inuyasha--manga

[inuyasha--manga]

『 @inukagfluffweek 』 ➥ Day #7: Family

[inuyasha--manga]

Sesshoumaru's Fluff

One of the most pressing questions of the entire series is…

What the hell is that thing on Sesshoumaru’s shoulder?

The fandom has had many theories and given it many names.  It has never been referred to as anything in the manga, however Jaken did once call it a “mokomoko” (モコモコ/“fluffy”) in an anime-added line of dialogue, and is what the Japanese fans call it.  This is no more a proper name for the feature than the English word “fluff”, however; it’s merely descriptive.

It started out so small…

But then OMG IT DEVOURED HIS OTHER ARM.

It’s apparently prehensile.

And it bleeds.

And it comes off.

Seriously, what is that thing?

Thankfully, the question was so pressing to the Japanese fandom as well that it ended up in one of Takahashi’s Shounen Sunday interviews:

よく見かける質問、「殺生丸のモコモコはなんなんだ？」。私が思うに犬の毛です。犬化けした時、ボディをひと回りして、尻尾につながってるし…なにしろ、デザイン時の殺生丸のテーマは「ゴージャス」だったので、私はあのモコモコを着せて良かったと満足してます。

There, hope that clears everything up.

Okay, seriously, though:

A question I often see is, “What is Sesshoumaru’s fluff?"  In my opinion, it’s dog fur.  When he’s transformed into a dog, it’s wrapped around his body and connected to his tail… In any case, when I was designing him, Sesshoumaru’s theme was "Gorgeous”, so I’m satisfied with having given him the fluff.

So, what does this mean?  Actually, it seems to mean that the fluff is two parts.  One part is that mane that encircles him when he’s a dog:

And the other part is his tail.

Although Takahashi is wildly inconsistent with how she draws the fluff (the selection of images on this article being clear examples of this), there is one thing that does remain consistent.  Look at how it’s depicted on the back view:

The part that goes around his shoulder and the part that hangs off the back seem to be anchored together at his butt.  I think this is what “wrapped around his body and connected to his tail” means.  His fluff in human form is both that thing that wraps around him when he’s a dog AND his tail, connected together.

What it actually is and what it’s for, though, well… according to the interview, it’s dog fur, and it’s there to make him fabulous.  What more reason do you need?

[inuyasha--manga]

Sesshoumaru's Castle

As discussed in the Lord of the Western Lands post, referring to Sesshoumaru as a “Lord” in English evokes way more assumptions about his position and status than the Japanese version does.  One of the most common corollary pieces of fanon to the “Lord of the Western Lands” monicker is the assumption that Sesshoumaru must have a castle somewhere.

Sesshoumaru does not have a castle.  Or any kind of residence, for that matter.

I pick out this piece of corollary fanon in particular because unlike a lot of other fan assertions, it has been explicitly debunked by Takahashi herself, although due to a completely different misunderstanding in the Japanese fandom.

In the Japanese version, Sesshoumaru often announced to Jaken, “Kaeru zo” (帰るぞ), which literally means “Let’s go home”.

“Kaeru” is what’s called a “set phrase”.  It’s something you just say in a certain situation regardless of whether you mean it literally.  Sort of like saying “I’m going to bed” in English, even if you’re sleeping on a couch or sleeping bag.  Therefore, “I’m going home” is understood to actually mean “I’m leaving” in Japanese in the same way “I’m going to bed” is understood to actually mean “I’m going to sleep” in English.

Unfortunately, some fans were still taking the phrase more literally than intended, assuming it meant Sesshoumaru had a home to go back to somewhere.  Takahashi finally took them to task in an interview:

さらに、「殺生丸はよく、帰るぞ邪見、と言うけど、どこに帰るの？」。これはムツカシイ質問です。私も、そのセリフを書きながら、どこに？　と思うことも しばしばです。巣があるのか？　そんな感じもしない。私が思うに、目的地もしくはトラブル発生地点、以外は、すべて帰る処なんでしょう。いつか、物語の中 で殺生丸の巣が出てくる…なんてことは、今の所なさそうです。

Finally there’s, “Sesshoumaru often says, ‘Let’s go home, Jaken’, but where is he going home to?"  This is a difficult question.  I often also, when writing that line, think, "Where to?"  Does he have a den?  I don’t get that feeling.  In my opinion, aside from wherever he’s going or wherever there’s trouble, everywhere is a place to "return” to, isn’t it?  As for whether Sesshoumaru’s den will ever make an appearance in the story… at this point, I find it unlikely.

So there you have it.  A piece of fanon so profound that the creator herself had to step in and set it straight.

“But… but… maybe she changed her mind after this interview, since it’s from 2002 and the manga ran until 2008!  Sesshoumaru’s mother has a castle after all!”

Yes, Sesshoumaru’s mother has a castle.

However, Jaken had no idea who she was, and Sesshoumaru had no idea what the Meidou-seki was even though she said his father left it to her and told her to use it if Sesshoumaru came to visit.  These two things taken together imply that this is the first time Sesshoumaru has seen his mother since his father died. Therefore, one can reasonably assume he does not live here.

Besides, if you’re going to claim he’s “Lord of the Western Lands”, do you really also want to assert that he lives with his mother?

[inuyasha--manga]

Lord of the Western Lands

By far the most widespread piece of fanon in the series is the term and concept of “Lord of the Western Lands”.

“Wait, fanon?!” you ask?  That’s right.

The concept of “Lord of the Western Lands” appears nowhere in the series.

If you don’t believe me, go check for yourself.  I guarantee you will not find this term or anything reasonably implying it anywhere in the manga or anime.

Yeah, I already see you coming back with stuff that seems to “reasonably imply” it, and I can guess what it is.  So let’s take a look at it.

“But the manga said Inuyasha’s father ruled the Western Lands!”

What the manga said was this:

KAEDE 犬夜叉、おぬしの父は、西国を根城にしていた化け犬であったと聞くが… Inuyasha, onushi no chichi wa, saigoku wo nejiro ni shiteita bake-inu deatta to kiku ga… Inuyasha, I heard that your father was a monsterous dog that had based himself in the lands to the west…

INUYASHA あんまり覚えてねえけどな。 Anmari oboetenee kedo na. I don’t really remember, though.

MYOUGA 強くて立派な��妖怪でいらした…　なにより美味しい血をしておられた。 Tsuyokute rippana daiyoukai de irashita… naniyori oishii chi wo shiteorareta. He was a strong and splendid daiyoukai… with blood more delicious than anything.

The tricky term here is “nejiro ni shiteita” (根城にしていた), which literally means “to make a stronghold”.  The English version of the manga translated this line as him “prowling” the lands to the west, which is a suitably vague term.  So what extent of rulership does “nejiro” imply?

The best way to figure that out is to Google the term and find it used in other contexts.  Here are some examples:

お向かいのうちの縁側を根城にしているぬこ様 My cat has taken over the neighbor’s porch.

赤坂を根城にしている美容師さんと飲んだ I had a drink with the stylist based in Akasaka.

その盗賊たちは山の中を根城にしていた Those thieves were holed up in the mountains.

In all of these cases, the term “nejiro” doesn’t necessarily imply ownership, but rather using a piece of property for one’s own purposes.  In this regard, Inuyasha’s father didn’t so much as “rule” the land to the west, but was more like that dog who comes into your yard and digs things up and doesn’t give two sniffs what you think because he’s a big dog and he does what he wants.

The “Western Lands” isn’t even a horribly well-defined region.  The Japanese term “saigoku” (西国) refers to the area of Japan west of present-day Kyoto.  Its usage is pretty much the same as how Americans refer to the part of the country to the west of the Mississippi River as “The West”.  It has no definite boundaries and isn’t even a valid political entity, and no one really “rules” it.  You just got famous cowboys and bandits who operated in the area and made names for themselves, and the implication is that Inuyasha’s father’s authority was roughly similar.

“But the first movie said Inuyasha’s father ruled the lands to the west!”

… Okay, you got me there.  Rather than “nejiro”, the first movie used the term “shihai” (支配) to describe Inuyasha’s father’s authority over the west, which carries a much greater implication of rulership.

So, fine, according to one line, not written by Takahashi, in a film that already has plenty of other continuity errors and questionable assertions, it was stated that Inuyasha’s father “ruled” the west.  I can’t just go around throwing out evidence because it comes from an unreliable source, since it is technically official material.  Just one little problem…

His title still isn’t “Lord of the Western Lands”

It’s “Inu no Taishou”, meaning “Dog General”.  Since he already has a canon title and role that appear directly in the series, what’s the point of inventing another one that covers exactly the same thing?  It would be like saying that Kikyou carries the title of “Shikon no Tama Protector” instead of “priestess” (that’s right, I’m looking at YOU, Inuyasha Wiki).

The problem with the “Lord of the Western Lands” title is that it implies a whole host of things that “Inu no Taishou” does not.  It implies officially recognized land ownership.  Subjects.  Political authority.  Hereditary rule.

That last bit is the big kicker, because it’s typically not the Inu no Taishou who I see as called “Lord of the Western Lands”, but Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru is not “Lord of the Western Lands”.  Full stop.

While the one line from the first movie could be twisted enough to make the case that in some implicit manner you could kind of sort of call the Inu no Taishou the “lord of the western lands” as a descriptive term rather than an official title, there is no such implication with Sesshoumaru.  Sesshoumaru carries no political power.

While a title of “Lord” can be inherited, a title of “General” can not.  And Sesshoumaru has stated, repeatedly, that the only thing he inherited from his father was Tenseiga.  He’s not just being an ungrateful whiny brat that aside from a kingdom and servants and political power he just got a sword.  He just got a sword.

TOUTOUSAI 殺生丸、おまえの言うとおり、おやじどのはいずれおまえの天生牙を鉄砕牙に吸収させるつもりだったのさ。 Sesshoumaru, omae no iu toori, oyaji-dono wa izure omae no tenseiga wo tessaiga ni kyuushuusaseru tsumori datta no sa. Sesshoumaru, it’s as you said, your father intended for your Tenseiga to one day be absorbed by Tessaiga.

SESSHOUMARU 父上はなにひとつこの殺生丸に遺す気はなかった…ということか。 Chichi-ue wa nani hitotsu kono Sesshoumaru ni nokosu ki wa nakatta… to iu koto ka. Meaning that… Father had no thoughts of leaving me with even a single thing.

He’s got the fancy clothes and the fluffy, and somewhere along the way he picked up Jaken, Ah-Un, Rin, and Kohaku, but that’s it.  That’s his “kingdom”.  He is Lord of the Little People.

But in the anime Jaken said Sesshoumaru was trying to build an empire.

This is Jaken we’re talking about.  When has he EVER made an assertion about Sesshoumaru that wasn’t horribly embellished?  In episode 162, Jaken states, “Once he reigns as the strongest youkai, Sesshoumaru-sama will no doubt be able to realize his empire.  And, of course, once that happens, I’ll be the prime minister of that empire."  By that second sentence, hopefully one can figure out that Jaken is talking out his ass, as usual.

But everyone calls Sesshoumaru "Lord”!

In English, they do, yes.  The problem is that English has no equivalent to the honorific “-sama”.  The honorific “-sama” merely conveys high respect, whereas the English term “Lord” implies specific powers and authorities that are not meant to be implied by the Japanese.  I mean, Miroku and Kagome each refer to each other with the “-sama” honorific due to them being a monk and a priestess, respectively.  It doesn’t mean they’re rulers of their own countries.

In summary, the actual title of “Lord of the Western Lands” appears nowhere in any official material.  Once could potentially use it as a descriptive term for the Inu no Taishou, such as the lower-case “The Inu no Taishou acted as a lord of the western lands”, however there is no canon basis for it to be used as a title in and of itself.  And whatever role the Inu no Taishou held, it was not passed down to his children, therefore Sesshoumaru has no title, holdings, or duties whatsoever.

[inuyasha--manga]

Anime vs. Manga: Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's Relationship

We all know that Sesshoumaru kept coming after Inuyasha because he felt he was the rightful heir to Tessaiga.  But how bitter was this sibling rivalry really?

If we go by the anime, the hatred between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru was mutual, and both were all too happy to kill the other.  Sesshoumaru also never got over his hatred of Inuyasha and their rivalry continued through the entire series.

The manga, on the other hand, gave Sesshoumaru clear growth throughout the series and never let him relapse aside from when he found out that Tessaiga was to one day absorb Tenseiga (and he had every right to be pissed about that).  Sesshoumaru’s continuing hatred of Inuyasha’s presence felt more like a recovering alcoholic getting angry at someone for drinking a beer in front of him.  He’d grown weary of the fight and let it go, but he certainly didn’t want to keep getting reminded of that.

The anime, essentially, really liked the sibling rivalry angle and artificially augmented it and extended it at the expense of actual character development.

Episode 35 was the first particularly egregious example of this.  After Inuyasha struck Sesshoumaru with the Kaze no Kizu, the conversation afterwards progressed like this:

Anime: Everyone assumes Sesshoumaru is dead.  No one seems particularly bothered that Inuyasha just (apparently) killed his own brother.  Toutousai announces Sesshoumaru is still alive because Tenseiga protected him.  He questions Inuyasha asking if he felt his strike hit Sesshoumaru, and Inuyasha answers “no”.  Toutousai asks them how they plan on defeating him if Tenseiga will protect him. (video of scene in question)

Manga: For comparison, here’s what is ostensibly the same scene in the manga, although the content of the conversation is so glaringly different, it’s hard to tell:

Yeah, let’s make sure we can fight Sesshoumaru!  Or, wait no, we recognize he’s starting to change and will give him the benefit of the doubt, and admit we don’t actually want to kill him.  But if we did that, that means we can’t make a bunch of filler episodes and movies where Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha fight each other.

The last canon battle between Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru in the original anime series was episode 52.  However, even that battle was simply for Sesshoumaru to verify Inuyasha’s dependency on Tessaiga, at which point he pretty much put the whole feud behind him and switched his primary focus to Naraku.

At least until the whole “Yeah, Inuyasha is supposed to get Tenseiga, too” crap came up to force him into relapse.  But he handled that pretty well, all things considered, and once he had Bakusaiga, he was a happy fluffy puppy.

And the anime writers just couldn’t have that, so cut this scene out of episode 22 of Final Act:

(On a side note, I love how once Sesshoumaru gets his left arm and Bakusaiga, he’s almost always drawn with his left hand clutching Bakusaiga’s sheath, like, “I FINALLY GOT A THING!  THIS IS MINE!  DON’T YOU DARE SCREW ME OVER ON THIS, TOO, TAKAHASHI!  MIIIINE!”)

In place of this deleted material, Kagome instead worries that she shouldn’t mention Inuyasha in Sesshoumaru’s presence, Sesshoumaru declares that he never considered Inuyasha a brother, and threatens to hit Inuyasha with Bakusaiga.

Inuyasha and Sesshoumru do have a rivalry, but they learned from it and got over it fairly early in the series.  But in order to capitalize on it, the anime version did as much as it could to stunt Sesshoumaru’s character development in order to leave room for additional confrontations.  In Final Act, they even went so far as to regress him a few episodes before the end for no logical reason since the remainder of the battle played out the same.

Sesshoumaru developed probably more than any other character in the series.  He had his jealousy, he got over it.  It was briefly rekindled, he got over it.

The point that the anime can’t seem to comprehend is just that: He got over it.

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 17

naraku ship: narkik

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 12

free day

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 10

kanna & kagura

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 9

koga

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 7

kikyo

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 5

shippo

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 4

sango

[inuyasha--manga]

@inuvember: day 2

kagome higurashi

[inuyasha--manga]

Isn’t there another way?!

[inuyasha--manga]

[inuyasha--manga]

@mirsan-week​ - day 7 [ finally||gold ]

[inuyasha--manga]

@mirsan-week​ - day 6 [ almost||purple ]