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#REDIRECT [[Image:Kagura.gif|frame|List of Inuyasha characters#Kagura]]
'''Kagura''' (神楽) is a character in the [[anime]] and [[manga]] series ''[[InuYasha]]''.
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She is a [[yokai|yōkai]] that is a detachment of [[Naraku]]. Her powers include controlling the movement of the wind up to a certain distance from her, creating wind blades that can pierce skin and other things (''fūjin no mai'', 風刃の舞, "Dance of the Wind Blades"), spawning [[tornado]]es (''ryūja no mai'', 竜蛇の舞, "Dance of the Dragon Snakes"), and controlling corpses (''shikabane no mai'', 屍の舞, "Dance of the Dead"). She has black hair tied up in a pony tail by feathers that she can grow big to fly on. She can also suppress the formation of the [[Kaze no Kizu]] ([[Wind Scar]]). Unlike probably any other yōkai, she can control the various [[fluid]] movements of her [[aura]] ([[yoki|yōki]]). Her aura also has a much wider [[radius]] than that of probably any other yōkai.
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Her eyes are scarlet, but have pupils. Her dress is traditionally [[Japan]]ese and resembles that of the sacred [[Shinto]] dances, otherwise known as Kagura, her namesake. Because she is a detachment of [[Naraku]], and he holds her heart in his hands, she is bound to his service, and her betrayal would mean certain death.
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Despite such impediments, she resents [[Naraku]] and covertly works toward his death, mostly by manipulating the two camps opposed to [[Naraku]], those of [[InuYasha (character)|InuYasha]] (She finds out about his time period weakness, but chose to keep it a secret so Inuyasha can defeat Naraku) and [[Sesshomaru]] (''Sesshōmaru'') (for whom she has been speculated to have had deeper feelings). She works as a sort of [[double agent]] between the former and the latter. Slight arrogance and foolhardiness define her personality, and she likes to make wisecracks.
She has an older sister, who appears younger, named [[Kanna (InuYasha)|Kanna]] who is loyal to [[Naraku]]. She also has other younger siblings: [[Juromaru]] (''Jūrōmaru'') and [[Kageromaru]] (''Kagerōmaru''), [[Goshinki]], [[Muso]] (''Musō''), and [[Hakudoshi]] (''Hakudōshi'').
In the [[manga]], Naraku charges her with her final job, which is to guard [[Goryomaru]] (''Goryōmaru'') at a prison. [[Hakudoshi]] convinces her to release him secretly, because he is secretly plotting with [[Akago]] to destroy Naraku.
==Naraku's Intent==
After Hakudoshi's death, she fears that Naraku would kill her too. Suspiciously, Naraku offers to give her freedom instead, but with a fatal catch. Naraku returns Kagura's heart, granting her freedom, but pierces her chest and poisons her with his [[Shoki (InuYasha)|shōki]] (miasma). Naraku's intent was for Kagura's death to be an agonizing one, both from the miasma and the knowledge of being so close to complete freedom. With the fatal wound and the poison running through her body, Kagura flees to a field of flowers. There she is found by [[Sesshomaru]]. At first, Kagura believes he had found her trying to look for Naraku (for both Naraku and Kagura give off a similiar smell), and would therefore would be disappointed. However, [[Sesshomaru]] reveals he had come with the full knowledge it would be Kagura he would be seeing.
==Kagura's Final Moment and Her Spirit==
Though Sesshomaru's face shows little emotion during this (as always), Kagura is happy that he came knowing it was her. At this point he makes an attempt to save her life using his [[Tenseiga]] blade, but it could not (either because the nature of the wounds or the lack of a real soul is debateable among fans). It is worth noting that this is the only time Sesshoumaru attempts to save someone with Tenseiga on his own initiative, without the sword pulsing to prompt him. Kagura then slowly begins to become ash. Sesshomaru asks her if she is going (as in to the afterlife), to which Kagura replies that she is and soon. However, in her mind she reveals she's fine when this, for she got to be with him in her final moments. Her body finally fails and breaks away and her spirit becomes a gust of wind containing flower petals from the field. As the wind flies away, Kagura's spirit(?) says that she is finally free as the wind. Later, when [[Inuyasha]] asks Sesshomaru if Kagura suffered, he simply tells Inuyasha Kagura was smiling. So in the end, Naraku's wish for Kagura's final moments to be horrible were not fullfilled, and Kagura's wish to be free was.
As the story progresses in the manga there is a particular scene that occurs following a battle between Sesshomaru and [[Moryoumaru]] (who claims Kagura's death was in vain). In a large grassy field Sesshomaru is given a refined Tenseiga, at which point he tells himself that he would be the one who decides if Kagura's death would be in vain or not. Almost instantly after, a gust of wind containing flower petals blow around Sesshomaru.
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