Inuyasha

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"InuYasha, a Feudal Fairy Tale" redirects here. For the video game, see InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale.
This article is about the manga and anime franchise. For the title character, see InuYasha (character). For other uses, see InuYasha (disambiguation).
Inuyasha
First volume of Viz's English translation of the InuYasha manga
GenreAdventure; Sengoku era sword and sorcery
Created byRumiko Takahashi
Manga
Written byRumiko Takahashi
Published byJapan Shogakukan
DemographicShōnen
Anime
Directed byMasashi Ikeda (episodes 1 to 44)
Yasunao Aoki (44 onwards)
StudioSunrise
Feature movies
  1. InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
  2. InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
  3. InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler
  4. InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island

InuYasha (犬夜叉), full title InuYasha, a Feudal Fairy Tale (戦国お伽草子–犬夜叉, Sengoku Otogizōshi - InuYasha, "Warring-States Fairy-Tale Book: InuYasha) (romanized as INUYASHA in Japan and sometimes Inuyasha), is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. The story centers on a time-traveling middle school student, a half-demon, a lecherous monk, a fox demon, a demon slayer, and a nekomata during the Sengoku period who seek to find all the fragments of the Jewel of Four Souls (Shikon no Tama) and to keep them out of the hands of evildoers, especially Naraku.

The manga was adapted into a 167 episode anime series produced by Sunrise. Masashi Ikeda directed the first forty-four episodes, while Yasunao Aoki directed the remainder of the series. InuYasha premiered on Yomiuri TV in Japan on 16 October 2000 and ran until 13 September 2004. The television run of the anime ceased without a conclusion to the story. As of February 2008, the manga is still being released in Japan, but has recently begun its final story arc.

In 2002, the manga won the Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen title of the year.[1]

Synopsis

File:ShikonNoTama.jpg
The Jewel of Four Souls

The story begins in Feudal Japan, when InuYasha, a half-demon (han'yō), steals the Jewel of Four Souls from a village. The Jewel of Four Souls is an item that can increase one's powers enormously. InuYasha does not get far before Kikyo, the young miko of the village, shoots him with a sacred arrow that indefinitely seals him onto Goshinboku, a sacred tree in the nearby forest. After being mortally wounded, Kikyo tells her younger sister, Kaede, to burn the jewel with her body to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil.

In modern Tokyo, a junior high school girl named Kagome Higurashi is on her way to school. She stops in the well house of her family's Shinto shrine to retrieve her cat, Buyo, when a centipede demon emerges from the well and pulls her into the Sengoku period of Japan.

Not knowing where she is, Kagome wanders around a forest near the well. She spots Goshinboku off in the distance and proceeds towards it. On the tree, she finds InuYasha, who is still sealed in an enchanted sleep. Villagers seize her and take her to the old priestess, Kaede. Recognizing that Kagome is the reincarnation of her sister Kikyo, Kaede tells her the story of Kikyo and InuYasha.

The centipede attacks again, and Kagome is forced to release InuYasha from his enchantment so he can kill it. After defeating the centipede, InuYasha tries to take the Jewel of Four Souls from Kagome. In order to thwart InuYasha and to save Kagome's life, Kaede places magical prayer beads around InuYasha's neck so that Kagome can subdue him.

The Jewel of Four Souls attracts more demons, and in a battle against a carrion crow demon, the jewel is shattered into numerous shards that spread across Japan.

Kagome and InuYasha set out to collect the shards and restore the Jewel of Four Souls. Along the way, they befriend Shippo, a fox demon; Miroku, a cursed monk; and Sango, a demon-slayer whose brother was possessed and forced to slaughter the rest of his village. The group encounters many friends and foes during the adventure, including InuYasha's older half-brother Sesshomaru; Kikyo, who was resurrected with part of Kagome's soul; Naraku, who tricked Kikyo and InuYasha into turning against each other; and a wolf demon named Koga, who is in love with Kagome and constantly bickers with InuYasha.

Characters

Main article: List of InuYasha characters
Kagome Higurashi (日暮 かごめ, Higurashi Kagome) Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese); Moneca Stori (English)
Kagome is a fifteen-year-old ninth grade student. She is the reincarnation of Kikyo, a miko (priestess) who died fifty years before the time Kagome first emerged from the Bone Eater's Well in the Sengoku period. Because of this, Kagome has powerful spiritual powers and can sense the shards of the Shikon Jewel, an item that is said to balance the forces of good and evil. Kagome can be extremely sweet, but can also become very dangerous when provoked. InuYasha wears a special bead necklace that forces him to respond to Kagome's command "Osuwari!", which translates to "Sit!" in English. In the English-dubbed version, "InuYasha, sit!" or "Sit, boy!" are sometimes used instead. Following the command, InuYasha is thrown to the ground. Kaede had placed the necklace upon InuYasha because he had threatened to kill Kagome if she refused to give the Jewel of Four Souls to him.[2]
InuYasha (犬夜叉) Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese); Richard Ian Cox (English)
InuYasha is a hanyō (half-demon), the product of an inu-yōkai (犬妖怪, dog demon) and a human. He wields the Tessaiga, a supernatural sword made from one of his deceased father's fangs. When properly wielded, the sword can destroy one hundred demons with a single swing. InuYasha can quickly recover from injuries that would be fatal to a human, largely due to his demonic heritage. During the first night of each lunar month (new moon), InuYasha changes into a normal human with black hair and brown eyes and loses his demonic powers. InuYasha was bound to Goshinboku by Kikyo's arrow for fifty years until Kagome freed him.
Miroku (弥勒) Voiced by: Kōji Tsujitani (Japanese); Kirby Morrow (English)
Miroku is a Buddhist "hōshi" (low-ranking, itinerant monk) who travels 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 (also a Buddhist monk) by Naraku. The curse created a hole in his hand that became a kazaana (風洞, air void or "wind tunnel") that sucks in anything that is not nailed down, regardless of its mass. However, absorbing poisons harms him, a fact Naraku takes advantage of by creating highly poisonous insects whose presence prevents Miroku from using his kazāna on Naraku or his allies. Miroku uses the kazāna as a powerful weapon against yōkai, but if the curse is not broken (by defeating Naraku), it will grow too large to control and will consume Miroku himself. Miroku 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. He has a distinct weakness for single women. He makes a point of asking every attractive woman he meets if she will bear his child, and he habitually strokes the buttocks of attractive women. Miroku eventually proposes to Sango, though this does little to curb his flirtations with other women.
Sango (珊瑚) Voiced by: Houko Kuwashima (Japanese); Kelly Sheridan (English)
Sango is a "yōkai taijiya" (demon slayer) who hails from a village of professional demon slayers. Sango wields the Hiraikotsu, a massive boomerang made of yōkai bones, and uses a broad repertoire of tools and tricks to battle yōkai. Sango seeks revenge against Naraku for the death of her family and her entire village. In addition, Sango seeks to rescue her brother Kohaku from Naraku's influence and somehow save his life, even though Kohaku's life is tied to the jewel shard embedded in his back. She eventually develops romantic feelings for Miroku. Despite the fact that everyone but InuYasha notices her interest, she refuses to admit it exists. The manifestation of her interest often takes the form of hitting Miroku when he flirts with other single women.
Shippo (七宝, Shippō) Voiced by: Kumiko Watanabe (Japanese); Jillian Michaels (actress) (English)
Shippo is a young orphan kitsune (fox demon) 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. Shippo can shape shift, but his forms are temporary and often incomplete and ineffective, such that he is usually given away by his tail. His other noteworthy abilities are using illusionary tricks with toys like his giant spinning top attack, using his race's notable foxfire magic, and duplicating things, such as leaves or his own body. He tends to be naively observant and often makes pointed and cheeky comments directed towards InuYasha, earning him a retaliatory rap on the head for his unsolicited "advice".
Kirara (雲母) Voiced by: Tarako
Kirara is Sango's faithful nekomata. She has cream-colored fur, black ears, two black stripes on each of her two bushy tails near the tip, and black-tipped paws. Kirara can change between two forms: a ferocious lion-sized yōkai with the ability to fly, and a cute kitten. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo often use Kirara's flying ability as transportation in order to keep up with InuYasha. (In the English dub, her name is pronounced "Kee-Lah-Lah", because the Japanese language treats "r" and "l" as one phoneme.)
Sesshomaru (殺生丸, Sesshōmaru) Voiced by: Ken Narita (Japanese); David Kaye (English)
Sesshomaru is the yōkai son of the powerful Inu no Taishou and InuYasha's half-brother. Sesshomaru believes that struggle is the only way to survive, and throughout most of the series, he shows his contempt for InuYasha. Although Sesshomaru inherited his father's Tenseiga, which can bring a hundred people back to life with a single swing, he originally coveted InuYasha's inheritance, the powerful Tessaiga. However, a spell was cast on Tessaiga so that a full yōkai cannot touch it without burning his flesh. Despite knowing that he cannot touch the sword, Sesshomaru still desires to take it from InuYasha.

Media

Manga

See also: List of InuYasha chapters

The manga is serialized in Japan in the weekly magazine Shonen Sunday by Shogakukan. The first installment was issued on 13 November 1996. Every 180 pages (usually ten chapters), the issues are collected in a bound tankōbon. The latest chapter (published on 12 March 2008) is chapter 545, "Despair". In chapter 530, published in the 11 November 2007 issue of Shonen Sunday, Takahashi announced the manga was entering its final arc.[3]

In the United States, the English version is published by Viz Media. The artwork is flipped to conform to the American convention of reading left to right. (Both the order and each individual frame are flipped, mirror image.) Volume one was published in March 1998, with either two or three new volumes following each year. Currently, one volume is published per quarter. The most recent volume, volume thirty-two, was released on 8 January 2008.

Anime

See also: List of InuYasha episodes

The InuYasha anime series spanned 167 episodes. It was broadcast across Japan by the anime satellite television network Animax, which also aired the series on its English-language network in South Asia and on its networks in East Asia, Yomiuri TV and Nippon Television. The series ended its television run in Japan on 13 September 2004. The adaptation ended at the equivalent of the thirty-sixth manga volume, in chapter 356.

The anime is licensed in North America by Viz and ShoPro Entertainment, with dubbing by the The Ocean Group. It was first broadcast in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on 31 August 2002 in dubbed form. In the United States, the final episode of InuYasha aired on 27 October 2006. As of March 18 2008, the series is in rotation, with two episodes airing seven days per week at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The series premiered in Canada on YTV on 5 September 2003. YTV's Bionix programming block aired the final episode on 1 December 2006. Reruns continued to air in the Bionix block until 12 October 2007.

InuYasha has also been dubbed in Mandarin Chinese and aired on Xing Kong, a Taiwanese TV Channel. It has also been dubbed in Bahasa Melayu on NTV7, and currently runs on TV9.

DVD releases

On 16 April 2007, the first twelve InuYasha episodes were released on DVD in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the first four seasons have been released both as season box sets and as individual disks.

DVD releases for Region 1 (U.S. and Canada)
Season Episodes Discs Features DVD release date
1 1 - 27 5
  • Japanese and English audio options
  • English subtitles
 7 September 2004
2 28 - 54 5
  • Japanese and English audio options
  • English subtitles
 8 November 2005
3 55 - 81 5
  • Japanese and English audio options
  • English subtitles
 12 September 2006
4 82 - 99 4
  • Japanese and English audio options
  • English subtitles
 4 September 2007
DVD releases for Region 2 (UK)
Season Episodes Discs Features DVD release date
1a 1 - 12 2
  • Japanese and English audio options
  • English subtitles
 16 April 2007

Movies

Four movies, which exist separately from the anime time line, have been released in Japan. All four movies have also been released as Region 1 DVDs by Viz Media. The first movie, InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (映画犬夜叉　時代を越える想い, Eiga InuYasha: Jidai o Koeru Omoi), was released in Japan on 16 December 2001. In the movie, InuYasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku must face Menomaru, a demonic enemy brought to life by a jewel shard, as they continue their quest for the Shikon Jewel shards.

InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (映画犬夜叉　鏡の中の夢幻城, Eiga InuYasha: Kagami no Naka no Mugenjō) was released on 21 December 2002, and depicts the group defeating Naraku and returning to their normal lives. Their short period of peace is interrupted when a new enemy emerges: Kaguya, the ruler of the eternal night.

InuYasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (映画犬夜叉　天下覇道の剣, Eiga InuYasha: Tenka Hadō no Ken) was released on 20 December 2003. It gives some background into the story of InuYasha's love for Izayoi, InuYasha's mother. So'unga, a legendary sword that belonged to InuYasha's father, is unleashed from its centuries-old seal and seeks to destroy the Earth and all life on it. Thus, InuYasha must join forces with his brother, Sesshomaru, and destroy the sword before it destroys the world.

The fourth movie, InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island (映画犬夜叉　紅蓮の蓬莱島, Eiga InuYasha: Guren no Hōraijima), was released on 23 December 2004. The reappearance of the mysterious island of Houraijima after fifty years incurs the wrath of the four gods, the Shitoushin. With their eyes set on the powers that protect and sustain the island, the Shitoushin must be defeated while InuYasha and his friends try to help the children that are trapped on that island escape.

Music

All the music that was used in the series and films were licensed from the Japanese record company, Avex Trax.

Opening themes

"Change the world"
  • Opening for episodes: 1 - 34
  • Lyrics by Rie Matsumoto, music by Miki Watanabe and arranged by Keiichi Ueno
  • Performed by V6
"I Am"
  • Opening for episodes: 35 - 64
  • Lyrics by hitomi, music by Masato Kitano and arranged by Zentaro Watanabe
  • Performed by Hitomi
"Unending Dream" (終わりない夢, Owari nai Yume)
  • Opening for episodes: 65 - 95
  • Lyrics by Nanase Aikawa, music by Hiroshi Shibazaki and arranged by Kaname
  • Performed by Nanase Aikawa
"Grip!"
  • Opening for episodes: 96 - 127
  • Lyrics by Kaori Mochida, music by Kazuhiro Kara and arranged by Hal
  • Performed by Every Little Thing
"One Day, One Dream"
  • Opening for episodes: 128 - 153
  • Lyrics by Hideyuki Kohata, music by Kei Yoshikawa and arranged by Chokkaku
  • Performed by Tackey & Tsubasa
"Angelus" (アンジェラス, Anjerasu)
  • Opening for episodes: 154 - 167
  • Lyrics by Bounceback, music by Bulge and arranged by Yasuaki Maejima
  • Performed by Hitomi Shimatani

Ending themes

"My will"
  • Ending for episodes: 1 - 20, and 167
  • Lyrics by Mai Matsumuro, music by Yasho Ohtani, arranged by Keisuke Kikuchi and chorus arrangement by Yas Kitajima
  • Performed by dream
"Deep Forest" (深い森, Fukai Mori)
  • Ending for episodes: 21 - 41
  • Lyrics by D-A-I, music by D-A-I, and arranged by D-A-I and Seiji Kameda
  • Performed by Do As Infinity
"Dearest"
  • Ending for episodes: 42 - 60
  • Lyrics by Ayumi Hamasaki, music by CREA (Ayumi Hamasaki) + D-A-I and arranged by Naoto Suzuki
  • Performed by Ayumi Hamasaki
"Every Heart" (ミンナノキモチ, Minna no Kimochi)
  • Ending for episodes: 61 - 85
  • Lyrics by Natsumi Watanabe, music by Bounceback and arranged by H-wonder
  • Performed by BoA
"Song of Truth" (真実の詩, Shinjitsu no Uta)
  • Ending for episodes: 86 - 108
  • Lyrics by D-A-I, music by D-A-I, and arranged by D-A-I and Seiji Kameda
  • Performed by Do As Infinity
"Mischievous Kiss" (イタズラな Kiss, Itazura na Kiss)
"Come"
  • Ending for episodes: 128 - 147
  • Lyrics by Kask/Mansson/Cunnah and music by Kask/Mansson/Cunnah
  • Japanese lyrics by Yuriko Mori and arranged by Cobra Endo
  • Performed by Namie Amuro
"Change the world"
  • Special ending for episode: 148
  • Lyrics by Rie Matsumoto, music by Miki Watanabe and arranged by Keiichi Ueno
  • Performed by V6
"Brand new world"
  • Ending for episodes: 149 - 166
  • Lyrics by Mizue, music by Ōyagihirō and arranged by Masaki Iehara
  • Performed by V6

Movie themes

"No more words"
"Rock" (ゆらゆら, Yura Yura)
"Song of Love" (愛の歌, Ai no Uta)
"Four Seasons"
"Paradise" (楽園, Rakuen)

Games

InuYasha has been adapted into a mobile game released for Java and Brew handsets on 21 June 2005,[4] an English-language original Trading card game created by Score Entertainment that was first released on 20 October 2004, and the following video game console games:

Title Console Release date Notes
InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale PlayStation 9 April 2003
(North America)		 Japanese title: InuYasha: Sengoku Otogi Kassen (戦国お伽草子–犬夜叉)
InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask PlayStation 2 1 November 2004 (North America) Japanese title: InuYasha: Juso no Kamen (犬夜叉 呪詛の仮面)
InuYasha: Feudal Combat PlayStation 2 23 August 2005 (North America) Japanese title: InuYasha: Ōgi-Ranbu (犬夜叉 奥義乱舞)
InuYasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel Nintendo DS 23 January 2007 (North America) English only.[5]
Inuyasha: Kagome no Sengoku Nikki (犬夜叉 ～かごめの戦国日記, InuYasha: Kagome's Warring States Diary) WonderSwan 2 November 2001 (Japan) Japanese only.
Inuyasha: Fūun Emaki (犬夜叉 風雲絵巻) WonderSwan 27 July 2002 (Japan) Japanese only.
Inuyasha: Kagome no Yume Nikki (犬夜叉 かごめの夢日記, InuYasha: Kagome's Dream Diary) WonderSwan 16 November 2002 (Japan) Japanese only.
Inuyasha: Naraku no Wana! Mayoi no Mori no Shōtaijō (犬夜叉～奈落の罠！迷いの森の招待状, InuYasha: Naraku's Trap! Invitation to the Forest of Illusion) Game Boy Advance 23 January 2002 (Japan) Japanese only.

Reception

The manga won the 2002 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen title of the year.

The InuYasha graphic novels continue to show strong sales numbers. Volume nineteen of the InuYasha manga series has been ranked third on Nielsen BookScan’s Graphic Novel Top Fifty List for the week ending 3 October 2004, and volume one ranks eighteenth in its seventy-seventh straight week on the list, confirming a growing interest in the manga among new fans.[6]

InuYasha made its debut on Cartoon Network's Saturday Adult Swim Block on 31 August 2002. It first aired weekly and then changed to air new episodes five nights a week. Though the show has now completed its first run, reruns are still aired six nights per week.

According to Viz, the feature film InuYasha: Affections Touching Across Time has sold over 30,000 DVD units to date.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  2. ^ InuYasha anime episode 2
  3. ^ "Inuyasha 530". OneManga. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  4. ^ InuYasha mobile phone game
  5. ^ ign.com
  6. ^ Anime Tourist: The Popularity of InuYasha, 19 October 2004

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Inuyasha.


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