Inu Yasha: Biography
Inu Yasha is a reckless hanyou, the result of a relationship between a powerful Inu youkai lord and an attractive human noblewoman. Orphaned at a young age, and despised and looked down on by both Youkai and humans, Inu Yasha apparently had a very sad childhood. He is rejected by humans because of his youkai side and looked down upon by youkai as a “filthy half-breed” because his human blood supposedly taints his youkai blood. Thus, before Inu Yasha met Kikyo, he found it very difficult to trust anyone, and even more to find anyone who accepted him as a ha’nyou.
He was originally going to use the Jewel of the Four Souls to become a full youkai, however, the high priestess who guarded the Jewel, Kikyo, whom Inu Yasha developed feelings for, talked him into becoming human. Another han’you, formerly a human known only as Onigumo, but now called Naraku, made them believe they betrayed each other. Because of Naraku’s schemes, and their own lack of faith in each other, their relationship ended when Inu Yasha broke into Kikyo’s village and stole the Jewel of the Four Souls. In defense of the village, and to keep him from escaping with the Jewel, Kikyo fired a Fuin no Ya at Inu Yasha, sealing him to the Goshinboku in an eternal enchanted sleep. Moments afterward, Kikyo collapses from a wound she received from Naraku—though at first the viewer is lead to believe that Inu Yasha wounded her—and dies within a few short moments. Part of her final instructions to her sister Kaede was to have the Jewel burned with her body so that it would travel to Hell with her.
50 years later, Inu Yasha was released from the tree by Kagome, the reincarnation of Kikyo from 500 years in the future, who unknowingly carried the Jewel of the Four Souls inside her body (this is due to Kikyo being burned with the Jewel, but also makes reference to Midoriko, the creator of the Jewel). When he was finished with Kumade Jourou (Mistress Centipede), he tried to steal the Jewel but ends up with the Beads of Subjugation around his neck. When Kagome says “Sit” (おすわり, Osuwari?) his head plunges to the ground. Kagome accidentally shattered the Jewel when shooting at a youkai trying to flee with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inu Yasha, Kagome, and their friends then began the search for the shards of the Jewel of the Four Souls.
He is introduced as an antagonist when, upon his revival, he attempts to kill Kagome in order to take the Shikon Jewel. He becomes more civil as time progresses, losing some of his more “demonic” qualities and becoming much more human. He maintains a crass, blunt, rude attitude towards everyone except Kagome and Kikyo, and to a lesser degree the rest of his companions (with the possible exception of Shippo). He is brutaly honest when it comes to dealing with emotional hardships (as long as they are not his), and always tries to take the most direct route possible in solving any problem, which usually involves blowing something up or shredding it. He seems to have gone into a depressed state following Kikyo’s death, and it remains to be seen how much his attitude has been changed. However, she has been killed or presumed dead a grand total of three times, and he seems to have recovered realitively quickly from her deaths in the past, so this most recent death may not engender any permanent attitude adjustments.
Inu Yasha is offended when someone calls him a dog or suggests that he is inferior to youkai, due to his human parentage.
This text was taken from Wikipedia.org.
