Kikyo
Kikyo (桔梗, Kikyō) is a character in the manga and anime series Inuyasha.
Shrine Maiden Kikyo
Kikyo was the miko entrusted by the demon exterminators to guard and purify the fabled Jewel of Four Souls (Shikon no Tama).
Kikyo slew many yōkai that tried to gain possession of the jewel; however, she could not force herself to kill Inuyasha, a han'yō who is half-human and half-yōkai. She felt as though Inuyasha was idled from his kind, as she was with hers. On several occasions she would immoblize Inuyasha when he attempted to steal the jewel, and had brief conversations with him. Inuyasha had followed her for a long period of time. Soon they spent more time together, and the two of them began to have feelings of love and compassion for each other. Kikyo told Inuyasha that the Shikon Jewel could be used to make him completely human, as opposed to his original intention of becoming a complete yōkai. Kikyou speculated that if the jewel were used to turn Inuyasha into a human, it would be purified and vanish, which would free Kikyou from her duty to protect the jewel and she could then live as a normal woman with Inuyasha. He agreed, believing this was the better option.
The following day, Kikyo arrived at the area where they had agreed to meet, but Inuyasha was not present. When she went out into a field to attempt to find him, she was attacked by Naraku, disguised as Inuyasha. She collapsed to the ground as he escaped with the jewel, proclaiming that he had "absolutely no intention of becoming human" and that the jewel needed to "absorb even more bitter blood", thus effectively framing Inuyasha for the evil deed. Kikyō stumbled back to the village in pain, only to find that the real Inuyasha, who was also tricked by Naraku in thinking that Kikyo wanted to kill him, had attacked the village and was escaping with the Shikon jewel.
Drawing on her last strength, Kikyo fired a sealing arrow (Fūin No Ya) at Inuyasha to seal him to the Sacred Tree (Goshinboku). She collapsed the instant after Inuyasha was sealed, and instructed her younger sister Kaede to burn the Shikon no Tama with her body to assure that none can exploit the terrible powers the jewel holds. With that, she died. In the anime (but not in the manga), this tragic fate of Kikyo was foretold through a curse laid by Tsubaki, when she told Kikyō that "a miko must abandon her heart to achieve power ... this includes love as well" and "You must extinguish love. You must never hold a man dear," or else she would "suffer an untimely death."
Re-incarnation in Kagome
In present day Tokyo, the Higurashi family now resides in a shrine compound that houses the Tree of Ages and the ancient well. Kagome Higurashi, a Jr. High-school student who just turned 15, has to retrieve their family cat Buyo from the well. She was ready to leave the well with the cat when a centipede yōkai Mistress Centipede (Mukade Jōrō) emerged from the well, dragging a very confused Kagome through the time slip and back to the Sengoku period (Feudal Era of Japan) approximately 500 years ago.
Kagome was proven to be Kikyo's reincarnation, not only from her distinct resemblance to Kikyo (far more evident in the manga; the character designer for the anime chose to make Kikyo and Kagome different in appearance in order to emphasize they are not the same person), when the Shikon no Tama was revealed to be concealed within her body, due to the fact that Kikyo was burned with the jewel after she died, and the fact she was able to release Inuyasha from the arrow Kikyo used to bind Inuyasha to the Tree of Ages.
It has been seen more than once Kagome is not an ordinary reincarnation. She possesses an unusually strong soul, perhaps even more so than Kikyo, and is notably quite large. It is evidenced when Kanna's mirror could not contain it all, that Kagome was able to part with a portion of it so that Kikyo could be sustained in the world of the living, and that she was able to move uneffected within a cave that devoured miko by draining their spiritual energy. Furthermore, Kagome's actions have often unwittingly echoed that of Kikyo's in the past and she has often been called upon to perform tasks that Kikyō herself can only instruct Inuyasha or Kagome in performing.
After Resurrection
Kikyo, however, had been dead for fifty years already until the yōkai Kijo Urasue attacked her village and stole Kikyo's ashes along with some burial soil from her grave. Using her powerful magic, she re-created Kikyo's body in the hopes that Kikyo would find and retrieve the shards of the Shikon Jewel (which was incidentally shattered by Kagome) but, to the old yōkai's dismay, Kikyo's soul had not returned to her body.
Angered for a while, until Kagome and Inuyasha, along with Shippō and Kaede, were attacked by Urasue's guards. With a quick attack, the yōkai had Kikyo's reincarnated soul and eventually (With Inuyasha's unknowing help) totally revived Kikyo, who immediately killed Urasue and went on to attack Inuyasha. Kagome however somehow managed to get most of her soul back after Kikyo's assault. With only one part of soul within her Kikyo fled, fueled by the bitter hatred she felt for Inuyasha at the moment of her death.
However, despite this hatred that she bears for him, she cannot deny her feelings of love and well being for him as well, for it is her wish to die with him and descend into hell, where they can be together forever. Kikyo attempted to do this once, yet Kagome interupted the process.
Kikyo is not made of flesh and blood, she only has a bit of soul and strong willful determination. As a result of this, she must find ways to sustain her "unlife" until she can kill Naraku or die with Inuyasha. Kikyo fulfills this need by using Shinidamachu (dead soul insects, known as Soul Collectors in the dub of the anime.) to collect the souls of deceased women, allowing her to move and continue her journey.
After Tsubaki was destroyed by Inuyasha, Kikyo says that "Tsubaki lost because she was obsessed with the Sacred jewel. Obsessed. Just as I am obsessed".
After Mt. Hakurei collapses, Naraku nearly slays Kikyō again by infecting her with his powerful shoki, which neither Kikyo nor Kagome's holy powers were able to purify. She survives the attack while still being infected by Naraku's shoki which was slowly killing her and later appears as Hijiri-sama (聖様, 'Her Holyness') with her two assistant shikigami, Kochō (胡蝶) and Asuka (飛鳥). Her shikigami soon ask Kagome to help save Kikyō. Kagome for Inuyasha's sake agrees to help Kikyō, and she is able to survive Naraku's shōki and continue on; the shoki infection was stopped for a small amount of time but later resurfaced since Naraku's demonic powers went beyond the spiritual powers of both Kagome and Kikyo.
Since Kikyo is made of graveyard soil, in the manga she was able to visit Onigumo's grave and absorb some of the soil into her clay body. The soil in the cave had absorbed Onigumo's original lust for Kikyo. By empowering herself with it, she had effectively become untouchable by Naraku and his incarnations. When she first visited Naraku, and handed him a large portion of the Shikon Jewel, one of Naraku's incarnations escaped from her jar and touched Kikyo's legs. It was instantly destroyed by the new protection she had. However, this protection was gone after Naraku had become a full demon as he was able to pierce her without being harmed, since he had become more powerful than her. However, Kikyo found another way to use Naraku's vulnerablility to Onigumo's soil against him.
She gives Inuyasha an arrow that has soil from the cave of Onigumo for Kagome to use in the boundary between this world and the next against Naraku that almost destroys him, after which Hakudōshi is charged with her destruction until his betrayal of Naraku.
Nevertheless, Naraku's shōki still remains and gets worse even though Kagome had purified it. Kikyō uses her Shinidamachū to recover the rest of Midoriko's soul to help her overcome the poison. However, Kikyo states that she doesn't know how long Midoriko's strength will last, which is why she must hurry and destroy Naraku. By seeing to it that Naraku would possess the full Jewel, Kikyo could purify both the Jewel and Naraku at once, destroying them both. Kohaku, Sango's brother who was kept alive by a shard of the Jewel that was embedded in his back, joined her in her quest when he overheard Kikyo talking about how the Shikon Jewel needed to be complete in order to destroy Naraku.
As part of her plan, Kikyou purified the jewel in Kohaku's back in preperation for using it to purify Naraku. However, upon seeing the purified shard, Naraku realises Kikyou's plans and reclaims his negative heart in order to send webs to corrupt Kikyou and Kagome. As a result, Kikyou's shouki wound reopened and widened and she had to distance herself from Kohaku to avoid corrupting the jewel, while at the same time, she had to be within a certain distance to protect Kohaku with her barrier which ensures the purity of the shard.
Since Kohaku has a purer heart than Kikyo, the jewel shard remains more pure in his possession than it does in her own. That is why she asked Kohaku to follow her in her quest. Naraku himself stated how the shard in Kohaku's back radiated such "dreadful purity" and if that shard were taken and combined with the nearly completed Shikon jewel in his possession then the purity of Kohaku's heart contained in the shard with purify both Naraku and the Shikon Jewel at once. It is for this reason that Naraku returned to Mount Hakurei to reclaim his heart in order to better prepare himself for Kikyo's plan. Naraku uses his human heart's power to send webs after Kikyo that would corrupt her. Since Naraku is more powerful than Kikyo, even with Midoriko's power aiding her, his malice was able to overcome Midoriko and Kikyo's holy powers and widen the wounds of shouki he had inflicted upon her. To protect Kohaku from Naraku's malice she sent him away with her shikigami; however they were easily dispatched as their powers proved useless against Byakuya. He is unable to capture Kohaku though as Sesshoumaru interferes.
Relationships
Onigumo - Kikyo supposedly met Onigumo when he came to her village to rest on his travels. Later, when she found his body at the bottom of a cliff, she tended for his wounds and at the same time, he developed feelings for her. Of course, Kikyō did not develop the same feelings.
Naraku - Naraku is the main target of Kikyo. After Kikyo dispatched Inuyasha, he thought she would use the Shikon jewel to heal herself. That way he could have possession of both Kikyo and the Jewel. However, without Inuyasha, she lost all meaning in her life and asked that the Jewel be cremated with her so that it would go with her to the next world. Some have speculated that the main reason Naraku is so bitter and cruel is that he never received affection from Kikyo the way Inuyasha did, which prompts his contempt of all life, and especially that of Inuyasha.
Inuyasha - Kikyo met Inuyasha while guarding the Shikon no Tama. The two quickly fell in love. However, they were tricked by Naraku and ended up hating each other (see Shrine Maiden Kikyo). The two still have feelings for one another despite all that has happened. Inuyasha clearly loves Kikyo, yet Kikyo seems less interested in a relationship. Kikyo has a habit of testing Inuyasha's feelings for her. She once told him that she'd tried to kill Kagome, and later gave Naraku a large shard of the Shikon Jewel. If she hadn't committed this act Naraku could have been killed by Inuyasha or others very quickly in the series. It is also stated that the main reason Naraku was able to deceive them so easily was because Kikyo and Inuyasha never trusted one another completely. It is still shown many times in the series that they both still care deeply for one another. When Naraku re-appears from hiding in Mt. Hakurei and slays Kikyo, Inuyasha shows up soon after, as he thinks to himself "something is wrong" before leaving the group to find her. He is visibly upset when Sesshomaru, who had arrived as Naraku dealt the finishing blow, informs him of what happened to her and who is responsible. She also helps Inuyasha various times throughout the anime and manga, and she even assists him in defeating a demon in the second movie, The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, in order to rescue a captured Kagome. An entire two episode special was aired in the anime series, depicting the meeting, relationship, and eventual tragedy of Kikyo and Inuyasha that occurred 50 years prior.
Kagome Higurashi - Kikyo and Kagome's relationship is a bit unsteady and their desire for Inuyasha keeps a rift between the two. Kagome often worries that Inuyasha may one day leave her for Kikyo. Kikyo has also expressed concerns that are not unlike Kagome's worries. She questioned Inuyasha, after Kagome disrupted her taking him to Hell with her, "Does that girl mean more to you than I do?" The two do respect each other's abilities, especially as Kikyo notes that Kagome is unusually powerful even though they share the same soul, and have not hesitated to cooperate when necessary. Their relationship gradually improves as the goal to complete the Shikon Jewel becomes closer, though the tension because of Inuyasha still stands between them.
Sesshōmaru - Throughout the series it is hinted that Kikyo and Sesshomaru know about the existence of each other. In Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time, Kikyo has a brief conversation with Sesshomaru while she was watching Menomaru gaining strength. It was during their conversation that it was revealed that the two wanted to kill Inuyasha. However, Sesshōmaru tells her that he will be the one to kill Inuyasha, not her. In addition, while Sesshōmaru was walking away from Kikyo, he revealed to Jaken and Rin that Kikyo was a dead mortal. This information surprised both Jaken and Rin. Kikyo and Sesshomaru have a lot in common; they both have love-hate feelings for Inuyasha, they both seek Naraku, they both seem to always maintain an emotionless look even in battle although Kikyō shows more emotion than Sesshōmaru, they both also seem to understand each other's plight. It can be argued that out of all the yōkai that Kikyō has encountered (excluding Inuyasha since he's a han'yō) Sesshōmaru could be the one whom she has the most respect for as he seems to understand her plight but not pity her. In the anime tv series, Kikyo saves Rin from Suikotsu by shooting him in the neck with her sacred arrow.
Special attacks
- Hama no Ya (破魔の矢) - The magic arrow of a shrine maiden, though Kikyo is actually an exception- her purifying powers (that are similar to Midoriko's) are unique to her and Kagome, being her reincarnation- other mikos do not have the same extent of purifying ability to destroy demons. Kikyō can slay yōkai using her arrows enchanted with her spiritual powers. Usually yōkai are completely obliterated when struck.
- Fūin no Ya (封印の矢) - Arrow of sealing. She used this arrow to seal Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree (Goshinboku) after Naraku tricks her into believing that Inuyasha attacked her.
- Purification: Being the powerful shrine maiden she is, Kikyō has the ability to purify anything she touches (i.e. the Shikon no Tama, minor yōkai, or possibly spirits) in the case of minor yōkai Kikyō's capable of annihilating them with a touch. In episode 15 (The Resurrection of the Tragic Shrine Maiden, Kikyo / Dub: Return of the Tragic Priestess Kikyo). The ability is shown again later on in the series when she destroys a demon (who resembles Jaken) crawling over a wounded soldier by touching it.
- Miko Powers (Hama no reiryoku): In the episode where Kikyo is resurrected, she uses some type of power. It is different from the purification, as it is used as an attack. Kikyō killed Urasue and hurt Inuyasha with that attack. This attack was also used on a group of yōkai in episode 98 (In a Cave; Kikyō & Kagome, The Only Two) where Kikyo and Kagome are trapped within a yōkai that devours the powers of miko. Because of this, it is classified as a separate attack.
- Barrier (kekkai) : Kikyō is able to create a barrier, which aids her in hiding her aura.
Name
- Kikyo's name (Kikyō) means "Chinese Bell Flower" in Japanese.
Voice actors
- Japanese Seiyū: Noriko Hidaka
- English voice actor: Willow Johnson