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Artist Info: InuYasha (犬夜叉) is the titular character and one of the main protagonists of the series. Born to a dog demon father and human mother, InuYasha is a half-demon who initially wants to use the powers of the Shikon Jewel to become a full demon. After falling in love with Kikyo, the miko who guards the Jewel, he changes his mind and wants to become human so he can live with her, but Naraku manipulates both of them into believing they have been betrayed by one another. Kikyo is fatally wounded, but before she dies, she shoots an arrow through InuYasha to pin him onto a sacred tree. InuYasha remains in suspended animation for fifty years until Kagome Higurashi, Kikyo's reincarnation, pulls out the arrow and frees him. After the Shikon Jewel shatters, InuYasha and Kagome travel together to retrieve its shards. Initially wary of Kagome's resemblance to Kikyo, InuYasha and her develop a complicated friendship and eventually fall in love. He also forms strong friendships with the other companions they gain. His sword, Tetsusaiga, was made from one of his father's fangs (and later incorporates one of InuYasha's fangs as well); its full power cannot be unleashed except to protect humans, and its sheath has a barrier that protects its bearer from almost any attack. At the end of the series, InuYasha and Kagome are shown together smiling, married 
 
 
Contents 
[show] 
 
* 1 Story 
* 2 Relationships 
* 3 Abilities 
* 4 Attacks 
* 5 Outfit 
o 5.1 Hakama 
o 5.2 Suikan/Hitoe 
o 5.3 New 
o 5.4 Kosode 
o 5.5 Obi 
o 5.6 Order of Dressing 
o 5.7 Accoutrements 
 
edit Story 
Spoiler Warning: Spoiler details may follow. 
 
The plotline of the series InuYasha can be summarized in a capsulation of the first episode "Kagome, your average teenage girl, is happily leading a normal life in contemporary Japan. But on her 15th birthday, a mysterious centipede demon emerges from an ancient well on her family’s property and drags her back through the well to the world of feudal Japan." 
 
In Feudal Japan, she meets our Hero, InuYasha ( 犬夜叉 ) aparently asleep, pinned to a tree through the shoulder by a Hamaya or sacred arrow. 
 
InuYasha is a hanyou (half demon - 'you' is derived from yōkai, which means demon) of dog yokai origins from the Japanese feudal era. 
 
Author Rumiko Takahashi once stated in an interview that InuYasha is an akita inu. According to Ms. Takahashi's official Zusetsutaizen Ougikaiden character data book, Inuyasha's age in human years is unknown, but his appearance and general behavior are "equivalent" to a human fifteen-year-old at the start of the series. However, the movie canon suggests an actual age of 150 human years since the Sou'unga was sealed two hundred years prior to the feudal era period. Inuyasha was shown to be born at that time, and he was sealed away for fifty years, providing 200 - 50 = 150 years. This is consistant with European concepts of the Fay, Faerie, Elvish, or Tuatha De Danaan (various spirits, sprites, daemons, etc) as aging far more slowly than humans, even to the point of appearing immortal. 
 
Intent on becoming stronger, InuYasha originally intended to use the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls, also known as the Shikon Jewel) to change from a half-yokai to a full yokai. To acquire this jewel, he would have to steal it from Kikyo (Kikyō), the Shinto priestess tasked with purifying and protecting the jewel. After several unsuccesful attempts to even approach Kikyo, InuYasha began to develop feelings for her. Their subsequent encounters lead to a closer relationship, and she eventually talked him into using the Jewel to become human (he wished to gain acceptance, and she wished to be a normal woman). 
 
Another hanyo, (formerly a human known only as Onigumo, but now called Naraku) had been observing them and 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 shot InuYasha with a Hamaya (sacred arrow) , 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 she 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 yokai and evil men could never use it. 
 
Fifty years later, InuYasha was released from the tree by Kagome, a young girl from the present who unknowingly carried the Shikon no Tama inside her body. Kagome accidentally shattered the jewel while 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 Shikon no Tama. 
 
InuYasha has very clearly come to love Kagome. He calls her "the first person he has ever trusted." This is significant when we realize that the reason Naraku was able to break InuYasha and Kikyo apart was due to their mistrust. InuYasha is often seen touching or holding Kagome, blushes when in contact with her, and it's her near death that causes him to shed his first tears. Due to his shy nature and obligations to Kikyo, after witnessing what her thought was her "betrayal"; he finds it difficult to directly display his feelings for Kagome. 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 yokai. His arrogance and hostility can readily be explained by his upbringing. We know that he was raised from his birth by his human mother in her father's court. He was ostracized and rejected by all humans except his mother and she died while he was still a very young child. All we know from that time until his meeting with Kikyo is that he was rejected by his brother Sesshomarou, the Yokai world (since he is a half-blood), and the Humans alike. All that he knows of his father is what he has been told by his mother and others such as Old Myoga the Flea. All that he has from his mother are the Robe of the Fire Rat and his memories. All that he has from his father is his Yokai blood and later, the Red Tessaiga,stated to light up into flames. 
 
Knowing this, we surmise that InuYasha was on his own from an early age. His "bad attitude", foul language, (such as swearing in the manga, and occasionally in the anime, and calling his elders (in human equivelance, -baba or -jiji whitch translates as old hag/witch or old geezer respectively.) and extreme self-confidence are comparable to that of an orphaned teenage street punk who has been forced to fend for himself from the age of perhaps 6 or 7 (human equivalence). While there is much speculation amongst fans that perhaps Sesshomaru had some hand in Inuyasha's upbringing after his mother's death, there is no support for this theory in canon. 
 
With the incredible strength and healing powers inherited from his Yokai father and his Fire-Rat Robe, InuYasha would be able to survive hostile encounters with humans. Encounters with other demons might be another matter. Thus his desire to "become stronger". 
 
His only weakness is that a hanyo loses its power during a certain time period each month; Inuyasha's time is the night of a new moon (when he was born and also when the moon is not visible). His hair turns black and he loses his superhuman strength, speed and defensive abilities, as well as his dog ears, claws, fangs, etc. In this form, basically all of his yokai powers are gone and he turns human; however, he returns to normal at dawn. 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, and protect it wisely, but even this does not stop some as Naraku and Sesshomaru. 
edit Relationships 
 
* Kagome Higurashi - Being the reincarnation of Inuyasha's dead love, Kikyo, Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha is hardly an ordinary one. Inuyasha's inital reaction to Kagome was extremely hostile, as he literally thought she was Kikyo. They fight all the time, their quarrels usually ending with Kagome using the power of the rosary around Inuyasha's neck to make him fall to the ground with a command of osuwari! (sit). Inuyasha clearly cares for her very deeply, even loves her, but whether he loves Kagome more than Kikyo remains unknown. However, he clearly stated that Kagome was the first human that he could ever trust; and further that his feelings for Kikyo were due to his being responsible for her death. At the end of the series he marries Kagome. 
 
* Miroku - Inuyasha clearly respects Miroku for his skills, powers, and knowledge. Although they often bicker for one reason or another, both know that they can trust the other with their life if need be. Whenever Miroku is sucking Naraku's saimyousho (poisonous wasps) into his Kazaana (Wind Tunnel) or otherwise putting himself in danger to help his friends, Inuyasha forces him to stop these dangerous tricks. Once he even promised to break Miroku's arm if he tried to open it again -- Inuyasha's way of saying that he cares. 
 
* Shippo - Inuyasha is continuously annoyed by him, who is rather smart for his age. Mostly their interaction consists of Shippo annoying Inuyasha and the hanyou then hitting him -- and Inuyasha being scolded by Kagome for it. However, the interaction is reminiscent of squabbling between two brothers. 
 
* Sango - Inuyasha and Sango don't interact often. He doesn't pay much attention to her in any romantic sense, being more centered on Kagome, but he does care for Sango, like for all his friends -- not that he'd ever admit that. However, he has admitted that she is an excellent and formidable foe in combat. 
 
* Kikyo - Inuyasha's relationship with Kikyo is a very troublesome one. He clearly loved her, and was once ready to become a human in order to be with her. However, Naraku tricked them both, making them hate each other. After learning the truth, Inuyasha is still clearly in love with Kikyo, even to the point of being willing to die together with Kikyo to finally be with her. However, towards the end of the anime, Inuyasha explains that his feelings toward Kikyo are primarily a sense of having been responsible for her death. Whether his love for Kikyo is stronger than the love he feels for Kagome remains unknown. 
 
* Sota Higurashi - Ever since Inuyasha began visiting the Modern Era, Kagome's little brother Sota has idolized the hanyo, even offering to scrub his back (a common expression of friendliness in the land of communal family baths). Inuyasha did his part: first he saved Souta from the Noh Mask. Later to help Sota find the courage to express his feelings to a girl, Inuyasha has coached Sota to "be strong", tried to teach him fighting techniques, and given him a great deal of encouragement and "help advise". 
 
edit Abilities 
 
* Strength: InuYasha's yokai blood gives him superhuman strength. No upper limit has yet been shown in the canon, but, according to the Zusetsutaizen Ougikaiden official character data book, he is at least "strong enough to easily lift a boulder - with a diameter greater than the height of his body - over his head with one hand." (direct translated quote - Ougikaiden page 27) (Assuming that boulder is near-spherical, is made of granite with a density of 2.7g/cm³, and has a diameter of 200 cm (InuYasha's height being assumed at an average 175 cm), a boulder of that size would weigh approximately between 9000 kg (9 metric tons or 19,800 lb) and 11,000 kg (11 metric tons or 24,250 lb), or approximately the weight of a large city bus or the combined weight of 5-6 standard cars. He has also been shown to be able to uproot trees and break through walls and fortress gates, and has a punch feared by yokai many times his size. InuYasha has also shown the ability to be able to throw enemies hundreds of times his size; he did so in "Nursing Battle of the Rival Lover" by throwing a mountain-sized green ogre (presumably heavier than an InuYasha-sized boulder, hence the "at least" mentioned in the Ougikaiden above). In the battle against the Noh mask in the manga, he is shown to be able to punch through solid steel, as he did while destroying the mask. This is further corroborated on page 30 of the Ougikaiden, where Takahashi comments that Inuyasha's Sankon Tessou attack probably has the power to rip clean through the type of steel I-beam (tekkou in Japanese) used in modern construction. Similarly, in later manga chapters, he accidentally deformed Kagome's bike with his hands while attempting to fix it. 
 
* Speed: While not as fast as Entei the yokai horse that served as Hakudoshi's steed, InuYasha's speed has been shown to easily exceed that of a normal horse. He is able to cross great distances with a single jump, sometimes creating the illusion that he is flying. The Ougikaiden says he can reach the top of tall cliffs with a single leap as well. As seen in the movie canon, InuYasha can move fast enough that he appears to regular humans as nothing more than a brief and indistinct red blur and can apparently move fast enough to run over water. 
 
* Defensive Ability: His Robe of the Fire Rat provides added protection, but InuYasha's body is capable of taking a lot of damage - at the very least, it is capable of withstanding Yura's yokai hair, which was able to decapitate humans and slice through trees. He has also been seen to be unaffected by severe blunt force attacks - he was hit on the head with a log hard enough for the log to break in two without any effect. He appears weak against strong smells because of his sensitive nose (like smoke or poison gas) , but has shown the ability to withstand direct contact with fire and tremendous heat (for example, against Renkotsu's flame attacks and in many other situations - the Fire-Rat Robe may be partly responsible for this, but parts of his body not covered by the robe appear equally invulnerable), does not need additional clothing in extreme cold (see the one-hour prequel special involving Kikyo) and appears resistant to acid (as when trapped by Naraku in the Ogre's Belly). He is, however, susceptible to a lot of yokai and holy weapons, but appears to be invulnerable to most human weapons, able to catch arrows out of the air and break swords with his hands. Even when injured, his recovery rate is much faster than that of a human's. Similarly, attacks powerful enough to severely injure him are rarely fatal - he recovered quickly from numerous serious attacks, including a fist-sized hole punched through his gut. This may be because of his possibly altered physiology.
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