I just don’t see how people hate kikiyo man her entire character is pure gold! A young powerful priestess who longed to to live a simple life of a regular woman who was double crossed by love and her own kindness. Losing both her desires to be a normal woman and the life she knew of a protector of the jewel. She failed despite doing everything she was to do and sacrificed it all and got nothing. Instead of resting in death she was punished and revived! To rewatch all the things that went wrong for her happen again in her face and could do nothing about it! Even in my youth I appreciated her cause no one else as a core character was flushed out so well and tragic. She never got a win despite it all and at the end after everything never got her win everyone one else did even down to kagura
For a while I hated Kikyō, not only because she was a distraction for Inuyasha (even though he was the one flying after her and she was doing everything on the side, alone), but also because she seemed very two-faced and her behavior irritated me. Now I understand her better and sympathize with her a lot, but I still don't understand some of her behavior. I would most like to erase the memories of how I disliked her, but I can't say that she is my favorite character. She's just COOL, she is a beautiful character (not everyone would be able to endure as much as she did, her endurance is truly admirable). I need to see her change again, then I will certainly understand her.
I used to hate her when I was young, but as an adult, I understand her. I see her as a more mature Kagome. A woman, rather than a girl. She is what Kagome would have been if she had a more tragic beginning and felt the full weight of her responsibilities. For all Kagome's attempt to reddeem the act of shattering the jewel, she always approached her task with such light-heartedness. And here, we can draw comparisons. Because she was purer, Kagome didn't attemp to make a selfish wish upon the jewel, whereas Kikiyou, "stained" by painful experience, sought and end to her struggles through InuYasha's wish.
I feel the exact same way about Kikyo. Since I was young I always felt so bad for her and her story made her instantly my favorite anime character of all time! When I see the hate Kikyo gets it literally makes me giggle because it just reminds me of a bunch of lil kids just hating on her on because they feel Kikyo threatens their “Inugome ship”
I love the underlying meanings of the wishes & despite Kikyo dying twice it was heartwarming she got to be with Inuyasha in her final breath. Moreover the acceptance that Inuyasha loved Kikyo & Kagome in their own rights was also refreshing to highlight the maturity of the characters as time went on.
And really, all they needed was time, and the proper space to sort through all of their feelings and finally gain much needed closure. The constant jealousy and bickering within that love triangle was all between people who were very insecure and had no idea how to respond to their feelings for their love interests.
Totally correct philosophy. It fits with the final reflection I got by the end of the story. Kikyo suggested InuYasha to use the pearl to become a human, not because she didn't love him as a hanyō, but because she thought it would purify and destroy it. So, the figths would end, she could be a normal girl, and they'd be together. However, it wasn't "The Right Wish" When someone does not make "The Right Wish" the pearl always turns it against. So, Imagining Naraku never tricked them, and they made the wish, Kikyo would still have to protect the jewel, fights for it would continue, and InuYasha as a human, would not be able to protect and fight as he is originally, and would have never gotten Tessaiga. Besides, the main lesson InuYasha needed to learn was to accept himself the way he was born. And after all, The Right Wish was the only way to make the trapped souls it was made of, rest in peace.
@@halik919 Yes, because Kikyo was wise and understood that Inuyasha didn't want to be full demon particularly, but wanted to belong to some world, so she wanted it to be easier for him.
@@naturallyamused She didn't do it because: She's powerful, but also human and doesn't know it all. It was not that easy to understand about The Right Wish Tsubaki cursed her with an early death by falling in love. That made her powers get weak. If She had done that, there would be no story as we know it.
Though it's not strictly a wish I think it bears mentioning that even Sesshomaru fell victim to this. His desire for his father's sword left him maimed, frustrated, and humbled. It also kept him from realizing that he already possessed a blade which dwarfed even the Tetsusaiga in raw destructive power.
I love how the growth in his heart -- caring for Rin rather than just for himself/power -- enabled him to use Tensaiga properly in the end. And of course he'd never admit it, but he definitely has some slight feelings for Inuyasha's friends. He didn't outright kill Sango when she almost took out Rin to save Miroku.... and noticed and respected her remorse when she gave Rin her mask.
Yeah but it’s not like he got his wish and got some ironic punishment, he had to learn that power simply wasn’t all there was to life. To me the philosophy is to be careful what you wish for, don’t chase power, and remember that to love one must trust.
I always go back to "Swords of An Honorable Ruler" when his father asked him if he had something to protect. Not only did he learn that there was more to life than power, he learned there were reasons to pursue power beyond power itself and that not all sources of power are martial or material. Compassion made him far stronger then his ruthlessness ever did.
Something about Kikyo is really striking and it hits you.. Whenever I see her, I wished she was given a better fate, more that she deserves. But maybe along the way you start to accept that people don't always get their desired endings, and that's what I love about her. She's accepted it and was able to fulfill her duty. Her character is indeed beautifully written as it is 💖 And even so, that ending was beautiful. Getting to be with the man that you love for the last time, and unlike the first time she died, resolving any of her internal conflict and just finally being able to be at peace.
I always come back to this anime personally because i related to inuyasha as a biracial person rather than half demon half human neithertheless i always felt like i never belonged in one race or culture completely.. "youre not this enough" "youre not that enough" so infound solice in inuyasha wanting to either be one or the other. Human because of kikiyo or demon because he wanted power. It also gave me hope because he finds friends along the way that accepted and cared for him just the way he was; a half demon. He even ends up finding someone who loves him unconditionally who wants him to be who he was truly meant to be. This hit hard once i got engaged and my fiancé told me he loves everything about me-- physically and mentally. Where i used to have to break up with dudes because them and their family didn't like the fact i was half one race and half another deeming it unpure and how'd they rather see their son with a "pure mexican girl cause ill mess up thier blood line" and it took me a while to feel less inferior but fuck that. Im still a human i still have value and I feel inuyasha taught me that. That no matter where you came from; you have value and if people dont see it initially then you dont need that person/people.
Great video! To be fair, Kikyou in a sense DID get her wish of being a normal woman granted. She was reincarnated as Kagome, a normal girl from modern day Japan who was then brought back to her/their love, Inuyasha. Before Kikyou gets resurrected by Urasue, she yells out to her soul/Kagome that she doesn’t want to be brought back.
@@amyra8159 absolutely! I feel like that’s the “catch” with the Shikon Jewel; while you get your wish, it may not be in the way you want. (Much like a genie!)
I'm just about done w my Inuyasha rewatch and I've come to appreciate Kikyo so much more than when I first watched (so much so I cried really hard at her death, and imo it was probably the most beautiful and tragic moment of the whole series) but I feel like what's so interesting and refreshing is that she's a character without any freedom, and I feel like that's something you don't see in anime a lot (Since one of the main tropes is always taking destiny into your own hands). And that's why she's such a beautifully written tragic character because you see her battling between her responsibility and her desires but at the end of the day she's completely powerless to go off the path that was set for her. She's never given a choice, even when she thinks she has a choice (making Inuyasha a human, be an ordinary woman) it's almost like a cruel tease because she was never going to be able to break out of her role. And I think you see that a lot based on how many times she sort of just ignores Inuyasha when they cross paths or doesn't want to see him, she's always sticking to her duty to take down Naraku because she's come to accept her fate.
I've just rewatched too, and her character really was the most heartbreaking. She's an example of somebody that did everything "right", but fate gave her a shit hand.
Him: "..be cautious about wishes." Him at the end: "I want to wish you all.." Me: careful... careful... I couldn't resist lol but accepting His Decree is an important piece of advice, not always easily followed.
"...You have to accept life, work with reality, and be coscious about wish. It's okay to want something, but don't sacrifice and set your soul on the impossible." - Man, what a powerful philosophy, and that's why I enjoy philosophy.
Inuyasha and Kikyos relationship always intrigued me. It wasn’t just a lost love it was much much more. They once loved but couldn’t trust eachother completely with all the emotional baggage they carried. Kikyo knew this was her only chance at love because she was seen as more then a powerful priestess she was seen as Kikyo. Inuyasha had to go from hating to loving her so the feeling was really true. On Inuyashas had he was always shunned and had trusting issues from such a young age. He finally found someone who gave him a chance and cared for him. It didn’t matter to him how or why he just wanted to feel loved. They both struggled too much at that point to be lovers and that’s why I think he should always end up with Kagome.. after losing Kikyo and feeling betrayed he felt all alone again then came “Kikyo” back into his life and he couldn’t bring himself to hate her he even tried to be casual with Kagome as he thought it was Kikyo. They grew and went from enemies to friends to lovers and more. Kikyos soul lives on through Kagome and it connects her to Inuyasha. I’m not saying Kagome is Kikyo and blah blah no Kagome is her own person and her personality seems just right for Inuyasha and I think they are a perfect match but I they only got to the point they were at through the connection he once had with Kikyo. There emotions were somewhat rushed and they went from not trusting eachother at all to needing eachother as an escape from the sad lives they had. Love takes time you can’t force it..
“Be careful what you wish for, lest it be true.” As someone once said and I’d like to add “as they are literally granted and usually not in the way that is favorable to me or you.”
Great video! Continuing with the wish theme, you could say Rin's wish to be with Sesshomaru also backfired in that she had to die twice in Inuyasha and now she's asleep in the tree of ages with Sesshomaru technically with her watching her
Mine as well. Inuyasha introduced me to anime, and ever since it has always had a special place in my heart. No matter what, it'll always be one of, if not my absolute, favorites.
Inuyasha will always be my favorite anime. I still reminisce on the times when I was a child staying up Saturday night at 11am to watch Toonami. I was too young to understand what Inuyasha was essential trying to convey but I still enjoyed waiting 1 week for a new episode, singing along to the endings theme and occasionally picking up Inuyasha mini manga from Barnes and Noble. I just wish I knew they were manga and not coloring books cause a let my Crayola markers bleed right through those pages. I wanna go back in time and smack myself.
I already commented, but forgot to comment on the video itself.. It really makes you pity and understand Kikyo more as a person, and feel for each character in the series. This is amazingly done.
I do really like this video :'( someone needed to talk about his One thing I also like about Inuyasha is how Inuyasha looks to love both Kagome and Kikyou and is not able to crucially choose between them. It irritated me at the beginning, but when I came to realize that it's because they are same soul and basically same person, I thought it was very elegantly created. Kagome is exactly how Kikyou would've been if she didn't have duties and priestess work since childhood.
Nice interpretation. I was always confused about Naraku's wishes but that makes sense. I always thought that there was also a parallel between a "Beauty and the beast" type story. In the beginning Inuyasha was wild and untamed. Then Kagome, being the beauty, tames him she's a female hero archetype.
Well said!! I got punched in the feels and nearly teared up while watching this 😅 Inuyasha is such a masterpiece imo. The motifs, the themes, the characters and their relations with each other, ahh it's so well made! It does such a great job at capturing difficult emotions. I'm really happy you made this video! Happy new year Axel 🎉
Yes, I like to say that I see Inuyasha as a story about the meeting of souls and not people. That's why all of that discussion about Kagome x Kikyou doesn't make any sense. Very nice your analysis.
The statement about Onigumo being closer to Kikyo after his death/Naraku's defeat is inaccurate. It was explicitly stated in the show he would NOT be going where Kikyo was.
But where would kikyo go? isn't kikyo going to again remerge with kagome's soul? She is her broken part of the soul, right? When we all are talking about them being same souls why are we forgotting this fact that both of them would be in same place?!! Isn't that's why naraku wished for him and kagome to replace midoriko and demon's souls in shikon jewel?
You were right when you said that this video might replace the angel beats one as your new favorite,it certainly did for me,it was really enjoyable,thanks for all the content that you made this year and Happy New Year!
You presented the theory of kikyo's wish so nicely!...its been years since i tried to make people(those fans who argue over kikyo and kagome) understand that kikyo and kagome are the same soul...but :l they are not ready to accept that
What i struggle with is that they're not quite the same soul since Kikyo's "part" and memories were taken from Kagome's and brought back to life. And when she died a second time her soul didn't just return to Kagome, but got to go on to an afterlife. There's definitely a complexity to what made up Kagome's soul... it wasn't just Kikyo's in a new vessel.
@@naturallyamused actually if you remember from the original series - when kikyo was revived as a clay doll -> it was the portion of kagome's soul that was needed to bring life into that clay/mud doll. But it wasn't enough to sustain her so kikyo would use the white serpents (i think soul collectors) to take souls from the dead. I believe the souls we see fly off to the afterlife are mostly the other souls she took to sustain her body.
FMA is my second fav anime of all time InuYasha being the first. This was a really great video. Thank you for all of the great content you have put out this year. I always look forward to your videos! Have a Happy New Year 🥳🥳🥳
Thank you for this video, it helped me understand so much more about InuYasha! I've rewatched it so many times and there were still things that I didn't understand and you helped answer those misunderstandings. I'm only 15 and I've been obsessed with InuYasha for almost 3 years now. 😅😂 I plan on keeping this obsession going for many years. Thank you for the InuYasha content, it is much appreciated. Hope you have a happy new year and see ya on the flip side 🎈🎈
Well dam this was a great way to end off 2020. I knew there were some themes in the show but the philosophy that you just narrow down really opened my eyes to a lot of the stuff that went along in the story from the original series all the way up to the final act. It all does seem really connected by the end especially with all of these romantic things going on mixed in with the wishes that all these people did only for it to be revealed that you have to be careful what you wish for because you might just get it or things will go horribly wrong if you do want it. And there's a lot of examples of it and once again you open my eyes to something pretty interesting and it's a great way to end off this horrible year. As always great job with the video Axel and Happy New Year! Catch you in 2021 and let's hope it'll be better this time!
Im so glad I found your content this year. Inuyasha is the reason I started art and delving into more anime/manga. I seriously wouldnt even be an artist w/o the inspo of Rumiko and her works. And it always felt kind of quiet in the inuyasha fandom so it was a little sad. so finding channels like this and Yashahime coming to life has been literal antidepressant and its been fun getting back into the fandom. The content you have been making and the synopsis and reactions to episodes are literally my favorite. I look forward to every week watching your videos. I really hope you get/gain a huger following this year and no matter what content/anime you cover/do I'll be here w my sub! (though holy gosh you deserve way more than 20k subs) super looking forward to this year for you and your channel, and hopefully this year i can get out of my financial rut and support you through patreon! heres to many more
Honestly best Inuyasha vid of the year. Very well done!!!! I think anyone wanting a perfect explanation of why Inuyasha is so great and wanting to get into it should watch this vid. Excellent points!!!
Oh wow, that philosophy you mentioned about "working with reality and not sacrificing your soul for a wish" and then you bringing up genies made me think of Aladdin and realize you're right. Aladdin, with his wish to become a prince, was trapped in a lie that was then brought to light by Jafar, and all the work he had put into the lie turned out to be useless and he had to come to terms with the fact he was just a "street rat".
This is a great point and a good video for the end of the new year. I always will love Inuyasha and it is my comfort show to watch over and over when I'm bored and have nothing else to do so hearing this message gives me a great new perspective.
I loved this video! I was just talking to my friend about how Rumiko wrote this amazingly deep story, and we never even realized it growing up. I re-watched Inuyasha so much as a kid, but it really sits differently as an adult when you start understanding the more mature themes.
“Don’t set your soul on the impossible” Me, who has already went through heck itself, hugged my former soul, then was reborn stronger but lesser, and LITERALLY setting my soul on the imposible: *Laughs in Sky Kid*
Thank you very much. Me too I love the series so much because it has such a deeper meaning behind it. And I love philosophy. (I am a biologist but was on a literature section in high school. So many philosphy and literature (in several languagages). Loved it and was known for uncommon interpretations, digression closed) The theme of fate and how you can't avoid it is so tragic (in a classical latin/greek mythology kind of way). It always comes back (another digression: for those who might know or be interested, there is one book who really has the most beautiful image I know so far to illustrate how all ideas/stories/phylosophies are somewhat connected to each other. Difficult to explain , Salman Rushdie does this really nice in "Haroun and the Sea of stories" with the Sea of Stories itself. Love it). And, yes, fate is inevitable, if you try to hard to avoid it, you may just rush it even quicker. And "cheating" will be payed back. By cheating I understand for example as in Inuysaha to try and make use of supernatural forces (a jewel made of souls and that is "not of this world" e.g). Those twisted wishes remind me so much of another idea about twisted payback for trying to influence something you cant't/shouldn't (like fate). It is again an antic mythology idea about the oracles. They tell the truth, but always in a misty kind of way, and, erring as mortaly are, they get it wrong. (you have plenty examples of this. One for fantasy-loving folk like me: "Elven Queen" written by Bernhard Hennen (translated from german and from a voliminous book series) So I think there might be a general warning, not only about what you which for but to remind that mortals should better beware of trying to "cheat" on fate.
Happy New Year!! 🎈🎆🎊 this was a great video. Inuyasha will always be one of my favorite anime and it holds a special place in my heart. Thanks for this video and I’m glad to see the series continue and grow throughout Yashahime in 2021. So excited for what Yashahime brings us in the new year.
This was an amazing video considering our wishes and “New Years Resolutions” for 2021. My wish is for love to reign over all. For some reason, I feel as though we are getting closer to this happening. Happy New Year Axel 🖤🙏🏿
This what I always loved about the show the story was soo well written its unbelievable how they even came up with it, love fantasy lore and just best story ever told.
I really enjoyed this video as it was deeper and more mature then the usual. As you have said yourself at the beginning it was something big for the end of the year. :) Thank you so much.
This is great! Finally I hear exactly the same what was my conclusion about Inuyasha. It's clearly a heavy and beautiful story. Im always confused by people who handle Kykio and Kagome like two different person. Even in the series sometimes. However Kagome is definately Kykio's reincarnation, and in the episode where Kykio was ressurected we can hear her voice from Kagome...So...the point is she only could exists two ways as I realised, with Kagomes soul or with the help of the soul stealers. Of course, the personalities are different but sometimes similar. And in fact, Kykio had to watch her own reincarnation, but never forget Kykio as Kagome had to face with her own past life death so Kykio is competing with herself at some point. Sometimes it was a mind-twister in the series for me 😃
A truly beautiful video Axelbeats, I really enjoyed this one! Thank you for all the awesome content you make! I hope everyone has a wonderful happy new year!👍👌
Excellent video with an excellent analysis ... Amazing♥ I lobe Inuyasha, it was my dearest anime ever in my childhood and now with you magnificent analysis i loved it more! I finally knew the morals and philosophical hidden explanation of the incidents ♥♥ Keep going
I did a past life regression, well ive done a few and they do say that you make promises before you die and it can wreak havoc on ur current life. For example my loved ones were taken away and I said I’d never love again and its caused a whole bunch of issues so I think this explaination of the story is super cool.
Alt theory: the demons of the jewel could easily corrupt their wishes b/c they were selfish in nature, "I want this". Perhaps, if a unselfish wish was made, Midoriko's influence would activate & empower the wish. It is stated that there were never any wishes w/ a "good" outcome.
I have a question: So did Magatsuhi seal Kagomes real powers before she had been born as a result of Kikyous wish to become an ordinary human or were her powers just temporary taken in the final act? I missed this one. Storywise this would make a huge difference.
About the wishes, maybe I'm confused or something at end of last episode, kagome also accidentally wished for wanting to see inuyasha again. At that moment, the well again opened path to past maybe due to that rainbow pearls are created because kagome was born in modern era and she didn't belong to feudal era but she tampered with time and went to place she shouldn't be for selfish personal gain of being with the one she loves. There has to be consequences
Thank you Axel, and Happy New Year! I would be really interested in your analysis of reincarnation, as Japan understands it. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around Kagome being Kikyo's reincarnation, but that somehow the part of her soul that was Kikyo was able to be taken and reanimated... and then when Kikyo died a second time her soul part ascended to an afterlife rather than returned to Kagome.
That's a bizarre part of the Inuyasha series and it gives twists and turns of the story that would make every Inuyasha fans discuss an endless debates on which Inuyasha should be sided and even showing the love/hate relationships between Kagome and Kikyou on the series as well, think about politics of a two countries on a diplomatic side like this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-F9p6sbUZUvs.html
Always be careful what you wish for and choose your words carefully. Or you'll have to suffer the consequences of what you say when making a bad one even though at first it sounded like a good one. That's basically the theme of the whole series of InuYasha. Plus, since the topic of being a normal person was brought up more than once with the party of 3, there's also being normal with friends who will support you with different ways. 2 examples were brought up when coming to mind: Kagome & her friends' love advices & going through school life and of cause the love triangles with kagome/kikyo/InuYasha or Kagome/Koga/InuYasha even Kagome/Hojo/InuYasha/Kagome's friends. It's all very normal and can't at any exceptions be tampered with. Well, that is part of the wishes of desire of Kikyo and InuYasha of being normal and not being able to fulfill or act upon. Be careful what you wish for you'll never know what you'll get.
When I first watched the series in my junior high years, I thought of the same thing that the message of InuYasha was to be careful of watch you wish for.
I can't help but compare the Shikon Jewel to the Ring of Power, both offer power and too make your wish reality but ends up drawing out the worst result.
I watched the anime originally for the action, the characters (Sango especially), character interactions, character development, the plot, but not really for the philosophy. I haven’t noticed it...until just now.
Also if Inuyasha turns into a human (also a selfish desire), he wouldn’t acquire the tessaiga that would help him to fight back enemies and specially sesshomaru, in that moment wants to claim his father’s power to himself.
Hope we see in Russia and Kagome back in action on the new series but you know what would be really cool if we saw a fight of every anime swordsman we know fight to the death to see which anime swordsman is the best one piece Naruto Shippuden Inuyasha
I love how the whole philosophy you talked about was to be careful what you wish for and the end resolution was a wish to end all wishes, then you end the video saying "i want to wish you a happy new year"😂 jk love your vids
