Inuyasha

"Humans are more arrogant and greedy than any other living creature, and I'm part human too, which why I refuse to give up! On top of that, when a human has someone he's gotta protect, his power grows exponentially. I have what it takes to destroy you. All thanks to my human mother!"

- Inuyasha to Setsuna no Takemaru

Inuyasha is the main male protagonist and title character of the anime/manga series Inuyasha. He is an inu hanyō, son of the Inu no Taishō and human Izayoi. He was pinned to a sacred tree by a sacred sealing arrow shot by the priestess Kikyō after he attempted to steal the Shikon no Tama. Kagome Higurashi released him from the seal fifty years later, but soon after, she accidentally shattered the Shikon Jewel into hundreds of fragments. They reluctantly agreed to work together as a team to recover all of the fragments that had scattered across Feudal Japan before they fall into the wrong hands.

He is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the Japanese version of the anime and Richard Ian Cox in the English version, the latter of whom also voices Allelujah Haptism.

Origin
Inuyasha was born half-demon and half-human. Because of this, he was ostracized by both the human and demon communities. His human mother was the only one alive who seemed to care for him. Inuyasha grew to desire the Shikon Jewel, knowing that it could make him a full demon, or a full human. His isolation caused him to become bitter, though not heartless, as he would still protect others from danger.

Personality
"Inuyasha: What the hell is Kagome's problem anyway? Miroku: What are you saying?! Let tell you something, you're the one with the problem, Inuyasha. Inuyasha: How so? All I did was tell the truth. Since when is that a bad thing? Sango: You have so much to learn."

- Inuyasha arguing with the group after telling Kagome her food was horrible At the root of the half-demon Inuyasha's existence there lies the conflict of human and demon. The fear or anger at his lack of belonging caused darkness to be in his heart. However, through the involvement of Kagome and friends, he was comforted and able to develop a strong and gentle disposition.

Immediately after being released from his fifty-year seal, Inuyasha wanted to become a demon and acquire power quickly by using the Shikon Jewel. In the rage of battle, he ceased to have concerns for the lives of others. However, after meeting Kagome and other humans, he came to understand the truth about being a demon and began to search for true strength of spirit. His intention to become a demon went from finding his place in the world to wanting to protect his companions but he began to harbor doubts over it, since Miroku said he would never be the same that he was and possibly kill Kagome and other innocent people.

He had no desire to lose his human spirit anymore nor would he want to kill Kagome. Over the course of the series, as his bond with Kagome deepened, Inuyasha's goal to become a demon faded and he was pleased with just remaining a half-demon. Even when his life is in danger, he refuses to back down. Enemies are taken aback by his unorthodox fighting style and has achieved greater victories than his abilities would suggest. Inuyasha is driven by a fierce, persistent determination to win and his guts in battle have proved to let him get a favorable result. However, his volatile emotions often turn into childish behavior and becomes tiresome to his friends. Inuyasha himself cannot control his tumultuous soul.

Even if seriously wounded, the moment he detects the presence of those he most protect at all costs he would completely forget the pain. The overflow of his emotions went beyond his body's limits. This is especially true when Kagome is involved. Inuyasha is incredibly hotheaded and easy to upset, often striking out with his fists at the source of his annoyance. He often was seen even hitting little kids if they bothered him, which is often the case with Shippō (Inuyasha even hit a young girl too.

In InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island, he hit Asagi for insulting Kagome). He does hold a chivalrous side, as he refuses to physically harm human women under any circumstance (though, demonic women are an exception). He is impatient by nature and can be very prideful, having much difficulty to admit he was wrong about something. During his arguments with Kagome, it takes a lot for him to accept his mistake (as Kagome is usually the wronged), which frustrates her immensely because of his immaturity.

That Inuyasha loses his demon power on the night of the new moon is kept a secret. It is Inuyasha's policy, having lived through a cruel past, to believe he might be killed if he relaxes. However, since meeting Kagome and gaining friends who know of his secret, he opened his heart and forged bonds that allow him to entrust his life to others. Even with his friends beside him however, there is a certain anxiety inside of him that never disappeared and they quietly accepted this.

However, despite how cynical and anti-social he outwardly behaves, the sides of himself that he reveals in casual moments exposes his good inner nature. He cannot hide his true feelings. Although his friends describe him as "easily deceived and honest to a fault" and "unable to understand the subtleties of the human spirit", his personality is difficult to dislike. Inuyasha is extremely susceptible to spells and trickery, and has a blunt, almost brutal honesty about most things, which is why he often seems to be rude and disrespectful to others (which he often is to begin with).

Such as he blatantly told Kagome her food is horrible when she made it all for him to impress (in Affections Touching Across Time and anime, both these remarks earned him a furious "Sit!" from Kagome). This is mostly due to the fact that, having ostracized from both human and demonic communities, he has little experience in how to properly react in such social situations. Despite his tough and insensitive exterior, he truly cares for his friends who are as good as family to him, for each of them, in their own way, saved him from his loneliness.

Inuyasha has said that it's best to kill anyone who bares their teeth as soon as possible, but sometimes-special circumstances prevent him from doing so. He hates those that kill for fun and gladly rescues people in torment. He realized that all life is equally important which is a huge contrast from how he once was. Inuyasha hates to kill humans and even if they are lowly bandits, he is consumed with guilt. He has a strong distaste for people who ostracized from others for just being different, which he likens to his own lonely, miserable childhood.

Power more than fighting tactics, fighting spirit more than wisdom. Inuyasha has fought multitudes of powerful enemies and suppressed them with raw power and instinct. Rather than analyze matters, Inuyasha runs on reckless emotion and-even if seriously injured in battle- he eventually achieved favorable results in the end. Inuyasha's instinct and experience is a product of daily training. When he sees something new, his eyes light up and he tries to interact with it. Inuyasha is dense and rather slow to catch on to something, such as he didn't know Sango's feelings for Miroku until way later.

Fifty three years ago Inuyasha met Kikyō and began to develop feelings for her. By meeting Kikyō, Inuyasha learned the warmth of the human heart and became attracted to her. Through a conspiracy, however, they were torn apart. When he learned that Kikyō gave her life to pursue him, he vowed to never let a woman die again. Those feelings increase all the more for the one that looks like Kikyō. Kagome being the reincarnation of Kikyō was utterly confusing to him and all he ever saw when he looked at her was Kikyō, however eventually this fades with time. Although scorned by a resurrected Kikyō in the beginning, feelings of affection and remorse resurfaced inside of him. He was guilty of Kikyō's death and offered to die for Kikyō since he was the cause, but Kagome had stopped him.

He had feelings for the two women and glares with murderous intent at any man who dares get close to either of them. Inuyasha never questioned himself. Feelings of love confused him. Inuyasha was poor at expressing his affection for Kagome, which always ended up upsetting her. Inuyasha's selfish, possessive personality, was even showcased against Naraku once he found out that he loved Kikyō as well, which greatly infuriated and disgusted Inuyasha.

Inuyasha often saw Kagome's tears during their journey. And when tears were shed for him, with their gentle scent bringing relief, he feels that he has found his place as a protector above all else. Contact with Kagome healed the deep loneliness in his soul. In the beginning, Inuyasha didn't think there was anyone in the world who would grieve over his death. He finds a different kind of comfort in Kagome than he found with Kikyō. He even confided in Kagome some of his memories of being bullied as a half-demon and knows happiness when he is with her.

Powers and Abilities

 * Superhuman Strength: Inuyasha's yōkai blood gives him superhuman strength. He has also shown to be able to uproot trees and break through walls and fortress gates and has a punch feared by yōkai many times his size. In the battle against the Noh mask in the manga, he is shown to be able to punch through solid steel, as he did while destroying the mask. Similarly, in later manga chapters, he accidentally deformed Kagome's bike with his hands while attempting to fix it. According to Zusetutaizen Ougikaiden official guide, he is at least "strong enough to easily lift a boulder - with a diameter greater than the length of his body-over his head with one hand"; it is later confirmed that he is capable of lifting 10 tons with a single arm, and can press a maximum of 20 tons when employing both arms.
 * Superhuman Speed: Inuyasha's speed has been shown to easily exceed that of a normal horse, but is considerably slower than Entei, the yōkai horse that served as Hakudōshi's steed. He has been observed by many characters as running like he is flying and slowing his falls in mid-air. While not capable of true flight, Inuyasha, having inherited a lesser version of his father's more rudimentary powers, can manipulate his own yōki to an extent when he jumps, allowing him to glide over long distances and slow his falls as he lands. According to Rumiko Tahakashi, Inuyasha's full powered leaps are capable of clearing three mountain peaks.
 * Superhuman Stamina: Inuyasha's stamina likewise far exceeds human standards, possibly derived from the fact that his yōkai blood is that of an Inu Yōkai. He is shown to be able to run and leap vast distances at great speeds and often complains how his comparatively weaker human companions always slow him down by needing to rest so much every day. He is also able to endure a great deal of physical pain, as was once demonstrated in an early battle with Sesshōmaru, when he continued fighting even after being impaled in the stomach. While not a show of durability, it indicates how strong Inuyasha's life force is, as he can continue fighting while ignoring grievous injuries.
 * Superhuman Durability: While not immune to stronger yōkai, holy weapons, spiritual powers, bladed weapons, yōki attacks, or shrapnel, Inuyasha's physique is about as durable as a human with his level of strength. He has shown to be capable of surviving considerable blunt force trauma, able to withstand a direct blow from a solid wooden log that broke on contact, falling several stories into a crevasse in his fight with Ryūkotsusei, and being thrown hard enough to shatter solid rock. His skin is thick enough for him to survive being tangled by Yura's wire-thin hair strands, which are capable of cutting through solid tree trunks. His Fire Rat Robe serves as a sort of armor, granting him resistance against heat and fire. His physiological makeup also grants him resistance to certain acids, as shown when he stood up to his ankles in the Stone Oni's stomach acid and resisted having Sesshōmaru's acid injected into his wrist (albeit with injury; with the latter blinding him by spraying his acid in his eyes).
 * Regeneration: When injured, Inuyasha heals far more rapidly than a human. For example, when Tōtōsai had to yank out one of Inuyasha's fangs to repair the Tessaiga, he mentioned that Inuyasha would grow a replacement canine in one day. Combined with his considerable stamina, he can recover from critical, non-dismembering injuries (such as being stabbed in the chest with a sword and having a hole punched through his gut by Sesshōmaru) with no trace of a scar after several hours.
 * Superhuman Senses: While inferior to those of the Inu no Taishō and Sesshōmaru, Inuyasha's senses are nonetheless developed beyond those of any ordinary human or animal. He is shown to be able to hear what people are whispering from great distances, as was the case when, while perched on a tree, he overheard Akitoki Hōjō hiding in a bush and quietly praising Kagome under his breath. Likewise, his sense of smell is shown to be extremely sensitive - he can smell hints of blood from kilometers away and can detect the presence of people by smell long before they can be seen - but can also be overloaded by strong scents and tastes, as shown in "The Cursed Ink of the Hell-Painter" where he was temporarily knocked out by the strong smell of black ink. His sense of smell is also his method of detecting yoki, and thus is used in locating the Kaze no Kizu, the striking point of the Bakuryūha and yoketsu auras, and, once, scenting the path of the outside world to pierce Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha. He has also been able to catch a whiff of Naraku's power from many miles away as soon as he lets down his barrier, with at least as much accuracy as Kōga, despite the later being a full yōkai.
 * Longevity: Because of his mixed heritage and being the son of a once powerful Inu-Daiyōkai; Inuyasha ages slower than normal humans as he is over 200 years old in Demon years but appears to be the equivalent of a 15 year old human.
 * Sankon Tessō ("Iron Reaver Soul Stealer" in the English dub): By channeling his yōki through his claws, Inuyasha can increase his claws' range and strength to cut though objects and demons deeper than logically possible, allowing him to destroy weaker demons many times his size in one hit. Despite being Inuyasha's most rudimentary yōki-powered attack, it is still strong enough to destroy weaker demons even if they are enhanced by the Shikon Jewel, as shown when he easily disposed of Mistress Centipede. Rumiko Takahashi stated in an interview that Inuyasha's full-powered Sankon Tessō is strong enough to cut through an industrial steel support beam. In his yōkai form, his Sankon Tessō becomes crimson-colored and is strong enough to cut through a daiyokai's skin, as shown when he battled Ryūkotsusei.
 * Hijin Kessō ("Blades of Blood" in the English dub): A ranged version of the Sankon Tessō. By dipping his claws in his own blood and channeling his yoki through his claws, Inuyasha can sling his yōki-infused blood at his enemies in the form of multiple, red shuriken-like crescents. Because it requires his own blood to attack, Inuyasha only uses the Hijin Kessō as a last resort to catch his opponents off guard, or if they are too fast to land a direct attack/employ ranged attacks. While he prefers taking blood from an already open wound, Inuyasha can draw blood by digging his nails into his palms.
 * Kenatsu (検圧器, lit. Sword Pressure): This is the special ability that allows the Tessaiga to cut opponents without touching them, surrounding the blade in yōki. Inuyasha forgoes uses this ability once he learns the Kaze no Kizu.
 * Kaze no Kizu (風の傷, lit. Scar of the Wind; "Wind Scar" in the English dub): The Tessaiga's signature attack that can, according to legend, kill one hundred youkai with a single strike. Originally, Inuyasha activated this technique by finding the rift (or "scar") between the yōki aura of his yōkai opponent and his own. By striking the Kaze no Kizu with the Tessaiga, this released the tension between the clashing yōki auras in the form of six cutting streams of yōki. According to Inuyasha Profiles, the Kaze no Kizu has a maximum range of 80 meters. During Inuyasha's battle with Ryūkotsusei, the Kaze no Kizu wraps itself around the Tessaiga, allowing him to fire it at will by putting his own yōki into the attack, but repetitive use will drain his energy until he is too weak to fire it.
 * Bakuryūha (爆流破, lit. Explosive Style Destruction; "Backlash Wave" in the English dub): The Tessaiga's ōgi ("ultimate technique"). By catching his yōkai opponent's yōki-based blasts with the Kaze no Kizu and striking the specific weak point, Inuyasha can reflect the attack back at his opponent with the added power of the Kaze no Kizu. The ensnared energy combined with the Kaze no Kizu takes on the form of several destructive tornadoes.  However, this technique specifically requires a second yōki aura to activate, and thus cannot be used against non-yōkai opponents. In addition, it will only work if Inuyasha's own yōki aura is able to overwhelm that of his opponent without completely dwarfing it, making it unusable against yōkai whose power surpasses or is inferior than his own.
 * Barrier-Shattering: Gained by breaking Shiori's scarlet-colored orb over the Tessaiga's blade, 103126_512x288_generated_0u_q3lwxDkW1RL9E7XR2sA.jpg form allows Tessaiga to cut through most holy and yōki-based barriers (including Naraku's original shield). When in used, the Tessaiga's blade briefly glows red.
 * Kongōsōha (金剛槍破, lit. Diamond Spear Blast; "Adamant Barrage" in the English dub): This technique was obtained from Hōsenki after Inuyasha chooses the safety of his friends over strengthening the Tessaiga. This technique fires a barrage of diamond shrapnel when Inuyasha swings the Tessaiga. The diamond shrapnel's effect allows it to negate stronger holy and yoki-based barriers that the Red Tessaiga cannot, including Naraku's later barriers.
 * Yōki Absorption: This technique was gained after breaking the yōkai sword Datsuki, which could absorb an opponent's yōki. Inuyasha initially had trouble understanding the (relatively) complex mechanics of this ability. Because yōki is toxic to both humans and hanyōs, Inuyasha's half-breed nature limited how much yōki the Tessaiga could absorb at once. As the Tessaiga reached its limits, the blade and hilt would grow hotter as a warning sign to Inuyasha. If Inuyasha tried to push past the Tessaiga's limit, the sword would "regurgitate" the absorbed yōki back at him and causing him critical injury. After absorbing the senki, the sword now purifies the yōki it absorbs, removing its original limits without regurgitating the energy.
 * Yoketsu Cutting: After realizing the true nature of the Tessaiga (and swords is general) is to cut; Inuyasha learns to see the yoketsu of his yōkai opponent and can use the Dragon-scaled Tessaiga to cut it, instantly destroying weak yōkai. By cutting off portions of yoketsu, Inuyasha can weaken stronger yōkai and destroy parts of enemies made of several aggregated yōkai, which can prove fatal.
 * Meidō Zangetsuha (冥道斬月波, Dark Path Cutting Moon Wave): This technique opens Its_a_rumic_world_inuyasha_special_black_tessaiga_013.jpg a black portal several meters in diameter that sends anything within its radius directly to the Netherworld itself. However, the portal can be destroyed if the target's energy reserves are sufficiently powerful enough - as shown when Sesshōmaru tried to use it on Inuyasha when the latter was in his yōkai state. It can also be used to enter/exit the Netherworld at will. Inuyasha has also used this ability to enter and exit pocket dimensions (specifically, the Shikon no Tama and the Bone Eater's Well's closed-off time tunnel).
 * Cutting Meidō Zangetsuha: After absorbing the original Meidō Zangetsuha from the Tenseiga, the Tessaiga's variant fires a barrage of black crescent-shaped portals that, after cutting its demonic opponent, traps the severed portion of their body in the underworld, thus the technique keeps the original ability intact while adding the Tessaiga's cutting nature, making for a much stronger technique.

Trivia

 * Inuyasha is often one of the most popular and recognizable anime heroes, in addition to being one of the primary members of the Shōnen Sunday franchise.
 * His Japanese Voice Actor, Kappei Yamaguchi also voices Sabato Rokudō from Rin-ne.