Sesshomaru
Template:IY Character Sesshoumaru (殺生丸, Sesshoumaru) is a character in the manga and anime series Inuyasha.
Character and History
Lineage
Sesshoumaru is one of the sons of the powerful yōkai leader Inu no Taishō. A yōkai is a full demon. Since Inu no Taishō is considered to be a daiyōkai (great yōkai lord), Sesshōmaru is, technically speaking, a daiyōkai himself. However, he is still young and has yet to fully mature and reach the totality of the power he inherited from his father. He is mostly a calm and collected person who hardly shows any emotions and never laughs. He rarely smiles, but when he does, it's usually not a good thing, as once Jaken begged Sesshōmaru to beat him rather than to smile because it was Sesshōmaru’s smile that he feared most. Sesshōmaru believes that struggle is the only way for survival and mostly throughout the series shows his contempt for Inuyasha, his half brother.
On a side note it is hinted that Sesshomaru may possibly not have a mother. Throughout the series both of his brother, Inuyasha's, parents have been mentioned while there has been absolutely no mention of Sesshomaru's mother having ever existed. Also other demons such as the Demon Larvae Mother who Jinenji killed in order to save Kagome, Princess Abi's mother, Naraku and others have had children without spouses. The use of such demons seems to be a hint by Rumiko Takahashi of Sesshomaru's origins. Very often certain marking differences on his body, most notably the crescent moon on his forehead, which his father in his appearance in the third movie didn't have have led some to believe that Sesshomaru inherited them from his mother, however, the father that appeared in the movie wasn't a character created by Rumiko Takahashi and therefore can't be considered canon. In the actual story created by Rumiko Takahashi his father never revealed his human appearance.
Desire for personal strength
With the ambition to walk the path of conquest, he desires to become stronger, even at the expense of others. He will not, however, use the shards of the Shikon no Tama to gain strength, which separates him from other yōkai questing for power, Though some think its for his lust for pure power, others think it is created to accompany his original grace. The Shikon no Tama increases the user's power while swords like the Tetsaiga (Iron-Cleaving Fang), the Tenseiga, and the Tōkijin attack the opponent using the yōki (or demonic energy) of the person wielding them. Sesshōmaru wants to become strong by using his own strength and would never borrow power from another source.
The Tetsusaiga Heritage
Sesshōmaru originally coveted Inuyasha's sword, the powerful Tetsusaiga; due to his impatience brought by having to wait for centuries until he can mature and reach his full potential. Tetsusaiga was a destructive sword made from one of his father's fangs. A barrier was cast around the sword so that most yōkai (demons) or one without compassion for humans (which would include Sesshōmaru) cannot hold or wield it as it burns their flesh. Yet as an extremely durable yōkai, he is able to wield the sword for a short time. There have been a few occasions where he held the Tetsusaiga despite its barrier. In the third movie of the Inuyasha franchise, when he fought against a possessed Inuyasha, he grasped Tetsusaiga and performed a Kaze no Kizu on Inuyasha. Another time was when he encountered Sara, a human princess who was possessed by countless yokai; he used Tetsusaiga to defeat her.
Even knowing that he cannot touch the sword, Sesshōmaru still desired to take it from Inuyasha. While his initial motivation appears to be pride and greed, Sesshōmaru later claims the sword should rightfully be held by one able to fully wield its power. For this reason, he fought with Inuyasha in the yōkai burial grounds and by chance, Inuyasha transformed the blade for the first time and hacked off Sesshōmaru's left arm. After that, Sesshōmaru began using the arms of other yōkai, but they rotted and become useless after a while since the organs of lesser demons can’t bear the power of a daiyōkai that is contained within Sesshōmaru. Later he made a deal with Naraku, he would kill Inuyasha in exchange for a human hand with a shard of the Shikon no Tama. Normally he wouldn’t use the Shikon Jewel, but for Tetsusaiga’s sake he was willing to make an exception. That way he could wield Tetsusaiga and use it. There is a small contradiction in this matter as the sword only transforms when it is wielded by those who have the will to protect humans. At that time, Sesshōmaru certainly was not thinking of protecting anyone but the Shikon Jewel Shard must have acted as an override.Another opinion states that Sesshōmaru was able to compel the sword to obey him through his own demonic power and that it could not harm him with its protective barrier because the arm belonged to a human. The main reason that the arm didn’t quickly rot away as do most of the arms he wields is because the Shikon shard prevented the arm from being destroyed by Sesshōmaru strong demonic aura (yōki). However, he later lost this arm and the ability to wield the Tetsusaiga with it. Now though, he has stopped trying to steal the sword as he now knows it is the only thing keeping Inuyasha under control.
At this point it should be noted that nothing in the manga has yet suggested that Sesshōmaru is capable of wielding the Tetsusaiga on his own. In the anime and the third movie Sesshōmaru has been shown using the Tetsusaiga, but he never does so in the manga. He is never so much as able to grab the Tetsusaiga without the use of additional help (examples are the use of the shikon shard to allow him the usage of a human arm to wield the sword). Sesshōmaru may be able to use the sword at a later time as he becomes more compasionate towards humans.
Sesshōmaru inherited the Tenseiga, the companion blade of the Tetsusaiga, another sword made from his father's fang. However, the Tenseiga, which can bring 100 people back to life with a single swing, was originally incapable of harming an opponent, thus it was useless in a battle. This is why he desired the Tetsusaiga instead. He eventually uses the power of Tenseiga to resurrect the head of Goshinki so that Kaijinbō can forge the Tōkijin from his fangs. Although the Tōkijin was a formidable weapon, it is later destroyed during a fight with Mōryōmaru. Recently, however, the sword smith Tōtōsai reforged Tenseiga with the ability to send opponents into the afterlife with a single swing, making it a weapon to replace Tōkijin.
Companions
He is followed by his minion, a kappa yōkai named Jaken, and later by a human orphan named Rin, whom Sesshōmaru brought back to life using Tenseiga. Though he told Jaken that he was merely testing his sword, his thoughts revealed that it was Tenseiga itself that compelled him to resuscitate Rin. He is also followed by a two-headed dragon named Ah-Un. Ah-Un is Rin and Jaken's main form of transportation when Sesshōmaru takes flight or when they need to cover long distances quickly, as only Sesshōmaru and Ah-Un are capable of flight.
Intelligence
Throughout the series we also get to see glimpses of his intellectual ability. Ironically the only one he has ever underestimated was his own brother Inuyasha on several occasions. When he first fought Mōryōmaru we saw how good a tactician he really is when he attacked him using his Kanetsu ability. Mōryōmaru only kept absorbing his attacks and thought Sesshōmaru was a fool for empowering him. As it turns out Mōryōmaru's arm then blew into pieces since it couldn't handle the burden of Sesshōmaru's attacks, and thus he permanently lost his ability to absorb attacks of yōki and using them in counterattacks. Other times we also get to see how knowledgeable he is of the demonic world; when Rin inquired about a skeleton she saw Sesshōmaru told her that it belonged to yōkai with a nearly impenetrable armor called the Meiōju, another time when Rin was about to drink the water from a demonic lake Sesshōmaru told her to stop since the lake was a yōkai called the Numawatari and it devoured all who came close to it.
Examples of his growing compassion
Although Sesshōmaru maintains a cool, uncaring exterior, throughout the story his compassion seems to be growing. When Inuyasha went insane after turning into a yōkai, Sesshōmaru came to see for himself the power that Inuyasha could produce, and managed to defeat him. He then instructed Kagome to return the Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha in order to restore him to his former self. It is possible that he lost interest in obtaining the Tetsusaiga mainly due to Inuyasha's need for the sword to control his yōkai blood. He then left claiming that he intends to kill Inuyasha one day, when Inuyasha could adequately fight back. However it is possible that by claiming the right to kill Inuyasha for himself, Sesshōmaru is actually doing a backhanded favor for his younger brother. By making this public declaration, Sesshōmaru is claiming first right to Inuyasha's death by Sesshōmaru's own hand, and at his choice of time and place. Thus Sesshōmaru can then choose to battle any shared adversary with no loss of face and without admitting any familial attachment or emotions. This is a curious but historically documented manner of saving face and denying emotional attachment.
Sesshōmaru not only tolerates a human (Rin), but also acts almost like a father to her and rushes to her aid when she gets in trouble. Naraku once had Kagura kidnap Rin as a get-away plan in his attempt to absorb the body and the yōkai power of Sesshōmaru. Naraku's plan failed and he tried to escape - Sesshōmaru was incensed and began to pursue Naraku. But upon hearing that Rin was in danger, Sesshōmaru let him go and came to the aid of Rin.
Even though he is very abusive towards his servant Jaken, he only makes him accompany him when he is facing a weak foe. He has repeatedly warned Jaken to move out of the way prior to an attack. Further when Naraku first emerged in his yōkai form, Sesshōmaru told Jaken to stay behind him as he attacked the yōkai.
Towards the end of the anime series (Episodes 133-134), it is shown that there was a human princess named Sara who loved Sesshōmaru. She allowed yōkai to possess her body and stole the Tetsusaiga from Inuyasha, as she was under the illusion that Tetsusaiga was Sesshōmaru's desire. Later, surprisingly Sesshōmaru protects Inuyasha from her attack claiming as motivation that he wanted no interference in his family’s affairs (see saving face above). Sesshōmaru, grasping the Tetsusaiga despite its barrier, destroyed the yōkai who were Sara’s new body. Demonic Sara is vaporized but the human part of Sara still lingers, dying and dissolving into dust at Sesshōmaru’s feet. She melts away calling his name until nothing is left but her flute. Sesshōmaru stabs the instrument into the pile of dust and says "feel free to play your flute for me in the afterlife" and enigmatically walks away.
On his way to Mount Hakurei, Sesshōmaru saved Kagome, Miroku, and Sango from the poison user Mukotsu, one of the Shichi'nintai (七人隊), but once again claimed that he only killed someone who was in his way.
When Kagura was injured, Sesshomaru pulled her from the river she was drowning in, after Rin fell in trying to save her. Some argue that it might be only because Rin wanted him to save Kagura or because he wanted an excuse to save her. Also, when Kagura was dying, Sesshōmaru purposely sought her out and even thought to use the Tenseiga, only to tell himself that Tenseiga could not save her. This is because of two possible reasons: (1) the Tenseiga has the power to resurrect a corpse but Kagura's body was turning into ash as she was dying; (2) since she was once of Naraku's incarnations she lacked a soul and since it is the soul that the Tenseiga brings back via killing the pall bearers Kagura couldn't be saved because there were no pall bearers coming for her. He then simply watches as Kagura's body dissolves into ashes. It should be noted that Sesshōmaru never unsheathed Tenseiga with Kagura, so it is unclear whether the pall bearers came for her or not, as in all the other instances so far, Sesshōmaru could only see the pall bearers with Tenseiga drawn out of its sheath.
In the third movie, Sesshōmaru used the Tenseiga to free his enemy Takemaru, who was possessed by the evil sword Sō'unga, by setting his soul free from the purgatory that he was trapped in.
In the manga (beyond the anime's current point), Inuyasha and his companions were involved in a fight with the "water god" Numawatari. After none of their attacks were able to harm him, Sesshōmaru arrived and insulted Inuyasha's inability to kill a "low life youkai". He then easily dispatched the "water god" using his Meidou Zangetsuha ability. Sesshōmaru then leaves after learning about the Tetsusaiga's new abilities with a strange smile on his face.
Attitude toward humans
Rumiko Takahashi explained her choice of the Warring States period as a story setting because she wanted to write a ghost-and-demon story, and it "is relatively easier to draw out a ghost story from that time period ... in the Sengoku Era, there was war, and lots of people died." Her background as assistant to horror-manga artist Kazuo Umezu is clearly seen in her accurate but grizzly manga battlefield scenes, and she pulls no punches in her depiction (in the manga) of the horrors perpetrated upon humans by demons and outlaws.
Many yōkai are said to be particularly malevolent, and would prey on young, weak or elderly villagers as food; further, yōukai were said to hang about battlefields to feed on the dead and wounded. Historically these Japanese legends were told to children as warnings to obey their parents, stay together, and not stray, much like the European "Little Red Riding Hood" genre. In canon, we have seen Carrion Crows, Abi-hime (Blood sucking birds), Vampire Bats, Birds of Paradise, The Thunder Brothers and even Koga's Wolf tribe devouring villagers, and threatening to eat Kagome.
The subject of "yōukai food" is depicted almost explicitly and graphically in the manga - it is touched upon and alluded to in the anime, but out of sensitivity to the viewers/readers (and to keep from getting rated "R"), it is treated with more circumspection.
We find Sesshōmaru recovering in a forest, after he loses his arm and is almost killed by Inuyasha's second successful use of the Wind Scar attack. Rin, having been beaten by villagers and hiding in the forest, finds Sesshōmaru bleeding. Seeing him suffering, she offers him fish to which he replies, "I don't eat human food". In this context, we can clearly see Sesshōmaru's difference in attitude towards humans as opposed to that shown by his fellow demons.
Future role in Naraku's destruction
It is worthwhile to speculate that Sesshōmaru will play a vital role in the destruction of Naraku, yet to be revealed in the manga. He is clearly one of the most powerful creatures in the series, possibly even more powerful than Naraku himself. Able to resist poisons, magical barriers, and most attacks of physical force, weaponry, and magical energy alike, Sesshōmaru appears to be practically invincible. Earlier he did lose a couple of times, but towards the end of the series he has been only becoming stronger, leaving no doubt about his powers. With the newly reforged Tenseiga, he would be able to battle and destroy his enemies. Wielding the Tenseiga, he would truly be able to meet Inuyasha on equal ground on the battlefield. As Tenseiga's special ability is to cut open the path to the afterlife, it results in an attack that is perhaps impossible to block or defend against as no other sword in the world has the power to connect to the afterlife other than Tenseiga, especially after the demise of Sōunga, which was the only other sword that was connected to the afterlife. However; it is possible that the attack does not affect Inuyasha, due to him wielding the Tetsaiga; which was made as a counterpoint to the Tensaiga. This may not be true though, due to its attack not being created until after Inu No Taishou's death. It would be a miracle if such a power had nothing to do with the final destruction of the main villain.
Voice Actors
- Japanese Seiyū: Ken Narita
- English Voice Actor: David Kaye
Special Attacks, Abilities, and Items
- The main reason why Sesshōmaru has so many powers that Inuyasha doesn't is because Sesshōmaru inherited all of his father's power since he's a full demon (youkai), however, Inuyasha's half human body can't handle the power of a full youkai, which is why without the Tetsaiga his youkai blood takes over and makes him mad, thus he can't do a lot of the supernatural things Sesshōmaru can. The relative ages of the two brothers may also be a factor: Sesshōmaru was already an adult youkai at the time of Inuyasha's birth; thus Sesshōmaru has had perhaps twice as long as his younger brother to discover and develop his powers.
Attacks
- Dokkasō (Poison Flower Claw): Sesshōmaru's claws release deadly acidic poison which can melt flesh. Sometimes he uses it like Inuyasha uses his Sankon Tessō attack, but he can also use it in the form of a green attack that looks like he’s spraying acid..
- Whip of Light: ANIME ONLY! Sesshōmaru can generate a thin, whip like strand of yellow energy from his fingertips that can slice through almost anything. This attack was only in the anime and not in the manga, possibly as an alternate way of getting his hands on Tetsusaiga in one part of the anime. The whip also displays
characteristics of poison akin to the burning effect it has on contact, possibly an extention of his claw attack.
- Mokomoko-sama : It is the fluffy, scarf-like item on Sesshōmaru's shoulder. Sesshōmaru can extend it to great lengths, and use it to whip or constrict people. It was once used to knock the Tessaiga out of Inuyasha's hands. The creator, Rumiko Takahashi stated that when she was creating Sesshōmaru, the thing was supposed to be armor, but she went a little out of hand. In episode 35 of the anime, both ends of the fluff are seen, therefore allowing one to assume that it is detachable. Instead of having the fluff draped over his shoulder, it is instead behind his head, both ends extending down to past his waist, as a pillow. Sesshōmaru's father had two mokomoko-sama, that extended from the shoulders like Sesshōmaru's leading some to believe that when Sesshōmaru fully matures he will have two of them as well, however, the human form of Inu no Taisho was only in the movie and was never revealed in the manga. Also it bares a striking resemblance to the fur that separates Tetsusaiga’s blade from the hilt; this isn’t surprising as both have a common origin.
- Kenatsu: Translated as Sword Pressure, it is Tokijin's ability to cut and harm enemies without physical contact. In the beginning, it takes the form of a rain of needle-like energy which deals moderate damage to foes. Later, as Sesshomaru fully masters the sword it is released as a blue wave of energy that completely disintegrates the adversary. The strength of this attack depends on how it is unleashed by Sesshōmaru. Usually it shoots beams of blue light, and when Sesshōmaru utilizes its full potential it comes out in the form of parallel blue trails of energy similar to how Inuyasha’s Kaze no Kizu is released. Amazingly one Kenatsu is seen as being able to cut Inuyasha’s Kaze no Kizu attack, unleashed by his Tetsusaiga, in half mainly because of the yoki levels of the users’ of the respective swords.
- Sōryūha (Dragon Strike): This attack is his most powerful attack Sesshōmaru is capable of releasing with the Tokijin. It seems that this technique is unique to Sesshōmaru since he executed twice in the third movie, and twice again in the fourth movie. In the third movie when Sōryūha is unleashed, thick arcs of blue lightning stab the earth and carry their destructive force to Sesshōmaru's opponent. In the fourth movie it is interesting to note that the energy released by Sōryūha resolves into the shape of a dragon right before destroying the enemy (in keeping with the attack's name). It does not exist is either the manga or the anime.
- Meidō Zangetsuha: With the reforged Tenseiga, Sesshōmaru slashes at an enemy and creates a black crescent shaped gap in the world of the living, sending the 'cut' enemy directly to the next world. As an attack that opens the path to hell, it is impossible for an adversary to block or defend against. While at the beginning the wave takes the shape of a crescent resembling a crescent moon, Tōtōsai claims that eventually through training, Sesshōmaru will be able to make the wave into a complete circle resembling a full moon. Recently he has been shown to be able to shoot the Meidou-Zangetsuha from a distance. This is possibly the most powerful attack, due to its unblockable nature, in the entire series and seems fitting to be given to Sesshōmaru.
Abilities and Traits
- Flight: ability to float in the sky or generate a sparkling dust cloud to ride on. Whenever Sesshōmaru uses his flight powers for an extended period of time, the leg bottoms of his hakama extend to semi-transparent ephemeral flowing masses, similar to how one would picture the wind driven cloak of a ghost. This does not happen when he chooses to fly upon his dust cloud or ride Au-Un. Also sometimes his mokomoko sama extends to a huge length when this happens, and sometimes other mokomoko-sama’s are formed from the original that lift him up in the sky and only disappear or retract back into the original mokomoko-sama when he is no longer flying.
- Super speed: ability to move at blinding speed, though only in short bursts, both on land and through the air. When he does this he leaves behind shadow like images
- Teleportation: ability to morph into a ball of energy and move himself (and small amounts of other material, including other living beings) over great distances in a short amount of time(only in the anime).
- Daiyōkai: As the son of a great dog yōkai lord, naturally Sesshōmaru is a far superior yōkai; endowed with heightened senses, intelligence, strength, and a myriad of demonic powers. While he usually appears to be an elf-eared human bearing splendid clothing and armor; he can transform into his true form at will. As he transforms he is either surrounded in a bright red aura or has a tornado circling around him. His eyes then take on a bright red color and purple marks on his body widen and become more apparent similar to Inuyasha during his full demon transformations, however, Sesshōmaru’s transforms much further due to his full demon blood and becomes a gigantic, crimson eyed, acid-breathing (only in the anime) canine with fluffy white fur. In this form his nature changes to adopt an animal like instinct, in the anime his “Dokkasō” attack is released in his saliva and spread like an acidic aroma that melts anything nearby, and he loses the massive speed he had in his human form; in the manga he uses his claws.
- Immortality: Being a yōkai, Sesshōmaru does not suffer from old age the way humans do. He appears to be a young man in his 20s; however he has been around for at least a few hundred years1. According to the official Inuyasha character guide (Zusetsutaizen Ougikaiden), Sesshōmaru has the appearance of a nineteen-year-old. An official age has never been given by Rumiko Takahashi.
- Immunity: Various episodes of the anime (perhaps the most indicative being episode #104) inform that Sesshōmaru is immune to diseases, poisons, and gases that can paralyze or kill both humans and weaker yōkai. His greatest resistance seems to be towards holy and divine powers; his resistance to purifcation powers was so strong that he was able to enter Mount Hakurei, despite its purification barrier (which was the most powerful barrier in the entire series as its reach extended throughout the surrounding area of entire mountain), without being purified and was only slightly weakened in his battles against Jakotsu, and Suikotsu. Also in episode#19 when Kagome shot Sesshōmaru using one of her Hama no Ya (Sacred Arrow), Sesshōmaru caught it using his right hand’s forefingers. Most demons would have been purified but Sesshōmaru remained unharmed with not even a scar on either of his fingers. It seems that the only mystical powers that Sesshōmaru isn’t resistant to are demonic powers (youkai) such as those of Inuyasha’s Kaze no Kizu. Another example of his strong body seems to come from Naraku’s inability to absorb him. Once Naraku used Rin as bait in order to absorb Sesshōmaru. As Sesshōmaru blasted pieces of Naraku’s flesh, those same pieces wrapped themselves around him. Then Naraku reconnected himself with the pieces of his flesh that covered Sesshōmaru and attempted to absorb him to no avail; as when Sesshōmaru broke out he didn’t have so much as scar from the absorbing process.
- Swordsmanship: Although Sesshōmaru did not really show that he was a swordsman during the first season although he wielded Tenseiga at that time, he was clearly a superior sword fighter when he first fought against Inuyasha with Tōkijin.
Items
- Tenseiga: Tenseiga is a sword that can revive the dead. It does this by letting Sesshōmaru see the pall-bearer yōkai that take away the souls of the dead so that he may destroy them with Tenseiga. In extreme cases, the Tenseiga also protects Sesshōmaru from potentially lethal attacks. When in use, the Tenseiga has a blue aura. Lately in the manga, the Tenseiga is reforged by Totosai to become a weapon allowing Sesshōmaru to execute the "Meidou Zangetsuha".
- Tōkijin: Tōkijin is a sword crafted by the evil sword smith Kaijinbo from the fangs of Goshinki. It can fire off extremely powerful blasts of pure hate energy and is initially thought to be Tessaiga's equal, however as the series progressed the Tessaiga gains new abilities in its red and crystal forms. There are two different ways of using it. Tōkijin can be used to blow back and injure an enemy with a powerful pinkish-purple aura, generated as the manifestation of pure hatred. It can also be used to slash at an opponent and release a massive wave of blue energy known as Sōryūha. The third Inuyasha movie informs that Sōryūha is Tōkijin's ultimate technique, and is sufficiently powerful to counteract even Tessaiga's Bakuryūha. Lately in the manga, Tōkijin is destroyed in a battle against Mōryōmaru. After that, Tōtōsai decides to reforge the Tenseiga into becoming not only a tool that can save lives, but also a real weapon of battle.
- Staff of Two Heads (also called Staff of Skulls, 人頭杖, nintōjō and also known as Two-Headed Staff): Locates his father's grave, can fire streams of flame and generate floods of water. The staff is usually held by his assistant Jaken. Also, it's seen that the staff of 2 heads can be used to summon yōkai.
Name
The kanji of 'Sesshō' means 'killing or destruction of life.' 'Maru' is usually a suffix that is often added at the end of a Japanese name for young males in samurai families. They would use this name until they were recognized as adults, whereupon they would adopt a new name. However, it is said that 'maru' can also translate as the word for 'circle', which is a common Japanese motif for what in the West is called 'the circle of life.'[citation needed] Thus it is widely assumed that the name Sesshōmaru translates literally as 'destruction of the circle of life', or 'end of the circle of life.' However 'maru' also means perfect, so another possible translation is 'perfect destruction.' This may seem to provide a relationship between the crescent mark on Sesshomaru's forehead, and the Meidou Zangetsuha's now crescent-moon shape/size, to its potential circular shape and size.
He has also been nicknamed ‘Fluffy’ (due to his wearing Mokomoko-sama, a "fluffy" scarf) or 'Sesshy' by some of his fans. Some add the suffix -sama to the end of whatever name they call him, as he is reffered to by Jaken and Rin as Lord Sesshomaru.
Appearance
He has silverish long hair that flows straight down his back with golden-amber eyes. His armor is similar to that of his father. It has an armadillo rim-like piece around his left shoulder (arm cut off by Inuyasha) and going out onto his upper torso. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided "Mainland" (Asian) influence, as opposed to the customary Japanese armor and Obi (sash or belt). His Kimono is mostly white with a red honeycomb and flower crest at the collar, sleeves, and shoulder, most likely the crest of his family clan. He wears Sashinuki Hakama, (a type of traditional flowing Japanese "pants"), which are gathered at the ankles producing the "ballooning" effect. His footwear consists of flat pointed ankle-high boots (instead of sandals), also reminiscent of Mainland influence.
On his right arm, Sesshōmaru has a fluffy cloth, the nature of which is debated. Rumiko Takahashi mentioned in an interview that when she was creating her character, it was originally intended to be armor but she exaggerated it while doodling and decided it looked good. Many fans still believe that it is his tail. In his yōkai form, we notice he has longer fur over his shoulder and around his waist which is extremely similar to his fluffy 'armor'.
Sesshōmaru has a navy-blue crescent on his forehead easily shown by his parted bangs. This feature is most likely a symbol of his position as lord of the western lands. Also the moon seems to be a significant symbol of his family. Inuyasha turns human during the time of the new moon and Sesshōmaru's Meidō Zangetsuha attack originally takes on the form of a crescent moon.
His alternate form is that of a giant white dog with markings similar to those he has in his human form. Several times during the anime and manga when he becomes furious, badly injured or unable to defeat an opponent, his features can be observed shifting slightly, resembling his alternate form. At that time, his eyes turn red and the features and markings on his face begin to elongate. Oddly enough, he only fully transforms to his alternate form once, during his first battle with Inuyasha. Since then, he has not completely changed, although he has threatened to. This is perhaps because he is missing the arm that Inuyasha cut off, which would make him a three-legged dog.
Notes
In the third movie of the Inuyasha franchise, Sesshōmaru has a dark and ominous conversation with his father; Inuyasha was born, and his father died that same night. It was later revealed that those events occurred 200 years before the Sengoku Period, meaning that both Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha are centuries old.