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For the Buddhist underworld, see Naraka (Buddhism). Naraka नरक ( Sanskrit) or Niraya निरय ( Pāli) ( Ch 那落迦 (variant 捺落迦 Nàlùojiā or 地獄 Dì
Naraku
InuYasha character

Naraku as he first appears by Rumiko Takahashi
First appearance "The Mystical Hand of the Amorous Monk, Miroku"
Created by Rumiko Takahashi
Voiced by Japanese: Hiroshi Yanaka (1st),
Toshiyuki Morikawa (2nd)
English: Paul Dobson
Profile
Age Appears 23 [1][2]
Species hanyō
Weapon various (see below)

Naraku (奈落? meaning "underworld" or "hell") is the main antagonist in the anime and manga series InuYasha. is a Japanese Mangaka. Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. is a Japanese Mangaka. Takahashi is one of the wealthiest women in Japan. is a Japanese Actor and Seiyū who is affiliated with Seinenza Theater Company. ( January 26, 1967 -) is a prolific Japanese male Seiyū from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture affiliated with Arts Vision. Paul Dobson, of the brothers Dobson (himself Michael, and Brian) is an accomplished Canadian voice actor one of the many who work with Ocean Group based in Naraka नरक ( Sanskrit) or Niraya निरय ( Pāli) ( Ch 那落迦 (variant 捺落迦 Nàlùojiā or 地獄 Dì An antagonist (from Greek ανταγωνιστής - antagonistes, "opponent competitor rival" is a character or (anime in Japanese, ˈmɑŋgə is the Japanese word for Comics (sometimes called komikku コミック and print Cartoons In their modern form manga date from shortly full title ( romanized as INUYASHA He is directly responsible for the death of the character Kikyo and the seal placed on the series protagonist, InuYasha. is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Kikyo's name ( Kikyō) means " Chinese bellflower " in Japanese is a Fictional character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi as the Main character He is also the cause of most of the troubles and problems facing the other major characters, making his destruction the overall focus of their quest due to their personal grudges with him.

As a hanyō (translated as "half-demon") and later a yōkai ("full-demon"), Naraku desires the Shikon-no-Tama, a jewel that would be able to grant him near-invincibility should he acquire all the pieces of it. The, or Shikon Jewel, is a magical jewel in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. Although early in the series he desires the jewel to purge his half-human self from his body, after he become a full yōkai he desires the jewel to enhance his strength even further. Due to his obsession with the jewel, he usually has a majority of the pieces of it, and in the recent events of the manga, he has acquired the final shard from Kohaku and now has possession of the complete jewel. However, he is repeatedly opposed by InuYasha and his friends, along with several other enemies.

Contents

Overview

Onigumo

Naraku is a hanyō ("half-demon" — yō is derived from yōkai, which means "demon"), although he differs from most hanyō. are a class of Obake, creatures in Japanese folklore ranging from the evil oni to the mischievous Kitsune or snow

There was a man named Onigumo (鬼蜘蛛, おに ぐ も, "demon-spider"), who was full of deceit and hatred for others. He tricked his bandit leader, Rasetsu (the elderly man later on in both manga and anime who gives Kikyo his top knot to be sent to Mount Hakurei in order to purify his soul) into approaching Kikyo and attempt to obtain the Shikon no Tama, or Jewel of Four Souls; however, Onigumo did not warn him that with Kikyo, there was a hanyō named InuYasha. is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Kikyo's name ( Kikyō) means " Chinese bellflower " in Japanese The, or Shikon Jewel, is a magical jewel in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. is a Fictional character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi as the Main character Rasetsu survived the encounter with InuYasha, lost an eye, and returns to camp annoyed to find that Onigumo has made off with his troops. Rasetsu finds Onigumo and his troops at an inn down the road celebrating their change in leadership. Rasetsu blows up the inn, but the charred body of Onigumo somehow manages to survive the blast. Rasetsu throws the barely-living Onigumo off a cliff. (This, however, does not explain the spider scar, as Onigumo had the scar before he met Rasetsu).

By either chance or fate, Onigumo barely survived and was found by Kikyo who slowly nursed him back to the point of being able to speak. Onigumo developed feelings for Kikyo, but knowing that he could not move for the rest of his life, he summoned countless yōkai using his corrupted soul. He then had them devour his body in exchange for giving him a new body with which he could claim Kikyo and the Jewel of Four Souls. The, or Shikon Jewel, is a magical jewel in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. Thus the countless yōkai were bound together in a form with Onigumo serving as a connector. (In an anime special, it is implied that a spider-yōkai, which looked like a small replica of Naraku's spider form in the second movie, was the de facto leader of these yōkai. ) This resulted in the part-human, part-yōkai Naraku.

Evolution of Naraku

In the meantime, he did not forget about his ultimate goal of obtaining the corrupted Shikon no Tama. He disguised himself as both InuYasha and Kikyo and tricked them into hating each other, as he describes that "the Shikon Jewel is the most beautiful when it's tainted by the hatred Kikyo and InuYasha have toward each other".

He mortally wounded Kikyo while disguised as InuYasha, took the Shikon no Tama and returned it to the village, then disguised himself as Kikyo and attacked InuYasha. InuYasha, sensing something was wrong, instinctively went back to the village to retrieve the Jewel. However, disguised as Kikyo, Naraku told the villagers that InuYasha would come for the Shikon no Tama at any cost, thereby forcing InuYasha to use force to obtain the Jewel. As he was getting away with the Jewel, Kikyo, with her remaining strength, sealed InuYasha to the Tree of Ages. Naraku, who desired both the Jewel of Four Souls and Kikyo, thought that she would use the Jewel to heal herself, but instead she requested Kaede to cremate the Jewel along with her dying body, so that it would be taken to the afterlife with her.

Onigumo's soul, within Naraku, objected to Kikyo's death. At this time, Naraku took action to prevent Onigumo from consciously influencing the hanyō's actions. Onigumo perceived this process as imprisonment in a deep dark place where he proceeded to sleep.

For fifty years after Kikyo's death, Naraku secretly plotted and waited for the Shikon Jewel to appear again. After the appearance of Kagome as the present-day reincarnation of Kikyo and InuYasha's awakening, he moved forward with his plan of gathering the shattered shards of the Jewel. Knowing his weakness as a hanyō, he relied mostly on evil tricks and traps while gathering information on his potential enemies that would stand before his insidious plot.

Being a hanyō like InuYasha, Naraku also sometimes experiences a period of weakness. During those times, he loses all his yōkai powers and reverts to his human "form". While in this form, he is composed of his head attached to countless random yōkai parts. Naraku has the freedom of choosing this time, unlike InuYasha, and since he is made up of thousands of yōkai, each time he "experiments" and "reconstructs" his body, he gets rid of weak and useless parts while keeping the vital ones to get stronger. It is possible that during each of these periods he expelled more and more of his humanity. This process ultimately led to the creation of his stronger form.

Disposal of his human heart

Naraku in the form he created after leaving Mt. Hakurei (Hakurei-Zan)
Naraku in the form he created after leaving Mt. Hakurei (Hakurei-Zan)

After InuYasha was able to break his barrier with the red Tetsusaiga, Naraku got injured by InuYasha and he almost beat him but he retreated to a mountain Hakurei-Zan for a long time, resurrecting the Shichinintai in the meantime to keep his enemies busy. This is a list of locations from the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. The are seven Mercenaries in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. To better protect himself from powerful yōkai enemies like InuYasha, Sesshomaru, and Koga , he deceived a lost soul of a dead priest Hakushin into creating a barrier so holy, that it would purify and cleanse any yōkai that came close to it. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. The closer Naraku's enemies came to the core of the barrier, the stronger it was. This was also the most powerful barrier in the series as its reach extended over the parameter of an entire mountain and much of the land around it. The stronger a yōkai, the deeper into the barrier they could go until they got to a specific sort of critical point where anything with even the slightest bit of demon energy would be utterly purified. For any creature with yōkai as its spirit, they would die at this point no matter how powerful. For example, Koga could not even pass the perimeter of the barrier due to the fact that he is a nomal yōkai. Sesshomaru however was able to penetrate the barrier's perimeter and travel deeper into it but albeit weakened, during his battles with Suikotsu and Jakotsu. The are seven Mercenaries in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. InuYasha was able to pass this final point, but his half demon was purified so completely that he transformed into his human form while inside the barrier. Naraku himself hides within a cave inside the mountain which is not penetrated by the purifying barrier. Kikyo persuades Hakushin to remove the barrier and ascend to Heaven.

Naraku separates himself from his heart, rendering it in two pieces. The physical heart (心臓, shinzō) he imparts to Akago, rendering Naraku effectively immortal unless Akago is destroyed. Immortality (or eternal life) is the concept of living in physical or spiritual form for an Infinite length of Time. The spiritual heart, or soul (心, kokoro), which he inherited from the human Onigumo, is discarded inside Hakurei-Zan. This allows Naraku to become stronger, much like a full yōkai. (Comments later made by Abi-Hime and Tekkei revealed that Naraku was still technically a hanyō. ) Furthermore, he now possessed an even stronger barrier, which proved impenetrable to anything except for the Tetsusaiga's Kongōsōha ("Diamond Shard Blast" or "Adamant Barrage" in the English dub).

As soon as Kikyo gives the man who created the barrier the ability to find peace, he departs for the afterlife and the barrier dissolves. Naraku then reveals his new, powerful form and strikes down Kikyo. His powers increased dramatically as he challenged Sesshomaru and deliberately let him tear his body apart with a point-blank range yōki blast, however it had no effect and Naraku proclaimed that "I cannot die". In order to find the final Shikon shard located at the border between this world and the afterlife, Naraku made a deal with Abi-Hime, the princess of the bird yōkai. However, Abi-Hime and her mother, Tekkei, never did trust Naraku because he was "merely" a hanyō. Both being full yōkai with utter contempt for hanyō, Abi-Hime and Tekkei plotted against Naraku and later attacked him. Naraku proceeds to behead Tekkei, the river of her blood producing a gateway to the world between this and the next.

Throughout the series Naraku is always constantly absorbing yōkai to carry on the process of expelling the weak components of his victims and retaining the stronger ones. Thus he is able to constantly increase his strength even after the events of Mt. Hakurei, though it never increases enough to counteract InuYasha's Kongōsōha until he has absorbed Mōryōmaru and a barrier-dissolving Daiyōkai tree.

Re-absorption of Naraku's heart

Naraku's form after absorbing Mōryōmaru (Manga)
Naraku's form after absorbing Mōryōmaru (Manga)

Following the death of Kagura in the manga, Naraku becomes largely absent from the series, and the focus shifts to Akago's and Mōryōmaru's quest to absorb yōkai and Shikon shards. Mōryōmaru (魍魎丸 is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Naraku finally reappears, reviving a tree yōkai known as Yōmeiju, a tree which devoured humans and yōkai alike. But this time, as InuYasha and his group watched, Naraku devoured the tree. Shortly thereafter, he and Mōryōmaru squared off for the first time in an open battle. Naraku then reveals that the reason he created Akago as an infant and purposely made him so weak, while providing him with a powerful barrier that he had the power to disable, was because he always knew his heart would turn against him. Taunting Mōryōmaru about his shell, referring to it as a castle and to Akago as a king who has grown fat inside a castle, Naraku at first appeared to be trying to reabsorb him. But this clash ended with a shocking twist: Mōryōmaru absorbed his maker, supposedly defeating him for good. Naraku soon revealed that he was in fact alive, having allowed Mōryōmaru to absorb him in a Trojan Horse-style ploy in order to then devour Mōryōmaru from the inside. The Trojan Horse was part of the Trojan War, as told in Virgil 's Latin Epic poem The Aeneid. He then used the Yōmeiju's barrier-dissolving abilities to reclaim Akago and then fully assimilated Mōryōmaru into his being.

In Chapter 452 of the manga, "Spider Web", Naraku also returned to Hakurei-Zan to reabsorb the heart of Onigumo which he discarded there. Onigumo speaks to him, gloating that Naraku still needs this discarded human heart to avoid being purified by Kikyo, because of Onigumo's intense negative feelings. The human heart says it possesses more intense negative feelings, and these can prevent purification by bringing darkness to the Shikon Jewel. Naraku seems to confirm this analysis. He intends to exploit the emotional connection between the hearts of Onigumo, Kikyo and InuYasha to destroy both Kikyo and InuYasha. The re-absorptions may mean that Naraku has lost the invulnerability he obtained from keeping his heart outside his body. However, the Shikon no Tama also allows it's possessor to survive otherwise fatal injuries. The diamonds on Naraku's new body, along with his armored shell, may also add some extra protection (due to the former being the hardest substance on the planet, and the latter easily able to swat off even the destructive brunt of the Kongōsōha).

Completion of the Shikon Jewel

In chapter 463 in battle with InuYasha, Naraku takes Koga's shikon shards because he placed his Jewel shard inside Kikyo. After he placed it in Kikyo, Kagome shot Kikyo with her last sacred arrow to purify her, then Naraku used Koga's shards to corrupt the Jewel as Kikyo plans to purify the Jewel. But Naraku's evil overpowered Kikyo's holy aura and allowed him to reclaim the Jewel, leaving only Kohaku's shard. Once the Jewel is completed, Naraku will have the power to become a full youkai. However, in chapter 475, Naraku blames Kikyo for a purity inside the shikon no tama. Currently, Naraku is dead-set on decapitating Kohaku in an attempt to get his shard without becoming purified by Kikyo's presence in the jewel, however a light from the shard prevents him from doing this. The light/purity of Kohaku's shard is the work of Kikyo but whether it is her soul or her "light" is a matter of debate. Magatsuhi, the demon sealed inside the Shikon jewel by Midoriko, escapes the jem and creates a new body for itself using some of Naraku's spare parts. Technically this would mean he is not truly Naraku's as he reveals he is merely borrowing a body from Naraku. Magatsuhi is able to, in contrast to Naraku, not only touch the shard in Kohaku's back, but corrupt it as well. In chapter 528, Naraku succeeds in removing the shard from Kohaku, though Kohaku is able to survive the loss of his shard. In Chapter 530, Naraku completes the Shikon-no-Tama and uses the fully dark jewel to begin his final transformation. Before that, when asked by Byakuya what he would do with the jewel, Naraku admitted that he had no real plans for it and wondered what would be left for him when he killed all the people who hated him. Following his completion of the Shikon no Tama, Naraku takes on the form of a gigantic spider. However, within this new body Naraku's face appears on its flesh, and he also manifests a new, dark-skinned, white-haired humanoid form. After the defeat of Magatsuhi by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, Kagome's spiritual powers return and a small light returns to the once completely corrupted Shikon Jewel. Naraku planned to use the hope of this light to trick Miroku into killing the others with the last use of his Wind Tunnel. Although things do not go as he originally plans, Naraku finally eliminates the last traces of light within the Shikon-no-Tama and fully fuses with the jewel. In chapter 546, Kagome asks Naraku what his true wish was, since it seems that the Shikon-no-Tama has not granted it. Inuyasha tells Naraku that he seems to know a lot about relationships because he focused so much on tearing people apart, and mentions that this is because of his human heart, which the Shikon Jewel may not have removed. For the first time, Naraku hesitates to attack Inuyasha and Kagome. Inuyasha attacks him with a variation on the Meidou Zangetsuha more adapted to his fighting style, and seems to somewhat damage even Naraku's most powerful form. Although he regenerates from this repeatedly, Sesshomaru takes note of Naraku's vulnerability and uses the Bakusaiga on him. As of chapter 549, Inuyasha's group enters their final battle with Naraku. He is weakening, as shown by Miroku's wind tunnel healing. In chapter 552, after losing most of his body, Naraku is finished off by Kagome. Before his apparent death however, he made a wish on the Shikon Jewel for Kagome to follow him into Hell via the Meidou that Byakuya cut behind her earlier in the final battle.

Naraku is next seen by Inuyasha trapped comatose inside the Shikon Jewel while the latter battles Magatsuhi inside it. The demon state that once the jewel tricks Kagome into making a selfish wish, Naraku will re-awaken and their souls will be forced to continue the eternal cycle of combat until the next miko misuses the jem.

Appearance

Because of his nature, Naraku's true form is somewhat a mystery. In the past, he was usually seen hidden inside his white baboon pelt, which hides all but his mouth. He is later seen wearing a dark blue kimono with matching hakama and a purple kataginu that matches the color of his shōki. This is not Naraku's true form, but rather the form of a human daimyō named Hitome Kagewaki, the ill son of the castle lord who Naraku killed and replaced by taking his form. In Naraku's "human" form, he has long, dark hair, red eyes, and pale skin. Naraku also has a very feminine appearance, the blue eye shadow contributes to this. Humans familiar with the daimyō could not distinguish between them.

In the second movie, Naraku is briefly seen in the opening credits as a large spider yōkai, which has been called his true form. This could indeed be possible, due to his origins as Onigumo (which translates to "demon-spider"), as well as the spider scar on his back, have led many to believe Naraku to be a spider-yōkai / han'yō. This is concurrent with an anime special in which an identical (but smaller) spider-yōkai acted as the leader of the yōkai who consumed Onigumo. The "giant spider" form was likely a temporary form though, or a diversion, as he later regenerates in a form resembling the one he would take in episodes 80–81. During this battle, he creates a form of the top half of his body surrounded in gigantic green tentacles and centipede bodies, along with dozens of smaller gray tentacles and four spiky red claws growing out of his back. Since at this time Naraku had still not perfected his body as it still had components of Onigumo in it, he told Sesshomaru that this was his body in its intermediate stage of reaching its full yōkai transformation. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi.

Many fans believe that Naraku's true form is a human form identical to Onigumo or Hitomi Kagewaki (the young daimyō). is the main Antagonist in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. However, even less is known about Onigumo than Naraku. Onigumo, whenever seen, has his face in shadows or is bandaged around his face. But Onigumo's hair is seen, and Kagewaki's face when Naraku is having periods of weaknesses (like InuYasha's) — which is remarkably similar to his current appearance (described above). Also, in "Spider Web" (manga Chapter 452), when Naraku went back to Hakurei-Zan in order to reabsorb Onigumo's heart, the heart appears at first in the form of a human head, looking indistinguishable from Naraku's face with different colored hair. After Naraku touches it, the heart takes the form of a spider.

Before obtaining his full yōkai form, Naraku hated his one known consistent physical trait — the spider-shaped scar that revealed his part-human origin — and worked to remove the human heart associated with it. When Musō left Naraku's body, the scar on Musō's back showed the location of his heart. In one episode of the anime, Naraku cuts the scar from his back with a sword, but it immediately grows back.

Following the battles at Hakurei-Zan, Naraku is seen in the same "human form". However, this form was composed only of yōkai as he had disposed of Onigumo from his body and become a full yōkai. This form has an armor of blades rising over the shoulders, and also features blades along the chest and wrists, with horns on the top of his back. He also wears the same dark blue kimono, now with a huge light blue jacket with a high collar, and a yellow belt. He now also has a monstrous eye in the center of his chest, two red eyes on each of his hands, and three tails that seem to belong to a dragon. In the manga the tails were purple and around three to four times the size on Naraku, but in the anime they are green and much shorter. In this form he usually extends his fingers and makes them attack as in the form of glowing purple tentacles or extends the bones of his wrist in a zigzag purple beam like motion and infects people with his shōki.

After the absorption of Mōryōmaru and Akago, Naraku's appearance changes again. Initially, his right arm becomes covered in diamond armor, and the rest of his body sports diamond tentacles similar to Mōryōmaru's, although this trait is not present in all subsequent appearances. The exoskeleton breastplate is now composed of diamond and much less rigid, and is connected by two blade-like diamond extensions outside of the high collar. He has no dragon tails in his back, and the armor that was similar to Sesshomaru's is gone. Following his completion of the Shikon no Tama, Naraku takes on the form of a gigantic spider. However, within this new body Naraku's face appears on its flesh, and he also manifests various other forms. In the center of the body, Naraku is seen as a nude human in a protective barrier.

When he begins to battle InuYasha and Kagome, he assumes a new form through the Shikon Jewel. He retains the manner of dress from his post-Mt. Hakurei form. The diamond 'blades' coming over his shoulders increase in number to about eight, and a layer of diamond forms over his forearms, legs and jacket. His face appears to be cracking, and there are diamond tentacles resembling a spiderweb coming from his back, which extend out to several times the length of his body. Upon his dismemberment by Bakusaiga, Naraku uses the Jewel to keep himself alive, and takes on an appearance far less human than has been shown up until this point. His face bears some resemblence to a typical oni, his hair becomes white, and a large ribcage forms over him. are creatures from Japanese folklore, variously translated as Demons Devils Ogres or Trolls They are popular characters in Japanese However, after Naraku is purified, his face reverts back to its usual appearance.

Attacks and abilities

Naraku has seemingly countless abilities, many of which may be unknown. Many of his powers are granted/enhanced by the large amount of Shikon-no-tama shards he has. Those that he has revealed so far are as follows:

Saimyōshō 
Naraku's minion wasps from hell. They are useful for stopping Miroku's Kazaana ("wind void"; Wind Tunnel in the English dub), for spying on his enemies, and gathering Jewel shards. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi.
Mimicry 
He can shapeshift into any other form he chooses (usually a humanoid). Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. He would have a different voice as well. He can also change his body however he wants, this is seen when he fights Sesshomaru in an attempt to absorb him. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Yōkai puppets ("demon puppets" in the English dub) 
Puppets which resemble him. He controls them from afar and can see through their eyes. They are mostly made of mud and soil, and are able to spring roots in order to attack opponents.
Flight 
Similarly to Sesshomaru, Naraku possesses the ability to both float midair, or to ride upon a cloud of his own shoki. After his transformation into a full yokai, Naraku never chose to employ his shoki-sustained flight, but flew only by the strength of his will.
Yōkai parts 
As he is made up of multiple yōkai in one body, Naraku is able to manipulate their body parts at will in order to restructure and strengthen his body, and he can also regenerate himself from injury and reform his body parts if they are cut off. He most commonly uses these parts to form tentacles which he uses to attack.
Absorption 
Naraku is able to absorb other yōkai into his body, adding their powers and body to his own. This is primarily how he gains strength, by seeking out and absorbing strong yōkai, giving him access to their powers. Naraku can also expel weaker body parts in order to rid himself of them.
Psionic powers 
Naraku has shown various mental powers and capabilities; including telepathy, telekinesis, telemetry, mind control, illusion-casting, astral projection, and others.
Detachments 
Makes incarnations out of his own body to do his dirty work for him. Most have a spider mark on their back which is a result of being born of Naraku when he still was a han'yō with Onigumo inside him. After he purged himself of his human presence in the countless lumps of flesh inside Hakurei, he and all his future children were free of having that scar on them. [Though this is not true in the case of Hakudoshi. A spider mark on his back appeared after regenerating when Kikyo broke his barrier, wounded him, and tore his clothes. Officially, he is Akago's detachment, and Akago is Naraku's. ]
Barrier 
A barrier which prevents the foe from finding and / or attacking him. At first his barrier was only useful in hiding his presence. As he persevered in absorbing new, stronger demons into his body and discarding the weaker ones, it became powerful enough to survive the Kaze no Kizu, which is why InuYasha needed to obtain blood from the bat yōkai, Taigokumeru, in order to penetrate. After Naraku became a full yōkai(in a sense) the barrier became so powerful that nothing but the Kongōsōha was able to pierce it.
Yōki control 
Whenever someone sends an attack of yōki (yōkai energy) into Naraku's barrier he can channel the flow of the attack into his own jaki (yōki aura) and then attack his opponents with it. However, this can only be done with attacks that cannot penetrate his barrier, which means it's useless against InuYasha's Kongōsōha.
Regeneration 
Naraku can heal his own wounds and also put back together severed pieces of his body. In Biology, an Organism is said to regenerate a lost or damaged part if the part regrows so that the original function is restored He can control 100% of his body all the time (even when severed). It comes in handy when he is trying to absorb someone. However there is a limit to how much he can regenerate. The more damage he takes the more time he will need later on to regenerate. Too much damage can kill him which is why in the beginning of the series he had to flee from his enemies. Usually he will absorb yōkai to speed up his regeneration process. However, after he removes his heart, which comes out as Akago, he was able to regenerate no matter how much damage his body took since his life force or his heart wasn't in his body.
Beam attack 
Naraku sends out one or more of the horns on his elbows in a zigzag beam attack or extends his fingers into tentacles with a glowing attack at the tip of fingers to attack his foe(s). In the manga this attack was of a silverfish color and in the anime it is of a purple color. Furthermore, even though this attack is a yōki attack, because Naraku is using his body parts infused with shōki to attack his opponents, InuYasha cannot use his Bakuryūha (Backlash Wave) against it since it counts as a physical attack.
Shōki 
This is Naraku's trademark, poison which kills anything that touches it (miasma in the anime). It is what makes his poisonous gas. Naraku uses it to cover his entrances and exits, and can surround himself with the gas while flying. He created a "false Shikon shard" for Kōga with this substance. It was able to power Kōga in the manga and anime for a while until it backfired, poisoning him, and ultimately leading him to remove it with the help of Kagome. Naraku's body is filled with it, which is why when a foe bites him or even touches him he/she gets poisoned. Later on, as his power grew upon his transition to full yōkai, his shōki is able to take on a liquid form and acts like a river of acid. His shōki is so strong that it allows him to break away pieces of the nearly completed Shikon no Tama to use in his schemes. In the current manga, he can melt entire mountains. Over time his shōki has become so dangerous that after he infects Kikyō with it, neither Kagome nor Kikyo's holy powers seem to be able to purify it. Kikyo absorbs Midoriko's soul in order to protect herself but she comments that she doesn't know how long Midoriko's power can last against Naraku's venom, in the regard that she and Midoriko remain at the same strength while Naraku continues to increase in power. Eventually, even the influence of Midoriko is nullified with Naraku's absorption of the tree and Mōryōmaru.
Live Body Pieces 
After absorbing Akago/Mōryōmaru, Naraku gained the power of merging pieces of his body with other yōkai, thus giving him control over them and increasing their regenerative abilities. He can send pieces of his body abroad to scout for new yōkai, for him to add into his body. It is important to note that these pieces, after becoming separate of Naraku's body, became living beings that can move and fight on their own.
Shikigami 
This power is only displayed in the Playstation 2 RPG InuYasha game; InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask. Shikigami (式神 are a kind of spirit summoned to serve a practitioner of Onmyōdō, much like a western familiar. He obtained this power by deceiving Utsugi, a 'hitogata' (clay doll demon) duplicate of the original Utsugi, who was created by the priest Kakuju to ease his/her suffering when his/her real wife/husband died. Utsugi (the hitogata) required the soul of a relative of the real Utsugi, and a large portion of the Shikon Jewel, which Naraku provided, and helped in retrieving shards from Koga to become a true, live human. When Naraku supposedly died (w/ jewel on hand) at the hands of InuYasha & co, the leftover jewel was retrieved by Utsugi behind the scenes. When Utsugi finally retrieved the soul she/he needed (which as it turns out, was Kakuju's) Naraku's voice began echoing from the Sacred Jewel, and Naraku took over Utsugi's body rather than absorbing her/him to acquire her shikigami-channeling powers. He became able to use the destructive power of an unknown variety of shikigami, and would time-to-time spout out a long verse when he attacked during the fight in the game. Because this only happens in a game based on the anime (which wasn't entirely canon from the start) and the events of the game stray away from the actual cliffhanger ending of the anime, this power is un-canon.
Phantom Castle
Naraku is seen having the ability to create various castles or Phantom Castles or illusionary castles, as a temporary headquarters throughout the series.
Dormancy 
Naraku has the ability to hide himself within one of his servants and make it appear as though he has disappeared, or have been killed, rather. A simple task, he gets himself "killed," and within a servant of his choice, he can hide himself inside of their bodies. To reinforce this fact, he even (although temporarily) removes Miroku's Wind Tunnel.
Black Magic 
Naraku knows many different spells and curses, a prime example being the Wind Tunnel curse.
Armor Shell 
Upon absorbing Mōryōmaru, he gained the ability to cover himself at will with Mōryōmaru's nigh impenetrable shell. It has been revealed that Naraku is hiding the Shikon Jewel underneath this shell.

Relationships

Detachments

To get rid of unnecessary parts as well as keeping a better eye on his surrounding situations, Naraku was constantly releasing detachments of himself to carry out his bidding. Only a few of the detachments truly live up to their purposes as most betrayed him or were quickly disposed of by the people going after him. As of Chapter 548, with the death of Byakuya, Naraku no longer has any detatchments:

Kanna 
Kanna is an albino girl that barly speaks. She is a yōkai of mu, "void". Mu ( Japanese / Korean) and Wu ( Chinese traditional 無, simplified 无 Pinyin: wú Jyutping Kanna comes from an old word meaning "godless world. " She is Naraku's first detachment, and remains utterly loyal to him while knowing that they are just used as tools in his schemes. Representative of the void in which she controls, Kanna herself is completely devoid of any emotion, never questioning any orders given to her by Naraku. In chapter 480, after a failed attempt to destroy Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, Naraku orders her to commit suicide by shattering herself—as a final attempt to destroy Inuyasha's group. In her final moments, however, Kanna seemed to display some signs of emotions, as if she really did not wish to die. It is in her death that she commits her only act of defiance to Naraku: As a shard of Kanna's shattered body flies into Kagome's eye, Kanna uses this opportunity to show Kagome the light that is present within the Shikon no Tama, which could be the key to defeating Naraku.
Kagura 
She is a wind sorceress (Japanese: "wind user"; also refers to the sacred dances of miko) and appears first in the manga and anime, though she is his second detachment. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities is a Japanese term that anciently meant "female shaman shamaness medium prophet priestess" who conveyed divine oracles and currently means "shrine maiden virgin consecrated Naraku endlessly uses her as bait to test the enemies' strength and, aware of her betrayals, keeps good watch over her. She wanted freedom from Naraku's control, but she saved Kohaku and by doing that betraying Naraku. He then gave her heart back filled with his poison.
Goshinki 
The third detachment of Naraku, Goshinki was a large horned ogre with the ability to read minds. He was extremely agile, very powerful, and had teeth so strong they ultimately broke the Tetsusaiga, which ended up being his own undoing. After being defeated, Sesshomaru contracted Kaijinbō to create Tōkijin from the fangs of Goshinki's head once the head was resurrected.
Juromaru 
He was a feral detachment and brother of Kagerōmaru, who lived in his stomach. He and his brother Kagerōmaru were both killed in battle with InuYasha's group and Koga.
Kagerōmaru 
He was a small, fast and intelligent detachment from Naraku. He lived inside Juromaru. He was not particularly loyal to Naraku. He and his brother Juromaru were both killed in battle with InuYasha's group and Koga.
[unnamed 1] 
Its only appearance (and death) was in Chapter 174 of the manga, "The Barrier of Earth". It had a serpentine lower body and a (seemingly male) humanoid torso, with white hair, blank eyes, and tendrils surrounding its mouth. It was killed immediately after its emergence by Kikyo.
Musō 
He was born as "the man with no face", a reincarnated Onigumo. He was reabsorbed after a short time of independence.
[unnamed 2] 
While in Hakurei-Zan, Naraku discarded his human heart, the heart of Onigumo, in the form of blobs of flesh, as well as expelling his new heart in a new body. When Naraku returned in Chapter 452, the pieces merged into a disembodied head which looked exactly like a white-haired Naraku, and then changed into a spider, which Naraku reabsorbed to gain the "psionic spider web" ability. Interrestingly enough, this incarnation had no qualms about being reabsorbed and in fact seemed quite jubilant about it.
Akago 
He is a child that has the ability to corrupt the hearts of people into doing his bidding. He was cut in half by a priest, which led to the creation of Hakudōshi. After being cut in half, the left half (which remained to be Akago) was taken by Kanna, and Kanna told Kagura to take the right half (which became Hakudōshi). He later is placed inside the haku (life force) puppet, Mōryōmaru. Mōryōmaru (魍魎丸 is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. In Chapter 446, Mōryōmaru is taken over by Naraku. In Chapter 448, Naraku disappears with Akago, and by his next appearance in Chapter 452, has reabsorbed him. NOTE: The status of Akago as this character's actual name is contested, since akago is standard modern Japanese for baby (whereas all the other characters' names have obscure and / or archaic meanings). In the official English translation, he is called "the infant".
Hakudōshi 
He is an incarnation from Akago. Taking the form of a young child, he was able to tame the yōba (horse-yōkai) Entei. He continues Akago's quest to get the last Shikon shard. After Naraku is nearly destroyed at the boundary of the afterlife, Hakudōshi is charged with flushing out Kikyo. He eventually is found out as a traitor to Naraku and is sucked in by Miroku's Kazāna.
Byakuya 
Naraku's incarnation that first appeared in Chapter 397. He told the Dokumizuchi, who had eaten Mōryōmaru's flesh, the location of InuYasha. He was created to replace Kagura, serving the purpose of tracking down Mōryōmaru while keeping tabs on the full-extent of InuYasha's Tetsusaiga. Byakuya uses origami as his primary weapon and seem to be able to create illusions, but not much else was known about him. (from oru meaning "folding" and kami meaning "paper" is the ancient Japanese Art of Paper folding. He was killed when Inuyasha used the Cutting Meidou on him after he attacked Kagome.

Other

Magatsuhi 
A demon appearing in Chapter 513, who according to Naraku is the demon sealed within the Shikon Jewel centuries ago. Magatsuhi borrows flesh from Naraku to form its body. It appears as an armored man with white hair and claws. Shortly after its birth, it attempts to kill Kohaku, and engages Sesshomaru in combat only to have his borrowed body destroyed. Magatsuhi is not one of Naraku's detachments. Magatsuhi is later in its true form inside the Shikon Jewel locked in eternal combat with Midoriko. It tells Inuyasha that if Kagome makes a selfish wish on the Shikon Jewel, she will take Midoriko's place, and Naraku's comatose soul will awaken and take its place in the battle.

Enemies

InuYasha 
Naraku made a scheme to steal both the Shikon no Tama and Kikyo. is a Fictional character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi as the Main character He wanted her, and wanted InuYasha out of the picture, because Onigumo's heart was still beating within him. Naraku's scheme was not successful, but because of it, InuYasha was sealed by Kikyo's Fūin no Ya (spiritual sealing arrow), and Kikyō died of wounds inflicted by Naraku. Because of this, as well as the fact Naraku has most of the jewel shards that he desires and then completes and merges with the jewel, Inuyasha is Naraku's primary enemy.
Kagome 
All of her friends have suffered by Naraku's evil plans and he has attempted to kill her because of her interference. is a character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. Kagome is most likely the one who can destroy Naraku. Although Inuyasha is able to enhance his Tetsusaiga with new powers in order to battle Naraku's increasing strength, Kagome's hama no ya (sacred arrow) is one of the few things repeatedly able to damage or overcome Naraku's own powers throughout the manga/anime, and the arrow is often able to cause him the most damage when the Tetsusaiga does not work. In the early events of the manga/anime, it damages him to such an extent that he is forced to send for Kikyo in order to heal himself.
Miroku 
When Miroku's grandfather, a hōshi (Buddhist monk), pursued and fought against Naraku, Naraku cursed him by placing a Kazāna ("wind void") on the hōshi's hand. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha by Rumiko Takahashi. A Bhikkhu ( Pāli) or Bhiksu ( Sanskrit) is a fully ordained male Buddhist Monastic. The Kazāna curse was passed down to Miroku, who watched his father being consumed by it. If Naraku is not defeated, Kazāna will cause Miroku to be sucked in as Miroku's grandfather and father. Being the one who caused the curse, Naraku also has a way to prevent Miroku from using it against him; namely, the Saimyōshō.
Sango 
Her entire family was slain because of Naraku's trap. is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Sango is a highly skilled Yōkai Exterminator, or demon slayer Naraku then framed InuYasha, but Sango eventually learned who the real culprit was. Her brother, Kohaku, is later resurrected with a shard of the Shikon no Tama, and used as a slave to Naraku.
Sesshomaru 
Detests Naraku for attempting to use him as a pawn to kill InuYasha, and for kidnapping Rin in order to control him. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. is a character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. Her name is never written in Kanji, only Hiragana, so Rin's name does Kagura's death further sealed his determination to destroy Naraku.
Kikyo 
She is secretly plotting Naraku's downfall, but Naraku seems to be one step ahead of her. is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Kikyo's name ( Kikyō) means " Chinese bellflower " in Japanese Eventually killed at Naraku's hands. However, it is possible she purposely died in order to kill Naraku later based on her quotes and the confirmation of her soul being inside the Shikon no Tama. He realizes this himself upon discovering the overbearing light that was within the shard that Kohaku carried. Moments before his death, it is revealed that Naraku's one wish was to, in fact, have Kikyo's heart, showing in spite of his actions, he had loved her all this time. He laments in the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to "go to where [she is]" either, but accepts it, his fate, and perishes after making a different wish to the jewel.
Koga 
His Yōrō-Zoku (wolf-yōkai tribe) was decimated by Naraku's plot via Kagura. (alternative spelling "Kouga" is a character in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. Naraku again framed InuYasha, but Koga eventually learned who the real culprit was.
Kagura 
His second detachment who hates living in slavery, but must obey because her heart and therefore her life is in his hand. is a Fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha. After she tries many times to help kill him and perhaps gain freedom, Naraku returns her heart, but impales her straight through her chest, poisoning her with shōki and ultimately "relieving" her of her life.
Kaguya 
Naraku fakes his own death in the second movie to lure Kaguya out of hiding, then reappears in an attempt to absorb her and gain her power of eternal youth. The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese 竹取物語 Taketori Monogatari) is a 10th century Japanese folktale, also known as is the second movie of the InuYasha movie series It was released in Japan on December 21, 2002 (between episodes 95 & 96 and in the United States on She is destroyed by InuYasha and his allies, however, before Naraku can achieve his goal. Much like Abi-Hime, she is disgusted by Naraku's hanyō status. Is sucked into Miroku's kazāna, thereby foiling Naraku's attempt at gaining immortality.
Michiru Kururugi / Kaname Kururugi 
In the video game InuYasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask is a young male or female sent from modern times to the feudal era. This is a list of characters from InuYasha, the Manga and Anime series by Rumiko Takahashi. This is a list of characters from InuYasha, the Manga and Anime series by Rumiko Takahashi. InuYasha The Secret of the Cursed Mask, known in Japan as, is a role-playing game for the PlayStation 2 based on the Manga and Possessing powerful shikigami, he or she aides InuYasha and friends in defeating Naraku. Shikigami (式神 are a kind of spirit summoned to serve a practitioner of Onmyōdō, much like a western familiar.
Musō 
The heart of Onigumo, sought to be free of the prison of Naraku who wanted to kill his beloved Kikyo, but was later consumed by Naraku, as he was not yet ready to part with him yet.
Kohaku 
Eventually regains his memory and begins to think about how to kill Naraku for what he has done. Kohaku is a fictional character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha.
Bankotsu 
Leader of the Shichinintai, he was going to turn against Naraku sooner or later. The are seven Mercenaries in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. InuYasha would have gladly teamed up with Bankotsu in order to defeat Naraku, however, Bankotsu wanted to go it alone once he defeated InuYasha, but he failed and was subsequently killed. Naraku then absorbed his Shikon shards.
Akago and Hakudōshi 
Since Akago is really Naraku's heart, they seek to free themselves from Naraku's control and become independent. Hakudōshi is loyal to Akago and created Mōryōmaru as a body to protect Akago. Hakudōshi is found out and Naraku leaves him behind to be sucked in by Miroku's Kazaana, while Akago is left to live a while longer, only to be absorbed at the hand of Naraku again.

Music

InuYasha Ongaku Hen

InuYasha Ongaku Hen Ni

Eiga InuYasha: Kagami no Naka no Mugenjō Ongaku Hen

Naraku's Japanese seiyū, Toshiyuki Morikawa, sang vocals for and delivered a monologue and message on Naraku's image song single, InuYasha Character Songs: Rakujitsu. The last track includes bonus messages from Satsuki Yukino (as Kagome Higurashi), Takeshi Kusao (as Bankotsu), and Ai Orikasa (as Jakotsu). is a character in the Anime and Manga series InuYasha created by Rumiko Takahashi. The are seven Mercenaries in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha. The are seven Mercenaries in the Manga and Anime series InuYasha.

  1. "Rakujitsu" (「落日」 "Sunset")
  2. "Rakujitsu (Remix)"
  3. "Rakujitsu (Original Karaoke)"
  4. "Monorōgu & Messāju" (「モノローグ&メッセージ」 "Monologue & Message")
  5. "Ekusutora Messāju" (「エクストラメッセージ」 "Extra Message")

In turn, a bonus message from Naraku was also included in the last tracks of Kagome's and Bankotsu and Jakotsu's singles.

Notes and references

  1. ^ See questions and answers
  2. ^ Zusetsutaizan Ougikaiden By Rumiko Takahashi
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