Perhaps she should've paid better attention, for on her fifteenth birthday, Kagome is dragged down her home's ancient well by a centipede youkai woman who demands Kagome hand over the Shikon Jewel, a sacred gem that can grant tremendous power to any who possess it. While the jewel can be used for good, it's more often used for evil deeds. As such, it's a common target for greedy youkai who crave power. While Kagome manages to temporarily fend off the centipede youkai, it's a reawakened Inuyasha—a half-human, half-dog youkai boy—that finishes it off.
Once the dust from this encounter has settled, Kagome learns that she's the reincarnation of Kikyo, a powerful priestess that died with the jewel in her grasp and believing that Inuyasha betrayed her. Inuyasha himself believes that Kikyo betrayed him, and this misunderstanding is what led his first love to use an enchanted arrow to pin him to a tree for fifty years. Kikyo had hoped to take the Shikon Jewel into the afterlife with her, but somehow both Kikyo and the jewel have been reborn as and into Kagome.
Following the jewel's reappearance comes youkai of all shapes and sizes vying for ownership. This will be easier than expected when Kagome accidentally shatters the jewel into thousands of tiny shards. With youkai becoming more powerful left and right, Kagome and Inuyasha set out on a journey to collect them all. During their travels, they pick up the fox youkai child Shippo, the handsy monk Miroku, the youkai exterminator Sango, and her nekomata companion, Kirara.
Kagome and her newfound friends aren't the only ones on a quest: a malevolent entity called Naraku also wants to complete the jewel for his own nefarious purposes. In addition to this competition, most of these travelers have personal scores they want to settle with the manipulative youkai. While finding the shards begins their journey, the only way it'll end is once Naraku is dead and the jewel gone for good.
Inuyasha (犬夜叉) (sometimes stylized as InuYasha) is a historical fantasy Shōnen manga by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday from November 1996 to June 2008, finishing with a total of 558 chapters compiled into 56 volumes. Viz Media holds the license to translate and print the series in America. The format of the English release has changed a couple times, with it currently being available as a collection of 18 omnibus volumes. Volumes one to 16 contain three volumes each and volumes 17 and 18 contain four.
A bonus chapter titled "Since Then" was published in February 2013 as part of the Heroes Come Back anthology to help support the reconstruction efforts after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami
. "Since Then" takes place six months after the end of the series and is a stand-alone story.
In 2000, an anime adaptation titled Inuyasha or Inuyasha: A Fuedal Fairytale began airing on October 16th. It was produced by Sunrise, and it ran for 167 episodes. Five years later, a continuation titled Inuyasha: The Final Act began airing on October 4th, 2009. Final Act ran for 26 episodes and adapted the rest of the manga that its initial run didn't cover. Both seasons received an English dub and home release by Viz Media.
For information on other Inuyasha based media, visit the series' franchise page.
This series provides examples of:
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A-F
- 0% Approval Rating: Nobody likes Naraku, up to and including his own incarnations. Kagura wants nothing more than to be free of him and not one but two of his other minions want to usurp him. Even Kanna, who's supposedly completely emotionless, gives her enemies crucial information about Naraku and the Shikon Jewel right before she dies.
- 24-Hour Armor: Sesshomaru and Koga never go anywhere without their armor. Given that Inuyasha's fire-rat robe acts much like armor, he never goes anywhere without it either. Sango also keeps her exterminator gear on hand everywhere she goes, whether or not she's actually wearing it.
- Accidentally Broke the MacGuffin: Kagome shoots an arrow at a crow youkai carrying the Shikon Jewel, but the arrow hits the jewel itself. This shatters the jewel into many, many tiny peices, each peice scattering all over the surrounding area. The primary myth arc of the manga then becomes a quest to find all the shards to make the jewel whole again (at least up until Naraku's introduction).
- Action Dad: Becoming a father doesn't stop Miroku from youkai hunting. If anything, it just motivates him more, since he now has a family to provide for.
- Action Mom: Sango is a mother of three and still works as a youkai exterminator whenever her friends need a helping hand.
- Action Girl: Sango, Kikyo, Kagome, and Ayame are all strong warrior ladies who can knock out any bad guy who crosses them.
- Actually a Doombot: Before he obtains enough shards, Naraku utilizes golems to interact with his enemies so he won't put himself at risk of being killed. Once he gets powerful enough to create his own minions, he stops using them, prefering to have them fight in his stead or just generally do the dirty work for him until he's powerful enough to do it himself.
- Adaptation Expansion: The manga gives very little information on Inuyasha and Kikyo's backstory other than briefly implying that they had fallen in love once. Some of Kikyo's comments also suggests that she hadn't been able to soften Inuyasha's heart and they had never kissed (until she did so in present-time). The anime episode "The Tragic Love Song of Destiny" expands greatly on their story to show how the falling in love happened with Inuyasha becoming kinder around her and culminating in them sharing a kiss, the opposite of what the manga suggested.
- Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole:
- The anime makes the assertion that Kagome needs jewel shards in order to use the well, whereas the manga says no such thing. Later in the series when Kagome loses all her jewel shards and can still use the well, at first the anime tries to cover for itself by claiming Sango had a secret stash that Kagome could borrow, but later just quietly forgets about the whole thing and lets her use the well without any.
- Shippo grabbing Tessaiga in a filler episode, you know, the sword that has an anti-youkai barrier that's pretty important to the plot, possibly justified if the barrier doesn't affect truly benevolent youkai.
- The story is about the Shikon Jewel trying to renew its cycle, having the souls of a powerful miko and a composite of several youkai and a human, and needing similar souls, like Kikyo/Kagome and Naraku. All of this information is either left out or outright changed in the anime during the Jewel explanation.
- Adaptation Name Change:
- Played straight with Amari Nobunaga, who was called Takeda Nobunaga in the manga. However, upon discovering that Takeda Nobunaga was a real person, his surname was changed to Amari in the anime... which they then made into a joke.
- Many other characters who were originally nameless in the manga were given names in the anime, including:
- Ginta and Hakkaku, Koga's two henchmen
- Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi, Kagome's three friends from school
- Ah-Un, Sesshomaru's two-headed dragon
- Izayoi, Inuyasha's mother
- In the Latin American dub, Kagome's name was changed to Aome due to "Kagome" sounding too much like a vulgar phrase. Her name is also changed to "Agome" in the Brazilian Portuguese dub, along with Miroku who had his named changed to "Miroki", for this same reason.
- Adorably Precocious Child: Despite being younger than Inuyasha, Shippo possesive a level of emotional maturity that Inuyasha lacks. Of course, Shippo is still throughly a young fox demon and he won't say no to a good prank, especially if Inuyasha is on the receiving end.
- Adventure Towns: The search for the Shikon Jewel leads Kagome and the gang to many different villages. They often get side tracked trying to help the villagers with whatever demon is plaguing them.
- Aerosol Flamethrower: While battling a toad demon, Kagome uses a can of hairspay combined with a candle's flame to create a makeshift flamethrower. Since the toad demon's biggest weakness is heat, the demon exits the body of the man he was possessing.
- Affably Evil/Faux Affably Evil: Several villains fit one or the other.
- Even while fighting and talking about killing people, Yura is playful and flirty.
- Naraku himself acts refined and regal even while talking about how he killed or is about to kill someone. After his upgrade at Mount Hakurei, he drops it completely in favor of being a Smug Super.
- Bankotsu is laidback, illiterate and treasures loyalty, he also finds killing to be his calling.
- Jakotsu is a murdering psychopath, but he's also incredibly bubbly about his "crushes", is loyal to Bankotsu and is genuinely one of his few friends.
- After Action Patch Up: Subverted at the beginning of Sesshomaru's introductory episode: Kagome attempts to patch Inuyasha up following their battle with Yura of the Hair, during which he was stabbed through the shoulder with a sword, but after forcibly wrestling his shirt off she finds that he's already fully healed.
- Alas, Poor Villain:
- Kagura's death is quite tragic: decides to save Kohaku knowing well that neither Akago nor Naraku will be happy with the betrayal. Naraku mockingly returns her heart before fatally poisoning her with his miasma. The heroes and even Sesshomaru rush to try to help her to no avail. She dies in a field of flowers, with a smile in her face for Sesshomaru being there, and her last thought being "I am the wind, as free as the wind."
- The heroes try to convince Kanna not to throw her life away and upon her demise, Kagome feels sad for her, having realized that, despite everything Naraku said, Kanna truly did have emotions and wanted to live.
- Alas, Poor Yorick: In the manga, during Goshinki attack, at one time the only two surviving kids are hugging the severed heads of their parents.
- Alleged Lookalikes: Everyone initially compares Kagome to Kikyo. They may technically have the "same" face (as it turns out they have the same soul), but when the series suffers from Only Six Faces and Kikyo and Kagome purposefully differ in hair style, habitual facial expressions, skin tone, and age, they don't look alike at all - at least, not any more alike than any other two random characters you could pick out. The anime has it worse, so that it's almost an Adaptation-Induced Plot Hole there.
- The manga did have Kagome start off with blunter bangs [1] making it easier to see why she was compared to Kikyo
- The manga did have Kagome start off with blunter bangs [1]
- All of the Other Reindeer: Every hanyou in the story, including Inuyasha himself.
- All Part of the Show: During a school festival episode, Inuyasha unwittingly interrupts Kagome's play by challenging the male lead to a duel, then slays a watermelon demon that suddenly appears, then jumps through a hole he made in the ceiling while carrying Kagome, and none of the Muggles in the audience realize this was unscripted. When Kagome's friends got to meet Inuyasha, one of the things they asked him was if Kagome asked him to do that.
- Almighty Mom: Sesshomaru's mother is a plot device designed to help Sesshomaru's Character Development by achieving something almost no one else in the manga managed to do - putting him in his place in the most brutal manner possible.
- Almost Kiss: Inuyasha and Kagome almost shared one before being rudely interrupted. It was the closest they got to a kiss in the manga. The Final Act fixed that.
- Amazon Chaser: Sango is wanted by both Miroku and Kuranosuke because of her beauty and her strength. Inuyasha as well because his love interests, Kikyo and Kagome, are both known for their bravery and fighting abilities.
- Ambiguous Situation: In the ending, it's left ambiguous as to whether or not Kagome can use the well to travel through time anymore after she returns to the Feudal Era for good, but it's implied by her tearful farewell to her mother and Sota's conversation with his friends that she can't. In any case it is very unlikely that she would even want to try in case she gets stuck in the modern era again.
- Amplifier Artifact: The Shikon Jewel is shattered by accident by one of Kagome's arrows. Other demons that get even one or two shards get a comparatively large power boost. Naraku collects all the shards for reassembly into the intact Jewel for the purpose of becoming the ultimate youkai.
- Anatomy of the Soul: The soul is divided in two: Kon and Haku. Kon is the heart (will) and Haku is the power that moves the body:
- Moryomaru is just a bunch of dead youkai body parts animated by Haku. When Akago is inside of him, he provides the Kon.
- Kikyo's Kon is the part she stole from Kagome's soul but she needs to constantly steal Haku to be able to move.
- Anchored Ship: Both Inuyasha/Kagome and Miroku/Sango are Type 1.
- And Then What?: Near the end, Byakuya asks Naraku what wish he will make on the Shikon Jewel after he has killed Inuyasha and the rest; he admits he isn't sure. Later Kagome correctly guesses that he had already made a wish but the Jewel didn't grant it.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Naraku, who is behind almost everything bad that happens to, well, everyone.
- Animal Jingoism: Played for Laughs with the animosity between Inuyasha and Shippou. In Japanese folklore, dogs and foxes hate each other and more than one secret kitsune wife has been outed by the clueless husband's loyal dog. Inuyasha is Shippou's favourite target for pranks and practising his magic on, so Inuyasha tends to bite back.
- Animate Dead: Kagura's Dance of the Dead.
- Animation Bump: The anime series itself often goes from good to poor in sequential order, with a superbly animated episode followed by a greatly inferior one. For example, the finale of the Bankotsu fight has smoother animation than most of the series. The Final Act continues the trend of fluctuating quality, but is overall better than the earlier series. A shorter series with a generous budget means the show basically got the same quality as the earlier movies. 2D Visuals, 3D Effects were the main offense.
- Anti-Hero:
- Kikyo settles into the role after her resurrection, once the worst of her initial rage has subsided.
- Sesshomaru starts off as a villain, but subsequent Character Development shifts him from there to Anti-Villain and from there arguably to Anti-Hero; exactly where he falls tends to vary depending on your perspective.
- A case can also be made for Kagura possibly reaching Anti-Hero status by the end of her character arc when she begins acting directly against Naraku - again depending on your mileage.
- Anti-Villain: Saint Hakushin; Kagura and Sesshomaru both evolve into this role as well.
- Appendage Assimilation: Sesshomaru tried to replace his severed arm with other youkai arms, but they all turned out to be useless and after a while he just stopped trying.
- Arc Words: "Pure has now become Impure, Impure has now become Pure," for the Band of Seven/Mt. Hakurei arc.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Kagome to Naraku: "The Shikon Jewel didn't grant your real wish, did it?".
- Art Evolution: At the beginning of the manga, Takahashi drew the characters with rounder faces, bigger eyes, and a very different style for the hair. Just look at Sesshomaru.◊
- Art Shift:
- The first three movies have a different character designer from the anime, resulting in this. This is averted for the fourth movie, however.
- The anime suffers through a shift in the overall quality of the animation, thanks to a shift between traditional cel animation and digital animation that happens late in the original series' run.
- Artifact of Death: The Shikon Jewel and its search only brings death and destruction.
- Artifact of Doom: There are... a lot of this in this show.
- Yura of the Hair is actually a spirit born from a comb used to comb the hair of dead people. Destroying the comb destroys Yura.
- The cursed Noh Mask. It is a deadly artifact that once placed on the face, it absorbs/consumes the wearer.
- Later, Sesshomaru commissions the making of the deadly sword Tokijin, crafted from the teeth of Naraku's detachment Goshinki. It possesses its own maker, but when Sesshomaru takes it for himself, he shrugs off the sword's attempt to possess him through sheer willpower.
- Kanna has her Mirror, which can steal the very soul of those she shows it to or, in some cases, absorb the power and devastating effect of a weapon and allow her to direct it back at the sender.
- The Naginata of Kenkon, aka the Naginata of Heaven and Earth, was fashioned from the corpses of 222 demons by the same demonic smith who made Tokijin.
- Dakki, the youki-absorbing sword that transformed its human smith into a pseudo-youkai in order to try and absorb Tessaiga's youki and then transferred the full force of Inuyasha's attack to said smith's body in a desperate attempt to save itself.
- The Shikon Jewel, the real Big Bad of the story.
- Artificial Human: Kikyo's body is made of her ashes and clay.
- As You Know: One of the many methods that the show uses to recap events.
- Asian Fox Spirit: Shippo is a kitsune cub, and one episode featured an Inn full of them.
- Asshole Victim:
- Some of the angry villagers who bullied Jineji and tried to kill him and his mother are eaten alive.
- Similarly, the villagers who bullied and beaten Rin in Episode 35 are killed by Koga's pack of wolves.
- Sometimes, the episode will start by focusing on a Red Shirt Army bragging about how they're going to attack and conquer innocent lands. Guess what happens to them, courtesy of the Villain of the Week.
- Inuyasha's Superpowered Evil Side killed several bandits in a brutal way; said bandits were knowingly working for a demon and personally fed innocent women to their demon boss while forcing an incapacitated Inuyasha and Miroku to watch.
- Assimilation Backfire: This is how Moryomaru and the Infant are defeated by Naraku. Generally speaking, doing this to Naraku's never a good idea.
- Attack Reflector: Kanna's mirror, and later Naraku's barrier develops this as well.
- Attempted Rape: In the manga, Mukotsu attempts to rape Kagome but she fought him back. The anime tones this down into having Mukotsu try to force Kagome into marriage with him.
- Awful Truth: The truth about Tenseiga is kept secret for a long time because it's this trope for Sesshomaru.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: in Inuyasha's group: They may not always see eye to eye at times on certain matters, they may drive each other crazy, but when the chips down, they'll lay their lives on the line for each other, especially Inuyash and Kagome.
- Ax-Crazy: Evil!Suikotsu, as well as Inuyasha himself whenever he goes in his youkai form.
- Babies Ever After: In the finale, Miroku and Sango have gotten married and have three children; twin girls and a baby boy who is born at the start of the final chapter.
- Back-to-Back Badasses: Inuyasha and Koga vs. Naraku's two speedster detachments
- Badass in Distress:
- Sesshomaru in his fight with Magatsuhi when he has to be rescued by his brother. He gets stronger.
- Inuyasha, whenever he turns human.
- Miroku rescues Sango on a few occasions, including one where he gets severely injured freeing her from demon control. Sango also rescues Miroku later in the series by destroying her own weapon to do so, resulting in an ensuing stroy arc to get it fixed.
- Badass Normal:
- Sango. She's completely human and the only protagonist who doesn't have any kind of supernatural or magical power, but she's able to throw around the huge boomerang as if it were a toy, and is just about as good of a fighter as Inuyasha himself.
- And of course, Kohaku. His Shikon shard doesn't seem to do anything but keep him alive and under Naraku's control, but by the end of the series he's able to easily slaughter groups of trained guards and youkai like they were nothing.
- The Band of Seven while they did have Jewel shards when they fought against Inuyasha and company, they were just normal humans before they got resurrected and capable of easily taking out not only powerful demons but also entire armies by themselves.
- Baku: One of the few non-malicious youkai in the series is a baku, though still considered troublesome, as it was in danger of overeating on dreams and taking the good ones as well as the bad. It's also significant for being the only youkai to appear in the present day instead of the distant past.
- Band of Brothers: The Inu-tachi. The group gets together mostly because of the shared battle against Naraku. While at the beginning they weren't fond of each other, their loyalty and dedication to one another grows steadily, to the point of not even thinking about putting their lives in danger to save the others. They end up forming a weird but strong family who still make snide remarks at each other all the time.
- Bandaged Face: Onigumo, in the flashbacks to his time at the shrine. Justified in that he'd been badly burned, and the bandages are to protect his damaged face.
- Bandit Clan: Inuyasha and Kagome encounter numerous bandit clans, some of which were being led by a demon in disguise.
- Bare-Bottomed Monkey: Gon, Bun, and Ken are a trio of small monkey Youkai who play a prank on Inuyasha, and then gloat about it by mooning him while singing a song about their red behinds. Inuyasha reacts exactly as expected.Gon, Bun, and Ken: Monkey bums are bright and red, more brains here than in your head!
- Barrier Maiden: Shiori the bat hanyou is forced to serve in this role to protect the bat youkai clan, having inherited the position from her father. She eventually gives up it up so Inuyasha can claim the power of the crystal related to the post.
- Barefoot Poverty: The story is primarily set during the Warring States era, where almost everyone save for lords went barefoot at all times. A couple of characters like Kagura, Rin and Inuyasha himself do cross into Prefers Going Barefoot territory however, but this too was largely the result of the times and simply being used to them. The entire setting was really the perfect barrel for Takahashi to indulge in some of her preferences.
- Barrier Warrior: There are several, including Miroku, Kikyo and Naraku, but the most impressive is Saint Hakushin who is able to create an enormous barrier surrounding Mt. Hakurei which is incredibly powerful, enough to weaken youkai in the surrounding area and purifying them instantly if they get too close.
- Bathtub Bonding: Kagome and Sango, but instead of a bathtub it's a hot spring. They get to learn a lot more about each other after they have a bath together.
- Battle Aura:
- Demons and spiritually powerful humans have this.
- Sango, the only member of the group that doesn't have supernatural powers, also manifests one when she's really pissed off, usually at Miroku. It sends Inuyasha ducking for cover.
- Battle Butler:
- Kanna, the only minion who's honestly loyal. (At least until right before she dies).
- Byakuya's also completely loyal to Naraku, and like Kanna, throws his life away for one of Naraku's plans, though in his case he didn't even do a posthumous betrayal.
- Jaken arguably also fits this trope, but with somewhat less "battle".
- Battle Couple: Inuyasha/Kagome and Sango/Miroku. In the anime, this also extends to Inuyasha and Kikyo, although they're never shown fighting alongside one another in the manga.
- Battle Tops: Shippo has an arsenal of tops.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Inuyasha desires to become full youkai. When it happens, he doesn't want it anymore and does everything in his power to stay as a hanyou.
- Beam Spam: Tessaiga gets one that would make a Gundam jealous.
- Bee Afraid: The Saimyoushou, the poisonous insects Naraku uses. They're introduced primarily to limit Miroku's use of his Wind Tunnel by poisoning him if he takes them in; seeing them appear always means bad news.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Inuyasha and Kagome, especially at the beginning. They later become a variant since they come to an understanding as to their mutual feelings, but the belligerence doesn't die down.
- Berserk Button:
- Miroku is normally very calm and collected, even in the presence of Naraku. But if you dare make inappropriate advances on Sango, he will beat you into a pulp.◊
- Manten gets extremely upset when his last few hairs are lost from his head.
- Sesshomaru's are mostly related to receiving Inuyasha's pity and hearing Kagura's death being insulted. The latter upset him so much that he broke Tokijin over it and endangered his own life in the process.
- Discuss Inuyasha's love for Kikyo around Kagome. I dare you.
- Threaten Inuyasha or any of Kagome's friends when she's around, only if you've made your peace with a higher power beforehand.
- Miroku is normally very calm and collected, even in the presence of Naraku. But if you dare make inappropriate advances on Sango, he will beat you into a pulp.
- Betty and Veronica: Kagome is the Betty to Kikyo's Veronica and Inuyasha's Archie because she's his Nice Girl partner instead of the tragic priestess.
- BFG: Renkotsu's grenade launcher and gatling gun, And Ginkotsu's flak cannon and (Missile launchers after being made into a giant cybernetic tank.).
- Big Bad: Naraku. Well, that's what the Shikon Jewel wants you to think.
- Big Brother Instinct: Sesshomaru towards Inuyasha increasingly as the storyline progresses, Sango towards her little brother Kohaku, even the evil Hiten towards his younger brother Manten (and their little brothers love them too). Kagura also seems to develop one towards Kohaku, which ultimately led to her dying for it.
- The Big Damn Kiss: Inuyasha and Kagome in the finale of the anime.
- Big Damn Reunion: At the end of the manga, Kagome and Inuyasha reunite after a timeskip of three years in which Kagome was stuck in her own time and unable to come back. She and Inuyasha look lovingly at each other and share a deep hug upon their reunion.
- Big Entrance: If the main activity suddenly gets interrupted by everyone being drawn to what appears to be a massive bolt of lightning that crashes into the earth, rattling the ground and releasing an overload of raw power, it almost always means Sesshomaru's just entered the scene.
- Birds of a Feather: Inuyasha and Kagome, despite significant difference in personality: Both can get a little hot under the collar, especially with each other. They have a mutual dislike from running from fights. They can get easily jealous, can be stubborn and absolutely terrible at controlling or expressing their emotions. They also can't stand if anyone outside their group intends to do the other harm, physically or emotionally.
- Black Blood: In the anime, blood is portrayed as black or occasionally black with a red tinge to it. This isn't the case in the manga or the movies, where blood is always red.
- The Blade Always Lands Pointy End In: And not just blades, but any weapon which is thrown or dropped, including staves and giant boomerangs.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Sango has a retractable blade hidden in her right sleeve that she uses as a last resort.
- Blade Brake:
- Inuyasha rams Tessaiga into the ground to prevent being sucked into the Wind Tunnel. In one of many amusing examples of just how alike the two brothers really are, when Sesshomaru first experiences the power of the Wind Tunnel, he reacts in exactly the same way (and since he's holding Tessaiga at the time, he even uses the same sword).
- Also performed by Kohaku to prevent himself from falling to his death down a chasm.
- Also by Kagome with Tessaiga inside Naraku's body.
- Bland-Name Product: Wacdnalds, where Kagome and her school friends go to eat and hang around.
- The Blank:
- Muso, one of Naraku's incarnations, starts off this way, until he starts stealing people's faces (leaving them faceless and dead).
- The Muonna that Sesshomaru had impersonate Inuyasha's mother looked like this under her illusion.
- Blessed with Suck / Cursed with Awesome:
- Miroku. The Wind Tunnel in his right hand, a curse placed on his grandfather and passed down onto him, is basically a one-way dimensional gateway with the force of a minute black hole. Even the most powerful of demons seem to be unable to escape it if drawn inside — witness the spirit of Kaguya, an entity stated to be truly immortal, being banished forever by being drawn inside the Wind Tunnel. However, Miroku can only control it by wrapping his hand in certain special beads, and as Naraku created it, he has also created a counter for it: a rapidly-breeding wasp-like creature called Saimyosho contain a poison that will cause Miroku intense pain and eventually death if he draws them in. Oh, and the Wind Tunnel, even if not used, is slowly growing ever larger, until the day when it consumes Miroku and everything around him in a fair-sized Sphere of Destruction, just as it has already devoured his father and grandfather.
- Inuyasha's youkai form. Insanely high levels of strength and speed, a much improved healing factor, enough youki to make even Sesshomaru feel one, brief moment of fear and have a youketsu capable of holding the evil spirit of the Shikon Jewel immobile against its will and decay a frggin' portal to hell when its sliced by the Dragon-Scale Tessaiga. Of course, there's the little matter of him being a bloodthirsty monster that has barely any of Inuyasha's restraint, and each time it gets even less controllable and less intelligent. Of course, he does get to occasionally take advantage of it and Tessaiga at the same time, whenever someone starts stealing some of Tessaiga's forms, or he boosts Tessaiga with purified Shikon shards.
- Blood from Every Orifice: This happens to Miroku when he takes a massive dose of Naraku's miasma into his Wind Tunnel in the process of trying to take him out once and for all.
- Bloody Murder: Inuyasha's first and most basic ranged attack involves him making flying blades out of his blood (or, sometimes, other people's). He tends to pull it out only as a desperation move, for obvious reasons.
- Blow You Away: Kagura. Her wind powers include tornados, flight, manipulating the wind to (attempt to) cut off the wind-based attacks of opponents and even Razor Wind.
- Body Horror:
- Also very noticeable when the living Noh mask attacks Kagome; the body it has is the corpses of its previous victims mashed together into one fleshy lump.
- Body of Bodies: The list include the Flesh-eating Mask, Naraku's true form, the whole Kodoku spell and also Moryomaru's later forms.
- Bones Do Not Belong There: The demon that drags Kagome down the well in the first chapter/episode is a Mix-and-Match Critter consisting of a roughly humanoid torso with a centipede lower body. It's shown to have an endoskeleton in its lower body despite centipedes being invertebrates.
- Book Ends: The beginning, and the finale, both involve Kagome shooting the Shikon Jewel for some reason.
- Boomerang Comeback: Sango uses this technique several times. She lets her enemies attack her while Hiraikotsu is away so they'll be hit by it when is returning to her.
- Bowdlerise: The anime edits or otherwise drops several scenes of blood and/or nudity from the manga:
- Mistress Centipede has Barbie Doll Anatomy in the anime. Not so much in the manga (though the [adult swim] version flip-flopped between erasing Mistress Centipede's breast linesnote and keeping them in).
- The Noh mask's body, in the manga, was a mismatched mass of gore and body parts from the people it had consumed, whereas in the anime, it's just an amorphous mass of black goo.
- All visible blood in the anime, human or otherwise, is reddish-black.
- Midoriko's corpse is crystallized, whereas in the manga, it's actually mummified.
- In the manga, Sesshomaru actually sliced out Inuyasha's right eye to get at the black pearl that led to their father's grave, whereas in the anime, he extracts the pearl with an energy beam that causes no visible damage to the eye itself.
- Mukotsu's Attempted Rape of a poisoned Kagome is turned into a bizarre And Now You Must Marry Me scenario.
- In the manga version of the fight between Muso and Inuyasha, Kagura prevented Inuyasha's Wind Scar attack from hitting Onigumo's heart by aiming her Razor Wind attack at Muso at about stomach level, slicing him apart and thereby moving Onigumo's heart out of the way. In the anime version, Kagura instead aimed her attack at the Wind Scar in order to deflect it.
- Brains and Brawn: Inuyasha is the brawn to Kagome's brain.
- Brainwashed and Crazy:
- Kohaku. After being revived, Naraku erased his memories to be able to control his mind. He then ordered Kohaku to kill a lot of innocent people, including his own sister.
- The majority of the main cast, including Inuyasha, Sango, and Kagome, are put under some kind of mind control effect and used against their companions at some point in the series or movies.
- Breath Weapon: Ah-Un being a dragon has this, in both heads.
- Broken Hero: Miroku is a carefree, cheerful guy in spite (or maybe because) of having death looming over him his whole life.
- Broken Pedestal: Parodied. When Sota meets Inuyasha, he's initially starstruck. And then Inuyasha seems like he's refusing to protect Kagome over an apology, and Inuyasha is life-size in his eyes - for about five minutes.
- Brought Down to Normal: Happens to Inuyasha (and every other half demon) every month, most often during a plot that could be resolved effortlessly with Inuyasha's normal powers. It also happens to him during the Mount Hakurei arc.
- Buried Alive: Sango, after being badly wounded and declared dead. She clawed her way out.
- Cain and Abel: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru for a while mostly due to the perceived Parental Favoritism. A better example would be Kinka and Ginka, brothers who are attached to one another because neither of them had managed to kill each other in their childhood as was the nature of their species.
- The Call Knows Where You Live: After returning to her time after her first trip to the feudal era, Kagome assumes the whole experience was a dream and proceeds to forget about the whole thing....until Inuyasha barges into her house while her family is having dinner. It doesn't help that one of the bad guys (Yura of the Hair) seeking the Shikon Jewel tries to enter Kagome's time moments later.
- Call-Back: The last opening song, ‘Kimi ga Inai Mirai’note , uses some phrases and titles from other opening and ending songs.
- Calling Your Attacks: Once the manga hit its stride, almost all the characters do this. Uniquely, Sesshomaru's the only one who is mostly too cool to call his attacks out loud. He thinks them instead.
- Camp Gay: Suzaku of the Flower, a Demon Ninja based off of the Vermillion Phoenix. His comrades tell him several times to stop acting like that, as it creeps them out. Jakotsu of the Band of Seven is another example.
- Canis Major: Sesshomaru and his parents are dog demons, and in their true forms go from Rubber-Forehead Aliens to gigantic canids.
- Canon Foreigner: Ayame (Koga's childhood love interest), and Akitoki Hojo (an ancestor of one Kagome's classmates) only appear in the anime.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: When Miroku takes a poison that will make him immune to pain, Inuyasha lies and tells Kagome his weakened state is due to this after he swore to Miroku he wouldn't tell anyone.
- Can't Live Without You: According to Byakuya, even if the other detachments had survived, they would have perished when Naraku was destroyed anyway.
- Catchphrase Interruptus: Talking about his infamous question:Sango: After all, she's the one you asked to bear your child.
Miroku: Well, it's something I always say when I meet a girl.
Sango: You haven't said it to me though.
Miroku: Forgive me, Sango! Will you...
Sango: You don't have to say it! - Cats Are Mean: A rather impressive filler arc showcased some cat demons as this.
- Changed My Jumper: Kagome traveling through Feudal Japan in her school uniform with a very short skirt.
- Changing Clothes Is a Free Action: Played straight by Sango at least once in the anime where she changes from her normal clothes to her armor in a second, while leaping. Usually she averts it though, either having some time to change, fighting in her kimono or already wearing her armor since the beginning.
- Character in the Logo: One of the series logos shows Inuyasha's silhouette leaping over the letters.
- Characterization Marches On:
- This is what happened to the smiling, talkative Sesshomaru. Lampshaded briefly in the manga, however. In the early days, his smiles were usually only sadistic. Later on in the manga, once Sesshomaru's unsmiling, taciturn personality is established, Jaken does briefly observe that Sesshomaru only smiles when he's in a killing mood.
- Jaken also got this. His first appearance has him roast a pack of demons and be a generally competent advisor. A few appearances later, he's firmly settled into the Bumbling Sidekick Butt-Monkey role.
- This is the only explanation for Koga. He starts out as a straight up villain, setting his wolves on Rin's village and killing her, kidnapping Kagome and threatening to kill Shippou. After a brief arc, he mellows out into an Anti-Hero rival to the main character and no mention of this previous deeds is ever made.
- Chastity Couple: Basically what Miroku and Sango become after the proposal and before their marriage.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Magatsuhi is first introduced in episode 26 (in Japanese, at least), despite not actually showing his hand for another 158 episodes.
- The Chessmaster: The Shikon Jewel manipulated everyone from the beginning. Including Naraku, so he would take the place of the youkai inside, and tried to manipulate Kagome into making a selfish wish, which would condemn her to take Midoriko's place.
- The Chew Toy:
- It's just too hard trying not to laugh whenever poor Jaken gets the crap beaten out of him.
- Shippo might be the Jaken of the good guys. Poor kid can't open his mouth without Inuyasha beating the living crap out of him. then again, most of the time he is asking for it.
- Child Soldier: Sango has been a professional demon hunter since she was at least eleven.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Miroku is able to behave himself when the situation calls for it.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Kagome, although it's Inuyasha who ends up doing the saving most of the time.
- Clothing Damage: Kagura is especially prone to this, usually in order to provide excuses to show off the identifying spider-shaped scar on her back.
- Cock Fight: Happens every time Inuyasha and Koga meet.
- Color Failure: When Shima claims that she has already given herself to Miroku; he, Sango and the youkai Nushi (who Shima is promised to marry) all experience this.
- Combat Pragmatist: Miroku shows signs of this in his fight with Sango, tripping her with his staff so she'll lose Hiraikotsu. He's reminded painfully she has other weapons.
- Combination Attack: The anime made up one for the films and a filler mini-arc involving Kagome's arrows and one of Inuyasha's special attacks combining together for impressive results. This doesn't actually make much sense because Kagome's arrows purify youki which is exactly what Inuyasha's attacks are made of, but it's not something that ever crops up in the manga.
- Comedic Sociopathy: Where to begin? Kagome's abuse of Inuyasha, Sango's abuse of Miroku, Inuyasha's abuse of Shippo, Inuyasha and Miroku's abuse of each other, and Sesshomaru's abuse of Jaken are the more regular instances.
- Comic-Book Time: While the manga lasted for 12 years, the whole story happens in barely one year, not taking into account the three-year Time Skip at the end.
- Compressed Adaptation: The last season of the anime, where about 10-20 chapters were compressed into each of 24 episodes.
- The Constant: The Sacred Tree and Bone Eater's Well. To the extent that, when the Bone Eater's Well disappears in the Final Battle, it's seen as a very, very bad sign by everyone on both sides of the well.
- Conveniently an Orphan: Everyone in Inuyasha's group (except for Kagome who has a living mother), and the two humans who end up in Sesshomaru's group are an orphan and Self-Made Orphan.
- Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind: Inuyasha did this at one time and was almost sucked into the Wind Tunnel for his troubles.
- Cool, Clear Water: None of the character seem to worry about how safe the water is to drink unless it's because a dangerous Youkai might be lurking there waiting to pounce on unwary drinkers... despite the story being set during a time of rampant war, death and disease.
- Cool Sword: Tessaiga, Tenseiga, Tokijin, Sou'unga, Bakusaiga.
- Cooldown Hug: In the final episode of the (first) anime, when Inuyasha was turning into full youkai, Kagome's hug stopped the transformation. Justified in that she's in fact purifying the corrupt Shikon shard he was using.
- The Corrupter:
- Naraku's favorite tactics are those that involve messing with his enemies' hearts.
- The Shikon Jewel. Of the entire franchise. It manipulates and corrupts everything around, including Naraku.
- Counter-Attack: The Backlash Wave.
- Counterpart Artifacts: The title character bears the sword Tessaiga which can kill 100 demons/yokai at a time. His brother Sesshomaru uses the sword Tenseiga, which can't harm living beings (but can kill underworld creatures) and can bring creatures back to life. Each sword was created from one of the fangs of their demon father.
- Crazy-Prepared: Sango habitually carries a backup weapon, a hidden backup backup weapon, and a considerable assortment of poisons designed for use against demons. She rarely has to use more than Hiraikotsu and maybe her short sword, but when Miroku has to subdue her while she's under the control of a demon salamander, he gains a new and firsthand appreciation for just how scary an opponent she can be.
- Creature-Hunter Organization: There used to be a group of people dedicated to exterminate the Youkai who were causing mayhem in the villages. During a gory attack orchestrated by Naraku, all of them except two were killed. The two survivors are Sango and her brother Kohaku.
- Creepy Centipedes: Mistress Centipede is the first and foremost instance, but generic giant centipede monsters turn out to be one of the most commonly-encountered and easily-dispatched types of mook.
- Cry into Chest:
- Sango finally breaks down crying into Kagome's chest releasing all her heartache when the group forgive her for betraying them.
- Kagome does this to Inuyasha a lot. It usually freaks him out somewhat.
- Curse: The Kazaana/Wind Tunnel/Air Rip is a Hereditary Curse.
- Cute Clumsy Guy: Akitoki Hojou. Also a Dogged Nice Guy towards Kagome, like one of his descendants.
- Cut Short: The anime initially ended just over half-way through the manga and there was nothing more for several years until the manga ended. This was finally subverted when a wrap-up series The Final Act was produced to conclude the anime, although it heavily truncated the story to try and fit over 200 chapters into 26 episodes.
- Damaged Soul: Kikyo only has one part of her soul since Kagome has most of it. Which also means that Kagome's soul is missing a piece, but her soul is depicted as so unusually large and potent that it's not enough to notice.
- Dark Action Girl: Kagura (starts off this way), Tsubaki, Jakotsu (or so he thinks), Princess Abi, Mistress Centipede, Yura, Kaguya
- Dark and Troubled Past:
- Inuyasha was shunned by humans and hunted by youkai for being a hanyou (his half-brother hate him for that same reason), lost his mother early in his life and spent the rest alone, then he fell in love with Kikyo who betrayed him (or so he thought) and was sealed for fifty years.
- Miroku witnessed his father fall victim to his curse when he was a little kid, watching him being consumed by his hand only leaving a big crater afterwards, and grew up knowing that that would be his fate one day.
- Darkest Hour:
- Sango and Miroku waiting for the Wind Tunnel to absorb them while their despair consumes the light within the Shikon Jewel leaving it in darkness.
- Sesshomaru's darkest hour occurs when he finally learns the truth about Tenseiga's origins and the real reason why he was given Meidou Zangetsuha, resulting in him believing that his father wanted Inuyasha to kill him to get the perfected technique back to Tessaiga. His Heroic BSoD is so overwhelming that even Myoga is desperate to help him.
- Inuyasha is tricked into thinking he murdered Kagome in his blood rage. This breaks him down so completely that he gives into his despair and demon blood.
- Date Peepers: Every time Inuyasha/Kagome or Miroku/Sango have any romantic moments, the rest of the group will be either spying or eavesdropping.
- Death Equals Emotion: Kanna starts showing that she actually has emotions and cared for Kagura just a little bit before her death.
- Death Glare: Sesshomaru. Early in the manga, he scares off a pack of wolves with his glare alone. Later on, he's badly injured to such an unusual degree that Kagome and Shippou worry about it and discuss healing him. His glare sends both of them scurrying behind Inuyasha for protection.
- Death Is Cheap: Ask Kikyo... or Kohaku... or Rin. The series does try not to take it too far: before he could master Tenseiga's Meidou Zangetsuha, Sesshomaru had to learn that even Tenseiga's ability to revive the dead has its limits, since he couldn't properly appreciate the value of the lives of others as long as he assumed he could simply bring them back. However, the lesson is rather undermined when Sesshomaru's mother revives Rin a second time anyway.
- Death of the Hypotenuse: The Inuyasha - Kikyo - Kagome love triangle is finally broken when Kikyo dies for good, and she ends up perishing peacefully in Inuyasha's arms.
- Declaration of Protection: Inuyasha to Kagome:Inuyasha: Shut up! I'm saying I'll protect you!
- Deliberate Injury Gambit: Inuyasha lets Sesshomaru impale him through the chest, taking advantage of the moment and ripping off his older brother’s arm to get Tessaiga back.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: Every time Kagome talks about her relationships from the past era to her present-day classmates, they assume the worst. Every episode they're in, they urge her to abandon the "violent and abusive thug" feudal-era Inuyasha in favor of the much nicer, present-day ideal boyfriend Hojo.
- Depraved Homosexual: Jakotsu. He's Affably Evil enough to soften the effect a little, but still pretty depraved. He's also the only character to ever use the word 'sexy', at least in the anime.
- Designated Girl Fight: Subverted. When the Inu-tachi plus Koga face the Band of Seven, Sango ends up fighting Jakotsu, much to his chagrin.
- Diagonal Cut: Inuyasha kills Hiten in this manner.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Kikyo in Inuyasha's arms. It's worth mentioning that Naraku explicitly tried to invoke this, in a twisted Yandere fashion. (He was, as usual, the reason she was dying in the first place.)
- Digital Destruction:
- The first two volumes of the 2020 North American Blu-ray sets feature an odd frame-skipping issue that makes some panning shots look jittery.
- Inuyasha The Movie 2: The Castle Beyond The Looking Glass: The English 5.1 track on the Blu-ray accidentally uses a slightly unpolished earlier cut of the dubnote instead of the finalized version from all previous physical and digital releasesnote .
- Dispel Magic: Myoga the Flea has an odd version of this; he can break binding spells on people because if he bites you, no amount of magic will prevent you from swatting him.
- Distress Ball A few times picked up by Sango as a means to provide Miroku with a heroic moment and/or opportunity to show his devotion.
- Distressed Damsel: The anime likes putting the female characters in distress much more than the manga does, especially Kagome and Rin. In the manga, however, Kagome's last true kidnapping was by the hands of the baby. After that she becomes a full-on Action Girl, saves Kikyo's life, defeats Naraku alone while burning in the flames of Hell, gets her ultimate weapon and her last part of Character Development after facing the shadows of her heart before ultimately killing Naraku and the Shikon Jewel. Rin isn't really kidnapped much, given the length of the manga, but the final time she's kidnapped lasts for quite a few chapters since it's the final battle.
- Doom It Yourself: In one of the filler episodes, Inuyasha accidentally damages the handlebar to Kagome's new bicycle. While she goes to school, he volunteers to fix it. Given his lack of knowledge on bicycles - or anything else from the modern era for that matter - things quickly get out of hand, and by the time Kagome gets home, the bike is nothing but a mangled ruin.
- Do You Want to Copulate?: When Kagome is temporarily staying away from the feudal era, Shippo shapeshifts into her to tease Inuyasha. Being a kid, he doesn't have much subtlety:"Kagome": I could lie with you if you like!
- The Dragon: Hakudoshi acts as this to Naraku.
- Dramatic Drop: Played for Laughs. When Kagome asks Sango, who's cleaning Hiraikotsu, if she's in love with Miroku (more like states it), Sango drops the weapon in shock and breaks the floor.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Despite being a very powerful incarnation, Hakudoshi is brought down quickly by Miroku' Wind Tunnel once he's abandoned by Naraku.
- Dude, She's Like in a Coma: Ironically, Sango kissed Miroku while he was unconscious.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Considering how Jaken only sees Rin as a bothersome and clueless kid, this would count when she's the one to point out to him that Kagura is possibly in love with Sesshomaru, something he completely dismisses.
- Dynamic Entry: Happens several times. One example consists of Kagome, Miroku and Sango being saved from Mukotsu by a clawed hand slicing into Mukotsu's body signify the arrival of - to Kagome's shock - Sesshomaru rather than Inuyasha.
- Dysfunction Junction: Of the group of five, at least three of them are severely broken emotionally, with huge trust issues, due to Dark And Troubled Pasts.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything the main characters went through, almost all of them got a happy ending. Miroku and Sango are Happily Married and have three kids; Shippo is learning to get better with his powers; Kohaku, accompanied by Kirara, is atoning by helping other people; Rin is staying with Kaede and is often visited by Sesshomaru; and even though they were separated for three years, Kagome and Inuyasha are reunited at the end.
- Easily Forgiven: Koga and his tribe murder a whole village of innocent people, and none of Inuyasha's team seem to mind. While Koga is a rival for Kagome's affection, this is played for laughs and he often works together with the team. The murders he committed are never brought by them in the entire series, although one filler episode in the anime acknowledged it and revealed Koga stopped attacking humans.
- Eat Me: Naraku lets Moryomaru absorb him so he could get close to Akago and consume both of them from the inside.
- Embarrassing Cover Up: The excuses for why Kagome is missing so much school are usually provided by her grandfather and consist of a cavalcade of increasingly implausible health ailments, many of them more common to the elderly than to a teenage girl (it's implied that Grandpa is in fact abusing it to get health goods for himself). Kagome inevitably finds it very embarrassing when she goes back to school and is questioned by her friends about her latest illness.
- Empathic Weapon: Several weapons in the series are this, most notably Tessaiga, Tenseiga and Hiraikotsu. Tokijin starts off as one, but its will is completely suppressed by Sesshomaru's.
- Enemy Within: Inuyasha and his Youkai blood. Fortunately he was able to fix the problem. Unfortunately there are other ways of unleashing it, and Naraku knows about it.
- Episode Title Card: Always read aloud by Inuyasha himself.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas:
- Princess Abi joins Naraku to save her dying mother.
- A female bone-youkai stole Sango's weapon to try and save her father.
- While it's hard to tell how he and his mother feel about each other, a significant part of Sesshomaru's character development involved getting over his daddy issues which required her help.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Bankotsu, the utterly evil leader of the Band of Seven whose only stated desire is to kill as many people as he possibly can, is still completely disgusted by Renkotsu's greed and selfishness, eventually laying a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on himafter Renkotsu betrays and kills Jakotsu to steal his jewel shard.Renkotsu: Tell me what's the difference! How is what I've done any different than what you're doing right now?!
Bankotsu: The difference is I would never betray my friends. - Even the Guys Want Him: Inuyasha not only is in the middle of a Love Triangle with Kagome and Kikyo, but Villainous Crossdresser Jakotsu is explicitly and obsessively in love with him. Jakotsu was also attracted to Sesshomaru and Miroku, but concluded that he preferred Inuyasha.
- Everyone Can See It: Everyone could see Inuyasha and Kagome liked each other since the beginning. Her brother Sota was surprised to find out that they hadn't yet admitted it. Everyone could also see Sango liked Miroku, except for Inuyasha.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: At one point, Naraku is utterly confused over the fact that, no matter what he makes Kohaku do, Sango simply will not kill him. Much later, he also remarks that the simple fact that Inuyasha's group would show mercy to Kanna, who had been sent on a Suicide Mission against them, actually makes him feel sick.
- Evil Evolves: Tessaiga, though just demonic and not technically evil, qualifies as well late in the series, absorbing power from the demons it slays.
- Evil Me Scares Me: Inuyasha fears that his Superpowered Evil Side will kill his companions, especially Kagome.
- Evil Tainted the Place: After the mortally-wounded bandit Onigumo sold his soul and his body to become Naraku, the spot where he formerly lay was left corrupted, and even fifty years later, nothing grows there, even as moss has overrun the rest of the cave.
- Evolving Weapon:
- Inuyasha's sword, Tessaiga, explicitly has the ability to get stronger by killing things and gaining related abilities. It has to be a strong opponent though. After mastering the Backlash Wave, all of the Tessaiga upgrades were based on this, one way or another.
- Bankotsu had a weapon called Banryu that gained demonic power after killing 1000 humans and 1000 demons.
- Excalibur in the Rust: In the hands of almost anyone except Inuyasha, Tessaiga looks like a katana that has seen better days. When Inuyasha weilds it, the blade takes its true form.
- Expy: Rumiko Takahashi admitted that the romance between Inuyasha and Kagome was the romance she had originally intended to write between Ranma and Akane from Ranma ½.
- Extra-Long Episode: The show has three doube-length episodes that would be split into two-parters marked as "Part I/Part II" later: "The Woman Who Loved Sesshomaru", "The Tragic Love Song Of Destiny", and the original finale "The Bond Between Them, Use The Sacred Jewel Shard!". (The full-length versions would be used for home media and streaming.)
- Eye Colour Change: When Inuyasha and Sesshomaru transform, the sclera of their eyes turn red and their irises blue.
- Eye Scream: In the manga, Sesshomaru stabs Inuyasha's right eye in order to get the black pearl that's hidden there, a portal to his father's grave.
- Face Fault: Inuyasha has a Restraining Bolt necklace forced on him by Kaede early on, which causes him to do this whenever Kagome gives the command ("Osuwari" in the original, "Sit boy!" in the English dub).
- Face Stealer: Muso, Naraku's sixth spawn, who was born without a face and is desperately trying to find one for himself.
- Facial Markings: Sesshomaru and his mother have them. So does Inuyasha when he's a full demon.
- The Fair Folk: The demons tend to be otherworldly and ruthless. Some are very ugly, others very beautiful. It's stated that the most powerful and dangerous ones are those that look like humans. This actually plays into Japanese culture; the beings referred to in Japan as Youkai and Obake would probably be considered more Fey than Demons by Western standards.
- Family Theme Naming: The three named characters from the demon slayers' village — Sango, her younger brother Kohaku, and their pet Kirara — all have names referring to semi-precious stones (coral, amber and mica, respectively). Additionally, Kikyo and her younger sister Kaede both have names that begin with K and refer to plants (bellflower and maple). Also Kagome and Souta could be taken to mean Bamboo and young grass respectively.
- Fanservice: Kagome does seem in many shots to be almost entirely made up of very shapely legs, though we never see up her skirt. Twice, Kagome's breasts were bared though this is edited for the American releases as is the short shot of Shippo disrobing for a dip in an onsen. Also, Sango's Taijiya uniform is very form fitting. All of the main girls have been subject to nude scenes shortly after their introduction. Kagura's top gets ripped off numerous times. Never mind the extreme frequency with which Inuyasha, Miroku and other male characters go shirtless.
- Fantastic Racism: Humans and demons don't get along very well, even when they aren't straight-up killing each other. When a human and a demon fall in love, they are met with a great deal of discrimination.
- Fast-Forward to Reunion: Inuyasha and Kagome are separated after the final battle when the well stops working. We get a Time Skip of 3 years and they are reunited for good.
- Fate Worse than Death: Midoriko and the composite youkai, having to battle each other forever inside the Shikon Jewel.
- Feel No Pain:
- Yakurou Dokusen offers a "medicine" to Miroku so he'll stop feeling pain everytime he sucks poison into his curse but it won't cure the shouki wounds that are killing him. He takes it.
- Shikon shards in the body will make it insensitive to pain no matter how severe the injuries are, which is how, for example, Sango manages to go toe-to-toe with Inuyasha in her first appearance despite being grievously injured.
- Field Power Effect: The one night of the month half-demons lose their powers.
- Final Battle: The series' final battle takes place when the heros plus Sesshomaru's group go inside Naraku after he transforms into a giant, floating spider.
- Fire-Forged Friends: The main group was formed because all the members (except Shippo) share a common goal, and at first they were hostile to each other. Inuyasha and Kagome are forced to work together to find the Shikon shards, they let Miroku join after learning they share a common enemy and Sango joins for the same reason. They warm up to each other and end up being best friends since they don't really have anyone else.
- Fire Keeps It Dead: In the first chapter a mortally wounded Kikyo has herself cremated with the Shikon Jewel so she can take it to the afterlife with her and keep it out of the demons' hands. Unfortunately she didn't count on her reincarnation as Kagome five centuries later.
- First Love: Kikyo is this for Inuyasha, he loves her and feels he failed her, feeling responsible for her.
- First-Name Basis:
- Inuyasha starts to call Kagome by name after defeating Yura. Miroku jumps directly to first name basis with no honorifics with Sango, the only woman he addresses in such a fashion.
- Averted by Sango, who never uses Miroku's name at all, always calling him "Houshi-sama" even after she's promised to marry him. (This and Miroku's use of yobisute mentioned above are distinctions not carried over into the English dub due to the difficulty of translating them effectively.)
- Florence Nightingale Effect: How Onigumo falls in love with Kikyo.
- Follow the Chaos: Naraku, along with his "stink", also tends to leave behind trails of dead bodies everywhere he goes
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Plays with this. Kagome isn't flighty per se, but often forgets to bring her homework to class, only for Sota to pick up the slack. Then again, considering she's spending most of her time in the Feudal Era, she can hardly be blamed for losing focus on her supposed off days.
- For the Evulz: If Naraku isn't gathering jewel shards or working on his next Evil Plan to off Inuyasha and his pals, he'll be ruining the lives of anyone and everyone he comes across just because he can.
- The Force Is Strong with This One: Most of the main characters are able to detect youki.
- Foreshadowing:
- A brilliantly blatant yet easy-to-miss example occurs when Naraku manipulates Sango into stealing Tessaiga for him. He is able to hold it and briefly uses it against her. Amidst the ensuing drama, the audience isn't likely to remember that said sword was suppossed to have a demon-repelling barrier around it that should've left a full demon like Naraku with some ugly burns on his hand... this is explained when we learn that Naraku isn't a full demon at all...
- Another moment occurs as a result of the same incident. Sango tells Inuyasha's group that they can't trust her because, if Naraku attempts to use the same tactic on her in the future (making her choose between friends and a loved one), she'll make the same decision all over again. Right at the end of the manga, Naraku attempts what Sango feared and does indeed try to repeat the incident. This time, it's a choice between Rin's life and Miroku's life and, as warned, Sango does indeed make the same decision again: attempting to kill Rin to save Miroku.
- Another throwaway comment, this time by Totosai. When Inuyasha first masters the Kaze no Kizu while fighting Sesshomaru and it's revealed at the same time that Tenseiga has chosen Sesshomaru as its true master, Totosai mutters to himself "Whether Tenseiga lives or dies will depend on Sesshomaru's heart". It takes hindsight to show us just how significant that statement proved to be.
- After just getting Tessaiga but still being unable to make it transform against Sesshomaru, Inuyasha complains to Myoga about how useless it is, to which Myoga responds that it's a memento from his father and to never let go of it.
- In the manga, the fact that there is more to the Jewel and that it seems and that it appears to be manipulating a lot of what has happened is introduced very early (basically along with Sango). Magatsuhi is also mentioned at this time and this actually also happens in the anime, but it's Lost in Translation.
- The Inu no Taishou left two swords made from his fangs, one for each of his sons, but every time his corpse is shown it's missing only one fang. Turns out there was only one sword made from his fang: Tessaiga, which was later split up in two to create Tenseiga.
- Foul Medicine: When Kagome gets sick, Inu Yasha grabs a bunch of ingredients and starts cooking them in a pot. The resulting concoction smells foul, something that Miroku, Sango, and Shippo all agree on. However, it does manage to cure Kagome's illness. Inu Yasha then states that the concoction is something his mother used to make for him when he was sick as a small child, which is why he had so much faith in it.
- The Four Gods: A Quirky Miniboss Squad in one of the late filler arcs (first half of the anime's sixth season) is a squad of four Demon Ninjas based on them; Byakko of the Snow (Byakko the White Tiger), Genbu of the Darkness (Genbu the Black Turtle), Seiryuu of the Moon (Seiryuu the Azure Dragon), and Suzaku of the Flower (Suzaku the Vermillion Phoenix).
- Freakiness Shame:
- Inuyasha's Unusual Ears mark him as a Half-Human Hybrid, but what does his Love Interest do upon seeing them for the first time?
Kagome Higurashi: Dog ears? I think I wanna... Touch 'em! [tweak tweak]- And her mom follows suit the instant she sees him. "Are these... real?" [tweak tweak] Also note her little brother Sota squealing, "Me next! Me next!"
- Jakotsu prefers human Inuyasha, but he does want to keep his dog ears as a trophy.
- Miroku and Sango's twin daughters◊ love them too.
- Free-Sample Plot Coupon: Downplayed. Kagome already has the Shikon jewel inside her at the start of the series, but after some unsavory events it is fragmented into several pieces, scattered through Feudal Japan. Thus the objective is to retrieve them, and the first of them is held by a very powerful opponent, negating the trope entirely.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: Shampoo is seen jogging briefly in episode 128 of Inuyasha "Battle Against the Dried-Up Demons at the Cultural Festival.
- Fuel Meter of Power: The Wind Tunnel is constantly expanding (a process that is accelerated every time it's used and even more so if it's injured) until it's big enough to break the seal and kill Miroku.
- Full-Frontal Assault: Muso, although it is toned down by Barbie Doll Anatomy. Moral Guardians, you know...
- Fusion Dance: Naraku is composed of multiple yokai.
- Future Spandex: Sango's fighting outfit includes this under her body armor.
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- Gatling Good: Renkotsu battles Inuyasha with a giant gatling gun that seems to fire mortar rounds or cannon balls.
- Generational Trauma: An ongoing Running Gag from Miroku is that he asks any unfortunate woman to cross his path to "bear his child". The reason for this is because his grandfather was given the Wind Tunnel curse by Naraku who claims that the curse will pass on to the men of his family line and will consume every user after a certain amount of time. With both his grandfather and father falling victim to the curse, and under the assumption that he won't kill Naraku in time, Miroku hopes to find a girl to bear his child so that they could possibly avenge the family.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man:
- After Miroku hallucinates about the Wind Tunnel absorbing him, Inuyasha has to hit him to get him out of the shock.
- At one point, Inuyasha punches himself in the face in an attempt to get rid of Magatsuhi, who is possessing him.
- Go Out with a Smile: Several instances.
- Kikyo happily smiles at Inuyasha before her definitive death.
- Kagura is happy that Sesshomaru went specifically to see her and she smiles as she fades away.
- Good is Not Nice: Inuyasha.
- Good Parents: Mama Higurashi. Also Inuyasha's mother. She loved him very much and tried what she could to protect him. Insulting her memory cost Sesshomaru an arm.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Scars in the shape of a spider on one back mark incarnations of Naraku; it's a taint that he can't get away from because of the part of him that's Onigumo.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: Find all the Shikon shards, especially before Naraku does.
- Great White Feline:
- Byakko is based on the White Tiger of the West fitting with Hoshiyomi's four ninja underlings being based on the Four Symbols from Chinese mythology.
- Like Byakko, Jūra's design is based on the White Tiger of the West and is part of a team based on the Four Symbols. He has fangs, cat-like eyes and white-and-black striped hair.
- Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Inuyasha and Kagome. Subverted by Miroku and Sango, as both of them have attacks for long (Hiraikotsu and Wind Tunnel) and short (Sango's sword and Miroku's staff) range.
- Half-Human Hybrid: The title character. He was the result a relationship between an Inu yokai and a human princess.
- Handicapped Badass: Sesshomaru lost his left arm fighting Inuyasha in his first appearance. He still was one of the most powerful characters in the series. Also, while Kikyo is among the strongest characters in the show, her frail artificial body heavily handicaps her; smacking her hard enough or stealing her souls back is often enough to render her helpless.
- Happily Married: In the ending, Miroku and Sango, and probably Inuyasha and Kagome too.
- He Will Not Cry, so I Cry for Him: Jaken does this for Sesshomaru when Rin dies.
- Head Pet: Inverted. When Shippo travels on Kirara, he usually does it on her head.
- Healing Factor: Everyone with youkai blood. Sesshomaru ups this to eleven later on in the series, which results in him being able to regenerate his missing left arm.
- Healing Shiv: Sesshomaru's sword Tenseiga can revive the dead by cutting down the pallbearers of the afterlife as they come to collect the dead person's soul. However, as is eventually revealed under tragic circumstances, people can be revived in this manner only once.
- Heel–Face Turn: Kagura. She first betrays Naraku to help Hakudoshi, but then she betrays both to save Kohaku's life. She even gets offered a spot with Inuyasha's group, but she declines. This offer may have saved her life. Temporarily.
- Hero of Another Story:Inuyasha and Sessomaru's late father is spoken of with great reverence, and for good reason. Not only does the "Dog General" dwarf his sons in his true form, in his time he fought and defeated numerous epic foes, and he also had an equally epic and tragic romance with a beautiful human princess—Inuyasha's mother.
- Hero Stole My Bike: Miroku stole Kagome's bike and the Shikon Shard she carried when they first met.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Inuyasha and Miroku end up developing a very close friendship.
- High on Catnip: In a filler episode, a villain incapacitates Kirara with catnip.
- Hijacked by Ganon: Nearly every antagonist the Inu-tachi face is being manipulated by, working for, or a direct detachment of Naraku himself.
- Hime Cut: Many, notably Kikyo (benevolent priestess) and Sango (Yamato Nadeshiko); interestingly, Sango's hairstyle fits the three characteristics better when she's in casual attire because Kikyo uses her sidelocks to create hair loops. Inuyasha's mother also had one, being a hime herself.
- Hitchhiker Heroes: It starts with only Kagome and Inuyasha looking for shards, after some time they encounter Shippo who tags along, a little after that Miroku joins up, and finally after that, Sango and Kirara also join them.
- Hitodama Light: Kikyo is surrounded by the blue spheres of human souls at many times to sustain her resurrected body.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Taigokumaru picks the wrong time to mouth off about his son Tsukuyomaru's death to Shiori, his granddaughter. Guess what happens.
- Hostage for MacGuffin: In Episode 9, Kagome is kidnapped by the Thunder brothers. She convinces them to let her live to in order to force Inuyasha to trade the jewel shards for her, but this is a bluff as Inuyasha's relationship at the time was still somewhat antagonistic. That leads to this exchange:Inuyasha: Let me get this straight, you and I are supposed are supposed to be lovers?
Kagome: This is no time to get all shy!
Inuyasha: You actually think I'd hand over the jewel shards as a ransom to get you back?!
Kagome: Of course you would! Cause that's what a lover would do! - Homage: Doesn't the whole plot around how only the "right" person can pull the sword Tessaiga from the place it stands remind people a lot of King Arthur?
- Home Sweet Home: Kaede's village, all the protagonists settle down there at the end.
- How Do I Shot Web?: It takes quite some time for Inuyasha to master the Wind Scar.
- Human Popsicle: Inuyasha, sealed to a tree by Kikyo's arrow for 50 years.
- Human Shield: Naraku uses Rin as a shield while prompts Sango to kill him.
- Humans Are the Real Monsters: As bad as the demons can get, humans are often shown to be just as bad, if not worse:
- The entire series was kicked off when Onigumo, a crippled bandit, voluntarily sacrificed his humanity to yokai to become Naraku, the Big Bad, all to acquire the Shikon Jewel and sate his lust for Kikyo. Even before he became Naraku, Onigumo was far from a Nice Guy; the actions of Muso, Naraku's sixth detachment and first attempt to purge purge Onigumo from himself, reveal that he was a hedonistic psychopath who killed whoever and whenever he wanted.
- The moth demon Gatenmaru leads a group of human bandits. While they aren't initially aware that he's a demon, when the truth comes out, they're even more eager to work for him and commit atrocities than they were before, helping him slaughter an entire village and allowing him to eat the captured women alive while making a helpless, All Webbed Up Inuyasha and Miroku watch. Inuyasha succumbing to his Superpowered Evil Side and slaughtering them in an Ax-Crazy rage is completely well-deserved.
- In the film Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island there is an island where benign humans and benign demons have lived together, and had a lot of half-demons as offspring. They have the island shielded by a magical barrier from the outside world, because they knew that their children would be discriminated against both by demons and by humans.
- In Inuyasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, three youkai say that humans are the world's most selfish creatures, and that their greed for power knows no bounds. The demonic sword So'unga seeks only humans as allies, because it is believed that they quickly fall to evil. Later in the film, however, it is inverted when Inuyasha explains that humans, because they are selfish and power-hungry, do not give up easily when it comes to fighting for their friends. Ironically, if humans do not use such demonic weapons as So'unga, they can not do much against youkai.
- Hybrid Power: Inuyasha has a lot of demonic power from his father, but his human side has certain advantages of its own. Due to his incredibly powerful father he has more power than many demons, and his human side grants him use of the sword forged from his father's fang, which lets him take out any demons his own powers can't take. Addtionally, Inuyasha cannot be purified into oblivion which becomes useful when up against a monk gone astray in an entirely different way from Miroku.
- Hypocritical Humor: Miroku: "What a terrible guy, to trick girls with a fake medicine." Inuyasha and Kagome in episode 90 when trying to persuade Sota to confess his feelings to his crush "If he loves her, he should just come out and say so. Yeah definitely!"
- I Am Not Weasel: A Running Gag in the series is that a lot of creatures will be persistently called a tanuki, especially Shippo.
- I Am Your Opponent: Used several times by Inuyasha and Sango; inverted by Naraku.
- I Can Still Fight!: Mainly Inuyasha and Sango. Sesshomaru, too, at one point - although he manages to avoid these exact words, he still ends up in an argument with Inuyasha over whether he should be on the battlefield at all.
- I Choose to Stay: After finishing her education, Kagome opts to remain in the past with Inuyasha.
- I Die Free: Kagura's only desire is to be free but doesn't want to die to get it so she does everything in her power to get Naraku killed without him knowing. When she chooses Kohaku's life before her own and gets impaled by Naraku for her troubles, she realizes that dying was the only way to be free. (Further confirmed by Byakuya who mentions that the detachments would die anyway when Naraku is killed).
- "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight: Basically every time Sango encounters brainwashed!Kohaku.
- I Never Told You My Name: In the Hoshiyomi filler arc, demons manage to get a photo of three of Kagome's friends from her backpack, and use it to create puppets of them in order to trick Kagome and Hojo into handing over the magic blade that their master needs. Kagome is suspicious to begin with, but her suspicions are confirmed when one of the three calls her by her name - which she hadn't mentioned to them.
- I Shall Taunt You: Mouryoumaru tries to goad Inuyasha into getting so angry that he does something stupid by insulting Kagura's death. To everyone's shock (including Mouryoumaru's) the one who flies into an Unstoppable Rage is actually Sesshomaru instead, who becomes so upset that he breaks Tokijin and puts his own life in danger.
- I Take Offense to That Last One: Inuyasha called Miroku a "fake lechering monk" once. His response? "I may be a lecher, but how dare you call me a fake!
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: This is Miroku's reaction when Takeda proposes marriage to Sango, much to Kagome's frustration.
- I Was Just Passing Through: Sesshomaru's favorite excuse whenever he helps the heroes.
- Idiot Ball: Shippo, in episode 50, unintentionally provokes Inuyasha into using the Tessaiga which was hard to use after being reforged, while for once he was trying to be pragmatic and use his claws against Kagura's weak demons prior to the big slip of the tongue.
- If I Can't Have You…: Naraku with Kikyo. He tricks Kikyo and Inuyasha into betraying each other, in hopes that he might be able to whisk the girl away after she's killed her former lover, but to much of his dismay she decides to choose death. Then when she's resurrected, he tries to kill her over and over again until he finally succeeds. He even wanted her to die in his arms, hoping that Inuyasha would be too late.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Happens several times in the manga, bad guys impaling good guys, good guys impaling bad guys. Brothers impaling each other.
- Magatsuhi first impales Sesshomaru's only arm three times and later impales him twice through the chest.
- Naraku imapaled Kagura. He was careful enough not to hurt her recently returned heart though.
- Implied Love Interest: Sesshomaru and Kagura.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: The demon slayers' uniforms, plus Inuyasha's fire rat kimono.
- In a Single Bound: Justified with Inuyasha and other youkais, not so much for humans.
- In the Past, Everyone Will Be Famous: Subverted. When Inuyasha and Kagome meet a young samurai named Nobunaga, she immediately asks for his autograph excited to be meeting the famous Oda Nobunaga. It turns out he's Amari Nobunaga and is offended to be mistaken for that "idiot".
- Incendiary Exponent: The first time Inuyasha turns into a human, he ends up having to fight a spider demon. So he pulls up a bunch of wooden grave markers amidst cries of blasphemy, sets them on fire, and then uses them as flaming javelins.
- Infinity +1 Sword: By the end of the series, Tessaiga can generate huge energy blasts, reflect incoming energy attacks, launch a spray of adamantine spikes, cut through energy barriers, siphon demonic energy, and CREATE DIMENSIONAL PORTALS TO THE UNDERWORLD.
- Interrupted Suicide: Inuyasha arrives just in the nick of time to stop Sango from killing her brother and committing suicide.
- Interspecies Romance: Inuyasha, Shiori and Jinenji all have human mothers and Youkai fathers. And Inuyasha himself with Kagome and Kikyo.
- Intoxication Ensues: Inuyasha: "I ain't drunk. And why are there two Kagomes?" On another occasion he ends following a butterfly and falling off a cliff.
- Involuntary Shapeshifting: Inuyasha turns human during the night of the new moon. He also transforms into full youkai when in danger (and not having Tessaiga near to seal his blood) and when a very corrupt Shikon shard is nearby (and not having Kagome near to purify him).
- Irony: Sesshomaru's mockery of both Inuyasha and their father for caring for humans, when he ends up caring for a little girl himself.
- It Only Works Once: Tenseiga can revive the dead, but only once. A second one requires a trip to hell and a Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?, and that likewise will only work the one time.
- It Was with You All Along: Totosai explains that Bakusaiga was this to Sesshomaru.
- It's Personal: Everyone wants revenge against Naraku.
- Jackass Genie: The Shikon Jewel. It's sentient and never grants the wishes of the people who use it, mostly just twisting it for it's goal of perpetuating it's existence.
- Onigumo wished to have Kikyo's heart. Did not happen, and in fact he is absorbed in the Jewel with Kagome to replace the original demon and priestess trapped in the jewel.
- Kikyo wished to see Inuyasha again. Kagome sees her again and brings the Jewel with her.
- Jidaigeki: The story (while not in the present) takes place during the Sengoku Jidai.
- Journey to the West:
- A Shout-Out only found in the anime version is the appearance of a Boar Demon named Chokyukai, who claims to be a descendent of Chohakkai, aka "Disciple Pigsy". He also has a monkey and a scrawny kappa as his slaves, and claims that they are descendents of Shagoyjo (aka "Disciple Sandy") and Son Goku (aka "Monkey", aka "Sun Wukong"). Kagome has to explain to Inuyasha and co. that Chokyukai is talking about the famous tale of a Monk who travelled to India alongside a pig demon, a water demon, and a rebellious monkey god to retrieve sacred sutras.
- The main characters mirror the Journey's main characters to some extent. Inuyasha just like Goku is bad tempered, is set free from a long curse at the beginning, has an elongable weapon, has animal traits and is subdued by a talisman which is under control of the person he's protecting. Kagome, like Tripitaka, is on a quest for a sacred item, is the reincarnation of a noble soul of the past, is the preferred target of demons and is helpless compared to most other characters. Miroku and Sango have some traits in common with Pigsy and Sandy respectively.
- Just a Kid: Lord Kagewaki: "The most skilled [slayers]? But I see here before me a young girl, and you even brought a small child".
- Just Following Orders: Byakuya's excuse to Sesshomaru when he interferes with Sesshomaru's pursuit of Mouryoumaru is, "don't hate me, I'm just doing my job".
- Karmic Death: Hakudoshi. Yeah, turns out Naraku had a lot more control over you than you thought...
- Ki Manipulation: Most all the attacks Inuyasha does are ki attacks focused through his sword; he rarely uses it to actually cut anyone, aside from monster-like demons. This is eventually lampshaded by Sesshomaru, who cryptically advises his brother that he's put so many weird powers into the blade that he's forgotten what the point of a sword is (the point of the sword is to cut).
- Killer Rabbit: Kirara. She's usually a very small and cute kitty with two tails but she can transform into a large saber-toothed cat with flames around her feet and tails, and in this form she's able to fly and carry up to three people on her back.
- Knife Outline: When Inuyasha was trying to steal the Jewel from Kikyo, instead of killing him she decided to pin him like this to a tree.
- Kryptonite Is Everywhere: Even though the Wind Tunnel is the most powerful (and destructive) weapon, Miroku rarely gets to use it since it's vulnerable to poison, and more often than not the foe they're fighting is poisonous. Naraku has the Saimyoshou (poisonous hell bees) exactly for this reason.
- Ladykiller in Love: Miroku falls hard for Sango. He still flirts with any beautiful lady, though. He later regrets it after he nearly loses Sango in the process and tones it down a little.
- Land Poor: The Higurashi family are a straight example of the Japanese version. They own a house with several outbuildings, a shrine and a huge tree in the back yard in downtown Tokyo, while being comfortably lower-middle class. Justification abounds, though. The Higurashi family has tended the shrine since Tokyo was a tiny fishing village (in fact, it's implied that the village grew up around the shrine). The house was built so the shrine caretaker wouldn't have to live in the shrine, which would be disrespectful. The outbuildings are mostly sheds and stores for tools and supplies needed to keep the shrine and grounds clean and pretty. The shrine's age and beauty make it both a popular tourist attraction and a popular site for weddings. Meaning that between the rents from bridal parties and the gift shop, the family does have a decent income, but most of it is plowed back into upkeep and repairs.
- Lap Pillow: Inuyasha rests in Kagome's lap while he's poisoned during his human night.
- Last Day of Normalcy: Kagome is introduced the day before her Dangerous 16th Birthday, listening to her grandfather tell the story of the Shikon Jewel with visible boredom and gives her gift of a "kappa's foot" to her cat after examining it with incredulity. It would not be long, however, before she would fall down the cursed well and find herself battling demons in feudal Japan.
- Last Kiss: Inuyasha and Kikyo shared a kiss right before she died. Inuyasha and Kagome share one as well in case they don't survive the final battle.
- Last of His Kind: Sango is the last surviving demon slayer. At least until Kohaku really gets better.
- Leeroy Jenkins: Inuyasha's preferred battle strategy.
- Lighter and Softer: The anime already has plenty of violence and nudity, but it's still tame compared to the manga, which goes even further in this regard. One example has Mukotsu's attempted rape of Kagome in the manga; the anime gets around this by having Mukotsu attempt to force Kagome into marriage with him.
- Lima Syndrome: Koga falls for Kagome after kidnapping her.
- Lonely Together: Inuyasha and Kikyo in the past. Both felt extremely alone and bonded over it.
- Long Runner: The first anime was 167 episodes plus four movies, five in Japan. The Final Act added 26 episodes, for a grand TV total of 193. The manga started in 1996, and finally concluded in June 2008 with its 558th chapter. Overall the series ran for twelve years.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: The Shikon Jewel makes Kagome believe she's living a normal life while she's trapped inside the jewel.
- Love Dodecahedron: There are so many love triangles that include the two main protagonists that it inevitably results in this: Inuyasha/Kagome/Kikyo, Inuyasha/Kikyo/Naraku, Inuyasha/Kagome/Koga, Kagome/Koga/Ayame, Kagome/Inuyasha/Hojo, and then we have Inuyasha/Jakotsu.
- Love Epiphany: From volume 7 and onwards is where both Kagome and Inuyasha seem to acknowledge that they've fallen in love with each other, though they remain on the down-low about it. Kagome has a more official one later on when her jealousy over Inuyasha and Kikyo makes her admit to herself that she indeed loves him.
- Love Triangle: Inuyasha was effectively engaged to Kikyo when she died and his relationship with Kagome was already well under way when Kikyo came back from the dead (shortly after Koga's entry into the storyline, Kagome and Inuyasha are a confirmed couple), making him honour-bound to both women and completely unable to choose between them. At one point he even admits to Miroku that he was hoping he could solve the problem by having them both (which would have been relatively common for a man in Japan's past, but modern-girl Kagome was definitely not thrilled by that suggestion). It doesn't help that Kagome is Kikyo reincarnated.
- Loveable Rogue: Miroku doesn't have any problems with lying, cheating, conning, stealing, drinking, womanizing, etc. He's still one of the good guys and a Buddhist monk.
- Lovecraftian Superpower: Naraku, who’s an amalgamation of thousands of youkai.
- Loyal Phlebotinum: Several weapons.
- Tessaiga initially appears to be this, then it seems to be averted when it's revealed Sesshomaru can use it as well, it's only the youkai-repelling barrier that stops him. Finally, it's confirmed during a Die or Fly test of worth when Sesshomaru deliberately steals Tessaiga's power to test its bond with Inuyasha only to find the power immediately flees back to Inuyasha at the first chance it gets.
- Toukijin is so powerful and evil not even Totosai can approach it. Sesshomaru overcomes the blade's evil will easily and the sword obeys him loyally until the day it's destroyed.
- Tenseiga is extremely loyal to Sesshomaru even though he doesn't want it at all. Even when he deliberately shatters the blade and discards it, the sword ends up reforging itself and landing back on the ground near Sesshomaru. The only reason Tenseiga is not a Clingy MacGuffin is because it can be physically separated from Sesshomaru. It just won't stay separated.
- Luminescent Blush: Particularly Sango, but also Kagome and Inuyasha when things get a little too "romantic" between them.
- Lunacy: Inuyasha loses his powers whenever the new moon is up.
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- Magically Regenerating Clothing: Characters' clothing get damaged and seem to magically be repaired later on. Justified for some characters like Inuyasha whose Robe of the Fire Rat fixes itself, and Sesshomaru's armor which fixes itself automatically through yokai magic.
- Maligned Mixed Marriage: Shiori and Jinenji's parents definitely suffered this. Inuyasha's parents as well. Their love is often mentioned with contempt especially by Sesshomaru.
- The Man Behind the Man: Near the end of the manga, it's implied that the Shikon Jewel manipulated Naraku in a bid to free itself while perpetuating the Vicious Cycle. The last chapter implies that the Shikon Jewel was the REAL Big Bad that Kagome was sent back in time to defeat.
- Manipulative Bastard: Naraku loves to turn people against each other. And the Shikon Jewel itself to Naraku and practically everyone in the series.
- Manly Tears: Inuyasha shed tears when Kagome, Sango and Miroku survived after thinking they had died. And later, he cried as he held a dying Kikyo in his arms.
- Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex: Kagome is a normal human teenage girl, while Inuyasha is a half demon who can lift boulders with one hand and take a sword through the chest without receiving any permanent injuries. He also has razor sharp claws on his fingers that cannot be retracted. While they never do get significantly intimate in the tv series or manga, it's not hard to imagine how this could cause some problems farther down the line as their relationship progresses.
- Mantis Mating Meal: Miroku is once honey trapped by a praying mantis demon that pretends to be a princess of a destroyed state (it previously Killed and Replaced her) before attempting to eat him. He destroys her with his Wind Tunnel, but the barbs on her forearms catch the edges of the hole and injure it, causing the hole to widen.
- Mars Needs Women: Demons and half-demons in the series have a general contempt for humans, yet numerous demon and half-demon characters are attracted to at least one of them, including Inu no Taisho(he did have a yokai wife before and had Sesshomaru with her), Inuyasha, and Koga.
- Master of the Mixed Message: Miroku so very much. His proposal is infamous for this: first telling Sango she's a special woman to him but later saying he can't love her and she's only a friend to fight alongside with, and then culminating with asking her if she would live with him and bear his child after Naraku is defeated.
- Mayfly–December Romance: Since youkai are Really 700 Years Old, any relationship between a human and a youkai. Curiously enough, in the three known relationships like this, the youkai died first. Somewhat justified by other youkai and humans alike viewing this as betrayal and trying to destroy all involved, which the youkai member stopped at the cost of their life (in two of the examples, anyway).
- Meaningful Name: The series is rife with them.
- Inuyasha himself, whose name means Dog-Yaksa. A yaksa is a spirit who in Buddhism serves a benevolent god that protects the righteous. Because Tessaiga is meant to be used for the protection of humans, Inuyasha's name suits him very well.
- Naraku means "abyss", Tessaiga literally translates into "Iron Crushing Fang", Sesshomaru translates into something like "perfect killing circle" and Miroku is the Japanese name for the future Buddha.
- Another very noticeable example is the entire Band of Seven, whose names all end with "-kotsu" (meaning "bone"), indicating their undead natures. The prefixes of their names are individually meaningful as well; for instance, the "ja-" in Jakotsu's name means "snake," a reference to his serpent-like Whip Sword (accordingly named "Jakotsu-to," "snake bone sword").
- Inuyasha himself, whose name means Dog-Yaksa. A yaksa
- Memorial for the Antagonist: Kanna, in her last moments, refuses to march towards Inuyasha's gang to destroy them, as Naraku wants. He explodes her to smithereens, but a tiny shard of Kanna enters Kagome's eye; through that link, Kanna tells her that light can kill Naraku, taking revenge on him for killing her and Kagura. Inuyasha puts Kanna's mirror standing up with some rocks, as a memorial for her.
- Men Don't Cry: Inuyasha says this to a crying Shippo when they think Kagome, Miroku and Sango have died. When it turns out they haven't, Inuyasha tries to hide his tears which Shippo is fast to point out. Sesshomaru also never cries, to the extent where Jaken will cry for him where necessary.
- Merger of Souls:
- Demons do this all the time, fusing together to make more powerful demons. The Shikon Jewel was created when a particularly large number of demons fused with a human to fight a priestess. After a long battle both souls fused and crystallized into the series' MacGuffin.
- Naraku was created when the deranged and perverse thief (and Kikyo's Stalker with a Crush) Onigumo merged with thousands of demons. And at one point in order to obtain a stronger body, he perfoms a Kodoku spell: thousands of fierce demons fight inside a cave in a mountain, and the winner absorb and merge with the losers. Eventually Naraku ends up absorbing the surviving demon in himself.
- Mistaken for Granite: A pair of statues guard the doorway to the underworld.
- Mistaken for Quake: In the episode "Battle Against the Dried-Up Demons at the Cultural Festival", Kagome wonders if the ground shaking is an earthquake, but it's actually a demon catfish flopping around on top of the school.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Naraku kept Kagura's heart in his possession at all times as insurance against betrayal. Kagura got so sick of Naraku treating her like a slave she actively colluded with the good guys anyway. Probably remembering the end that Kagura came to, Kanna gave Naraku the metaphorical finger by dying of suicide as ordered, but without taking Inuyasha and his True Companions with her. She even gives Kagome advice on Naraku's weakness when one shard hits her eye.
- Moment Killer:
- Kagome and Inuyasha get interrupted several times. One noteworthy example happens towards the end of the story when they're alone in her house and are about to kiss when Souta comes crashing through the door.
- Miroku and Sango on the other hand don’t need any help, they’ll ruin the moment themselves.
- Monster/Slayer Romance: The backstory of Inuyasha, having been a half-demon who fell in love with a priestess.
- Monstrosity Equals Weakness: It's stated that the more human-looking demons are the most powerful.
- Mood Whiplash: Chapter-wise, the story will sometimes have one of those chapters involving the characters in an epic battle with them all in mortal danger, which is then followed by a comedic chapter of Inuyasha visiting Kagome's home as he breaks stuff and acts like a dog.
- Morality Pet: Rin, for Sesshomaru. Kohaku becomes something of a Morality Pet for Kagura for a short time until she dies saving his life, resulting in him defaulting to Sesshomaru.
- Morphic Resonance: When Shippo shape shifts he is usually unable to conceal his tail.
- Motive Decay: Naraku.
- He himself admits once he has the complete jewel, he's not sure what to do with it, largely because all the things he wanted it for, he either already has now or doesn't need or want them anymore. He decides to just use the jewel's power to kill Inuyasha, and since he's spent so long fighting Inuyasha, he admits outright he's not sure what he's gonna do after that. It says something of how long the series runs that the Big Bad loses track of exactly why he's the Big Bad.
- Kagome confronting Naraku near the end and making the unusually astute guess that the Shikon Jewel did not grant Naraku's wish is really one of the best moments of the series. Naraku states more explicitly at the moment of his death, that his wish was to have Kikyo's heart, and the possibility of being with her in the afterlife, which the Shikon Jewel could not give him. Failing this, he instead planned to replace Midoriko and the youkai with himself and Kagome, by wishing to become part of the Shikon Jewel and by using the stolen Meidou to trap Kagome with the Shikon Jewel. (This of course was really the wish of the Shikon Jewel itself.) The (uncertain) implication is that Kagome could not be trapped in the Shikon Jewel unless she made a wish on it, and any wish would do except for the wish for the Shikon Jewel to be destroyed.
- The Movie: Four times. They're generally non-serial, but occasionally nods to them are thrown into the anime, like Sesshomaru's Soryuha technique, which was made up for a movie. The fandom periodically circulates rumours of a fifth but that generally refers to either the ending of an old computer game or a more recent OVA that was released as part of the Rumic World Specials and can be found, with minor editing, as episode 15 of the The Final Act. For the movies' tropes go to their respective pages:
- Muggle and Magical Love Triangle: Kagome has the most desired boy in school fall in love with her, but even when she goes on dates with him she finds herself thinking about Inuyasha, half-dog demon from the mythic past.
- Multi-Melee Master: All demon slayers are this, carrying a main weapon and a short sword, and if Sango is any indication, a chain and a hidden blade in their sleeve, too. Sango even fights with the Hiraikotsu and the sword at the same time.
- Murder the Hypotenuse:
- Kikyo kinda tries this, letting Kagome fall to Naraku's miasma.
- Naraku is intent on killing Inuyasha. Although he also is intent on killing the other cathetus.
- Muscles Are Meaningless: All strong characters are rather lean.
- Mystical White Hair: With a very few brown-haired exceptions, all of the normal humans in the series have black hair (or had it previously and went grey with age). The white hair of characters like Inuyasha and Sesshomaru marks them as obviously supernatural.
- Naked on Arrival: Kikyo was resurrected naked.
- Named Weapons: Everybody's got one.
- Inuyasha's sword is Tetsusaiga.
- Sango's boomerang is Hiraikotsu.
- Sesshoumaru has Tensaiga, a sword which can raise the dead, and Sounga, a demon sword of immense destructive power.
- Negatives as a Positive: The movie "Swords of an Honorable Ruler" has a demon list several human qualities in a negative way, showing contempt for humanity. But during the climactic battle, as full-demons such as Sesshomaru, Shippo, Kilala, and Jaken begin to lose power, Inuyasha and his human companions fight on, reminding the demon that he's half-human, and that humans are selfish, stubborn, and greedy which is why they won't give up.
- Nemesis Weapon: An inversion of the alignments. Protagonist Inuyasha's Tessaiga is a sword of destruction. His rival and evil brother Sesshomaru wields the Tenseiga which is the sword of life. Both were forged from their father's fang, and the swords were chosen for each brother so that they would be unable to fight each other. A good portion of Sesshomaru's early motivation was to steal the Tessaiga for himself. Later he commissioned a third blade, Tokijin, from an evil smith specifically to counter Tessaiga.
- Never Trust a Hair Tonic: Two demon brothers kidnap Kagome. She thinks they simply want to eat her, but it turns out one of them is severely balding and embarrassed about it, and he has heard you can get a hair growth potion by boiling down a human maiden. At hearing this, Kagome angrily insists they eat her instead.
- Never Trust a Title: The first two movie titles, Affections Touching Across Time and Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, are rather deceptive. Both of those things have a very small role in the movies. This is quite a contrast to most tv episodes, where the plots are often spelled out quite literally in the title. For example, episode 36 is title Kagome gets Kidnapped by a Wolf Demon.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Literally for Kagome. She managed to kill the youkai that had stolen the Shikon Jewel but in the process also broke the jewel, putting into motion the plot of the story.
- Nigh-Invulnerability:
- Naraku in many different ways depending on his current body.
- Nothing can destroy the Shikon Jewel.
- In the end, Sesshomaru is revealed to be this when Magatsuhi tries to kill him by stabbing him twice in the chest. It only makes him even stronger than he used to be.
- Nipple and Dimed: May come as a surprise to those more familiar with the anime, but the original manga isn't afraid to show partial female nudity on occasion (e.g. Kagome is shown topless when she undergoes a cleansing rite early in volume one). Even makes for Fan Disservice once when a short-term villain comes in with a female demon done up like an Indian dancing girl, then punches her head off to punctuate a point to another character. It's the male characters that inexplicably get Barbie Doll Anatomy on their upper halves.
- Noble Demon: Inu-no-Taisho was probably one. Sesshomaru's mother might also be one, but her single appearance leaves it difficult to tell: although she participates in Inu-no-Taisho's plan to teach Sesshomaru compassion, interpretations vary as to whether or not she demonstrates a Lack of Empathy. Character Development eventually lands Sesshomaru in this category; other examples include Totosai, Housenki, and the fathers of Jinenji and Shiori. As a rule, if you have a half-demon child, you are probably a Noble Demon.
- No Cure for Evil:
- Sesshomaru, courtesy of Tenseiga, at least until he receives Character Development.
- Averted with Kikyo, who spent much of the manga as an evil mockery of her former gentle self while continuing to retain her healing abilities and her desire to heal. Eventually, her kind nature was saved and restored.
- No One Could Survive That!: That's why Sango was Buried Alive, after being stabbed in the back and shot with arrows.
- No Ontological Inertia: The only way for Miroku to free himself from the Wind Tunnel is to kill Naraku, the one who placed the curse on his grandfather.
- "No Peeking!" Request: Miroku's first meeting with Kagome and Inuyasha just so happens when he and Kagome are bathing in the same natural hot spring, although they're on different sides. He notices her large sacred jewel shard and is planning to take it when he hears Kagome yelling about not peeking at her. He's momentarily startled, thinking she's talking to him, is relieved when he hears Inuyasha yell a dismissive response to her soon after.
- No Social Skills: Inuyasha is terrible when dealing with people.
- Noble Male, Roguish Male: Inuyasha is violent, reckless and rude while Miroku is charming, calm and world-wise.
- Normally, I Would Be Dead Now: Sango. Also, Kagura who gets blasted through the heart and only survives because Naraku had confiscated her heart.
- Not Brainwashed: After Kohaku regains his memories, he decides to act like he's still under Naraku's control to be near him and find a way to kill him.
- Not Now, We're Too Busy Crying Over You:
- The end of the "Fateful Night in Togenkyo" story ends with Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo standing at the edge of a cliff and mourning for Inuyasha, who apparently fell to his death. When Inuyasha, coming up behind them, takes exception to Kagome calling him an idiot for dying, it takes the rest of the cast an extra line or two of dialogue before they catch on.
- This happens a few times in the show. The first time is when Shippo first appears. Inuyasha is crying over Kagome who thanks to the foxfire protecting her, looks like a dead spirit (and Myoga the flea is so certain of this that he manages to convince Inuyasha).
- Not Quite Dead: Kikyo quite a few times, she seems to be prone to fall from cliffs.
- Not What It Looks Like: When Inuyasha refuses to let Kagome check on his injuries after their battle with Yura of the Hair, she tries to tear off his shirt in order to check for any serious damage. When Kaede and some of the children from the village bump into the two, they think they're doing....something else.
- Now or Never Kiss: The reason why Sango kissed Miroku. Unfortunately for him, he was unconscious.
- Nun Too Holy: Miroku is a Buddhist monk... who chases after women, has tried to peep on women bathing at least once, is willing to use violence to make others agree with him (he's beaten up the Tanuki Hatchi at least once, and then threatened to use the Wind Tunnel on him a different time) and is quite willing to fake exorcisms in order to get food, money, lodgings or any combination of the aforemention. Of course, this kind of plays on real-world stereotypes of actual monkish behavior from that time period.
- Official Couple: Miroku and Sango become official in the middle of the story, Inuyasha and Kagome stay not-quite official until the very last second, that said Kagome refers to him as her boyfriend about mid-way through the story and there are no objections.
- Offing the Offspring: Naraku loves doing this: He abandons Hakudoshi to be killed, impales and poisons Kagura, and makes Kanna explode.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Naraku has several, like when Kagome blew up his body realizing she's Kikyo's reincarnation or when Kohaku tried to purify him with the light in his shard. In those instances he's always quick to run.
- His servants likewise get more than a few, especially Byakuya who thought he could handle Sesshomaru with an army of a few thousand youkai to back him up. He was wrong.
- Old Retainer: Myoga and Jaken, to Inuyasha and Sesshomaru respectively. Myoga was a also former retainer of their mutual father.
- On The Next Episode Of Catchphrase: Kagome's 'See ya soon!'
- Once More, with Clarity: In the first chapter, Kikyo's last words to Inuyasha after pinning him to a tree are "The Jewel of Four Souls... For such a thing..." and the anime makes it clear that at this point his consciousness faded. When she's revived, the scene is revisited, and we hear the whole thing in full: "The Jewel of Four Souls... For such a thing... you betrayed me..."
- One-Man Army: Despite the back-up his friends give him, Inuyasha is more than capable of this. His sword can slay a hundred youkai with a single swing... and that's its weakest ability. Then there's Miroku, who can take out many youkai with his Wind Tunnel (when he's allowed to use it). And Sesshomaru's sword can slay thousands of youkai with a single swing.
- One-Winged Angel: Naraku has 5 of them in the final battle.
- Only Good People May Pass: The title character once had to enter a cave that was protected by an enchantment that prevented anyone from going in for selfish reasons. Needless to say, this presented some difficulty for him.
- Only I Can Kill Him: Everyone wants to kill Naraku, but Kikyo puts special emphasis on how she is the only one who can really do it. She doesn't, although her efforts prove integral to his eventual defeat. Her help would not even be required if she hadn't given him the jewel shards and made him stronger to begin with.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Sesshomaru declares his claim on Inuyasha's life after Inuyasha receives Tessaiga, the sword that Sesshomaru wants for himself. As his Character Development progresses, it's not long before his "nobody kills my brother but me" attitude starts coming across as a face-saving excuse to get involved in Inuyasha's battles without admitting that he doesn't actually want him dead any more.
- Only One Name: All of the characters in the Sengoku era have only one name. Justified since throughout most of Japanese history, the only people who had family names were those who came from noble families, until a law passed during the Meiji Restoration made family names compulsory for everyone regardless of class.
- Only Six Faces: There are in fact Only Four Faces - Young Woman, Young Man, Old Woman, and Old Man. The difference between the first two and last is also debatable. Kikyo and Kagome are the only two characters that have any business looking alike, but they look like just about every other young woman, and even some of the men. Ironically, Kikyo and Kagome are two of the more distinct comparisons, given the differences in hairstyle, skin tone, and default facial expressions in the anime. The manga has a few exceptions... all of whom are used for gags (i.e. the servant boy who was acting as a replacement sacrifice, Youreitaisei, etc.).
- Open-Minded Parent: Nobody in her family minds that Kagome is gone for days or weeks at a time adventuring in a past era full of Youkai and missing a lot of school to do it, or that she's falling for a guy who's only half human; on the contrary, they cheerfully make up excuses for her to explain her absences and very much support her relationship with Inuyasha, her mother inviting him over for family meals and her brother was confused that they hadn't already admitted their feelings for each other.
- Ornamental Weapon: Koga carries a sword he never uses. He even admitted he just had it for decoration after having to use it to free himself from Moryomaru.
- Our Dragons Are Different:
- Ah-Un is a kind, loyal, two-headed dragon-horse that travels with Sesshomaru. In the anime, he's also made herbivorous.
- Ryoukotsusei is a giant elder Dragon who's Nigh-Invulnerable and speaks through what looks like a Noh mask in the middle of his forehead. Inuyasha's father is fatally wounded fighting and sealing him.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Kagome, Shippo, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara all routinely fall victim to this trope whenever they go into battle teamed up with Inuyasha. Despite the fact that all of them have at least a few skills that could contribute to victory, Inuyasha usually does almost all or all of the heavy lifting in combat, and he virtually always is the one to deliver the final killing blow. Sometimes Inuyasha's companions will just stand in the background and make commentary about the fight, even though they have no valid reason not to participate.
- Papa Wolf: Sesshomaru, who dives into hell in order to save his Morality Pet Rin and kicks the King of Hell's ass in order to save her and was very clearly in pain about her death.
- Paper Talisman: Miroku uses his ofudas to exorcise demons and rip-off wealthy people.
- Parental Abandonment: Every major character:
- Inuyasha: His father died after his fight with Ryukotsusei shortly after he was born, his mother died when he was a kid.
- Kagome: Her father is barely mentioned. In a novel it's revealed that he died in an accident when she was younger.
- Shippo: His father was killed by the Thunder Brothers soon before his introduction. His mother is never mentioned.
- Miroku: His father was consumed by the Wind Tunnel when he was little, his mother is never mentioned.
- Sango: Her father was killed by Kohaku during their introduction, her mother is never mentioned.
- Kikyo and Kaede lost both their parents in their early childhood
- Parental Favoritism: Sesshomaru’s ego has a real problem with this, thinking his father preferred the half-human Inuyasha who was also the son of their father's true love.
- Parrot Pet Position: Kirara (while in her small form) and Shippo normally travel on someone's shoulder.
- Percussive Prevention: Inuyasha punched Miroku in order to prevent him from using the Wind Tunnel after it was just repaired.
- Personal Horror: Inuyasha goes through this after his evil side takes over.
- Physical Scars, Psychological Scars:
- Sango has a scar on her back where her brother stabbed her, a memento of when her family, village and life were destroyed by Naraku.
- Naraku has a burn scar in the shape of a spider on his back reminding him of his despised human core.
- Kagura has the same scar as Naraku, a symbol of her enslavement.
- Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You: Sango offered her life to Sesshomaru after she tried to kill Rin to save Miroku but Sesshomaru just seemed to forgive her. While his thoughts and feelings about the situation are left ambiguous, it probably helped Sango's case that she apologize to Rin while giving the girl her mask to protect her from Naraku's miasma.
- Please Put Some Clothes On: In the Tokajin arc, Inuyasha comes to rescue Kagome just to find her naked. After a few awkward seconds, he throws her his haori.
- Pointy Ears: Usually to help identify who the human-looking demons are. Not all of them have it but still...
- Poison Is Corrosive: Sesshomaru's poison claws emit a green gas that destroys anything it comes into contact with.
- Poison Is Evil: Poison is used a lot by villains on the show. Possibly even veers into Evil Is Poison, as it's implied that demonic aura itself is inherently poisonous. Naraku is especially toxic due to being created from fused demons. Subverted by Sango and the demon slayers who commonly use specialized poisons against demons.
- Poisonous Person: Naraku, whose body constantly oozes toxic miasma. It's implied that demonic power itself is inherently poisonous, but Naraku's is exceptionally so due to him being created from so many demons fused together.
- Portal Slam: The Bone Eater's Well stops working for three years after the final battle leaving Kagome "trapped" in her own time, only to work one last time to let her return to Inuyasha.
- Portal Statue Pairs: Two giant statues (Gozu and Mezu) guard the gate to the demon's netherworld and come to life whenever approached. They state that if anyone wants entry to the netherworld, they must first be slain, as Kagura found this out the hard way. The statues however, let Sesshomaru pass through freely due to him owning the Tenseiga, a sword that has the ability to cut down anything that's not technically "alive".
- Portal to the Past: The Bone Eater's Well lets Kagome and Inuyasha travel from the present to the Sengoku Jidai and back.
- Possessing a Dead Body: One species of demon known as Shibugarasu (or Dancing Corpse Crow), are able to bury into a victim's chest, devour their heart, and then possess the corpse to make it look like the victim is still alive.
- Posthumous Character: Midoriko, the priestess who created the Shikon Jewel in the first place, by pushing her own soul out of her body.
- Power at a Price: Sesshomaru's quest for power results in the loss of his arm and, later, the death of Rin (again). He achieves his true potential only thanks to this and the death of Kagura; the latter moves him to feel compassion for others and the former forces him to understand the irreplaceable value of life and the role that fear and sorrow must play in a warrior's life.
- Power Dyes Your Hair: Inuyasha's hair turns black when he turns human. Of course, the disappearance of his doggy ears is a much bigger marker.
- Power Incontinence: The Wind Tunnel it's like a miniature black hole in the palm of the bearer that sucks everything in front of it unless it's sealed by special prayer beads. Eventually, it will grow big enough to break the seal and consume the bearer and everything around him.
- The Power of Friendship: Tessaiga is fueled by this it seems: Inuyasha says he will protect Kagome, Tessaiga transforms for the first time. He protects Miroku, it unleashes the Wind Scar for the first time. Prefers to protect his friends instead of getting a new technique, he gets the Kongousouha. Says he won't let Naraku keep hurting Miroku and Sango, he makes the Meidou Zangetsuha his.
- Precocious Crush: 14 year-old Koharu developed a crush on Miroku after he helped her when she was 11.
- Psycho for Hire: The Band of Seven were mercenaries who sold their services to lords.
- Pulling Themselves Together: Youkai with a Shikon shard can do this infinitely. And so can Naraku.
- Puppeteer Parasite: A salamander youkai had a whole village of women controlled by making them ingest its eggs.
- Put on a Bus: Koga, twice. In the original anime, he disappears completely from the story after the Band of Seven arc. Oddly, he is featured in the opening of the last season, despite never appearing in the show itself. Then he leaves for good in Final Act, after Naraku steals his shards. He appears briefly in the epilogue, though.
- The Quest: Travel through Japan to find all the Shikon shards and destroy Naraku.
- Quieting the Unquiet Dead: Chapter 35 (Episode 12 of the anime) has Kagome and Inyasha dealing with a Vengeful Ghost named Mayu Ikeda, who was the late older sister of Sota's friend Satoru. The duo is informed that if Mayu is unable to quell her hatred of her mother and brother, believing they purposely left her to die in the fire that killed her, she will be Dragged Off to Hell by the Soul Piper. Fortunately, with help from Kagome, Mayu is able to make up with her mother and depart for heaven, now finally at peace.
- Quirky Miniboss Squad: A number of these, including The Band of Seven, and Kanna and Kagura, sometimes with Kohaku, Hakudoshi, and / or Akago.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Inuyasha's group, especially for the setting and time period. Let's see, an outcast violent hanyou, a cursed lecherous monk, a broken female youkai exterminator, a bratty young kitsune, a nekomata who can change size at will, and a girl from far in the future with miko powers she doesn't really know how to use.
- Raiju: The Raiju Brothers Hiten and Manten. They're both humanoid (with Hiten being totally human-like while Manten has a monstrous head) and they do care for each other. The anime filler also introduces their little sister Soten.
- Rain of Blood: This happens in the manga when Inuyasha attacks a group of bandits while in his youkai form, he slices the bandits while leaping making their blood rain from above.
- Razor Wind: Kagura's 'Dance of Blades' is, of course, with blades made of air.
- Really 700 Years Old: Any given youkai is potentially much older than they appear, and this can possibly extend to their half-breed offspring as well. Some specific cases:
- Sesshomaru confirms that Bokusenou is a two-thousand year old youkai magnolia tree.
- Kirara, being a nekomata, falls under this as well; the anime even implies that she was Midoriko's companion, although she's much younger in the manga.
- Inuyasha himself is a cipher - the third movie establishes him as about 200 years old, not counting his fifty-year-stasis, but the movies are not considered canon to the series - but even if he was just a teenager when Kikyo put him on ice, Sesshomaru's appearance has not changed even slightly during the fifty years that Inuyasha was sealed. (And the same movie that gives Inuyasha's age as 200 shows Sesshomaru looking only very slightly younger when Inuyasha was born, two hundred fifty years before the action of the series.) By extension, we may assume that Inu no Taisho and Sesshomaru's mother age at a similar rate.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When the eyes of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha turn red it means they're going to transform into a giant dog and full demon respectively. Either way you should be running... fast.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru have this relationship going big time. Inuyasha and Miroku as well. Also, Jaken and Sesshomaru as well.
- Redemption Earns Life: Kohaku. Also possibly Sango after she gives Rin her gas mask
- Redemption Equals Death: Most notably, Kikyo. Also, Kagura, who sacrifices everything to save Kohaku only to be killed by Naraku shortly afterwards.
- Reforged Blade:
- After Tessaiga broke, Totosai reforged it with Inuyasha's own fang, which made the sword heavier. According to Totosai it means that Inuyasha now has to rely in his own strength instead of his father's.
- Tenseiga is also reforged in order to activate Meidou Zangetsuha, triggered by Sesshomaru's emotionally bruised heart because of Kagura rather than the blade breaking. Later on, Tenseiga does break in battle but reforges itself.
- Reincarnation: Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo.
- Reincarnation Romance: Inuyasha fell in love with Kagome, the reincarnation of his last love, Kikyo.
- Relationship Upgrade: In the Grand Finale, Inuyasha and Kagome become the Official Couple and share a True Love's Kiss - although the kiss only occurs in the anime.
- Re-Release Soundtrack: While V6's "Change The World" is retained as the first opening on TV and DVD, Netflix replaces it with "Hanyou Inuyasha".
- Rescue Romance: Inuyasha rescues Kagome almost too many times to count. Also happens between Miroku and Sango, though this can go in either direction.
- Restraining Bolt: Tessaiga prevents Inuyasha from becoming full demon and losing his mind in the process.
- Resurrected for a Job: Kikyo was resurrected to go hunting for shikon shards for Urasue but she killed Urasue instead.
- Resurrected Romance: After 50 years, Kikyo is resurrected and she and Inuyasha had to deal with their relationship issues where they were left off.
- Resurrection Revenge: After getting resurrected against her will, Kikyo swears vengeance against Inuyasha, blaming him for causing her death.
- Revenge: The reason why most of the characters hunt for Naraku.
- Revive Kills Zombie: More like "Killing 'Zombies' Revives". Tenseiga has the ability to cut the undead and the spirits from the underworld. By slaying the spirits that come to collect the soul of a dead person it revives said person.
- This is played straight by being one of the only contexts where Tenseiga is actually effective as a weapon. As a sword of healing and life, it's lethal when used to fight un-dead beings and demons and spirits originating from the underworld. Which is especially important since such creatures are usually able to No-Sell or otherwise regenerate from anything else due to already being "Dead."
- Rivals Teamup: Inuyasha/Sesshomaru, Inuyasha/Koga and Kagome/Kikyo, all to destroy Naraku.
- Romantic False Lead: Kuranosuke Takeda, a young nobleman who proposes marriage to Sango.
- Roof Hopping: There goes Inuyasha now, look at him go; boing boing boing. Heck, he roof hops without roofs, somehow managing to double jump his way across the country side, way above the height of most roofs. To quote Kagome's friends, "Kagome's boyfriend runs like he's flying."
- Rope Bridge: Jaken and Rin are confronted by a villain in the middle of a rope bridge. In a subversion, the bridge breaks because Jaken's attempt to defend himself and Rin relies on fire which burns the ropes and breaks the bridge causing all three of them to plunge into the gorge below.
- Running Gag:
- "Inuyasha... SIT!". Subverted more than once in the OVAs. In the 2nd, the command forces Inuyasha out of the path of Kaguya's attack. In the 3rd, just when it seems no force in the world can get Sou'unga to release him, he gets Sat with so much force that the beads explode!
- "Would you like to bear my children?"
- Myoga always makes his appearance known by sucking blood off Inuyasha's nose and getting squashed for it.
S-Z
- Sadistic Choice: Kill an innocent little girl or the person you love the most will die. So, what are you going to choose Sango?
- San Dimas Time: Why Kagome misses so much school while she's having her adventures in the past. A result of the series' Portal to the Past.
- Say My Name: Behold Adult Swim's view on the matter, by the way that is barely a fraction of the actual number of times the two say each others names, which when combined is easily in the four digits.
- Scarily Competent Tracker: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru with their heightened sense of smell. Jaken may also be this as, no matter how often Sesshomaru leaves Jaken behind, Jaken always finds him again. How, is anyone's guess.
- Scars are Forever:
- Sango has a big scar on her back where Kohaku stabbed her.
- No matter his form, Naraku has a giant spider-shaped scar permanently on his back. In one episode he cuts off the flesh of his back to remove the scar only for the scar to immediately grow back in place.
- Schizo Tech: Ginkotsu from the Band of Seven, is somehow a cyborg/tank in Feudal Japan.
- School Uniforms are the New Black: Kagome frequently strolls around in modern-day school outfit in feudal Japan.
- Screw Destiny: One big theme in the series. Specially in the last battle which is against the Shikon Jewel itself.
- Screw You, Elves!: Inuyasha delivers a rather impressive one to Sesshomaru; after the latter spends two or three episodes going off on how humans and half-demons are worthless, Inu not only slices Sesshomaru's arm off, but he also mocks Sesshomaru on how a mere half-demon got to inherit the Tessaiga.
- Scrubbing Off the Trauma:
- Inuyasha, having brutally slaughtered a gang of bandits while berserk (including some who attempted to surrender, and all in front of his shocked companions and some traumatized villagers), attempts to wash the blood from his claws, only to lament that with his hyper-sensitive nose, there's nothing he can do about the smell.
- Suikotsu when in his good persona will oftentimes be overcome by the desire to obsessively wash his hands for hours on end. It's implied to be a manifistation of his disgust at his evil side and the inner conflict he's going through.
- Sealed Evil in a Can:
- The youkai Midoriko fought, the ancient composite demon inside the Shikon Jewel.
- The Inu no Taisho and Kikyo have a fondness of just sealing their enemies instead of killing them.
- Sealed Evil in a Duel: Turns out the Shikon Jewel is really a container for an eternal struggle between a powerful Miko and a composite demon.
- Second Love:
- Inuyasha's first love was Kikyo, but he ultimately falls in love with and marries Kagome, Played With in that Kagome is also Kikyo's reincarnation so in a way are basically two versions of the same person.
- In the anime, Koga initially chases after Kagome but marries Ayame, again Played With as he had given Ayame a Childhood Marriage Promise long before he ever met Kagome.
- Secret-Keeper:
- Kagome's family.
- Totosai. He knew from the start the truth about not only Tessaiga and Tenseiga, but Bakusaiga too.
- Secret Test of Character: Occurs so often to be a running gag. Furthermore, the test is almost always to see whether you give a dang about your companions, and the hero will pass it halfway through a pitched battle:
- At least half the time when Inuyasha gains a new ability.
- Whenever Kikyo gets within eyeshot of Kagome.
- Sango and Miroku when the former was getting Hiraikotsu repaired.
- Koga when getting his claw weapon.
- Sesshomaru's entire journey through the story turns out to have been this, a test he finally passes when he obtains Bakusaiga.
- Self-Guarding Phlebotinum: The sword Tessaiga has a barrier around it that prevents demons from touching it. Humans and half-demons can touch it without pain, however.
- Self-Made Orphan: Kohaku, while being possessed, killed his own father.
- Selfless Wish: Subverted in the backstory, where Naraku expects Kikyo to use the Jewel of Four Souls to save her life (she takes it with her into the afterlife instead). This sets up the ending, where Kagome and Inuyasha are trapped in the Jewel. Like Kikyo before her, Kagome doesn't make the selfish wish, but wished for the Jewel to cease to exist. She and Inuyasha get home safely anyway.
- Sensible Heroes, Skimpy Villains: While the two female heroes dress modestly, first two villainess Mistress Centipede and Yura dressed rather scantily.
- Sexy Surfacing Shot: In "Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part II", after being captured by Tokajin, Kagome wakes up naked in a sake bath with Ninmenka fruits. When Inuyasha bursts into the room, Kagome leaps out of the water, excited to see him. The audience sees her Toplessness from the Back and Shoulders-Up Nudity while Inuyasha gets the full eyeful. After an awkward pause, she suddenly realizes she is naked in front of him and and squats back into the water shrieking.
- Shameful Strip: Kagome is knocked unconscious by the villain-of-the-week and wakes up naked in a big cooking pot. From the time Inuyasha rescues her until she retrieves her clothes, she wears his fire-rat-hair kimono.
- Shapeshifter Default Form: Even though we know Naraku can take any form since that's the way he tricked Inuyasha, Kikyo and Miroku's grandfather, once he took Kagewaki Hitomi's identity he stayed with that appearance for the rest of the series.
- She Will Come for Me: Kagome while inside the Shikon Jewel: "Inuyasha will come... I believe in him."
- Ship Sinking: Both the anime and manga end with Kagome and Inuyasha as (finally) a clear Official Couple. Hasn't stopped the fans one bit.
- Shipper on Deck: Kagome, who tries to get Miroku and Sango together at times. Kagome's family, Miroku, Sango and Shippo to Inuyasha and Kagome. In Chapter 343 (animated in Episode 167), Rin is quite up-beat and happy upon realizing that Kagura is in love with Sesshomaru, to the extent where that realization cures her fear of Kagura (earned as a result of Kagura having once kidnapped her on Naraku's orders).
- Shock Collar: Inuyasha has a collar of enchanted prayer beads (or rosary) designed to make him hit the ground whenever Kagome says "Osuwari" or "Sit" / "Sit, boy". Kagome is an easily pissed off Tsundere Type B. Bad day for Inuyasha.
- Shout-Out: In the first episode, after dropping the cat she went looking for, being sucked into a whirlwind (through the trap door at the bottom of the well), Kagome has just landed in some strange forest she does not recognize, and although she is alone, says out loud, "Toto, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore!"
- Also one to The Thing (1982), of all, er, things. During the incident where Kohaku is brainwashed and slays the entire demon hunter clan save for Sango, the daimyo who hired them is decapitated by Naraku (who was posing as his son) and his head turns into a spider - although Naraku kills it, too, before it can skitter away.
- Shrines and Temples: Kagome lives in a Shrine.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!:
- In "Hitomiko's Barrier"Naraku: Blah, blah, blah your soul will be corrupted. Blah, blah, blah.
Kagome: You are rather talkative! - In the last battle:Naraku: If you kill me, my shouki-stained body will rain upon the village.
Sesshomaru: So what? Bakusaiga!
- In "Hitomiko's Barrier"
- Sibling Rivalry: It's a ding-dong battle with Inuyasha and his older brother Sesshomaru who has daddy issues. It eventually gets resolved but not before it descends into a temporary period of Cain and Abel. Lampshaded in the manga itself when Inuyasha complains about two fighting brothers causing trouble for everyone and realises his True Companions are thinking he's talking about himself and Sesshomaru. When he claims it's all Sesshomaru's fault, Miroku observes that's exactly what a troublemaker would say.
- Sick Episode:
- Actually two of them, while Kagome is sick with a severe cold.
- Also, another episode involved Jaken being poisoned and Rin having to find a cure.
- The Jinenji story is borne from Inuyasha and Kagome searching for a cure for Kirara, laid up after biting Naraku.
- Sideways Smile: Sesshomaru sports a smile that goes from ear to ear and keeps growing as he transforms into his true form.
- Significant Name Shift: Inuyasha initially refers to Kagome as some constant variation of the word "you", punctuating their strained relationship. After she helps him kill their first dangerous enemy, however, he switches to using her name.
- Single-Target Sexuality: The only women Inuyasha shows any interest in are Kikyo and Kagome. Since they are technically the same person, that makes it even more so.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Miroku inherited the Wind Tunnel because his grandfather wanted to destroy Naraku. Also a lot of enemies Inuyasha and Sesshomaru encounter were enemies of their father.
- Situational Sword: Tenseiga has the power to protect Sesshomaru from death - but it only kicks in if Sesshomaru sustains an injury that might potentially kill him without that protection. More specifically, Tenseiga's protection will always work on reflex when it senses that Sesshomaru is about to take a mortal blow from Tessaiga, this was naturally something his father had placed as a failsafe just in case the latter blade is turned on Sesshomaru (ensuring his two children can't maim each other using their heirlooms at the very least); or under extreme conditions it can trigger a barrier on its own (these activations are most definitely situational). It's also incapable of killing the living, but turns out to be capable of killing spirits, though later, it's shown to have one of the most power offensive abilities in the series - this was eventually meant to be passed on to Tessaiga and Inuyasha after Sesshomaru mastered the skill. After Sesshomaru passes the move on, Tenseiga is back to being a pure Healing Shiv.
- Slipknot Ponytail: In the final battle, Sango's hair falls down when she and Kirara are bathed in Naraku's miasma and it eats away her hair tie.
- Small Name, Big Ego: Jaken tries so, so hard to convince people to pay him the respect he believes he's due. It almost never works.Kaede: Little youkai, will you be staying here too?
Jaken: That's Jaken-sama to you!
Rin: You sure talk big...
Sango: ...for such a little body. - Smells of Death: Early on, Kagome and Inuyasha find themselves fighting a group of bandits. Kagome gets kidnapped and taken to the bandit leader, who she can sense has a shard of the Shikon Jewel. She mentions that the bandit leader smells of rotting flesh, indicating that the jewel shard was reanimating a corpse.
- So Last Season: Inuyasha's numerous upgrades to Tessaiga generally quickly diminish in usefulness.
- Spell My Name with an S: Due to confusion regarding the small "tsu" character (which emphasizes the consonant that follows it), the official manga translation printed the name of Inuyasha's sword as "Tetsusaiga" instead of "Tessaiga." The error was perpetuated in the official subtitles and English dub (albeit pronounced as "Tetsaiga"), and the fandom continues to argue over which spelling is more correct. (For comparison, Sesshomaru's name also contains the small "tsu," but is never romanized as "Setsushoumaru.")
- Sphere of Destruction: Meidou Zangetsuha's perfect initial form.
- Spin-Offspring: Yashahime will star Sesshomaru's half-demon daughters Towa and Setsuna, along with Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter Moroha.
-
Spiritual Successor: Kamisama Kiss has a lot in common with this series. Both plots revolve around an ordinary teenage girl being given control over a supernatural Jerkass with a temper on a short fuse, who is subsequently forced to help and protect her. Tomoe, the male lead, looks almost exactly like an older and mature version of Inuyasha and their respective personalities are very similar to boot. Nanami, the female lead, also has most of Kagome's personality traits. - Split Personality:
- Suikotsu from the Band of Seven. One personality is a kind and gentle doctor; the other one is a bloodlust killer.
- Inuyasha and his Superpowered Evil Side, at times.
- Spoiled Brat: Jaken seems to think of Rin as this, though it's hard to consider Sesshomaru as even being capable of spoiling anyone.
- Spoiler Opening:
- The first opening sequence featured Shippo, Miroku, and Sango, long before any of them appeared.
- Not just the opening, but the first ending as well. The first ending focused on the main three female characters, Kagome, Kikyo and Sango. The problem is that Sango doesn't enter the story until episode 24, after the show has already moved to the second ending.
- The Final Act opening spoils that Sesshomaru gets him arm back and gets a new sword, and that Inuyasha inherits Meido Zengetsuha, all of which happens well over halfway through the season.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: The Band of Seven are accused of this, seeing how their quirkiness and competence is far more memorable, so much, that you forget Naraku is the real Big Bad
- Stable Time Loop: Implicitly the case with the Cursed Noh Mask. Kagome meets it in the present day, and brings its shard back to the past to complete the Shikon Jewel... meaning that the original shard is still in the past, where it will become the Noh Mask, which Kagome will bring to the past, etc.
- The Starscream: Hakudoushi, also the baby and Mouryoumaru. All three tried to take over from Naraku by betraying and defeating him.
- Status Quo Is God: Sort of. Just remove the 540 chapters of filler. Joking aside, there was a ton of character development over the course of the story, but it just took its sweet time, and many times it felt like the story wasn't moving. Other parts didn't seem to add much: for example, considering how they both basically ended up disappearing by the end of the manga, and didn't really have much of a serious impact on the plot after their initial appearances, Takahashi could have probably ignored Houjo and killed off Koga and not really changed the story notably. Hell, killing off Koga would have made a lot more sense than sparing him and it would have removed what is arguably Kagome's biggest scrappy moment in the series (which even she realizes was her fault).
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Happens sometimes. One example is when Byakuya is messing with Inuyasha's group and they don't even know he's in the area. He decides to leave while he's ahead and suddenly discovers Sesshomaru looming out of nowhere behind him.
- Stepford Smiler: Miroku tends to hide his troubles and worries with a smile and a grope.
- The Stoic: Inuyasha at times because he's a brood machine. Although Sesshomaru's stoicism is somewhat exaggerated by the fanbase, he's still one of the most stoic of any manga or anime characters and is certainly the most stoic of this manga's cast. He is not unemotional, however, and there are plenty of occasions where he proves that he's actually Not So Stoic after all.
- Storm of Blades: Tessaiga's Kongosoha, that throws a storm of sharp diamonds to the enemy.
- Story-Breaker Power:
- The Wind Tunnel, but thanks to Fuel Meter of Power and Kryptonite Is Everywhere, Miroku can't use it too much. To elaborate: Miroku has what amounts to his own personal black hole in his hand, which he can use to suck any foe into oblivion. Early on in the series, Naraku begins using some poison bees that would kill Miroku if he sucked them in. This leads to nearly every episode having a scene where Miroku tries to use his world-breaking power, only for the bees to show up out of nowhere, forcing him to back off.
- Also, one of the last powers to be introduced before the Final Battle, Bakusaiga. As soon as it's introduced, characters begin observing that Naraku doesn't stand a chance against it. As a result, the plot almost immediately ensures that it can't be used even for most of the final battle. At the end, when it's finally unleashed, it's unstoppable. It still doesn't even scratch the Shikon Jewel though due to the fact the Shikon Jewel is a soul-based creation that cannot be defeated by any sword.
- Strike Me Down with All of Your Hatred!: Naraku urges Sango to kill him while he's holding Rin in his arms. Of course this being Naraku, he's not really going to die since he's only an illusion, but Rin is real and if Sango strikes the girl will die, filling the Shikon Jewel with darkness.
- Suck Out the Poison: Myoga, being a flea youkai, did this twice. Once when Inuyasha was poisoned during his human night, and once barely saving Kagome, Sango and Miroku, when they almost died from Mukotsu's poison.
- Summon to Hand: Tessaiga has done this for Inuyasha a few times, although is more Summon to Scabbard.
- Super-Toughness: Yokai and Hanyou can take more damage than a human can.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Suikotsu of the Shichinintai, Inuyasha as a full demon.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Byakuya, who comes in after Kagura's death, not only resembles her and acts like her and has similar powers, but plays the same role that she played.
- The Sweat Drop: An extremely common trope in this manga. Most of the characters experiences this on a regular basis except for the more serious ones.
- Swirling Dust: In the anime, Sesshomaru flying is represented as a sparkling, swirling dust cloud.
- Sword Beam: Inuyasha's Wind Scar/Kaze no Kizu. Tessaiga's and especially Tokijin's "sword pressure". Also, Sesshomaru's anime-only Souryuha.
- Take Off Your Clothes: When he sees Kagome dressed as a miko, Inuyasha soon asks her to take off the outfit. To which Kagome respond with a rock to the head and calling him a pervert. But Inuyasha doesn't want to see her naked (yet); it's just that with the priestess garb, she looks too much like Kikyo and that makes him uncomfortable.
- Taken for Granite: Miroku, Sango and Kirara were turned into glass in a filler episode.
- Taking You with Me:
- In the anime, Ginkotsu tries this to save Renkotsu from Koga by exploding himself, but fails to kill the wolf youkai.
- Miroku also decides to take Naraku with him with the Wind Tunnel when it's about to consume him. Unfortunately, the Naraku he's trying to kill is only an illusion.
- Naraku attempts this on Inuyasha and co, as well as Kaede's whole village.
- Talk to the Fist: In Chapter 518, Sesshomaru delivers a resounding talk to the sword to Magatsuhi, slicing his head in half during mid-gloat.Magatsuhi: Hmpf. It seems that you've put on quite a show for me. However, this is still a borrowed body. I feel neither pain nor...
Sesshomaru: [Slice] - Talking Is a Free Action:
- In the manga: "You think you can defeat me with that lightning-fast attack you're doing right now? Fool! I am going to dodge it as soon as I finish explaining what's going on in this battle!"
- The anime also features its fair share of exposition dumping during supposedly intense fights, which is either this or Mook Chivalry.
- The Final Act anime also includes a lampshade hanging subversion. In her first battle after having the Hiraikotsu restored, Sango launches it at Naraku, who goes into a whole speech about how useless her weapon is on him...Only to be cut off mid-sentence by his upper-torso being turned into figgy pudding by the new aura-shattering powers of the Hiraikotsu.
- Tareme Eyes: Kagome, Shippo, Kohaku and Miroku. Everyone else is Tsurime Eyes.
- Tear Off Your Face: In one arc, Naraku expels his heart, which takes the form of a naked faceless man, who proceeds to slay a whole bunch of bandits and rip off their faces, looking for a suitable one for him. Without them he's shown to be The Blank.
- Tears of Blood: Happens to victims of the Flower Prince in Episode Ten of The Final Act.
- Technicolor Toxin: Naraku's purple miasma and Sesshomaru's green Dokkaso poison.
- Teen Pregnancy: By the end of the story, Sango is about 19/20 years-old and already has three kids (two of them twins); however, this is justified since the setting is Feudal Japan.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Inuyasha and Kagome's early relationship. They spent just as much, if not even more, time, bickering with and insulting one another as they did fighting demons and collecting jewel shards, and by the time of the third episode, Kagome got so fed up with him that she promptly left to go home.
- Thanatos Gambit: Naraku plans to take Kagome with him and replace the dueling souls inside the Shikon Jewel.
- That Didn't Happen: Sango goes into complete denial after declaring that she prefers to die with Miroku than leave him and save herself: "Did I say something? What did I say?"
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: On one occasion, Sango reflects that her father often told her that the most dangerous kinds of youkai are those than can take human form.
- Theme Naming:
- The three named characters from the youkai exterminators' village (Sango, Kohaku, and Kirara) all have names referring to semi-precious stones (coral, amber, and mica respectively).
- The "army of seven" undead characters have all names ending ith "kotsu" for bone.
- There Is No Kill Like Overkill:
- Using the Wind Scar on an ordinary cockroach.
- Attempted by Byakuya against Sesshomaru in chapter 523. It doesn't work.Byakuya: [Summons a swarm of demons]
Sesshomaru: You can't stop me with dozens of these demons.
Byakuya: Oh, I know that. That's why I've summoned thousands of them.
Sesshomaru: [Easily tears them apart]
Byakuya: Maybe I should have gone for millions...
- Time-Travelers Are Spies: Kagome was suspected to be one when she first arrived at Kaede’s village.
- Timey-Wimey Ball: Not a big problem, since the "fighting bad guys" matter more than the time traveling, but for example, Kagome finds a jewel shard in the present. So that means it's also back in the Sengoku period, meaning the Shikon Jewel eventually comes up to complete plus one extra shard stuck in a tree somewhere. Souls also seem to transcend time in that Kikyo can't be reborn with her soul because it's already been reincarnated in someone else — someone else from the far future who hasn't been born yet, even if she happens to have will have travelled back in time.
- Token Human: Rin is the only human in Sesshomaru's entourage until Kohaku starts traveling with him as well.
- Took a Level in Badass: Kagome does manage to catch up and become a true Action Girl. She also develops from barely being able to fire a bow to making shots that are borderline impossible for trained archers in the real world.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, Koga, and Kagura all experience this at varying speeds and to varying degrees.
- To Serve Man: Several Youkai feeds on humans/humans innards, but Tokajin the sennin takes the cake. Seriously toned down in the anime.
- Toplessness from the Back: All main female characters. Subverted by Sango and Kagura since it's done to show the large scars they have on their backs.
- Trapped in the Past: In the end, it seems that Kagome can't use the well but that's okay because she'd rather be in the past with Inuyasha.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: After first being sent to the past, Kagome first becomes aware of the Shikon jewel inside her when attacked by a demon. Though the jewel is expelled, this incident results in her learning of her other latent powers.
- Trickster Twins: Miroku and Sango's twins seem to be growing up to be this. With that father it really isn't a surprise.
- Treacherous Spirit Chase: Inuyasha nearly gets killed by a youkai disguised as his mother who has been dead since he was very young. If Kagome hadn't seen through the illusion and managed to convince Inuyasha that things weren't what they seemed to be, he would have died.
- Treasure Chest Cavity: Inuyasha's father's grave is inside his pupil, and Kagome kept the Shikon jewel inside her soul.
- Trouble Follows You Home: In this case Inuyasha. Along with Yura.
- Troubledbut Cute: Inuyasha is really handsome,. but GOD did he have a crappy life!
- True Companions: Inuyasha's group becomes as such over the course of the series.
- Tsuchigumo and Jorogumo:
- The Kumogashira were a group of spider yokai. Their leader posed himself as a monk as part of a plan of luring Inuyasha to him and stealing his shards of the Shikon no Tama.
- The Big Bad Onigumo/Naraku is strictly associated with spiders.
- One of the demons that works under Orochidayu is a tsuchigumo.
- Tsundere: Kagome, though being a Tybe B aka more deredere she later mellows a bit. Inuyasha could count a bit as a male example, and Sango also has some flashes of Tsundere-ness despite being kind of a Yamato Nadeshiko.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: An inversion that is not Played for Laughs with Manten's and Hiten's parents.
- Umbrella of Togetherness: Miroku and Sango share one in the anime.
- Undeath Always Ends: The Band of Seven all die, Kikyo dies and Kohaku dies... and then recovers, this time for good.
- Undressing the Unconscious: In "Fateful Night in Togenkyo Part II", Kagome is captured by Tokajin who undresses her and puts her in a big cooking pot bath to clean her, since he plans to feed her to a man-eating tree (or in the original manga, he just planned to eat her himself). When she wakes up, she has little time to consider her situation before Inuyasha barges in and sees her naked, and she has a Naked Freak-Out due to that instead. He later gives her his fire-rat-hair kimono for her to wear, which she does for the rest of the episode.
- The Unfair Sex: Kagome gets extremely jealous when Inuyasha has any kind of interaction with Kikyo, even if said interaction is nothing more than discussing about how to kill Naraku, and everyone showers her with sympathy. Inuyasha, on the other hand, gets jealous of Koga for flirting with Kagome, only to have everyone berate him for it. The difference is not entirely without basis - Inuyasha is genuinely torn between his feelings for Kikyo and Kagome, while Kagome has no romantic interest in Koga whatsoever - but it nevertheless comes across as an unfair Double Standard to many fans.
- Unfazed Everyman: Kagome's mother, brother, and grandfather are totally unsurprised when they learn the well in their shrine is a time portal to the 15th century, as well as learning that supernatural demons exist and that Kagome has fallen in love with one. They also don't seem to be concerned about Kagome skipping school to go to a place where she nearly gets killed on a regular basis.
- Unholy Holy Sword: The Shikon Jewel.
- Unnamed Parents: All the main characters' parents go unnamed in both the anime and manga; Inuyasha's mother is named in the third movie, but that's it.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Sango and Miroku with the whole blush-grope-slap routine, at least until they agreed to marry.
- Unwanted Revival: Kikyo. She had chosen to die to follow Inuyasha and to take the Shikon Jewel with her to the afterlife, but things didn't quite go her way. She was not only reincarnated (along with the Shikon Jewel) but she was revived into a clay body.
- Van Helsing Hate Crimes:
- The general public's treament of youkai and half-youkai often borders on "hate on sight". For one example, Jinenji is automatically accused of attacking and eating people simply because he's a half-youkai, and the villagers only discover the real culprit after they've formed an angry mob and burn his hut to the ground.
- Ungai is a monk who is firmly convinced that all demons are bad to the extent that he openly declares Kagome, Miroku, and Sango- a miko, a monk, and a professional demon slayer respectively- hypocrites for even bothering to associate with Inuyasha, Shippo, and Kirara.
- Victim of the Week: During their travels, Inuyasha and the gang meet many villages and human who are plagued by a particular youkai.
- Victor Gains Loser's Powers: It's possible for Tessaiga to steal a youkai's power but only if Inuyasha is able to defeat whoever possess that power.
- Viewers Are Goldfish: Both the manga and the anime have a habit of irrideriting information that the audience already knows or can plainly see for themselves. The reason for the former is likely due to the series being released on chapter/episode per week; the recaps help for those who might not've caught the previous chapter/episode or for any late comers when the manga and anime were still being produces. For the bingers, though, it can get very annoying being reminded about Inuyasha and Kikyo's previous history or how Naraku came about.
- Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Just when it seems like our heros may be able to kill Naraku, Naraku uses his miasma, saimyosho, or something else to force Inuyasha and the gang back so he can beat a hasty retreat.
- Villain Team-Up: Naraku uses the recent loss of an arm and the Tessaiga to manipulate Sesshomaru into attacking Inuyasha. He gives Sesshomaru a human arm with a jewel shard embedded in it to replace the one he lost, allowing Sesshomaru to potentially weild the Tessaiga against Inuyasha. Of course, this team up only lasts for as long as the fight that follows; after its over, Sesshomaru vows to kill Naraku for using him in his battle against Inuyasha.
- Villains Act, Heroes React: Naraku is always at least two steps ahead of Inuyasha and the gang, leaving them scrambling to counteract whatever scheme he's concocted.
- Villainous Crossdresser: Jakotsu dresses in woman's attire and is a ruthless man who delights in killing handsome men.
- Visible Sigh: Sometimes when a character sighs, a little white cloud moving away from their mouth will show up.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Inuyasha and Shippo may bicker and get into their fair share of spats, but when push comes to shove, they'll have each other's backs.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting:
- Shippo's fox magic lets him shift into a variety of forms, including other people.
- Hachiemon, Miroku's tanuki friend, can also shift from his normal tanuki form to a large comet-like form.
- Since Naraku is an almagimation of youkai, he can shapeshift into other beings. He used this ability to make it seem like Inuyasha and Kikyo had betrayed each other by taking on each of their forms.
- Walking the Earth: Since Kagome and Inuyasha don't know exactly where the Shikon shards landed, they travel across Japan searching for anything or anyone who may have them. Kagome's ability to detect where they are is certainly useful, but it only helps narrow down any one shard's location. Along the way, they pick up Sango and her companion Kirara, Shippo, and Miroku, the later of whom introduces the threat of Naraku.
- Warding Gestures: Sometimes when Kagome or Inuyasha are surpised or frightened, their fingers form the shape of the mano cornuta gesture.
- Warring Natures: Half-youkai are generally hated by both youkai and humans. Being half-youkai himself, Inuyasha was an outcast who grew to hate his human side. He initally wanted the Shikon Jewel to become a full youkai so he'd finally fit in somewhere.
- Warrior Therapist: Shishinki is a skilled combatant that uses an understanding of his opponent's mental weaknesses combined with his own physical abilities to take his enemy down.
- Weapon Tombstone: The youkai slayers' graves are marked by their weapons.
- Weapons That Suck: Miroku's right hand has hole that, when uncovered or sealed, will suck up anything and anyone unfortunate enough to get within its range. He calls it his Wind Tunnel and he generally isn't adversely affected by the things it sucks up, but poison wasps and miasma can do a number on him if he isn't careful.
- Weapon Wields You: Sesshomaru takes the Goshinki's decapitated head to the swordsmith Kaijinbo, and commissions him to make a sword from the fangs. He complies, but the resulting sword, Tokijin, takes over the mind of anyone trying to wield it, filling their head with hate and murderous intent. Anyone who isn't Sesshomaru that is; when he finally grips its handle, the sword tries to work its mojo on him, and he No Sells it with barely a glance.
- Welcome Back, Traitor: Upon learning that her bother, Kohaku, was raised from the dead, Sango is given an ultimatum by Naraku: steal Inuyasha's sword and bring it to him or he'll take the Shikon shard sustaining Kohaku's life. Sango snatches Tessaiga and brings it to Naraku. After this latest kerfuffle is dealt with, Sango explains why she betrayed them and that she'd do it again if it meant saving Kohaku. Inuyasha and the rest are understanding of her plight and let her continue journeying with them.
- What a Piece of Junk: The Tessaiga takes the form of a battered, rusty katana when not in use. Inuyasha even calls it a piece of junk when he first sets eyes on it.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: After finishing off a possessed Noh mask animated by a Shikon shard, Kagome theorizes that other shards may have survived into the present day, setting up similar conflicts. While there is another youkai encounter, no Shikon shards were involved and any excursions into the present afterwards are mainly comedic affairs.
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?:
- It's explained that the reason Midoriko, the Miko sealed in the Shikon Jewel, was so powerful was because her heart bore a balanced and pure spirit of the "four souls": Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitaka, and Sakamitama. That is, Courage, Friendship, Wisdom and Love.
- Sesshomaru's character arc is him learning that caring for others' lives isn't a weakness.
- An anime Villain of the Week reveals to Inuyasha and friends that other Shikon Jewels can be made if you can find four souls that strongly embody each of these four characteristics and seal them into a single gem with a Miko as the center. In fact, he attempts to defeat the group because Kagome (the Miko), Inuyasha (Courage), Shippo (Friendship), Miroku (Wisdom) and Sango (Love) are pefect candidates for this process.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?:
- Everyone kills youkai without batting an eye, but Kagome and her group always try not to kill humans no matter how evil or despicable they are. In Episode 51, Inuyasha succumbs to his Superpowered Evil Side and personally hunts down and slaughters Gatenmaru's henchmen. Despite the fact that they were knowingly serving a youkai and that they had personally fed innocent villagers to their demon boss For the Evulz while making him watch, Inuyasha undergoes a complete My God, What Have I Done? moment as soon as he snaps out of it.
- The anime will edit the more graphic deaths of humans from the manga while leaving gory youkai deaths intact. One example of this is Bankotsu, who is ultimately defeated when Inuyasha cuts him in half, but the anime creates a backstory for Bankotsu's BFS that gave it demonic powers when it had slain 1,000 humans and 1,000 youkai just so Inuyasha could send back his attack with the Bakuryuuha. Bankotsu loses the same amount of his body, but the attack allows for an explosion to conceal the damage with rubble. During this same battle in the manga, Inuyasha had realized in frustration that he couldn't use the Bakuryuuha because Bankotsu was a human with no demonic aura.
- What You Are in the Dark: During Kagome's vision at Mount Azusa, she has to choose whether or not to save fake Kikyo. The Spirit Advisor points out that Inuyasha would never know if she decided to let Kikyo die. Kagome tells the fake Kikyo off and realizes that she has nothing to be jealous over.
- When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Inuyasha's main attack becomes the Wind Scar, using it against practically every opponent. He does add other moves to his repertoire, but the Wind Scar remains his go to.
- When It All Began: The events of Inuyasha happen due to actions that took place 50 years ago: a severly injured bandit named Onigumo wanted Kikyo for himself, but he needed a working body to do it. He made a pact with a bunch of youkai, offering up his soul and body. This had the unintended side effect of transforming him into Naraku, a half-youkai who was more concerned with tainting the Shikon Jewel than winning over Kikyo. He even goes so far as to manipulate both Kikyo and Inuyasha into thinking they each betrayed the other, with Kikyo putting an enchanted arrow through Inuyasha before dying herself. She requested the jewel be burned alongside her, intending to take it with her to the afterlife. This proves successful for five hundred years until she and the jewel are reincarnated into Kagome.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The final chapter, "Tomorrow", checks in with Inuyasha and the gang three years after Naraku's defeat. Sango are expecting her third child; Rin lives in the village with Kaede, Sesshomaru visiting briefly by every so often. Miroku and Inuyasha keep up their youkai hunting so Miroku can support Sango and their children. Inuyasha himself has been visiting the well every three days in the hopes that Kagome will come back. In the modern day, Kagome has graduated from high school and misses Inuyasha greatly, which proves to be thing that gets the well working again, letting her reunite with Inuyasha.
- Where It All Began: Naraku dies and the Shikon Jewel is destroyed at the same well that brought Kagome into the past.
- Whip Sword: Jakotsu's sword doubles as a regular sword and a cutting whip through the use of jointed blades.
- White Hair, Black Heart:
- The silver-haired Sesshomaru starts out cold and cruel to everyone who crosses him. After Rin joins him and Jaken, Sesshomaru's heart begins to thaw a bit. He'll still kill without hesitation, but he becomes more concerned about lives other than his own.
- Hakudoushi possess white hair and is just as manipulative as his progenitor, Naraku. Killing dozens of human live in pursuit of his goals means nothing to him.
- Wise Tree: Bokuseno is a two thousand years old magnolia tree who uses his age and experience to give advice to those who seek it. The scabbards for Tessaiga and Tenseiga were made from his branches.
- Wishplosion: The only way to destroy the Shikon Jewel for good is by making the correct wish. Said wish is to demand the jewel to make itself disappear, which it grants.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: When Inuyasha transforms into a full youkai, he gets incredible strength and resistance, but it's too much power for his half-human body to handle. With each transformation, he'll lose his sanity bit by bit until he'll end up being a mindless killing machine that will keep fighting until he destroys everyone around him or gets himself killed.
- Wolverine Claws: When his evil side surfaces, Suikotsu dons an open-palmed glove with four long sharp blades fitted on the top.
- Womb Level: Once the Shikon Jewel is completed, Naraku has enough power to create a giant spider form to hide himself inside of. Kagome and her group alongside Sesshomaru and his group all enter the giant spider to seek and destroy Naraku once and for all.
- Would Hit a Girl: Inuyasha impaled Yura through her chest with his hand, Koga hit Kagura in the face and Miroku punched Sango (and other girls) to free her from a youkai in her stomach possessing her.
- Would Hurt a Child: Naraku has no compunctions about doing horrible things to whomever he wants, children included. Various other youkai such as Goshinki share his willingness to harm kids, and even Koga has no issue with letting his wolves kill Rin during his first appearance. Kagura may be a notable exception, given that she fails to do anything more serious than kidnapping Rin, and becomes quite protective of Kohaku. Thanks to a multiple personality disorder, Suikotsu flipped between being a gentle doctor who wouldn't hurt a fly to a homicidal maniac that was willing to add children to his body count.
- Wrecked Weapon:
- In addition to his telepathy, Goshinki possessed incredibly strong fangs which he used to snap Inuyasha's Tessaiga in half. This leads to the revelation that the Tessaiga was what was keeping Inuyasha's youkai blood in check, and there's a mini-arc dedicated to fixing the sword and Inuyasha remastering it.
- To save Miroku, Sango sacrificed her Hiraikotsu by spreading a very corrosive poison on its surface in order to destroy the bone youkai they were fighting. The poison partially dissolves the huge boomerang as well, rendering it useless until Sango goes through an ordeal to fix it.
- Honoring a promise to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru sacrifices his claim to both swords by deliberately shattering Tenseiga's blade against Tessaiga to pass on the Meidou Zangetsuha. The broken Tenseiga responds to this by guiding the pair out of the danger they're in and promptly reforges itself.
- Yandere: Onigumo was a bandit who was so severely burned and injured that he couldn't move at all. Kikyo took care of him, and her beauty and kindness fomented a possessive desire in Onigumo. This desire is what led Onigumo to giving over his soul and body to a horde of youkai, giving birth to the half-youkai Naraku. Onigumo's feelings for Kikyo carried over into Naraku, who despises them and goes to great lengths to get rid of them.
- Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: For the early episodes of the anime, the English dub attempted to have the villagers and Kaede speak in an archaic English syntax in order to fit the older time period. This was dropped eventually, with only Kaede keeping this specific speaking style and everyone else talking in regular modern-day English.
- You Are Not Alone: After failing miserably at defeating Naraku and saving her brother plus having just betrayed her new companions, Sango tries to leave the group but the others don't let her, telling her that being alone is not a solution and it's best if they all stay together.Sango: I was really scared... I was scared that I'd be alone.
- You Are Worth Hell: Sango prefers to stay and die with a poisoned Miroku than save herself while being chased and cornered by youkai. In the final battle, when the Wind Tunnel is about to consume him, Sango refuses to leave.
- You Can Barely Stand: Regardless of how many wounds he takes, Inuyasha still forces himself back up in order to defeat his opponent(s). The same goes for Miroku; even when his blood is laced with saimiyosho venom, he'll use his Wind Tunnel should the need arise.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
- After getting heavily injured by Inuyasha and spared with the intention of freeing her from Naraku, he crushes Kanna's crystalline heart to blow her up in a last-ditch attempt to kill the protagonists. Naraku partly saw this as a Mercy Kill because of Kanna's condition by that point.
- Once Hakudoshi starts gloating about betraying Naraku, the latter decides he's not worth protecting and abandons him to be killed.
- You Must Be Cold: Inuyasha gives his fire-rat haori to Kagome several times throughout the series, most times because it's resistant to fire, poison and sharp things, but a few times because she's actually cold or to protect her modesty.
- Youkai: The Sengoku period is- almost literally- crawling with youkai everywhere, and many of them want the jewel to make themselves unbeatable. In half-youkai Inuyasha's case, he wants the jewel to turn himself into a full youkai.
- Your Days Are Numbered: Miroku's Wind Tunnel will eventually grow to the point where it will consume him unless he kills Naraku first.
- Your Princess Is in Another Castle!: There are multiple times where Inuyasha or another character seemingly kills Naraku only for the Naraku they killed to be revealed as a puppet or that he's severly wounded, but still alive and thus able to beat a hasty retreat.
- Your Soul Is Mine!: Kanna's mirror can steal the souls of whoever is reflected in the mirror. Depending on the strength of the individual, it's possible for the person to still move even after their soul is stolen.
- Your Universe or Mine?: Kagome was born and raised in 90s Japan while Inuyasha was born and raised in the Sengoku era. This temporal difference doesn't stop them from slowly falling in love with one another, and the question of how they'll stay together eventually rears its head. Ultimately, Kagome decides to stay with Inuyasha in the Sengoku era.
- Zigzag Paper Tassel:
- The goshinboku tree in the present, assimilated into the grounds of the Higurashi shrine, has a shimenawa around it. (Not so in the past, due to being farther from the village and generally avoided by the villagers.)
- One chapter features some monkeys who trick Inuyasha into touching a small stone with a shimenawa around it, which sticks to his hand and becomes a huge boulder.
- More generally, shimenawa are occasionally seen being used by monks or miko to set up a magical barrier or seal, such as the seal on the cave where Entei was trapped.
