Inuyasha

English Voice: Richard Cox

Seiyuu: Kappei Yamaguchi

Inuyasha is a half-demon; his mother was a human and his father was a great, legendary dog demon. 500 years ago, Inuyasha fell in love with Kikyo, a priestess who protected the mystical Shikon Jewel. Kikyo told Inuyasha that he could use the Jewel to make himself a human. However, the evil demon Naraku tricked Inuyasha and Kikyo into hating and betraying each other. Kikyo used the last of her strength to seal Inuyasha to a tree using one of her sacred arrows. After being sealed for 50 years, Inuyasha was released by Kagome, who was supposedly the reincarnation of Kikyo. When the shards of the Shikon Jewel were spread all across feudel Japan, Inuyasha and Kagome were forced to team up in order to collect them all before evil demons do. Still filled with rage and bitterness from Kikyo's betrayal, Inuyasha decided that once he found all the Jewel shards, he would use the completed Jewel to make himself a full-demon.

Being a half-demon, Inuyasha found himself feeling isolated from both the demon and the human world. So he was forced to spend most of his life alone and fending for himself. This lifestyle, coupled with the oppression he faced from demons and humans alike for being a "lowly" half-demon, caused him to turn his heart away to all acts of compassion and he belittled his own emotions as a sign of weakness. He became arrogantly uncaring and insensitive, and he trusted no one but himself. But like all good characters, he has more than one side to him. Though we mostly see him tearing demons apart with his claws or cutting them down with his sword while jeering at them, he harbors an elusive kind side to him. This side of him is barely evident at first, but as his relationship with Kagome deepens, he shows signs that he does care about others besides himself. Little by little, spending time with her melts the ice around his scarred heart. Though he refused to accept her or any of his other friends at first, their friendship eventually rubs off on him, no matter how hard he tries to deny it. And in order to protect them, he finds himself calling forth feelings that he never had before. He'll always retain his hot-tempered and anti-hero personality, but gradually it becomes more natural for him to show his emotions. He obviously grows to love Kagome dearly, but his lingering devotion to Kikyo makes their relationship extremely ambivalent, and he's often at a loss as to how to handle it. He's definitely not some flawless, overly dynamic, cliché hero, but a unique and unpredictable protagonist.

Though he pretends to be indifferent, Inuyasha can't stand injustice and he won't hesitate to fight any evil demon he encounters. He prefers to use his powerful sword, Tetsuaiga, to battle, but his claws are also formidable weapons. However, if he's forced into a fight when he doesn't have Tetsuaiga, the demon blood inside of him could take over and turn him into a berserk demon! And like all half-demons, there's a time when he loses all his demon powers and becomes a human. In Inuyasha's case, it's once a month during a new moon. But no matter how strong Inuyasha may seem, he's powerless against Kagome's "sit" command :)

Kagome Higurashi

English Voice: Moneca Stori

Seiyuu: Satsuki Yukino

Kagome was just an average 9th grader who lived with her mother, grandfather, little brother Sota, and cat Buyo. Her family owned a shrine with an ancient well in it, and one day, while looking for Buyo in the shrine, Kagome was pulled down the well by a centipede demon. Upon arriving 500 years in the past, during Japan's warring-states era, Kagome soon discovered that she's the reincarnation of the preistess Kikyo, who protected the legendary Shikon Jewel(the Jewel was inside her body.) When the shards of the Jewel were scattered throughout feudel Japan, Inuyasha and Kagome set out to collect them all before evil demons use them to gain more power.

When their journey began, Inuyasha rejected Kagome completely, but he gradually learned to care for her after the many difficult battles and adventures they faced. And it's because of his bond with her that his heart became more open to caring for others. Her kindness and empathy have a warming affect on Inuyasha, no matter how hard he tries to hide it. And although it seems like Kagome holds Inuyasha back, since he always has to consider her safety in the midst of his many harsh battles, there are certain things that only she can do. Like Kikyo, she has strong spiritual powers and can shoot off sacred, purifying arrows from her bow. She can also sense the presence of Jewel shards from miles away, and she can see them even if they're inside a demon's body. At first, this power to see and sense the shards was the only reason Inuyasha allowed Kagome to stay with him, but eventually he couldn't deny that he wanted her with him for more personal reasons. Obviously, Kagome loves Inuyasha too, and although the idea that he still has feelings for Kikyo makes her heart ache at times, she can't hide the fact that she always wants to be by his side.

Shippo

English Voice: Jillian Michaels

Seiyuu: Kumiko Watanabe

Shippo was just an orphan fox demon when Inuyasha and Kagome found him. His father had been killed by the Thunder Brothers Hiten and Manten, and Shippo wanted revenge more than anything. After a hard struggle, the trio were able to defeat the two brothers, and Shippo decided to accompany Inuyasha and Kagome on their quest.

Shippo's friendly and playful, and he also adores all the treats and toys that Kagome brings back from her world. Probably one of his major faults is that he's a bit of a coward, so he prefers to let Inuyasha and the others do all the fighting. That's not to say he can't be brave if the need arises, and if he is forced into a battle, he uses his fox magic to do shape-shifting tricks and create illusions. And if all else fails, he can throw out his Fox Fire. Shippo fears being alone above all else, so he sticks extremely close to all his friends, though he seems to favor Kagome the most(sort of as a big sister.)

Miroku

English Voice: Kirby Morrow

Seiyuu: Kouji Tsujitani

Miroku comes from a line of monks cursed by Naraku with a Wind Tunnel hole in their right hands that can suck anything into a dark void. For most of his childhood, Miroku trained at a temple with his mentor Mushin and his tanuki friend Hachi. But after both his father and grandfather had been consumed by their own Wind Tunnels, Miroku set out to destroy Naraku and break the curse before he too follows the same fate. On his journey, he met Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippo and, after learning that the demon they were seeking was Naraku, he decided to join their group.

Miroku has incredible spiritual powers, and though he despises the Wind Tunnel in his hand, it's probably one of the most effective weapons to use against enemies. As for his personality, he's extremely level-headed and knowledgeable, and also a bit of a delinquent. But though he's basically a good guy, his most noticeable trait is that he's a total womanizer! Yes, this very amorous monk has a major lust for the ladies, and it's not uncommon for him to ask every pretty girl he meets to "bear his child." But in spite of this, it seems Sango holds a special place in his heart. But their relationship never gets very far, since Miroku shows his affection by groping her butt, and to say the least, she doesn't really go for that.

Sango

English Voice: Kelli Sheridan

Seiyuu: Houko Kuwashima

Sango came from a family of professional demon slayers. When she was with her little brother Kohaku on his first demon extermination, a village had been attacked by a spider demon. So Sango, Kohaku, their father, and the rest of their comrades came to the village to destroy it. However, Naraku was pulling the strings in this fight. He posed as the village leader's son(the leader was really one of Naraku's puppets) and he used the spider demon's web to control Kohaku's mind and forced him to attack the other demon slayers. Using his blade weapon, Kohaku unknowingly killed his father and all his companions! When he went after Sango, she tried her best to snap him out of it. But Naraku convinced the villagers that the two slayers had gone crazy, and should be killed. So the villagers attacked, killing Kohaku and severely injuring Sango.

While Naraku pretended to take care of Sango, he also made a demon puppet of himself, and he purposely spoke to the puppet just so Sango would overhear him. He said that Inuyasha had attacked her village and killed everyone...Inuyasha was responsible for it all! After hearing this, Sango became filled vengence and despair, and was determined to kill Inuyasha at all costs. But when she attacked, Inuyasha and the others convinced her that Naraku was the real villain. Not only that, but Naraku had put a Jewel shard inside Kohaku so that he could revive him and control him. He also erased all of Kohaku's memories of Sango and his life as a demon slayer. And so, Sango joined Inuyasha's group in order to kill Naraku to avenge her people and to free Kohaku from his clutches. Accompanying Sango is her reliable and good-natured demon cat, Kirara.

Even though she tries to hide it, Sango is still filled with anguish over the fact that Kohaku remains under Naraku's control, and beyond her reach. At one point, she thought that the only way to free him was to kill him, and then kill herself so that he wouldn't have to die alone again. But Inuyasha and the others convinced her that there's still hope for Kohaku, since it seems that very slowly he's regaining bits of his old self. But even with this sorrowful weight on her heart, Sango is still a valuable member of the team. In addition to her many demon slaying tactics, her main weapon is her giant boomerang Hiraikotsu(translated as "flying bone") which can cut most demons in half with one strike. Eventually, Sango also developed feelings for Miroku, although she's very shy in dealing with them. But of course, the fact that Miroku makes passes to every other pretty girl he meets, and the fact that he shows his affection for her by groping her doesn't help strengthen their relationship very much. Although the silly monk's antics irritate Sango to no end, when it comes to facing difficult battles together, the two of them make a great team.

Sesshomaru

English Voice: David Kaye

Seiyuu: Ken Narita

Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's older brother, but unlike Inuyasha, he is a full demon. The two of them share a mutual and bitter hatred for each other and they won't hesitate to fight the moment they lay eyes on one another. Also unlike Inuyasha, Sesshomaru despises humans, which is the main reason why he's unable to obtain the one thing he wants most; Inuyasha's sword, Tetsuaiga.

Although he looks handsome and calm on the outside, Sesshomaru is totally ruthless in battle. Even though an early fight with Inuyasha caused him to lose one of his arms, that didn't hinder his fighting ability. However, much to his dismay, the sword he inherited from his father, Tenseiga, is a sword of healing that can revive the dead. But Sesshomaru eventually got hold of another powerful sword, Tokijin, that he can use in battle. That, together with his poisonous claws, makes Sesshomaru a deadly opponent. He even frightens his bungling imp servent, Jaken. But though Sesshomaru thinks nothing of killing anyone who gets in his way, it doesn't appear like he goes out of his way to be evil.

Even though Sesshamaru seems extremely stoic and devoid of any emotions, there is some evidence that he isn't entirely indifferent to everything. After getting wounded in a battle with Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was approached by a little orphan girl named Rin. She offered him food, and even though he didn't want it, he seemed to be touched by her kindness. He made that evident by bringing her back to life with Tenseiga after she was killed by a pack of Koga's wolves, and letting her accompany him on his travels. Exactly what he feels for her is unknown, since Sesshomaru isn't one to talk about his feelings, but it's obvious that Rin is one of the very few things he cares about.

Kikyo

English Voice: Willow Johnson

Seiyuu: Noriko Hidaka

Kikyo was once a renowned priestess given the task to care for the powerful Shikon Jewel. However, she fell in love with Inuyasha and was later tricked into betraying him by Naraku. After suffering a major injury(from Naraku disguised as Inuyasha)she used the last of her strength to seal Inuyasha to a tree with one of her sacred arrows. Her body was later cremated along with the Shikon Jewel.

After Inuyasha was freed and joined Kagome in searching for the Shikon shards, the witch Urasue used her powers to ressurect Kikyo. But even the newly revived Kikyo still harbored the sting of betrayal in her soul. Though she eventually learned the truth about Onigumo and Naraku, her feelings of hatred and bitterness still remain. At first she wanted nothing more than for Inuyasha to die with her, but her focus eventually shifted to using the Jewel's power to destroy Naraku. She never takes anyone's side, but does things to serve her own thoughts and feelings. Because of this, she may appear wicked and cold, but it's apparent that Kikyo has a reason for the things she does. A lot of the time, she wanders from village to village, using her spiritual powers to help people. However, since her body isn't that of a real human being but an empty shell made of clay and soil, she relies on her soul-collecting demons to bring her dead souls for energy. Her relationship with Inuyasha is still shaky and awkward. She continues to carry a severe hatred inside of her, but she simply cannot bring herself to truly harm him. And although she's rather indifferent to Kagome, she's obviously aware of the relationship growing between them.

Naraku

English Voice: Paul Dobson

Seiyuu: Toshiyuki Morikawa

Naraku was created when hundreds of demons fused with the theif Onigumo. Because Onigumo is a part of him, he finds that he still bears Onigumo's lust for Kikyo. The reason he turned Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other was because he wanted the Shikon Jewel. And only if it was tainted with darkness(caused by Kikyo's hatred of Inuyasha) would its evil aura be strong.

If ever there was a villain who wanted all the power, but never dirtied his own hands nor fought his fights for himself, Naraku takes the cake! In Japanese, his name literally means "depths of hell," and it matches him shockingly well. He manipulates demons and humans alike in order to achieve his goal of obtaining the complete Shikon Jewel. And in doing so he's caused an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering to practically all the other characters. He's responsible for tricking Inuyasha and Kikyo into betraying each other, the curse of the Wind Tunnel in Miroku's family, the death of Sango's family and using her brother Kohaku as a servent, trapping and killing Koga's comrades, and even tricking Sesshomaru into joining forces with him for a while. But he almost never performs any of his evil schemes himself. He often lays complex traps and uses others as pawns to do his bidding, or he creates demon incarnations of himself to control. But even one of his incarnations, Kagura, despises him because he has her heart, the key to her very life, and refuses to give it to her, so she's forced to follow his orders against her will.

It seems everyone has a reason to hate Naraku. But no matter how many of his plans Inuyasha and the others have foiled, nor how many times they think they've got him beat, he always has more death and suffering to cause. He's definitely one of the most cunning(and evil) villains of all.

Koga

English Voice: Scott McNeil

Seiyuu: Taiki Matsuno

Koga is the leader of the Wolf-Demon Tribe. And as such, he has many wolf-like habits, such as eating raw meat and living in a cave with his pack. He also has two Shikon shards, one in each leg, that allow him to move incredibly fast. One day, while letting his wolves run wild and sabotage a village, he ran into Inuyasha's group. He was shocked that Kagome could see the Jewel shards inside of him, so he decided to kidnap her and use her power to obtain other shards. It wasn't long before he grew to like her so much that he wanted to make her "his woman." Kagome does learn to like Koga, but she doesn't return his feelings of undying love. Koga, on the other hand, refuses to give up on her. However, even super-fast Koga could not escape Naraku's evil grasp. He sent Kagura to kill a great many of Koga's wolf-demon friends and framed Inuyasha for the deed, causing Koga to attack him! When Koga finally learned the truth, he set out to kill Naraku to avenge his kin. Accompanied by his two comrades, Ginta and Hakaku, Koga will stop at nothing to find Naraku...except to flirt with Kagome when he can ^^,,, Inuyasha and Koga don't get along(bet you had a hard time guessing that.)