The third season of the anime series InuYasha aired in Japan on Animax from December 17, 2001 through August 12, 2002. Based on the manga series of the same title by Rumiko Takahashi, the anime was produced by Sunrise. The series follows a high school girl, Kagome Higurashi who travels back in time to the Sengoku period of Japan where she meets a half-demon named InuYasha and learns that she is the reincarnation of a powerful priestess named Kikyo. Joined by a lecherous monk, a young fox demon, a demon slayer, and a demon cat, the group seeks to find the fragments of the shattered Jewel of Four Souls, a powerful jewel that had been hidden inside Kagome's body, and keep the shards from being used for evil, including the evil half-demon Naraku who slew Kikyo fifty years before Kagome's arrival. The first season introduces the central characters and shows the group gathering together.
The anime is licensed for release in North America by Viz Media. The English dub of the third season was broadcast on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim programming block from May 8, 2004, through January 17, 2005.
The opening themes for this season were "I Am" by hitomi for episodes 55-64 and "Unending Dream" (Owari nai Yume) by Nanase Aikawa for episodes 64-82. The ending themes were "Dearest" by Ayumi Hamasaki for episodes 55-60 and "Every Heart" (Minna no Kimochi) by BoA for episodes 61-82.
Episode listing[]
| Ep# | Title | Original airdate | English airdate | Asia airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | The Stone Flower and Shippo's First Love "Ishi no Hana to Shippō no Hatsukoi" (石の花と七宝の初恋) |
December 17, 2001 | May 8, 2004 | ||
| Shippo falls in love with a young girl who believes her deceased older brother will return to her someday. | |||||
| 56 | Temptress in the Mist "Kiri no Oku ni Bijo no Yūwaku" (霧の奥に美女の誘惑) |
January 14, 2002 | May 15, 2004 | ||
| Miroku and Sango go off to defeat a beautiful demon luring away men from a village and stealing their youth. | |||||
| 57 | Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part I "Subete wa Tōgenkyō no Yoru ni (Zenpen)" (すべては桃源郷の夜に 前編) |
January 21, 2002 | May 22, 2004 | ||
| While Sango leaves to repair her Hiraikotsu, everyone else has an unfortunate encounter with Tokajin, a man who feeds a demonic peach tree human bodies after having fed it a Shikon Jewel shard. | |||||
| 58 | Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part II "Subete wa Tōgenkyō no Yoru ni (Kōhen)" (すべては桃源郷の夜に 後編) |
January 28, 2002 | May 29, 2004 | ||
| While Kagome, Miroku and Shippo are shrunken and trapped by Tokajin, the Peach Man, Inuyasha is unable to fight back because it is the night of the new moon. Kagome is restored to normal size and teams up with the human Inuyasha to save them all from Tokajin. | |||||
| 59 | The Beautiful Sister Apprentices "Bishōjo Shimai no Deshiiri Shigan" (美少女姉妹の弟子入り志願) |
February 4, 2002 | June 5, 2004 | ||
| Inuyasha and his friends wait for Sango, who has not returned. While her weapon is now fixed, she finds herself delayed by two sisters seeking to become her apprentices. But when the duo steal equipment for weapons that had yet to be purified, Sango ends up having to save the two from the hundreds of demons attracted by the demonic aura of the materials | |||||
| 60 | The 50 Year-Old Curse of the Dark Priestess "Kuro Miko Gojūnen no Noroi" (黒巫女 五十年の呪い) |
February 11, 2002 | June 12, 2004 | ||
| Naraku offers his Shikon Jewel fragment to Tsubaki, a dark priestess and rival of Kikyo, in exchange for cursing Kagome and using the girl to kill Inuyasha. | |||||
| 61 | Kikyo and the Dark Priestess "Arawareta Kikyō Shikigami Tsukai" (現れた桔梗と式神使い) |
February 18, 2002 | June 19, 2004 | ||
| Having successfully cursed Kagome, Tsubaki uses her to kill Inuyasha, but is interrupted by Kikyo, who warns her former nemesis not to underestimate her reincarnation and that she will kill Tsubaki if she dares to harm Inuyasha. | |||||
| 62 | Tsubaki's Unrelenting Evil Spell "Sokoshirene Tsubaki no Jubaku" (底知れぬ椿の呪縛) |
March 4, 2002 | June 26, 2004 | ||
| Kagome struggles to break Tsubaki's curse, while dreaming of her life if she had never fallen into the Bone Eater's Well and met Inuyasha. Tsubaki is defeated as Kagome reflects Tsubaki's attack back at her exactly as Kikyo did fifty years ago. | |||||
| 63 | The Red and White Priestesses "Ikute o Habamu Kōhaku Miko" (行く手を阻む紅白巫女) |
March 11, 2002 | July 3, 2004 | ||
| As Tsubaki flees with her fragment of the Shikon Jewel, she returns to the shrine where she once trained and tricks Momiji and Botan, two young priestesses, into believing Inuyasha and his friends are their enemies. | |||||
| 64 | Giant Ogre of the Forbidden Tower "Tahōtō no Kyodai na Oni" (多宝塔の巨大な鬼) |
March 18, 2002 | July 10, 2004 | ||
| While Miroku and Shippo convince priestesses Botan and Momiji that they are not enemies, Tsubaki frees an oni from a tower and absorbs it to gain the power to defeat Kagome and Inuyasha. The defeated priestess loses her eternal beauty and youth when Naraku decides he wants his fragment of the Shikon Jewel back. | |||||
| 65 | Farewell, Days of My Youth "Saraba Seishun no Hibi" (さらば青春の日々) |
April 8, 2002 | July 17, 2004 | ||
| Odd things happen when Myoga the flea returns; Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha are all possessed one after another and act strangely. Little do they know, another flea is responsible - Shoga, who intends to marry Myoga. | |||||
| 66 | Naraku's Barrier - Kagura's Decision "Naraku no Kekkai Kagura no Kesshin" (奈落の結界 神楽の決心) |
April 15, 2002 | July 24, 2004 | ||
| Naraku's barrier is mysteriously weakened, which allows Koga and Inuyasha finally to detect the demon by scent. Meanwhile, Kagura must decide whether or not she should betray her master after she acquires Koga's shards. | |||||
| 67 | The Howling Wind of Betrayal "Fukiareru Uragiri no Kaze" (吹き荒れる裏切りの風) |
April 22, 2002 | July 31, 2004 | ||
| Kagura discovers that Inuyasha will change into a human during the new moon, but decides to keep it to herself when Naraku, who is undergoing a horrifying transformation of his own, threatens her life again. | |||||
| 68 | Shippo Receives an Angry Challenge "Shippō e Ikari no Chosenjō" (七宝へ怒りの挑戦状) |
May 6, 2002 | August 7, 2004 | ||
| The younger sister of the Thunder Brothers, Soten, decides she wants to fight Shippo, whom she blames for the deaths of her brothers. | |||||
| 69 | Terror of the Faceless Man "Kao no Nai Otoko no Kyōfu" (顔のない男の恐怖) |
May 13, 2002 | August 14, 2004 | ||
| Naraku decides to expel Onigumo from within him for good, but it unexpectedly takes on a life of its own as another incarnation. The incarnation steals the face and name of a monk named Musou and wreaks havoc across the countryside, uncertain of his true desires until he sees Kagome's face. | |||||
| 70 | Onigumo's Memory Restored "Yomigaetta Onigumo no Kioku" (よみがえった鬼蜘蛛の記憶) |
May 20, 2002 | August 21, 2004 | ||
| Inuyasha slices Muso to pieces, but worries about Kagome's safety as she and Kaede investigate Onigumo's cave again while Muso slowly reconstitutes himself. Meanwhile, Naraku decides to pay Kikyo a visit. | |||||
| 71 | Three-Sided Battle to the Death "Mitsudomoe no Shitō no Hate" (三つ巴の死闘の果て) |
May 27, 2002 | August 28, 2004 | ||
| Muso continues to regenerate himself each time Inuyasha destroys him. Naraku discovers that while he can bring himself to kill Kikyo, he is weak without Onigumo's presence within him and sets off to reabsorb Muso. When Inuyasha finally finds them both, Naraku reveals a startling secret about himself. | |||||
| 72 | Totosai's Rigid Training "Tōtōsai no Kimyō na Shiren" (刀々斎の珍妙な試練) |
June 3, 2002 | September 4, 2004 | ||
| Inuyasha decides to visit Totosai in hopes of finding a method to break Naraku's barriers. He and a young lynx demon, Bunza, end up teaming up to beat a stick-insect demon destroying Bunza's village as a method of training. | |||||
| 73 | Shiori's Family and InuYasha's Feelings "Shiori Ayako to Aitsu no Kimochi" (紫織母子とアイツの気持ち) |
June 10, 2002 | September 11, 2004 | ||
| Myoga offers Inuyasha a method so that he can gain the power to break barriers, which involves defeating and absorbing the blood of a bat demon known for creating impenetrable barriers. Unfortunately, the task requires killing Shiori, an innocent child and half-demon like Inuyasha. | |||||
| 74 | The Red Tetsusaiga Breaks the Barrier "Kekkai Yaburu Akai Tetsusaiga" (結界破る赤い鉄砕牙) |
June 17, 2002 | September 18, 2004 | ||
| Taigokumaru, Shiori's grandfather and the leader of the bat demons, continues to use Shiori's powers to protect himself while destroying Shiori's village. When Shiori discovers Taigokumaru is responsible for her father's death, she provides Inuyasha the means to destroy her grandfather and the ability to break barriers. | |||||
| 75 | The Plot of the Panther Devas "Hyōneko Shitennō no Inobu" (豹猫四天王の陰謀) |
June 24, 2002 | September 25, 2004 | ||
| A group of panther demons come after Kagome for her Shikon Jewel shards, but seem more interested in attacking Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Seeking revenge for the defeat of their master at the hands of Inuyasha and Sessohmaru's father, they kidnap Kagome. | |||||
| 76 | Target: Sesshomaru and InuYasha "Tāgetto wa Sesshōmaru to InuYasha" (標的は殺生丸と犬夜叉!) |
July 1, 2002 | October 2, 2004 | ||
| Inuyasha breaks into the Panther demon's barrier using Tetsusaiga's new ability. After Myoga reveals why the demons are seeking revenge, everyone splits up to confront the devas separately. | |||||
| 77 | The Panther Tribe and the Two Swords of the Fang "Hyōnekozoku to Futatsu no Kiba no Ken" (豹猫族とふたつの牙の剣) |
July 8, 2002 | October 9, 2004 | ||
| To resurrect their master, the Panther demons have captured entire villages to sacrifice. However, when the master is revived, he unexpectedly kills three of them to return to life and Inuyasha and Sesshomaru end up working together to defeat the Panther demon leader. | |||||
| 78 | Only You, Sango "Sango Mezashite, Onrī Yū" (珊瑚目指してオンリーユー) |
July 15, 2002 | October 16, 2004 | ||
| Sango meets an acquaintance from the past, who asks that she defeat a bear demon haunting his castle and proposes to marry her. | |||||
| 79 | Jaken's Plan to Steal Tetsusaiga "Jaken no Tetsusaiga bun Torisakusen" (邪見の鉄砕牙ブン取り作戦) |
July 22, 2002 | January 10, 2005 | ||
| To prove his worth to Sesshomaru, Jaken decides to steal the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha. After many failed attempts, he and Rin manage to acquire the sword, but are forced to abandon Jaken's attempt entirely when Rin is kidnapped by Kagura. | |||||
| 80 | Sesshomaru and the Abducted Rin "Sesshōmaru to Sarawareta Rin" (殺生丸とさらわれたりん) |
July 29, 2002 | January 11, 2005 | ||
| Naraku threatens Sesshomaru with Rin's safety unless Sesshomaru kills Inuyasha, an ultimatum Sesshomaru ignores. Inuyasha ends up fighting Kagura, who is only putting on a show for Naraku, whom she wants Inuyasha to kill. Kagome and the others pursue another Shikon shard, likely the one embedded in Kohaku, who is guarding Rin. | |||||
| 81 | Vanishing Point: Naraku Disappears "Broken, The Whereabouts of Naraku // Tachikireru Naraku no Yukue" (断ち切れる奈落の行方) |
August 5, 2002 | January 12, 2005 | ||
| Naraku is forced to fight both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, who work together to seriously wound Naraku until their sibling rivalry gets the better of them. The fight is halted when Naraku remotely orders Kohaku to kill Rin before vanishing, which forces Sesshomaru to leave and save the girl's life. | |||||
| 82 | Gap Between the Ages "The Interval between Present Day and the Warring Age // Gendai to Sengoku no Hazama" (現代と戦国のはざま) |
August 12, 2002 | January 17, 2005 | ||
| While Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango investigate Naraku's abandoned castle with disappointment, Kagome must study for an upcoming test in her own time. Inuyasha becomes impatient and heads to the present to take her back to the past. Chaos ensues as Kagome struggles to catch up with her studies and Inuyasha tries to adjust to the 21st century. | |||||
References[]
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