Title Dispute
There is a long-standing debate about the proper English spelling of "InuYasha", the title character's name. Some spell it "InuYasha", some "Inuyasha", some "Inu Yasha", and some "Inu-Yasha". As Japanese does not use spacing or capitalization, there is no "correct" spelling (Wikipedia itself went with 'Inuyasha' for quite some time before changing to 'InuYasha'). 'Inuyasha' is still frequently used.
Both Cartoon Network, the US anime licensee, and Viz Communications, the publisher of the manga and producer of the anime for the U.S. market, use "InuYasha" (Viz formerly used "Inu-Yasha" in the title but switched to the current "InuYasha"; Viz still uses the spelling "Inu-Yasha" in the text of the graphic novels). The issue of ambiguous capitalization and spacing also occurred on protest signs during the Vietnam War - protestors would use any one of "Vietnam", "Viet Nam", and "VietNam". Both stand as shining examples of the difficulties that romanization can cause.
Popularity
Since its introduction on Cartoon Network, the ranks of InuYasha fans have swelled to the point where anime.com calls InuYasha a "cult" and its fans "rabid zealots". The show is so popular that although it has been taken off the air many times in its run (to make way for shows such as Kikaider, Big O, and FLCL) it has always been reinstated due to the demands of viewers. After a while, the people who write the bumpers for Adult Swim became sarcastic about this, and it became something of a running joke that they were on the side of the viewers, but were at the mercy of superior departments ("Suits"). As time progressed, the show was moved to increasingly late viewing hours. As of October 2002, it aired at 11:00 PM. As of March 2004, it aired at 12:30 AM. Presumably, the logic behind this is that the InuYasha fans will not mind staying up later, and other shows can be put between them and their goal.
There are many possible reasons for the popularity of the InuYasha series. A likely one is that it is eclectic, including elements from many different genres. At first, the series mainly appears to be action-oriented, and it does indeed have a significant amount of action, with at least one confrontation with an enemy in most episodes. However, it also includes a great deal of comedy (frequently slapstick), many monsters that add notes of the horror genre, and occasional romance. Another probable reason that InuYasha is so popular is that it is has rather sympathetic characters who are varied enough that most people can relate to at least one of them.
Characters in the series that exist in the Sengoku period
The names of some of the characters are in Western order (Surname after given name) while others are in Japanese order (surname before given name). If the name is different in the English anime, the English anime name comes after the original Japanese name.
Roughly by order of appearance:
- Kagome Higurashi (日暮かごめ) — The female protagonist, a human from modern times.
- InuYasha (犬夜叉) — The male protagonist, a hanyō.
- Kaede (楓) — A miko and sister of Kikyo who protected the village in the fifty years after her sister's death. She was the first to recognize that Kagome was the reincarnation of her sister.
- Myoga (冥加 Myōga) — A flea who is a retainer of InuYasha.
- Sesshomaru (殺生丸 Sesshōmaru) — InuYasha's brother, a full yōkai, who also despises him. He also despises Naraku, not only for kidnapping his companion Rin but for attempting to manipulate him.
- Jaken — A yōkai (kappa) who is a retainer of Sesshomaru.
- Shippo (七宝 Shippō) — A young fox (狐, kitsune) whose parents were killed by yōkai.
- Kikyo (桔梗 Kikyō) — The dead priestess (巫女, miko) who loved InuYasha. She was brought back to (un)life by the ogress (鬼, oni) Urasue. Her unlife is almost ended at the hands of Naraku after Mt. Hakurei collapses, but she later appears as Hijiri-sama (聖様, 'Her Holyness') and is subsequently brought back to (un)life by Kagome.
- Shinidamachu (死魂虫 Shinidamachū) — Kikyo's aids in collecting souls to sustain her body.
- Miroku (弥勒) — A Buddhist monk (法師, hōshi) who joins Kagome and InuYasha.
- Hachi (八衛門, Hachiemon) — A congenial shape-shifting spirit who has befriended Miroku. In Hachi's default appearance, he resembles a tanuki (raccoon dog) jūjin;.
- Naraku (奈落) — An evil hanyō (half-demon) who despises InuYasha. After his time at Mt. Hakurei, he became a full yōkai;.
- Sango (珊瑚) — A 'yōkai exterminator (退治屋, taijiya)' whose brother Kohaku is controlled by Naraku.
- Kohaku (琥珀) — Sango's little brother who is under the control of Naraku.
- Kirara (雲母) / Kilala — Sango's faithful cat-like yōkai.
- Kagura (神楽) — A wind sorceress yōkai; created as a detachment from Naraku who despises him but is forced to serve him as he holds her heart (and life) in his hands. He later returns her heart only to fatally poison her, bringing her life to an end.
- Kanna (神無) — A detachment of Naraku, she is a yōkai who has the appearance of a little girl and has the power to steal souls in her mirror.
- Koga (鋼牙 Kōga) — The leader of a wolf yōkai tribe that is convinced that Kagome loves him and fights with InuYasha for her affections. Also hates Naruku and Kagura after they kill off a lot of his wolf yokai comrades.
- Rin (りん) — an orphan girl who follows Sesshomaru and Jaken. After Sesshomaru saves her life, she joins them permanently.
- Totosai (刀々斎 Tōtōsai) — A blacksmith that forged Tetsusaiga (Tessaiga) and Tenseiga.
- Goshinki — A telepathic yōkai detachment from Naraku who was slain by InuYasha. His fangs were used to make Sesshomaru's sword, Tōkijin;.
- Juromaru (Jūrōmaru) and Kageromaru (Kagerōmaru) — Twin detachments of Naraku who hold no loyalty, but were used by Naraku to attack InuYasha and Koga. Both were slain.
- Tsubaki — A dark priestess (黒巫女, kuro miko) who made a deal with a yōkai to retain her youth. She attacked Kikyo in an attempt to steal the Shikon Jewel but had her curse reflected back at her. Naraku gave her the almost-complete Shikon Jewel so she would curse Kagome, but Kagome was eventually able to overcome it. Tsubaki then released an Oni and used the Jewel of Four Souls to increase her power in an attempt to defeat InuYasha's group, but was beaten. (The part of Tsubaki fusing with the Oni doesn't occur in the manga) In the anime special "A Fateful Love Song From Before We Met", Tsubaki is shown as originally being Kikyo's rival who placed a curse on Kikyo which deemed that, if she fell in love, she would lose her power as a miko; this is not in the manga.
- Muso (Musō) — Reincarnation of Onigumo as a detachment from Naraku. Attempted to defeat Naraku and gain freedom but was reabsorbed.
- Ayame — The wolf yōkai who Koga promised to marry when they grew up. Her clan later besieged by a mysterious zombie (from the Shichinintai). (not in the manga)
- Shichinintai (七人隊) — The seven dead assassins raised from the dead by Naraku's Shikon Jewel shards. Naraku raised them with Shikon shards so that he could distract InuYasha's group long enough to take his new form.
- Akago — Naraku's minion and detachment in the form of a baby that can possess anyone with darkness in their heart. He can talk, reads people thoughts and is later cut in half by a priest, which led to the creation of Hakudoshi from one half, and Akago as the other half.
- Entei — A yōba (yōkai horse) who serves only the most powerful yōkai.
- Hakudoshi (Hakudōshi) — Created from Akago's body, he was Entei's master, and looks like a 10 year old kid. Like Naraku, his heart is not inside his body, so he is able to endlessly regenerate himself. Despite this, his life comes to an end thanks to Miroku's Kazaana after Naraku learns of his betrayal.
- Kocho (Kochō) and Asuka — Kikyo's shikigami that summons Kagome when Kikyo needs to be purified of Naraku's shōki and act as messengers to InuYasha when Kikyo wants to speak to him. Both are powerful and capable of erecting barriers by themselves.
- Goryomaru (Goryōmaru) — A monk who had his arm eaten by a yōkai. He tries to kill Kagura and has his head cut off by Hakudoshi.
- Moryomaru (Moryōmaru) — Is actually Naraku's strongest minion, although he is technically working against him. Due to his telepathic powers, Kagura and Kohaku suspect he is Akago (and he is). He is a 30ft monster with human shape, and can shoot blasts of yōki energy from his arm. He was originally a soulless puppet creation of Hakudoshi made of yōkai life force (haku).
- Koharu — A girl in the series that Miroku asked to bear his child.
List of all yōkai: Yōkai List;
Characters in the series that exist in the modern era
- Sota Higurashi (日暮草太 Higurashi Sōta) — Kagome's little brother, calls InuYasha "Inu no nii-chan", or "dog brother"
- Miss/Mrs. Higurashi — Her first name is a mystery; she is Kagome's mother. She is called "mama" in both the anime and manga. 'Higurashi' could be either her married name or her maiden name.
- Jii-chan (Grandpa) — His name is also a mystery. He is Kagome's grandfather.
- Buyo — Kagome's cat. He is white, with brown spots and is really fat. He attracted Kagome to the bone-eating well in the first episode, which set the series in motion. He doesn't like InuYasha, as InuYasha is often quite mean to him.
- Yuka, Eri and Ayumi — They are Kagome's three school friends. They are usually very nosy about Kagome's "boyfriend" and why she isn't interested in Hojo.
- Hojo (北条 Hōjō) — Kagome's classmate. He loves Kagome and does everything to date her. (He is a descendant of Akitoki Hojo (Hōjō Akitoki) (who also liked Kagome) in the anime)
- Mask of Noh — A wodden mask yōkai who absorbed a shikon fragment in the beginning of the series. Caused a lot of trouble to Kagome's family, but it was defeated by InuYasha.
- Mayu (真由) — A ghost girl who tried to kill her younger brother. Kagome saved her from being sent to hell by the Tatarimokke.
- Tatarimokke — A big, yellow, round yōkai that plays a flute to guide children's souls to heaven or to hell.
Cameo appearances
Shin'ichi Kudo (Jimmy Kudo) and Ran Mori (Rachel Moore) of Detective Conan/Case Closed make a cameo appearance in episode 128; Detective Conan is published in Shonen Sunday along with InuYasha.
Special items and attacks
- InuYasha
- Kotodama no Nenju — A magical rosary made by Kikyo; and later invoked by Kaede; to subjugate InuYasha when Kagome says "osuwari" or "sit".
- Fire rat cloak — InuYasha's kimono. It is strong like armor and is resistant to fire.
- Sankontessō — InuYasha's basic attack, he slashes opponent with his claws. Known in the American dub as Iron Reaver Soul Stealer, or just Iron Reaver.
- Hijinkessō — InuYasha's special attack. He creates blood razors to cut his enemies. Known in the English anime as Blades of Blood.
- Tetsusaiga — InuYasha's sword, made from one of his father's fangs. Also known as Tessiaga (The incorrect "Tetsusaiga" came due to a translation error concerning the Japanese kana っ - Despite the fact it was an error, Viz continued using "Tetsusaiga"). Tetsusaiga has actually 3 attacks:
- Wind Scar (風の傷, Kaze no Kizu): Special attack that can kill 100 yōkai with one strike. InuYasha learned it by himself while fighting Sesshomaru, but it was first used to save Miroku from yōkai.
- Backlash Wave (爆流破, Bakuryūha;): Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack, caused by the overpowering and merging of an opponent's energy with a Kaze no Kizu to create a massive backlash against the opponent. Inuyasha discovered this ability while fighting Ryukōssei;, a giant dragon yōkai who even Inuyasha's father was unable to defeat.
- Diamond Spear Blast — (金剛槍破, Kongōsōha;) This power was given to InuYasha by Hōsenki to defeat Naraku in the boundary between this world and the next.
- Tetsusaiga (Tessaiga) has also 4 forms:
- Rusty Tetsusaiga — Tetsusaiga's basic form. It has no special power at all. InuYasha can't transform it into any of its other forms when he is in his human form.
- Transformed Tetsusaiga — When wielded by a hanyō (like InuYasha), Tetsusaiga transforms into a larger version of itself, roughly resembling a large falchion. First used against Sesshomaru, it wasn't until the following battle against the yōkai Tsukumo no Gama that InuYasha learned how to control the Tetsusaiga's transformation. After being repaired when it was broken by the yōkai Goshinki, for a short time it was too heavy for InuYasha to wield. When InuYasha defeats Ryukōssei; not only does he gain the ability to able to use the Wind Scar (Kaze No Kizu) at any time, Tetsusaiga becomes light as a feather.
- Red Tetsusaiga — When InuYasha saved Shiori from her grandfather, she gave him an orb that, when cut, gave Tetsusaiga the power to break any yōkai barrier. Naraku eventually is able to create a barrier that cannot be shattered by this after his stay at Mount Hakurei.
- Diamond Tetsusaiga — By killing Hosenki (Hōsenki), InuYasha got the ability of turning Tetsusaiga into diamond in order to use Kongōsōha;. It is able to bypass Naraku's stronger barriers as well.
- Kagome Higurashi
- Hama no Ya (破魔の矢, Purifying Arrow) — Kagome's and Kikyo's weapon. They concentrates holy powers on their arrows and is shot at yōkai to destroy them. Kagome almost destroyed Naraku in his powerful form (after Hakurei) by using an arrow Kikyo had mixed with Onigumo's burial soil.
- Jewel of Four Souls (四魂の玉, Shikon no Tama) a.k.a. the Shikon Jewel — The Jewel that started the whole adventure.
- Sango
- Hiraikotsu — A huge boomerang used by Sango as a weapon. It is made from the bones of yōkai.
- Shippo
- Kitsunebi — Shippo's fox fire, used to burn (really) weak enemies and create illusions.
- Miroku
- Kazaana — Translated to English as Air Rip or Wind Tunnel, Kazaana is a powerful vortex in Miroku's right hand which sucks everything in the vicinity into itself. It is a curse given to Miroku's grandfather by Naraku, and eventually it will grow to consume him, as it did Miroku's father. This attack's weakness is Naraku's poisonous Saimyōsho;, which, when sucked in, poison the attacker, also Miroku won't use it if it will endanger innocent lives.
- Sesshomaru
- Tenseiga — Sesshomaru's sword. Rather than killing 100 people, like Tetsusaiga's Wind Scar, it can resurrect 100 people. It is a blade that cannot cut the living, but it can slay creatures related to the afterlife. Sesshomaru resurrected Rin with it when she was murdered by Kōga's wolves.
- Tōkijin; — Sword forged from Goshinki's fang. It possesses a strong yōkai and the sword was forged from the very teeth that broke Tetsusaiga.
- Jaken
- Two-headed staff — Sesshomaru gave this useful staff to Jaken when they first met. One of the heads is an old man and the other is a young woman. It can blast fire at enemies.
- Kikyo
- Hama no Ya (破魔の矢, Purifying Arrow) — Same as above with Kagome.
- Fūin no Ya; (封印の矢) — Arrow of sealing. She used this arrow to seal InuYasha to Goshinboku after Naraku tricked her into believing they had betrayed each other.
- Shinidamachu (死魂虫 Shinidamachū) — Soul collector insects used to collect the souls needed to help Kikyo sustain her life.
- Shikigami — Kikyo can fashion shikigami to serve her. One was a partial image of herself as Hijiri-sama that she used to attract the attention of InuYasha and help him defeat Abihime's birds. She also created 2 servant shikigami, Kocho (Kochoō) and Asuka, who led Kagome to her to help purify Naraku's Shōki; and continue to help her by acting as messengers.
- Naraku
- Shōki; (沼気, Miasma) — Naraku's special poison gas.
- Kugutsu (傀儡, Demon Puppetry) — Naraku makes a clone of himself to attack his enemies by distance. A small wooden doll with a strand of Naraku's hair lies at the center of the puppet and when destroyed, the clone is destroyed. A similar wooden doll is kept with the real Naraku and controls the puppet.
- Mimicry — This ability does not have an official name. Naraku copies someone's body and voice, becoming an exact copy of that person. He used this ability to breed hate between Kikyō and InuYasha and to curse Miroku's grandfather with the Kazaana.
- Kagura-Kagura uses a special fan to summon her wind attacks:
- Dance of Blades (fūjin no mai, 風刃の舞) — Fires off multiple spinning blades made of wind.
- Dance of the Dead (shikabane no mai, 屍の舞) — Brings the dead back to life under Kagura's control.
- Dance of the Dragon (ryūja no mai, 竜蛇の舞) — Creates many small tornadoes.
- Kagura also has a feather that can increase in size and is used as transportation
- Kanna
- Magical Mirror - Kanna has a special mirror which has two abilities. The first allows her to steal someone's soul and keep it inside her mirror. The second is to reflect an enemy's attack back at them, whether physical or made of yōki. When her mirror is broken by one of Kagome Higurashi's arrows, the souls it held were returned to their bodies.
