Lord Sesshoumaru

Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru (殺生丸 Sesshōmaru^?) is InuYasha’s older half-brother, an extremely powerful full-blooded demon, easily invulnerable when fighting, and is able to fly in the air like Ah-Un. Unlike most demons seen in the series of the anime and manga, he shows no interest in possessing any of the Shikon Jewel shards, feeling confident of his own strength and seeming to find the use of the gem to enhance one’s power distasteful. He is initially ruthless in dealing with InuYasha, whom he hates as a half-demon who consorts with humans, and attempts to steal the sword Tetsusaiga from him. He even had a sword forged from the fangs of Goshinki, an incarnation of Naraku that bit Tetsusaiga in half, in hopes of it matching Tetsusaiga’s power. This sword’s name is Tokijin, which is a double-handed khanda. However, Sesshomaru gradually becomes more sympathetic and caring after meeting the human child Rin, who never shows any fear of Sesshomaru’s demon-self. Even going as far as using Tenseiga to revive her, Sesshomaru becomes a guardian to Rin, coming and opting to Rin’s aid whenever she’s in trouble. His growing compassion and the reaction of the Tenseiga to Sesshomaru’s compassion for Kagura and her slow death prompts the master swordsmith Totosai to reforge Tenseiga, enabling the Meidou Zangetsuha (“dark path of the dawn’s moon blast”) attack. Meido Zangetsuha cuts open a path to the underworld which sends his opponents directly to hell. When Sesshomaru first uses it, the path forms a thin crescent. It becomes closer to a full circle as he learns to master it. In order to learn more about his sword, he goes to visit his mother, who was entrusted with the Meido Seiki. Kohaku and Rin are then taken to the underworld by a hellhound. Sesshomaru pursues them but Rin stops breathing during her captivity. In an attempt to save her, Sesshomaru kills the Underworld Master, but still cannot revive her. Realizing the pain of losing someone important, Tenseiga reacts to his compassion and purifies the underworld and brings them back to the world of the living. Sesshomaru does not desire his new Tenseiga as it came with the cost of Rin’s life. His mother, despite shown as cold and heartless, says “don’t expect me to do this a second time” and brings Rin’s life from the Meido back into the world of the living. Concluding with “all this fuss over a little human girl.. you inherited the most unusual traits from your father.” After Naraku attempts to manipulate him by using Rin as a hostage, Sesshomaru becomes determined to destroy Naraku as his main goal. He eventually gains his own blade that is a manifestation of his own power, Bakusaiga, which appeared along with his left arm after he let go of his attachment and preoccupation with Tetsusaiga. Totosai explained that his obsession over his father’s memento resulted in him losing his arm and that once he let go of his obsession, he gained his own sword and a new arm - showing that he truly surpassed his father. Bakusaiga can cut opponents and continue doing damage after impact. Once cut, the opponent cannot regenerate. If the opponent reabsorbs the cut parts, then the part that wasn’t cut will also be damaged. Using Bakusaiga, Sesshomaru dealt the final blow to Naraku. At the end of the Final Act, Sesshomaru continues to travel with Jaken by his side, while occasionally visiting Rin, (whom he has left in Kaede’s village to live as a human and enable her to choose her own path) and bringing her gifts.