. He and his siblings are also a bit naive. They believe all of the great stories about Shippō without question. He also expresses a desire to not be outdone by the tanuki wan it comes to bewitching humans.
Physical description[]
His is a small kitsune with orange fur all around him except his neck. His fur is the darkest shade among his brothers. A patch of fur on his head was tied tied up and faced upwards.
Outfit[]
Ippō wears a blue vest that has a maroon stripe around it.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Enhanced Biting: Ippō and his brother learn how to use the Kokoro no Kizu (心の傷, Heart Scar, "Scar of the Heart") after witnessning Shippō use it against the lizard yōkai.
Trivia[]
- Along with the rest of his brothers, Ippō's name is based on Shippō's name, which means "seven treasures" in Japanese. The fox siblings names are assigned a value between 1 and 5 along with "treasure," with the number corresponding with their rank in the group, as ordered from oldest to youngest. Ippō, being the eldest of the group, is assigned the number 1, therefore his name is Ippō, or "one treasure."
- Ippō constantly refers to Shippō as "Master."