Inuyasha
| Inuyasha | |
 First volume of Viz's English adaptation of the InuYasha manga | |
| Genre | Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Historical, Romance, Shōnen |
|---|---|
| Created by | Rumiko Takahashi |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Rumiko Takahashi |
| Published by |  Shogakukan |
| Anime | |
| Directed by | Masashi Ikeda (eps 1 to 44) Yasunao Aoki (44 onwards) |
| Studio | Sunrise |
| Feature Movies | |
InuYasha (犬夜叉), full title InuYasha, A Feudal Fairy Tale (戦国お伽草子–犬夜叉, Sengoku Otogi Zōshi InuYasha), is a popular Japanese shōnen adventure romantic comedy manga and anime created by Rumiko Takahashi. The story tells of the adventures of Kagome Higurashi, who can travel back in time through a mysterious well, and the half-demon, InuYasha, along with their companions Miroku (a lecherous monk who accompanies Inuyasha to defeat the demon lord Naraku, to rid himself of the black hole (Wind Tunnel) in his hand), Sango (a demon slayer wanting revenge on Naraku for the death of her brother and village) and Shippo (an orphan fox demon). The whole group travels together, seeking to kill Naraku as revenge and gather all the shards of the sacred jewel (Shikon no Tama, which was broken accidentally by Kagome) to keep them out of the hands of demons. It was adapted into a 167 episode anime series produced by Sunrise which first aired on Nippon TV in Japan from 16 October 2000 to 13 September 2004. The television run of the anime ceased without a conclusion to the story. The manga is still being released in Japan as of today.
The series is named after the main character, InuYasha. The name "InuYasha" literally means "dog demon". Inu (犬) is a Japanese word meaning "dog". Yasha (夜叉) is a Buddhism-related word meaning "demon or demon warrior". [1]
Plot
The story begins with a dog-like half-demon named InuYasha attacking a village in feudal Japan. He laughs in triumph and holds in his hand a jewel called the Shikon Jewel. His triumph is short lived when a young priestess named Kikyo shoots InuYasha with an arrow, putting him into an enchanted sleep. Kikyo, mortally wounded, tells her younger sister, Kaede, to burn the jewel with her remains to keep it from falling into the wrong hands. Later we learn that Naraku used trickery to get Kikyo and InuYasha to become enemies in hopes of tainting the jewel with malice before acquiring for himself.
Fast forward to modern Tokyo, a junior high-school girl named Kagome Higurashi who strongly resembles Kikyo is introduced. On her way to school on her fifteenth birthday, she heads to the covered well on the family property (which happens to be a Shinto shrine). She does this to retrieve her cat, Buyo, from the well, since her brother was afraid to go inside. When she approaches the well a centipede demon bursts from the well and grabs her. The demon claims that Kagome possesses the Jewel of the Four Souls (四魂の玉 Shikon no Tama) and attempts to seize it. When the demon is driven off, the very confused Kagome emerges in the Sengoku period of Japan.
Kagome wanders into a colossal forest looking for landmarks that she may recognize. She spots the Sacred Tree off in the distance and proceeds to run towards it, where she finds InuYasha, who is still sealed with an arrow to the tree, asleep. Villagers seize her and take her to a nearby village where she meets the old miko (Shinto shrine maiden), who is actually Kaede. She recognizes that Kagome is the re-incarnation of Kaede's sister Kikyo. Kaede relates the story to Kagome. It is later shown that InuYasha had a relationship with the priestess Kikyo and it was not he that tried to steal the jewel but Naraku, an evil character bent on destroying Kikyo, InuYasha, and many other people. The centipede attacks again and Kagome is forced to release InuYasha to kill it.
After destroying the centipede, InuYasha attempts to take the Shikon Jewel. However, when a set of magical prayer beads is cast onto his neck by Kaede, Kagome finds that she is able to master him by saying a "control" word. This is not unlike the system of control words used in modern dog-training. Amusingly enough, Kagome chooses the word phrase "Sit, Boy", which makes InuYasha land at Kagome's feet no matter what he is doing, or in what position he is in. Any combination of the original phrase spoken by Kagome has the same effect.
The arrival of the jewel attracts more greedy demons, however, and one known as a carrion-crow takes it and eats it. InuYasha rips off the demon's leg, but is unable to fully kill it. Kagome ties the leg to an arrow and shoots it at the demon, since the jewel enables the crow demon to heal, meaning that the leg will return to it, taking the arrow with it. The plan works, but the jewel is shattered into an unknown number (hundreds?) of shards in the process.
Later, InuYasha must fight his half brother Sesshomaru because he wants to kill InuYasha for their father's sword, Tessaiga (Tetsusaiga in the English dub), which turns out to only work for InuYasha and only when he uses it to defend mortals (InuYasha's mother was a mortal woman and the blade was made by his demon father to protect her). Soon after, Sesshomaru realizes that Tessaiga is unattainable, and adopts Rin, a young girl. When she is killed by a wolf pack, Sesshomaru uses his own sword Tenseiga, which has special healing powers, to bring her back to life.
Characters
The plot focuses mainly on Kagome and InuYasha and their expanding group of friends, mainly Miroku, Shippo, Sango and Kirara (alternatively: Kilala) as they seek the sacred jewel shards. The television show will occasionally skip over to the lives of the antagonists, minor characters or modern-day people as a way of setting up a plot, or clarifying a point. Flashbacks are occasionally used to the same effect. Shippo is a young fox demon who occasionally squabbles with InuYasha, which tends to end with a bonk on Shippo's head and a "Sit!" on Kagome's part. Miroku is a rather lecherous monk armed with spell scrolls and his trusty spiritual staff, as well as his "Kazaana (Wind Tunnel)", an other-dimensional black hole embedded into his right palm. He is also quite the ladies' man in the manga and anime. Sango is the very sensible demon exterminator with a giant boomerang-like weapon (Hiraikotsu) and her cat-demon companion (Kirara) who, usually on Sango's command, transforms from innocent kitten to a formidable flaming feline. The main antagonist is the supremely evil half-demon Naraku.
Terminology
- Shikon no Tama - The Jewel of Four Souls: Aramitama (荒魂, Courage), Nigimitama (和魂, Friendship), Kushimitama (奇魂, Wisdom) and Sakimitama (幸魂, Love)
- Han'yō - commonly translated as "half-demon". They are products of a union between a yōkai and a human, and are often considered as an outcast in both human and demon society.
- Obake - ghosts, goblins and monsters from Japanese folklore, including spirits of the human dead.
- Inugami - dog-like demons
- Yōkai - belongs to a class of obake and generally has a sort of spiritual or supernatural power. Some possess part animal and part human features.
- Taiyōkai (Daiyōkai) - an especially strong and powerful yōkai. Literally "great yōkai".
- Taijiya - yōkai exterminator.
- Kitsune - fox yōkai from Japanese folklore known by their magic tricks.
- Hōshi - Buddhist monk.
- Miko - although commonly translated as "priestess", miko are actually young female attendants at Shinto shrines.
- Shakujo - Buddhist staff.
- O-fuda - translated as "sacred sutras" or "spell scrolls". Papers which hold special powers and are used against yōkai.
- Tanuki - raccoon dogs from Japanese folklore.
- Nekomata - A cat older than ten years is said to receive magical powers and two tails.
- Sengoku Jidai - Sengoku period, feudal Japan.
- Saimyoushou - Hell Wasps
- Goshinboku - Time tree. For example: the one Inuyasha was sealed to.
- Shibugarasu - demon crows
- Shōki - demonic miasma
- Jyaki - demonic aura
Manga
The manga was serialized in Japan in the weekly publication Shonen Sunday by Shogakukan, with the first installment issued on November 13, 1996. Chapter 485 was published December 5, 2006 with the series still ongoing.[2] Every 180 pages, usually ten chapters, the issues are collected in bound tankōbon. Volume 45, collecting chapters 439 through 448, was published in May 2006.[3] Volume 47 (chapters 459-468) has been collected recently, with 48 in sight as the chapters needed to compile 49 are on the verge of completion. Rumiko Takahashi has stated her desire for the manga to achieve (and as of January 28, 2007, potentionally surpass) 500 chapters.[citation needed]
In the United States the English version is published by Viz Communications. The artwork is flipped to conform to the American standard of reading left to right. Volume 1 was published in March 1998, with either two or three new volumes following each year. Volume 27 was published in October 2006. Volume 29 will be published on April 29, 2007, signifying that Viz will be just starting to catch up to the number of volumes in Japan.
Anime
Episode guide
Growth and popularity
InuYasha is fairly popular in the Canadian internet community. According to Google, InuYasha was the most searched for term on their search engine in Canada, in 2004. InuYasha was also the third most popular searched for term in Canada in all of 2003.[4][5]
Leaping onto American TV's on August 31 2002, InuYasha made its debut in Cartoon Network's Saturday Adult Swim Block. American fans loved it and the show's rapid rise in popularity quickly pushed it to air four nights a week.
According to VIZ, the release of the feature film, InuYasha: Affections Touching Across Time on DVD has sold over 30,000 units to-date and has occupied the number one spot on Nielsen Videoscan’s Anime Rankings for three consecutive weeks. As a series overall, more than 800,000 DVDs of the InuYasha series have been sold since March 2003.
On the literary side, InuYasha graphic novels also continue to show strong sales numbers. The recently released Volume 19 of the InuYasha manga series has been ranked Number 3 on Nielsen Bookscan’s Graphic Novel Top 50 List for the week ending October 3, 2004, and Volume 1 is at Number 18 in its 77th straight week on top, confirming a growing interest among new fans. [1]
Production broadcast history
The InuYasha anime series spanned 167 episodes, and was broadcast across Japan by the anime television network, Animax, who have also aired the series across its English-language network in South Asia (being the first network to fully broadcast the series in the English language) and also across its networks in East Asia, and Nippon Television. The series ended on September 13 2004.
The anime is licensed in North America by Viz and ShoPro Entertainment, and the actual dubbing is done by the The Ocean Group.
InuYasha was first broadcast in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on August 31 2002. The series later premiered on Canadian television screens on YTV on September 5 2003.
InuYasha is now also shown on Cartoon Network's Latin American incarnation, Cartoon Network LA. In Latin America, it is shown dubbed in Spanish and in Portuguese (Brazil or with SAP in other countries). Cartoon Network LA can be seen in many countries south of the United States, as well as some cruise ships in the Caribbean. It is unknown if the last 7 episodes will air dubbed in the region.
At one point in Latin America, new episodes of InuYasha were airing twice a day, 5 times a week, and reruns were being aired Saturday night - 5 episodes in two hours. This is why the series concluded much faster than in the United States. As of December 2006, InuYasha is in rotation on the network.
In the United States, the final episode of InuYasha aired on October 27, 2006. The series started its second run on January 1, 2007 (The second run meaning Adult Swim has begun from episode 1 again, showing 8 episodes a week, twice a day from Monday to Thursday).
In Canada, YTV's Bionix programming block aired the final episode on December 1, 2006. On December 8, 2006, YTV's Bionix began airing reruns of InuYasha, starting with episode 105 "The Ghastly Steel Machine" and the consecutive episodes after it, instead of beginning from the first episode.
InuYasha was dubbed in Mandarin and hosted on Xing Kong, a Tawainese TV Channel. As of December 2006, InuYasha is aired in Singapore on Arts Central with viewers being able to select between Chinese or Japanese dialogue, three times a week from Wednesdays to Fridays at 11 p.m. (Singapore time). InuYasha also was dubbed in Bahasa Melayu for ntv7. The show is aired every Friday at 7:30 p.m.
Eyecatches
| No. | Description | Episodes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | InuYasha's hand comes out and grabs the Shikon Jewel which dissolves into a red (into commercial break) then blue (out of commercial break) background of Japanese writing. | 1-20 |
| 2 | InuYasha's hand comes out and grabs the Shikon Jewel which dissolves into a green (into commercial break) then yellow (out of commercial break) background of Japanese writing. | 21-56 |
| 3 | InuYasha swings the Tessaiga and fades away to reveal a cherry blossom tree in front of a red full moon. | 57-105 |
| 4 | InuYasha and Kagome are back to back spinning clockwise vertically, they fade away replaced by multiple shards of the Shikon Jewel converging together in the center. | 106-167 |
Movies
Four movies, which continued the anime plot, have been released. The first movie, InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time was released on December 16, 2001 in Japan with InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island being the last movie to be released; on December 23, 2004 in Japan. The fourth movie was released three months after the series finale of InuYasha in Japan. As of 2007, there are no current plans for a fifth movie.
Four theatrical releases of the series has appeared so far:
| Cover | English Title | Japanese Title | Premiere date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanji | Romaji | |||
| File:Inuyasha MOVIE 1 japanese dvd box-art.jpg | InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time | 映画犬夜叉 時代を越える想い | Eiga Inuyasha: Toki o Koeru Omoi | JPN: December 16, 2001 |
| After mastering the ultimate attack of the Tessaiga, InuYasha continues his quest for the Shikon Jewel shards with Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku. This time, all of them will have to face Menomaru, a demonic enemy brought to life by a jewel shard. | ||||
 |
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 | JPN: December 21, 2002 |
| After defeating Naraku, InuYasha and his friends each return to their lives. However, their short period of peace is interrupted when a new enemy emerges - Kaguya, the ruler of the eternal night. Locked inside a mirror, Kaguya is prevented from bringing eternal darkness into the world. Also in the movie, Inuyasha and Kagome share their true feelings for each other. | ||||
 |
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 | JPN: December 20, 2003 |
| At the time of InuYasha's birth, InuYasha's father fought with a human named Setsuna no Takemaru, who loved InuYasha's mother, Izayoi. Soon after, So'unga, the legendary sword which belonged to InuYasha's father, was sealed away. Centuries later, So'unga is once again unleashed. However, the sword seeks to destroy the Earth and all life on it. Inuyasha must join forces with his brother, Sesshomaru, and destroy this sword before it destroys the world. | ||||
| File:InuYasha movie 4.jpg | InuYasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island | 映画犬夜叉 紅蓮の蓬莱島 | Eiga Inuyasha: Guren no Hōraijima | JPN: December 23, 2004 |
| The reappearance of the mysterious island of Houraijima after 50 years brought the attack of the four gods, the Shitoushin. With their eyes set on the powers that protect and sustain the island, the Shitoushin must be defeated as Inuyasha and his friends seek to help the children that are trapped on that island escape. | ||||
DVD releases
| Season | Episodes | Discs | Features | DVD release date | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2/4 | ||||||||
| 1 | 1 - 27 | 5 |
|
US/CAN: February 24 2006 | ---- | ||||
| 1 | 1 - 27 | 5 |
|
US/CAN: September 7 2004 | AUS: May 12 2006 | ||||
| 1 | 1 - 12 | 3 |
|
---- | UK: April 16 2007 | ||||
| 2 | 28 - 54 | 5 |
|
US/CAN: November 8 2005 | AUS: November 8 2006 | ||||
| 3 | 55 - 81 | 5 |
|
US/CAN: September 12 2006 | ---- | ||||
Theme songs
Video games
Games in Japanese
| Japanese Title | English Title | Release date | Console | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Romaji | Kanji | |||
| Inuyasha: Kagome no Sengoku Nikki | 犬夜叉 ～かごめの戦国日記 | InuYasha: Kagome's Warring States Diary | November 2, 2001 | WonderSwan |
| Inuyasha: Sengoku Otogi Kassen | 犬夜叉 | InuYasha | December 27, 2001 | PlayStation |
| Inuyasha: Fūun Emaki | 犬夜叉 風雲絵巻 | ---- | July 27, 2002 | WonderSwan |
| Inuyasha: Kagome no Yume Nikki | 犬夜叉 かごめの夢日記 | InuYasha: Kagome's Dream Diary | November 16, 2002 | WonderSwan |
| 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 | January 23, 2003 | Game Boy Advance |
| Inuyasha: Juso no Kamen | 犬夜叉 呪詛の仮面 | InuYasha: The Cursed Mask | March 18, 2004 | PlayStation 2 |
| Inuyasha: Ōgi-Ranbu | 犬夜叉 奥義乱舞 | InuYasha: Feudal Combat | June 16, 2005 | PlayStation 2 |
Games in English
| Title | Console | Release date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale | PlayStation | April 9, 2003 | English version of Inuyasha: Sengoku Otogi Kassen |
| InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask | PlayStation 2 | November 1, 2004 | English version of Inuyasha: Juso no Kamen |
| InuYasha: The Mobile Game | Java and Brew handsets | June 21, 2005 | Inuyasha mobile phone game |
| InuYasha: Feudal Combat | PlayStation 2 | August 23, 2005 | English version of Inuyasha: Ōgi-Ranbu |
| InuYasha: Trading Card Game | Trading Card Game | October 20, 2004 | English version of Japanese Inuyasha TCG |
| InuYasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel | Nintendo DS | January 23, 2007 | [2] |
Name dispute
There is a long-standing debate about the proper English spelling of the title character's name, an example of the type of dispute that often happens as a result of romanization. Variant spellings include "InuYasha", "Inuyasha", "Inu-Yasha", "Inu-yasha", "Inu Yasha", and "Inu yasha". Fans of the series often use "IY" (or simply, "Inu"), especially on fansites, although it is usually considered to be more of an abbreviation than an actual name. Official licensors use varying spellings, so they provide little guidance in this area; the two most popular versions are "Inuyasha" and the VIZ CamelCase version (InuYasha).
Trivia
- The protagonists, InuYasha and Kagome, kiss only once, in the second movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass. Since then, they almost kissed in Chapter 494 only to be interrupted by Souta.
- InuYasha's bead necklace is used by Kagome to control him. When she says "sit" or "sit, boy" ("osuwari" in Japanese), the necklace forces his head to the ground. The necklace breaks in the third movie, Swords of an Honorable Ruler, but it is later re-assembled, restoring its full power.
- Despite having established the importance of Lunar phase as early as the first season, most episodes errantly shown a full Moon in nighttime scenes regardless of the passage of time. In one extreme instance, Episode 4 ("Yura of the Demon-hair"), shows a crescent Moon isolated between two full Moon nights.
References
- ^ *Infoseek Japanese dictionary entry for 夜叉/Yasha -- "an Indian term which was imported with Buddhism through China into Japan.(Sanskrit, Yaksa)) of Indian origins, a demon which harms people. In Buddhism it is a type of ancient Indian demon that have converted to Buddhism and serve as protectors of Bishamonten, one of the Shitennō."
- ^ Inuyasha - Sengoku o-Togi Zoushi - English translations of the manga
- ^ Inuyasha volume 45 Template:Ja icon
- ^ "Google Press Center: Zeitgeist". Google. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ "Google Press Center: 2003 Year-End Zeitgeist". Google. Retrieved 2006-12-24.