
InuYasha
Context
InuShaya was a 1996-2008 shōnen (for boys) manga , from major mangaka Rumiko Takahashi . The comic then the animé , spin-offs, movies, etc. were bigly successful.
It is a romantic fairy tale, with a modern-day teenager ending up in a fantasy version of medieval Japan. Her love interest and main ally there is the titular InuYasha, a half dog-demon lad.
Background
- Real Name: InuYasha.
- Marital Status: Single.
- Known Relatives: Inu no Taishō (Father, deceased), Izayoi (Mother, deceased), Sesshōmaru (Half-Brother).
- Group Affiliation: InuYasha’s Group.
- Base Of Operations: Feudal Japan.
- Height: 5’9” Weight: 165 lbs Age: 203 (approximate).
- Eyes: Gold Hair: Silvery White
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Powers & Abilities
Strength Level
InuYasha possesses supernatural strength which enables him to lift (press) at least 10 tons directly overhead.
Some of the extraordinary feats of strength he displayed were:
- Uprooting a ancient tree and using it as a battering ram.
- Single handedly lifting a boulder with a diameter approximately equal to the length of his body directly overhead.
- Simply punching through solid steel girders.
Known Superhuman Powers, part 1
InuYasha possesses the common superhuman physical attributes shared by most Hanyō. But as the son of the legendary Inu No Taishō, his strength, reflexes, endurance and resistance to injury are greater than the vast majority of his kind.
In fact, InuYasha’s raw physical power usually rivals or surpasses that of most of the pure-blooded Yokai he has encountered in the field.
InuYasha is immune to all terrestrial diseases and is exceptionally resistent to conventional injury and pain. His supernatural metabolism and sheer stubbornness gives him far greater than human endurance at any and all physical activities that he may take part in.
His reflexes are greater than that of the average human by an enormous factor. Furthermore, he is capable of inhuman leaps that carry him hundreds of feet through the air. Though he has not received any form of formal training, he has developed a unique fighting style that makes the most of his supernatural strength, agility and raw durability.
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Known Superhuman Powers, part 2
In the event that InuYasha is wounded, his supernatural constitution regenerates damaged areas of his body. The speed at which his body heals is in proportion to the wounds that he receives.
In the past, he has recovered from wounds as severe as blades being driven all the way through his chest and stomach within 24 hours.
InuYasha’s senses are supernaturally acute, and are comparable to those of the best canines (no relation). He can smell the approach of individuals from hundreds of feet away and can trail the spoor of his prey across nearly any terrain.
His hearing is sensitive enough to detect the sound of a beating heart at a distance of at least 30 feet away.
Finally, InuYasha’s fingers are tipped with particularly sharp and durable claws. His claws are capable of easily rending through most terrestrial substances including fabric, soil, wood, bone and most metals including steel and reinforced concrete or cinderblock.
Limitations
Once a month, InuYasha’s body loses all of its supernatural properties. This causes him to revert to a normal human being. His transformations seem to be linked to the lunar cycle, he reverts to this form from sunset to dawn on the night of a new moon in a manner exactly opposite to those afflicted with the curse of lyncanthropy.
If InuYasha is ever truly fears for his life, his humanity is obliterated by his inner demon. He not only gains a boost in physical power, but he also acquires a voracious appetite for murder and blood letting. This drives him to kill anyone and everything in his path.
Weapons
InuYasha’s only weapon is the Tessaiga (鉄砕牙 — “Iron Crushing Fang”). It is a powerful enchanted weapon that was created by his father for two very specific purposes; the first being the slaying of evil yokai.
The second, more subtle purpose, is to bind the powerful yokai blood that can transform him (practically) into a full yokai. It has a calming effect and prevents the berserker rage that can threaten to overwhelm the young halfbreed.
The sword can only be touched by a being of mortal descent. All other beings that attempt to wield the blade receive extremely painful and potentially fatal burns from the hilt of the blade.
In its “docile” form, Tessaiga appears to be an ancient, battered katana. However, when a stream of Yoki (demonic energy) is infused into the blade, Tessaiga’s true form is awakened and its powers are unleashed.
In its “active” form, the Tessaiga transforms into an incredibly large and heavy fang-like sword. As such, it resembles a cross between a traditional zanbato and a falchion. Even though the sword itself is unwieldy, InuYasha’s inhuman strength allows him to wield it without disadvantage.
Moreover, in his hands the sword is absolutely devastating in hand to hand combat, and that in and of itself is the least of its abilities.
Tessaiga’s other powers
This enchanted sword has been imbued with several offensive mystical attacks that are fatal to yokai. Moreover, the sword has the ability to permanently absorb mystical powers from its opponents. In this way it grows in strength and becoming even more deadly to InuYasha’s foes.
At the time of this writing, Tessaiga has displayed the following abilities:
- Kenatsu: By surrounding Tessaiga’s blade with Yoki energy, InuYasha can heighten it’s cutting edge making it a devastating weapon in hand to hand combat.
- Kaze no Kizu (lit. Wound of the Wind, 風の傷): Taking the Kenatsu one step further, Tessaiga can unleash the gathered Yoki energy into a massive wave of demonic energy, said to be capable of killing 100 demons with a single swing.
- Bakuryūha (lit. Crushing Dragon Stream, 爆流破): This cunning attack actually uses the Kaze no Kizu technique to reflect a demonic foe’s own attack back at them. It simultaneously intermingles the two streams of energy and increases the overall power of the original attack.
- Barrier Shatter: This technique completely obliterates all forms of shielding magic with a single swing of Tessaiga’s blade.
- Kongosoha (lit. Diamond Shard Blast, 金剛槍破): This technique transforms the blade of the Tessaiga into a collage of diamond shards. When swung, the crystalline blade sheds a barrage of razor sharp shards at incredible velocity. The resulting impact(s) literally obliterates all targets before them.
With each use of one of its many powers, Tessaiga’s appearance changes to resemble the power that it is currently manifesting. InuYasha has taken to adding a prefix to Tessaiga’s name when he employs one of its techniques.
For example, when using the barrier shattering technique Tessaiga glows with an angry crimson light that emanates from the blade. When using this power InuYasha refers to Tessaiga as “Red Tessaiga,”. By contrast, “Diamond Tessaiga” is what he calls the blade when it takes on a diamond like appearance while employing the Kongosha technique.
Paraphenalia
InuYasha’s only other possession is the “Robe of the Fire-Rat.” This red garment was another gift that Inu no Taishō left to his infant son. The robes are fireproof and when worn, protects the wearer like the finest suit of steel armor.
History
In the Beginning
The Great Dog Demon (Inu no Taishō) was a powerful yokai lord. He was known and feared throughout Japan. He conquered the western half of feudal Japan by defeating many powerful demons. During this time, he fathered his first son, Sesshomaru, with an unnamed dog demoness.
The secrets of their courtship remains a mystery. But at some unrevealed point of his life, Inu no Taishō and the mortal princess Izayoi met and fell deeply in love despite the taboo nature of their relationship. It is unknown how long their relationship lasted. It is only known that before Inu no Taishō died, Izayoi became pregnant.
As Izayoi’s pregnancy came to a close, Inu no Taishō was forced into battle with the great demon dragon Ryukotsusei. The dragon was so powerful, that Inu no Taishō could not kill him. Instead he used last of his mystical strength to seal the demonic dragon within a cliff face.
Unfortunately, the battle left the Great Dog Demon wounded so severely, that he eventually succumbed to his wounds. Before he did, he returned to Izayoi’s side and named their son, InuYasha.
Childhood
Izayoi did her best to raise her son within her father’s court. Yet she quickly found that the humans within couldn’t accept his Hanyō (half-breed) nature. As he grew older, he was ostracized and rejected by everyone he knew, save his mother. Despite his mother’s best efforts, InuYasha grew embittered and lonely.
His situation only worsened when Izayoi eventually fell ill. She died before he grew past the age of seven. Upon his mother’s death, InuYasha was driven from her court and started wandering feudal Japan by himself.
It is unrevealed when he first encountered his half-brother Sesshōmaru. All that is known about their encounter is that just like the humans before him, Sesshōmaru rejected his little brother and left him to fend for himself.
Descent into evil
This final rejection forged a singular burning desire within the young Hanyō. He decided that he would become so powerful, so feared, that no one would be able to reject or ignore him again. He would MAKE them see him.
InuYasha became a terror to human and demon alike, rampaging across feudal Japan aimlessly. He caused mischief and mayhem wherever and whenever he could. His unusually potent demonic heritage allowed him to bully his former human oppressors and minor demons with little effort, but still it wasn’t enough.
Full blooded Yokai, like his brother Sesshōmaru, still looked down upon him. His cursed human blood made him weak, and he desperately sought a way to become more powerful. It was at this point of time in his life that he first heard of the “Jewel of Four Souls”.
The Shikon No Tama (Jewel of Four Souls, also known as the Shikon Jewel)
The Shikon No Tama was a powerful artifact that could grant its wielder any desire. InuYasha intuited that if he were to gain the jewel, he could use its power to rid himself of his cursed human half and transform himself into a full Yokai. From that point forward, he set out to find and acquire the jewel.
He eventually discovered that the jewel was in the care of an extremely powerful Shinto priestess named Kikyo. She was the only mortal with a soul pure enough resist the temptation of the jewel. Thus, Kikyo had been tasked with purifying and protecting it.
For months, InuYasha haunted the periphery of the temple where Kikyo guarded the jewel. In those moments where she appeared to drop her guard, InuYasha attempted to steal the jewel, often attacking with a surge of blinding speed and abandon. Despite his supposed element of surprise and supernatural strength, he constantly found himself outmatched by the serene priestess.
But it wasn’t her constant awareness that confounded the young Hanyo. Rather, it was the fact that even when she had him helpless she never delivered a killing blow. For some reason the priestess couldn’t bring herself to truly harm him, and as their encounters grew in number he realized that he had avoided harming her as well.
Eventually, he abandoned his attacks on her and began watching her instead.
At the temple
During those months of observation, InuYasha found himself growing more and more enchanted by the beautiful priestess. Eventually he summoned up enough courage to approach her. Far from repulsed by his demonic nature, Kikyo sensed his troubled human spirit.
Their subsequent encounters lead to a close friendship and eventually love. Over time, their conversations turned to the Shikon No Tama, and what they would do with the powerful artifact. InuYasha found that he no longer cared about becoming a full-blooded Yokai. As to Kikyo, she had grown tired and lonely guarding the jewel.
In a moment of clarity, the two decided to use the power of the Shikon Jewel the very next morning to expunge InuYasha’s demonic half from his body, and transform him into a normal mortal man.
For the first time in a what seemed like an eternity, InuYasha allowed himself to feel hope, love and trust. The next morning, he arrived in the forest clearing where Kikyo bade him to be. He waited quietly yet excitedly for her to arrive with the jewel, eagerly anticipating their moment together. Imagine his despair, when a sacred arrow buried itself into the ground by his feet.
The attack
Shock, betrayal and eventually rage played themselves across his emotions when he turned to face his attacker; Kikyo. Several other arrows follow the first, followed by a string a curses from Kikyo’s lips. Left with little choice, InuYasha fled before Kikyo’s treacherous attack and raced back to the village with nothing short of bloody vengeance in his heart.
In a fit of rage, he attacked Kikyo’s village wreaking havoc throughout the village before eventually stealing the Shikon Jewel itself.
Nothing seemed to be able to even slow down the enraged Hanyo. His escape seemed to be assured until Kikyo appeared out of the greenery that surrounded the village. InuYasha barely had time to register the fact that she was bloodied and battered before Kikyo’s Hamaya (or sacred arrow) drove itself deeply into his chest.
The arrow burst through his torso and buried itself into the ancient tree that stood behind him. It bound him to the great tree and cast him into a deep and unending, dreamless sleep. 50 years would pass before he would once again awaken, when the young woman named Kagome Higurashi would appear within the village and break the spell.
Kagome Higurashi, The Girl from the Future
The first sensation that fought its way through the darkness and into InuYasha’s subconscious was Kikyo’s infuriating scent.
In a single instant, the peaceful serenity of the spell was broken and rage flared through InuYasha’s heart once more. His eyes flew open, and focused on Kikyo’s rapidly approaching form. He quickly puzzled out the reason for her haste. She was being pursued by a rather pathetic centipede demon.
His voice dripped with derision as he hurled rapid insults at Kikyo, chiding her from running from such a pathetic demon when she had so much power at hand. When Kikyo began hurling her own insults back, a sudden realization struck him… the young woman before him was not Kikyo.
The young woman identified herself as Kagome Higurashi, and was dressed quite peculiarly. But why did she smell so much like Kikyo?
At that moment the demon, “Mistress Centipede,” attacked once more. Kagome attempted to flee, but the relentless demon easily ran her down and wounded her. InuYasha’s eyes widened with desire as he watched the droplets of blood that leaked from her wound magically coalesce into the Shikon No Tama.
Even as the sinister centipede circled its prize, InuYasha implored the young woman to free him. Instinctively, he recognized the deep routed power that hid within her soul. Understanding that her death was near, InuYasha could only watch as the young woman groped blindly towards the only option she had left.
InuYasha freed
With a single smooth motion of her hand, Kagome reached out, grasped the arrow that protruded from the InuYasha’s chest and yanked with all of her might. The mystical arrow simply ceased to be in a sparkle of light, shattering Kikyo’s spell that had lasted for decades. With that InuYasha lived once more.
Ancient bark exploded and splinters flew as InuYasha burst free from the ancient tree. Rejoicing in his new-found freedom, InuYasha fell upon Mistress Centipede. He literally tore her to pieces in a fit of rage and glee. He then turned his attention to the young woman, Kagome, and ordered her to surrender the jewel to him.
He made a few half-hearted attempts to retrieve the jewel, but his anger grew as she refused to surrender the artifact. When he finally decided to take it from her, a face from his past suddenly appeared and halted his actions. Kaede, Kikyo’s younger sister, had inherited her sister’s position as priestess and had prepared for this day.
She had followed Kagome and the demon that had pursued her into the forest. She arrived just in time to bind the young Hanyō once more. When his back was turned to her, Kaede tossed an enchanted Rosary around InuYasha’s neck. This allowed Kagome to subdue him with a simple command.
It is unknown how many times InuYasha needed to be crushed to the ground by Kagome’s enchanted words before he agreed to end his hostilities, but eventually the three found themselves back at the village discussing what should be done with the jewel.
All hail the jewel in the lotus
InuYasha stated his simple claim to the jewel itself, but found himself instantly rebuffed. Instead of flying off into a rage, he decided to simply sit still and bide his time. After all, he had been asleep for 50 years on that blasted tree. What difference would a few more days of patience matter?
Unfortunately for the duo, the re-emergence of the Shikon No Tama had attracted the attention of Yokai from all across Japan. The first to trouble them was a clever carrion-crow demon. It managed to kidnap Kagome by sending human bandits to abduct her from the village.
InuYasha made short work of the bandits after stalking them to an abandoned home close to the village. But in the midst of the carnage, the carrion-crow demon snatched the jewel and soared to escape. In a rage, InuYasha leapt skyward, dragging Kagome along to pursue the demon.
The two doggedly chased the crow demon through the skies but were unable to prevent it from consuming the jewel. In a desperate attempt to stop the demon, Kagome shot the crow with an arrow.
The arrow struck the Jewel within the crow. It caused a massive explosion within the demon and shattered the Shikon No Tama into hundreds of shards, scattering them all over feudal Japan.
Recognizing the capacity for harm that even a single shard of the jewel possessed, Kagome reluctantly resigned herself to helping InuYasha retrieve the shards and eventually destroying the jewel.
Sibling Rivalry
Initially, the unlikely pair enjoyed no small measure of success in their hunt for the shards of the jewel. Kagome’s burgeoning abilities allowed them to easily hunt down the shards. InuYasha’s raw demonic power proved to be more than sufficient to defeat the Yokai that possessed them.
Though he grew impatient at the rate of the shards recovery, InuYasha began to regain his hope that he would one day possess the full gem and have his dreams fulfilled. Moreover, despite his own self-denial, he had begun to enjoy the time that he spent with the human girl.
It was during this time that InuYasha was forced to become reacquainted with his older brother, Sesshōmaru. Sesshōmaru had come hunting for a mystical pearl that he believed that InuYasha had in his possession.
Sesshōmaru discovered that the pearl had been mystically placed within InuYasha’s eye. He physically assaulted his younger brother and removed the pearl (and InuYasha’s eye). Once he had the pearl in his possession, he used it to open a gateway into the extra-dimensional graveyard that housed his father’s corpse.
InuYasha, enraged by his brother’s actions, plunged through the dimensional gate with Kagome hanging on firmly to his back and with Miouga (the elderly demon flea) clinging to his hair. He quickly made his way to his father’s gigantic corpse. There, he found Sesshōmaru standing stoically before a rusted blade whose point was grounded within the floor at his feet.
A Father’s Legacy
Miouga begged InuYasha to retrieve the blade Tessaiga before his brother could. But the young half-breed wasn’t interested. However, when Kagome reasoned that Sesshōmaru hadn’t claimed the blade because he couldn’t, InuYasha could not pass up the chance to one-up his brother.
He attempted to draw the blade and failed to do so. But in trying he provoked his elder brother’s ire. The two ended up skirmishing throughout their father’s remains.
As the two fought, Kagome desperately tried to stay out of their way. In her stumbling about she placed a delicate hand on the Tessaiga’s hilt and withdrew it from the stone. Driven mad with jealously and outrage Sesshōmaru unleashed his true demonic nature. He transformed into a massive demon-dog.
Thinking quickly, Kagome gave the Tessaiga to InuYasha who then turned its cutting edge upon Sesshōmaru. Unfortunately for the youths, it had no effect.
Sesshōmaru raged about the grave site, and Kagome lost all hope. It was at that moment that InuYasha decided that he would protect her. With that intention in mind, Tessaiga’s magic was unlocked and its true nature was unleashed.
Sesshōmaru balked at the unleashed blade for a moment. This was enough to spell his downfall. InuYasha slashed twice at his brother’s demonic form, severing his left foreleg and forcing him to flee.
Lovers Lost… and Found
With Tessaiga in hand, InuYasha and Kagome’s quest became even easier. The mighty blade enhanced InuYasha’s already formidable prowess. The two defeated demon after demon, and began to gather allies.
The first was the child-like fox demon Shippo, whose illusionary and shapeshifting powers came in useful in several situations. But more importantly, the two youths began to explore the feelings that they felt growing for each other. All seemed to be going well, until Kikyo was resurrected by a particularly powerful ogress.
The ogress hoped to make use of Kikyo’s incredible spiritual power. But she proved to be too powerful to contain. Even worse for InuYasha, Kikyo had returned with nothing less than vengeance on her mind. Kikyo proved to be a thorn in InuYasha’s side; sometimes trying to kill him while other times saving his life.
InuYasha’s own feelings confused him, as he loved Kagome (who they had discovered was Kikyo reborn) and Kikyo at the same time. Kikyo and InuYasha’s relationship eventually settled into an uneasy truce once they learned the truth of the circumstances of their “deaths.”
The confrontation that resulted in their deaths were the result of the machinations of a particularly evil half-demon named Naraku. Naraku not only wanted Kikyo for himself, but more importantly he desired the Shikon No Tama. He watched Kikyo’s and InuYasha’s affair from a distance until he saw the perfect moment to strike.
Using his demonic abilities, he took the form of Kikyo. Thus, it was Naraku that attacked InuYasha in the forest clearing on the morn when they were supposed to meet. While InuYasha rampaged within the village, Naraku employed the same trick and assaulted Kikyo in InuYasha’s form. He thus the two against one another and sparking off their eventual confrontation.
A Gathering of Friends
With this information in hand, InuYasha swore vengeance on Naraku and had yet another reason to obtain the Shikon Jewel. Both he and Kagome renewed their efforts to obtain the Shikon Jewel shards before the evil Naraku could.
Along the way, they made even more new friends and allies including:
- Lord Miroku the cursed monk.
- Sango the demon-slayer.
- Koga the leader of the Wolf Demon clan.
The group encountered and slew many demons over the course of their adventures. They often clashed with both Naraku and Sesshōmaru over the years, until Sesshōmaru lost interest in murdering his younger brother.
Despite their best efforts, Naraku managed to gather the majority of the Shikon No Tama into a single jewel shard. Thus, he increased his power to near god-like levels.
At the point of this writing, InuYasha and his allies continue their search for the few remaining shards of the jewel in the hopes of preventing Naraku from becoming too powerful for them to slay.
Description
Under normal circumstances InuYasha appears to be a slim, muscular Japanese boy in his late teens. He has waist-length silvery hair. An unusual pair of pointed white canine ears protrudes from either side of the top of his head.
His eyes shine with a golden hue. He has slightly elongated incisors. The tips of his fingers and feet end in rather wicked looking claws. Despite his obvious demonic nature, InuYasha is possessed of above average looks.
Under the light of a new moon, InuYasha’s looks alter considerably. His hair loses it’s silvery sheen and turns midnight black. His canine ears atop his head disappear and are replaced with a set of human ears on either side of his head. His clawed fingers and toes also revert to those one would find on a regular human.
When his father’s blood has taken full hold of him, InuYasha’s true demonic nature is reflected in his appearance. Purple streaks mar the once smooth skin of his cheeks, his eyes become blood red, and his arms and claws lengthen and grow more animalistic in appearance.
InuYasha can always be found wearing the Robe of the Fire Rat, with a plain white shirt beneath it. The robes are blood red, and are made up of a long billowing sleeved jacket, a similarly designed pair of pants (hakama) and a red belt tied around the waist. He generally wears the Tessaiga at his waist.
Personality
At first blush, InuYasha is a hostile, offensive and often rude individual that seems to care only for his own wants and desires.
He can be incredibly hotheaded and is easy to anger (especially at insults aimed at his half-demon heritage). He can often be seen striking out with his fists at the source of his annoyance regardless of the age of the source of his irritation. This is often the case with Shippo.
He is ruthless and ferocious in combat. InuYasha isn’t above bullying opponents that are smaller and weaker than he is.
However, in truth, InuYasha is the same as any teenaged boy. He is full of bravado and is fearful of being seen as weak by those he would consider enemies or rivals. Due to his half-breed nature, this is even more significant as he has constantly been harassed and even attacked by both demons and humans alike as he grew up.
And, although he wouldn’t admit it, he is desperately afraid of being abandoned or hurt by those he cares for. His entire outward demeanor is an act that he puts on to convince those around him that he does not care.
Fortunately, once anyone spends any amount of time with him, they can easily see through his act. They understand that despite his act, he truly cares for his friends who are as good as family to him. Still, his volatile emotions often become tiresome to his friends.
Other traits
InuYasha’s rash attitude and tendency to leap before he thinks often results in him missing a clue or the rationale behind his enemies actions. While he isn’t truly stupid, he usually needs to finer details of situations explained to him.
Outside of his fears, InuYasha is driven by two overwhelming emotions, pride and love. InuYasha has spent his entire life trying to prove to others that he is worthy of not only his father’s blood, but also their respect.
He is a fearless warrior and will never back down from a fight or a challenge. His determination to achieve victory and sheer stubbornness makes him a peerless opponent.
Lastly, InuYasha loves Kagome, Kikyo, and his friends without reservation. His love for his allies and in particular Kagome have convinced him that his quest to become a full demon was one of folly. He will go to any lengths, go through any trial, and even traverse the boundaries of time itself to protect Kagome.
And woe be it to anyone that threatens or (god forbid) actually hurts her as they will draw his full and unbridled wrath upon them. Despite this, he is also drawn to the resurrected revenant of Kikyo. He is intensely jealous of any male that lavishes their affections on either woman, and he will quite often immediately lash out at them.
Over time, InuYasha’s travels with his companies have changed him. He has developed an intense hatred for those that kill for fun and actively intervenes when he discovers people in torment. He has developed the belief that all life is equally important (which is a huge reversal in his former beliefs) and has grown to hate killing humans and even if they are bandits.
InuYasha’s demonic heritage will often manifest itself as personality quirks throughout the series, but mostly as a form of comic relief. His quirks take the form of dog-like actions (like scratching his ears with his feet, or sniffing about the ground on all fours, growling at people that annoy him, etc).
Quotes
“You don’t know who you’re messin’ with.”
“Are you going to keep staring at me because it’s ticking me off. If you got something to say, say it.”
“Not a demon. But not human either. No place to belong. That’s how I survived. And by the time I knew what was happening, I was all alone.”
“No matter what happens, I will be me.”
“I’m gonna slit your stomach, take out your guts, and put them in a bowl. By the time I’m through with you, you’re going to wish it was you who was dead.”
“Shippo, your village just called. They said they were looking for their idiot.”
“Somehow, without my ever noticing it, it felt so natural, having Kagome near.”
“I am not like the ones you have killed before… I’m a lot more resilient.”
“I can’t stand it. I can’t stomach the thought of Naraku… of him even looking at you… even hearing your voice ! I won’t let him !”
“I couldn’t save Kikyo. That pained me. I couldn’t say that I was suffering. I felt like I had to bear this alone. But I was so focused on myself that I never considered your feelings. I never noticed that you were also suffering. Forgive me, Kagome.”
“Wind Scar !!”
(Interposing his body between a wounded ally [Koga] and an attacking demon) “Back off creep. I want to stand in the front.”
DC Universe History
With its historical setting, time-travelling aspects and the fact that DC’s Japanese setting is woefully underdeveloped, InuYasha can be inserted wholesale into the DC universe.
Any adventure that inserts a time travelling Shikon jewel shard into modern times, could cause InuYasha and Kagome to travel into the future to retrieve it. A meeting between InuYasha and Etrigan could also lead into an explosive confrontation.
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
InuYasha
Dex: 10 | Str: 10 | Bod: 08 | Motivation: Unwanted Power |
Int: 02 | Wil: 07 | Min: 10 | Occupation: Demon Slayer |
Inf: 04 | Aur: 06 | Spi: 10 | Resources {or Wealth}: 002 |
Init: 018 | HP: 150 |
Powers:
Analytical Smell: 08, Claws: 11, Damage Capacity (Physical): 05, Directional Hearing: 05, Extended Hearing: 09, Flame Immunity: 02, Jumping: 08, Mind Over Matter: 07, Projectile Weapons: 08, Regeneration: 05, Running: 07, Systemic Antidote: 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
Projectile Weapons requires at least 1 AP of Damage that causes bleeding to be applied to InuYasha before it can be used (-15BC, -1FC).
Skills:
Acrobatics (Athletics, Climbing)*: 10, Thief (Stealth)*: 10, Weaponry (Tessaiga)*: 10
Bonuses and Limitations:
All skills are Powered Skills.
Advantages
Iron Nerves, Languages (Japanese), Lightning Reflexes, Familiarity (Demons), Slowed Aging.
Connections:
Kagome (High), Miroku (High), Shippo (High), Songo (High), Myoga (High), Totosai (low).
Drawbacks:
Alter Ego (Human Form, Involuntary), Alter Ego (Yokai Form, Involuntary), Attack Vulnerability (-2CS versus olfactory based attacks), CIA (Avoiding harming human women), Enemy (Naraku), MIA (Kikyou), Miscellaneous (Beads of Subjugation), Socially Inept (Minor), Strange Appearance.
Equipment:
- Robe of the Fire-Rat [/BODY/ 10, Flame Immunity: 10, Bonuses & Limitations: Armor is Partial and can be avoided with a +1CS Trick Shot, BODY and Flame Immunity drops to 0 under a new moon].
- Sheath of Tessaiga [BODY 10, Attraction: 10, Reflection/Deflection: 10, Bonuses & Limitations: Can be used in blocking maneuver; Attraction can only be used to draw Tessaiga to the Sheath].
- Bone Eater’s Well [BOD: 04, Time Travel: 20, Bonuses & Limitations: Time Travel use limited to InuYasha and Kagome, Time Travel can only be used to Travel between the Feudal Age of Japan and Present day Japan].
Tessaiga (鉄砕牙, tetsu sai kiba also known as Tetsusaiga or Tetsaiga) — “Iron Crushing Fang”
Tessaiga “Docile Form” [BOD 12 INF 07 AUR 07 SPI 10, EV: 03, Electric Being (ML): 12, Mystic Shield: 10, Sharpness (Electric Being) (ML): 03. Bonuses & Limitations: Alter Ego (“True Form”)].
Tessaiga “True Form” [BOD 20 INF 07 AUR 07 SPI 10, Electric Being (ML): 12, EV (Kenatsu) (ML): 13, Mystic Blast (Kaze no Kizu) (ML): 15, Reflection (Bakuryūha) (ML): 18, Neutralize (ML): 10, Projectile Weapons (Kongosoha) (ML): 18, Power Drain (ML): 20, Sharpness (Electric Being) (ML): 03].
Bonuses & Limitations:
- Alter Ego can only be activated by a being possessing Yokai (demonic) energy.
- Electric Being automatically attacks any demon that handles the blade (+1).
- Mystic Blast: has Area of Affect Bonus (+1), Lethal (-1).
- Miscellaneous: Tessaiga Neutralizes InuYasha’s “Backed into a corner” Drawback.
- Neutralize: only works vs. shielding powers (Force, Magic, Mystic Shields/Fields) (-1).
- Power Drain: only works on Demonically powered targets (-1), Drained power(s) are permanent (+2), is Catastrophically Marginal (-1).
- Projectile Weapons: is Lethal (-1), and Non-Variable (-1).
- Projectile Weapons: has Area of Affect Bonus (+1), Lethal (-1), and Non-Variable (-1).
- Reflection/Deflection: can only be used to reflect demonic energy blasts (-1).
- Reflection/Deflection: RAPs may exceed the incoming APs of attack (+1).
- Reflection/Deflection: Contingent on Mystic Blast (Kaze no Kizu).
- Switching between Tessaiga’s various powers requires the consumption of InuYasha’s automatic action for this Phase.
Under the Light of a New Moon (Alter Ego – Human Form)
When InuYasha assumes this form, his physical stats drop to the following values: DEX: 04, STR: 02, BOD: 04. He also loses access to all of his powers and powered skills and advantages (i.e., no Lightning Reflexes or Slowed Aging). This combined with his stats loss gives him an initiative of 10. The one piece of good news is that he also loses his attack vulnerability to smells.
Finally, his Robe loses its armor like qualities (i.e. no more Italicized BOD or Flame immunity), and he is unable to activate Tessaiga’s Alter Ego.
Backed into a corner (Alter Ego – Yokai Form)
If InuYasha’s life is ever in serious danger (GM Fiat), his body reacts instinctively and unleashes his true Yokai nature and rage.
In this state, InuYasha’s physical stats increase to the following values: DEX: 12, STR: 12, BOD: 10. His powers of Claws and Damage Capacity both increase by 2 APs each, and his Regeneration is raised to 15 APs. Unfortunately, his motivation shifts to Psychopath and his is trapped within a Catastrophic Rage.
The Beads of Subjugation or “Sit Boy!”
In order to keep him from abandoning or attacking Kagome, InuYasha was enchanted with a binding spell. The spell’s foci is the beaded necklace that has been permanently affixed around his neck.
Whenever Kagome utters the phrase, “Sit Boy!”, InuYasha is attacked with a 20 AP Gravity Increase attack which jerks InuYasha painfully, face first to the ground.
Source of Character: Viz Media Manga Series – InuYasha, A Feudal Fairy Tale Volumes 1-33, created by Rumiko Takahashi (Author, Illustrator).
Helper(s): Surbrook’s Stuff : InuYasha Writeup.
Write-up Completed (Finally) on December 11th, 2012.