One of the most anticipated anime series of the past year was Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, the sequel to the fantasy classic Inuyasha. The original series tells the story of modern-day highschooler Kagome, who befriends the half-demon Inuyasha after falling down the well at her family’s shrine and traveling back to feudal-era Japan.
While it is remembered for its romance, adventure, and humor (“sit boy” has a whole new context), there are some moments that are anything but humorous. Many of the characters experience some form of hardship or tragedy that impacts their individual journeys. Here are some of the storylines that were sad for fans to witness.
Kagome leaving her modern life behind
While Kagome does end up making lifelong friends in the past, it cannot be overlooked that she had a life before that in the modern world. While she is spending time in the feudal era, she is missing school and interacting with her friends there.
When Kagome decides to stay in the past with Inuyasha at the end of the series, the loving family that she has grown up in is left behind. Given the strong bonds she has with her modern-day family members, it is heartbreaking to think that she may never see them again.
Inuyasha’s childhood
As the child of both a human and a demon, Inuyasha is considered an outcast by both groups. After the death of both of his parents, he is forced to grow up essentially alone, either being rejected from human villages or hiding from dangerous demons.
It is this lack of belonging that gives Inuyasha his gruff and angry demeanor when he is first introduced to the viewers of the series. It also motivates him to seek the highly coveted Shikon Jewel in order to become a full-fledged demon.
Miroku’s curse
The men of Miroku’s family were cursed by the villain Naraku with a Wind Tunnel embedded in their hands. Eventually, this tunnel expands and swallows the cursed person whole; Miroku had to watch this awful fate befall his father as a young child.
This is truly a terrifying and tragic fate.
Shippo’s loss of his father
Before joining up with Inuyasha and Kagome, the little kitsune Shippo lives with his father in their village. When his father finds a shard of the Shikon Jewel, he is killed for it by two demon brothers.
Even worse, one of the brothers wears the dead kitsune’s hide as a sash. While Shippo does avenge his father’s death with the help of Inuyasha, he continues to miss him and seeks revenge against anyone who tries to hurt his newfound friends.
Kohaku being controlled by Naraku
It is bad enough that this young demon slayer has to endure the slaughter of his village and being separated from his sister, Sango. Kohaku ends up getting killed by a demon and resurrected by Naraku with the use of a shard from the Shikon Jewel.
As a result, he is under the control of the spider demon and forced to do his dirty work. He also is unable to recognize his sister when they meet again and attacks her and her new team as a result.
Rin’s backstory
Rin goes through a lot of trauma for someone so young. She witnesses her entire family be murdered by bandits, and stops speaking as a result. Instead of giving the orphan girl any help or empathy, her fellow villagers berate and even beat her cruelly.
This causes her to withdraw further into herself. If Rin had not developed her unlikely relationship with Inuyasha’s demon brother Sesshomaru, the rest of her life would probably have been very miserable.
Kanna’s existence
While she looks like a small child, Kanna is actually an incarnation created by Naraku, with no other purpose but to do his bidding. Given Naraku’s cruel nature, she is immediately expendable once she fulfills her duty to him.
What is sadder is that Kanna does not have the ability to develop her own thoughts and feelings; she is merely a tool for Naraku to use for his nefarious plans. It is heartbreaking to see such emptiness on such a child-like face.
The destruction of Sango’s village
Before joining Inuyasha’s group, Sango was raised in a village of demon slayers with some serious combat skills of her own. Unfortunately, her world is turned upside down when the village is destroyed and everyone is killed, except for her brother Kohaku and herself.
Even worse, Kohaku is soon under the control of Naraku, the one responsible for the massacre of the demon slayers. Sango joins up with the team of heroes in order to avenge her village and save her brother.
Kagura’s death
Like Kanna, Kagura is an incarnation of Naraku; however, they could not be more different. While Kanna seems empty and follows Naraku’s every order, Kagura yearns for her freedom and wants to destroy Naraku to obtain it.
In order to make this happen, she eventually helps Inuyasha and his friends on their quest. Sadly, she is killed by Naraku and fades into the wind; many fans regard this as one of the most tear-jerking deaths in the series.
The tragic romance of Inuyasha and Kikyo
The doomed relationship that Inuyasha has with Kikyo, the priestess appointed to protect the Shikon Jewel, is the longest and saddest storyline of the anime’s long run.
They fell in love 50 years before the series began, but Naraku manipulated them to turn against each other. As a result, Kikyo died after sealing Inuyasha to a tree with a magical arrow. The story gets even more depressing when Kikyo returns from the dead and must absorb the souls of the departed in order to keep existing.