InuYasha

Synopsis

Higurashi Kagome, after being pulled down a well by a demon, finds herself in Feudal Japan, where she learns that a powerful jewel has been reborn inside her body. After the jewel shatters in an attempt to retrieve it from one of the many demons who was after its power, Kagome must join forces with the half-demon Inu Yasha (also after the jewel's power) to track down the shards of the jewel before its power falls into the wrong hands.


Main Character

Inuyasha (犬夜叉)

Birthday: April 1, 1479
Birthplace: Western Japan, equal to Toyama
Height: 167 cm
Weapons: claws, sword-Testsusaiga
Attacks: Claws-Sankountessou, Hijinkessou. Testsusaiga- Kaze no Kizu, Bakuryuuha, Kongousoha, and Meido Zangestsuha.
Family: Izayoi (mom), InuTaisho (dad), and Sesshoumaru (half-brother).

The male protagonist, a hybrid of a youkai-dog and a human, a half-demon ("han'yo" in Japanese). He wields the Tesusaiga (pronounced "Tetsaiga" in the American dub), a supernatural sword made from one of his deceased father's fangs. This sword, when properly wielded, can destroy one hundred demons with a single swing, and has further powers which are revealed as the story progresses. It is also a source of which hatred exists between Inuyasha and his brother Sesshomaru, a full youkai dog demon, being that Inuyasha can weild the Tessaiga and Sesshomaru can not. Inuyasha has a tendency for massive regeneration and can recover from injuries which would be fatal for any average human. This ability is likely derived from his youkai powers (Example: Episode 5, when Kagome brings medicine from her time). On the night of the new moon each month, Inuyasha will change into a normal human with black hair, brown eyes, and loses his yokai power during this time. Prior to meeting his current companions, he would conceal himself during this time. Inuyasha loves Kikyo, and still does, but things get complicated when he starts to develop feelings of love for Kagome. He has mastered different abilities for his sword including the red tetsusiaga that can destroy barriers and also learning the backlash wave which hurls an opponents demonic energy right back at it.

Sango (珊瑚)

Age: 17

A yōkai slayer ("yōkai taijiya") who hails from a village of professional yōkai slayers. The only member of InuYasha's group to have no supernatural powers, Sango instead wields the Hiraikotsu, a massive boomerang made of yōkai bones, in addition to a broad repertoire of tools and tricks for battling yōkai. Sango is also a victim of Naraku's evil schemes: her family was killed and her entire village destroyed by Naraku's yōkai so that Naraku could then blame Inuyasha and manipulate Sango into trying to kill him. When that ploy failed, Naraku used a shard of the Shikon Jewel to revive and control her little brother Kohaku, forcing him to fight Inuyasha and company, and using him as a means by which to manipulate Sango. She seeks vengeance against Naraku, but her primary goal is to rescue Kohaku from Naraku's influence and somehow save his life, although currently it's uncertain if she will be able to do so as Kohaku's life is tied to the jewel shard. She has obvious feelings towards Miroku, although she is offended by his constant groping and lechery. ("Sango" means "coral.")

Miroku (弥勒)

Age: 18

A Buddhist 'houshi,' or low-ranking, itinerant monk, Miroku traveled the countryside performing services such as exorcisms and yōkai exterminations to earn his living. He suffers from a hereditary curse originally inflicted upon his grandfather Miyatsu (also a Buddhist monk) by Naraku, who exploited Miyatsu's weakness for attractive women by taking the shape of one, and reflected one of Miyatsu's ofuda back to pierce the palm of his right hand (it appears to be his left hand in the English language manga where right and left are reversed). The hole in his hand became a kazāna (air void or "wind tunnel") which sucks in anything not nailed down, regardless of mass. Miroku uses the kazāna as a powerful weapon against yōkai, but as he grows older, the kazāna grows inevitably larger, and if the curse is not broken by Naraku's death, it will grow too large to control and consume Miroku himself - the same fate his grandfather and his father have already met. Probably as a result of this, Miroku takes a hedonistic approach to life which is uncharacteristic of a proper monk; he is a talented con artist who does not hesitate to invent fictitious supernatural menaces which he can then offer to combat in return for food and shelter, and like his grandfather he has a distinct weakness for pretty women. He makes a point of asking every attractive woman he meets if she will bear his child, claiming that he wants to be sure of an heir to continue his pursuit of Naraku if he dies, and his hands have a seemingly uncontrollable habit of wandering - something which often gets him soundly thumped by Sango, the favorite subject of his groping. However, in spite of his less-than-saintly behavior, Miroku proves to have a core of deep spirituality and, as a result, impressive spiritual powers. ("Miroku" is Japanese for Maitreya.)

Shippo (七宝)

An orphaned young yōkai-fox (kitsune) whose father was killed by the Thunder Brothers, Hiten and Manten, and the first character in the story to join InuYasha and Kagome in their travels as a group. Shippo can shapeshift, but his forms are temporary, often incomplete and ineffective, and he is usually given away by his telltale tail. His other noteworthy abilities are turning into a wooden horse that can fly, leaving a trail of yelping mushrooms and acorns, illusionary tricks with toys like his giant spinning top attack, using his race's notable fox fire magic (which rarely seems to work properly), and making things like leaves or himself multiply. He tends to be naively observant and often makes pointed and cheeky comments directed towards InuYasha, earning him a retaliatory bonk on the head for his unsolicited "advice". InuYasha and Kagome serve as older sibling figures to Shippo. Shippo and Kirara (when she is in her kitten form) are the smallest members of InuYasha's group, with Shippo being the youngest. Because he so small and light, whenever the group is traveling anywhere Shippo is almost always seen riding on someone's shoulder, on Kirara's back, in Kagome's arms, or in the basket on Kagome's bike; he is rarely seen walking or running.

Kagome Higurashi (日暮 かごめ)

Age: 15

The female protagonist and a third year middle school student. In the tradition of many Rumiko Takahashi heroines (Lum, Akane Tendo, Kyoko Otonashi), Kagome can be extremely sweet, but can also become very dangerous when provoked. InuYasha wears a special bead necklace (known as the Beads of Subjugation) which only responds to Kagome's command: when she yells "Sit!" ("Osuwari!") (Often "Sit, boy!" in the dub) InuYasha is thrown to the ground. The necklace was placed upon him due to his dangerous attitude when he was unsealed. As the series continues, Kagome uses the necklace less and less. It is scarcely used by this point in time, and is purely comedic relief when it is. She is the reincarnation of a priestess 50 years ago, named Kikyo, the previous protector of the shikon no tama. As fate would have it, Kagome also develops feelings of strong love for InuYasha. This relationship proves to be a driving point of the series. In the series, Kagome becomes a powerful miko (not really a miko).