Description

Appearance:

Human Form: Humanoid Form
Sesshōmaru has a Prussian blue crescent on his forehead. He also has two magenta stripes on each cheek and on the sides of his wrists as well as one magenta stripe on each of his eye lids. His eyes are a goldish amber color. Most of the time, Sesshōmaru appears in this form in both the manga and the anime.

True Form: Sesshōmaru's original form is a giant white dog with markings similar to those he has in his human form. 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 stripes on his cheeks which are usually smooth become jagged and change into a somewhat fiercer color. In the anime, he has acidic saliva and in his breath spreads poison in the form of mist that melts anything nearby. He only fully transforms to his original form three times: during a battle with InuYasha which results in the loss of his left arm, when he meets his mother, and during the battle against Magatsuhi which eventually leads to his arm regenerating and the formation of his sword Bakusaiga.

Clothing: Sesshōmaru'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 yōki. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided "Mainland" (Chinese) 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 and sleeves. 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. 's original form is a giant white dog with markings similar to those he has in his human form. In the anime, he transforms surrounded in a bright red aura or has a tornado circling around him.[2] His eyes then take on a bright red color and yōkai marks on his body widen and become more apparent; the stripes on his cheeks which are usually smooth become jagged and change into a somewhat fiercer color. In the anime, he has acidic saliva and in his breath spreads poison in the form of mist that melts anything nearby. He only fully transforms to his original form three times: during a battle with InuYasha which results in the loss of his left arm, when he meets his mother, and during the battle against Magatsuhi which eventually leads to his arm regenerating and the formation of his sword Bakusaiga.

Clothing Sesshōmaru'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 yōki. Both his armor and his long flowing sash have a decided "Mainland" (Chinese) 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 and sleeves. 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.



Age: 500+ years (Appears 19)

Height: 5'10 (178cm)

Weight: 167.6 lbs

Gender:Male

Species: Inu Yokai

Partner:

* Rin
* Jaken
* Ah-Un

Occupation:Daiyōkai (Demon Lord)

Powers & Abilities:

* Dokkasō (毒花爪, Toxic Flower Claw): Sesshomaru's claws release deadly acidic poison which can melt flesh and virtually anything else very quickly and he can also spray the poison from his claws. They can fire large blades of energy similar to InuYasha's "Sankon Tesso". He is also shown to transfer poison into his punches. As he did so with Inuyasha, thus blinding him.

* Whip of Light: In both anime and manga, Sesshomaru can generate a thin, whip-like strand of yellow-green energy from his fingertips that can slice through almost anything. The whip also displays characteristics of poison akin to the burning effect it has on contact.

* Sōryūha (蒼龍破, Azure Dragon Stream) Dragon Strike in the English Dub: It is his signature move but it is mainly seen in the movies (three times in the third and twice in the fourth). Its strength is comparable, if not greater, to his brother's Bakuryūha. The Dragon Strike takes on the form of a dragon-like lighting by Sesshomaru waving his sword in the air and from there it takes form. He can also put in the ground which allows him break an enemy's barrier. Unlike the Wind Scar or Backlash Wave, however, this attack is born of Sesshomaru's own power rather than that of a sword, as he is seen using it with both the Tokijin and Tenseiga in the third movie. In the second episode of Inuyasha: The Final Act, Sesshomaru used the Dragon Strike on Mōryōmaru with the Tōkijin at point blank range.

* Mokomoko: The fur on Sesshomaru's shoulder can be extended to great lengths and used to whip or constrict people.. It appears to be part of his body, despite some misdepictions in the anime. When fighting Setsuna no Takemaru in the third InuYasha movie, Swords of an Honorable Ruler, the Mokomoko has been shown bleeding. Jaken has been seen clinging to it whenever Sesshomaru takes flight, but Rumiko Takahashi has said that the Mokomoko is actually a parasitic demon. Upon transforming, the Mokomoko can still be seen as a massive mane-like wrap of fur going across his body.

Personality

An extremely strong and powerful demon lord (daiyōkai, literally great yōkai); Sesshōmaru often appears aloof and indifferent, and rarely shows any emotions other than slight annoyance or dissatisfaction. He thinks highly of himself and is cruel to others, though he is quite protective of his minions. He cares very little for others, and thinks that humans, while at times amusing, are merely mortal and ultimately expendable. He believes that struggle is the only way for survival. He especially shows great hatred for Inuyasha, his hanyō half-brother, who wields the amazingly strong and powerful Tetsusaiga, a sword made from one of their father's fangs that can kill one hundred demons at once in one strike. Sesshomaru believes that their father was unfair to him because he wields the weak Tenseiga while Inuyasha wields Tetsusaiga. He blames Inuyasha's mother for his father's death, claiming that she had made the Inu no Taishou weak which lead to his death.

Although Sesshōmaru maintains a cool, uncaring, at times even heartless exterior, the presence of Rin at his heels is proof of his growing compassion. He not only tolerates a human, but also acts in an extremely protective manner towards her and rushes to her aid when she gets in trouble. Naraku later had Kagura kidnap Rin as a get-away plan in his attempt to absorb the body and the full yōkai power of Sesshōmaru. Naraku's plan failed, Sesshōmaru ended up being very angry and wanted to go after Naraku, who was trying to escape, but upon hearing that Rin was in danger, Sesshōmaru let him go and came to the aid of Rin. Subsequently, he decided to kill Naraku as well. At this point, Sesshōmaru largely became more of an ally than an enemy.

Growing Compassion:

His growing compassion prompted the master swordsmith Totosai to reforge Tenseiga, enabling the Meidō Zangetsuha attack. After Naraku attempted to control and manipulate him by using Rin as a hostage, Sesshōmaru became determined more than ever to destroy Naraku. His change in personality is highly noted when Kagome called him "Big Brother" and he only showed slight annoyance.

Although Sesshomaru maintains a cool, disinterested exterior, throughout the story his compassion seems to be growing. When InuYasha is controlled by his yōkai blood, Sesshomaru comes to see for himself the power that InuYasha could produce in that state. After defeating InuYasha, he instructs Kagome to return the Tetsusaiga to InuYasha in order to restore him to his former self. It is possible that he lost interest in obtaining the Tetsusaiga mainly due to InuYasha's need for the sword to control his yōkai blood, or 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. As by his declaration, any enemy attempting to kill InuYasha is infringing on Sesshomaru's intent to do so.

Though Sesshomaru 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. Sesshomaru also allows Rin to follow him and protects her when she gets in trouble. Kagura later kidnaps Rin for Naraku as part of his attempt to absorb Sesshomaru. When Naraku tries to escape after failing to absorb him, Sesshomaru intended to pursue Naraku, but upon hearing that Rin was in danger, he lets Naraku go, and instead goes to aid Rin.

Later, when Rin appears to be dead due to her time in Hell, Sesshomaru enters Hell for the purpose of rescuing her, but upon learning that he cannot save her life, he is 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. However, when Sesshomaru's mother revives Rin, he is seen to be relieved.

When Kagura is injured, Sesshomaru originally intended to leave her in the river she was drowning in, but when Rin falls in trying to save her and Jaken follows Rin, Sesshomaru pulls all three from the river. Later however, before Kagura's death, Sesshomaru seeks her out and considers using the Tenseiga, only to conclude that Tenseiga cannot save her.

He has also been shown saving InuYasha's friends on several occasions. On his way to Hakurei-zan, Sesshōmaru saves Kagome, Miroku, and Sango from the poison master Mukotsu, one of the Shichinintai, but only claims that he killed Mukotsu because he was in his way. He also revives a young otter yōkai's father, claiming that it was the will of Tenseiga. Another example is when InuYasha and his companions are involved in a fight with the "water god" Numawatari; when Sesshōmaru arrives, he insults InuYasha's inability to kill a "low life yōkai", and then easily dispatches Numawatari using his Meidou Zangetsuha ability, leaving straight after.

Also, when Byakuya, Naraku's newest offspring, is about to take Kohaku, who has one of the last three shards of the Shikon Jewel, back to Naraku, Sesshōmaru 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 Sesshōmaru to save someone. Thereafter, Sesshōmaru seems to have taken Kohaku under his protection, albeit in his typical grudging fashion. Later, when Kohaku's shard gets tainted by Magatsuhi, he attempts to save Kohaku at the expense of great injury to his arm.

It is his compassion that caused the Tenseiga to be reforged as a weapon. Its offensive powers were locked until Sesshōmaru shows true compassion. In battle with Moryomaru, the villain insulted the deceased Kagura, which angers Sesshōmaru and he shatters Mōryōmaru's indestructible shell (and his only weapon in the process). Acknowledging the yōkai's growth because he is defending a dead person, Tenseiga called to its creator to reforge it as a weapon. Later, to show his compassion and respect for his father, he gave the offensive powers of his sword to InuYasha (albeit in his typical fashion) in accordance with his father's wishes and recognizing his brother's worth as the heir to the sword.

He refused to use Bakusaiga on Inuyasha when even Magatsuhi noted it was the obvious choice to make and in the third movie "Swords of an Honorable Ruler" it is hinted that he actually does care about Inuyasha but refuses to admit it when he is protecting him from the Sounga's "Dragon Twister" attack.

Despite his growing compassion, he, like his brother, uses impolite Japanese. He addresses strangers or people he does not like with "kisama", which, like "temee", is an offensive form of "you", though still more formal. 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. Thus he can be insulting while retaining the dignified speech pattern of a lord, as opposed to the rougher speech used by InuYasha.

Equipment

Weapons:

* Tenseiga
* Bakusaiga
* Tokijin (broken)


Tensaiga ( 天生牙, lit. "Heavenly Birth Fang"): The Tenseiga was created by the swordsmith Totosai from a fang of the daiyokai the Great Dog Demon the father of Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru. The Tenseiga has the power to cut beings of the next world such as pall-bearers who that take away the souls of the dead, this allows the Tenseiga to revive the dead. Tenseiga can revive 100 people with one swing, the opposite of the Tessaiga's ablitiy to slay 100 yokai with one swing. After the dog lord's death Sesshōmaruwas left the Tenseiga.

Abilities: Tenseiga can harm the beings of the netherworld, the guardians at the gate that separates the Living World and the Dead, Gozu and Mezu, will not attack anyone who wields the Tenseiga, thus allowing them to pass the gate unobstructed. However, Tenseiga is not all-powerful as apparently it is not able to save Kagura, the wind sorceress created from Naraku and wind. The sword is either unable or unwilling to help such beings that do not possess a soul to begin with. Alternately, Tenseiga may require a more or less intact body to revive, which was not available as Kagura was completely disintegrated by Naraku's miasma.

It is later reforged by Totosai, after Tokijin is broken, and it gains the Meidou Zangetsuha, which allows it to send enemies directly to the land of the dead as well as its previous revival power. Thus, Sesshomaru finally accepts its potential as a weapon. When the Meidou Zangetsuha was used for the first time it was shaped like a crescent moon. Totosai explains that as Sesshomaru gains strength the Meidou will become more like a full circle, that will send the entire body of a enemy into hell. Sesshomaru goes on a quest to complete his new technique.

*(ブラッディ収穫) Bloody Harvest: The Tenseiga gains a vorpal edge, one that is infinitely sharp. Bloody Harvest is noted for its entire 'red' appearance, while it is in this form, any living human it kills- Tenseiga immediately drains the soul of the victim into the sword itself, granting a permanent increase in power. Victims must be evil in origin.

*(判決コール) Call of Judgement: The Tenseiga gains a vorpal edge, one that is infinitely sharp. Call of Judgment makes the Tenseiga glow a brilliant white color. The blade withers and vaporizes the undead upon contact. It also absorbs and purifies the condemned souls, and uses their souls to add cutting power to the blade itself. It also has tremendous cutting power against truly evil beings.

Bakusaiga (爆砕牙, lit. "Explosive Crushing Fang"): is a sword from the manga series that was created from Sesshomaru's own body. The Bakusaiga came from Sesshomaru's body attached to his finally regenerated arm. It is nearly unique in that it is one of two yokai swords in the InuYasha universe not forged from a yokai's fang. It is Sesshomaru's final signature sword. Bakusaiga takes on the form of a katana with a unique design. The backside of its blade features various rune-like lines running along it with a beige hilt featuring the same design.

Powers & Abilities: 'Bakusaiga's power and ability is a powerful green-yellow energy wave capable of annihilating thousands of demons with one strike. The relentless nature of the energy wave results in a widespread chain of destruction that reduces anything caught in its wake to crumbling remains, to where the destructive effect persists and transfer to anything said remains come into contact with, destroying them in return. This meant that abilities such as regeneration were effectively nullified. It is because of this particular feature that Bakusaiga proved to be a bane to Naraku, as it prevented him from absorbing or reabsorbing demons or parts of himself that were cut by the sword without risking being destroyed himself. Only the Shikon Jewel itself withstood any Bakusaiga attack, and it appeared to be immune to essentially all demonic attacks of any nature.

History

Sesshomaru began his quest for the Tetsusaiga by searching for the place that a short poem indicated it would be. "Seen yet never seen, protected, but never known to its protector" (Which indicated that the gate to his father's resting place was hidden in the right pupil of Inuyasha). Sesshomaru had inherited Tetsusaiga's counterpart called Tenseiga from his father, which he deemed worthless because it could not hurt his enemies. Sesshomaru desired the far more powerful Tetsusaiga, which could kill a hundred demons in a single sweep. Sesshomaru's father was a very wise and a great dog demon lord, who had fallen in love with a human woman and had a child with her named Inuyasha. Sesshomaru's father kept Tetsusaiga a secret for a long time to prevent it from being misused by demons or people without compassion, and casted a barrier around the sword so that a full-blooded yōkai or one without compassion for humans cannot hold or wield Tetsusaiga, which Sesshomaru's younger half brother Inuyasha could wield. However, even knowing that he cannot touch the sword, Sesshomaru initially desired to take it from Inuyasha, as he felt it rightfully belonged to him and not his hanyō (half-demon) sibling. For this reason he fought with InuYasha in their father's burial grounds and by chance, Inuyasha transformed the blade for the first time and severed Sesshomaru's left arm. Sesshomaru fixed the problem of not being able to wield Tetsusaiga by using a non-demon arm in place of his severed one. However, after he obtained a powerful sword called Tokijin, he seems to have lost interest in the Tetsusaiga.

Sesshomaru is followed by his minion, a kappa yōkai named Jaken, and later by an abused human orphan named Rin who had found him injured in the forest after he'd fought Inuyasha, and attempted to nurse him back to health. After healing, Sesshomaru found Rin in the forest, where she had been killed by wolves, and realized Tenseiga's true power, which was resurrection. Sesshomaru used Tenseiga to resurrect Rin, for unclear reasons. Even though Sesshomaru stated that he ressurected Rin to simply test Tenseiga's power, his antagonistic demeanor is seen to almost immediately begin to diminish as Rin accompanies him. Along with Rin and Jaken, Sesshomaru is also accompanied by a two-headed dragon named Ah-Un (阿吽), who mostly provides Rin with protection and long-distance transportation.

Although Sesshomaru maintains a stern, and at times even heartless exterior, his companionship with Rin is proof of his growing compassion. He not only tolerates a human, but also acts in an extremely protective manner towards her and rushes to her aid when she gets in trouble. Naraku later had Kagura kidnap Rin as a get-away plan in his attempt to absorb the body and the full demonic powers and abilities of Sesshomaru. Naraku's plan failed as Inuyasha showed up to join the fight, the two brothers attacked Naraku, injuring him severely. Naraku prepared to escape, and Sesshomaru was intent on transforming and pursuing him, but upon hearing from Naraku that he was going to have Rin killed, Sesshomaru opted to rush to Rin's aid, and Naraku escaped. After rescuing Rin, he subsequently decided to do everything he could to kill Naraku. At this point, Sesshomaru's status becomes that of an anti-hero instead of an enemy to Inuyasha and friends, both parties placing aside their differences to oppose the greater threat.

On his way to Mount Hakurei, Sesshomaru saves Kagome, Miroku and Sango from the poison user Mukotsu, one of the Shichinintai , however when confronted with the fact, he merely says, "I only killed someone who got in my way."

It is stated that around this time that Sesshoumaru's reasons for going after Naraku so feircely and helping his brother's group were because Naraku insulted his honor when he kidnapped Rin and then insulted him by openly stating that Sesshoumaru had come to his castle merely to protect a human (however, when it came down to deciding if he would transform and chase after Naraku or if he would go to Rin's side when she was in danger, he chose to go and save Rin).

Later on in the same arc, Suikotsu holds Rin hostage yet again, while Sesshoumaru is battling Jakotsu, and Sesshoumaru is unable to defeat both foes on his own. It is only with Kikyo's assistance that Rin is saved from Suikotsu, thus insulting Sesshoumaru's honor further in having to accept help from a "mere woman."

Kagura, one of Naraku's incarnations, later betrays Naraku to obtain her freedom. She believes that only Sesshomaru can defeat him. She attempts to escape from Naraku after Hakudoshi dies, but is caught by Naraku and given her heart back, at a price. At the moment she hears her heart beat, Naraku stabs her and injects her with miasma, purposely missing her "precious heart." She flees to a nearby meadow, a petal reaches Sesshomaru in the midst of a battle with Moryomaru. Smelling her blood and miasma, he is infuriated when Moryomaru insults her, and quickly concludes the quarrel, but breaks Tokijin in the process. Then, he turns up in front of her. Sesshomaru tells Kagura that he picked up the scent of blood and miasma. Kagura replies, "I see, you thought I was Naraku. Are you disappointed that I'm not Naraku?" Sesshomaru replies to her, "I knew it was you." He reaches for Tenseiga but then realizes at that moment that she can't be saved. Kagura is happy she got to see Sesshomaru one last time. She looks up at him and smiles as she dies before him dissolving into the wind. When Inuyasha comes right after Kagura dies, he asks Sesshomaru if she suffered. Sesshomaru simply looks toward the sky and says, "She was smilling," and then walks away.

Tenseiga calls out to Totosai at that time and he states that the sword told him that Sesshoumaru's heart had never before felt compassion, and that meant Sesshoumaru was ready to learn how to wield Tenseiga as a weapon. In this way it was Kagura who taught Sesshoumaru how to have compassion, and thus to move beyond his own selfishness in caring for only those whose deaths would hurt him, personally.

When Sesshomaru learns how to perform Meidō Zangetsuha, he reflects on Kagura's death, and how Moryomaru told him that she had died for nothing. He then thinks to himself, "I, Sesshomaru, will be the one to decide if she died for nothing." The wind then blows, which Rin points out, and the group of three leave Totosai. The wind is proved Kagura's spirit.

In effort to strengthen and enhance Tenseiga's powers even further, Sesshomaru visits his mother in search of answers to make a complete Meido. He ventures into Hell after a demon from the underworld grabs Rin and Kohaku. Sesshomaru's Mother offers him a way out which he declines; this offends her. Sesshoumaru finds Rin in the grasp of the master of Hell. After he slays the demon he realizes Rin isn't reviving, and states that enhancing and strengthening his sword is not worth the price of Rin's life. Dead bodies in Hell surround them, and with his grief for Rin he uses Tenseiga to purify them. When he returns to the living world with Rin's body, his mother scolds him for thinking he was a god who could control life and death, and tells him Tenseiga can only revive the same person once, and tells him that when his heart wishes to save his "loved one" (in reference to Rin), he must also at that moment feel both sadness and fear; this is what it means for him to have "a compassionate heart."

Sesshoumaru could only learn to understand the worth of a life and gain a truly compassionate heart when lost the life that was worth the most to him (which is Rin), and "a compassionate heart" is what is necessary for the one who weilds a destructive Tenseiga, which can dispatch enemies to the Meidō. Then his mother used the jewel around her neck to revive Rin, much to Sesshomaru's relief and happiness (his mother asks Jaken if Sesshoumaru is happy when she revives Rin, and Jaken responds that it most likely he is "extremely so".)

Sesshomaru realizes his true potential as a greater demon after Tenseiga's fighting technique, Meidō Zangetsuha is given to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru lets go of his obsession with Tetsusaiga in a battle with Magatsuhi, and regains not only his left arm, but also his own sword, Bakusaiga.

He later uses this sword fighting Naraku along with InuYasha's group in the final battle, aiding in the final destruction of the evil hanyō by destroying large amounts of Naraku's body. Three years after defeat of Naraku, Sesshomaru visited Rin who was under care of Kaede with gifts and was annoyed when Kagome called him oni-san.