Inuyasha

InuYasha (Japanese: 犬夜叉, Inu "dog" + Yasha "demons that fly by night" from Sanskrit yaksha) is a manga and anime series by Rumiko Takahashi (creator of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, and others).

There is a long-standing debate about the proper English spelling of "Inuyasha", the title character's name. Some spell it "Inuyasha", some "InuYasha", some "Inu Yasha", and some "Inu-Yasha". As Japanese does not use spacing or capitalization, there is no "correct" spelling. Both Cartoon Network, the US anime licensee, and Viz Communications, the publisher of the manga and producer of the anime for the U.S. market, use "InuYasha". The issue of ambiguous capitalization and spacing also occurred on protest signs during the Vietnam War - protestors would use any one of "Vietnam", "Viet Nam", and "VietNam". Both examples stand as shining examples of the difficulties that romanization can cause.

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Overview

InuYasha is a shonen action/adventure romantic comedy, with elements from the horror genre. The story starts in Tokyo, Japan with a junior high-school girl named Kagome, who on her way to school heads to the covered well on the family property (which happens to be a Shinto shrine). She does this to retrieve her cat, Buyo, from the well, since her brother was afraid to go inside. When she approaches the well a strange woman/centipede demon bursts from the well and grabs her. The demon claims that Kagome possesses the Jewel of Four Souls and attempts to seize it when the demon is driven off and the very confused Kagome emerges in the Sengoku period of Japan. Kagome wanders and meets an old priestess by the name of Kaede, who claims that Kagome is the spitting image of Kikyô, her elder sister (and powerful priestess) who had died and had her body burned with the Jewel of Four Souls, taking it with her into the afterlife. Kaede relates the story of how, 50 years earlier, a hanyô named InuYasha had tried to steal the Jewel from Kikyô, mortally wounding her in the process, but Kikyô had managed to strike him with a magical arrow, sending him into suspended animation and thus retrieving the Jewel before she finally died.

It turns out that Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyô, and that she does possess the Jewel of Four Souls, embedded in her flesh. When the centipede demon rips it from her flesh and swallows it, granting the demon a great boost in power, Kagome is forced to awaken Inuyasha so he can defeat her.

Soon after they recover the Jewel, it is lost again, and Kagome accidentally shatters it as she tries to recover it. The pieces scatter far and wide, and the series tells of Kagome and Inuyasha's exploits as they search for the shards of the Jewel. As they search, they meet new people who join them on their quest for various personal reasons. Throughout the story Kagome and Inuyasha come closer to having deep feelings for each other, though the romance remains a side plot for most of the story.

Explanation of time travel

Call modern time 'X', the feudal era 'Y', and 50 years before Y 'Z'. At Z, Kikyô died after sealing Inuyasha to the tree, where he went into suspended animation, and she was cremated with the jewel. At Y, the well (which exists in both ancient and modern times) drops Kagome, the 20th/21st century incarnation of Kikyô, off from the future. Here, everyone has gotten older but otherwise not much has happened. X is the 'modern' end of the well's worm hole through time.

Release information

The manga was serialized in Japan in the weekly publication Shonen Sunday, with the first installment issued on 13 Nov 1996. Chapter 357 was published 14 April 2004 with the series still ongoing. Every 180 pages, usually ten chapters, the issues are collected in bound tankôbon. Volume 34, collecting chapters 329 through 338, was published in April 2004.

In the United States the English version is published by Viz Communications. The artwork is flipped to conform to the American standard of reading left to right. Volume 1 was published in March 1998, with either two or three new volumes following each year. Volume 17 was published in April 2004.

InuYasha was first broadcast in America on Cartoon Network. The series later came to Canadian television screens, where it is currently airing on YTV. In Japan, the series is up to episode 140 and still going. It is produced in Japan by Sunrise.

The series has also inspired three movies to date, InuYasha: Love that Transcends Time (時代を越える想い Toki o Koeru Omoi) and InuYasha: The Dream Castle in the Mirror (鏡の中の夢幻城 Kagami no Naka no Mugenjô) and the third, InuYasha: The Sword of Conquest (Japanese title:天下覇道の剣 Tenka Hadô no Ken) has been released in Japan. A fourth theatrical release has been announced for Christmas 2004.

Characters in the series that exist in the Sengoku period

Kagome - The female protagonist, a human from modern times.
Inuyasha - The male protagonist, a hanyô.
Naraku - An evil hanyô (half-demon) who despises Inuyasha.
- Kagura - A wind sorceress yôkai created as a detachment from Naraku who despises him but is forced to serve as he holds her life in his hands.
- Kanna - A yôkai who looks like a little girl, but is a detachment from Naraku who has the power to steal souls in her mirror.
- Goshinki - A telepathic yôkai detachment from Naraku who was slain by Inuyasha. His fangs were used to make Sesshomaru's sword, Tôkijin.
- Juuromaru and Kageroumaru - Twin detachments of Naraku who hold no loyalty, but were used by Naraku to attack Inuyasha. Both were slain.
- Masô - Reincarnation of Onigumo as a detachment from Naraku. Attempted to defeat Naraku and gain freedom but was reabsorbed.
- Akago - Detachment in the form of a baby that can possess anyone with darkness in their heart when they hold him.
Sesshomaru - Inuyasha's brother, a full yôkai, who also despises him.
Kikyô - The dead priestess (巫女, miko) who loved Inuyasha. She was brought back to (un)life by the witch (鬼, oni) Urasue. Her unlife is almost ended at the hands of Naraku after Mt. Hakurei collapses, but she later appears as Hijiri-sama (聖様, 'Her Holyness') and is subsequently brought back to (un)life by Kagome.
Shippo - A young fox (狐, kitsune) whose parents were killed by yôkai.
Miroku - A Buddhist monk (法師, hôshi) who joins Kagome and Inuyasha.
Sango - A 'yôkai exterminator (退治屋, taijiya)' whose brother Kohaku is controlled by Naraku.
Totosai - A blacksmith that forged Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga.
Myoga - A flea who is a retainer of Inuyasha.
Jaken - A yôkai who is a retainer of Sesshomaru.
Rin - an orphan girl who follows Sesshomaru and Jaken
Kôga - The leader of a wolf yôkai tribe that is convinced that Kagome loves him and fights with Inuyasha for her affections
Ayame - The wolf yôkai who Kôga promised to marry when they grew up. Her clan later besieged by mysterious zombies.
Shichinintai (七人隊) - The seven dead assassins raised from the dead by Naraku's shikon jewel shards. Naraku raised them with Shikon shards so that he could distract Inuyasha's group long enough to take his new form.

Special items and attacks

Tetsusaiga - Inuyasha's sword, made from one of his father's fangs.
- Wind Scar (風の傷, Kaze no Kizu): Special attack that can kill 100 yôkai with one strike.
- Backlash Wave (爆流破, Bakuryuuha): Tetsusaiga's ultimate attack, caused by the overpowering and merging of an opponent's energy with a Kaze no Kizu to create a massive backlash against the opponent.
Tenseiga - Sesshomaru's Sword, instead of killing 100 people, it can ressurect them. It cannot kill people or demons at all.
Tôkijin - Sword forged from Goshinki's fang. It possesses a strong youki and the sword was forged from the very teeth that broke Tetsusaiga.
Shikon no Tama (四魂の玉, Jewel of Four Souls) - The Jewel that started the whole adventure.
Miasma - Naraku's special poison gas.
Shinidamachuu - Kikyô's aids in collecting souls to sustain her body.

Theme songs

Opening
1. "Change the World" by V6 (eps. 1-34)
2. "I Am" by hitomi (eps. 35-64)
3. "Owarinai Yume" (終わりない夢, "Unending Dream") by Nanase Aikawa (相川七瀬) (eps. 65-95)
4. "Grip!" by Every Little Thing (eps. 96-127)
5. "One day, One Dream" by Tackey & Tsubasa (タッキー＆翼) (eps. 128-153)
6. "ANGELUS" (アンジェラス) by Shimatani Hitomi (島谷ひとみ) (eps. 154-)

Ending
1. "My Will" by dream (eps. 1-20)
2. "Fukai Mori" (深い森, "Deep Forest") by Do As Infinity (eps. 20-41)
3. "Dearest" by Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ) (eps. 42-60)
4. "Every Heart (ミンナノキモチ, "Minna no Kimochi") by BoA (eps. 61-85)
5. "Shinjitsu no Uta" (真実の詩, "Song/Poem of Truth") by Do As Infinity (eps 86-108)
6. "Itazura na Kiss" (悪戯なKiss, "Mischievous Kiss") by day after tomorrow (eps 109-127)
7. "Come" by Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵) (eps. 128-148)
8. "Brand New World" by V6 (eps. 149-)

Movies
1. Toki o koeru omoi (時代ときを越える想い, Love that Transcends Time)
  - Ending: "No More Words" by Ayumi Hamasaki (浜崎あゆみ)
2. Kagami no Naka no Mugenjô (鏡の中の夢幻城, The Dream Castle in the Mirror)
  - Opening: "Yura Yura" (ゆらゆら, "Rock") by Every Little Thing
  - Ending: "Ai No Uta" (愛の謳, "Love's Song") by Every Little Thing
3. Tenka hadô no ken (天下覇道の剣, Sword of Conquest)
  - Ending: "Four Seasons" by Namie Amuro (安室奈美恵)

Seiyuu/Voice actors

Japanese / English

InuYasha - Kappei Yamaguchi / Richard Ian Cox
Sesshomaru - Ken Narita / David Kaye
Kikyô - Noriko Hidaka / Willow Johnson
Kagome Higurashi - Satsuki Yukino / Moneca Stori
Miroku - Kôji Tsujitani / Kirby Morrow
Sango - Houko Kuwashima / Kelly Sheridan
Shippo - Kumiko Watanabe / Jillian Michaels
Naraku - Tomoyuki Morikawa / Paul Dobson
Kôga - Taiki Matsuno / Scott Mcneil
Myôga - Kenichi Ogata / Paul Dobson