Inuyasha (犬夜叉; lit. "Dog Yaksha") is a Japanese manga series written and drawn by Rumiko Takahashi. It was published in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine, Weekly Shōnen Sunday, from November 1996 to June 2008. The series was collected into 56 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Kagome Higurashi, a 15-year-old middle school student from modern-day Tokyo, who is sent to the Sengoku period after falling into a well at her family's shrine. There, she meets Inuyasha, a half-dog demon and half-human. When the sacred Shikon Jewel reappears inside Kagome's body, it shatters into many pieces that spread across Japan. Inuyasha and Kagome begin a journey to collect the fragments. Along the way, they are joined by Miroku, a flirtatious monk; Sango, a demon slayer; and Shippō, a fox demon. Together, they work to reunite the Shikon Jewel before it is taken by Naraku, a powerful half-demon.
Unlike many of Takahashi's earlier works, which are often humorous, Inuyasha includes darker themes and scenes of violence, set against the backdrop of the Sengoku period. The manga was adapted into two anime series by Sunrise. The first series aired for 167 episodes on Yomiuri TV, Nippon Television, and their affiliates from October 2000 to September 2004. The second series, Inuyasha: The Final Act, is a direct continuation of the manga and aired for 26 episodes from October 2009 to March 2010. Additional media include four films, an original video animation (OVA), video games, and a light novel. A spin-off anime series, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, aired for two seasons from October 2020 to March 2022.
Viz Media licensed the manga, anime series, and films for release in North America. Both Inuyasha and Inuyasha: The Final Act aired in the United States on Adult Swim (and later on Toonami) from 2002 to 2015.
By September 2020, Inuyasha had sold 50 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 2002, the manga won the 47th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category.
Plot
In 1496 Japan, humans and demons (yōkai) fight over the Shikon Jewel (Shikon no Tama, meaning "The Jewel of Four Souls"), which is said to grant any wish. Kikyo, a priestess who protects the Shikon Jewel, is in love with Inuyasha, a half-demon. However, they are tricked and betray each other. Inuyasha steals the Shikon Jewel, but Kikyo, who is dying, shoots Inuyasha with a sacred arrow, pinning him to a tree. After Kikyo dies, her body and the Shikon Jewel are burned, and the Jewel disappears from that time.
Five hundred years later, Kagome Higurashi lives with her mother, grandfather, and younger brother near her family’s Shinto shrine. On her fifteenth birthday, Kagome is pulled into the Bone Eater’s Well (Honekui no Ido) by a centipede demon and sent back in time to the Sengoku period in 1546. The Shikon Jewel appears inside Kagome, who is Kikyo’s reincarnation, and she helps free Inuyasha from the tree to fight the demon. When Inuyasha threatens her, Kikyo’s sister, Kaede, uses a magical bead necklace to control him. Later, Kagome accidentally breaks the Shikon Jewel into many pieces with an arrow; these pieces scatter across Japan and are taken by demons and humans.
Inuyasha finds his father’s sword, Tessaiga, which causes conflict with his older half-brother, Sesshomaru, who wields Tenseiga. Inuyasha helps Kagome collect the Shikon Jewel’s shards and face dangers. During their journey, they learn about Naraku, a spider half-demon who tricked Inuyasha and Kikyo. While chasing Naraku, Inuyasha and Kagome meet Shippō, a young fox demon; Miroku, a monk whose hand was cursed by Naraku; and Sango, a demon slayer, along with her two-tailed demon cat, Kirara. Sango’s clan was killed by Naraku, and her younger brother, Kohaku, was controlled by Naraku. Over time, Inuyasha strengthens Tessaiga while defeating enemies. His team works loosely with Sesshomaru, who was also tricked by Naraku; the resurrected Kikyo, who plans to purify the Shikon Jewel if all shards are collected; and Kōga, a wolf demon leader seeking revenge for his comrades killed by Naraku. As Inuyasha and Kagome travel together, they begin to fall in love, but Inuyasha still has feelings for Kikyo.
Naraku is hunted by his enemies and temporarily removes his heart, wounding Kikyo. Kohaku, who was killed but later brought back to life by Naraku using a Shikon Jewel shard, eventually regains his freedom and tries to escape Naraku. During this time, Sesshomaru ends his feud with Inuyasha to help his brother fully power up Tessaiga. Kikyo sacrifices her life to save Kohaku, and Naraku gathers all the shards to restore the Shikon Jewel. As Inuyasha and his allies defeat Naraku, Naraku reveals his true desire for Kikyo, despite his hatred for her. He uses his wish to trap himself and Kagome inside the Shikon Jewel before dying. The Shikon Jewel, revealed to be sentient, wants Kagome to make a selfish wish so that she and Naraku remain trapped in an endless conflict, keeping the Jewel alive. However, with Inuyasha by her side, Kagome wishes for the Shikon Jewel to disappear forever, allowing her to return to her time with the well sealed. She and Inuyasha lose contact for three years.
During those three years, the Sengoku period changes: Sango and Miroku marry and have three children, Kohaku continues as a demon slayer, and Shippō trains to grow stronger in his demon magic. In the present, Kagome graduates from high school and fixes the Bone Eater’s Well in her backyard so it works again. She returns to the Sengoku period, reunites with Inuyasha, marries him, and trains with Kaede to become a top-level priestess.
Development
After completing her earlier manga, Ranma ½ (1987–1996), Takahashi began writing Inuyasha. Unlike her previous comedic works, such as Urusei Yatsura (1978–1987), Maison Ikkoku (1980–1987), and One-pound Gospel (1987–2006), she aimed to create a story with darker themes similar to her earlier Mermaid Saga series. To show violence in a gentle way, she set the story during the Sengoku period, a time when wars were common. Takahashi did not conduct detailed research on samurai or castle designs because she believed such information was widely known. By June 2001, she had not yet decided how to end the relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome. She also mentioned that she often did not plan endings for her previous manga at the start, instead deciding them as the stories were published.
Media
The manga Inuyasha, written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi, first appeared in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday magazine on November 13, 1996 (issue #50). The series ended on June 18, 2008, after 11 years and 7 months. It had 558 chapters, which were collected into 56 tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan. These volumes were released from April 18, 1997, to February 18, 2009. Shogakukan later reprinted the series in a 30-volume wide-ban edition, released from January 18, 2013, to June 18, 2015. In February 2013, Takahashi published a special chapter titled "Since Then" (Are kara) in Weekly Shōnen Sunday as part of the "Heroes Come Back" anthology. This anthology included stories by manga artists to support recovery efforts after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The chapter was included in the final wide-ban volume in 2015 and reprinted in Shōnen Sunday S on October 24, 2020.
In North America, Inuyasha was licensed by Viz Media, initially titled Inu-Yasha. The manga was published in an American comic book format from April 1997 to February 2003, with each issue containing 2 or 3 chapters. Viz Media later released the series in a first trade-paperback edition, with 12 volumes published from July 6, 1998, to October 6, 2002. A second edition began with the 13th volume, released on April 9, 2003, and the first 12 volumes were reprinted. From the 1st to 37th volumes, the series was printed in left-to-right orientation. Starting with the 38th volume on July 14, 2009, the remaining volumes were printed in right-to-left format. Viz Media published the 56th and final volume on January 11, 2011. In 2009, Viz Media released the series in a 3-in-1 "VizBig" edition, with 18 volumes published from November 10, 2009, to February 11, 2014. On December 15, 2020, Viz Media released all 18 volumes digitally.
The first Inuyasha anime adaptation, sometimes called Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale (Sengoku Otogizōshi Inuyasha), was produced by Sunrise and aired for 167 episodes on Yomiuri TV, Nippon Television, and their affiliates from October 16, 2000, to September 13, 2004.
In July 2009, a second anime series, Inuyasha: The Final Act (Inuyasha Kanketsu-hen), was announced. This series covered the original manga volumes 36–56 and aired 26 episodes on Nippon TV and Yomiuri TV from October 4, 2009, to March 30, 2010.
In May 2020, a new anime sequel titled Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon (Han'yō no Yashahime) was announced. The series follows Towa Higurashi, Setsuna, and Moroha, characters related to Inuyasha. It aired in 2021.
The anime was directed by Takahiro Sakurai and produced by Sunrise. The series was released in Japan on October 10, 2021, and later aired in other countries. The story follows the adventures of Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha, who are connected to the Inuyasha universe.
The Inuyasha franchise has also been adapted into several films, video games, and other media. Four films were released between 2004 and 2014, each based on different parts of the manga. The films were directed by Takahiro Sakurai and produced by Sunrise.
Video games based on Inuyasha were released for various platforms, including the WonderSwan, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and mobile devices. Examples include Inuyasha: Naraku no Wana! Mayoi no Mori no Shōtaijō for the Game Boy Advance and Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel for the Nintendo DS.
Inuyasha also appeared in the crossover game Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen as a playable character. Additionally, the sword Tessaiga from Inuyasha appeared
Reception
Inuyasha was recommended by a jury in the Manga Division at the fifth and 12th events of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2001 and 2008. In 2002, the manga received the 47th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. In a 2021 poll by TV Asahi called Manga Sōsenkyo, where 150,000 people voted for their favorite 100 manga series, Inuyasha ranked 28th.
By February 2010, over 45 million copies of Inuyasha were sold. By September 2020, sales reached over 50 million copies. Individual volumes of Inuyasha have been highly ranked in sales lists in Japan. In North America, the manga has appeared multiple times on The New York Times and Diamond Comic Distributors’ top-selling lists. In 2005, Inuyasha was among the most studied manga series according to Lycos.
Eri Izawa reviewed volume two of Inuyasha for Ex.org and noted that the series includes many of Rumiko Takahashi’s best qualities, such as fast action, interesting characters, imaginative fantasy, and humor. She praised Kagome as a very smart and thoughtful character. Izawa mentioned that the series has minor flaws, such as some action scenes feeling slow and some characters resembling those from Takahashi’s earlier works.
Rebecca Bundy reviewed volume 23 of Inuyasha for Anime News Network and said the series still has strong storytelling after 23 volumes. She praised the balance of action, dialogue, and reflection, and noted that the main characters, except Koga, have good development. Bundy’s only criticism was that character designs changed slightly over time.
Penny Kenny of Manga Life reviewed volume 52 of Inuyasha and said she could easily continue reading from volume 6 due to the familiar themes Takahashi uses. Kenny highlighted Takahashi’s creativity in adding new enemies and challenges, which helps the characters grow. She described the art as focusing on characters and their actions rather than detailed backgrounds. Kenny also noted that Takahashi’s stories use humor to make the drama more engaging, with each character having their own style of comedy.