inuyashas group

inuyasha
InuYasha is the main character of the manga and anime. InuYasha is a "hanyō", his father was an inu yōkai (dog demon) and his mother was human. He wields the Tetsusaiga, a supernatural sword made from one of his deceased father's fangs. InuYasha has the ability to recover from injuries that would be fatal for any average human. This ability is likely derived from his yōkai powers. On the night of the new moon each month, InuYasha loses his yokai powers and changes into a normal human with black hair and violet eyes. Prior to meeting his current companions, he would conceal himself during this time. InuYasha loves the miko Kikyo, but now is also in love with Kagome, leading to tension between the three characters after Kikyo is ressurected by the oni Urasue. InuYasha means dog spirit/demon. ("Inu" meaning "Dog and "Yasha" meaning "Spirit/demon."). At the end of the manga he and Kagome get married.

kagome

Kagome is the second main character of the manga and anime. Kagome can be extremely sweet, but can also become very dangerous when provoked. She is the reincarnation of Kikyo, a priestess who died 50 years before the time Kagome first emerges from the Bone Eater's Well in the Feudal era. Kagome takes over Kikyo's task of protecting the Jewel of Four Souls after she accidentally shattered it. Kagome has also developed feelings for InuYasha. This relationship proves to be a driving point of the series. Kagome has great spiritual power due to the fact she is Kikyo's reincarnation. But it was recently revealed in the manga, that Kagome's true power is being sealed by the evil side of the Jewel, out of fear that she might be able to purify it. Kagome means "Woven Bamboo Pattern" if written in kanji, using hiragana alone, it is a kind of beet. At the end of the series she spends 3 years away from the well and finishes high school. Shortly after she marries InuYasha and lives in the feudal era.

miroku

Miroku is a Buddhist 'houshi,' or low-ranking, itinerant monk who traveled the countryside performing services such as exorcisms and yōkai 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 kazāna (wind tunnel) which sucks in almost anything in its path. Miroku uses the kazāna as a powerful weapon against yōkai, but the longer he has it the larger it grows. If the curse is not broken by Naraku's death, it will consume Miroku just like his grandfather and father. Miroku's behavior is uncharacteristic of a proper monk. He is a talented con artist who does not hesitate to invent fictitious supernatural menaces which he can then offer to combat in return for food and shelter, and like his grandfather he has a distinct weakness for pretty women. He makes a point of asking every attractive woman he meets if she will bear his child, claiming that he wants to be sure of an heir to continue his pursuit of Naraku if he dies. He often has the urge to grope women's butts, Sango's being his most frequent target. In spite of his lecherous behavior, Miroku has a core of deep spirituality and impressive spiritual powers. He also gains feelings for Sango as the series continue. He even asks her to marry him after they kill Naraku. Miroku's name comes from the Buddhist god Maitreya. At the end of the manga series he end up killing Naraku and has twin girls and a baby boy.

sango

Sango is a yōkai slayer (taijiya) who hails from a village of professional yōkai slayers. Sango wields the Hiraikotsu, a massive boomerang made of yōkai bones, along with a broad repertoire of tools and tricks for battling yōkai. Sango's family was killed and her entire village destroyed by Naraku's yōkai so that Naraku could steal their jewel shards. He then blamed InuYasha and manipulated Sango into trying to kill him. When that ploy failed, Naraku used a shard of the Shikon Jewel to revive and control her 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 somehow save his life. She has feelings for Miroku, although she is offended by his constant groping and lechery. Miroku eventually asks Sango to live with him and bear his children after Naraku is destroyed, which Sango agrees to. Sango means "Coral." At the end of the manga series she gives birth to twin girls and newborn baby boy.

kirara

Kirara is Sango's faithful, yōkai-nekomata companion. She has cream-colored fur, black ears, two black stripes near the end of each of her two bushy tails, and black-tipped paws. Kirara can change between two forms, a ferocious yōkai the size of a lion with the ability to fly, and a cute little kitten. Sango often uses Kirara's flying ability in her large transformed form as transportation to keep up with InuYasha's running and leaping ability. As well, Miroku and Shippo also use Kirara's large transformed flying ability for transportation. Kirara's age is unknown; but she used to be Midoriko's companion. Kirara means "Mica."


shippo

Shippo is an orphaned young kitsune 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. Shippo can shape-shift, 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. Because he's so small and light, whenever the group is traveling anywhere Shippo is almost always seen hitching a ride. Shippo's exact age is not known, but he looks and acts 7 years old. Shippo's name in kanji literally refers to precious metals and stones, but the word is also a pun for "tail" (尻尾).

kaede

Kaede is Kikyo's younger sister. She became the miko of their village after Kikyo died. She often shares advice and knowledge about demons and other spiritual anomalies with InuYasha's group, and was the first to recognize Kagome as her sister's reincarnation. Kaede is well-respected and held in high regards by Kagome, Sango, Shippo, Miroku, and even InuYasha. InuYasha is easily annoyed with her, though will listen to her when necessary. In the anime, Kaede lost her right eye during a yokai attack on the village. The manga does not directly state how she lost her eye.

myoga

Myōga is a yōkai-flea who is supposed to watch out for InuYasha even though he usually runs away from dangerous situations. Myōga was initially charged with protecting the grave of InuYasha's father which held the Tetsusaiga. Now he mostly gives information and advice to InuYasha and his group. Myōga also enjoys drinking yokai blood, and actually saves InuYasha's life at one point by drinking the venom of a spider-yōkai out of his blood. He often gets slapped by InuYasha and others because he drinks their blood without permission.

totosai

Tōtōsai is an elderly blacksmith yōkai and an old friend of Inu no Taishou. He forged Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. He can repair swords when their dmaged, and he can also instruct InuYasha on using Tetsusaiga. Tōtōsai can breathe fire and wields a giant forging hammer. His hammer can open large fire pits when stuck on the ground. He travels on a flying three eyed ox named Momo. ("Tōtōsai" means "sword purification.")Kohaku works for Totosai to the end of the manga series