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 and anti-hero in the anime and manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. He is the older, half-brother of the protagonistic character 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 mostly throughout the series 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 desired to take it from InuYasha. He fought with InuYasha in their father's grave and by chance, InuYasha transformed the blade and hacked 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 brought back to life using Tenseiga, which he told 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 named 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. Sesshomaru saved Kohaku from Byakuya. Kohaku decided to join his retinue as they were leaving Sesshomaru's mother's palace. It is also revealed that none of his companions (excluding Ah-Un) can be revived by the Tenseiga since they all have 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 was controlled by his yōkai blood, Sesshomaru came to see for himself the power that InuYasha could produce. After defeating InuYasha, he instructed 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.

Sesshomaru also allows Rin to follow him and protects her when she gets in trouble. Kagura once kidnapped Rin for Naraku as part of his attempt to absorb Sesshomaru. After Naraku fails to absorb him and tried to escape, Sesshomaru intended to pursue Naraku, but upon hearing that Rin was in danger, he let Naraku go, and instead came to the aid of Rin. When Kagura was injured, Sesshomaru originally intended to leave her in the river she was drowning in, but pulled both her and Rin from the river after Rin fell in trying to save her. Also, though he 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.

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 claimed that he killed Mukotsu because he was in his way. He also revived a young otter yōkai's father, claiming that it was only Tenseiga's will. Another example is in the manga, when InuYasha and his companions were involved in a fight with the "water god" Numawatari. After none of their attacks were able to harm him, Sesshomaru arrived and insulted InuYasha's inability to kill a "low life yōkai". He then easily dispatched the Numawatari using his Meidou Zangetsuha ability, shocking both Inuyasha and his group. Sesshomaru then leaves after learning about the Tessaiga's new abilities with a strange smile on his face.

When Kagura was dying, Sesshomaru sought her out and considered using the Tenseiga, but he concluded that Tenseiga could not save her, despite the fact that her head and neck were intact.

It is his compassion that caused the Tenseiga to be reforged as a weapon. Its offensive powers were locked until Sesshomaru showed true compassion. In battle with Mōryōmaru, the villain insulted the deceased Kagura which angered Sesshomaru to the point that he shattered 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. Also showing his compassion/respect for his father he gave the offensive powers of his sword to InuYasha (albeit in his typical fashion) in accordance with his fathers wishes and acknowledgment of his brother's worth as heir to the sword.

Later, Byakuya, Naraku's newest offspring, seeks out Kohaku, who has one of the last three shards of the Jewel of the Four Souls. When Byakuya was about to take Kohaku 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. Rin goes to help Kohaku, and Sesshomaru tells her not to touch him because he is covered with poisonous snakes. 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.

When Rin appears to be dead due to her time in Hell, Sesshomaru had entered Hell for the purpose of rescuing her, and upon learning he could not save her life, he was 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.

Despite his growing compassion, he, like his brother, uses rough Japanese. He addresses strangers or people he does not like with "kisama", which, like "temee", is an offensive form of "you". 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.

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 yoki. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided "Mainland" (Asian) 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 perfect purity. Naraku himself has referred to Sesshomaru as "the perfect demon"; and the natural 'completion' of Sesshomaru's aura may indeed be the reason why the Shikon Jewel appears to have no effect on his demonic abilities, and also may be why he has no interest in obtaining its shards (in contrast to every other sentient demon in the story, except Jaken, Totosai, and Myoga).

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. Thus 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 use it in the form of a green attack that looks like he’s spraying acid.

Whip of Light (Energy Whip)

Sesshomaru can generate a thin, whip like strand of yellow energy from his fingertips that can slice through almost anything. This attack was only in the anime and not in the manga, possibly as an alternate way of getting his hands on Tessaiga in one part of the anime. 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. In episode 35 and the fourth movie, both ends of the fur are seen, which was a mistake made by the animators. When fighting Setsuna no Takemaru in the third movie, Mokomoko is seen to bleed. In an InuYasha profiles book, Rumiko Takahashi revealed that Mokomoko is part of Sesshomaru's body. Jaken has been seen using mokomoko as some sort of transport by clinging onto it.

Abilities

Flight

In the anime he has the ability to float in the sky or ride upon a sparkling dust cloud. Should he choose to do so for an extended period, the pant-legs of his hakama become ephemeral flowing masses-- similar to how one would visualize the wind-driven cloak of a ghost. In the manga, Sesshomaru's legs and the bottoms of his hakama become furry tails that propel him through the air. He also chooses to ride Ah-Un in flight, occasionally in the series.

Senses

Due to his lineage, Sesshomaru exhibits the ability of having extremely heightened senses. Sesshomaru has particularly shown his heightened sense of smell, such as being able to tell the Band of Seven were undead due to the scents of soil (graveyard soil in particular), and he was also able to tell that InuYasha's scent changed when the latter temporarily changed into a full demon. Through smell alone, Sesshomaru is also able to learn about events that is transpiring from far away, or even an event that has already happened. 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: the very least of InuYasha's strength allows him to lift a 9 to 10 ton boulder with little effort; since Sesshomaru possesses all of InuYasha's strength in just one of his arms, Sesshomaru would easily be able to lift double that or far more at the least with just one arm.

Super speed

His instantaneous power grants him the ability to 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

The ability to morph into a ball of energy and move himself (and small amounts of other material, including other living beings like Rin over great distances in a short amount of time. This is an ability given only in the anime.

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 very handsome human bearing splendid clothing and armour, he can transform into his true form at will. 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 strips on his cheeks which are usually smooth become jagged and change into a somewhat fiercer color. It is similar to InuYasha during his yōkai transformations, however, Sesshomaru transforms much further due to his yōkai blood and becomes a gigantic, crimson eyed, canine with white fur. In the anime he has acid breath as well. It is released in his saliva and spreads like mist that melts anything nearby.

Longevity

Being a yōkai, Sesshomaru does not age the way humans do. 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, despite its purification barrier (which was the most powerful barrier in the entire series as its reach extended throughout the surrounding area of entire mountain), without being purified and was only slightly weakened to the degree he was unable to perform his signature kenatsu attack. Also, when Kagome shot Sesshomaru using one of her Hama no Ya, Sesshomaru caught it using his right hand’s forefingers. Most yōkai would have been purified, but Sesshomaru remained unharmed with not even a scar on either of his fingers. It seems that the only mystical powers that Sesshomaru is not resistant to is yōki such as those of InuYasha’s Kaze no Kizu. Another example of his strong body seems to come from Naraku’s inability to absorb him. This is mostly due to Sesshomaru's demonic purity, causing his aura to emanate around his body in perfect "completion". It is also stated by InuYasha that human attacks will not have an effect on Sesshomaru, and thus far the only damage he has sustained throughout the series (not counting when he was in his weakened state within Hakurei's purification barrier) has been from yōkai.

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 recent battle with Magatsuhi, Sesshomaru right arm was injured badly. 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. The full extent to which Sesshomaru can regenerate his wounds is unknown.

Items

Tenseiga (天生牙)

Tenseiga (also known as 'The Heavenly Fang') is a sword that can revive the dead. 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 was recently revealed that the Tenseiga is merely a cast off weapon of the Tessaiga, though exactly why, when, and how is currently unknown. In the manga, Sesshomaru discarded the sword by throwing it into the Meidou and its Meidou Zangetsuha ability was absorbed by the Tessaiga, making the Tenseiga only a healing sword once again. However, it is still the principal weapon against fighting beings not of this world.

Tōkijin

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)

Bakusaiga is Sesshomaru's newest weapon. It first appears during his battle against Magatsuhi, who was born from the Shikon Jewel and took yōkai form by using parts of Naraku's body. When Sesshomaru regenerates his left arm, which had previously been cut off near the beginning of the series, the sword was already in its grasp, formed of his own daiyōkai power. His ability to summon and use the sword indicates that he has finally lost his desire and attachment to Tessaiga. Totousai states that it also means he has finally surpassed his father and stands as his own daiyōkai, this and the previous tests being a sort of rite of passage. The sword seems to be able to continually deteriorate/destroy the flesh of anything it cuts, sealing such abilities as regeneration. Miroku comments that should Naraku try to absorb a demon cut by such sword he too would suffer the effect. Bakusaiga can also release massive amounts of yōki capable of destroying thousands of demons in one swing, much like Tessaiga's Kaze no Kizu.

Staff of Heads

The Staff of 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 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 along with stripes on his eyelids and 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. Several times during the manga and anime when he becomes furious, his features can be observed shifting slightly, resembling his alternate form. His eyes turn red and the features and markings on his face begin to elongate. 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.