iklostindreams

Growing up, Inuyasha had a difficult childhood. Being half human and half demon, he was ostracized from both worlds, never finding a place to fit in as a child. His father, a great dog demon lord, died when Inuyasha was born while his mother passed away early in his childhood. Although he has a half-brother, the full demon Sesshomaru, the two had a bad relationship due to Sesshomaru's distaste for Inuyasha's mixed heritage.

The rest of his early life was lonesome and isolated until he met the priestess Kikyo. Although they should have been enemies, the two slowly fell in love until the tragic day that Naraku pitted them against one another. Believing Inuyasha had betrayed her, Kikyo sealed Inuyasha to a tree with a magical arrow. Kikyo died, and Inuyasha slept undisturbed for fifty years until Kagome arrived and set him free.

Initially Inuyasha could not stand Kagome, due to her strong resembalance to Kikyo. To counter this, the magical Beads of Subjugation were placed around Inuyasha neck, forcing him to the ground whenever Kagome shouts "Sit!" The pair slowly grow close as Inuyasha journeys to find the scattered pieces of the Shikon Jewel, but when Kikyo returns to life Inuyasha begins to doubt his feelings for Kagome.

Due to his mixed parentage, Inuyasha also has to contend with an unusual affliction. Each month during the new moon Inuyasha looses his powers and turns into a human. This is when he is most vulnerable, and only his closest companions are aware of the time of his transformation. Another concern is when his demonic blood overtakes him, causing him to transform into a full demon. During this state Inuyasha is uncontrollable to such an extent that he attacks friend and foe alike.

Over the course of Inuyasha's travels he learns that it was Naraku who engineered his feud with Kikyo. With his sword Tetsusaiga in hand, Inuyasha's mission has gone beyond merely collecting the jewel shards, but getting revenge against Naraku for his evil acts. Initially Inuyasha wanted to use the completed Shikon Jewel to become a full-blooded demon, but he now has reservations for what that decision may bring.

Kagome Higurashi is an average 15 year old schoolgirl whose biggest worries seemed to be whether or not her handsome classmate Hojo liked her, and ensuring that she passes her exams in order to continue on to high school next year. All of this changes when Kagome takes a fateful plunge down a dry well on her family's property.

After falling through the well, Kagome finds herself in the Warring States Era of feudal Japan. Scared and alone, Kagome is attacked by demons who are seeking the Shikon Jewel inside her stomach. Kagome soon learns that she is the spitting image of a miko that once lived in a nearby village named Kikyo. This woman fell in love with Inuyasha, a half demon, before she was murdered by Naraku after believing she was betrayed by Inuyasha. It is Kagome that frees Inuyasha after finding him pinned to a tree with by an enchanted arrow.

Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship gets off to a very rough start. Kagome reminds Inuyasha of Kikyo, the woman that cast the spell on him, and with whom he was in love. Later, much to Kagome's surprise, everyone learns that she is in fact the reincarnation of Kikyo. Throughout their adventures, the two become closer, but once Kikyo is resurrected by Urasue, their relationship falters while Inuyasha tries to sort out his feelings for Kikyo. Kagome is often frustrated by Inuyasha's fickleness, which has often caused a rift in their otherwise close relationship. Kagome is one of the only people that can check Inuyasha's ego when he gets carried away. Thanks to a magical rosary around his neck, Kagome is able to force him to the ground by shouting "sit!"

Initially Kagome is rather helpless in combat, and it is her stray arrow that strikes the Shikon Jewel and causes it to shatter. However, she quickly improves her archery skills and becomes an important asset to the team on the battlefield. She is able to endow her arrows with an immense spiritual power that purifies demons out of existence, as well as clearing Naraku's poisonous miasma. Kagome also makes use of her abilities to return to modern Tokyo, and brings back bandages and antiseptics to treat the wounds suffered by her friends in battle.

Although Kagome's relationship with Inuyasha has its ups and downs, she remains very close with her other travelling compansions- particularly Sango. Kagome tries her best to encourage Sango and Miroku's budding romance, and shares in Sango's frustration over Miroku's wandering eye. Her interations with Kikyo, her rival for Inuyasha's affections is very strained. Kagome has tried to be civil towards her, but Kikyo's icy demeanor has ensured the two remain distant.

Upon the death of his father, Shippo the kitsune is alone in the world. With no one to take care of him and no friends to turn to Shippo does the only thing he feels is left, avenging his father's death. It is most appropriate then that the fox meets two people who would change his life forever in the middle of a battlefield.

Shippo is a fox also known as a kitsune. Legends of kitsune often portray them as a tricksters who are capable of using magic to disguise themselves. Shippo is no different as he has the ability to change his shape, which he uses to deceive and confuse. He has used this power to become everything from a bow to a skull. In the direst situations when Shippo has no choice but to stand his ground and fight he depends on his foxfire to attack opponents.

Even though he comes across as a bit of a brat, Shippo is really a very kind person, and is at an age when he is experiencing the pangs of first love. With every village the group visits, Shippo explores and finds a cute girl to befriend, often falling in love with her much too fast. His kindhearted personality is especially evident when it comes to Kagome. He feels very protective of her because of all she did to help him after his father died. His fierce loyalty to Kagome ensures that he will always take her side in an argument with Inuyasha, especially when the topic is the half-demon's feelings for Kikyo.

Even though Shippo and Inuyasha are constantly arguing or putting down one another deep down there is a grudging respect that exists between the pair and their relationship is best described as that of older and younger brothers. Shippo often feels it is his place to remind Inuyasha that he is not all-powerful and usually receives a punch to the head for his trouble. When his friends lives are in danger Shippo overcomes his nerves and finds the bravery that allowed him to confront his father's murderers.

Miroku is an easygoing yet lustful Buddhist monk who is first encountered as he steals Kagome's bicycle and attempts to gain her Shikon fragments. Things are quickly resolved and Miroku decides to travel with the trio. It is Miroku who first mentions the name Naraku to Inuyasha. Miroku searches not only for the Shikon shards, but for the demon who cursed his family two generations ago. After the death of Kikyo and the imprisonment of Inuyasha Miroku's grandfather sought out Naraku and attempted to destroy the demon. Naraku escaped by transforming himself into a courtesan, and just like Miroku, his grandfather was quite fond of the fairer sex. Naraku pierced his grandfather's hand, beginning a curse which has been passed down through the generations of Miroku's family ever since. The cut in his grandfather's hand opened up a Wind Tunnel which is passed down from father to son, widening each year until it eventually consumes its bearer. The only way to break the curse is to kill Naraku. Miroku has found advantages to his curse, and uses the Wind Tunnel as a vortex that pulls in anything in its path.

After the death of his father to the Wind Tunnel, Miroku was raised in the monastery by an elder monk named Mushin. Mushin became a surrogate father to Miroku and began the boy's spiritual training. He also encouraged Miroku's more base instincts and less than holy behavior. Growing up, Miroku befriended Hachiemon, shape changing tanuki. Hachie is often complicit in Miroku's bad conduct.

Miroku has been known to do some less than holy acts in order to rest comfortably on his journeys and most of his good deeds are performed for the sake of women, money or lodgings. He is not above pretending to exorcise nonexistent spirits in exchange for a hearty meal or a place to sleep. Miroku is an incredible flirt and often asks any passing woman to bear his children. He uses the story of his curse as an excuse to sleep with women in hopes that any children that he may father will exact revenge against Naraku should his Wind Tunnel consume him before he completes his holy mission.

Upon meeting Sango, the two begin to feel an attraction toward one another. Miroku is unaware of Sango's feelings at first and continues to flirt with other women in front of her. Later when her emotions become known, Miroku openly returns her affections, but finds that it is impossible for him to give up the hope of sleeping with as many women as possible. Sometimes Miroku's amorous behavior overwhelms him and he cannot resist the urge to grope the nearest female bottom. This often gets him a slap in the face from Sango.

Hailing from the Demon Slayer's Village, Sango is the oldest child of the village headman. She is a master of the giant bone boomerang Hiraikotsu, and she spent her days raising her twin-tailed cat demon, Kirara. Her life was relatively peaceful and happy until the night she, her father, and two other slayers were summoned to Lord Hitomi's castle. Joining Sango was her little brother Kohaku on what would be his first mission as a demon slayer. The extermination went well until a small spider landed on Kohaku, taking contol of the boy and forcing him to murder his father, sister, and the two other slayers. Kohaku was promptly killed by the castle guards, and they were all buried in the garden after a seemingly routine mission went horribly awry.

Although Sango was unconcious, she was not dead. She dug her way out of her shallow grave, and was allowed to convelese at the castle under the watchful eye of Lord Kagewaki Hitomi, who was actually Naraku in disguise. Naraku had lured Sango and the other top slayers away in order to destroy their village to ensure they never posed a threat to him. Initially Naraku tricks Sango into believing that Inuyasha wrecked her village, but it soon becomes clear that he was innocent of the charges. Sango joins up with Inuyasha and his compatriots, but soon comes to a heartbreaking realization.

Naraku has resurrected Kohaku sustaining him with a Shikon shard stuck in his back. Sango constantly wrestles with the decision of whether or not to kill her brother in order to let him rest in peace, but Inuyasha refuses to allow her to end the boy's life.

During Sango's travels, she soon finds herself with feelings for the lustful Buddhist monk, Miroku. He loves to fondle Sango's bottom, much to her disgust, but after almost losing Sango to a giant salamander demon, Miroku vows to settle down with her after they have completed their search for the jewel shards and Naraku is defeated.

Kikyo is no ordinary miko, she posesses great spiritual powers which she utilizes in her role as protector of the Shikon Jewel. The Shikon Jewel was sought by demons who sought to augment their own abilities with its mystical energies.

It would be the most persistent of those demons that would change Kikyo's life forever. Inuyasha sought the power of the Shikon Jewel for himself, and for some reason, when he tried to obtain it, Kikyo showed mercy by sparing his life. Inuyasha didn't give up, and soon began to watch the miko from afar. The two saw themselves reflected in each other, they both had hidden their humanity behind facades of strength. When Inuyasha revealed his vulnerable side to her, Kikyo had a realization, if he were to use the Shikon Jewel to become fully human instead of a complete demon, the jewel would be purified and destroyed. If that happened she would be free of her obligation to guard it and she could pursue her dream of living the life of a normal woman. Kikyo had fallen in love with Inuyasha, and he loved her as well. They decided to go through with their plan, but fate intervened.

Naraku disguised himself as Inuyasha and attacked Kikyo, stealing the Shikon Jewel. He posed as Kikyo and attacked Inuyasha as well, pitting the two lovers against each other. Enraged by Inuyasha's apparent betrayal and subsequent attack on the village, a mortally wounded Kikyo gathered enough strength for one final confrontation. She used an arrow to seal Inuyasha to a tree, where he would remain for fifty years. With Inuyasha sealed, Kikyo succumbed to her injury and died. Her body held the Shikon Jewel as she was cremated, taking the Jewel with her into the next world.

Or so it was believed. The Shikon Jewel resurfaced fifty years later with the appearance of Kagome. Soon Kikyo was resurrected by Urasue in hopes that she could use the miko's powers for her own evil purposes. Kikyo was brought back to life with only her hatred for Inuyasha intact. She still believed that Inuyasha had caused her death and hated him for it. Because her soul was reincarnated within Kagome, Kikyo is incomplete. She depends on Soul Collectors to gather the spirits of the recently deceased. Kikyo feasts on these souls in order to stay alive and continue her quest to recreate the Shikon Jewel.

As she searched for Shikon shards, Kikyo wandered into various villages. Only here would she allow her old self to shine though, she tended to villagers and children, doing her best to offer help where she could. In her wanderings she learned of Mount Hakurei, and suspected that Naraku, who was thought to be dead at the time, may in fact be there. In a battle on Mount Hakurei, Kikyo was impaled by Naraku and cast off the side of the mountain. Near death, Kikyo actually created a double of herself from soil while she tried to recover from Naraku's poison. Even though an encounter with Kagome renewed her strength, Kikyo still retained a scar from Naraku's tentacle. It was only through the intervention of Midoriko, the creator of the Shikon Jewel, that she finally became whole again.

But with this gift of life came a price. Kikyo was now indebted to follow Midoriko's will and recreate the whole Shikon Jewel within Naraku, in a dangerous plot to purify the jewel while in the demon's posession.

Kikyo has recruited both Kohaku and Koga, who both have the final three shards of the Jewel in order to help her with her plan. Although she has told neither about the sacrifices they will have to make.

Naraku is the manipulative villain of this piece. He is the ultimate evil, born from a human's petty jealousies and lusts, merged with the bodies of demons to form an unyielding being of hate. Naraku began his life as a simple human bandit named Onigumo. Onigumo was severely injured, leaving him badly burned and paralyzed. Soon he fell into Kikyo's care, and began to covet her attentions. Once Onigumo realized that Kikyo was in love with Inuyasha, he made a vow to surrender his soul to demons in order to regain his mobility in hopes of claiming Kikyo for himself.

Onigumo was misled however, and upon merging with the demons Naraku was born and Onigumo's persona was silenced. Using his newfound powers, Naraku was able to alter his appearance and tricked the lovers into betraying their trust in each other. Naraku pitted Inuyasha and Kikyo against one another in order to corrupt the Shikon Jewel Kikyo was entrusted to protect, however Kikyo took the jewel with her in death, and Naraku was left to wander aimlessly for fifty years.

During this time Naraku encountered a persistent monk who attempted to exorcise him. Using his abilities to change his appearance, he assumed the guise of a courtesan and stabbed the monk in his right hand. This created the Wind Tunnel, a curse which was passed from generation to generation until it was passed to Miroku.

With the arrival of Kagome the Shikon Jewel reappears, and Naraku resumes his search to capture the jewel and gain its power. During the course of his quest he comes into conflict with Inuyasha and his companions, and seeks to modify his own power. Initially he assumes the appearance of Kagewaki Hitomi, the son of a local lord, and uses his position to complicate the lives of the Inuyasha and his friends. As Naraku gains more shards, his powers increase to the point where he can create incarnations of himself, such as Kagura, Kanna and Byakuya. These incarnations are like his children, separate beings with their own unique personalities and varying degrees of loyalty to their "father".

Eventually Naraku is overwhelmed by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, leaving him near death. At this time he flees to the safety of Mount Hakurei, where he begins the process of reinventing himself. As a half-demon Naraku, like Inuyasha, has periods of time where he loses his powers. Unlike Inuyasha however, Naraku can control when this happens and is able to break his body down into all its various demonic components. He then filters out what is weak or unnecessary and retains only the most powerful aspects. Naraku uses this time to filter out his human heart and with it any lingering affection for Kikyo.

With his body constantly undergoing revisions and the addition of more Shikon shards, Naraku continues to gain power, eventually becoming a demon nearly unrecognizable from his humble beginnings.

Sesshomaru is the aristocratic half-brother of Inuyasha. He is often silent, and allows his actions to speak for him. Unlike his half-brother, Sesshomaru is a full-blooded demon, and his powers are much more developed than those of his young sibling. The white-haired demon is projects a cold exterior to all those around him, as he rarely does anything unless his actions will benefit himself.

Initially Sesshomaru is obsessed with retrieving Tetsusaiga, the sword made from his father's fang that was bequeathed to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru looks down upon his half-brother because of his impure lineage, and believes the Tetsusaiga is too fine a blade for his unworthy sibling. Sesshomaru discovers that regardless of his greater skill with the sword, his father has ensured that he will never be able to use it. In fact, no full-blooded demon would ever be able to touch the blade- therefore only Inuyasha can wield the powerful Tetsusaiga. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's battle over the Tetsusaiga lead to the loss of Sesshomaru's left arm.

Sesshomaru was instead given the Tenseiga, a sword incapable of harming anyone. Instead the sword is able to revive the recently deceased. Though Sesshomaru rarely makes use of it, Tenseiga has forced him to show a slightly more compassionate side, a side which began to grow after he took in the human orphan girl Rin. Although Sesshomaru remains a cold, self-absorbed individual, he slowly develops a sense of compassion for his human charge. Instead of developing his skill with Tenseiga, Sesshomaru instead makes use of Tokijin, an evil sword made from the teeth of the demon Goshinki. While the blade serves him well it is eventually shattered during a battle with Moryomaru. As Sesshomaru begins to show more compassion and drifts away from acting only in his own interests and using his tainted Tokijin. After seeing that Sesshomaru has learned about compassion Totosai the swordsmith agress to reforge Tenseiga. Tenseiga is transformed into a killing blade capable of opening powerful vortexes into a dark void, as Totosai now has faith that Sesshomaru will wield the sword responsibly.

Prior to meeting Rin, Sesshomaru's only companion was Jaken, the small demon who worked as his underling. Although Sesshomaru seems indifferent and abusive towards the imp, he has shown that he does care about the creature when he revived him from the dead using his Tenseiga.

Sesshomaru is eventually drawn into Inuyasha's battle with Naraku when Rin is kidnapped and used as leverage to make Sesshomaru kill his half-brother. Sesshomaru instead decides to slaughter Naraku. He nearly does, but the demon escapes. In all his battles against Naraku, Sesshomaru is the essence of grace under pressure and makes every battle look easy. He rarely looses his cool, but when he does he becomes unstoppable. Only once has he revealed his true form, a huge white dog, and that was during his battle with Inuyasha over the Tetsusaiga.

The brash leader of the Eastern Demon Wolf tribe, Koga is a demon that resembles as human and leads his pack of wolves on murderous raids of villages in the area. Living life as a brigand, hunting for food and killing any humans that get in his way, Koga is content with his place in life and the responsibilities he has as leader of his pack. When the Shikon Jewel is shattered by Kagome, the shards fly across the countryside to be found by demons who crave their power. Koga quickly realizes the power he can attain by using the shards and begins to search for them, eventually gaining control of three shards, which he places in his arm and both legs.

Koga's lust for power leaves him unsatisfied with the reward of controlling three shards. His desire leads his tribe into conflict with the Birds of Paradise, a nearby group of grotesque harpy demons. In the battle that ensues, Koga's tribe is dealt many casualties. Koga realizes that he must be able to locate the rival demon's shards in order to kill them, and so he kidnaps Kagome for her ability to trace the jewel fragments. In the course of kidnapping her Koga falls in love with Kagome and vows to keep her as his wife. This love affair continues to be one-sided and creates a rivalry between Koga and Inuyasha.

After the battle with the Birds of Paradise Koga is ready to rest, but his tribe is excited about their recent victory and crave another battle. Koga refuses to accompany them, and because of this they are executed by Kagura as they raid Kagewaki's castle. By the time Koga arrives to avenge them, he is quickly dispatched by the powerful winds that Kagura controls. With the entire Eastern clan save for two loyal companions, Ginta and Hakkaku, wiped out Koga begins his life a nomad. In his search for Naraku, Koga gains a powerful weapon, the Goraishi. Bestowed upon him the spirits of the powerful Wolf Demon Tribe elders, the claws enhance Koga's power tremendously.

Koga swears revenge against Kagura and vows to hunt her down and by association seeks revenge against Naraku as well. Koga's guilt over the loss of his clan leads him to become overly protective of other wolves he encounters in his travels. His protection of the Northern tribe's elder leads him into battle with Kyokotsu and the Band of Seven, while his loyalty to Kai and Shinta forces him into an almost hopeless battle with Moryomaru, which costs him the protection of the spirits that bestowed the Goriashi upon him. Koga's impulsive nature has cost him his tribe, his protection and in the end may very well cost him his life.

Myoga, a flea demon, was one the most loyal retainers of Inuyasha's father. After the great dog demon's death Myoga disappeared for many decades. He was absent from Inuyasha's life as he grew up, and only rediscovered the half-demon after Inuyasha was revived from his fifty year slumber. This is not unusual for Myoga, who is not the most courageous or competent of servants. After Inuyasha was revived, Myoga resumed his duties and began serving Inuyasha as an advisor on his quest to locate the missing Shikon Jewel shards.

At the first hint of danger Myoga often disappears for long stretches of time. When away from Inuyasha, Myoga is most often found with Totosai, another old friend of Inuyasha's father. Though the flea demon is cowardly, he is extremely knowledgeable about ancient demons and the long forgotten locations of mystical items. Though he rarely stays long enough to ensure Inuyasha follows his advice, his limited assistance is often invaluable.

Unlike Sesshomaru's servant, Jaken, Myoga rarely gets involved in any sort of physical battles. He often gets crushed by someone assuming he is a regular bug. One of the few abilities he has ever shown is a capacity to remove poison from peoples' bodies. After sucking a large amount of blood Myoga blows up to a larger size and is often seen rolling around on the ground.

Although you wouldn't know it from her appearance, Kaede is the younger sister of Kikyo. When she was young Kaede could often be found tagging alongside her older sister, admiring the respect she garnered as a powerful miko. After Kikyo's death Kaede took up the life of a priestess and became the respected elder in the same village she and Kikyo grew up in. In the same battle that cost Kikyo her life, Kaede suffered a major injury which cost her right eye.

With Kagome's arrival in the Feudal Era and Inuyasha's release from the Goshinboku, Kaede found herself dealing not only with the reincarnation of Kikyo, but the demon that she believed murdered her sister. Kaede insured that Inuyasha would be unable to hurt anyone again by enchanting the beads he wears around his neck. Once it is revealed that Naraku manipulated Kikyo and Inuyasha, Kaede became more at ease with the half demon that she initially had great reason to distrust.

With the scattering of the Shikon Jewel, Kaede gives Inuyasha and Kagome their mission of seeking out the shards and reforming the jewel. She is often looked at as an advisor, offering suggestions on the location of various powerful items and histories of local demons.

While Kaede's life was filled with tragedy at an early age, she was to experience yet another horrific episode when the witch Urasue resurrected Kikyo. Kaede was distraught over the rebirth of her sister, knowing that she was a being sustained only by the souls of others, but conflicted over the love she had for her. At first Kaede alone seemed to be spared from Kikyo's vengenance and the two sisters were able to briefly reunite. Kaede knows that her sister must be allowed to rest once more but does not take an active role in searching for Kikyo and returning her to the afterlife.

Kagura of the Wind is the second of Naraku's aspects, beings created from his own body using the power gained from the Shikon Jewel shards. Because Kagura is the second demon birthed from Naraku she is the younger sister of the diminutive Kanna. Upon first encountering Kagura, Inuyasha believes her to actually be Naraku due to their identical scent and Naraku's ability to alter his appearance. Miroku has an interesting first meeting with her as well, while admiring her beauty, he forgoes his usual proposition of mating and vows only to do battle with her.

Kagura immediately makes an enemy of Koga when she lures his tribe to Naraku's castle only to slaughter them brutally. He seeks revenge against Kagura for the death of his comrades, but her wind abilities have kept her out of his reach during their numerous battles.

Kagura's personality is very different than that of Naraku's other aspects, and she quickly shows a growing desire for independence from Naraku and his plot to gather the Shikon Jewel shards. Naraku keeps Kagura under his influence by retaining her heart within his body. After trying to take Koga's Shikon shards for herself, Naraku threatens to crush her heart. After learning this, Kagura spends the rest of her life trying to find a way to break Naraku's hold over her. This leads her to attempt to pit Sesshomaru against Naraku, as Kagura believes only Sesshomaru is powerful enough to destroy her master. At various times Kagura shows a genuine respect for Sesshomaru that goes beyond her desire for his help in freeing her from Naraku's machinations.

After being punished by Naraku the first time, Kagura becomes more secretive in her desire for freedom. She shares her hatred of Naraku with only one other member of his group, the hypnotized demon-slayer Kohaku. Naraku often teams Kagura and Kohaku together, and she eventually develops an almost sisterly affection for the boy, mirroring that of his real sister Sango.

Kagura's deep desire to be free from Naraku has made her increasingly reckless. She is placed in charge of Hakudoshi, another of Naraku's aspects who also proves to have a rebellious streak. After dealing with Hakudoshi's betrayal Naraku's attentions soon turn to Kagura, whose heart he still holds in the palm of his hand.

Kanna, the oldest of Naraku's offspring, resembles a small child of pure white. Kanna is actually something of a void given personification. She has no color, no scent, no emotions and no self control. She always does exactly as instructed by Naraku and never questions his orders.

Kanna is never seen without her mirror. The mirror functions as a vessel for containing the souls of anyone unfortunate enough to see their reflection in it. Once Kanna has captured a soul, the victim's body becomes a puppet under her control. Before Naraku was able to generate powerful barriers, Kanna also used her mirror to deflect Inuyasha's Wind Scar. One of the few times Kanna has shown any concern is when she attempted to absorb Kagome's soul. The soul proved to be unusually large and Kanna's mirror cracked under the strain.

Kanna seems to be the favorite of Naraku's creations. He takes special care to keep her out of harms way, while placing Kagura in deliberately dangerous situations. One of Kanna's most important missions was overseeing the safety of the Infant after he divided from Hakudoshi. She was charged with placing the child in the care of a noblewoman alongside Kohaku, and ensuring the Infant's safety.

Because of her unwaivering loyalty to Naraku, it comes as a shock when she betrayed him in order to help Moryomaru. Not surprisingly her betrayal is revealed to be an elaborate ruse to lure Moryomaru into Naraku's clutches so he can regain his heart. After this Kanna disappears once more as she often does, waiting in the wings until she can be of service again.

Kohaku is the younger brother of Sango, and a recent inductee into the life of a demon slayer. On his first mission to destroy a spider demon at the castle of the Hitomi clan, Kohaku's mind is taken over by a spider demon and he is forced to kill his father and two other demon slayers. He plunges his sickle and chain deep into his sister's back, intending to kill her, but she survives. Kohaku is not so lucky, as he dies from a volley of arrows fired into his back by the castle guards.

Kohaku is brought back from the dead thanks to a shard of the Shikon Jewel implanted into his back by the castle lord, secretly Naraku in disguise. From the time he is awakened, Kohaku has no memory of his past, he is simply a blank slate ready to serve Naraku. Often Naraku commands him to do things that will force his sister to kill him, such as murdering innocent people or helping Kagura and Kanna carry out their missions.

When Naraku is forced to relocated his castle he abandons Kohaku. Wandering alone but without any memory of who he is, Kohaku takes up residence with an elderly couple until he is found by Sango and the others. He joins them, but soon Naraku reasserts his control over the boy and forces him to attack Kagome, who narrowly escapes death. This betrayal leads Sango to nearly kill her brother, but Inuyasha saves the boy and vows to free him from Naraku's influence. Although he remains under Naraku's control, from this point forward he will always remember Sango's face, although he does not know her identity.

Kohaku also finds himself at the mercy of Sesshomaru when he kidnaps Rin in a failed attempt to coerce the demon into killing Inuyasha. Although Naraku commands Kohaku to kill Rin, he is able to resist. This is the first indication that Kohaku is beginning to defy Naraku. It is this act that helps bond him with Kagura, who sees the sam rebellious spirit in the boy that she also harbors.

Naraku eventually forces Kohaku to act as a bodyguard for the Infant. When the castle is attacked by Abi, Kohaku is once again forced to murder many innocent men and women. Upon seeing this Sango asks him why he would do such a thing again. With this, all of Kohaku's lost memories flood back to him. Kagura sweeps him away and back into the service of Naraku, who he serves in order to avoid falling back under his spell, and hopefully get close enough to slay him. Sango soon learns of her brother's restored memories, and the two briefly reunite before Kohaku is called to serve with Kikyo, who has absorbed the soul of Midoriko, thereby connecting her with the shard in Kohaku's body.

After a particularly difficult battle, Sesshomaru is left extremely injured and alone. He has become separated from Jaken and is too weak to move. A young girl named Rin finds him alone in the forest and does her best to nurse him back to health by bringing him food each day. Sesshomaru, too proud to allow a human to help him tries to make the girl leave him alone, but she continues to visit him despite her threats.

It does not take long before Rin's fellow villagers notice she is stealing food, and she is beaten severely as punishment. In spite of this, she still brings food to Sesshomaru who notices her blacken eye and missing tooth. When he asks her what happened, Rin says nothing, which does not seem to bother Sesshomaru. In fact, Rin has not spoken since her parents were murdered, and has had to fend for herself.

Soon Rin's tragic life comes to a painful end, when Koga raids her village. He turns his wolves loose upon the townspeople and a pack of them find Rin and kill her. After recovering, Sesshomaru smells Rin's blood in the air and finds her corpse surrounded by the dogs. Using his mystic blade, Tenseiga, Sesshomaru restores Rin to life and begins to walk away. Rin watches him leave and the chases after him.

The next time Rin is seen Sesshomaru has dressed her in a fine kimono and she has learned to talk once more. At times Sesshomaru dismisses his concern for the girl, but as her adventures with him grow more dangerous he begins to take risks to ensure her safety. She falls in with Kohaku, and is almost killed again and later by the deranged doctor Suikotsu. In some ways Rin has become a liablity to the once uncaring Sesshomaru, but she has taught him to care for others in exchange.

While Inuyasha inherited a vassal from his father in the form of Myoga, Sesshomaru found his own in Jaken. Jaken has proven time and time again that his loyalty to his lord is unwavering. Armed with the Staff of Heads, a gift from Sesshomaru that was originally used to find the location of Tetsusaiga, Jaken never hesitates to murder anyone who stands in the way of his master's plans.

While both brothers' servants are cowardly, Jaken's cowardice only extends to other demons. He has no love or fear of humans and takes great pleasure in burning them alive with his staff. His hatred for humans puts him at odds with Rin, Sesshomaru's newest traveling companion. Of course, Jaken is never one to disobey Sesshomaru, and so he begrudgingly becomes a caretaker for Rin. While Jaken may despise the young human girl, he seeks Sesshomaru's approval so earnestly that he has put himself in harm's way to keep her safe. Eventually Rin does the same for him, and he develops a soft spot for the girl, albeit a very small one.

Jaken's appearance suggests that he may be from the same demon race as the creatures that ferry recently deceased souls to the next world. In addition to his robes Jaken wears a Shinto priest's hat, an article of clothing which suggests that he held a high position at one time. This theory is further explicated in the animation, where Jaken is shown leading a group of his fellow demons in a small war.

As in Takahashi's other works, family plays a large part and Inuyasha is no exception. Unlike most of the families from Urusei Yatsura and Ranma ½ the Higurashi's are the model Japanese family; caring, supportive and close-knit. In addition to Kagome, the Higurashi family consists of her grandpa, mother and her little brother, Sota, as well as her pet cat, Buyo.

Kagome's grandfather is a Shinto priest and caretaker of the Higurashi's Shrine. He makes a living selling trinkets and baubles related to the to shrine such as imitation Shikon Jewels and various demonic memorabilia. Grandpa believes wholeheartedly in the spiritual powers of the Higurashi shrine, which includes such landmarks as the Bone-Eater's Well and the Goshinboku tree. Kagome never gave any credence to her grandfather's tales of the supernatural until she found herself in the feudal era. In addition to his responsibilities at the shrine, Grandpa becomes a sort of "excuse rolodex" for Kagome; creating mysterious ailments for his granddaughter so that the faculty and students of her high school don't get suspicious about her extended absences during her trips through time.

Kagome's mother is often shown preparing huge meals to welcome her daughter home from her adventures to the feudal era. Despite Kagome's perilous exploits, her mother keeps a cool head and supports her daughter's decision to take responsibility for gathering the shards of the Shikon Jewel.

Sota looks up to his big sister and is always curious to hear her stories about her adventures in the past. After being saved by Inuyasha, Sota becomes a huge fan of the half-demon and is always excited when Kagome brings him home for a short stay. Unlike his courageous sister, Sota is a bit cowardly, although this is most likely due to his young age.

Piczo