TV SERIES · 2000– · JAPAN
Inuyasha
45 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (45)
- #001
When Inuyasha first met Kikyo he was about 150 years old, and when he met Kagome he was 200 years old.
- #002
The Staff of Heads, or nintoujou, used by Sesshoumaru's servant Jaken is a real artifact displayed at the Kamakura Museum in Japan.
- #003
After 167 episodes, Sunrise decided to end the animated show because it had caught up with the still-running manga series it was based on and no material remained. However, on a radio talk program, the series' producer explained that they had only ended the show's first series, signaling that a second series would soon appear. The series has since concluded with a 26-episode series titled InuYasha: The Final Act (2009), for which all of the original voice actors returned except Moneca Stori, the voice of Kagome. The anime ended its broadcast run on March 27, 2010.
- #004
Naraku is the Japanese word for "Hell."
- #005
Shippo, in an attempt to impress five young Fox Demons, once took up the Tetsusaiga to practice the Wind Scar, making him the only full-blooded demon able to hold the sword in his own hands without being affected by its barrier.
- #006
Inuyasha's apparent demon abilities are super strength, increased agility, enhanced senses, enhanced reflexes and a healing factor. He also possibly has the ability to sustain short bursts of flight. (Inuyasha is often seen leaping great heights and distances without touching the ground. This is possible because of the well-known flight abilities displayed by his father and older brother.)
- #007
"Inuyasha," the name of the main character, roughly translates to "dog demon." "Inu" means "dog" — the exact meaning of "yasha" is a matter of debate, but it is generally accepted to refer to a supernatural creature such as a demon.
- #008
Some nudity in the manga had to be significantly reduced for the anime. For example, in the manga there are several moments when Kagome bathes and you can see her nipples. The anime never showed anything explicit.
- #009
The origins of the Tetsusaiga and the Tensaiga are never explained in a "linear time line" style. The combined stories of the original series, the 3rd Inuyasha film and The Final Act tell the following story: Inuyasha's father InuTaisho possessed the Sword So'unga. (The Sword of Hell) Some time after acquiring So'unga, InuTaisho had Totosai forge the Tetsusaiga (the Sword of the World) from one of his own fangs. After the Tetsusaiga was forged, InuTaisho fought and defeated the demon Shishinki and stole his signature Meido Zangetsuha move for himself. However, the Meido, which he never fully mastered, was expelled from the Tetsusaiga and placed into the Tensaiga. (The Sword of Heaven) Before his death, InuTaisho somehow enchanted both the Tetsusaiga and the Tensaiga's power to destroy So'unga, enchanted both swords so that neither could destroy the other, and enchanted the Tetsusaiga to resist the claws of full-blooded demons.
- #010
Kikyo(u)'s name means Chinese Bellflower; a flower often used for mourning.
- #011
Myoga is the Japanese word for "Unnoticed Assistance."
- #012
"Kirara," as written in Inuyasha, is an onomatopoeic word referring to the sparkling sound of a stone, specifically a mikan.
- #013
Shippou means "Seven Treasures" in Japanese.
- #014
Hojo is the Japanese word for "Aid."
- #015
Kouga is the Japanese word for "Steel Fang."
- #016
Hakudoshi means "White Child" in Japanese.
- #017
Kanna is the Japanese word for "Godless."
- #018
The name "Onigumo" is made up of the Japanese words "ogre" and "spider."
- #019
Kagome's name is written only in hiragana, the Japanese phonetic alphabet; since no kanji is assigned to it, it does not actually carry a meaning of its own. However, it resembles a word referring to a woven bamboo pattern. "Kagome" is also a meaningless sound featured in a children's song.
- #020
In his second battle with Inuyasha, Bankotsu launches two attacks based on energy waves using his weapon Banryu. One is "Dragon Thunder" and the other is "Dragon Hammer." The name of his halberd, "Banryu," means "Barbaric Dragon."
- #021
Naraku is a shapeshifter. The face he normally wears is that of Nobleman Kagewaki, whom he impersonated to trap Sango, but it is not his true face. When Onigumo first became Naraku, his face probably resembled Onigumo before he was burned, yet Onigumo's face is never shown during the series, and the only character who truly sees it is Rasetsu. After becoming Naraku, he was first seen wearing only the baboon pelt and not showing his face. It is likely that Naraku chose never to wear Onigumo's face as a way of forgetting him. When Naraku first appears before Kaede, she recognizes his voice but not his face. When Muso emerges from Naraku's body, he appears without a face because he cannot remember what Onigumo looked like. Essentially, Naraku's true facial appearance is never shown throughout the entire series.
- #022
Akitoki Hojo is the only character in the series directly connected to any Inuyasha film. The character was first introduced in the second film, InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (2002), and reappeared in the series' sixth season. (At one point in the film, Shippo blackmails Akitoki into becoming his personal slave over his silence about Akitoki spying on Kagome and Sango while they bathed. In InuYasha: The Final Act (2009), Shippo removed Akitoki from his "bonds.").
- #023
"Miroku" is the Japanese name of Maitreya, the future Buddha in Buddhist tradition.
- #024
The kanji in Sango's name means coral, while that of her brother Kohaku means amber.
- #025
Jaken is the Japanese for "Wicked Hearted."
- #026
Totosai means "Sword Purification" in Japanese.
- #027
Like many other characters in the series, the wolf demon Koga carries a katana at his waist as a secondary weapon. (His primary weapon is his own limbs.) However, throughout the entire series, including InuYasha: The Final Act (2009), Koga never draws his sword. Other characters who use a sword as a secondary weapon are Sango, Kohaku, Ayame and Ginkotsu.
- #028
When it aired on Japanese television, the sponsor was PlayStation.
- #029
The fake Sacred Jewels available in the fourth season were created from clusters of "noxious demonic vapors." This substitute lacked a significant amount of souls to be pure. The analogy resembles the Philosopher's Stone and imitates the anime "Fullmetal Alchemist." In FMA, fake Philosopher's Stones were created by compressing toxic alchemical materials, whereas the only way to make a real stone was to transmute a large number of human souls.
- #030
In the fifth season, The Band of Seven never reunites as a whole to fight one another. After their resurrection, only five of them fight together, while two of the other members died before they could reunite.
- #031
Rin's name is written in hiragana and has no kanji assigned to it, so it has no meaning. Rin can mean "Park."
- #032
Kaede means "Maple Tree" in Japanese.
- #033
Rumiko Takahashi never officially gave names to Kagome's three school friends in the manga. Ayumi, Eri and Yuka were the names given to them by the anime company Sunrise, which made the anime.
- #034
The Higurashi shrine is based on a real shrine of the same name located in Ito, Shizuoka.
- #035
In Hungary, a television channel that held the rights to the animated show (RTL Klub) was forced to cancel the program after 113 episodes. The final 54 episodes and InuYasha: The Final Act (2009) were allegedly dubbed into Hungarian but never aired.
- #036
Inuyasha's story was inspired by a short manga story Rumiko Takahashi wrote in the '80s, which was also adapted into an OAV titled Rumic World: Fire Tripper (1986).
- #037
The Modern Era begins in 1996 and ends with a time skip in 1999. The sequel series takes place 21 years later.
- #038
It is one of the last animated series to be entirely produced with cel animation.
- #039
Sesshoumaru means "Destruction" in Japanese. The "maru" at the end of his name has no meaning. This suffix was commonly added to boys' names.
- #040
Three of the voice actors in this series later appeared in Ninjago (2011): Paul Dobson, Jillian Michaels and Kirby Morrow.
- #041
Hachiemon bears a striking resemblance to Mujina, except that Hachiemon is a raccoon dog and Mujina is a badger. Both the tanuki and the mujina are shapeshifters in Japanese mythology. Interestingly, tanuki and mujina are sometimes used interchangeably; in some regions of Japan, raccoon dogs are called mujina and badgers are called tanuki.
- #042
The Hachi in Hachiemon's name means "eight" in Japanese, a fitting meaning for his species, the tanuki. Because a tanuki is said to have eight special traits that bring good fortune, the name was likely created to match the "Hachi" symbol (meaning eight) often found on the sake bottles the statues hold. The eight traits are: a hat ready to protect against trouble or bad weather; big eyes to perceive the surroundings and help make good decisions; a sake bottle representing virtue; a large tail providing steadiness and strength until success is achieved; large testicles symbolizing financial luck; a promissory note representing trust or confidence; a big belly symbolizing bold and calm resolve; and a friendly smile.
- #043
The design of the main character Inuyasha was Rumiko Takahashi's recycling of Ranma Saotome (male), the protagonist of the Ranma ½ film, and the voice was likewise provided by the same actor, Kappei Yamaguchi.
- #044
The design of Kagome Higurashi was Rumiko Takahashi's recycling of Akane Tendo from Ranma ½.
- #045
In the Latin Mexican Spanish dub, the character Kagome Higurashi is renamed Aome.
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