Kagome Higurashi
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Kagome.jpg
Kagome Higurashi (日暮かごめ Higurashi Kagome) is a character in the anime and manga series InuYasha.
Kagome is the granddaughter of the owner of Higurashi Shrine, a shintō shrine near Tokyo. On her fifteenth birthday, she is pulled into a well by a centipede yōkai, known as the Mistress Centipede (Mudake Jōrō), and is taken into feudal Japan, specifically the Sengoku period. In the past, she finds what seems to be a sleeping hanyō who is pinned to a tree by an arrow. She is captured and taken into the nearby village and is confronted by Kaede, the priestess of the village. Kaede at first thinks that Kagome is a yōkai, due to her strange-looking modern clothing, but she changes her mind when she notices that Kagome looks quite like her long dead sister, Kikyo (Kikyō).
That night, the centipede yōkai attacks the village, and Kagome flees into the forest where the hanyō is pinned. This time, however, he is awake and calls her "Kikyo". When the centipede monster catches up to Kagome, the villagers unsuccessfully try to defeat it. When the centipede bites Kagome, the Jewel of Four Souls falls from her wound and is devoured by the centipede. InuYasha, the hanyō, then asks Kagome to remove the arrow so that he can slay the yōkai and recover the jewel for himself. She does so, and InuYasha defeats the yōkai, but then demands that she hand over the jewel to him, for the Jewel of Four Souls has the power to grant anything that the user desires.
As InuYasha advances on Kagome, Kaede magically summons kotodama no nenju (rosary beads; lit. "power of the spoken word") around his neck that binds him so that whenever Kagome says a certain command, InuYasha is instantly forced to the ground. In the Japanese version the word is 'osuwari' (お座り, sit), and in the English versions "sit" or "sit, boy" are used. This is an intentional joke as InuYasha is a dog demon, and 'osuwari' in Japanese is a command that is generally given to domesticated dogs to make them sit. Ironically, this same rosary is one that Kikyo intended to trick him into wearing 50 years previously, before deciding against it. Her word of subjugation, however, was to be 'beloved'.
The day after their chance meeting, a crow yōkai attacks and swallows the jewel, prompting Kagome and InuYasha to attempt to retrieve it together. During the battle, Kagome shoots an arrow at the crow, using a piece of its flesh to assure accuracy. The arrow strikes and shatters the Jewel of Four Souls into many shards ("Shikon no Kakera") that are scattered across Japan and even to worlds beyond.
Kagome then sets out with InuYasha to recover the shards so that other yōkai cannot use it for malice (though InuYasha consistently claims his true intention has always been to become a full yōkai using the jewel), occasionally returning to the modern era for supplies or because she and InuYasha get angry at each other. On their journey they meet many people and pick up many friends and companions along the way.
The relationship between InuYasha and Kagome is somewhat complicated. They clearly care for each other, as they both become jealous when the other shows affection for another person. InuYasha becomes jealous about Kagome's relationship with Koga (even though she is not in love him), while Kagome's jealousy stems from InuYasha's relationship with Kikyo. Miroku, Sango, and Shippo often speculate that Kagome and InuYasha love each other, but Kagome and InuYasha tend to avoid discussing the issue. Both of them become embarrassed whenever someone mentions that they 'love each other', which seems to confirm the truth of such statements.
The focus of the journeys of Kagome and her companions changes slightly as they learn about the presence of Naraku, the evil hanyō that has not only greatly disrupted the lives of each of Kagome's friends but also seeks the Jewel of Four Souls for himself.
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Outfit
When traveling to the past, and in general, Kagome is almost always seen in her school uniform. The first movie of the series suggests this is intentional on her part, or perhaps the animators consider it her offical costume. Surprisingly, series creator Rumiko Takahashi once mentioned in design notes that despite Kagome having a somewhat short skirt the animators were not allowed to show her panties at any time.
Voice actor
- Japanese Seiyū: Satsuki Yukino
- English Voice Actor: Moneca Stori
Special attacks
- Hama no Ya (破魔の矢) - The magic arrow of a miko (priestess). Initially Kagome could hardly shoot straight, but she eventually becomes very proficient and her arrow is charged with the purifying spiritual power that she possesses. The arrow would penetrate and purifies any yōkai it touches and is one of few things Naraku has trouble dealing with.
Friends
- InuYasha - He initially was angry about how Kikyo had betrayed him and projected it at Kagome, but eventually he realized that she was not Kikyo and slowly opened his heart as she showed him kindness and compassion. However, their friendship and blossoming love do not stop Kagome from shouting "Osuwari!" or "Sit, boy!" when it is warranted. She is also jealous and upset when he goes after Kikyo on occasion, totally forgetting about her.
- Shippo - She treats Shippo almost like a little brother, bringing him candy from the modern era and forcing InuYasha to "Sit" whenever he bullies Shippo. He is a kitsune (fox yōkai) and they love to play tricks.
- Miroku - While he is at times a lecherous nuisance, she respects his knowledge and actions and knows that he would gladly give his life for his friends if the need arose.
- Sango - She and Sango quickly become friends. She is the only other female character in the group, not including Kaede.
- Koga - Kagome likes Koga as a friend and trusts him. However his claims that they are in love have caused a strain between her and InuYasha, even though she really isn't interested in Koga.
- Yuka, Eri and Ayumi - In the modern era, they are her three friends although they tend to be more than a little nosy about Kagome's "boyfriend" and why she isn't interested in Hojo.
- Hojo - He is one of Kagome's male classmates, and often brings herbal medicines and similar items to treat her 'sicknesses'. His ancestor, Hojo Akitoki, had such an infatuation with her that he even convinced his wife to change her name to Kagome.