Ms. Higurashi (ママ, "Mama") was the widowed mother of Kagome and Sōta Higurashi. She was very loving and caring, just as one would expect of a motherly figure.
Little was known about her, except that she was always supportive of Kagome. Whenever Inuyasha dropped by, she would welcome him to stay and asked him to dine with the family. She was very lax about Kagome's life, and did not seem to mind at all that her daughter spent long periods of time with strangers in the distant past. How much of the situation she actually understood was debatable.
Her husband, the father of Kagome and Sōta, was never shown or seen in the series. He was only briefly mentioned in the first movie of the InuYasha series, when Mama Higurashi tried to encourage Kagome, sensing that the situation was dire on the other side of the well (she revealed he died in a car accident when Kagome and Sōta were young).
She could be referred to as either 'Mrs. Higurashi', 'Ms. Higurashi', and Mama Higurashi. Her real name was never revealed in either the manga or the anime.
Mama Higurashi was very flexible with her daughter's situation, including her journey throughout the Feudal Era, her relationship with the hanyō named Inuyasha (who had a rough nature), her fights against deadly demons, and her quest to recover the Sacred Jewel.
Relationships
Much was not known about Mr. Higurashi and Mama Higurashi's relationship, but they were married after he proposed to her at the Goshinboku. Together they had two children, Kagome and Sōta. They had obviously been very happy and in love before Mr. Higurashi passed away.
Mama Higurashi and Kagome were rather close to one another, and she always seemed to know when something was wrong with her daughter. She was also often seen or talked about doing many things to make her daughter's life just a little bit easier. In the end, she let her daughter marry Inuyasha and spend her life in the Feudal Era so that she could be happy. She had a profound understanding of her daughter's feelings, to the point where she could instantly sense the mounting relationship between her daughter and her future son-in-law, Inuyasha, offering her emotional support to both of them whenever they needed it. Overall, Mrs. Higurashi was very in tune with her daughter's emotional needs, doing whatever she could to ease Kagome's complicated lot in life.
Mama Higurashi and Sōta did not spend as much time together as she and Kagome did, but it appears like Sōta could be described as a "mama's boy", when Mama lightly teased him for wetting the bed in the 3rd grade. They appeared to have a basic mother-son relationship, and loved each other very much.
She and Inuyasha seemed to get along very well, even though during their first meeting, she felt the need to play with his ears (much like Kagome the first time she saw him). She often treated him as if he were her own son, welcoming him for meals when he came to fetch Kagome, and providing her daughter with a plethora of medicine from the Modern Era to help treat his wounds. However, being no fool, she always ensured that Inuyasha kept his dog ears covered in the Modern Era to keep him from revealing his secret of being a hanyō to modern humans. She seemed to sense that he had been long without a mother, and cared deeply for him as her daughter did. She could also probably sense that Kagome was in love with him and supported having him around so Kagome could be happy.
She and Grandpa had a very good relationship; although he was her late husband's father, she treated him as if he was her own father.
Trivia
- She bore some resemblance to Mrs. Tendo from Rumiko Takahashi's previous work Ranma ½, both of whom share the same English voice actress, Cathy Weseluck.
- Her seiyū, Asako Dodo, also voiced several characters from Rumiko Takahashi's anthology series Rumic Theater. They include Kobato's son, and Ryuuchi as a child.
Media appearances
Manga
- Chapter 1 (First appearance)
- Chapter 3 (Appears in thoughts)
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 23
- Chapter 25
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 68
- Chapter 224
- Chapter 332
- Chapter 411
- Chapter 494
- Chapter 512
- Chapter 520
- Chapter 530
- Chapter 553
- Chapter 554
- Chapter 555
- Chapter 558
Anime
- Episode 1 (First appearance)
- Episode 2 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 3
- Episode 4
- Episode 5 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 11
- Episode 12
- Episode 20
- Episode 29
- Episode 38
- Episode 47
- Episode 48
- InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
- Episode 56 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 60
- Episode 62 (Illusion)
- Episode 69
- Episode 75
- Episode 78 (Appears in thoughts)
- Episode 82
- Episode 89
- Episode 90
- Episode 91 (Appears in a flashback)
- InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (Credits only)
- Episode 97 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 100 (Illusion)
- Episode 127
- Episode 128
- InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler
- Episode 137
- Episode 145
- Episode 148
- Episode 160
- Episode 167 (Credits only)
- Episode 1 (FA)
- Episode 3 (FA)
- Episode 16 (FA) (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 18 (FA)
- Episode 19 (FA)
- Episode 21 (FA)
- Episode 25 (FA)
- Episode 26 (FA)
References
Higurashi (日暮) | |
---|---|
Characters | Grandpa • Grandma • Mr. Higurashi • Ms. Higurashi • Sōta Higurashi • Kagome Higurashi • Buyo • Inuyasha • Moe Higurashi • Towa Higurashi • Setsuna • Moroha • Mei Higurashi |
Locations | Higurashi shrine (Sacred Tree • House • Storehouse • Wellhouse) • Higurashi family's apartment |
Items | Mermaid scale • Mummified kappa hand • Sacred sutras • Shikon Jewel keychains • Sō'unga |