#Inuyasha analysis

[creative-hanyou-girl]

I know people in the fandom have talked to death about this topic, but there really is something so poetic and cathartic about InuYasha being so obsessed with getting the shikon jewel for himself to become a full-fledged demon in the beginning of the story, to not giving a crap about it at all and even going as far as to fight the jewel itself in order protect the people he loves. Especially Kagome. And in the end, he got everything he ever wanted and needed because of that change. Everything he thought he could get by gaining more power and becoming full demon.

I know it sounds cliche as hell, but it's true. Just think how much better the world would be in real life if people led with their hearts instead of their need for power.

[uptoolateart]

Hi there! I was wondering if u could share your thoughts on this. I am rewatching Inuyasha The Final Act now and I am just wondering why u think the bone eaters well was shut for 3 years? Was there a bigger reason perhaps on why Kagome was trapped in her world for 3 years? Was this so Kagome can experience life on her side and make the choice once experiencing more freedom whether or not she really wants to stay on her side versus in the feudal era? Just wondering if there is more meaning behind why it took 3 whole years for Kagome to be able to finally use the well to enter Feudal Japan again. Also is Kagomes current home in modern day Japan on the same grounds Kaede’s village was? Thanks a ton :)

So, I think there are two sides to this: the writer's perspective...and the in-world story. As a writer, you have to give Kagome independence and freedom of choice. Then you have to find a way to slot that into the story.

If she had left at 15, one could argue that she was too young to make up her mind to leave home like that. She also spends most of the story unsure of what she wants, which reflects the uncertainty we all feel as we grow and try to work out who we are.

As soon as they stated that in encountering the completed crystal, she would need to make a wish, and it had to be the 'right' wish, I knew she'd wish to give up the crystal. It's like Aladdin, and a million other stories about the temptation of power. I expected a very sad ending and prepared myself to cry.

According to the rules set up early on, the well had to close because the crystal was what made that bridge...or was it??

I think they made that bridge, but Kagome's indecision made the magic go dormant. She needed to go through that time of separation to determine what was really important to her - and I don't think that was just Inuyasha. She didn't just graduate school and throw it all away to get married. She decided her path in life was to be a healer. She'd already established something in the other world, and had really important friends there. Her only real goal in modern Tokyo was to finish her education - which she did - but then what? Modern life failed to provide her with the meaning of the other world. She'd fallen in love with a whole way of life.

So, as an adult, her heart finally knew what it wanted...and the magic woke again. The bond between Kagome and Inuyasha transcends simple space and time, as is the case in many anime stories. I think they could have connected all that time - he was just waiting for her to see it, and for that, she needed to want it above all else.

That's just my personal take on it :)

And yes, the well is on the same grounds. In the modern era, the shrine has been built around it. This is also shown in YashaHime.

[dazzelmethat]

People like to think that kikyo lovers mean they like kikyo/inu. Which is like.. no it’s juicier for me that it didn’t work out.

That kikyo can’t even have ‘maybe in another life we could be together’ because she can see that literally in Kagome and that is not ‘her’ that she so wanted to be a ‘normal happy woman’ that when she sees it she only feels rage.

That the things that repress her are what made her.

Also she is kinda manipulative to InuYasha because he is unsocialized and she doesn’t realize they aren’t on equal footing and coerces him to be a full human to be with her.

When he loved her and had never had a friend before .. so sad and spicy.

So for me she doesn’t get inu. But I love her.

[creative-hanyou-girl]

And this makes Kagome's 3 year departure even more heart-wrenching. She was essentially the founder of their new family, but now suddenly the piece that tied everyone together in the first place is gone, lost to all of them. The person that gave them all a new place to belong and was the reason they all stuck around each other initially has vanished from their family. The family that wouldn't even exist without her.

We focus so much on how hard it was for InuYasha when Kagome disappeared, but really, everyone in the group lost an important piece of themselves when she left.

But she came back. And their family is whole again. Forever and always.

Inuyasha, for all the titular character's adventures in slaying various youkai to gain their powers or save people, is at its heart about Kagome adopting a bunch of strays into a found family. Inuyasha himself is obvious, but Shippou was literally orphaned and though it wasn't onscreen whose idea it was to take him in, he says he hung around because of Kagome.

Miroku was literally a vagabond roaming around waiting to die since he had no hope of finding (or beating) Naraku. Inuyasha was vehemently against him since he had crook-like tendencies and Inuyasha is already loath to trust people. It's Kagome's influence that brought him along in the end. She was willing to give him the chance he needed, AND was the one to show Miroku Inuyasha was trustworthy in turn.

Do I even need to get into how she helped Sango?

[mustardyellowsunshine]

In today's episode of Shut Up Robin, Nobody Cares:

InuKag bickering is so good because it's deeply telling of how comfortable InuYasha and Kagome are with each other at almost every stage of their relationship.

For starters, contrary to seemingly popular belief, arguing does not inherently signal dysfunction. It can sometimes signal the opposite: it demonstrates a level of intimacy and trust in your relationship that you are able to openly disagree with your loved one. You are not afraid of conflict because you know it won't break the relationship. In my experience, at least, it's shaky relationships that avoid conflict at all costs. When there's not enough emotional security with each other to openly disagree without fear/anxiety, open conflict never happens. That's why "arguing like an old married couple" is a cliché: it's the people who've built trust and security who will bicker like that.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it doesn't feel great to be in conflict with a loved one, even in a secure relationship. But being able to navigate conflict together in a way that eventually leads toward understanding and compromise is the sign of a strong relationship. Arguing is often a step in that process.

Which is why I find InuKag arguments absolutely, lip-smackingly delicious.

When they first meet, their arguments have the distinct flavor of, "I don't like you and I don't care what you think about me." Which is an excellent vintage tbh, full-bodied flavor with refreshing tartness. 👌👌 There's something so intrinsically entertaining about watching early-series InuKag butt heads, all the while knowing they eventually get married. And because early-series InuKag doesn't especially care about the other person's opinion of them, they don't hold back: there's no politeness barrier between them, there's no equivocating or filtering. They just have at it. They're not afraid to be themselves around each other, even when they dislike each other.

Then when their friendship begins to form—stage two InuKag 😁—their bond is forged from the two-pronged fire of 1) having each other's backs in life-or-death situations, and 2) experiencing the humdrum quotidian moments that come with traveling together all day, every day for long stretches of time. I've talked about this before, but I love how they know all the dumb little things about each other that you only learn from prolonged proximity: they know the timbre of each other's snores at night; they know how long the other can go without food before hangry-ness rears its head; they know which posture signals irritation or exhaustion, which facial expression signals daydreaming contemplation or a playful mood; they know which jokes will get a laugh and which insults will get the sharpest glances; the little intimacies abound!

By the friendship stage, InuKag bickering takes on a slightly different flavor. There's still that unfiltered, no-holds-barred vibe about them (because they're so used to being blunt with each other), but it also has the tenor of easy familiarity. Friends falling into the same low stakes argument they've had a hundred times already. There's not often any real heat or tension to the bickering, it's more like rote muscle memory. And when they do have real arguments, with real tension and emotional stakes?? It's delicious precisely because there are emotional stakes now! Goodbye, "I don't care what you think about me," hello, "I care so much what you think and I hate it and you're going to hear about it." It's still arguing InuKag, but with different emotional fuel sparking the arguments. Now there's affection and trust underpinning their unfiltered way with each other. It's mmm mmm good! I can eat it up all day.

And as the series progresses, and InuKag begin to develop obvious romantic interest in each other—stage three InuKag, yes it's terminal—the flavor of the arguments gets deeper because now those emotional stakes? They're even higher. And yet despite the higher stakes and the messy complications, they're still not afraid to butt heads. They're not afraid to be blunt and hash things out. I love this example of InuYasha's hack-and-slash style of conflict resolution. If there's a wall between him and resolving the tension, he'll just punch his way through it. 😂 Another favorite of mine is this banger scene where Kagome bluntly calls InuYasha out on his jealousy.

But probably my favorite stage three InuKag fight scene is this one, from chapter 310:

(Full scene here.)

Man, it's so good! Kagome—after taking pains to save Kikyo, who then essentially taunts her for it—starts to feel angry and resentful and then wallops InuYasha with those feelings. (Before any haters pipe in: characters need to make mistakes sometimes. This is one such occasion. Let the 15-year-old girl character make a mistake ffs.) And what does InuYasha do? He sticks around so they can hash it out. The best panels in this chapter are Kagome thinking, "He probably hates me now," only for her to look up and see him right beside her. He can handle her mistakes and flaws, because he knows Kagome. They've spent 300 chapters building trust in each other, and we see the fruit of that here. InuYasha knows very well that Kagome cares for him—cares so much that she's risked her life for him many times over by now, and cares so much that she just saved her own romantic rival partly for InuYasha's sake (but largely because she's just a good person). I think that's why he handles this moment with pretty good composure. He knows Kagome doesn't actually hate him, briefly hurtful as that comment surely was. So he waits until she's processed her feelings a bit more, and they talk it out. (While we're here: I really like that he's sitting close to her but is facing away from her, like he's trying to give her the space/privacy she needs to process her feelings without actually leaving her alone... ugh I love it.)

Notice how, even in the midst of this fight, they start checking in with each other, putting the other person's interest before their own. Kagome sincerely urges InuYasha not to "hold back," the subtext of which reads to me: "Don't let my outburst tie you down, please do what you need to do." InuYasha responds in kind (his subtext reads to me: "Be honest, don't just put on a brave face for me") and also reassures Kagome's underlying anxiety. When he says, "You saved Kikyo, right? Then she'll be fine, I'm not going after her," he's speaking directly to the source of Kagome's insecurity—he's telling her in no uncertain terms that concern for Kikyo's safety was his only motive for seeking her out. Now that he knows Kikyo has been healed and isn't in imminent danger, he's not going after her. Again, he is intentionally addressing what he knows to be the source of Kagome's outburst when he says, "You healed Kikyo? Then I don't need to see her." To me, his message is pretty clear: "I wasn't looking for Kikyo for the reasons you think."

Like! Look at them! Openly and honestly communicating! Messily sharing their feelings! Resolving conflict and talking shit out! They've come so far. 🥹

These stage three InuKag fights feel different than their early-series fights, and they should! InuKag have built trust and love, but with that love comes vulnerability. It's the people we love who have the power to hurt us most. So even while InuKag have fundamental trust in each other, they're both aware that their feelings come with greater potential to hurt each other. And watching them navigate that tension and that duality together? MMM MMM GOOD.

Like truly, InuKag fights at every stage of their relationship are my favorite thing, it's all such good food.

[fuedalreesespieces]

Inuyasha & Demisexuality

i think halfway into writing this i thought about just cramming all my thoughts into a semi-coherent rant due to a combination of a.) lack of access to decent translations of the manga and b.) paranoia about over-analyzing scenes and coming off as delusional (i think by now it's probably too late to thwart that claim) buuut this headcanon in particular is near and dear to me so i want to try and get as in depth as possible.

what is demisexuality?

in simple terms, demisexuality is when an individual doesn't experience primary attraction - that is, the sort of attraction based on immediate observable (often physical) characteristics - and instead only experiences secondary attraction first: the type of attraction that forms after the development of a deep emotional bond.

inuyasha and kikyo

this aforementioned term perfectly describes inuyasha and his relationships with the only women he's ever loved romantically. you could make the claim that his inability to feel primary attraction first stems from his trust issues and not inherent sexual orientation. and to that, i would disagree - he and kikyo develop an emotional bond despite an unspoken lack of trust, which may have improved had naraku not meddled in their lives. still, both find solace in each other's similarities, loneliness, and "outlier" status (though the similarities are in isolation only, if i'm being completely honest) and establish a connection that persists post-revival.

inuyasha eventually did start to feel primary attraction to kikyo during their time together - in the second chapter of the manga, when he compares kagome to her, he states that kikyo "looked pretty."

[source - viz. i haven't been in this fandom long, but what i've gathered is that there are a lot of mis-translations of this manga, even from viz. since i have yet to buy physical copies of the manga and don't have an account for the site, i'm going to be using fan-scans for the rest of these, which hopefully won't really affect what i'm trying to convey since i'll be looking at character expressions rather than dialogue for most of them.]

i'd also note the order in which he lists those traits: kikyo looked intelligent and pretty. her intelligent appearance is the first part of her he remembers, which i think underscores his priorities in this regard. he values things like intelligence and companionship - facets that come to light when developing secondary attraction towards someone - more than aspects of primary attraction.

inuyasha and kagome

as mentioned before, demisexuals don't feel physical attraction before establishing a tight emotional bond. the most blatant examples i could think of this were any instances in which inuyasha sees kagome nude and his difference in reaction - in particular, during the yura of the hair and togenkyo arcs, which are roughly seventy-three chapters apart. there are two new moons in that time, and from that we can say at least two months have passed.

chapter six: yura of the hair

kagome's bathing below him, and i'm sorry, but this expression literally screams "zero fucks given." he does not care in the slightest. not a blush. not a spot of red on his cheeks. not a sweatdrop. not a tee-hee. if i were to describe what he's feeling in this moment i would say "extreme ire." when she uses the sit command on him, it's on the assumption that he's "peeking," but kaede understands that it's actually because inuyasha is trying to steal a shard of the shikon jewel.

"huh?" - he sounds genuinely confused that she reached that conclusion, even though he was quite literally peering over the cliff's edge in what obviously has very perverse connotations. it's almost like he doesn't understand why kagome would think his actions come from a place of sexual attraction because that sort of thing just isn't on his mind at all, and he doesn't get why it would be in the first place.

another extremely blatant example can be see in miroku's introductory chapter: chapter 51, the delinquent priest:

do i even have to say anything. this scene also further emphasizes my previous point - before, the only reason he was there was to try and steal kagome's jewel shard. if his true intentions had been driven by primary attraction, this would have been an opportune moment to "peep." in his words, however, he just isn't interested. note that he could have said something along the lines of "i wouldn't do something like that" (which, if he was attracted to her in that way from the start, wouldn't have done anyway) but specifically i'm not interested. the primary attraction is not there in the slightest. at least, not until:

chapter eighty two: fateful night in togenkyo

the scene i'm talking about needs no introduction, but for context: kagome's half-freaking out after having woken up in a sake bath. inuyasha breaks down the door to come and rescue her, accidentally seeing her naked in the process. well, i'm sure his reaction won't be that dif-

...it's only one panel-

okay, two-

i think at this point it's fairly obvious that primary attraction has developed. besides the fact that he's spent three panels trying not to look like he's having a quasi allergic reaction, it's been approximately two months since they've met, and by now they've definitely formed the deep emotional bond required for him to begin feeling any primary attraction at all. in fact, the chapter where he tells kagome "there's no replacement for you" - that chapter, where he's vulnerable and honest and opening up to her, strengthening their bond further, (ch. 78, a tender smell) is directly before the togenkyo arc begins, and, thus, just before these scenes occur. these chapters have all been building up secondary attraction, and now that primary attraction is just starting to show up.

several chapters later we have this iconic panel from 173:

this is such a look of awe, as though he's gazing up at a goddess. jaw dropped, eyes-wide, words trailing off awe. he's entranced. fully head-over-heels in love, feeling both primary and secondary attraction in regards to kagome, and this trend only continues throughout the entirety of the manga.

conclusion + extra thoughts

my belief in this headcanon comes from not just the evidence depicted above, but because i just related a ton reading those scenes. i found myself just nodding along (as someone who's demisexual themselves!) plus, since ace-spectrum representation is so rare, it's nice to see it reflected in a character whose story and relationships i love dearly.

tags: @nightshade-lullaby

[elkonigin]

Inuyasha Meta - Sango's Relationships

Let's take a moment and talk a bit about the main relationships that Sango has within the story.

Inuyasha

Okay, these two are siblings that aren't actually related. Inuyasha gives her that brotherly relationship that she's been looking for after the loss of Kohaku. Especially at the beginning when she thinks that he's actually dead.

And when she discovers that Kohaku isn't dead, Inuyasha is the one to make her see reason and stops her from killing her brother to save him from doing anything else evil.

Inuyasha should be anti-brother, but he's not. Because he understands family and what it should be. Inuyasha protects Sango from doing something that he knows that she's going to regret.

But these two seem to banter and argue back and forth like siblings and I think that's what gives Sango some sense of normalcy, because Inuyasha makes her realize that family doesn't have to be blood, and that she has people who care about her here.

Kagome

Ah yes, Kagome. The ultimate best friend duo. Kagome allows her that opportunity to have a female friend. I have no doubt that Sango had a ton of male friends because of her profession, but Kagome lets her be soft and feminine, and brings her those things that define her as feminine.

Kagome offers her the duality of Sango's nature. Sango wants to be feminine; if she didn't, then she wouldn't be wearing her traditional wrap skirt all the time (which I also think Sango uses as a disguise part of the time to let people misjudge her and then BAM! she enters ass kicking mode).

Kagome also serves as a confidant, allowing Sango to therapeutically release all that negative emotion and her confusion in her attraction to Miroku. Kagome is the normal girl that Sango wants it to be, however, she is allowed to be both soft and ass-kicking all in the same sphere. Kagome lets her see that it is possible to be both AND be accepted for it.

Miroku

Now, so many people argue that Sango deserves so much better than Miroku, and I say that you're wrong.

Was Miroku a terrible person at the beginning? Yes. But a lot of this stemmed from the fact that the man thought he was going to die within a few years, and had to literally pop a baby out of some woman in the hopes that maybe he would finally get rid of Naraku.

Both Sango and Miroku were living to die. Sango was willing to die to destroy Naraku and save her brother, and Miroku was just counting down the days until he was sucked into the void.

We see Miroku's habits change towards women once he was engaged to Sango. Miroku might have been a player, but he's devoted to Sango. There's also a distinct change in how he acts. Miroku wants to live once he realizes that he has something to live for.

Sango is Miroku's reason for living, and Sango finds a reason for herself. Revenge is no longer her primary focus, and we her be a little selfish for just that one bit in her desire to be with Miroku and be a married woman. Miroku's willingness to die for Sango and her despair over the thought that he might die before her, renews her passion for fighting Naraku, not for revenge but for the life she desires to have.

Kirara

So we have the dynamic duo here. Kirara is Sango's constant companion. She is loyal and faithful, and helps Sango whenever she's in danger or needs assistance. We know that Kirara loves Sango. This much is clear.

And it's obvious that Sango loves Kirara, judging from the first scene we see them reconnect after the deception of Naraku is revealed. Sango thought that Kirara had died defending the village, and Kirara had spent the entire time attempting to defend the village, even after it fell, because Sango had asked her to.

Kirara is happy to follow Sango and group along as they travel with hardly a care or concern, even when she's treated more like pack mule and transport.

However, both are greatly respected, and this is the relationship that gives our hearts joy and makes us all wish we had a little fire cat as a personal companion.

Kohaku

These two have to be the kindest siblings you've ever seen. Our first introduction to them is where Sango is reassuring Kohaku over his place in the village and as a demon slayer. She's reassuring and motherly, and even when her brother murders everyone that she loves, she still tries to comfort him as he dies.

Even as Kohaku attempts to attack Kagome and kill her, she tackles him to the ground and is willing to him herself, because she knows that even though it would destroy her to kill her brother, she's willing to suffer as long as he's not. Sango knows what her brother would want, and she'd do her damnedest to carry out his wishes.

Because when Sango loves, it's full force 100% inescapable care and affection whether you want it or not.

And after everything is done and over, there's no hard feelings between them. Sango doesn't hold what happened to the village and her family against him. Think about it. This is a lot to just let go, and Sango immediately forgives him, because she knows that it wasn't him.

I feel like I could go on more, but I think this is more than enough. 😂

[khaleesiofthegreatdairystate]

There's a post by @mustardyellowsunshine that states that InuYasha's biggest motivating factor in his relationship with Kikyou post her resurrection wasn't love but survivor's guilt.

But for him, the situation with Kikyou is not a question of whom he loves more (despite how many people want to interpret it that way): it’s a question of doing the right thing. Of what honor demands of him. This isn’t about Inuyasha loving Kikyou more than Kagome. Pay attention to the terms he uses whenever he talks about or considers Kikyou: he talks about his role in her death (in chap. 78, he says her death is at least half his fault), he talks about his own failure to help her, he talks about how he doesn’t deserve to laugh or feel lighthearted after what happened to her… in other words, he almost exclusively talks in terms of guilt, in terms of duty and honor.

It's extremely unfair to InuYasha and his intentions when it comes to Kikyou to separate his affection towards her from his guilt, because you really can't.

Kagome or Kikyo: Who did Inuyasha really choose?

Personally it feels to me that Kikyo and Inuyasha’s relationship changed after she was brought back to life by Kagome. It feels… less romantic, less wistful, less reflection on the past and what went wrong. Less of a secret meeting between lovers (like Kagome feared) but two allies with an underlying past and mutual concern for each other. Now, they only focus on defeating their common enemy Naraku.

Example 1: Chap 315-6

Example 2: Chap 377

Example 3: Chap 449: After healing Miroku

I think by this point both of them have come to accept that though they will always be significant in each other’s lives, they simply aren’t the people they used be, and can no longer have what they used to have. Kikyo was no longer the pure-hearted miko who has never been tainted by hate, and Inuyasha was no longer the selfish and lonely hanyou only seeking acceptance. Which is not to say that they don’t care deeply for each other. Just that, for Inuyasha at least, his concern for Kikyo stems from a desire to fulfill her wish that he was unable to when she was alive, that of not having to fight alone anymore. Now that Inuyasha has known true happiness, peace, acceptance and companionship, while Kikyo seems unable to move on (because she was his past, symbolically), he wants it for her as well.

I think Kikyo realised after Kagome had saved her exactly where she had failed and Kagome had succeeded. After that, she even adopts the philosophy of saving whomever she could, especially when she was the only one who could do it, much more actively in the fight against Naraku. For example saving Miroku, and more especially, her posthumous decision to save Kohaku’s life, instead of pursuing vengeance.

On Inuyasha’s side, his internal battle was symbolically whether to let the past (symbolised by Kikyo) and sorrow drag him down and quite literally die, or to continue living, finding strength in others and in yourself. The thing is, he was always tempted to choose the former, but ultimately chose the latter. Kagome was his future. Her voice woke him up every time he was tempted to follow ‘Kikyo’ or the illusion of her. She was his strength, his motivation to live.

Lastly, the very last chapter of series was titled ‘Tomorrow’. Inuyasha and Kagome reunite and began a life with each other. Kagome’s last lines were

I think that this concludes the answer quite well.

[jakotsuto]

also, while we’re talking about that moment, can we discuss how like… irrational Bankotsu was being throughout the BO7 arc?

We all know his insistence on killing Inuyasha to “avenge his band of mercenaries” is silly because Inuyasha didn’t actually kill a single one, right? I mean, the closest Inuyasha came to killing one of the BO7 was Jakotsu, who Inuyasha didn’t finish off.

But further more, Sesshomaru is supposed to be stronger than Inuyasha, right? Bankotsu would’ve been told that? Bankotsu was told that Sesshomaru was strong, and that he killed Mukotsu with ease.

And he sends Suikotsu and Jakotsu to fight him and insists on taking Inuyasha on, who is a half-demon compared to Sesshomaru being a full-demon.

He seeks out The Strongest Opponents possible. That’s kind of his thing. Inuyasha doesn’t even have any jewel shards for him. The only possible motivations he has for wanting to kill Inuyasha specifically himself is:

Inuyasha dented the Banryu, which while he seemed annoyed about it, Bankotsu also like… referred to as a “little scratch” to Kanna

Jakotsu likes Inuyasha.

Even after Sesshomaru killed Mukotsu and contributed to Suikotsu’s end and Koga caused the death of Kyoukotsu and Ginkotsu, Bankotsu wants to fight Inuyasha again.

and I don’t think it’s because of Banryu, because otherwise Bankotsu probably would’ve said so. He doesn’t seem to particularly like lying.

Which leaves the only explanation as he’s obsessed with killing Inuyasha because Jakotsu likes Inuyasha and he’s jealous. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk, I accept no criticism because I’m right.

[creative-hanyou-girl]

So I'm watching the episode where InuYasha turns into a full demon for the 1st time and it got me thinking.

For all the times Inuyasha turned full demon he never ONCE went after Kagome. That is unless there's an outside malevolent influence or force trying to control Inu in his demon form, but even then Inuyasha fights against that outside influence while still in his demon form.

But when it's just InuYasha himself in his demon form without any outside evil to influence him, he's never attacked Kagome, or even the rest of his friends for that matter. Sure, Demon InuYasha's been weary of Kagome and the gang (especially during the 1st transformation) but he's never actually turned his claws against them and tried to attack them. And I have a theory that maybe its because Inu's demon recognizes Kagome and the others as people who are special to him. He doesn't fully recognize them, per se, but his instincts know on some base level that he cares about these people, ESPECIALLY Kagome.

Perhaps Demon InuYasha understands that these people are apart of his pack, and that Kagome in particular is someone who he cares a great deal for. *cough*his intended mate*cough*

Anyway, it was just something I noticed while rewatching this episode. Correct me though if I'm wrong.

[uptoolateart]

Hi there! I recently just read a post you wrote last year answering the topic on why there actually is no love triangle in the anime Inuyasha - between Inuyasha, Kagome, and Kikyo - and I thought it was fabulous! It made me think about things from a different perspective for sure, especially being Christian, but opening up to ideas from eastern religions, like Buddhism, as you highlighted. I want to ask you something regarding Inuyasha, as well. What does Kagome see in Inuyasha? Besides the fact that their souls were meant to be together, what does she see in him to like him so much? When do you think Inuyasha realized he is falling in love with Kagome? I know for Kagome it was episode 48 in the anime tv series, when she goes back to Feudal Japan and they have that convo by the well and she admits she wants to be by his side - implying she likes him I think more than a friend here. But when does Inuyasha have this moment of realization that he likes her too?Was it around this time? After? Thanks so much! :)

Thank you so much! And sorry it took me forever to write this reply! #jobinterferingwithwhat'simportantlikeTumblr

As with love in real life, I don't personally think any of them fell in love at a precise moment. It developed over time.

I think Inuyasha was equally drawn to Kagome and repelled by her at first sight, due to seeing Kikyo in her. However, in the manga, it's clear that he softens to her fairly early on - namely, the first time he visits present day Tokyo, to help her with the little girl's ghost. He didn't believe there was anything they could do for the child, but Kagome refused to give up, and ultimately she proved him wrong. The imagery in the illustrations, and some of his silent reflections, indicate that he was won over by her heart. He's a bit of a damaged child, orphaned, rejected by his remaining family, yearning for nurturing. She gives this to him.

He's such a softy, really! And I think she was intrigued by the rare moments when he let his guard down and showed his vulnerable side - especially that first time she saw him go full human and he needed her to look after him. Each time he dropped the bravado and showed his inner tenderness, it gave her pause and she felt herself attracted without knowing it was happening. There are moments when she's talking with friends and they all see she's in love, but she hasn't worked it out herself. Their comments force her to reflect on her confusing feelings.

As for Inuyasha and Kikyo, there's a long scene that happens fairly early in the manga but I think it doesn't show up in the anime until later in the sequence. Anyway, we see the two of them bonding over both being outsiders, unable to live like ordinary humans. She gives is the one to suggest he use the crystal, so that he's fully human and she no longer has to dedicate her life to protecting the stone. She wants to live as a normal woman. He also protects her sister, which clearly attracts her.

All that said...I think the love Kagome feels for him goes deeper. It isn't about simply uniting because they're both misfits in their society. Kikyo feels a little...emotionally contained. Kagome is so much more passionate. Also, Kagome has no interest in changing him. She accepts him as he is - and ironically her acceptance is what transforms him. He's been seeking this from someone, anyone, for so long. She gives him a great gift no one else has ever given him - not even Kikyo, really.

But being with him transforms her, too. It makes her bolder, stronger. The two of them grow together, and learn from each other, the way soul mates should. This growth is possible because she is 500 years on from the point Kikyo was at. She is the soul having lived through so much more. With greater experience, she is able to give more to him.

[kitramune]

I'm having feels again so bear with me, but Inuyasha is not that dense. He knows exactly what Kagome feels when it comes to having to somehow be compared to or live up to Kikyou. Their friends get that she has a complex, but I'd argue they don't REALLY get it. Inuyasha REALLY gets it. He is a hanyou. A torn existence that will always be compared to either a human or a youkai depending on the prejudice. He understands the pain of being compared and coming up short in people's eyes. This is why you canonically will NEVER see him compare the two in any direct way, and especially not to Kagome's face. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Hell, I imagine if he'd been there to hear, it, Kikyou's "you are me" comments would have pissed him off. It's more than romantic drama or average teen coming of age angst. It's about identity issues. Inuyasha and Kagome are more alike than a glance would let on, and me, I love that and how it ties into some of the deeper themes. (Which ARE especially important to teenagers, don't get me wrong.)

[inu-yasha]

Kikyou is full of love and kindness

Kikyou is a very tragic character. Her character is so complex that it is difficult to understand her, but she can be understood if will look at it differently to. Her character is tragic, deep and beautiful. I think Kikyou is the best written character of Rumiko out of all the Kikyou versions. Kikyou suffered more injustice from Inuyasha's old team from the 2000s. Her personality was completely erased. Her warm and soft side seems to have disappeared, her scenes with Inuyasha are erased or drastically changed, where Kikyou is shown as a truly unpleasant person. In a newer fan version from another artist, she is insulted and written that she is just an "ex girlfriend" This woman didn't deserve this. Kikyou faces injustice from every possible angle.

This post has been in the making for over 2 years. I've been thinking about writing this post for a really long time like you see, but I always put it aside. Now I can finally do it. This post is an analysis of her character. I know that there have been many 'analyses', but this analysis is different and shows a different side. I want to show that Kikyou is not a 'cold bitch'

The most common accusation against Kikyou and questioning her love is that she "asked Inuyasha to turn into a human. and higurashi accepts him who he's and truly love him"

I answered this question here, so can see it, but I wanted to add something because Kikyou and higurashi are often compared ,She and higurashi come from different backgrounds and times.

They both have different upbringings and both have different and mentality. higurashi is free and can do whatever she wants, no one limits her, she has many friends and she is free to love and hate,and all emotions. No one limits her, no one expects anything from her, she had no care or people's lives in front of her, she didn't have to hide or control her emotions. She wasn't lonely. She could always talk about her problems with her friends, she didn't have a father, but she had a mother who took care of her and her brother, so she didn't have to bear the burden of raising a brother, she didn't have to bear the burden of being alone. Kikyou she wasn't a free human.

Nothing is known about Kikyou and her past, but what can be sure be said, that Kikyou had to mature at a very young age because she had to take care of her younger sister. Kikyou became her parent and sister and she was also under the care of village and people for whom she was a 'great priestess and power', she was responsible for people's lives. Here I will support the anime, it has canonical scenes from the manga, so…. Kikyou and Kaede before shikon no tama traveled together and studied and I think that was Kikyou's only freedom, her feelings and loneliness were less. Everything changed when she got shikon no tama. Kikyou had to face demon attacks wherever she was and save the village and people, her duties became more burdensome. She couldn't show weakness or any other feeling. Kikyou wasn't free to love or hate. She was supposed to be a mass without feelings. She had to suppress all her feelings. She only had a sister and no friends. She couldn't talk to anyone about her worries and concerns, the burden she had to carry. She couldn't kill Inuyasha because she knew how he felt, I understand because she felt the same way. Inuyasha came into her life and was the first and only person Kikyou opened up to.

I will repeat it, her speech came from the depths of her suffering, wounded, lonely soul and heart. She told the truth. She didn't feel human, even though she was human. She felt that she didn't belong anywhere, all she had to do was take care of the former village and kill demons every day, without any feelings, as if she didn't feel anything. She was human, but she didn't feel like anything. She didn't know where she belonged. Literally like Inuyasha, that's why she could understand him so well. Inuyasha saw this sadness, her eyes, her smile, everything was sad, but I have the impression that if she could, she would cry. But all he has to do is suppress everything. Inuyasha was also despised by humans and demons because he did not belong to any worlds, he was a mixed race despised by both worlds. Kikyou understood this and Inuyasha's feelings perfectly.

Kikyou loved him as a half-demon and had nothing against it, but seeing how people reacted and that when he had a gem nearby and had to keep an eye on it, and he wanted to lead a normal and peaceful life with Inuyasha, the jawel had to disappear. She just wanted a quiet life with her sister and the person she loves. Nothing more. She only asked him, she didn't force it on him. He made the decision himself out of love for her. He wanted to do it for her and live happily with her. This also shows how much Inuyasha loves her too. Kikyou and Inuyasha knew that people looked down on the relationship between a demon and a human. Inuyasha's parents are a good example and they could live together peacefully the jewel must disappear. Kikyou simply thought that if the gem was used with good intentions, it would disappear. She will be free and will be able to live a peaceful life with Inuyasha and her sister.

it's easy to say "I accept you as you are" when you don't know how people look at people and demons, and you come from the free world, with free choice and you think that everything is so simple And your only problem is school and worrying because 'inuyasha went to Kikyou' and she can't have him just for herself. Kikyou bothered her so much because she took Inuyasha away from 'her' who wasn't hers, and she acted as if he only had to look at her. Of course, there is a moment where she understands Kikyou's feelings, but it's only momentary because later she has a problem again that Inuyasha is with Kikyou and she can't stand it. Her understanding is shallow and a shallow approach. An egoist is kagome and egocentric, focused only on herself, her pain, her feelings, and her friends only confirm this.

Inuyasha and Kikyou thought they were betrayed on each other, but even though their anger was visible, they still loved each other. Kikyou, instead of killing him, used an arrow to put him to sleep. She wasn't able to kill him, and she could have done it, but she decided to put him to sleep and chose death because she didn't want to live without him. A love stronger than the anger and excruciating pain Kikyou felt. Kikyou died with a lot of anger owards Inuyasha, Inuyasha also felt betrayed and attacked the desperate higurashi thinking it was Kikyou and despite everything he didn't stop loving her. They both felt angry and hurt by the betrayal, and that's what they thought.

Kikyou came back to life, but did she ask for it? No.

Urasure,created Kikyou so that she could have a slave and use her power. She thought that Kikyou would be at her service. Kikyou has returned against her will and she is now anxious, angry and hurt!! Inuyasha literally says the same thing in chapter 1, only Inuyasha calmed down and understood that he loved Kikyou, even though he denied it.

When Kikyou attacked Inuyasha, Kikyou received another slap from fate. Well, her younger sister stood against her. This is truly disgusting behavior from Kaede

I don't really care at this point that she knew Inuyasha wasn't evil, but what she knew was that they both betrayed each other and even Kaede thought Inuyasha had inflicted that wound on her when Inuyasha denied it, she immediately believed him and tried to stop her sister, knowing that she had the right to be angry. At that moment, Kikyou felt betrayed once again, now by the person closest to her, who she's cared in the past. It's really painful when your sister opposes you and tell to person who thinks he betrayed you, killed you, deceived you to destroy her body Kikyou understands that she can't count on anyone even in her pain and anger. She stood up for a girl I barely know and Inuyasha. and once again she learns that there is no one but himself and her own pain, immediately after waking up. Her sister really made her understand..

It made even me angry, and I still feel disgusted by Kaede. She is an ungrateful brat, which she shows throughout the series. Kaede should apologize to her. Not Kikyou to her. from Kikyou's point of view, very hurtful.

Kikyou tries to kill him a second time. At this point it is known who is behind the betrayal. Inuyasha and Kagome knew about it, but Kikyou didn't yet. Kikyou wanted to go to hell and go with him so that they could be together. Inuyasha didn't mind.

This means that Kikyou and Inuyasha love each other so much that they can go to hell together, to be together. This is Love. They really love each other. Kikyou, knowing that she did not belong to the living or the dead, tried to live normally in the village as in life. It didn't work, but she tried.

This woman has been rejected from the world and people for the second time, and the only person who understands her and always runs to her is Inuyasha.

Kikyou finds out that it is Onigumo and her goal is to destroy it, which is natural. So he steals the jewel and gives it to Naraku. Not because she helps him, but because she wants to destroy him.

Her actions may not be understandable, but she is not selfish. She just took it upon herself to kill him. She wanted to do it herself because she doesn't know any other way, only Inuyasha was there for her and supported her, but Kikyou didn't really have time to learn how to rely on others, shared her pain and worries. She acts alone because she knows that she is alone and lonely and is ready to take the risk because the person who destroyed her life and Inuyasha is alive and doing great. She has always been lonely. She doesn't know any other life, only this time she doesn't have her treacherous sister with her. She travels, helps everyone and does everything to bring the murderer to death. this way Kikyou showed that she knows how to destroy Naraku when they couldn't destroy him for almost the entire series. Of course, higurashi finished what Kikyou didn't finish.

Kikyou was the only one who showed concern for Inuyasha's feelings, the only one who took his feelings into account and the only one who truly cared about him.

She knew his friends would be worried about him. Kikyou thanked him for being with her. Her care and gentleness and gratitude are with her. Kikyou is just happy that he could be close to her even for a moment, but she knew that he also had friends who would worry about him.

Kikyou was the only one who predicted naraku's movements like kagome's eyes. naraku wanted her eyes, what Kikyo had previously predicted and warned inuyasha and helped her and his team giving higurashi an arrow to help her.

Kikyou helped people and was not afraid to face the attack of her murderer and lose her life in this revenge. Kikyou helped Inuyasha's team, she did a lot more than Kagome, the only thing she can be thanked for is saving Kikyou's life, but she didn't even do it of her own free will, only for Inuyasha. Kikyou predicted Naraku's movements very well and carefully. Kikyou saved Kohaku's life, but also Miroku's by absorbing his curse, which means that Kikyou accepted Naraku's curse into her body, which was really dangerous for her.

Kikyou gave up her revenge for Kohaku saving his life. She chose his life over her revenge and only Kohaku truly loved and respected Kikyou apart from Inuyasha. She had someone with whom she shared the same pain again and he was the same as her. And really, Kikyou appreciated Kohaku and wanted him to live, and she managed to do so. Kikyou always saved others, but she could never save herself. The well-being of others was always the most important, especially people she loved like Inuyasha and Kohaku

Kikyou is the core of everything. It was her soul that wanted to meet Inuyasha, that's why Kagome met Inuyasha and stayed with him. If it weren't for Kikyou's soul, these two wouldn't have met. It was Kikyou who fought and predicted what Naraku would do at an early stage of the story, she knew how to get rid of him, even though she was neither dead nor alive, she helped everyone, always showing goodness and kindness. Her love for Inuyasha, despite the anger and pain she felt at the beginning, has always been there. She loves Inuyasha, always has and always will. Same with Inuyasha. Death could separate them, but despite everything, Inuyasha loved her with all his heart.

Kikyou is an extremely complex and tragic character. Full of pain and loneliness, full of kindness and love. She deserves more love than hate

[chickenstilldancing]

Funny how the idea behind this fanedit came from a joke between me and a person who shares my same passion for Sesshomaru's fashionable footwear but then as got to work I accidentally realized how much you can say about Sesshomaru's personality and growth by the analysis of his character from the knees down.

I'd like to deepen this topic in the future, though until then let me suggest just a few things:

• Sesshomaru is quite literally able to fly and yet mostly he just walks on his foot. It is not given a reason but he's the type of youkai who saves energy unless the situation requires it, his every step is calculated, measured, so this characteristic of his makes sense.

• Sesshomaru's path knows no real obstacles, his real opponent is himself, so he just walks ahead, nothing can stop him, he really "walks all over you", like a tank. (Well, not entirely true, Inuyasha gives him a hard time, doesn't he?).

• He is also thoughtful, often just "standing there doing absolutely nothing" (to put it in @sesshoumaruonly 's words, thanks for your definition), like a statue, even in the middle of an action.

• Other times his stillness means something different. For example when facing Kagura's death. Then within him there are helplessness, compassion, grief.

• Typical of him, his lightning-fast movements too, so that in battle his feet barely touch ground (except for when he's calculating his next move or foretasting his enemy's impending defeat.)

• On rare occasions he even is capable of kneeling, the mere thought of which he should abhor as an act in direct contrast to his own nature, instead he finds himself doing exactly that first upon using/testing Tenseiga on Rin (you'd say almost an instinct of protection coming out unconsciously), then three more times during the Underworld arc, again because of Rin.

[mustardyellowsunshine]

In today's episode of Shut Up Robin, Nobody Cares:

I finished Maison Ikkoku back in February, and I had a lot of feelings about the series. (It's good, do yourself a favor and go read it if you haven't.) As I read through it, I couldn't shake the thought: this is the caliber of romantic development Rumiko Takahashi can bring to the table?? We could've had this kind of relationship development in InuYasha??? 😭😭

The other thought I couldn't shake: InuYasha fans who still question the sincerity and depth of InuYasha's feelings for Kagome might benefit from reading Maison Ikkoku all the way to the end. They should read the final chapters of Maison Ikkoku, think for awhile about the blatant parallel themes found in InuYasha, and then try reevaluating InuKag's dynamic.

Now, I should clarify: I think the InuYasha series already makes it abundantly self-evident that the Inu/Kag/Kik "triangle" (🙄) is a complex situation that puts InuYasha in an extremely difficult position. (Well, it puts all of them in a difficult position, but you get the idea.) You just have to read the series with your brain on to see that. To review: teenage boy is tricked and terrorized by a demonic murderer; that demon successfully murders the boy's ex while masquerading as him; later his ex is revived from the dead against her will, wanders the earth as a vengeful spirit for awhile (who wouldn't be pissed about being brought back into that bullshit?), and is actively stalked by the demon who already murdered her once; teenage boy is falling in love with someone else when this happens, but he still wants to save his ex from being re-victimized by the demon who already brutally murdered her once. Anyone who sees that situation and describes it with a straight face as "InuYasha needs to make up his mind already" is probably never going to reconsider their assessment of InuYasha's character. They've already formed an opinion in defiance of the evidence. That ship done sailed.

But for some folks, I think experiencing the way Maison Ikkoku explores the same relationship themes—and particularly how it resolves those themes in the final chapters—could help them re-evaluate the emotional nuances in InuKag's relationship, and maybe help to re-contextualize the Inu/Kag/Kik conflict.

The parallels between Godai/Kyoko and InuYasha/Kagome are pretty obvious—Rumiko Takahashi consistently revisits this relationship dynamic in her work (it's present in Mao to a lesser extent). But I think Maison Ikkoku more directly confronts the emotional complexity of that dynamic. You can feel the difference in how RT more directly explores the messiness, complications, and pain of a) grieving a former relationship even while falling in love with someone else, and b) loving someone who is still tangled up in grieving their past. The InuYasha series obviously deals with those themes too, but Maison Ikkoku brings more focus and resolution to its exploration.

This may be for two reasons: 1) Maison Ikkoku had an older audience, as it was published in a seinen magazine geared for adult men between 18 - 40 years old, and 2) the relationship tension between Godai/Kyoko pretty much constitutes the main story of Maison Ikkoku; in InuYasha, the plot (such as it is) revolves around a vengeance quest and the monster of the week, and the relationship tensions between InuKag are second to that. Maybe that's why RT was more willing to get into the weeds with Godai/Kyoko and to more directly resolve the tension.

InuYasha does have some standout chapters where it explicitly deals with the tension of InuKag's situation (e.g., chapter 78, chapter 124, chapter 176, chapter 286, chapter 458, etc.), but there's this distinct hesitance in the narrative to resolve that tension in a substantive way. That's one of my beefs with the InuYasha series: it gives us moments of standout, concrete relationship development which then doesn't impact the future narrative all that much. The same relationship conflicts play out over and over again, well past their narrative expiration dates. See: Miroku flirting with women right in front of Sango after they've acknowledged feelings for each other; also the entire Kaō arc, which just... I do not understand the narrative purpose of that arc when it just exacerbates tensions that already existed and resolves none of them. Anyway. I digress.

You could argue this hesitance to permanently resolve relationship conflict comes from the episodic nature of InuYasha's storytelling. There's some truth to that, but that's not a satisfying explanation for why the main couple's relational status quo remains inert for the latter half of the series. Maison Ikkoku also does this to an extent—the "will they, won't they?" tension is strung along for as long as possible—but in general Maison Ikkoku does a better job of allowing relationship development to actually affect the narrative. Moments of emotional revelation and growth do change the relational status quo between Godai and Kyoko. They don't stay in quite the same relationship limbo that InuYasha and Kagome get stuck in for the latter half of the series. (It probably also helps that Maison Ikkoku is significantly shorter than InuYasha.)

All that to say: I think Godai/Kyoko is actually a useful mirror for examining InuKag, because they share the same themes and relationship dynamics without sharing the same narrative failings.

Okay, so: big time major spoilers ahead for Maison Ikkoku. Stop here if you don't want to see the conclusion of that series.

I want to look at how Maison Ikkoku's conclusion simultaneously revisits and resolves the main conflict between Godai/Kyoko.

Ahhhhhh my feelings!!! Man I love this series.

Okay, let's review the major takeaways from this scene:

• Notice how the tension between Godai and Kyoko—Godai's struggle with insecurity and Kyoko's feelings for her deceased husband—mirrors the tension between InuKag. And notice that the reader is encouraged to sympathize with both Godai and Kyoko. Godai is not "at fault" for struggling with insecurity and feelings of jealousy. That's a natural human feeling to have, especially in a relationship that hasn't been anywhere near secure until very recently. And despite whatever jealousy or inadequacy he may be feeling, Godai tries to see things from Kyoko's perspective. Part of Godai's struggle—the heartache of it—is his understanding that Kyoko is also not at fault. It's not her fault that she married before she ever met Godai, it's not her fault her husband died, and it's not her fault that she's struggling with the grief of that tragedy. She's trying to reorient herself to her new life after loss; she's falling in love with Godai, but she's also scared of betraying her husband's memory. (Let's hold that mirror up to InuYasha now, shall we? SHALL WE?) Moving on from Soichiro emotionally represents to Kyoko a breach of duty to a loved one.

• To reiterate: neither Godai nor Kyoko are "at fault" in this situation. That's precisely why it's a tragedy. They both have to process painful, messy feelings; both their feelings are valid and understandable. (Hold that mirror up to InuKag, girl. HOLD IT UP.)

• Notice how Godai explicitly acknowledges that loving Kyoko means loving the Kyoko who once loved Soichiro. "On the day I met Kyoko, you were already within her. That's the Kyoko I fell in love with." It's impossible to divorce Kyoko from her feelings for her former husband: that part of her life significantly shaped her into who she is. And I just love that Godai is hashing out his feelings at Soichiro's grave: it shows a sort of respect for Soichiro's memory, but more importantly it also shows that Godai knows his negative feelings can't ultimately be "fixed" by Kyoko. If she could fix them, he'd be having this conversation with her. (And by this point in the series they have had this conversation.) But Godai knows he's the only one who can truly work through/resolve his insecurity—especially now, when Kyoko has already assured him that she loves him—and I love how the scene's setting subtly demonstrates that. Soichiro's ghost is haunting Godai's feelings, not Kyoko's, and Godai is trying to work through that with Soichiro himself. There's no love triangle to resolve here: what needs resolving is Godai's own feelings of inadequacy which no amount of assurance from Kyoko can ultimately "fix." This is his ghost to fight. (We get an echo of this kind of inner conflict in chapter 458 of InuYasha: Kagome directly wrestles with the "ghost" of Kikyo and struggles toward some resolution of her own insecurities.... Only for the Kaō arc to come along later and materially damage that resolution and character growth for no clear reason, BUT I DIGRESS.) And this scene shows that Godai wins that fight: he comes to understand that loving Kyoko has to include accepting her past. Kagome reaches a very similar understanding in chapters 175 and 176 of InuYasha.

• To reiterate: Maison Ikkoku's conclusion is not the resolution of a "love triangle." It's the resolution of a series-long conflict, which is completely different. In order for love triangles to work—to actually function as love triangles—two competing love interests have to be viable options. This is quite evidently not the case in Maison Ikkoku: Soichiro is dead at the start of the series. It's literally impossible for Kyoko to choose him in any meaningful way. RT blatantly acknowledges this early in the series when Kyoko's father-in-law tells her she has to live her life. I cannot stress enough how self-consciously the series is not about a love triangle between Godai/Kyoko/Soichiro. (Mitaka is another matter entirely, for a different post.) Rather, the series is about the damaging power of grief in our lives, the rocky and painfully non-linear journey to healing from that grief, and how messy, fraught, and ultimately profoundly beautiful it is to love another person for exactly who they are — past pain/trauma and all. (Please for the love of heaven hold that mirror up to InuKag.)

• No, you know what? I'm not leaving that at a parenthetical. I'm just gonna say it: exactly as Maison Ikkoku is not about a love triangle, InuYasha isn't either. For the same reasons as stated above, the Inu/Kag/Kik dynamic is not ultimately a love triangle because Kikyo is dead at the start of the series. And while her spirit is magically revived—in an altered/diminished form—she is still not truly alive. The story conspicuously communicates this: her body is literally created from decomposing bones and cannot sustain itself (she needs to consume souls—other deceased spirits—to remain animated), symbolically suggesting she is of the dead even as she walks among the living. This is a facsimile of life. RT is not subtle about this. Kikyo is a tragic and complex character whose arc can be interpreted in many ways, but I think it's fair to say that the series self-consciously represents her as a past which can't be recovered. The damage has been done. She is dead, time continues to move forward, and there's no reversing that. (That's, again, why it's a tragedy.) Even her resurrected body symbolically represents this reality via death imagery. Ergo, from the very start of the series—just as we see in Maison Ikkoku—Kikyo is not a truly viable option for InuYasha. He can't choose her in any meaningful way. To "choose" her would be to essentially choose death—abandonment of life—just as Kyoko choosing Soichiro would make her "a wife who hadn't died yet." Kikyo represents an irrecoverable past just as Soichiro does. And the main thematic trajectory of each series does not suggest that Kyoko/InuYasha should give up on life by choosing death — it suggests they should choose life. Godai and Kagome conspicuously represent life, the possibility of living into the future. (Kagome is literally from the future, that's how unsubtle RT is about this.)

(A quick aside while we're here: no, Kikyo's not being a viable option does nothing to diminish the sincerity of InuYasha's feelings for Kagome. Kagome is not a "second choice," for the love of God the series blatantly addresses that very thing many, many times—like it's right there y'all—and I have already written a long ass post about why Kagome's insecurity over InuYasha's feelings for her shouldn't be taken as gospel truth.)

So, rather than being an actual love triangle, I think the Inu/Kag/Kik dynamic is a complicated emotional landscape that explores the same themes Maison Ikkoku does: how grief and trauma affect our lives, how painful and messy it can be to heal from that grief, and that loving someone—choosing to take that mutual risk with them—means trusting that they mean it when they tell/show us they love us, and choosing to trust them more than our own insecurities.

It's just that Maison Ikkoku explores those themes a little better. 😅 Which is why I think it makes a good mirror for re-examining InuKag: all the same themes without all the narrative failings and missed opportunities. ✌🏼

[fuedalreesespieces]

I see you’re accepting Inuyasha asks.

Who is your favorite minor character (as in, not in the inugang which I’m defining as Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo) and why?

"give me inuyasha asks! i'm bored!" and then she doesn't reply for a near week...oops!

i'm not sure if this could count as an answer, considering this character is, well, dead (and while yes, kikyo and the band of seven are undead, they're actually actively doing things in the story, unlike my chosen character), but my favorite minor character is izayoi. we don't know much about her aside from her being a loving mother towards her son. i want to know more - what kind of person was she as an individual? how did she meet toga? what about her family? there's so much unsaid about her and I desperately need more content with her and inuyasha together. the only chapters that focus on them are the ones briefly following chapter thirteen - a mother's face:

this, for me, is one of the most emotionally devastating arcs of this manga. everything about it, from sesshomaru's manipulation of inuyasha into making him think he could possibly bring back izayoi, to izayoi insisting that inuyasha should leave her behind because, after all, she'd already died before:

this exchange, which always kills me:

i could literally bawl about these two panels all day. the stammer...the hesitant, "do you have to?" even though he knows she does have to leave, eventually, he doesn't want her to. he just wants someone to stay - he wants his mother back. and maybe part of him knew this couldn't be real, but he wanted it to be real.

anyway....this kind of devolved into me talking about how much I love these two chapters (for making me cry.) I love izayoi and I wish we got to see more of her!!