#inukik

[blackynsupremacy]

or whatever kikyo said. that’s some real talk though.

[kaqura]

[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

[moonnueart]

A Rare Moment

[ohmagab]

Li'l kiss!

I´ve always been an Inukyo lover and that will never change.

[ka-go-me]

. Inuvember Day 21: ιηυуαѕнα αη∂ кιкуσυ 𝐹𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝒪𝓃𝑒

【★】~ DeviantArt | gyxycn

[love-sapphirerose]

“Inuyasha NEVER CARED FOR KIKYO HE ONLY LOVED KAGOME”

The manga: am I a joke to you?

[alicepupurred]

~The Sun~

~in her~

~Heart~

°~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~°

A new Kikyo redraw

Check out my link pinned on my account to find my print shop if you want to have her at home.

[mangastararts]

🎃HAPPY HALLOWEEN🎃 I hope you like it

[loopyren]

can i say something about inukik & inukag lol

For context, I’m a latecomer to this series. I just finished it last month in the year 2023. And “Did Inuyasha love Kikyo more or Kagome more?” is sort of a weird debate for me.

Because it's sort of implying that "love" could be quantified or something. Like it’s something you can point your finger at and count. But from my, ahem seasoned expertise, that’s not how it works.

So I want to look at it in a different way.

Let’s get it straight. Love is not quantifiable. Inuyasha loved both Kikyo and Kagome the best way he knew how. He was genuine about both of them. His feelings were earnest and true.

But you can’t deny his love somehow feels... different between the two of them.

So what is it? What is this difference?...

*deep breath* please bear with me I need to get this out of my system

+

Inuyasha loved Kikyo. But their love felt transactional.

Kikyo showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person for once. But... she was kind of in a sad place in life. In protecting the jewel, she felt robbed of a normal life. So, she asked him one day, "Will you become human and destroy the jewel? For me?" Kind of a tall ask, but I don’t blame her. She was feeling miserable. And Inuyasha's like, "Yes, of course!"

But then she died. And got resurrected. And Inuyasha's like “well shit, now I REALLY need to do something for her. She DIED because of me.” That's really what's driving his love (is it love anymore? idk) at this point. It feels like he's chasing to pay off his debt.

That's what I mean by “transactional.”

Okay, so Inuyasha loved Kagome too. But their love felt unconditional.

Kagome also showed him kindness, didn't try to kill him, treated him like a normal person etc. just like Kikyo. But she doesn’t really need anything from Inuyasha, right. She’s content with her life and all. So... she didn't ask for anything back. She just gave kindness to him and went on her merry way. Ok ya, sometimes she gets a lil grumpy (she’s human) but she always believes in him, trusts him to do the right thing, supports him when he's weak, yada yada... and like, that's it. Inuyasha even tries to make himself look like the bad guy, steals her shards, freakin’ pushes her into the well to get her to go home (cuz he didn’t want her to get hurt anymore), but Kagome comes back HUGGING him LMAO

Kagome is giving him literally nothing but love and trust and support. Not really expecting anything in return. She just wants to see him be his best and do his best. Encourage him during hard times. Even when she sees him with Kikyo lol… Clearly it hurts her and she realizes she caught feelings (oops), but she accepts that about herself and holds on to her desire to support him through and through.

She kinda says to him, "Hey… I know my place (in relation to Kikyo), but I still want to support you. I want to see you smile and be happy. Will you let me stay by your side?"

DAMN. Inuyasha says, "You’ll stay for me?" (well, in the anime in Japanese that's what he literally says, I replayed that scene like 500 times to make sure I heard it right). And she's like ya! Let's go!

CMONNNN. His brain is probably like “NO STOP! I OWE MY LIFE TO KIKYO!” but his heart is already saying “JFC THIS GIRL. I LOVE HER.” And he wants to do everything for her, not because he's indebted to her. It's not a transaction he needs to pay up. He does it because he really wants to.

So like, people making a ruckus about “Inuyasha Loved Kikyo!!!” vs “NO INUYASHA LOVED KAGOME!!” And I’m just sitting here going, uhh. I mean y'all both right! He... loved them both? Hello? And he loved very adorably for both of them. He’s such an honest lover.

But the circumstances in which he loved each girl are totally different. 

With Kikyo, the circumstances were pretty dire. They were both deprived of something important to them. Her, a normal life. Him, just basic love and affection. They weren’t able to love each other with no strings attached bc they both still had stuff internally to deal with (her: the need to be liberated & him: insecurity). But, regardless, they shared a special bond that can’t be replaced. That’s a given.

Kagome... gave him better circumstances to love. Her love made him feel light. It felt so good and positive. She taught him a lot on what it means to trust and love someone unconditionally. He could show her all his ugly and she accepts that about him. She helped him meet lifelong friends too, Miroku, Sango, Shippo... And he really treasures her for that. They also shared a special bond that can’t be replaced, literally no one can replace bc he basically screams out loud (in the Meido) she is his soulmate. :’) suh cute

I think at the end, yeah, Kikyo might’ve got some smooches and our InuKag friends are like D: But… I’m romantic ace so maybe I see it differently, but it’s just a kiss. I never doubted that the only kiss that would truly make his eyes light up, the only kiss that could cause his entire soul to leap out of his own mouth and stun him into silence, is a kiss with Kagome. And Rumiko Takahashi did that without actually providing us a kiss scene (in the manga). 

Takahashi made me trust Inuyasha like how he and Kagome trust each other. :((((

That’s... incredible. Standing ovation character building 👏🏼

[mrmathmanwr]

The lack of care given towards Kikyo in the InuYasha fandom is sad. SHE'S SUCH A COOL CHARACTER TO BE ONLY AN AFTER THOUGHT.

That flashback scene when Kikyo got resurrected is what got me big time. The fucking "You hide your humanity, just like I must." And the damn "No, I suppose... You're not." LIKE MOTHERFUCKER, AUGHEJIEURJEJD.

I must sound insane to someone outside the fandom but seriously, there is so many cool parts with her, and the dilemea she poses for Inuyasha too. There's the part where she's getting exorcised, and the little girl who spying watches her favorite person, a high priestest, kill one of her OWN DAMN ORDER, BECAUSE HE TRIED TO EXORCISE HER BECAUSE SHE'S A FUCKING WANDERING SOUL. That scene is so cool, even how the priest showed nothing but sympathy and despair for Kikyo.

The scene where she tries dragging InuYasha to Hell with her with a kiss but he's only saved because he heard Kagome's distress? Imagine Kagome and InuYasha's relationship if that scene never happened.

THE FACT SHE IS THE ONLY REASON NARAKU EXISTS, THE WHOLE SUBTERFUGE THAT HAPPENED RIGHT BEFORE THEIR DEATH, THE FACT THAT (at least at book 5 this is my understanding) SHE CAN'T MOVE ONTO THE NEXT REALM AT ALL, BECAUSE SHE'S A MIRROR OPPOSITE OF INUYASHA'S DILEMEA.

Seriously!

Just like how Inuyasha is tied on the use of the Shikon Jewel because of Kagome and Kikyo, whether to use it to turn human or demon, she is tied on how to move on. She says, just like how InuYasha says he wants to turn into a full demon, she wants to kill InuYasha, but inwardly, she doesn't. The only time she came close would've sent her to Hell an unhappy, impure soul (referencing the kiss ofc.) She also can't fall back in love with InuYasha because, she's a dead woman. Plus, he's into Kagome now, she recognizes their bond.

What is she to do? She's aimless, and hates what she is. She was a priestest! She used to abjure her kind. Now, she does the exact thing she hated demons for, feasting on the souls of the dead to keep living. And for what? "To kill InuYasha!" She realizes she's lying to herself.

Even if she comes back to life, further in the manga, which there seems to be hints at (tenseiga, her giving naraku the shikon jewel, yada yada,) i feel more attention could be drawn to those aspects of her. Anyways, enough fanboying. Kikyo is based, anyone who disagrees will be sent anthrax.

[feudalmerengue]

I think that we tend to use the argument that Kagome was the best option for Inuyasha because she always accepted him as a half demon, and what Kikyo really wanted was just to turn him into a human (also disappearing the jewel in the process)

But she was told her entire life that her mission was to eradicate demons. THAT WAS HER LITERAL JOB and for her to fall in love w a half demon must have been terrifying at the moment. Think abt it, ur job is to exterminate demons and you not only find someone that has a closer life experience to yours than any other human will ever have, but you find yourself wanting a future with them.

And lets not get started on the social connotations that this would bring. Kikyo the most powerful priestess of the region. The strong and unstop-able Kikyo ... marring a half demon?

It's said that it was basically her fault that her powers got weaker and bc of that Naraku was born.

Because she felt in love with a half demon

So it makes sense that Kikyo wanted Inuyasha to become human so they could be together in peace. Also, through Kikyo's eyes, she was helping Inuyasha end that painful life he had prior to meeting her. He was going to have a more stable life without fighting and worrying about surviving and just start living.

Yes Kagome loved him just as he was, dog ears and everything, but she viewed those characteristics through her privilege. She didnt grew up fearing monsters attacking her village and killing her loved ones. It was just the things that made Inuyasha Inuyasha.

I will forever defend that Inuyasha loved Kagome while before Kikyo's death, and if things would have played differently he would pick Kagome anyways. But maybe not thinking of Kikyo as selfish.

[sesshoumaruonly]

I need to say that people who are mad at inuyasha for being Like That about kikyo dont realize that they were engaged. Kikyou was inuyashas fiance.

[mayarab]

Art made as a birthday gift to @classysassy9791 to go with @jewel-shard 's fic Unnecessary

Patreon | Ko-fi | Catarse | VGen

[lust-for-ultraviolence]

couples I headcanon as enbyhet because it makes me happy

InuKik

ShikaIno

SeiUsa

[ka-go-me]

. ᏇᏗᏖፈᏂᎥᏁᎶ ᎧᏬᏖ

Probably on Twitter / X, but I am not sure. Plus-the signature is in "doctor's" cursive, so I can't read it. xD