Name:
(English) Inutaisho (Japanese) Inu no TaishoName:
(English) Inutaisho (Japanese) Inu no Taisho
Alias(es): Inu papa, Toga
Race: Dog Demon (inu youkai)
Age: Somewhere between 1000 and 3000 years is the general consensus, but he appears about 40
Hair: Silver
Eyes: Gold
Height: 6'3" (in human form), 1450'7" (in his true dog form)
Weight: 224.9 lbs (in human form), 231 tons (in his true dog form)
Family: Sesshoumaru's Mother (Demon Wife, Name unknown, alive); Izayoi (Human Lover, deceased); Sesshoumaru (Youkai Son); InuYasha (Hanyou Son)
Status: Lord of the Dogs (Ruler of the Western lands?). Daiyoukai or Taiyoukai (basically means Great or very powerful demon)
Quote:
Anime: Inuyasha (movie 3)
Voice: (English) Dale Wilson or Don Brown (Japanese) Outsuka Akio
History and Personality: He is the father of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha. Inu no Taisho is actually a rank that stands for Dog General or Leader of Dogs. Most people refer to him as The Great Dog Demon. Inu no Taisho was a taiyoukai, or great demon; he ruled in the 'Western Lands', which are assumed to be the western parts of Japan. At some point in his past, he sired Sesshoumaru. Described by Myoga as a 'demon among demons', Inu no Taisho defeated many demons before his death. Those who have been identified are as follows: Hyoga and Menomaru (villains in the first Inuyasha movie), Oyakata (leader of the Panther tribe), and the deadly Ryukotsusei, whom he was only able to place in torpor and was severely injured by during the fight. According to the third movie, it was immediately after this battle that the Inu no Taisho raced to Izayoi's side, in order to be present at the birth of his second son, Inuyasha. When he arrived he found Iyazoi dead, but saved her with the Tenseiga. During a battle with Setsuna no Takemaru (Takemaru of Setsuna), who had killed Izayoi for consorting with a demon and intended to slay the demon who had sullied her, Inu no Taisho died; it is unclear whether Takemaru, the fire, or his severe injuries from the battle with Ryuukotsusei were the cause-in-fact of his death. Izayoi, revived by the sword Tenseiga, escapes the burning castle as the battle between Takemaru and the Inu no Taisho is engaged, and she watches the building collapse upon them with her infant son in her arms, unable to see what becomes of him.
The Inu no Taisho possessed three powerful swords during his life, only two of which were passed down to his sons: Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga, and So'unga. Tessaiga was bequeathed to Inuyasha, hidden in his tomb within the black pearl in Inuyasha's eye until such time as Inuyasha would be capable of wielding it. Presumably, he left Tessaiga to Inuyasha both to control his hanyou son's demonic blood in desperate situations and because Tessaiga was strong enough to protect Inuyasha from Sesshoumaru's violent hatred. Tenseiga was bequeathed to Sesshoumaru, presumably in his hope that because the sword could only be used to save life, Sesshoumaru would eventually use it for that purpose, giving him something to protect and showing his cold, power-hungry elder son the path to compassion. So'unga was sealed by Saya in its sheath for seven-hundred years and cast into the Bone-Eater's Well; from there, it was guarded by the Higurashi family until the modern era, when Saya's magic weakened and the evil spirit of the sword sought to destroy the world. Only through Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru using their swords in concert were they able to defeat So'unga, and the spirit of the Inu no Taisho took the sword into the underworld with him, where it could no longer harm anyone. It was his last lesson to his sons that they must work together; the lesson, so far as the series has demonstrated, did not take easily. While it is unknown how the Inu no Taisho came to possess So'unga, he had Totosai forge Tessaiga and Tenseiga from his own fangs. It is possible, but again merely speculation, that he had the swords forged initially for the specific purpose of balancing and controlling the powers of So'unga.
We don't see enough of Inutaisho to develope a feel for his personality, but if we are to believe what Myoga and others say he was honorable and good, he defended the demons and humans in his lands and treated them without bias or prejudice (obviously if he loved his human ... um... lover enough to come back for her). Perhaps the greatest indicators of his character are his swords. He was strong enough to handle the evil sword So'unga, but compassionate enough to use the Tenseiga and selfless/protective enough to use Tetsusaiga. He was proud but not prideful and not ashamed to have and show emotions.
Relationships: Sesshoumaru's mother has recently been revealed. In chapter 466 (beyond the anime) Sesshoumaru is said to be looking for something, and it turns out to be his mother. Sesshoumaru looks for his mother to find out more about the Tenseiga, meaning she knows more about the creations of Inu No Taisho's swords. Her name is not currently revealed. It is still unknown what happened in their relationship.
Sesshoumaru's relationship with his father is also somewhat of an unknown. However, it is clear that they fell into disagreement over Inuyasha's relationship with Izayoi and that Sesshoumaru disagrees with various aspects of his father's general view of life (for example, his attitude towards humans and his attitude toward emotions in general). Inutaisho seems to be a bit disappointed in his son's priorities as well. However, it is also clear that whatever their difference Inutaisho cared for Sesshoumaru and wanted to teach him, and Sesshoumaru respected his father - if only for his strength.
The nature of Inutaisho's relationship with Izayoi (Inuyasha's mother) is as unclear as the rest of his relationships. However, it seems likely that he truly loved her as he comes back for her despite his injuries and he brings her back to life. It is also implies in the anime that he commissioned Tetsusaiga for the purpose of protecting her, although it may just be that he commissioned it to employ in the protection of humans in general but primarily used it in protecting her.
Inuyasha never knew his father as Inutaisho died the night of his birth.
Techniques: Presumably Inutaisho uses the same sword techniques as his two sons, and also the same physical attacks as it is stated several times that most of their strength comes from his powerful bloodline.
Trivia: There has been a great deal of conflict over his true name. Many fans refer to him as "InuTaisho", an incorrect way of saying Inu no Taisho. This is not his true name, as it is only a rank, as mentioned above. During the production of the third movie, the name used to identify his character was "Toga" for convenience, but has never been given as his name officially, likely because Rumiko Takahashi did not approve of it. The Japanese cast and a large part of the fandom call him 'Inu-papa'.
There has also been much controversy about his appearance. The creator of the series never revealed his human form in canon, but provided the design for him for the third movie staff, under the direction that his face never clearly be shown. It is technically canon, as the movie is an officially licensed InuYasha product and does not conflict with continuity.
As of recently, many people have heard him called 'Sugimi' from a quote by Myouga from the third Inuyasha movie. This is possibly, as with "InuTaisho", a misrepresentation of the term "Chichi-gimi", which Myouga uses to refer to him, meaning "your honorable father".
Why we love him: It's true that Inutaisho is a general enigma (mystery) but what we hear about him is all good. And judging from his sons, both of whom we adore... Take all their good qualities combined together, add a whole lot more maturity, wisdom, and compassion... and you've probably got a pretty good picture of their father. That's pretty irresistible. And then the hair... it all comes down to that gorgeous hair.
All information from wikipedia is used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License and can be copied/altered and redistributed under the guidelines of this license.