InuYasha (character)

InuYasha (犬夜叉, Inu dog + Yasha demon) is the main character of the anime and manga series InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi.

InuYasha is a hanyō (half demon – 'yō' is derived from yōkai, which also means demon) from the Japanese feudal era. He is fifteen years old at the start of the series, and was originally going to use the Jewel of Four Souls (Shikon no Tama) a.k.a. the Shikon Jewel to become a full yōkai. The high priestess who guarded the jewel, Kikyo (Kikyō), whom InuYasha developed feelings for, talked him into becoming human. (He wished to gain acceptance, and she wished to be a normal woman.) Another hanyō, formerly a human known only as Onigumo, but now called Naraku, made them believe they betrayed each other. Because of Naraku's schemes, and their own lack of faith in each other, their relationship ended when InuYasha broke into Kikyo's village and stole the Shikon Jewel. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the jewel, Kikyo fired a magical arrow at InuYasha, sealing him to a tree in an eternal enchanted sleep. Moments afterward, KIkyo collapses from a wound she received from Naraku — though at first the viewer is lead to believe that InuYasha wounded her — and dies within a few short moments. Part of her final instructions to her sister Kaede was to have the jewel burned with her body so that yōkai and evil men could never use it.

50 years later, InuYasha was released from the tree by Kagome, a young girl from the present who unknowingly carried the Jewel of Four Souls inside her body. Kagome accidentally shattered the jewel when shooting at a demon trying to flee with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. InuYasha, Kagome, and their friends (InuYasha-tachi) then began the search for the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls (Shikon no Tama).

InuYasha has very clearly come to love Kagome. He calls her 'the first person he has ever trusted.' Due to the fact that it is stated in the series that the reason Naraku was able to break InuYasha and Kikyou apart was due to their mistrust, this is significant. He is often seen touching or holding her, blushes when in contact with her, and its her near death causes him to shed his first tears. Due to his shy nature and obligations to Kikyou, he finds it difficult to directly display his feelings. However, his actions towards her are romantic. In Japanese culture it is considered a romantic gesture to of course hug, but also to hold one's hand and touch a woman below the shoulders. He does this continually.

InuYasha is offended when someone calls him a dog or suggests that he is inferior to full yōkai.

His only weakness is that a hanyō loses their power during a certain time period each month; InuYasha's time is the night of a new moon (when the moon is not visible). His hair turns black and he loses his dog ears, claws, fangs, etc. In this form, basically all of his yōkai powers are gone; however, he returns back to normal at sunrise. He prefers to keep it a secret because on that night he is vulnerable, and only his group and a few others know his secret.

Voice Actor

• Japanese Seiyū: Kappei Yamaguchi
• English Voice Actor: Richard Cox

InuYasha's Special Attacks and Resistances

• Soul-Shattering Iron Claw (Sankon Tessō): Iron claw attack; also translated as Iron Reaver Soul Stealer.
• Blades of Blood (Hijin Ketsusō): InuYasha's blood does damage when thrown.
• Tessaiga: Special sword made from his father's fang. It contains a protective aura which makes full yōkai unable to touch it.
  • Wind Scar (Kaze no Kizu): Special attack that kills 100 yōkai with one strike.
  • Backlash Wave (Bakuryūha): Tessaiga's ōgi (or ultimate technique). Uses the opponent's strong yōki and the Kaze no Kizu to return the attack, magnified hundreds of times.
  • Barrier Shattering: Gained from Shiori's orb for saving her from her grandfather and his bat yōkai, this technique renders barriers (including Naraku's for a while) useless. When being used, Tessaiga glows red. Only the strongest barriers cannot be shattered by this attack.
  • Diamond Spear (Kongōsōha, 金剛槍破): Attack gained from Housenki after Naraku had used the shard to make him fight InuYasha. Able to pierce Naraku's stronger barriers.
  • Dragon-Scaled Tessaiga (龍鱗の鉄砕牙, Ryuurin no Tessaiga): Another form of the Tessaiga gained in the manga after the anime ended. This form is gained by destroying Datsuki a youki-absorbing sword. Inuyasha has not yet learned how to control this sword, and whenever he uses it to absorb youki it hurts him, and if he absorbs too much of it, the sword lets off an enormous explosion of youki, that nearly killed him once.
• Sheath of Tessaiga (Tessaiga no Saya): Can deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tessaiga's power.
• Robe of the Fire Rat: InuYasha's kimono allows him to resist fire. (It also works on others to whom he lends it.)

See also: InuYasha