Shunran (
History[]
Many centuries ago, Tōga battled the Panther King and killed him. The four siblings of the Panther tribe fought alongside their master in this battle, but lost to Tōga and his soldiers, Sesshōmaru being among them. After this humiliating defeat, the Panther tribe swore revenge against the dog Yōkai while promising that one day they would repay them for the death of their master. Many years later, about fifty years before the start of the story when Inuyasha was still bound to the Sacred Tree, the Panther tribe returned, attempting to regain control of the western lands.[1] However, Sesshōmaru stepped in and defeated them, sending them back to the east with the assistance of some other demons (notably Rōyakan) who felt grateful to his father for defeating the cats the first time.[2]
During the story[]
When the Panther King is resurrected by the power of the Shikon Jewel shards, he requires flesh and a soul to completely reanimate his body. The Panther tribe had gathered several humans for this purpose, planning to sacrifice them in order to revive their master. However, the Panther King proves to be impatient, and steals the souls of Karan, Shūran, and Shunran in order to regain his own power. However, Sesshōmaru uses his Tenseiga to take their souls back, thus reducing the king to his former mummified self, and allowing Inuyasha to deliver the final blow with Tessaiga and kill the Panther King once and for all.[2]
Physical description[]
Shunran is a panther yōkai with waist-length red hair, green catlike eyes, and pale skin. Like the other Panther Devas, she has pointed ears, fangs, and claws. She wears two light pink flowers in her hair, a short-skirted light green kimono with three hot pink floral prints tied with a rose sash around her waist in a bow, light green socks, and a pair of black sandals.
Powers and abilities[]
Like all four of the Panther Devas, Shunran's name is a reference to one of the four seasons. Shunran is associated with spring, and her powers reflect that. She has the ability to create illusions and can make people fall asleep with the power of her cherry blossom petals, as seen when she lulls Kagome to sleep. She can also create multiple illusions of herself, disorienting her opponent, though Jaken is able to dispel the illusions with his Nintōjō. She could also create bursts and swirls of wind to distract her opponents and have them fall into the illusion faster. The source of her illusions seems to be the scent of the cherry blossom petals.[1]
Trivia[]
- Shunran's design is notably similar to Kanna, as they both wore a kimono, have waist length hair and two flowers in their hair.
- She is the only Panther Deva without a tail. It is unknown whether she was always tailless or whether she had a tail once and it was cut off.
- It is unknown exactly what her criteria for putting her enemies to sleep is to work, as she never tried it against more formidable foes other than Kagome and Kirara.
Media appearances[]
- Episode 75 (First appearance)
- Episode 76
- Episode 77
- Episode 79 (Appears in a flashback)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 InuYasha anime; Episode 76
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 InuYasha anime; Episode 77