Name:
InuyashaName:
Inuyasha
Alternate Spellings: InuYasha, Inu Yasha, Inu-Yasha
Race: half demon (dog)
Age: 200 (including the 50yrs he spent pinned to the tree) appears to be 16
Hair: silver (black when he is human)
Eyes: gold (dark brown when he is human)
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 143.6 lbs
Family: Ino no Taisho, father (deceased); Izayoi, mother (deceased); Sesshoumaru, brother
Status:
Quote: Hurry it up you stupid girl!
Anime: Inuyasha
Voice: (English) Richard Cox (Japanese) Mitsuo Yamaguchi (credited as Kappei Yamaguchi)
History and Personality: Inuyasha is a reckless hanyo (half demon), the result of a relationship between a powerful Inu youkai lord and an attractive human noblewoman. Orphaned at a young age, and despised and looked down on by both Youkai and humans, Inuyasha apparently had a very sad childhood. He is rejected by humans because of his youkai side and looked down upon by youkai as a "filthy half-breed" because his human blood supposedly taints his youkai blood. Thus, before Inuyasha met Kikyo, he found it very difficult to trust anyone, and even more to find anyone who accepted him as a hanyo. He spent most of his life fighting to stay alive. Because of how he has been treated Inuyasha tends to be defensive, easily irritated, insensitive, and ill mannered. He has trouble trusting others especially when it comes to how they feel about him.
He originally wanted to use the Jewel of the Four Souls (sacred jewel, also know as the Shikon no Tama) to become a full Youkai, however, in his efforts to procure the jewel he found himself becoming attatched to the priestess who guarded it. Her name was Kikyo and the two develop a friendship and eventually grow to love one another. Kikyo convinced Inuyasha that he should use the jewel to become human, telling him that this will probably cause the jewel to disappear and then they can lead a normal life together. Inuyasha is shocked as the idea of becoming human had never entered his mind, but he loves Kikyo enough to agree. Unfortunately fate had other plans for the couple. Kikyo had been caring for an injured human thief who could not move. His name was Onigumo and he wanted Kikyo for himself. In order to gain mobility and go after Kikyo Onigumo gave his body and soul to a hoard of demons. This created the half-demon Naraku. Naraku posed as Inuyasha and attacked Kikyo and then disguised himself as Kikyo and attacked Inuyasha. Inuyasha escapes and decides to take the jewel for himself, but the real Kikyo shows up and fires a sealing arrow at Inuyasha, sealing him to the Goshinboku in an eternal enchanted sleep. However, Kikyo had been badly injured by Naraku (disguised as Inuyasha) and moments after the shot is fired she collapses and then dies shortly after. Part of her final instructions to her sister Kaede was to have the Jewel burned with her body so that it would travel to Hell with her.
50 years later, Inuyasha was released from the tree by Kagome, the reincarnation of Kikyo from 500 years in the future, who unknowingly carried the Jewel of the Four Souls inside her body (this is due to Kikyo being burned with the Jewel). She had been pulled to the Feudal Era by Mistress Centipede, a demon who once possessed the sacred jewel and still longed for it. As she was running from the demon Kagome ended up in front of the tree and Inuyasha is somehow awakened. He offered to destroy the centipede demon if Kagome would free him from the arrow. Despite warnings from the now elderly Kaede, Kagome freed Inuyasha. He destroyed the demon quickly, but when he was finished with Mistress Centipede, he went after Kagome himself and tried to steal the Jewel. Kaede bound him with the Beads of Subjugation around his neck so that whenever Kagome says "Sit" (Osuwari) he plunges head first to the ground. He remained in the town hoping to get the sacred jewel, but was much more subdued thanks to the beads. He also protected the Jewel (and therefore Kagome) from other demons who came searching for it. Early in the series Kagome accidentally shattered the Jewel when shooting at a youkai trying to flee with it, and the shards were scattered around Japan. Inuyasha, Kagome, and later their friends, then began the search for the shards of the Jewel of the Four Souls.
Though Inuyasha is introduced as an antagonist when, upon his revival, he attempts to kill Kagome in order to take the Shikon Jewel, he is actually the primary protagonist of the series. A great deal of his rude and violent behavior upon first being freed is caused by the fact that he feels betrayed by Kikyo. When he discovers that he was tricked he quickly stops hating Kikyo and becomes much less aggressive and hurtful. We see that Inuyasha can be very heroic and caring. He hates to see demons abuse weaker beings and, though sometimes reluctant because of his impatience to complete their quest, almost always takes the time to help people (human or demon) in need. He remains crass, blunt, impatient and often rude, easily annoyed, and immature, with a quick temper and a generally gruff attitude towards everyone except Kagome and Kikyo, and to a lesser degree the rest of his companions (with the possible exception of Shippo). When he is mildly upset or uncomfortable with his emotions he yells and occasionally sulks (especially if he knows he is wrong), but when he is deeply upset he becomes withdrawn, quiet, and solemn. He is brutally honest when it comes to dealing with emotional hardships (as long as they are not his), and always tries to take the most direct route possible in solving any problem, which usually involves blowing something up or shredding it. But he is, as Kagome once said "a really nice guy when he isn't busy being a jerk".
When it comes to his own emotions he is quite torn and often depressed and confused. As a dog demon he is very loyal, which makes it difficult for him to give up on his relationship with Kikyo once she is resurrected, even though it is clear that she no longer holds any love for him. A great deal of the plot centers around the fact that Inuyasha is beginning to have feelings for Kagome, but feels obligated to protect Kikyo. At the point when the anime ends he seems to have gone into a depressed state following Kikyo's death, and it remains to be seen how much his attitude has been changed. However, she has been killed or presumed dead a grand total of three times, and he seems to have recovered relatively quickly from her deaths in the past, so this most recent death may not engender any permanent attitude adjustments.
Inuyasha is offended when someone calls him a dog or suggests that he is inferior to youkai, due to his human parentage.
Relationships: Kagome - The central relationship of the series, and also one of the main points of inner conflict for Inuyasha. When Inuyasha first meets Kagome he hates because she both is and is not Kikyo whom he both hates and loves. As time passes they become friends and Inuyasha learns to see Kagome as her own person. This starts a whole new set of problems as Inuyasha begins to develop deeper feelings for Kagome. He feels as though loving Kagome would be a betrayal of Kikyo and he is torn between the two. This struggle is intensified when Kikyo is brought back to life. Inuyasha then struggles to choose between the two women. Kagome makes him feel comfortable and happy and she accepts him as he is. Though the two often have petty arguments they always forgive one another - though Kagome is almost always the one to initiate reconciliation especially early on. Kagome loves Inuyasha completely, and is willing to give him time as long as he allows her to stay with him. Inuyasha realizes that asking her to stay is selfish, but lets her remain and does everything he can to protect her. Though at first he seems to place Kikyo as a higher priority there are many occasions in which he chooses Kagome over the priestess. These instances become more frequent as the series progresses, giving the impression that Inuyasha remains loyal to Kikyo out of obligation and a respect for their past relationship rather than because he still loves her. It is fairly obvious that he does love Kagome but does not feel free to pursue a relationship with her. He is, however, extremely jealous when other males give her attention and he is extremely protective of her.
Shippo - Inuyasha is continually annoyed by this youkai-fox, who is rather smart for his age. Their interaction consists mostly of Shippo annoying Inuyasha and the hanyou then hitting him and being scolded by Kagome for it. However, Inuyasha does care for Shippo and encourages him when really necessary. Shippo once cried when he thought Inuyasha had been killed, and then hugged him while still in tears when he found out that he was still alive. Shippo is also considered one of Inuyasha's most popular characters for his cuteness and chibiness. Nevertheless, Inuyasha probably cares for Shippo more than anyone. Shippo, like Inuyasha, is an orphan, and the two often fight like siblings.
Miroku - Even though Miroku is a lecherous monk, Inuyasha clearly respects Miroku for his skills, powers, and knowledge. Each knows he can trust the other with his life if need be. Also, Miroku is the only male companion of Inuyasha with whom he doesn't always bicker. Whenever Miroku is sucking Naraku's poisonous wasps into his Kaza'ana or otherwise putting himself in danger to help his friends, Inuyasha forces him to stop these dangerous acts. Once he even promised to rip Miroku's arms off if he tried to open his Kaza'ana again (as doing so would have resulted in Miroku's death)--Inuyasha's way of saying that he cares. More recently, in the manga, Miroku almost got himself killed trying to suck in Naraku but was stopped by Inuyasha.
Sango - Inuyasha respects Sango's strength as a fighter, to the point that he was actually the one to ask her to join them in their quest to defeat Naraku, and went out of his way--in his blunt and awkward fashion--to help take her mind off her troubles after she first joined them. After she initially joins, Sango proves to be a very worthy companion and often fights side by side with Inuyasha, and her Youkai hunting skills prove to be a valuable asset in hunting down Naraku. Sango really only fights with Inuyasha when her brother joins them for a bit with no memory of Naraku and Inuyasha doesn't trust him and thinks it's all an act, while Sango takes on the defensive side and argues for her brother. Inuyasha also stopped Sango from killing Kohaku and often comforts her when she starts feeling blue, assuring her that they'll get him back. This has given hope to Sango and she now believes that she doesn't have to kill her brother to free him because of Inuyasha's interference.
Kikyo - When Kikyo was brought back in a body of clay by the youkai Urasue, she was filled with the anger and bitterness with which she had died, and she acted with hostility toward Inuyasha and Kagome both. Over the course of the series, Kikyo has gradually become more and more like the shrine maiden she was before her death. While there are still clearly feelings between Kikyo and Inuyasha, for the most part Kikyo has held herself apart; nevertheless, she is important to Inuyasha, and threats to her safety tend to make him react without much thought for the consequences to himself or the effect it has on Kagome. In recent manga, as she lies dying, Inuyasha holds Kikyo in his arms, tears flowing from his eyes, crying about how he couldn't save her. She smiles up at him lovingly, and tells him he came for her and that that is enough. Inuyasha cries even harder, tears streaming down his face as he kisses her one last time, before she fades away into a bright cluster of light, leaving him depressed and a bit lost as a result.
Sesshoumaru - Inuyasha's older half-brother and also son of the Great Inu Youkai. He doesn't like the fact that Inuyasha wields Tetsusaiga (also spelled Tessaiga) and he was stuck with Tenseiga. The two openly hate each other; Inuyasha because Sesshoumaru tried to take his sword, and while many fans think the reason Sesshoumaru hates Inuyasha is because of a childhood incident involving Sesshoumaru's (fan-dubbed) 'fluffy,' the actual reason is that Sesshoumaru is a taiyoukai, while his brother Inuyasha is technically a hanyou. Sesshoumaru also considers himself innately superior to Inuyasha by merit of being a youkai. Sesshoumaru is another of the most popular characters of Inuyasha.
Koga - Inuyasha and Koga have a very complex relationship. They are often seen bickering over Kagome, something that is often used for comical purposes in the series. However, they have aided each other in the battlefield on more than one occasion; Inuyasha even saved him from Kagura by using his wind scar attack which would have destroyed her had Naraku not intervened, and managed to bring him back to safety after he was almost melted by Naraku's miasma in liquid form. Koga has also never revealed to Naraku that Inuyasha loses his powers once a month, because during that time it would be easy for Naraku to dispatch him since he is in human form and can't use the Tetsusaiga.
Myoga - This youkai-flea was a loyal servant of Inuyasha's father. He now acts as Inuyasha's retainer. He often provides Inuyasha with information on his enemies and on ways to upgrade his sword in order to defeat them. However, he will often flee from battles, and mysteriously reappears in a safer place in the area, or after the danger has passed. Though useful, he is constantly getting squished.
Totosai - This is the sword smith who forged Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Sesshoumaru's Tenseiga. He often gives Inuyasha advice on how to better use the power his sword. Indeed all of Inuyasha's achievements in strength can be credited to Totosai. He was also a servant of Inuyasha's father, like Myoga. He, Myoga and Saya seem to have been best friends all serving under the great general.
Sota - Sota sees Inuyasha as a role model, due to his father being deceased, and tries to spend time with him when he is in the modern age. Sota even calls Inuyasha "Inu no nii-chan" (dog brother). Sota and Inuyasha seem to be getting closer and closer as once him and Inuyasha even took a bath together; the deal being that Sota will wash Inuyasha's back if he does the same for him. This ended with Inuyasha running out of the bath tub naked with Sota and landed in front of a horrified Kagome. (Note: Despite what many fans consider to be a display of homosexuality, in Japanese culture it is considered perfectly acceptable to give a child a bath in such a way, though it is usually done by family, further proving the two character's growing closeness).
Bankotsu - Even though he was his enemy, Inuyasha understood Bankotsu's desire to be strong. After Inuyasha kills him he tells Bankotsu that he was "too greedy" and that "his bare hands would have been enough" to beat him. Later when Naraku insults Bankotsu, Inuyasha, who angered by the way he had used Bankotsu, tells Naraku that even though he was evil, Bankotsu had more honor than Naraku ever had.
Jinenji - He is the polar opposite of Inuyasha, in that he is able to show compassion to both friends and enemies, even though he too has been badly mistreated by humans and youkai alike. Inuyasha felt a need to encourage Jinenji to stand up to his oppressors, and in the end managed to get the villagers to stop abusing him.
Kinka and Ginka - These two youkai brothers wielded the power of fire and lightening. Their relationship was very similar to the relationship that Inuyasha has with Sesshoumaru. In the end, their contempt of each other lead to their deaths at the hands of Moryomaru. Inuyasha apologized for having them dragged into his struggle with Moryomaru, and perhaps even got a glimpse of what future awaits him and Sesshoumaru if they continue despising each other.
Special Traits & Techniques:
Physical Abilities - Strength: Inuyasha's youkai blood gives him superhuman strength. No upper limit has yet been shown in the canon, but, according to the Zusetsutaizen Ōgikaiden official character data book, he is at least strong enough to easily lift a boulder with a diameter greater than the height of his body over his head with one hand, and then run many miles with it. Something like that is easily eight to ten tons on the weight scale.
Speed: While not as fast as Entei the youkai-horse that served as Hakudoshi's steed, Inuyasha's speed has been shown to easily exceed that of a normal horse; possibly as fast as, if not faster than, a cheetah. Due to the speed he can accumulate in his runs, added with his incredible strength, he is able to cross great distances with a single jump. Altogether, this creates the illusion that he is flying every time he leaps. The Ogikaiden says he can reach the top of tall cliffs with a single leap as well.
Defensive Ability: For the most part, his fire-rat robe provides most of the added protection to his body. However, Inuyasha's physique is capable of taking a lot of damage, more than the average human, or even most youkai. He has also been seen to be unaffected by severe blunt force trauma - he was hit on the head with a log hard enough for it to break in two without any effect. He appears weak against strong smells like ink from the episode "The Cursed Hell Painter" because of his sensitive nose. Though, he has shown the ability to withstand direct contact with fire and tremendous heat, but parts of his body not covered by the robe appear equally invulnerable; he appears resistant to acid as when trapped by Naraku in the Ogre's Belly. He is susceptible to some youkai and holy weapons, but appears to be invulnerable to most human ones, able to catch normal arrows out of the air and break steel swords with his bare hands. Even when injured, his recovery rate (his healing factor) is much faster than that of a human. Similarly, attacks powerful enough to severely injure him are rarely fatal, as they would be to humans. He recovered quickly from numerous serious attacks, including a large fist-sized hole punched through his gut. Unfortunately for Inuyasha, his tongue is still open to being burned by curry.
Hand-to-Hand combat Techniques - Iron Reaver Soul Stealer: Inuyasha's basic claw attack is powerful enough to tear apart iron, making it easy for him to rip his enemies in half.
Blades of Blood: Inuyasha's blood, when combined with the "Exorcising Claws of Steel", does damage when thrown. With this attack, he is able to attack his enemies from afar instead of in close combat. Inuyasha splashes his own blood on the end of his claws and flings them boomerang-like to cleave his foes in two. In the later fights with the youkai ninja, it appeared that he used the blood of his enemy to use the Blades of Blood. But this is unconfirmed.
Time Travel: This technique basically involves Inuyasha jumping down the “Bone Eater’s Well” and traveling back and forth 500 years from the future. How this is done has not been explained and is one of the series most talked about plotholes. There are many theories and the anime only gives clues and allows for inference. It is very possible that it involves spiritual power or simply will power.
Tetsusaiga Techniques - Wind Scar (kaze no kizu): A special attack that can kill 100 youkai with one strike. Inuyasha first used this attack by accident, but eventually learned to see the Wind Scar. This attack uses the collision of youkai winds between two enemies to create a path ("the scar") to unleash an attack of cutting wind. Once he has mastered this, he is able to take 100 lives in one strike of his sword. If he does the Kaze no Kizu too many times it eventually will wear him out since the Kaze no Kizu is from his youkai spirit. It nearly wore Inuyasha out once when he fought Muso. Later on after he stabs the heart of the youkai, Ryukotusei, he gains the ability to unleash the Kaze no Kizu whenever he wants.
Dragon Twister / Backlash Wave: The Tetsusaiga's ultimate technique. Uses the opponent's strong youki and the Kaze no Kizu to return the attack, magnified hundreds of times. With this movement of the Tessaiga, he forms enormous charging twisters that sucks the foes power into the "Wind Scar" and forces it to flow backwards. The wind and the power twist together into a vortex, pushing it backwards and the enemy is attacked by its own youki and Tetsusaiga's might combined. But to use it, he must see where to cut the youkai's aura and have strong enough "ki" himself to overpower his foes. An alternate way to look at it is this: when an enemy fires any type of youki, Inuyasha is able to use that attack and send it back entwined in a twister along with Kaze no Kizu as long as he is more powerful than they. This only works on foes with a youki.
Barrier shatter (Red-colored Tessaiga): Gained from the blood of Taigokumaru which was absorbed into Shiori's orb. This technique renders barriers including Naraku's for a while useless. When being used, Tetsusaiga glows red. Only the strongest barriers cannot be shattered by this attack, such as Naraku's current barrier and Midoriko's barriers.
Adamant Barrage: Attack gained from Hosenki after Naraku had used the shard to make him fight Inuyasha. After defeating the diamond youkai with the power to obliterate any type of barrier, Inuyasha absorbed his power to combine his Kaze no Kizu with the diamonds to wreak havoc on the foe. The Tessaiga turns into a massive diamond, whipping diamond shards from its blade with huge youki explosions to destroy any and foremost Naraku's Barriers.
Dragon Scaled Tessaiga: This attack involves one half of Tetsusaiga being covered in large dragon scales. This move is different from the rest because it absorbs youki instead of causing direct damage to an opponent. Inuyasha gained this attack when a sword smith that got possessed by a sword forged from a youkai's scale, named Datsuki, attacked Inuyasha. During the fight Datsuki absorbed the Kaze no Kizu attack as well as the Bakuryuha, and Tetsusaiga almost snapped, again. In the end, the sword smith couldn't handle it and died, causing the sword to break and give its special power to Tetsusaiga.
The sheath of the Tetsusaiga also has special properties. It can deflect energy attacks with the barrier used to contain Tetsusaiga's power. It is also capable of returning the Tessaiga to Inuyasha's hands when they become separated. The sheath is capable of resisting any amount of offensive force; however, if that force is used continuously then the sheath will crack. This why it was able to hold off Sesshoumaru’s Soryoha since it was an attack that was only unleashed once, but couldn’t hold off Hiten’s thunder attacks which were of weaker power than the Soryoha, since he was unleashing them constantly.
Trivia: Clothing in an historical context - According to interviews with the author, the style for Inuyasha's clothing was based on "priest's garb" of Japan's "Warring States" period. It is roughly similar in general appearance to the clothing worn by Kagome's grandfather, Kikyo, and Kaede; all Shinto clerics. The red garments are made of the legendary "Fire Rat (Hinezumi) Fur" which is said to be fireproof and "stronger than poor armour". From canon, we read "Hinezumi no Ke de Otta Koromo da, hetana Yoroi yori Tsuyoi ze" ; the literal translation is: "Its clothes woven from fire rat's fur, stronger than poor armor." These claims are substantiated in numerous incidents throughout canon. The historical reference can be found in the ancient Japanese folk tale "Taketori Monogatari", or "The Bamboo Cutter's Tale." The 'Robe of the Fire Rat' allows him to resist fire and to some extent, blades. It also works on others to whom he lends it. The robe loses its armor-like qualities during the new moon, just as Inuyasha loses his youkai powers.
We can see that Inuyasha's garments are hakama (pants) bloused at the ankles, a jacket with "separated" sleeves, kosode (shirt), and obi (belt). Pants: clearly Hakama, quite likely the Sashinuki style. This is a style of the Heian Period (795-1192 CE). The show and manga take place in the Sengoku Period (1467-1615 CE). Of course, Inuyasha doesn't span the entirety of the Sengoku Period, however, since Inuyasha's outfit comes from his father, who was a very old demon, it makes sense that it has been matched up with the "Hitoe" (below). His Hakama and Hitoe are both made of the Cloth of the Fire Rat.
Jacket: Hitoe. Often mistaken for a common Kimono it is clearly not long enough. Some believe that Inuyasha's jacket is Hitatare but since the jacket is shorter than this, and his jacket is tucked into the pants, it appears to be a Hitoe with the sleeves modified to the kariginu style, commonlly called "bell sleeves". The Hitoe is an unlined robe, traditionally it is either a kurenai (orange-red) or rarely a pale green color. The sides are not sewn shut, and the sleeves are only partially sewn to the body. The collar is long and open. It is two panels wide, and so is very large; a double fold, like darts, made in the back at the time of donning, enable one to wear the garment. It is worn tucked into the pants (whether uguchi or sashinuki). The red-orange color and the mention of the partially attached sleeves re-inforce this theory. The partially attached sleeves allows the white shirt (Kosode) worn underneath to be seen clearly. (Jackets worn by the characters Jakan, Kikyo, Kaede, and "Grandpa" all have the same feature.) The sleeves are extremeley full at the wrist, as wide as the shoulders of the garment, and have a ribbon or cord sewn through the hem of the wrist. This can serve at least two purposes: it allows the sleeve to be gathered at the wrist (like the Hakama at the ankle) and it is often used to gather the material for easy folding for storage. Neither of these features is seen in canon. The jacket is so short in fact that the white shirt (Kosode) shows through the side Hakama slits instead of the jacket. Interestingly, Inuyasha wears a black cord across the chest from the right shoulder to the left hip, tied in a simple bow. It is *not* a sword cord, but appears to be holding the excess fold of the jacket in place.
Shirt: Kosode. Kosode were commonly worn as underwear during the Kamakura era, at which time they became legitimate garments in their own right and became more dressy and full, with less sculpted sleeves. The undergarment kosode of Heian and Kamakura Periods was invariably white. An important point that must be made is that kosode (lit: “little sleeve”) weren’t just so called because the sleeve was small; they were given the name because the sleeve opening was small (especially when compared to other garments of the period, which were often termed usode, or “large sleeves”). The slits in the side of the Hakama show the white Kosode (shirt), and the openings at the sleeves and shoulders of the jacket show it as well. This is a deliberate fashion effect.
Belt: Obi. The belt appears to be a standard Obi, through which the Saya (sword sheath) is thrust. The Obi as worn by a swordsman is positioned just over the hips so the sword is "low" in the sash in order to make drawing the sword much easier. The Obi knot is normally a very tight square affair. However, we can see that Inuyasha wears his Obi and his Hakama much higher up around his waist, nearly to his ribs. Inuyasha's knot is more of a slightly floppy bow knot.
While Inuyasha's garments in the original manga started with an interesting pink color, the bright red color is now the accepted standard.
Transformation - Inuyasha actually has several physical forms which he assumes at different times throughout the series. He has little or no control over these transformations however.
Human: Once a month he turns completely human due to his half human, half youkai biology. During this time he loses all his powers. This only happens during a time when the moon isn't visible at night (new moon), which makes sense since the moon seems to be an important symbol of his family (Sesshoumaru has a crescent moon on his forehead and his Meido Zangetsuha attack originally takes on the form of a crescent moon). His hair turns black and he loses his superhuman strength, speed and defensive abilities, as well as his dog ears, claws, fangs, etc. In this form, basically all of his youkai powers are gone and he can only use Tetsusaiga in its rusty form. He prefers to keep it a secret because on that night he is vulnerable. Only his friends and a few others know his secret. Perhaps the reason why InuYasha changes to a human during the new moon is because in InuYasha Movie 3: Swords Of An Honorable Ruler, a short time after Takemaru of Setsuna killed InuYasha's mother, Izayoi, while she was in labor with InuYasha, before Inu Taishou brought her back to life moments later, there was a lunar eclipse. When the moon turned dark, the newborn child began to cry. This may be a possible explanation why InuYasha becomes vulnerable during the new moon. However, as Naraku experiences a similar event once a month it is likely that it is merely a trait common to all those of mixed demon and human heritage. In fact, in the episode in which Naraku looses his strength and abilities at least one member of Inuyasha's group states that "of course" - Naraku's a hanyou, he looses his demon abilities once a month too...
Youkai: At a point that Inuyasha can't take anymore of what he is seeing or if his life is in danger, his demon blood takes over and he will transform. The first time it happened was when his Tetsusaiga broke in Episode 43. When transformed, Inuyasha's appearance also changes . Inuyasha will remain in this state if he does not have Tetsusaiga within reach or on him (i.e. episode 52 when he was with Miroku). As revealed by Myoga; that reason that Inuyasha's father had the Tetsusaiga forged was to prevent his son's youkai blood from taking him over, since he's a hanyou he can't fully handle the power he inherited from his father the way Sesshoumaru can. This is why there are many abilities that Sesshoumaru can perform that Inuyasha can't, (ie making a cloud that can be flown on), since he doesn't have what it takes to handle the youkai power. If Inuyasha is in youkai form, he cannot remember himself and his youkai blood takes over his human heart. He will continue to fight until he is defeated. In this state, he gains a massive boost in all of his physical abilities (raw power, strength, regeneration, durability, and speed) and very probably his sensory abilities as well (although this is never addressed). The most noteworthy examples of these augmentations are: he regenerated completely from the near fatal Wind Scar wounds he received about a day earlier upon his first transformation, recovered just as quickly from the effects of a deadly poison he had been injected with upon his second transformation, was able to strike Sesshoumaru's Tokijin with his fist, and could cut open Ryukotsusei's nearly unbreakable hide with nothing more than his bare hands (and without using the typical Sankon Tesso energy blast). His raw youkai power in this form was enough to frighten Sesshoumaru momentarily, and admit it to himself (it doesn't appear that anything or anyone else in the series has ever had that effect on him). It is a common misconception that his youkai blood would destroy his body, but the nature of the transformations is to keep Inuyasha alive, thus his body is transformed by the power, not overwhelmed by it. The transformations do not transform his mind however, because that is not strictly necessary to survive, and repeated transformations eat away at his mind, and possibly the human part of his soul. It would appear however, that the damage to his humanity is not permanent. He is sort of a daiyoukai seeing as he is the son of the dog general and even though he is a hanyou, he is superior to most youkai.
Purified: In episode 167, thus far the final episode of the Inuyasha anime, Naraku's machinations prompted Inuyasha to use a shard of the Jewel of the Four Souls to strengthen Tetsusaiga's power, an effort which backfired when the unpurified powers of the shard caused Inuyasha to begin entering his youkai form. Kagome, seeing Inuyasha's predicament, ran to him and her embrace purified the shard, leaving Inuyasha in a purified version of his youkai form. In this form, he retained some of the aspects of his youkai form, such as the purple stripes on his face, but his eyes remained clear and he retained his sanity instead of being subject to the berserker rage which ordinarily characterizes his youkai form. After the shard was removed from the Tessaiga, Inuyasha reverted to his normal hanyou self.
Why we love him: Because he rocks! Oh... no... umm... I'll have to go with Kagome on this one, "he's a really nice guy when he isn't being a jerk". And when he is being a jerk you just feel so bad for him because you know he's had it so rough and he's so confused. He's strong and loyal and the dog ears are absolutely adorable. Plus we all know I have a weakness for long silver/white 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.