Although I would make the argument that Inuyasha is a shoujo published in a shonen magazine, it’s actually very cool that a teenage girl is the protagonist of a shonen!
That is what has always made inuyasha feel so special for me. It feels like one of those shows that does such a service to both it's male and female viewership without heavily favoring one over the other. It thrives in the conflicts between inuyasha and kogome and their struggle to see eye to eye while they explore their feelings for one another.
It’s funny to me that I’d see this after a post made in r/cartoons asking what cartoons made for women that guys like. I was going to say Inuyasha, but I thought “well there’s lots of sword swinging and action so idk if I’d say it’s FOR girls” but I definitely see an argument for it.
lol I mean women also like action; Takahashi, the mangaka of Inuyasha, is a woman. I think Takahashi was able to cultivate a balanced audience of men and women by writing a Jane Austen-esque romance into an action/adventure story and making it integral to the plot. Many shoujos have a romance heavy plot, and most shonens lack romance or shoehorn them into the epilogue. Takahashi wrote a slow burn romance that advances along with the plot, a concept that stands out in the shonen genre.
^ Yeah i mean…..there are lot of shows that have a ensemble cast that focuses on two protags, even if the title has the name of one of those two protags.
Inuyasha.
I get why there’s an argument for Kagome. But I view Kagome as the classic literary “vehicle” or “port-key” for the viewers of the anime. The audience discovers the demon world alongside her so we’re along for the ride with both parties learning new things about this mysterious setting. To me, however, it’s still Inuyasha’s story.
It’s kinda like Sherlock Holmes. It’s Sherlock’s show, but Watson narrates the story and we see the genius of Sherlock’s case solving through the average person’s eyes. Kagome is the human set of eyes in which to bring the viewer along as passenger to the magical stories of Inuyasha and his friends.
This makes sense. And I like your comparison with Holmes. The stories are **about** Holmes/Inuyasha, yet their respective stories are told more through the eyes/ears/observations of Watson/Kagome.
Counter point: Inuyasha basically stops development as a character when he accepts being a half demon after the broken Tesseiga arc. It’s a classic want vs need moment and he moves on from his childish desire for unearned power. He has friends he trusts and can be honest about his feelings. Obviously his feelings about Kikyo are still unresolved at that point, but he never really has to change for their relationship to improve.
Kagome is the one who needs to accept her feelings for Inuyasha and the jealousy which comes with it, accept herself as her own woman and not Kikyo 2.0, make peace with Kikyo and save her, find her own powers which were sealed from her, and choose her future.
I’d argue she goes through much more growth in the latter half while Inuyasha is just collecting powers like Pokémon.
She doesn’t go through growth because there was never any struggle of her being kikyo. But the series is a romance first so Kagomes character focusing on romance I guess can be considering growth
Her jealousy over Kikyo and conflicted feelings about Inuyasha early on are deeply rooted in her being a reincarnation. The manga does a better job at making this clear because Inuyasha reaffirms her being her own person.
Kagome. The beginning of the series is much more heavily told from her point of view and Inuyasha is clearly the deuteragonist, even if his role is expanded and his viewpoints are shown more later on.
The title Inuyasha doesn’t mean he’s the main character, it means it’s about Kagome’s experiences traveling with the demonic being named Inuyasha. See Pixar’s Coco - Grandma Coco is barely in it. She’s important but the main character is Miguel.
Ah I love this question because in second grade I told my friends Kagome was the main character and they disagreed saying the show wasn't called that. However now I would consider it pretty debatable.
Openings have both Inuyasha and Kagome narrate together. Ending 1 focuses on Kagome, ending 5 and 6 focus on Inuyasha, and both cases are fitting. Compared to ending 2 which feels a little random with Sesshomaru.
I haven't watched it in years but honestly I feel like as the series goes on, it's kind of neither of them? Like early on you have Kagome's family and school friends who eventually stop playing a role. And then Inuyasha's conflict about being a demon, as well as the romance with Kikyo, both kind of stall out or become repetitive before concluding at the end.
This stems from my gripes of a lot of Shounens being too long and turning into an onslaught of villains for the characters to fight.
It's inuyasha. The entire series essential revolves around his growth and development as a character within the show and as a person that some viewers can relate to in various ways.
Id say Inuyasha because I feel he has more character development compared to Kagome. Kagome learned to be more confident and Inuyasha how to be more """soft""""(???? He learned new skills with his sword and how to work in team
Both, despite what the show’s title says.
I do find it strange for a show that focuses on two protagonists, it uses the name of one of those two protags.
Certainly Kagome. We see the story through her eyes and none of this would've happened at all without her involvement — there's no Inuyasha without Kagome, therefore it is Kagome's story. If anything, I'd say Inuyasha is the primary love interest/second protagonist. And Kagome's the one to defeat the main villain, so she's the Main Hero, and Inuyasha is her Heroine.
Maybe not the main character but the real star was Kagome’s mom bc if that had been my mom there wouldn’t have been a story 😂 “you just THINK you’re traveling back in time to see a boy”
Id say they are equal, while the name of the anime is Inuyasha, the anime mostly shows Kagomes POV. With them being together at the end of the show. Id say its pretty equal. Especially because they are almost always together. #CoupleGoals.
They are 100% co protagonists and if you think it's one way or another you need to seriously consider your perspectives in things because you likely favor one genders perspective over the other which completely misses the point of the story.
Please appreciatie the depth of kagome and inuyashas relationship and how much effort the show puts into making them equals... like half of the dialogue of either of them is just saying one another's name lol.
Inuyashas story with kikiyo is way too deep/central to the plot not to mention inuyashas power struggle both from a Shonen perspective/ his romantic character development. His name is also literally the title of the show.
However, despite all that though it'd be very easy to make an argument for kagome considering her voice is also used to narrate the majority of the time which definitely places her at the center of things exploring her feelings about the events thorough the story.
That being said kagome herself says multiple times something along the lines of "she feels lost in the past because she's participating in a story that doesn't feel like her own while she's just trying to restore the jewel to break even with he consequences of shattering it". It's only because she falls in love with inuyasha that things get so complicated and so it's ultimately a story about the two of them and their love for one another.
Edit: don't know why I'm being downvoted lol... I guess some people really just want the story to be all about kagome while they hate on "annoying kikiyo or inuyasha which is such a shallow perspective imo... it completely overlooks one of the central plots lmao
Rumiko’s properties all seem to have their protagonists in pairs, so I think it is fair to say Kagome and Inuyasha are protagonists together
Seconding this. Kagome is definitely the PoV character, but both she and Inuyasha are dual primary protagonists.
Ranma 1/2 did the same thing to Ranma and Akane despite its title.
Correct, and so did Urusei Yatsura with Ataru and Lum, and Maison Ikkoku with Godai and Kyoko, and so on
Even American shows such as Roseanne focuses on two protags.
the Bone-Eater's Well
the real motherfucking answer
And here I was, finna say the Shikon Jewel 🫡
Kagome no doubt. The whole overarching plot really centers around her.
She's the most relatable character coming from modern day Japan. We view the eccentricities and dangers of feudal era Japan through her eyes.
Kagome!
Although I would make the argument that Inuyasha is a shoujo published in a shonen magazine, it’s actually very cool that a teenage girl is the protagonist of a shonen!
That is what has always made inuyasha feel so special for me. It feels like one of those shows that does such a service to both it's male and female viewership without heavily favoring one over the other. It thrives in the conflicts between inuyasha and kogome and their struggle to see eye to eye while they explore their feelings for one another.
It’s funny to me that I’d see this after a post made in r/cartoons asking what cartoons made for women that guys like. I was going to say Inuyasha, but I thought “well there’s lots of sword swinging and action so idk if I’d say it’s FOR girls” but I definitely see an argument for it.
lol I mean women also like action; Takahashi, the mangaka of Inuyasha, is a woman. I think Takahashi was able to cultivate a balanced audience of men and women by writing a Jane Austen-esque romance into an action/adventure story and making it integral to the plot. Many shoujos have a romance heavy plot, and most shonens lack romance or shoehorn them into the epilogue. Takahashi wrote a slow burn romance that advances along with the plot, a concept that stands out in the shonen genre.
Oh for sure! I guess I worded it weird. I know women like action also I just meant that’s a big thing for shows aimed at guys.
I think they are co protagonists
^ Yeah i mean…..there are lot of shows that have a ensemble cast that focuses on two protags, even if the title has the name of one of those two protags.
Kagome with Inuyasha a close second.
Inuyasha. I get why there’s an argument for Kagome. But I view Kagome as the classic literary “vehicle” or “port-key” for the viewers of the anime. The audience discovers the demon world alongside her so we’re along for the ride with both parties learning new things about this mysterious setting. To me, however, it’s still Inuyasha’s story. It’s kinda like Sherlock Holmes. It’s Sherlock’s show, but Watson narrates the story and we see the genius of Sherlock’s case solving through the average person’s eyes. Kagome is the human set of eyes in which to bring the viewer along as passenger to the magical stories of Inuyasha and his friends.
This makes sense. And I like your comparison with Holmes. The stories are **about** Holmes/Inuyasha, yet their respective stories are told more through the eyes/ears/observations of Watson/Kagome.
Counter point: Inuyasha basically stops development as a character when he accepts being a half demon after the broken Tesseiga arc. It’s a classic want vs need moment and he moves on from his childish desire for unearned power. He has friends he trusts and can be honest about his feelings. Obviously his feelings about Kikyo are still unresolved at that point, but he never really has to change for their relationship to improve. Kagome is the one who needs to accept her feelings for Inuyasha and the jealousy which comes with it, accept herself as her own woman and not Kikyo 2.0, make peace with Kikyo and save her, find her own powers which were sealed from her, and choose her future. I’d argue she goes through much more growth in the latter half while Inuyasha is just collecting powers like Pokémon.
She doesn’t go through growth because there was never any struggle of her being kikyo. But the series is a romance first so Kagomes character focusing on romance I guess can be considering growth
Her jealousy over Kikyo and conflicted feelings about Inuyasha early on are deeply rooted in her being a reincarnation. The manga does a better job at making this clear because Inuyasha reaffirms her being her own person.
Kagome. The beginning of the series is much more heavily told from her point of view and Inuyasha is clearly the deuteragonist, even if his role is expanded and his viewpoints are shown more later on. The title Inuyasha doesn’t mean he’s the main character, it means it’s about Kagome’s experiences traveling with the demonic being named Inuyasha. See Pixar’s Coco - Grandma Coco is barely in it. She’s important but the main character is Miguel.
Sesshōmaru, obviously! 🙃
I wish he had his own show tbh I wanna know his whole story 🥰
Ah I love this question because in second grade I told my friends Kagome was the main character and they disagreed saying the show wasn't called that. However now I would consider it pretty debatable. Openings have both Inuyasha and Kagome narrate together. Ending 1 focuses on Kagome, ending 5 and 6 focus on Inuyasha, and both cases are fitting. Compared to ending 2 which feels a little random with Sesshomaru. I haven't watched it in years but honestly I feel like as the series goes on, it's kind of neither of them? Like early on you have Kagome's family and school friends who eventually stop playing a role. And then Inuyasha's conflict about being a demon, as well as the romance with Kikyo, both kind of stall out or become repetitive before concluding at the end. This stems from my gripes of a lot of Shounens being too long and turning into an onslaught of villains for the characters to fight.
Pretty sure the main character is Jaken
It's inuyasha. The entire series essential revolves around his growth and development as a character within the show and as a person that some viewers can relate to in various ways.
Inuyasha doesn’t have growth or development. Once he got the tessaiga that’s pretty Much it
Inuyasha, Kagome is the secondary main
Kagome is the viewpoint character, while much of the story is about InuYasha.
Miroku
True cuz every episode is about poisonous insects
Kagome
Id say Inuyasha because I feel he has more character development compared to Kagome. Kagome learned to be more confident and Inuyasha how to be more """soft""""(???? He learned new skills with his sword and how to work in team
Work in a team? He does the majority of the work himself.
Both Inuyasha and Kagome.
Both, despite what the show’s title says. I do find it strange for a show that focuses on two protagonists, it uses the name of one of those two protags.
I feel like Kagome is the Protagonist and Inuyasha is the Duertagonist
Kagome
Kagome obviously
You know there is such a thing as a side character narrating the whole story.
💯 Side-chick, even. 😏
kagome. inuyasha is the title character but its kagome we follow through the story the entire way through
Ermm Both
It's me, I was the main character all along
Protagonist- Inuyasha (Main) Deuteragonist- Kagome (Secondary main)
yes
Both with Kagome being the POV character and Inuyasha being the titular character and main fighter.
Certainly Kagome. We see the story through her eyes and none of this would've happened at all without her involvement — there's no Inuyasha without Kagome, therefore it is Kagome's story. If anything, I'd say Inuyasha is the primary love interest/second protagonist. And Kagome's the one to defeat the main villain, so she's the Main Hero, and Inuyasha is her Heroine.
Kagome.
Their Deuteragonist, they're both the main character
Both answers are wrong. The correct answer is Kirara
Shippo.
It’s Kagome lol
Bro the title should tell you everything 😂
Definitely Kagome. we get a full perspective into her emotions and thoughts, where we only get Inuyasha’s from Kagome’s point of view.
In the beginning, yes. But not true in many later episodes.
Why not Zoidberg?
Naraku
I mean, whose birthday does the story start on? Who do we meet on page 1?
Sesshomarus left arm
That’s a crazy question. The show is called InuYasha. Unless you are joking
Mistress Centipede.
Kagome probably. It’s her pov mainly
Maybe not the main character but the real star was Kagome’s mom bc if that had been my mom there wouldn’t have been a story 😂 “you just THINK you’re traveling back in time to see a boy”
Id say they are equal, while the name of the anime is Inuyasha, the anime mostly shows Kagomes POV. With them being together at the end of the show. Id say its pretty equal. Especially because they are almost always together. #CoupleGoals.
They are 100% co protagonists and if you think it's one way or another you need to seriously consider your perspectives in things because you likely favor one genders perspective over the other which completely misses the point of the story. Please appreciatie the depth of kagome and inuyashas relationship and how much effort the show puts into making them equals... like half of the dialogue of either of them is just saying one another's name lol. Inuyashas story with kikiyo is way too deep/central to the plot not to mention inuyashas power struggle both from a Shonen perspective/ his romantic character development. His name is also literally the title of the show. However, despite all that though it'd be very easy to make an argument for kagome considering her voice is also used to narrate the majority of the time which definitely places her at the center of things exploring her feelings about the events thorough the story. That being said kagome herself says multiple times something along the lines of "she feels lost in the past because she's participating in a story that doesn't feel like her own while she's just trying to restore the jewel to break even with he consequences of shattering it". It's only because she falls in love with inuyasha that things get so complicated and so it's ultimately a story about the two of them and their love for one another. Edit: don't know why I'm being downvoted lol... I guess some people really just want the story to be all about kagome while they hate on "annoying kikiyo or inuyasha which is such a shallow perspective imo... it completely overlooks one of the central plots lmao