Jump into Feudal Japan with Inuyasha

Studio: Sunrise  |  Released: 2000  |  Duration: 193 Episodes + 4 Movies  |  Streaming on: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Netflix, Hulu

Inuyasha - An Anime Review

Hi Everyone,

If you have seen some of our other posts, this one in particular, then you will probably already have a pretty good idea of how much we love the anime Inuyasha. Like it might just be our favourite anime series of all time, that’s how much we love it. So when we were thinking about which anime to showcase for our Lazy Lion YouTube channel’s one-year anniversary, it had to be Inuyasha.

You can check out our full review video here, or you can continue scrolling down where we will discuss some of the themes found in Inuyasha along with some other tidbits.

So first off, what is Inuyasha all about? Inuyasha is an adventure fantasy shounen anime based on Rumiko Takahashi’s incredible long-running manga series. We would also classify it as an Isekai story since one of our main characters Kagome is transported from present-day Tokyo to Feudal Japan. This happens when she gets literally pulled into a well, known as bone-eater well, by a giant demon centipede…not scary at all. When she comes to and escapes from the well, Kagome realizes she is not in Kansas anymore Toto, but is in-fact in Feudal Japan during the Sengoku period, one of the most violent and chaotic times in Japanese history. While there, Kagome finds out that she is the reincarnation of an extremely powerful priestess named Kikyo, who lost her life 50 years ago while fighting to protect a sacred artifact known as the Shikon Jewel or Jewel of Four Souls. The Shikon Jewel holds immense power and can grant you whatever your heart desires. Making it a covetable item for any demon or human seeking power, such as a half-demon named Inuyasha who tried to steal the Jewel from Kikyo 50 years ago but instead got imprisoned to a tree by Kikyo, for what was supposed to be an eternity. That is until Kagome accidentally frees him while running away from some demons. Being the reincarnation of Kikyo, it now falls to Kagome to protect the Shikon Jewel. Slight problem though, in an attempt to retrieve the Jewel from a demon she accidentally shatters it into multiple shards that then get scattered all-through-out Japan and it is now up to her and a begrudging Inuyasha to collect all those shards and make it whole again. They soon learn that another half-demon named Naraku is also pursuing the shards and that he was actually the one behind Kikyo’s death and Inuyasha’s imprisonment.   

Along the way, Kagome & Inuyasha are joined by Shippo, a young fox-demon, Miroku, a womanizing monk, and Sango, a demon slayer, along with her two-tailed demon cat companion Kirara. Together they search for the shards and do whatever they can to thwart Naraku’s nefarious plans. 

Themes

The series spans 7 seasons, and during the course of the story, we see the main band of characters go through a lot of growth and change, and because of that, the audience is introduced to some important-key themes. 
Such as:

Inuyasha’s Duality

Inuyasha has been picked on all his life for having been born a half-demon. Never belonging fully to one world or the other, Inuyasha longs for acceptance, be-it either from humans or demons. This is why he desires the Shikon Jewel so badly. Hoping that by using its powers and becoming a full-fledged demon, he can solve all his problems. Believing, that this will make him the strongest version of himself since he views his human side as being weak and full of pesky emotions. His father hoped that he would come to realize that he is in fact the perfect version, being the best of both worlds. Over time and with Kagome’s help, Inuyasha does come to see this as well and gives up trying to use the Shikon Jewel for himself. This leads Inuyasha to go -

From the Underdog to the Top Dog

Inuyasha slowly starts evolving over the course of the story going from the underdog, pun intended, to the one who shows compassion towards and fights for the other underdogs. At first, Kagome always has to convince him to do the right thing and help others, knowing that despite his rough speech and attitude he’s actually a genuinely caring and nice guy. Who just happens to be under the false impression that showing that you care is a sign of weakness. This is just another rejection of his human side. Humans are fragile, and they tend to die easily, so it’s easier for him to keep his distance and not get too attached. This mainly stems from the loss of his human mother at a young age. Now Inuyasha finds himself in a situation where he can no longer ignore those around him and soon starts acquiring strength no longer for selfish reasons, but to protect those he cares about. Which goes neatly with the next theme.  

Chivalric Altruism

Inuyasha’s father bequeaths him the sword Tetsusaiga, a sword that can slay 100 demons in one stroke, so that he can be strong enough to protect the weak, and it is only in the act of protecting someone that Inuyasha is able to wield Tetsusaiga to its full potential.

The fact that Inuyasha received Tetsusaiga becomes a point of contention, between him and his older brother Sesshomaru, who is a full demon and believes it should rightfully belong to him. Not being able to understand what his father was thinking when he gave such a powerful sword to a mere half-demon. He also questions why his father, one of the strongest demons, would fall for a human and give his life in order to protect her and their half-demon son. Was it weakness, or was it actually strength?

This mentality is why Sesshomaru instead receives the sword Tensaiga, a sword that can save 100 lives in one stroke. His father believed that only through gaining some humanity could Sesshomaru ever obtain true strength. And over time, even Sesshomaru starts to soften, mainly due to his interactions with the human orphan girl Rin.

Both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s father hoped his sons would grow to protect the weak - or else what’s the point in being the strongest? 

The themes in the series are just a fraction of the reason we love Inuyasha so much. The series has a great storyline. An excellent soundtrack. Some complex characters. A compelling art style. And has hints of that classic Takahashi humour, which makes the whole Inuyasha franchise extremely enjoyable. The series has 7 seasons, 4 movies, and a concluding arc called Inuyasha: The Final Act, so there’s a lot of Inuyasha to keep you entertained :) If you’re interested, you can watch the first 2 seasons and all 4 movies over on Crunchyroll, Funimation, and Netflix. And you can watch the full 7 seasons and Inuyasha: The Final Act over on Hulu.  

Here’s a link to the chronological order of the show and movies if you’re curious.

That’s it for now. As always, stay safe out there, and

~ Stay Obsessed