Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru
InuYasha character
File:Sesshomarumanga.gif Sesshomaru in the manga
First appearance	"Aristocratic Assassin, Sesshomaru"
Created by	Rumiko Takahashi
In-universe information
Species	Inugami daiyōkai
Relatives	Inu no Taishou (father, deceased) Mother InuYasha (half brother)

Sesshomaru (殺生丸, Sesshōmaru) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. He is portrayed as an anti-hero, and is the older half-brother of the series' protagonist, InuYasha.

In an InuYasha character guide, it was revealed that Sesshomaru means "Destruction Man".

Overview

Sesshomaru is the yōkai son of the powerful Inu no Taishou and another, yet unnamed inuyōkai known only as Sesshomaru's Mother. Since Inu no Taishou is considered to be a daiyōkai (great yōkai), Sesshomaru is a daiyōkai himself. In both the manga and the anime, he appears stoic and hard to read. He rarely smiles, and when he does, it is usually not a good thing; Jaken once begged Sesshomaru to beat him rather than to smile because it was Sesshomaru's smile that he feared most. Sesshomaru believes that struggle is the only way for survival, and throughout most of the series, he shows his contempt for InuYasha, his half brother.

Although Sesshomaru inherited his father's Tenseiga, which can bring 100 people back to life with a single swing, he originally coveted InuYasha's inheritance, the powerful Tessaiga. However, a barrier was cast around Tessaiga so that full yōkai cannot wield it without burning their flesh. Even knowing that he cannot touch the sword, Sesshomaru still desires to take it from InuYasha. He fights with InuYasha in their father's grave and by chance, InuYasha transforms the blade and hacks off Sesshomaru's left arm. It is not until his fight with Magatsuhi that his left arm returns. By the time he regains his left arm, however, he is no longer interested in obtaining the Tessaiga.

He is followed by his retainer, an imp-like yōkai with a small beak named Jaken, and later by a human orphan named Rin, whom Sesshomaru brings back to life using Tenseiga, which he tells Jaken was merely a test of the sword (bringing a great deal of distress to the retainer). He is also followed by a two-headed dragon that Rin names Ah-Un. Ah-Un is Rin and Jaken's main form of transportation when Sesshomaru takes flight or when they need to cover long distances quickly. Also, Sesshomaru later saves Kohaku from Byakuya, resulting in Kohaku's decision to join his retinue as they leave Sesshomaru's mother's palace. It is also revealed that none of his companions (excluding Ah-Un) can again be revived by the Tenseiga since they have all died before and were either already revived by Tenseiga or are being kept alive by a Shikon Jewel shard.

Growing compassion

Although Sesshomaru maintains a cool, disinterested exterior, throughout the story his compassion seems to be growing. When InuYasha is controlled by his yōkai blood, Sesshomaru comes to see for himself the power that InuYasha could produce. After defeating InuYasha, he instructs Kagome to return the Tessaiga to InuYasha in order to restore him to his former self. It is possible that he lost interest in obtaining the Tessaiga mainly due to InuYasha's need for the sword to control his yōkai blood, but also because he had recently got his own offensive sword, Tokijin. He left claiming that he intends to kill InuYasha one day, when InuYasha could adequately fight back. By making this public declaration, Sesshomaru is claiming first right to InuYasha's death by his own hand, and at his choice of time and place. Thus Sesshomaru can then choose to battle any shared adversary with no loss of face and without admitting any familial attachment or emotions. As by his declaration, any enemy attempting to kill InuYasha is infringing on Sesshomaru's right to do so.

Though Sesshomaru is prone to hitting, kicking, and stepping on his servant Jaken, he has repeatedly warned Jaken to move out of the way prior to an attack. Sesshomaru also allows Rin to follow him and protects her when she gets in trouble. Kagura later kidnaps Rin for Naraku as part of his attempt to absorb Sesshomaru. When Naraku tries to escape after failing to absorb him, Sesshomaru intended to pursue Naraku, but upon hearing that Rin was in danger, he lets Naraku go, and instead goes to aid Rin.

Later in the manga, when Rin appears to be dead due to her time in Hell, Sesshomaru enters Hell for the purpose of rescuing her, but upon learning that he cannot save her life, he is crushed. When he realizes that it was his urge to strengthen Tenseiga which brought them to Hell and ultimately killed her, he casts the sword aside and says for the sword to gain power at the expense of Rin's life means nothing.

When Kagura is injured, Sesshomaru originally intended to leave her in the river she was drowning in, but when Rin falls in trying to save her and Jaken follows after Rin, Sesshomaru pulls all three from the river. Later however, before Kagura's death, Sesshomaru seeks her out and considers using the Tenseiga, only to conclude that Tenseiga cannot save her, despite the fact that her head and neck are intact.

He has also been shown "helping" InuYasha's friends on several occasions. On his way to Hakurei-zan, Sesshomaru saves Kagome, Miroku, and Sango from the poison master Mukotsu, one of the Shichinintai, but only claims that he killed Mukotsu because he was in his way. He also revives a young otter yōkai's father, claiming that it was the will of Tenseiga. Another example is when InuYasha and his companions are involved in a fight with the "water god" Numawatari; when Sesshomaru arrives, he insults InuYasha's inability to kill a "low life yōkai", and then easily dispatches Numawatari using his Meidou Zangetsuha ability, leaving straight after. Later, in Naraku's body, he allows Kagome to follow him, keeping her safe.

Also, when Byakuya, Naraku's newest offspring, is about to take Kohaku, who has one of the last three shards of the Shikon Jewel, back to Naraku, Sesshomaru appears and launches a ranged Meidou-Zangetsuha (still in the crescent moon shape), barely missing him. Byakuya flees claiming that he does not want to die, and comments on how it is so unlike Sesshomaru to save someone. Thereafter, Sesshomaru seems to have taken Kohaku into his protection, albeit in his typical grudging fashion (after once more rescuing Kohaku from peril, Sesshomaru tells him curtly, "Don't make me waste time unnecessarily. This arm is only for holding a sword." However, he also advises Kohaku to take the path back to safety while he himself intends to proceed into greater danger). Later, when Kohaku's shard gets tainted by Magatsuhi, he attempts to save Kohaku at the expense of great injury to his arm.

It is his compassion that caused the Tenseiga to be reforged as a weapon. Its offensive powers were locked until Sesshomaru shows true compassion. In battle with Mōryōmaru, the villain insulted the deceased Kagura, which angers Sesshomaru to the point that he shatters Mōryōmaru's indestructible shell (and his only weapon in the process). Acknowledging the yōkai's growth, Tenseiga called to its creator to reforge it as a weapon. Later, to show his compassion and respect for his father, he gave the offensive powers of his sword to InuYasha (albeit in his typical fashion) in accordance with his father's wishes and acknowledgment of his brother's worth as heir to the sword.

Despite his growing compassion, he, like his brother, uses impolite Japanese. He addresses strangers or people he does not like with "kisama", which, like "temee", is an offensive form of "you," though still more formal. He addresses himself with the polite "watashi", signifying his high rank and power. Other than "kisama", he uses "omae", either to Jaken or to InuYasha, the latter being occasionally and not rarely. Thus he can be insulting while retaining the dignified speech pattern of a lord, as opposed to the rougher speech used by Inuyasha. These correspond to the dialects of Kyoto and Osaka, respectively, of the Kansai dialect.

Clothing

Sesshomaru's armor includes a spiked pauldron that covers his left shoulder attached to the upper section of his cuirass. When damaged, his armor automatically regenerates itself using youki. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided "Mainland" (Chinese) influence, as opposed to the customary Japanese armor and Obi (sash or belt). His Kimono is mostly white with a red honeycomb and flower crest at the collar, sleeves, and shoulder, most likely the crest of his family clan. He wears Sashinuki Hakama, (a type of traditional flowing Japanese "pants"), which are gathered at the ankles producing the "ballooning" effect. His footwear consists of flat pointed ankle-high boots (instead of sandals), also reminiscent of Mainland influence.

Abilities and weapons

For a list of abilities for Tenseiga and Tōkijin, see Tenseiga and Tōkijin.

Many of Sesshomaru's innate abilities are a result of his lineage, being the son of two extremely powerful demons. Naraku has referred to Sesshomaru as "the perfect demon"; the natural 'completion' of Sesshomaru's demonic aura may be the reason why the Shikon Jewel appears to have no effect on his demonic abilities, and thus would explain why he has no interest in obtaining its shards. In contrast, nearly every other sentient demon, save those affiliated with Sesshomaru's father in some way, seek its power relentlessly.

The relative ages of the two brothers may also be a factor: Sesshomaru was already in late adolescence at the time of InuYasha's birth, plus InuYasha was sealed by Kikyo for 50 years. Sesshomaru has had perhaps a few centuries more than his younger brother to discover and develop his powers.

Attacks

Poison Claws (Toxic Flower Claw)

Sesshomaru's claws release deadly acidic poison which can melt flesh and virtually anything else very quickly. Sometimes he uses it like InuYasha uses his Exorcising Claws of Steel (Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer) attack, in the form of large blades of energy, but he can also spray the poison from his claws.

Whip of Light (Energy Whip)

In the anime, Sesshomaru can generate a thin, whip-like strand of yellow-green energy from his fingertips that can slice through almost anything. The whip also displays characteristics of poison akin to the burning effect it has on contact, possibly an extension of his claw attack.

Mokomoko

The fur on Sesshomaru's shoulder can be extended to great lengths and used to whip or constrict people. It was once used to knock the Tessaiga out of InuYasha's hands. It is a part of his body, despite some misdepictions in the anime (episode 35 and the InuYasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island). When fighting Setsuna no Takemaru in InuYasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler, Mokomoko is seen to bleed. Jaken has been seen clinging to it whenever Sesshomaru takes flight.

Abilities

Flight

In the series, Sesshomaru has the ability to float in the sky; however, in the anime, he can sometimes ride upon a sparkling dust cloud. Despite having the ability of flight, he occasionally rides Ah-Un.

Senses

Due to his lineage, Sesshomaru exhibits extremely heightened senses, particularly his sense of smell. He can discern characteristics of most objects through scent, such as the undead Band of Seven through the scent of graveyard soil and pure-demon blood from half-demon blood (such as when InuYasha's demon blood takes over). Through smell alone, Sesshomaru can follow events transpiring far away or which have already transpired. Besides the five basic senses, Sesshomaru's ability in sensing other's auras are exceptional.

Super strength

Sesshomaru possesses physical strength far beyond that of a normal demon; he was able to easily lift InuYasha by the throat into the air with one hand in one of their earlier encounters. In addition, Sesshomaru was seen carrying the boulder-sized demon head of Goshinki in one hand with little to no effort. In the InuYasha profiles manga, Rumiko stated that Sesshomaru has Herculean strength, even with only one arm; his strength with only one arm is equal to InuYasha's full strength. InuYasha's strength allows him to lift a 9 to 10 ton boulder using one arm with little effort, so Sesshomaru would naturally be capable of lifting double that with the same amount of effort.

Super speed

Sesshomaru can move faster than the eye can see, both on land and through the air. When he does this in the anime, he leaves behind afterimages. He can also instantaneously close long distances without being detected by others.

Teleportation

In the anime, Sesshomaru can morph into a ball of energy and move himself, as well as small amounts of other material or a single passenger, over great distances in a short amount of time.

Daiyōkai

As the son of a daiyōkai, Sesshomaru has inherited similar levels of power and thus is a daiyōkai in his own right — endowed with heightened senses, intelligence, strength, and a myriad of yōkai powers. While he usually appears to be a humanoid bearing splendid clothing and armor, he can transform into his true form at will, that of a gigantic, crimson eyed, canine with white fur. With the acquisition of Bakusaiga, Totosai has stated that Sesshomaru has exceeded his father as a daiyōkai.

Longevity

Being a yōkai, Sesshomaru does not age the way humans do, as he has been around for at least a few hundred years.

Immunity

Sesshomaru is immune to diseases, poisons, and gases that can paralyze or kill both humans and other normal creatures as well as weaker yōkai. His greatest resistance seems to be toward holy and divine powers; his resistance to purification powers was so strong that he was able to enter Mt. Hakurei's purification barrier, by far the strongest of its type in the series, without being purified. He was somewhat weakened, however, though not significantly so, and it negated his sword's powers. In another instance, Sesshomaru catches one of Kagome's purification arrows barehanded and to no ill-effect; any other demon would have been severely injured, if not outright purifed. Monks who try to purify him to 'save' Rin are totally ineffective, and Sesshoumaru's youki destroys their relics merely by being released. It seems that the only mystical powers that Sesshomaru is not resistant to is yōki such as InuYasha's Kaze no Kizu. Another example of his strong body is seen in Naraku's inability to absorb him. Because of Sesshomaru's demonic purity, his aura emanates around his body in perfect "completion", making it almost impossible to compromise. InuYasha states that human attacks will not harm Sesshomaru, and true to this none ever have (barring one incident in Mt. Hakurei, which is excusable because of the barrier). Thus far the only damage he has sustained throughout the series has been from yōki-powered attacks.

Intelligence

Despite his vast overall intelligence, Rumiko Takahashi reveals that his intellect is actually one of his weakest points (despite it being considerably high, it pales in comparison to his other capabilities).

Regeneration

During his battle with Magatsuhi, Sesshomaru's right arm was badly injured. By beginning to transform into his daiyōkai form, the pure fighting spirit and eminence output of his demonic aura allowed Sesshomaru to completely regenerate the injuries to his right arm. In the same battle, he is also able to restore his left arm, which is cut off by InuYasha at the beginning of the series. However, the full extent to which Sesshomaru can regenerate his wounds is not given in the series.

Items

Tenseiga (天生牙, lit. Heavenly Life Fang)

Tenseiga (also known as the 'Immortal Fang' or simply 'Heavenly Fang') is a sword that can revive the dead. It also causes great damage to the undead. It does this by letting Sesshomaru see the pall-bearer imps that take away the souls of the dead so that he may destroy them with Tenseiga. In extreme cases, the Tenseiga also protects Sesshomaru from potentially lethal attacks. When in use, the Tenseiga has a blue aura. Later in the manga, the Tenseiga is reforged by Tōtōsai to become a weapon, allowing Sesshomaru to use the Meidou Zangetsuha. It is later revealed that the ability and the sword itself is merely a cast off of the Tessaiga; his father wanted Sesshomaru to master the Meidou Zangetsuha, then pass it back to Inuyasha, knowing that InuYasha couldn't handle the technique himself. Sesshomaru discards the sword as his father wished, giving the ability back to the Tessaiga and making the Tenseiga only a healing sword once again.

Tōkijin (天生牙, lit. Demon-Fighting God)

Tōkijin is a sword crafted by the evil sword smith Kaijinbō from the fangs of Goshinki as part of Sesshomaru's continued efforts to obtain Tessaiga or a sword to rival it. It can fire off extremely powerful blasts of pure evil energy, but because it is filled with Goshinki's malice, only Sesshomaru can wield it without being controlled by it. Tōkijin can be used to blow back and injure an enemy with a powerful pinkish-purple aura, generated as the manifestation of pure hatred. It can also be used to slash at an opponent either directly or with kenatsu, and, like Tenseiga, can perform Sōryūha; however, being "only an oni's fang," Tōkijin initially could not withstand repeated uses of Sōryūha the way that Tenseiga could. Later in the manga, Sesshomaru broke Tōkijin while battling Mōryōmaru, and afterwards abandoned the broken pieces with no further interest in keeping the sword. He instead searched for a replacement, which he found in the Meidou Zangetsuha ability of the Tenseiga.

File:Bakusaiga.png

Bakusaiga

Bakusaiga (爆砕牙, lit. Blast Fang)

Bakusaiga is Sesshomaru's most recent signature weapon. The Bakusaiga manifested itself in the hand of Sesshomaru's fully regenerated, and longtime-severed, left arm during his battle with Magatsuhi. The sword has the power to decompose any organic material that its blade comes in contact with, nullifying any regenerative abilities in doing so. Miroku comments that Naraku would suffer the same affliction should he absorb any demon wounded by Bakusaiga. The blade itself is the manifestation of Sesshomaru's own true power, born from his detachment of InuYasha's Tessaiga. Its birth signifies Sesshomaru's graduation into a full-fledged daiyōkai, which was long compromised by his obsession with Tessaiga. Totosai comments that his ability to manifest his own blade suggests his strength has surpassed that of his father's and connotes his growth through the many trials he endured to emerge as a daiyōkai, with the Bakusaiga serving as the product of this 'rite of passage'.

Much like the Tessaiga's Kaze no Kizu, the Bakusaiga can also unleash massively powerful amounts of yōki, enough to slay thousands of demons with one swing. Though similar, Rumiko stated that Bakusaiga's wave attack, which is similar to the Kaze no Kizu, possesses greater power than a full power Bakuryūha from Tessaiga.

Staff of Two Heads

The Staff of Two Heads is also called the Staff of Skulls, nintōjo or Two-Headed Staff. It can locate Sesshomaru's father's grave or perhaps Tessaiga itself, as well as blast streams of flame, and is usually held by his assistant Jaken. Also, it is seen that the Staff of Two Heads can be used to summon yōkai.

Transformations

File:Family mother02.jpg

Sesshomaru (right) and his mother in their true forms.

Humanoid Form

Sesshomaru has a Prussian blue crescent on his forehead. He also has two magenta stripes on each cheek and on the sides of his wrists as well. Most of the time, Sesshomaru appears in this form in both the manga and the anime.

True Form

Sesshomaru's original form is a giant white dog with markings similar to those he has in his human form. In the anime, he transforms surrounded in a bright red aura or has a tornado circling around him. His eyes then take on a bright red color and yōkai marks on his body widen and become more apparent; the stripes on his cheeks which are usually smooth become jagged and change into a somewhat fiercer color. In the anime, he has acid breath released in his saliva and spreads like mist that melts anything nearby. He only fully transforms to his original form three times: during his battle with InuYasha, when he meets his mother, and the third is during the battle which eventually leads to his arm regenerating and the formation of his sword Bakusaiga.