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Japanese title: Inuyasha
English adaption title: Inuyasha
Number of episodes: 150+, 30 minutes each
Number of Movies: 3: 1st=95 minutes, 2nd=95 minutes, 3rd =n/a minutes
500 years ago, during ancient Japan’s civil-war era, in a world full of demons, spirits,
curses, swords, and samurais, the renowned priestess Kikyo fell in love with the half demon Inuyasha. Kikyo was the protector
of the mystical Shikon Jewel, a jewel with exceptional powers that must be carefully guraded against demons and evil people
who would want to control its power. Kikyo wanted to give the jewel to Inuyasha so that he could become a full human, and
she would no longer have to be burdened with protecting it. However, their relationship was soon torn apart when Kikyo took
it upon herself to care for Onigumo, a man who was bandaged from head to toe because of intense injuries. He couldn’t
do anything but lay down and talk, so he stayed in a cave and Kikyo fed him and cared for him. But Onigumo was a sick and
wicked man at heart, and he wanted Kikyo and the Shikon Jewel to be all his for his own twisted desires. He became so obsessed
that he allowed a large number of demons inside of him in exchange for them giving him a powerful body of his own. When all
the demons fused into Onigumo, the demon Naraku was born.
Naraku’s first goal was to make Inuyasha and Kikyo hate each, for if Kikyo’s heart
were to be filled with anger and hatred, the dark energy of the Shikon Jewel would be strong. Disguising himself as both Kikyo
and Inuyasha, he tricked both of them into believing that each betrayed the other. His scheme ended with a wounded Kikyo(who
had been attacked by Naraku, disguised as Inuyasha) sealing Inuyasha onto a tree with an enchanted arrow. Before she died
from her injury, Kikyo told her younger sister Kaede that the Shikon Jewel should “die” along with her. And so,
Kikyo’s body was cremated along with the jewel so that no one would be able to obtain it.
500 years later, in the bustling city of Tokyo, Kagome Higurashi is just an average high shool
student who lives with her mother, grandfather, younger brother Sota, and cat Buyo. Her family owns an ancient shrine, and
one day, while looking for Buyo in the shrine, Kagome is pulled down the old well by a centipede demon! She ends up in ancient
Japan, and while wandering around the forest, she sees Inyasha sealed to the tree by Kikyo’s arrow. But when the centipede
demon attacks, demanding the Shikon Jewel, it’s discovred that the jewel was inside of Kagome! Kaede believes the Kagome
is the reincarnation of Kikyo! Kagome is able to free Inuyasha from his seal and he destroys the centipede demon. However
he’s still full of contempt and insolence because of Kikyo’s betrayal, and he demands that Kagome give the Shikon
Jewel to him so that he can become a full demon. But Kagome, being the reincarnation of a powerful preistess, has some control
over Inuyasha; all she has to do is tell him to “sit” and the rosary around his neck pushes him face-first into
the ground! However, before anything can be decided about what to do with the Shikon Jewel, a crow demon steals it, and when
Kagome destroys it with her arrow, the jewel is shattered and all the shards become scattered throughout the entire realm
of ancient Japan! Even just a small shard of the Shikon Jewel can grant anyone immense power, so Inuyasha and Kagome must
travel around and find them all before they fall into the wrong hands!
At first, Inuyasha refuses to accept Kagome, probably because she looks so much like the woman
he thought betrayed him. And Kagome tries her best to be friendly with Inuyasha, but she’s sometimes turned off by his
hot-headedness. But as they travel around together, facing the deadly powers of evil demons who’ve obtained a Shikon
shard, and even Inuyasha’s dangerous brother Sesshomaru, their feelings for each other steadily grow and grow. Although
they never admit it, Inuyasha and Kagome form an unbreakable bond with each other that soon goes beyond just companionship.
They also pick up many friends along the way; Shippo, a friendly, orphaned little fox demon, Miroku, a mischievous but noble
monk, who has a wind tunnel in his right hand(a curse that Naraku put on his family) and a soft spot in his heart for pretty
girls, and Sango, a demon exterminator whose family and village were destroyed by Naraku(the only one left alive was her pet
demon cat, Kirara). And so Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango travel around feudal Japan, fighting demons, collecting
pieces of the Shikon Jewel, and most of all, seeking to destroy Naraku!
Other Inuyasha Info
Created by the world-famous manga artist Rumiko Takahashi, Inuyasha is a
feudal fairy tale in which a series of fascinating characters (including a variety of goblins and demons) appear in a vividly
told story, which reveals the rich and complex inner personalities of the main characters. The tales of Inuyasha continue
to charm readers. To date, more than 30 million copies of the Inuyasha manga comic series have been sold, and the recent TV
series continues to command leading viewer ratings in Japan.
Recently launched on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, Inuyasha
is proving to be a big hit with American audiences as well, with ratings among the top of all age groups.
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