Inuyasha (2000 Anime)

Inuyasha (犬夜叉), also known as Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale (Japanese: 戦国御伽草子 犬夜叉, Hepburn: Sengoku Otogizōshi Inuyasha),

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. The series begins with Kagome Higurashi, a 15-year-old schoolgirl from modern-day Tokyo who is transported to the Sengoku period of Japan after falling into a well in her family shrine, where she meets the half dog-demon, Inuyasha. When a monster from that era tries to take the magical Shikon Jewel embodied in Kagome, she inadvertently shatters the Jewel into many pieces that are dispersed across Japan. Inuyasha and Kagome start traveling to recover it before the powerful and evil half spider-demon Naraku finds all the shards. Inuyasha and Kagome gain a number of allies during their journey, and their group is joined by Shippo, Miroku, Sango and Kirara. The manga was adapted into two anime television series produced by Sunrise. The first was broadcast for 167 episodes on Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV in Japan from October 16, 2000 to September 13, 2004. The second series, Inuyasha: The Final Act, began airing five years later on October 3, 2009 to March 29, 2010.

Movies

• Inuyasha Movie 1
• Inuyasha Movie 2
• Inuyasha Movie 3
• Inuyasha Movie 4

Theme Songs

Opening

Closing

Voice Cast

Japanese

• Kappei Yamaguchi as Inuyasha
• Satsuki Yukino as Kagome Higurashi
• Houko Kuwashima as Sango
• the late Koji Tsujitani as Miroku
• Kumiko Watanabe as Shippo
• the late Tarako Isono as Kirara
• Noriko Hidaka as Kikyo
• Ken Narita as Sesshomaru
• Yuichi Nagashima as Jaken
• Mamiko Noto as Rin
• Akiko Yajima as Kohaku
• the late Taiki Matsuno as Koga
• Hisako Kyōda as Kaede
• Mika Ito as Young Kaede
• Kenichi Ogata as Myoga
• the late Joji Yanami as Totosai
• Toshihiko Nakajima as Hachiemon
• Hisao Egawa as Jinenji & Ginkotsu
• Kaori Mizuhashi as Shiori
• Masaki Terasoma as Goryomaru & Moryomaru
• Akio Otsuka as Toga the Great Dog-Demon
• Kikuko Inoue as Izayoi
• Ryuzaburo Otomo as Hosenki
• Mitsuaki Madono as Naohi
• Hiroyuki Yoshino as Ginta
• Daisuke Kishio as Hakkaku
• Yumi Kakazu as Ayame
• Yuzuru Fujimoto as Mushin
• Asako Dodo as Ms. Higurashi
• Akiko Nakagawa as Sota Higurashi
• the late Ginzo Matsuo as Grandpa Higurashi & Buyo
• Katsumi Suzuki as Grandpa Higurashi (Currently)
• Yuji Ueda as Hojo
• Nami Okamoto as Ayumi
• Yuki Masuda as Eri
• Kaori Shimizu as Yuka
• Aya Gomazuru as Kin'u
• Hitomi Ueda as Gyokuto
• Toshiyuki Morikawa as Naraku
• Hiroshi Yanaka as Onigumo
• Takeshi Kusao as Demon of the Shikon Jewel, Magatsuhi & Bankotsu
• Yukana Nogami as Kanna
• Izumi Ogami as Kagura
• Masaharu Sato as Goshinki
• Takumi Yamazaki  as Juromaru
• ??? as Kageromaru
• Ai Kobayashi as Akago (the Infant) & Hakudoshi
• Mitsuaki Madono as Byakuya
• the late Daisuke Gori as Kyokotsu
• Ai Orikasa as Jakotsu
• Tetsu Inada as Mukotsu
• Tomokazu Sugita as Renkotsu
• Hiroaki Hirata as Suikotsu

English

• Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha & Buyo
• Moneca Stori as Kagome
• Kira Tozer as Kagome (The Final Act)
• Kelly Sheridan as Sango
• the late Kirby Morrow as Miroku
• Jillian Michaels as Shippo, Yuka, Young Kaede, Kin'u & Gyokuto
• the late Tarako Isono as Kirara
• Willow Johnson as Kikyo
• David Kaye as Sesshomaru
• Michael Daingerfield as Sesshomaru (The Final Act)
• Don Brown as Jaken & Toga the Great Dog Demon
• Brenna O'Brien as Rin
• Alex Doduk as Kohaku (originally)
• Danny McKinnon as Kohaku
• Aidan Drummond as Kohaku (The Final Act)
• Scott McNeil as Koga
• Pam Hyatt as Kaede
• Linda Darlow as Kaede (The Final Act)
• Paul Dobson as Myoga, Ginta, Naraku & Onigumo
• Richard Newman as Totosai
• Terry Klassen as Hachiemon
• Michael Dobson as Jinenji, Demon of the Shikon Jewel & Magatsuhi
• Nicole Bouma as Shiori
• Ross Douglas as Goryomaru & Moryomaru
• Alaina Burnett as Izayoi
• Dave Pettitt as Hosenki
• Michael Adamthwaite as Naohi & Byakuya
• Alistair Abell as Hakkaku
• Natalie Walters as Ayame
• Alec Willows as Mushin
• Cathy Weseluck as Mrs. Higurashi & Ayumi
• Saffron Henderson as Sota Higurashi (Originally) & Eri (Originally)
• Rebecca Shoichet as Sota Higurashi (Currently) & Eri
• French Tickner as Grandpa Higurashi
• Matt Smith as Hojo
• Janyse Jaud as Kanna & Kagura
• Michael Kopsa as Goshinki
• Brian Drummond as Juromaru, Kageromaru & Renkotsu
• Chiara Zanni as Akago (the Infant) & Hakudoshi
• Dave "Squatch" Ward as Kyokotsu
• Jenn Forgie as Jakotsu
• Trevor Devall as Mukotsu
• Mark Gibbon as Ginkotsu
• Michael Donovan as Suikotsu
• Matt Hill as Bankotsu

Trivia

• This had originally aired on Adult Swim in the 2000 era.
• The show had aired on Toonami with a few commercial promos. It aired on Toonami on November 4, 2012 to March 1, 2014. The final act aired on Toonami on November 15, 2014 to June 13, 2015.
• Inuyasha is roughly 150 years old when he first meets Kikyo and 200 years old when he meets Kagome.
• The Staff of Heads, or nintoujou, wielded by Sesshoumaru's retainer Jaken is an actual artifact displayed at the Kamakura Museum in Japan.
• After 167 episodes, Sunrise Inc. decided to end the animated show because it had caught up to the still-ongoing manga series it is based on and they were out of material. However, on a radio talk show, the producer of the show announced that they only ended the first series of the show, hinting that a second series will be coming soon. The series has since concluded with a 26 episode series titled Inuyasha: The Final Act where all original voice actors, except for Kagome's voice actress, Moneca Stori, return for the conclusion. The anime concluded its run on March 27, 2010.
• Naraku is Japanese for "Hell".
• Inuyasha's father is never mentioned by a proper name. His title, "The Great Dog General" would be spoken as "InuTaisho" in Japanese.
• "Sesshoumaru" can be translated to mean "destruction of the circle of life" or "cruel perfection." "Sesshou" refers to "cruelty" or "the destruction of life." "-maru" is a common ending for male Japanese names and refers to a circle, which indicates perfection. ("-maru" is used to end the names of Japanese ships; the reference to a circle expresses the hope that the ship will complete its voyage and return safely home.)
• In an attempt to impress five younger Fox Demons, Shippo once took the Tetsusaiga in order to practice the Wind Scar; making him the only full blooded demon to grip the sword with his own hands without being affected by the barrier.
• Inuyasha's apparent demon abilities are super strength, heightened agility, heightened senses, heightened reflexes and a healing factor. There is also possibly an ability to maintain short spans of flight. (Inuyasha is often seen leaping to great heights and distances without touching the ground to ascend. This is possible due to the noted abilities of flight displayed by his father and older brother.)
• "Inuyasha," the name of the main character, roughly translates to "dog demon." "Inu" means "dog" - the exact meaning of "yasha" is a topic of debate, but is generally accepted to refer to a supernatural creature like a demon.
• Inuyasha's distinctive red clothing is said to be woven from the fur of the fire rat. This garment is one of the treasures sought in the Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter), a popular Japanese folktale from the 10th century. The connection is made more explicit in the second movie, "The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass," which makes many references to the Taketori Monogatari and even quotes from it directly.
• The origins of the Tetsusaiga and the Tensaiga are never explained in a "linear time line" fashion. The combined stories from the original series, the 3rd Inuyasha film and the Final Act tell this story: InuYasha's father InuTaisho possessed the Sword So'unga. (The Sword of Hell) Sometime after acquiring So'unga, InuTaisho had Totosai forge the Tetsusaiga (The Sword of Earth) from one of his own fangs. After the Tetsusaiga was formed, InuTaisho battled and defeated the demon Shishinki, stealing his signature move the Meido Zangetsuha for himself. However unable to fully master the move, the Meido was cast out of the Tetsusaiga and housed by the Tensaiga. (The Sword of Heaven) Before his death, InuTaisho somehow enchanted both the Tetsusaiga and the Tensaiga power to destroy the So'unga, enchanted both swords so that the two could not destroy the other and enchanted the Tetsusaiga to resist the grasp of full-blooded demons.
• Some of the nudity in the manga had to be toned down considerably for the anime. For instance, there are several times in the manga when Kagome is bathing and you can see her nipples. The anime never did anything that revealing.
• Hojo is Japanese for "Aid".
• Myoga is Japanese for "Unnoticed Assistance".
• Kikyo's name means Chinese Bellflower - a flower which is often used for mourning.
• Shippou means "Seven Treasures" in Japanese
• Throughout the TV series Inuyasha only ever says his own name once, (in the season seven episode "The Tragic Love Song of Destiny: Part 1") yet all characters refer to him by his name without him having told them.
• "Kirara”, as it is written in Inuyasha, is an onomatopoeia word referring to the sound of the sparkling of a stone, particularly mica.
• Kouga is Japanese for "Steel Fang".
• Hakudoshi is Japanese for "White Child".
• Kanna is Japanese for "Godless".
• When the show air on Japanese television, Playstation was the sponsor.
• The name "Onigumo" is made up of the Japanese words for "ogre" and "spider."
• Kirara, Sango's youkai companion, closely resembles a creature from Japanese mythology called the nekomata. However, Kirara does not display the traditional behaviors of the nekomata, which include carrion-eating and necromancy.
• Kagome's name is written only in hiragana, the Japanese phonetic alphabet; since there are no kanji assigned to it, it does not actually carry its own meaning. However, it sounds like a word referring to a woven bamboo pattern. "Kagome" is also a nonsense sound featured prominently in a children's song.
• During his second battle with Inuyasha, Bankotsu uses his weapon Banryu to unleash two energy-wave-based attacks. One being "Dragon Thunder" and the other being "Dragon Hammer." The name of his halberd "Banryu", translates to "Barbaric Dragon."
• Naraku is a shapeshifter. The face that he normally wears, is that of Kagewaki- the Nobleman that he impersonated to trap Sango. This however is not his true face. When Onigumo first became Naraku, his face probably resembled Onigumo prior to getting burned. However, Onigumo's face is never shown throughout the series and the only character who's actually seen his face is Rasetsu. After becoming Naraku, he is first seen only wearing the Baboon pelt but not showing his face. It's likely that Naraku chose never to wear Onigumo's face as a way of forgetting him. When Naraku first appears before Kaede, she recognizes his voice but not his face. When Muso is released from Naraku's body, he appears without a face because he can't remember what Onigumo looks like. Essentially Naraku's true facial appearance is never seen through the entire series.
• The episode "Chokyuukai and the Plundered Brides" features a boar youkai named Chokyuukai and his servants, a kappa named Sa Gojyo and a monkey youkai named Son Goku. These three, and the "master" to whom Chokyuukai briefly refers, are figures from Journey to the West, a famous work of Chinese literature about a Buddhist monk's pilgrimage to India. Journey to the West was itself adapted into the anime series "Gensomaden Saiyuki."
• "Miroku" is the Japanese name for Maitreya, who in Buddhist tradition is the joyful Buddha yet to come.
• The kanji for Sango's name means coral, while her brother Kohaku's means amber.
• Jaken is Japanese for "Wicked Hearted".
• Totosai is Japanese for "Sword Purification".
• The fake sacred jewels that were present during the fourth season, were created from clusters of "noxious demonic vapors." This substitute lacked a substantial amount of souls to become pure. This analogy, is similar to the Philosopher's stone and it's knockoffs from the anime, "Fullmetal Alchemist." In FMA, fake Philospher's stones were created by compressing toxic alchemic ingredients; whereas the only way to make a real stone, was through transmutation of a vast amount of human souls.
• Kagura is Japanese for "the dance of the gods". The word refers to a specific type of Shinto dance.
• Kaede is Japanese for "Maple Tree".
• Rumiko Takahashi never officially gave Kagome's three school friends names in the manga. Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka were the names given to them by Sunrise, the anime company that produced the anime.
• The Higurashi shrine is based on an actual shrine under the same name located in Ito, Shizuoka.
• The four-episode story arc beginning with "The Ancestor's Name is Kagome" features four youkai ninja: Suzaku the bird, Seiryuu the dragon, Byakko the tiger, and Genbu the tortoise. These four are mythological creatures in Chinese constellations, each representing a direction and a season of the year, and they appear in many historical Chinese myths and legends, as well as many other works of modern Japanese fiction - most notably the anime series "Fushigi Yuugi." These four symbols also appear again in the fourth Inuyasha movie, "Guren no Houraijima," as the four villains Kyoura, Ryuura, Juura, and Goura.
• Rin's name is written in hiragana with no kanji assigned to it, so it doesn't have a meaning. Rin can mean "Park"
• Sesshoumaru is Japanese for "Destruction ". The "maru" on the end of his name has no meaning. It was common to add that ending to boys' names.
• Hachiemon's name means " Eight Gate of Protection" in Japanese.
• Three of the voice actors in this show later appear in the show Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (2011). These three voice actors are Paul Dobson, Jillian Michaels, and Kirby Morrow.
• Hachiemon has an uncanny resemblance to Mujina, only Hachiemon is a raccoon dog and Mujina is a badger. Both tanuki and mujina are shapeshifters in Japanese mythology. Interestingly, tanuki and mujina are sometimes interchangeable. In some regions of Japan, raccoon dogs are called mujina and badgers are called tanuki.
• Hachi in Hachiemon's name means 'eight' in Japanese. This meaning to his his name is most suitable to his own species the tanuki. As a tanuki has eight special traits that bring good fortune, possibly created to coincide to the "Hachi" symbol (meaning eight) often found on the sake bottles the statues hold. The eight traits are: a hat to be ready to protect against trouble or bad weather; big eyes to perceive the environment and help make good decisions; a sake bottle that represents virtue; a big tail that provides steadiness and strength until success is achieved; oversized testicles that symbolize financial luck; a promissory note that represents trust or confidence; a big belly that symbolizes bold and calm decisiveness; and a friendly smile.
• The story of Inuyasha was inspired by a short manga story that Rumiko Takahashi wrote back in the 80's which was also adapted into an OAV titled Rumic World: Fire Tripper (1986).
• The Modern Era starts in 1996 and ends in 1999 with the timeskip. The sequel series takes place 21 years later.
• One of the last animated TV series to be fully cel-animated.
• The design of the main character Inuyasha was recycling of Ranma Saotome (Male) the protagonist from Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi.
• The design of Kagome Higurashi was recycling of Akane Tendo from Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi.
• When Rumiko Takahashi began the series, the only ideas she had were Inuyasha being sealed by Kikyō and his sword being a relic from his father, everything after that was thought up on a weekly basis. *Inuyasha's name simply comes from the fact that he is part dog (inu in Japanese) and part yasha. According to interviews with Rumiko Takahashi, the style for his clothing was based on "priest's garb" of the Sengoku period.
• In June 2001, the author said that she did not know what would come of Inuyasha and Kagome's back-and-forth relationship, but that she did intend for it to have a resolution. She also said that she purposely avoided having those two and Kikyō appear at the same time, as Inuyasha always likes "the girl he is with" more.
• When asked which chapters of the series she enjoyed drawing the most, Takahashi cited the one with Inuyasha in his black-haired human form during the new moon because it was "new and fun" and the chapters where Inuyasha came to the present-day because she could take a break from drawing battles and show "some fun and laughter”, among others.
• From the earliest of production meetings for the anime adaptation, Takahashi's only request was that Kappei Yamaguchi voice Inuyasha. Due to the use of unusual names in the series, Yamaguchi and many of the other actors often wondered how to pronounce certain names, such as Kikyō and Shikon Jewel. In an interview, Yamaguchi stated that he began to play Inuyasha with the goal of making the character progressively more like himself as the series went on.