Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is the sequel to the popular Inuyasha series.
The first episode not only gave fans a peek as to what this new anime will be about, but it also introduced them to an original cast of characters.
Off to a good start
Surprisingly, the first episode gave a lot of screen time to Inuyasha, Kagome, and the rest of the original crew and what they were up to since the end of the previous series.
He and his assistant want to question Towa’s origins as they found a history book from the future.
While she’s tied up, the assistant regales Towa with a tale of Inuyasha and Kagome. It is a tale from the past, which is when the episode mostly takes place. Through this framing, the viewer can learn a lot about the series and the characters since the first Inuyasha series.
From Inuyasha to its sequel
The story of Inuyasha and Kagome in the first episode takes place around six months after the end of the first series, and 10 years before the start of Yashahime.
Sango and Miroku’s three kids get a little older, and Shippo helps her care for them, especially when Miroku is out demon hunting. Inuyasha and Miroku are investigating a demon called Root Head that feeds on humans to grow larger.
The duo eventually finds out that Kikyo, Inuyasha’s former lover, was tasked with hunting it, but instead of killing it, she sealed it into a cave. Kikyo’s sister explained this when her sister began not to want to kill demons anymore. One can learn that the cave holding Root Head collapsed, releasing it.
The big climax point
Root Head is looking for Kikyo and the Shikon Crystals. The demon mistakes Kagome for Kikyo and goes after her throughout the episode.
Inuyasha and the gang keep cutting it down, but it gets away and regrows somewhere else. Eventually, Kagome, Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku take down the demon and seemingly destroy it.
However, one can see that a part of Root Head remains, and it becomes a part of a large tree.
The audience doesn’t see this tree again until they go back to the present.
Significance of old and new characters
Shippo, Rin, Kohaku, Jaken, and Sesshomaru are also shown but don’t have significant roles. They’re there to inform their fans that they are still around.
The viewers return to Towa, freed from captivity by her twin sister Setsuna, and Moroha, the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome.
Moroha realizes that the feudal lord’s assistant is a demon, and they attack them, but the monster transforms into a four-eyed owl and flies away.
The three young demon hunters run off after it as the episode ends.
Conclusion
While the first episode doesn’t give viewers much about our new cast, the preview for episode 2 promises some information on their backstory and their goals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjhAdxDReF4
Image courtesy of InuYasha Anime/YouTube Screenshot