List of InuYasha characters

This article copied from the Wikipedia's history, when the article was at its longest, and the characters were grouped in a logical manner.

This is a list of characters from InuYasha, the manga and anime series by Rumiko Takahashi.

The characters can be split into several groups. The group of protagonists, headed by InuYasha and Kagome, is the main acting unit in the series. It takes place in vast majority of events and conveys the story's main plot: the collection of Shikon Jewel Shards and the gradual transformation of the characters through love, affection and numerous trials they come through together. Naraku's group unites the main antagonists and is the "ultimate enemy" to be beaten. Other groups and characters play various roles including a few subplots of different significance.

InuYasha
InuYasha (犬夜叉) is the protagonist of the manga and anime. InuYasha is a half-demon, born to a dog demon father and human mother. InuYasha was sealed to the sacred tree 500 years before the start of the series by the priestess Kikyo, and released by Kagome who turns out to be Kikyo's reincarnation. InuYasha desires the Shikon Jewel so he may become a full demon. He often clashes with his older half-brother, Sesshomaru, who desires his sword the Tetsusaiga, a supernatural sword made from one of their deceased father's fangs. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi. In the English dub, he is voiced by Richard Ian Cox.

Kagome Higurashi
Kagome Higurashi (日暮 かごめ) is the second protagonist of the series. She is the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo, who died 500 years before the start of the series. Kagome was pulled into the Bone Eater's Well by a demon who wanted the Shikon Jewel, which was hidden in her body, sending her back to the Feudal Era. Kagome takes over Kikyo's task of protecting the Shikon Jewel, but accidentally shatters it with her arrow. Due to the fact that she is the reincarnation of Kikyo, Kagome possesses great spiritual power and is able to purify tainted shards of the jewel. In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Satsuki Yukino. In the English dub, she is voiced by Moneca Stori.

Miroku
Miroku (弥勒) is a Buddhist monk who traveled the countryside performing (often fictitious) services such as exorcisms and demon exterminations to earn his living. He suffers from a hereditary curse originally inflicted upon his grandfather Miyatsu by Naraku. The hole in his hand became a Wind Tunnel (Kazaana), which sucks in almost anything in its path; its weaknesses are that it increases in size if used too often or too much and transfers both shouki (poison) and jyaki (malicious intent) to Miroku. Mushin has the ability to temporarily repair damage to Kazaana, as Miroku seeks his aid from time to time. Naraku constantly carries hives of poisonous insects to prevent Miroku from using his Kazaana. Miroku experiences temporary paralysis and the threat of death from too much poison. Eventually, the Kazaana will reach its limit, at which point it will open uncontrollably, sucking in everything around it as well as its owner.

The Wind Tunnel proves to be a powerful weapon against demons, but grows larger as time passes. Miroku joins InuYasha and Kagome in hopes that he will be able to find and kill Naraku so he may break the curse before it consumes him, as it did his grandfather and father. Miroku also uses his Buddhist holy staff and several scrolls or sutras to attack enemies. Miroku first meets InuYasha after he steals the Shikon Jewel. InuYasha attacks Miroku and Miroku quickly uses his Wind Tunnel. Realizing he won't harm humans, Kagome stands in his path. Miroku quickly covers the Wind Tunnel, and after explaining his situation, InuYasha allows him to join their group. Miroku has habit of asking random women to bear his child so that, in the case that he would die defeating Naraku, he would have an heir. A running gag is Miroku's lechery, specifically shameless flattery and occasional groping with varying subtlety. After his father died, Miroku was raised by a monk named Mushin, and learned his lecherous tendencies from him. It is also possible that Miroku fears that he should die before defeating Naraku, and therefore seeks to have an heir to carry on his mission, just as his grandfather and father did before him. At the end of the series, Miroku gets married to Sango and they have three children, twin girls and a boy.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kōji Tsujitani. In the English dub, he is voiced by Kirby Morrow.

Sango
Sango (珊瑚) is a demon slayer who hails from a village of professional demon slayers and is the final companion to join the group. Sango wields the Hiraikotsu, a massive boomerang made of purified demon bones, along with a broad repertoire of tools and tricks, which are used for fighting demons. One tool she uses quite often are stench pellets to drive out demons with sensitive senses of smell, much to InuYasha's dismay. Sango and the souls of the purified demons of Hiraikotsu share a deep connection, and when she puts the weapon in danger to save Miroku, they chide her for it and ask that she put themselves above him. She is constantly seen with her companion Kirara, a demon cat, who is seen in a flashback with the miko who created the Shikon no Tama (Shikon Jewel), Midoriko. Sango originates from a secluded village of demon exterminators who live close to Midoriko's cave.

Sango's family was killed and her entire village destroyed by Naraku's demons so Naraku could steal their Shikon Jewel shards. Naraku tricked the extermination team to his castle, where he manipulated Kohaku - Sango's little brother - into killing everyone. Upon realizing that Sango is still alive, Naraku allows Sango to overhear his conversation about a hanyo (InuYasha) who led the attack and massacre on her village. This prompts Sango to seek revenge, her pain held back by a Shikon shard Naraku gives her. When the ploy fails, Naraku uses a shard of the Shikon Jewel to revive and control Sango's 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 save his life. She is finally reconciled with Kohaku at the end of the series, when Kikyo's power allows Kohaku to continue living, even with the Shikon shard gone from his back.

Sango is often the victim of Miroku's lecherous tendencies, and proceeds to slap him for it. However, she later confesses her love to him and the two get engaged. At the end of the series, Sango and Miroku get married and the two have three children. She also allowed Kirara to join her brother Kohaku and aid him in his demon slaying.

In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Hōko Kuwashima. In the English dub, she is voiced by Kelly Sheridan. In the spinoff Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, her English voice is

Kirara
Kirara (雲母) is Sango's faithful, demon-cat companion. Kirara usually appears in the form of a small feline no larger than a kitten with two tails. When necessary, she can transform in a flaming ball into full demon with larger saber-teeth, flames around her feet and tail, and at a size large enough to carry 2-3 humans on her back. In her full demon form, Kirara is capable of flying, an ability InuYasha's group find useful for transporting Sango, Miroku, and Shippo when InuYasha is running quickly or jumping to greater heights than they would normally be able to keep up with. For most of the series, Kirara stays primarily with Sango and aids InuYasha's group in battles; however, she is shown in one anime episode to have aided all members of the party at one point or another. At the end of the series as Naraku has been defeated, she chooses to join Kohaku as he trains to become a demon slayer while Sango starts her new life with Miroku and their children.

In the anime series, it is suggested that she was once the companion of Midoriko, who originally created the Shikon no Tama.

She is voiced by Tarako in both the original Japanese and the English dubbed version of the series.

Shippo
Shippo (七宝) is an orphaned young fox demon 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. After his father is killed by the Thunder Brothers, Shippo attempts to steal the Shikon Jewel from Kagome and InuYasha, with the intent to become stronger and avenge his father's death. Though his plans fails, Kagome and InuYasha aid him in fulfilling his revenge after hearing his story. Shippo appears as a young boy with fox legs, feet, ears, and a tail. He can also shape-shift into many different forms, 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 large pink flying balloon, illusionary tricks with toys like his giant spinning top attack, weak fox fire magic, and making things 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. InuYasha and Kagome serve as older sibling figures to Shippo. Due to his size, Shippo is often seen riding on Kirara or the shoulders of others. His actual age is never stated in the series; according to the official InuYasha guide by Rumiko Takahashi, his appearance is intended to be similar to that of a seven year old boy..

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kumiko Watanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Jillian Michaels.

Myoga
Myoga (冥加) is a flea demon who appears randomly and gives InuYasha information on current events, foes, and the shards of the Jewel of Four Souls. He was originally charged with protecting the grave of InuYasha's father, where the Tetsusaiga was hidden. However, he fled when Sesshomaru came to the grave in search of the sword. Myoga also enjoys drinking demon blood, and actually saves InuYasha's life at one point by drinking the venom from a spider demon out of his blood. He often gets slapped by InuYasha and others because he drinks their blood without permission. He often greets the group by sucking their blood and is introduced summarily after a slap which flattens him. He also wakes up members of Inuyasha's group when they are knocked unconscious by sucking their blood until they revive and slap him. However, he is useful from time to time as he saves Kagome, Sango, and Miroku after Mukotsu's poison nearly kills them. As a longtime friend of Toga the Great Dog-Demon of the West, Myouga also is privy to much knowledge about the past, Tessaiga and Tenseiga and other yokai.

Myoga often flees before or during a battle, and the others have recognized as a sign of pending danger. Anywhere he is around is considered a safe area. In the anime series, he is engaged to another flea demon named Shoga, though he continually runs from her to avoid the marriage. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kenichi Ogata. In the English dub, he is voiced by Paul Dobson.

Sesshomaru
Sesshomaru (殺生丸) is InuYasha's older half-brother. Unlike InuYasha, Sesshomaru is a full-blooded Inu-yokai and is initially very contemptuous of InuYasha for being a half-demon and for consorting with humans. He is a very powerful demon who seems to have no true equal when it comes to raw power; although given the chance in volume twenty-three of the manga, he could not defeat Naraku. Takahashi also stated that Sesshomaru has no permanent home, though he rules over the Western Lands. In the anime, Jakken mentions that Sesshomaru is establishing an empire but that it might take a very long time, even for someone as great as him. Unlike almost every other sentient demon in the world of InuYasha (aside from those affiliated with his and InuYasha's father in some way), he has no interest in possessing even one shard of the Shikon Jewel, perhaps because it has no affect on him due to his perfect youki as a daiyoukai like his father. Initially, Sesshomaru is ruthless and cruel in his pursuit of Tessaiga and his dealings with his brother. However, as the series progresses, he begins to undergo a change in his behavior, one largely brought about by the influence of Tenseiga and the human child Rin. He stops trying to claim or destroy Tessaiga, and, while still sometimes hostile in his attitude toward InuYasha, he is sometimes "helpful" in his encounters with InuYasha's group. He, like InuYasha and his friends, becomes determined to destroy Naraku after Naraku attempts to manipulate him using Rin as a hostage, and his growing compassion for people such as Kagura and it finally prompts Tōtōsai to volunteer to reforge Tenseiga and make it able to perform the Meidou Zangetsuha ("dark path of the dawn's moon blast") attack. In order to obtain this attack, Sesshoumaru went into Hell, pursuing the Hell Hound that had taken both Kohaku and Rin. Rin dies for a second time, prompting Sesshomaru to cast aside the sword in anger and sadness that it had cost her life. He only reclaims the sword after his mother sees his reaction and revives Rin with the Meidou stone. Sesshomaru goes from being the first antagonist to being an anti-hero and foil to InuYasha and can be considered amongst the good side of the cannon of characters. Regardless of the situation, Sesshomaru is always cool and collected and rarely shows any emotion. He also refers to himself in the honorific (using "watashi" instead of InuYasha's "ore") and is dressed and groomed in a very aristocratic manner. He and InuYasha both have silver hair.

Although he wields several signature weapons throughout the series (Tenseiga, Toukijin, and lastly Bakusaiga) Sesshomaru begins the series in constant quest for the Tessaiga, believing that his father had wronged him in giving his hanyou son InuYasha a sword that he was not worthy of. He was further angry that his father had left him a sword which could not kill, and therefore could not be used as a weapon. Unfortunately for Sesshomaru, Tessaiga requires a heart compassionate to humans to wield, and as a result, even when Sesshomaru briefly obtains the sword, he is rejected by the Tessaiga's barrier and suffers holy damage to his hand. He discards this blade in favor of his signature attacking weapon, Toukijin, during a battle because it did not serve him. Because Tenseiga was originally a part of the Tessaiga, Inu no Daisho had intended for Sesshomaru to obtain and perfect Meidou Zangetsuha and give it back to InuYasha, which Sesshomaru does. By finally abandoning his attachment to his father's inheritance, Sesshomaru finally emerges as a daiyoukai in his own right. According to Myouga, he has surpassed his father as he regenerates not only the arm he lost in the original fight with InuYasha but also creates his own sword Bakusaiga. While Tenseiga is a sword that can cut beings of the world beyond (like the pall bearers of death who come to take a dead soul), it can only revive a person once and is not meant to grant immortality. Further, it cannot save those who have already been revived by something else, such as the Shikon shards. The Toukijin was created by the rogue smith Kaijinbo from the fangs of Goshinki, a detachment of Naraku that InuYasha killed. The Bakusaiga is the ultimate destructive sword, creating wounds that cannot be healed.

Although InuYasha has heightened senses, it appears that Sesshomaru's abilities are even more enhanced, as he can tell the progression and outcome of a battle from several days past simply through scent. He has super sensitive smell as befitting his status as an Inu-Daiyoukai. He is also able to transform into an orb of blue light in the anime to travel quickly in addition to his normal ability to fly. In his true form as a giant dog, he constantly drips poison from his mouth which is easily fatal to humans and most youkai and dissolves most things on contact. In his human form, he has poison claws as well as a light whip from his fingers that he uses to cut down enemies without having to touch them. Like his brother, Sesshomaru has amazing healing abilities, capable of healing fatal wounds - and even his armor - quickly. He also has superhuman strength double that of InuYasha as well as superhuman speed, endurance, agility, stamina, durability and reflexes and a stronger accelerated healing factor.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Ken Narita. In the English dub of both anime, he is voiced by David Kaye.

Jaken
Jaken (邪見) is a small green imp-like yōkai who acts as Sesshomaru's servant. Jaken is not especially powerful but is extremely loyal. Despite his loyalty, Sesshomaru more often than not ignores him. However, Jaken continues to verbally promote the greatness of Sesshomaru in ways that the aristocratic Sesshomaru would never do himself. Sesshomaru once resurrected Jaken with the Tenseiga when he was killed by Kaijinbo who was possessed by Tōkijin. Jaken does not engage in battle much. When he does, it's usually a clash with a company of some other strong yokai, and he usually uses a weapon known as the Staff of Two Heads (人頭杖, nintōjō). In the manga, little is explained about Jaken's past, but in the anime, it is explained that Jaken was once a lord among similar demons. A battle broke out with another yōkai tribe. The leader of the larger tribe had Jaken by his neck, when Sesshomaru appeared and told the demon to move for he was blocking Sesshomaru's path. The yōkai did not heed him and as soon as Sesshomaru repeated himself he used his poison whip and destroyed the yōkai. Jaken, captivated by Sesshomaru's power and his magnificence, felt a need to repay him, and followed him. Sesshomaru told Jaken that if he could use the Staff of Two Heads, then he could become his servant. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Yuichi Nagashima. In the English dub, he is voiced by Don Brown.

Rin
Rin (りん) is a petite orphan girl who finds Sesshomaru in the woods after he was badly injured by Inuyasha's using the newly developed Wind Scar attack on him. t a young age, Rin's parents and elder brothers' was killed by bandits, and she lives on the outskirts of her small village, having to fend for herself. Although Sesshomaru snubs her, she visits him regularly and attempts to take care of him. She steals fish from the village for him, only to learn he doesn't eat human food. The villagers beat her for the theft, and when Sesshomaru idly inquires about her injuries, she is disproportionately happy. She initially appears mute, as she doesn't speak to Sesshomaru, rather she makes hand gestures and smiles.

Later, the wolf-demon Koga chases a thief to the village. After killing the thief, Koga lets his wolves attack and kill the villagers to steal food. Rin escapes the village and runs through the forest towards Sesshomaru, but she trips along the path. The wolves catch up to her and attack her. Recovered from his wounds, Sesshomaru is leaving when he catches Rin's scent and follows it to her mauled and lifeless body. Remembering her smile, he states that he wishes to test his sword again then uses the Tenseiga to resurrect her. After setting Rin on her feet again, Sesshomaru walks away, leaving the dumbfounded Jaken and a wide-eyed Rin standing on the path. After a moment, they both follow. The next time Rin is seen, she is clean, wearing a new, colorful kimono, and talking and acting more like a typical child.

Throughout the series, she is generally seen following Sesshomaru, whom she addresses as Lord Sesshomaru, or waiting for him with Ah-Un and sometimes Jaken while Sesshomaru is dealing with more dangerous tasks. Though Sesshomaru never speaks of having any feelings for her, he is shown to have a strong protective instinct, and its clear that Rin is devoted to him. At one time, she and many other children are captured by another demon that is destroyed by a group of monks lead by Ungai. Rin refuses to go with the monks as she knows Sesshomaru is already on his way, but Ungai attempts to force her to come. Rin fights him and calls for Sesshomaru, who reveals that he was indeed already there. The monks are unable to hurt him the same way they destroyed the lesser demons and Rin is freed from Ungai's hold. When she seems to hesitate to leave with him, Sesshomaru tells her to do as she wishes and walks away. She waves goodbye to Ungai and runs after him. Once they rejoin Jaken, Rin spots several graves along the path, and asks Sesshomaru to remember her after she dies. Sesshomaru appears surprised by the question and responds: "Don't say such silly things."

Rin is killed for a second time in the series when she and Kohaku, now also journeying with Sesshomaru, are taken by the "Dog from Hell." When he finds her, Sesshomaru is visibly disturbed with a look of disbelief and shock on his face. It is at this point that he learns that Tenseiga can only revive a person once. Rin's lifeless body is taken by the Master of Hell, with Sesshomaru and Kohaku following to take it back. When they return from the Land of the Dead, Sesshomaru's dog-demon mother uses her Meido stone to return young Rin to life a second and final time for the sake of her son. Jaken confirms that it made Sesshomaru happy while Sesshomaru puts his hand on Rin's cheek.

In the final chapter of the manga, set three years after the defeat of Naraku an, eleven/twelve-year-older Rin no longer travels with Sesshomaru and Jaken. Instead, she lives with Kaede, which InuYasha comments is "practice" for her to live in a human village as an adult, or whatever life she chooses. Sesshomaru is shown visiting her and bringing her gifts.

In the spinoff Princess Half-Demon, its revealed that she was about eighteen (indicating that she was about either thirteen or fourteen years when she had first met and traveled with Sesshomaru and Jaken, despite having the height of a five/six-year-old child) when she gave birth to her and Sesshomaru's half dog-demon twin daughters whom she named Towa and Setsuna.

Moments later, she was attacked by an embittered demoness named Zero who had cursed with her the silver-scale curse to coerce Sesshomaru to reveal the whereabouts of his newborn daughters. Said curse would gradually envelop Rin's entire body with silver scales until she slowly perished permanently. To ensure her safety and to stop the fatal curse in its tracks, she was placed under the infinite protection of the mighty Sacred Tree of Ages itself for the next fourteen years as her daughters' grew into confident teenagers; one of whom, Setsuna, she was able to watch over by seeing into her dreams and memories as she slept endlessly via the Dream Butterfly that was transferring Setsuna's ability to sleep and dreams to her.

In the anime adaptation, Rin is voiced by Mamiko Noto. In the English dub, she is voiced by Brenna O'Brien.

Kohaku
Kohaku (琥珀) is Sango's younger brother, who was once under the control of Naraku. When Naraku disguised himself as Kagewaki Hitomi, the son of a lord, he used Lord Hitomi's father to call upon Sango and the demon slayers to slay a false demon. Naraku forced Kohaku to turn against his companions, killing his father and all the demon slayers. Sango survived solely by sheer luck. Castle guards also killed Kohaku that night, only to be later resurrected by Naraku as an amnesiac puppet. After several encounters with Sango and her friends, he began to recover his painful memories and sought to secretly find a way to destroy Naraku while still maintaining the illusion of being under his control; he later formed an alliance with Kagura, who sought freedom from Naraku's tyranny. Following Kagura's death, he joins Kikyo as he believes travelling with her will be the only way to redeem himself. He remains by her side until she tells him to separate from her for fear of being unable to keep his shard pure. However, he is nearly captured by Byakuya, and only a timely arrival by Sesshomaru saves him. Kohaku remains with Sesshomaru's group after this, and helps protect Rin, who he has a friendship with. In the last chapter of the manga, Kohaku goes with Kirara along with a new weapon which Totosai made for him. When Totosai asks him if he will visit his sister, Sango, he replies that he will not, since the house it getting too crowded. He then goes off with Kirara to become a better demon slayer. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Akiko Yajima. In the English dub, he is initially voiced by Alex Doduk, then later by Danny McKinnon.

Ah-Un
Ah-Un (阿吽) is a two-headed dragon demon and Sesshomaru's loyal/domesticated beast of burden. He is one of the only two yōkai in the series who is explicitly stated to be a herbivore. Despite the fact that he has traveled with Sesshomaru for centuries, he did not have a name until after Rin gave him one, naming the right head "Ah," and the left head "Un." Ah-Un can fire yōkai energy from both mouths. The right head can shoot blue beams of lightning, while the left can shoot green lightning that can control clouds and possibly the weather. Also when it flies, a grey cloud-like gas gathers around its legs which is similar to the flaming versions of those around Kirara's.

On their journeys, Rin and Jaken often rest on his back when they are flying over great distances. When Sesshomaru leaves Rin in a safe place, either with Jaken or by herself, Ah-Un stays with her and will act as her protector if she is threatened. He saved Rin from a group of lesser demons when she went to collect an herb to save Jaken, who was dying from being poisoned by Naraku's Saimyōshō. Ah-Un also defeated many of Setsuna no Takemaru's zombie warriors in InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler.

Naraku
Naraku (奈落) is the series' primary antagonist. Naraku is responsible for many of the characters suffering, including the death of Kikyo and the sealing of InuYasha to the sacred tree. Naraku originated from a bandit named Onigumo, who made a deal with several demons in order to receive a new body so he may pursue his caretaker, Kikyo and gain possession of the Shikon Jewel. Throughout the series' run, Naraku has created many detachments, to aid him in goal of killing those who oppose him and finding the shards of the Shikon Jewel. In the anime adaptation, he is his voiced by Toshiyuki Morikawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Paul Dobson.

Kanna
Kanna (神無) is the first detachment of Naraku. She is a yōkai who appears as a girl with white hair and clothing. Kanna carries with her a demonic mirror, with which she can steal the souls of those reflected in it. Once a soul is trapped within her mirror, Kanna can control their host bodies to carry out her bidding. However, if a powerful soul is locked into the mirror it will overflow it, the mirror will start to crack, forcing Kanna to release all souls currently trapped within, or her mirror will shatter. The mirror also has the ability to create a glass demon that can copy the abilities of whatever it reflects, though Kanna receives all damage in the glass demon's stead. Being a "concealed incarnation" of Naraku, Kanna has no smell and no demonic aura. This makes it impossible for InuYasha to detect her and makes her immune to demonic aura-related effects including Hakurei-zan barrier. Kanna is the only incarnation that Naraku trusts, telling her important information about his actions and allowing her to give orders to his other incarnations and pawns. In her last battle, Kanna is ordered by Naraku to commit suicide, shattering herself and the glass demon she was currently using into thousands of tiny shards. The glass demon seems to be a manifestation of her mirror, as any damage that it took was directly transfered to Kanna, resulting in grave injuries even prior to her shattering the monster and effectively committing suicide. One of the shards hits Kagome's right eye, and using it Kanna directs her final thought into telling Kagome how to destroy Naraku. While Kanna is the nihility demon with no feelings, it appears that she did not wish to die, which is why she helps Kagome in the end.

In the anime adaptation, Kanna's death is never shown as the series ends before the manga She is voiced by Yukana Nogami. In the English dub, she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.

Kagura
Kagura (神楽) is a creation of Naraku's, his second "detachment." A wind sorceress, Kagura primarily uses a wind-manipulating fan to enhance her powers and create wind-based attacks, including a blade like tornado attack (fuujin and ryujin no mai) and using wind to animate dead bodies. She can also use a pair of feathers that she wears in her hair for transportation, enlarging them then using them to ride in the wind.

Kagura hates her creator and wishes to be free from him. To this end, she often opposes him when she feels that Naraku will not notice, including offering aid to both InuYasha and Sesshomaru in hopes they will kill him. She most exercise caution, however, as he literally holds her heart, threatening to crush it and kill her if she betrays him. At times he has caught her defying him in action, or in thought when she is close enough for him to read her mind, he would squeeze her heart in his hands in front of her causing her to collapse in pain. She sincerely believes that Sesshomaru is the only one who can defeat Naraku after seeing him fight. She even goes so far as to request his help, though without any success. She seems to be infatuated with him, noting at their first meeting that he was a beautiful man, if powerful and cold. When she thought she was dying, she flew towards Sesshomaru and was subsequently rescued from the river. Because her heart was with Naraku, she could not die from her chest wound. When asked what happened, Kagura's thoughts are revealed: she simply wished to see Sesshomaru one more time.

When Naraku charges her with guarding Goryōmaru at a prison, Hakudōshi convinces her to release him so he can destroy Naraku. She also learns that Kohaku has regained his memory, and they become allies, sharing information they gather about Naraku's weaknesses. Through this partnership, Kagura becomes protective of Kohaku, leading her to openly defy Naraku. She protects the boy when Hakudōshi attempts to take his Shikon shard, which would kill Kohaku instantly. After Naraku kills Hakudōshi, Kagura helps Kohaku escape from Naraku who also wants to kill the boy by removing the shard. Naraku mockingly returns her heart before fatally attacking her and leaving her to die. Sesshomaru finds the dying Kagura while tracking Naraku. Though he considers using his sword Tenseiga to save her, he realizes that the sword would not be able to revive her. Before dying, Kagura appears to be happy to have seen Sesshomaru again, hinting that she may have had some sort of feelings for him. InuYasha's group also arrives, helpless to do more than watch her body dissolve into the wind, giving her the freedom she always longed for. Afterwards, InuYasha asks Sesshomaru if she suffered. Sesshomaru replies that she was smiling when she died.

In the anime adaptation, Kagura's death is never shown as the series ends before the manga. She is voiced by Izumi Oogami.In the English dub, she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.

Goshinki
Goshinki (悟心鬼) is Naraku's third detachment and takes the form of a large horned purple demon. Goshinki has the ability to read the thoughts of others, which enables him to outmaneuver InuYasha. Goshinki breaks the Tetsusaiga by biting it. However, by doing so he caused InuYasha's demon blood to takeover. After which Goshinki was no longer able read his thoughts, resulting in his death at the claws of InuYasha. Sesshomaru, realizing that Goshiki had broken Tetsusaiga, took his fangs and had the sword Tokijin made from them. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Masaharu Satō. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael Kopsa.

Kageromaru
Kageromaru (影郎丸) is the fourth detachment, a tiny slithering creature with a human head and two scythed-arms. Despite his form, Kagerōmaru is revealed to be quite fast, and can also tunnel in the ground. He resides in Juromaru's stomach, who is loyal only to him, where he can make surprise attacks on the enemy. Kageromaru has a love of eating the insides of people and yōkai alike. Despite this, Kagerōmaru is revealed to be quite intelligent, and, unlike Juromaru, is shown being able to talk. He was killed along with his younger brother by InuYasha and Koga.

Juromaru
Juromaru (獣郎丸), the fifth incarnation, is perhaps the least loyal of all of the incarnation Naraku creates. Juromaru's only loyalty is his elder brother Kageromaru, who is hidden in Jūrōmaru's stomach when covered by a metal mask. When first introduced, Juromaru was chained up, possibly because his elder brother attempted to kill Naraku. Jūrōmaru has little intelligence and never speaks, characterized only by a lust to kill. He and his elder brother were killed by InuYasha and Koga.

Muso
Muso (無双) was separated from Naraku in his attempt to remove his human side, Onigumo, which would also remove Onigumo's love for Kikyo. He is the sixth detachment of Naraku. Naraku cared so little for the incarnation he neither named it or gave it a face. Muso took both his name and face from a wandering monk he slew. Muso ventured to Kikyo's former village, where he runs into InuYasha's group, and battles them quickly after their encounter. Soon Naraku quickly realizes, however, that he cannot abandon Onigumo when demons try to gain their freedom from his body, and Muso was absorbed back into Naraku. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hiroshi Yanaka. In the English dub, he is voiced by Brian Dobson.

The Infant
The Infant (赤子) is Naraku's heart and seventh detachment, and is capable of speaking fluently. He is a baby that can possess anyone with the darkness in their heart. His main goal is to control Kagome's mind by finding the pain, anger, or jealousy within her heart, and use her abilities to find the remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel. He finds her jealousy of InuYasha's feelings for Kikyo, but InuYasha saves her before The Infant can control her. Like Hakudoshi and Kagura, The Infant is not loyal to Naraku. He is destroyed along with Moryomaru by Naraku. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Ai Kobayashi.

Hakudoshi
Hakudoshi (白童子) is the eighth detachment from Naraku and created from The Infant's body, he was Entei's final master and takes the form of a young child. Like Naraku, his heart is not inside his body, so he is able to endlessly regenerate himself. Due to being created from The Infant, he is capable of using all of The Infant's abilities, and can regenerate from any damage, as his heart is not in his body, but inside his brother, The Infant. Hakudoshi is able to tame a fire-horse named Entei (炎蹄), which Hakudoshi used to move from place to place prior to Entei's destruction. Hakudoshi also claims a naginata from a pig demon. Hakudoshi uses this to decapitate ogres and use their heads to see into the borderland between the dead and living worlds.

Over time, both The Infant and Hakudoshi grow tired of Naraku's rule over them, and seek to betray and overthrow him. To help The Infant in battle and protect him, Hakudoshi creates Moryomaru. Naraku eventually realized their wish to betray him, however, and Naraku instructs his Saimyosho to abandon Hakudoshi in battle, giving him no protection against Miroku's Wind Tunnel, and he is destroyed.

In the anime adaptation, Hakudoshi's death is never shown as the series ends before the manga. He is voiced by Ai Kobayashi. In the English dub, he is voiced by Chiara Zanni.

Byakuya
Byakuya (白夜) is Naraku's ninth and final detachment, meant to replace Kagura. He is loyal to Naraku and has an incredible power of creating illusions. His main purpose was to observe InuYasha and Mōryōmaru's growing powers and report these observations back to Naraku, though was never given details about these missions, much like Kagura, and had chosen to stay protective of his own life after witnessing Kanna's death. Byakuya has the power to possess people with paper soldiers, summon vines to entrap his enemies, teleport others to different dimensions, detach organs from his body, and erect barriers. He travels on a giant origami paper crane.

After taking the power of one slash of InuYasha's Meidou Zangetsuha, he later slashes Kagome with the blade. However, before he gets a chance at a second strike, InuYasha attacks him with his Medou Zangetsuha and Byakuya is absorbed into it. When Naraku dies, a Meidou appears behind Kagome, due to Byakuya's Meidou Blade.

Moryomaru
Moryomaru (魍魎丸) was an enemy of Naraku. He was a 100-foot long monster in a human form who could shoot blasts of energy from his arm. At first, he is merely a life force puppet, the more refined of various such creations made from yōkai by Hakudōshi, and as such, he had no true personality, soul or will. He is given to Kanna, who places The Infant inside of him, giving Moryomaru Naraku's physical life force. Moryomaru begins to increase more and more in power as he absorbs different yōkai to gain their abilities. He grows so powerful that he becomes the manjor antagonist in Naraku's stead and primary target for both InuYasha's group and Naraku himself. During a battle, he nearly defeats an onslaught of most of Naraku's enemies which included Kikyo, Kohaku, Kagome, InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Sesshomaru. He succeeds in breaking Sesshomaru's sword, but flees after nearly losing a shard of the Shikon Jewel. He is killed when he devours Naraku, and Naraku absorbs his power from the inside and uses it to be reborn.

Princess Abi
Princess Abi is the princess of featherless blood-sucking fire bird yokai and servant to Naraku. Her mother, Queen Tekkei, became ill after she ate a poisoned yōkai, which prompted Princess Abi to collect blood for her. After attacking several villages, Naraku had appeared to make a deal with her; he would give her weapons and become his servant in exchange for his blood. Princess Abi eventually attempts to fight with InuYasha, though the battle ends with him leaving her after destroying her shield. Princess Abi grew suspicious of Naraku over time and decides to betray him. To prove she isn't an ally, she attempts to attack The Infant, one of Naraku's offspring. After a quick battle with InuYasha, Princess Abi leaves, finally having enough blood for her mother. However, Naraku decides to reveal his true intent to use Tekkei to get into the border between the worlds of the living and the dead. Tekkei, finally revealing her full form of a giant bird yōkai, attacks and swallows Naraku, who responds by decapitating her from the inside. Naraku then kills Princess Abi painlessly, a reward for being useful, and uses Tekkei's blood to create a pathway between the living and dead worlds.

In the anime version, Abi is suspicious of the alliance from the start. She realizes that Naraku simply wanted to make her fight InuYasha by giving her a trident made from his bones. This angers Abi, who views such a quarrel between hanyo to be below her. She leaves the initial battle with InuYasha after being protected from Kaze no Kizu by the barrier the trident creates.

Band of Seven
The Band of Seven (七人隊), are seven mercenaries brought back to life by Naraku using the Shikon Jewel shards. All of their names end in kotsu (骨), meaning "bone".

Bankotsu
Bankotsu (蛮骨) is the leader,and the strongest member of the Band of Seven. He is also the youngest of the group. He carries the huge Banryu halberd. Bankotsu is a skilled mercenary and has killed many people; however, he frequently shows a sense of honor and compassion, though only for his six companions.

After being brought back to life, Bankotsu seeks his weapon, Banryu, and kills everyone in the surrounding area once he succeeds. The scent of blood draws InuYasha's group to him, and Bankotsu engages in battle with them. However, Bankotsu and the Band of Seven are called back by Naraku after InuYasha's Wind Scar nicked Banryu. He took the jewel shards Renkotsu stole from Kagome to repair his damaged blade, giving it the power to deflect the Wind Scar. Later, Bankotsu soon realizes how deceptive Renkotsu has become, killing him when he learned Renkotsu murdered Jakotsu. With 7 fragments in his body and two in his halberd, Bankotsu headed off to destroy InuYasha deep inside Mount Hakurei. In the manga, InuYasha wins slowly cuts the Shikon shards out of his body as the battle progresses until Bankotsu was cut in two, with Naraku stripping the remaining half of its shikon jewel shard. In the anime, Bankotsu slew 1,000 yōkai and killed 1,000 warlords with Banryu. Banryu, in turn, transformed into a demonic weapon with the ability to release physical manifestations of its users' hatred in the form of powerful demonic energy. However, this proves to be his downfall as InuYasha takes the opportunity and unleashes the Backlash Wave, crushing Bankotsu and shattering Banryū.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Takeshi Kusao. In the English dub, he is voiced by Matt Hill.

Renkotsu
Renkotsu (煉骨) is the second in command and is the third strongest member of the Band of Seven. He became resentful of Bankotsu's power and dares to betray him. After Ginkotsu self-destructed to save Renkotsu from Koga, Renkotsu took Ginkotsu's shard and stuck it in his wounded shoulder. Later, he killed the injured Jakotsu after his battle with InuYasha and took his jewel shard. As punishment for hiding the shards and killing Jakotsu, Bankotsu kills him. Renkotsu was an expert with explosives and metallurgy who used bombs, cannons, wires that will be lit afire, and a special concoction that he drinks to spit fire. He was also a gifted strategist, and possessed some skill at hand to hand combat although the only members of the group he surpassed in fighting skills was Mukotsu and Kyokotsu. He was also skilled at mechanical work, to the point of being able to reconstruct Ginkotsu into a living artillery weapon resembling a modern tank. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. In the English dub, he is voiced by Brian Drummond.

Jakotsu
Jakotsu (蛇骨), the second strongest of the Band of Seven and the third in command, was close friends with Bankotsu before the group was formed. Bankotsu notes that Jakotsu is the only person he trusts. He fights using a sword called the Jakotsuto, which has snake-like, retractable blades that make it difficult for an opponent to calculate Jakotsu's next move. Jakotsu engages in a lengthy battle with InuYasha, but loses. With him badly wounded, Renkotsu steals his Shikon Shard, causing him to die. As he dies, Jakotsu said he is happy because he got to fight the battle he wanted and he had fun with his second chance in life. Bankotsu later avenges his friends death by killing Renkotsu. Jakotsu is depicted acting in a homosexual manner, claiming to have feelings for InuYasha, calling him cute. Jakotsu also considers Miroku sexy. However, coupled with his sadism, Jakotsu basically wants to kill in what he considers to be an affectionate way. He also has a feminine look and manners and is voiced by a female actor. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Ai Orikasa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Jenn Forgie.

Suikotsu
Suikotsu (睡骨) is the fourth strongest of the Band of Seven. Has a split personality; "Doctor Suikotsu" is good, kind, and respected by villagers and "Suikotsu of the Band of Seven" is evil and blood-thirsty. The evil side emerged when he was traumatized by seeing a child killed in front of him. Mount Hakurei's purity tends to favor Doctor Suikotsu, and after transforming into both forms, he emerges back at the village he practiced at without the markings on his face, but still violent and willing to kill. He was soon beaten by both Sesshomaru and Kikyo's sacred arrow when he used Rin as a hostage, and, after explaining how he had overcome his double personality, asked Kikyo to remove the Shikon Jewel shard from his neck and let him die peacefully. Respecting his wishes, Kikyo reached to retrieve the jewel, but was stopped as Jakotsu removed it himself and took it to Bankotsu. Suikotsu uses iron claws with exceptionally long blades as weapon, reminiscent of Wolverine's claws from X-Men. He also possesses phenomenal strength, agility, and savage combat skills due to his unique form of mania and bloodlust. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hiroaki Hirata. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael Donovan.

Ginkotsu
Ginkotsu (銀骨) has metal parts on his body and various amounts of weaponry within and is the fifth strongest of the Band of Seven. His speech is rarely intelligible, only changing when angered. He barely survives his first encounter with InuYasha and is reconstructed into a siege tank with spider-like legs by Renkotsu. Later, he fought Koga with Renkotsu. In the manga, he exploded when Koga had stuffed pieces of Renkotsu's armor into his cannons, causing them to backfire. In the anime, he survived this attack, but went berserk when Renkotsu received a heavy wound to his left shoulder, causing Ginkotsu to unleash every weapon he had on Koga to no avail. Ginkotsu then self-destructed in an explosion while shielding Renkotsu with his own jewel shard in an effort to save Renkotsu's life.

While in his more human form, he carries a katana, an axe attached with a chain, a spear, "steel" wires, a grappler that replaced his left arm, disk-blades, a cannon on his shoulder, and a drill in his chest. In his tank form, his offense is two main cannons along with the "steel" wires. For movement, he has spider-like legs along with disk-blade wheels. In the anime, his additional weapons include a larger array of firearms, as well as launching his main body off like a rocket, which contains wire launchers and a flamethrower. His final weapon is a self-destruct mechanism.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hisao Egawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Mark Gibbon.

Mukotsu
Mukotsu (霧骨) is a short poison master and is the sixth strongest of the Band of Seven. He abducts Kagome and, in the anime, tries to have a wedding ceremony with her but becomes angry at her due to her reaction to his facial features, and tries to kill her when she tries to remove his Shikon Jewel shard. However, in the manga, Mukotsu tries to come onto Kagome until she stabs him, and soon after Miroku and Sango appear. Mukotsu poisons Kagome, Miroku, and Sango, nearly killing them, but was soon killed by Sesshomaru, on whom his poisons have no effect. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Tetsu Inada. In the English dub, he is voiced by Trevor Devall.

Kyokotsu
Kyokotsu (凶骨) is a giant, large and slow witted. He is the largest, but weakest of the Band of Seven. His size is his weapon, and proves to be a formidable foe. Against Koga, Kyokotsu also used a giant iron ball attached to a long chain like a flail-like weapon, which proved to be of little use due to Koga's speed. He terrorized yōkai-wolf tribes, who were defenseless before his size and invulnerability. Despite his massive size and fearsome looks, Kyokotsu is human. Kyokotsu is defeated when, while holding Kōga with his hand near his face Koga takes the jewel shard from his forehead, instantly killing him. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Daisuke Gōri. In the English dub, he is voiced by Mark Gibbon

Kaede
Kaede (楓) is Kikyo's younger sister. As a child, Kaede accompanied Kikyo as she worked, helping her with various tasks such as gathering herbs or holding her arrows. After her sister's death, Kaede became a miko in her own right and defends the village against demons. When Kagome arrives, Kaede recognizes her as the reincarnation of Kikyo. After Kagome free's InuYasha, Kaede uses her abilities to puts the "Beads of Subjugation" on him to give Kagome the power to control him with a spoken word. She often shares advice and knowledge about demons and other spiritual anomalies with InuYasha's group. Kaede is well-respected and held in high regards by the villagers and the members of InuYasha's group. Though InuYasha is easily annoyed with her, he listens to her when necessary and doesn't hesitate to protect her from a threat.

Kaede is shown as having lost an eye sometime during her life. In the manga, it is never stated how this happened. In the anime adaptation, it is said that she lost it during a demon attack on the village when Kikyo was distracted by her concern for InuYasha and so failed to shoot a demon in time.

In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Hisako Kyoda. In the Viz English dub, she is voiced by Pam Hyatt who depicts her with an archaic tone and vocabulary, such as using "ye" even extra-grammatically as an accusative and dative.

Totosai
Totosai (刀々斎) is an elderly blacksmith yōkai and an old friend of InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father. He spends most of his time at his forge, located within a volcano, where he works to create and repair his customer's swords. He is shown as a comical figure in the anime, who relocates his home and forge in supposed fear of Sesshomaru. When he goes out, he travels on a flying three eyed ox named Mō-Mō who often abruptly crashes down on InuYasha's group. He forged both Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga, the swords which belong to InuYasha and Sesshomaru, respectively. Their father entrusted him to help his two sons master their respective swords. As the series progresses, he strengthens both swords as InuYasha grows stronger and Sesshomaru grows more compassionate, the requirements needed for each to be considered more capable of handling the blades.

Much to InuYasha's annoyance, Totosai is often absent-minded and will abruptly forget what is happening, even in the middle of a battle. He occasionally scolds with InuYasha on how he uses Tetsusaiga, lamenting that his sword is in the hands of someone he feels is so unworthy. His complaints have helped annoy InuYasha enough to help him increase in power. In addition to reforging the sword, Totosai also provides valuable information for InuYasha on what opponents to defeat to gain new abilities to lighten the blade and break Naraku's increasingly stronger barriers.

Though Totosai often acts like a cowardly old man, he is capable of breathing fire and wields a giant forging hammer. His hammer can open large fire pits when stuck on the ground, and he has been shown to be strong enough to pause an attack from Sesshomaru long enough to allow InuYasha to get away. He also has trained Kajinbo, the rogue swordsmith who forged Sesshomaru's Tokijin, although he banished his pupil for unnecessary bloodlust in the creation of his swords. At the end of the series, Totosai allows Kohaku to work for him.

He and Myouga are often seen talking in the anime, reminiscing about Inu no Daisho and his strange but almost prophetic treatment of the inheritances for his sons. The pair is also shown to be present at Inu no Daisho's burial in the anime, and are subsequently responsible for giving Sesshomaru the Tenseiga, which they leave on a youkai tree (another acquaintance of Inu no Daisho's) with a pink note for fear of Sesshomaru's reaction.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Jōji Yanami. In the English dub, he is voiced by Richard Newman.

Hachiemon
Hachiemon (八衛門) is a tanuki, who goes by the nickname Hachi. Hachi calls Miroku "Master" and is willing to do what Miroku asks. In the anime, he once took the form of Miroku to sell fake seals and exorcisms and have his way with the ladies. The eventual result was that while Hachi was being assaulted by a weasle demon, Miroku intervened and saved Hachie from the demon. Hachi sometimes acts as the transportation for InuYasha's group by transforming into a large yellow blimp-like creature. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Toshihiko Nakajima. In the English dub, he is voiced by Terry Klassen.

Kikyo
Kikyo (桔梗) is a powerful shrine maiden who loved InuYasha and was killed by Naraku (disguised as InuYasha), who made the two fight fifty years before the start of the story. She is brought back to life by the ogress Urasue, using soil from her grave and a part of Kagome's soul. Although she looks alive, her body is still "dead," and she must ingest the souls of dead women in order to move. She can control small white flying youkai called Shinidamachu (Dead Soul Snatchers) which bring her the souls of dead girls. Her body is made of clay and graveyard soil and is considered a "clay doll." Although she is initially driven by hate, trying to drag InuYasha to hell and to kill Kagome, Kikyo gradually returns to the love-motivated and caring personality she possessed while alive. Her village considers her a hero and still reverently remembers her and thinks her spirit will protect their village. Her soul forever cannot move from the time when she died and she is shown to still harbor feelings for InuYasha.

In her youth, Kikyo was a traveling miko who exterminated youkai with her sister Kaede but never accepted monetary rewards. She met and was cursed by Tsubaki, a kuromiko (a dark priestess), to die an unnatural death should she fall in love with a man. While a supreme miko (Kaede says proud, beautiful, and powerful), Kikyo secretly feels lonely as she cannot show her weakness to anyone and can never be human because she is a miko. She is entrusted with the Shikon no Tama by the demon slayer Shaku, Sango's father, as only she is powerful enough to purify it. In addition to her extraordinary houriki, Kikyo is a master archer and able to use various techniques as a result of her miko training. She also has deep knowledge of herbal medicines. She eventually comes to rely and fall in love with InuYasha, sharing her inner most thoughts with him. She wishes to become an ordinary woman once InuYasha uses the Shikon no Tama to be human. She uses the sealing arrow to seal InuYasha to Goshinboku rather than killing him. She then chooses to follow him into death and take the Shikon no Tama with her into the afterlife so that it may never destroy anyone else's life again.

Once she discovered the truth about how Naraku killed her, she wanted revenge on Naraku. In episode 14 of the anime, InuYasha admits that he would go to hell for/with Kikyo. In the manga, Naraku kills her and she dies in the arms of InuYasha. In the latter chapters of the manga, she and Kohaku work together; she protects Kohaku and saves his life. She dies in InuYasha's arms after being attacked by Naraku. Even after she dies though, her soul still plays an important role in destroying Naraku. There is a light in Naraku's Shikon jewel that he cannot corrupt that is attributed to Kikyo. She eventually gives up her hold in the Shikon to save Kohaku's life once his Shikon shard is removed.

Kagome's soul is actually the reincarnation of Kikyo's soul, extracted and separated by Urasue when Kikyo was resurrected. Despite being dead, Kikyo retains all her houriki (spiritual powers) as a miko. Only her Hama no Ya (purifying arrows) are powerful enough to break Naraku's barriers. Because she is no longer flesh and blood, she does not die by Naraku attack but her body is gradually degraded by his shouki. She maintains an ambivalent relationship with Kagome throughout the series, as they are both in love with InuYasha. When she dies, she tells Kagome that she is leaving her younger counterpart to finish Naraku. Although she is initially hostile, her feelings gradually seem to move to jealousy and even admiration for Kagome.

In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Noriko Hidaka. In the English dub, she is voiced by Willow Johnson



Koga
Koga (鋼牙) is the young leader of the southern yōkai-wolf tribe, who wishes to avenge his fallen comrades who were slaughtered by Kagura, one of Naraku's minions. While brash and arrogant, he is shrewd enough to run from a fight if he thinks he cannot win. He had three Shikon jewel shards, one in each of his legs and one in his right arm, which gave him increased speed and strength. He soon lost the shard in his arm in his fight with Kagura after she slayed his companions and lost the other two in a fight with Naraku later in the manga. He is first battled by InuYasha, after allowing his pack to eat villagers, (including Sesshomaru's friend Rin) though Koga retreats after sensing that InuYasha would use his Wind Scar. Although he bickers with InuYasha constantly, one will help when the other is in danger. Koga courts Kagome, protects her whenever possible, and professes love to, which irritates InuYasha, though Kagome doesn't share his affections. Later, his entire pack, with the exception of Ginta and Hakkaku, are destroyed by Naraku. Koga vows to destroy Naraku after this he is joined by two young wolf demons in the manga who leave with Hakkakku and Ginta when he sends them away. After losing the jewel shards in his legs he leaves and disappears from the manga, but first he tells Kagome that she may leave InuYasha and come to him if she ever feels the need.

He once made a promise to Ayame that he would marry her when she came back down the mountain. He later forgets and then reneges on the promise not only because of his feelings for Kagome but also because he recognizes that he must first try to seek revenge on Naraku before he can move on with his life and that he might not return alive once that mission is complete.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Taiki Matsuno. In the English dub, he is voiced by Scott McNeil.

Ginta
Ginta (銀太) is one of Koga's followers. His hair is silver, with a dark blue piece in the center. He has mostly fur for his armor. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hiroyuki Yoshino. In the English dub, he is voiced by Paul Dobson.

Hakkaku
Hakkaku (白角) is also one of Koga's followers. He has a white mohawk, chain armor, and a fur hide. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Daisuke Kishio. In the English dub, he is voiced by Alistair Abell.

Ayame
Ayame (菖蒲) is a wolf girl in love with Koga. Long ago, during the night of the lunar rainbow, Koga made a promise to marry her. Yet he fails to fulfill his promise. When Ayame comes to get Koga, he states that he is going to marry Kagome. She has red hair that is always in two ponytails with an iris in it, and her eyes are green. Her clothing consists of white wolf fur draped over her shoulders, a necklace, and armor that is red and blue. She is only seen in the anime, and is not present in the manga. In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Yumi Kakazu. In the English dub, she is voiced by Natalie Walters.

The Great Dog Demon
The Great Dog Demon (犬の大将) was a powerful yōkai lord who was known throughout Japan. He fathered both Sesshomaru with another dog demon who appears in the manga and InuYasha with a human woman, Izayoi. He is never formally addressed with a name. The Great Dog Demon was first mentioned in chapter 12 of the manga, revealing that he was InuYasha's father and "a demon dog that prowled the lands of the west". Sesshomaru, the eldest son, was searching for the heirloom sword Tetsusaiga, which was supposed to be enshrined in his father's tomb. However, the gateway to the tomb had been hidden in a black pearl in InuYasha's right eye. The black pearl was a mystical gem that the Great Dog Demon obtained from Hosenki in order to create a path to where he hid his grave, in the boundary between the mortal world and the next. However, the origin of the pearl and the precise location of the grave were not revealed until much later in the story, chapters 298 and 297, respectively. Inu no Taishou's tomb was first depicted in chapter 15, and was in the form of an enormous dog skeleton adorned in a suit of armor. Myōga revealed that Inu no Taishou had died with a considerable number of years behind him, and that he was now displayed as his true form free of any transformation. Within the skeleton was entombed the sword Tetsusaiga, forged from the Great Dog Demon's own fang. However, the sword had a barrier on it that prevented any non-human that has malevolence towards humans from touching it, which prevented Sesshomaru from claiming the sword as his own. Tetsusaiga also had the property of being unable to unleash its true power unless it was done for the benefit of humans. Because of these qualities, it was InuYasha who inherited the sword rather than Sesshomaru, after Kagome had pulled the sword from its resting place. Its sheath has a barrier of its own that can protect the one holding it from almost any attack.

The Great Dog Demon's major foe in the manga was the dragon Ryūkotsusei. He could not completely kill Ryūkotsusei, and was only able to seal him to a cliff face with his claw before he died. The manga makes no mention of precisely how quickly the Great Dog Demon died following this altercation, but Myōga called the battle the "cause" of his death. In the third InuYasha film, InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, the Great Dog Demon survived long enough to save Izayoi and their newborn child InuYasha. He was still weak from his battle with Ryukotsusei, but put protecting the laboring Izayoi above all else and recklessly rushed into battle, which caused his demise. Another foe in the manga is the yōkai Shishinki. Shishinki was the originator of the Meidou Zangetsuha technique, which the Great Dog Demon stole from him using Tetsusaiga's ability to absorb a defeated enemy's powers. Shishinki was left for dead, having been dealt a blow that took off the entire left side of his head, but he survived and returned to challenge Sesshomaru later.

In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Akio Otsuka. In the English dub, he is voiced by Don Brown.

InuYasha's mother
InuYasha's mother, who is never named in the manga nor the anime adaptation, is primarily seen through flashbacks, as she was already dead at the start of the series. The daughter of a feudal lord, she is depicted as being a gentle, beautiful woman who loved InuYasha's father. She is also shown expressing sorrow for a young InuYasha over his being shunned by other children because of his half-demon status. Little is revealed about her family, age, or even how she died, with InuYasha only noting that she died "a long time ago" and that her manner of death "wasn't her fault." Upon her death, InuYasha was left with the Robe of the Fire Rat, which his father had given his mother to protect her on the night InuYasha was born, and a shell containing his mother's favorite lip coloring which he gave to Kikyo.

In the anime adaptation, she is voiced by Kikuko Inoue. In the English sub, she is voiced by Alaina Burnett. The third InuYasha film, InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, which is not directly based on the manga, gives InuYasha's mother the name Izayoi (十六夜). The film also creates a history for her, showing her being guarded in a castle by Setsuna no Takemaru and his samurai on the night of InuYasha's birth who wish to kill the Great Dog Demon, knowing he would come for her. Izayoi pleads with Takemaru to leave, knowing the Great Dog Demon would kill him, but Takemaru claims he loves her, then fatally stabs her in the chest with a spear. Before she dies, she is able to give birth to InuYasha. The Great Dog Demon, already injured by his battle with Ryūkotsusei, fights his way through Takemaru's men and the burning building to reach his dead lover and his newborn child. He uses the Tenseiga sword to save her life then covers her with the Robe of the Fire Rat and orders her to flee. Before she leaves, he names his son InuYasha. The Great Dog Demon remained behind to fight Takemaru to the death as Izayoi fled with their child.

Ryukotsusei
Ryukotsusei (竜骨精) is a giant dragon daiyōkai who fought InuYasha's father, the Great Dog Demon. Though he wasn't killed, Ryukotsusei was sealed away with one of his claws. However, the wounds the Great Dog Demon received from the battle caused him to die shortly after. Following Tōtōsai's explanation, InuYasha stubbornly went to fight Ryukotsusei so that Tetsusaiga, his sword, would become lighter and easier to use again. Myōga informs InuYasha that since the dragon is already sealed, all he must do is stab the dragon in the heart to kill it and "surpass his father". However, InuYasha complains that this is not his style and would prefer to fight the dragon head on. InuYasha has his wish fulfilled when Naraku removes his father's seal so that the dragon would awaken to destroy InuYasha. Ryukotsusei has an incredible armored hide that is nearly impenetrable and his power level is also high enough so that when he fired a blast from his mouth, Miroku's wind tunnel was unable to absorb the attack and only slightly changed its trajectory away from InuYasha. Ryukotsusei is ruthless and has a mask that exists on his forehead through which he speaks. His attack is Thunder Attack Bullet, a giant white ball of explosive energy, which he emits from his mouth, and could easily have defeated InuYasha if not for InuYasha learning Explosive Flowing Wave just in time to defeat the dragon.

Ryukotsusei is seen in the second ending, Fukai Mori, when Sesshomaru visits where he was sealed. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue. In the English dub, he is voiced by Trevor Devall.

Hakushin
Hakushin (白心上人) was once a great monk that helped people during a famine. When he became sick and was dying, the people buried him alive on an island called Hijiri so that he could become a "living Buddha". He was unable to give up his attachment to live to achieve full Buddha-hood. Naraku found him on Hijiri and revives him into a living mummy. Naraku convinces Hakushin that he hated those who buried him and to help him by erecting a barrier around Mount Hakurei that purifies every creature that has supernatural or demonic powers and prevents people from acting on impure or evil thoughts. The barrier causes InuYasha to change into his human form, prevents Miroku from groping women, slightly slows Sesshomaru's speed, and greatly weakens Kikyo. After hearing the story of Hakushin, Miroku and Sango search the mountain and find him, but are unable to convinces nor force him to remove the barrier. Hakushin later runs into Kikyo, who is able to persuade him to remove the barrier and pass on to death so he could find peace. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Fumio Matsuoka. In the English dub, he is voiced by Hiro Kanagawa.

Hosenki
Hosenki (宝仙鬼) is an oyster-demon who cultivates a variety of magical jewels. He created the black pearl in InuYasha's right eye that enabled Sesshomaru to travel to his father's grave and try to steal Tetsusaiga, the sword his father willed to InuYasha. Later in the series, InuYasha's group needs to travel to the nether world and seek out Hosenki, but learn he has died and his son, who shares his name, can not make the gems yet. They find another path to the world where they find the departed Hosenki sitting among the bone's of InuYasha's father's body. However, he had been corrupted by a corrupted shard of the Shikon Jewel and attacked InuYasha. After Naraku reclaimed his shard, Hosenki returned to normal and taught InuYasha how to use Tetsusaiga's Adamant Barrage attack. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Ryūzaburō Ōtomo. In the English dub, he is voiced by Dave Pettitt.

Jinenji
Jinenji (日暮草太) is a half-human, half-horse demon who lives in a hut with his human mother. Together they grow a variety of medicinal plants, including some known for being powerful against poisons. He is first seen when Kirara is poisoned by Naraku's shōki and Kagome and InuYasha travel to the village to find a cure. When they find him, they also help to clear his name as he was being falsely blamed for people's deaths in the village purely because of his demon blood. Jinenji is depicted as a gentle giant who is initially scared of humans because of the way the villagers treat him. Upon meeting Kagome, he is surprised to find that she is not frightened by his appearance at all and willingly helps him collect herbs. InuYasha, having also dealt with abuse at the hands of humans when he was a child, attempts to convince Jinenji that he needs to be more forceful towards the villagers, especially after he rescues them from a demon. In the end, Jinenji decides to continue his more gentle approach, giving the men injured during the demon attack the herbs they need to heal themselves. Like InuYasha, Jinenji becomes fully human one day a month. During one of these times, Rin visits his home searching for the same cure to heal Jaken, who was poisoned by the wasps while protecting her. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Hisao Egawa. In the English dub, he is voiced by Michael Dobson.

Magatsuhi
Magatsuhi (椿) is the hanyou yōkai who killed Midoriko and whose soul with whom she continuously battles inside the jewel. Like Naraku, Magatsuhi was created by a corrupt human who lusted after a priestess and allowed his body to be consumed by yōkai. However, unlike Naraku, who retains a humanoid form, Magatsuhi's true form is much more monstrous. Magatsuhi is first seen in manga chapter 89 as the mummified corpse of an unnamed but massive demon. Later in the manga, the demon's name is revealed to be Magatsuhi, and it is able to (temporarily) escape the jewel and create a humanoid body out of some of Naraku's spare parts. However, this body was soon destroyed by Sesshomaru and InuYasha. In chapter 555 in the manga, InuYasha saw Magatsuhi combating Midoriko inside the Shikon Jewel.

Magatsuhi states that if Kagome were to make a selfish wish on the Jewel, Kagome would replace Midoriko in the eternal fight and Naraku would replace Magatsuhi. InuYasha refuses to believe Magatsuhi, and proceeds to attack it in an attempt to reach Kagome. In the end he and Naraku were destroyed forever by InuYasha when he cuts the point of light in the darkness inside the Shikon Jewel with the Meidou Zangetsuha and arrives in the meidou outside the jewel to save Kagome. Then Kagome makes the right wish; the wish that would exterminate the jewel from the world forever; the wish for the Shikon no Tama to disappear. The jewel breaks; disappears, and InuYasha and Kagome are transported back to earthen ground.

Midoriko
Midoriko (翠子) is a shrine maiden of great spiritual power from many centuries before the Sengoku period. She had the power to destroy demons by purifying their souls, and was considered the most powerful living human alive in her time. During this time, Kirara was her companion. During a battle with a powerful group of demons, she tired and was unable to purify a fierce demon's soul that she had seized. As she neared death in battle, she thrust forth her soul from her body, and by taking and enveloping the souls of the demon with which she battled, the sacred jewel was formed. Her soul remained locked in battle with the yōkai's soul inside the Shikon Jewel until Naraku killed her with Magatsuhi's wish.

Mushin
Mushin (法師) is the lecherous monk who took care of young Miroku when his father died as a result of the Wind Tunnel curse. Miroku got his lecherous tendencies from his caretaker. Mushin was once possessed by a Urn Grub and almost killed Miroku. Mushin resides in a shrine next to the grave of Miroku's father. In the anime adaptation, he is voiced by Yuzuru Fujimoto. In the English dub, he is voiced by Alec Willows.

Tsubaki
Tsubaki (椿) is a dark shrine maiden who made a deal with a demon to retain her youth and beauty. In her youth, she was Kikyo's rival and sees her chance at revenge when she encounters Kagome. She met her end when Naraku lured her to do his bidding with the almost complete Shikon no Tama and she underestimated Kagome's abilities. She appeared in anime only episodes 60&mdash;64 as the Dark Priestess (暗い尼僧).