QUICKIE -- Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon

Season One, Episodes 1-24

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It is a sequel to the Inuyasha anime series, which itself is based on the original manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It is the story of Towa Higurashi and Setsuna, Sesshomaru and Rin's twin daughters, and Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi's teenage daughter. The series aired from October 3, 2020 to March 20, 2021. A second season is set to premiere fall 2021. 

Plot

Several years after the events of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Rin's daughter four-year-old Towa is separated from her twin sister Setsuna and gets stranded in the modern era, where she is adopted into her aunt Kagome Higurashi's family, raised by her younger brother Sota and his wife Moe.

One decade later, Towa is reunited with Setsuna, who came to the modern time through the vast power of the Sacred Tree of Ages. During their separation, Setsuna became a hardhearted demon-slayer working under Kohaku and does not remember her past as they and her dreams were stolen by the mythical Dream Butterfly. In order to restore them, the half-demon twins embark on an adventure while accompanied by their quarter-demon bounty hunter cousin Moroha, who is the feisty, hard-as-nails teenage daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi, and also has no memory of her parents.

The spirit of the Sacred Tree of Ages reveals itself to the cousins, warning them that an old rival of their paternal dog-demon grandfather is planning on warping time since Sesshomaru refuses to fight him. At the same time, it is holding Rin in stasis for Sesshomaru because of her unusual connection to Lady Zero, the elder sister of Lord Kirinmaru, and creator of the seven mystical Rainbow Pearls, whose respective demonic powers equal those of the Shikon Jewel.

Characters

** SPOILER WARNING BELOW IN DESCRIPTIONS **

Towa Higurashi

Voiced by: Sara Matsumoto (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)

Towa Higurashi is Sesshōmaru and Rin's eldest daughter and Setsuna's older twin sister. She was somehow transported to the modern era through the power of the Sacred Tree of Ages and the Bone Eater's Well when she was just four years old. She received shelter from her uncle-in-law, the Higurashi family, and was subsequently raised by her half-uncle-in-law, Sōta Higurashi. She is reunited with her sister Setsuna after spending ten years in modern times. She wields the sword Kikujūmonji ("Chrysanthemum Cross Sword") and carries the Silver Rainbow Pearl inside her left eye. When her sword is broken, she is capable of unleashing her demonic power to form her demonic energy into the remaining blade. Later she learns to absorb the demonic energy of enemies to empower herself and becomes capable of unleashing her father's Sōryūha (Blue Dragon Blast) personal attack.

Setsuna

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese); Kira Buckland (English)

Setsuna is a half-demon demon slayer who works under Kohaku. She was separated from her older twin sister Towa when they were both four years old but was reunited with her after traveling to the future with her cousin Moroha. She seems to have difficulty believing Towa is really her sister, given that she lost all memories of her past due to the influence of a Dream Butterfly, which also rendered her unable to sleep or have dreams. She wields the naginata Kanemitsu no Tomoe , which attacks are Cyclone Burst and Scourge of Swallows, and holds the Gold Rainbow Pearl inside her right eye. Her demonic blood also can produce a powerful poison that is hard to control and she has it sealed by Miroku to contain it.

Moroha

Voiced by: Azusa Tadokoro (Japanese); Morgan Berry (English)

Moroha is the fourteen-year-old daughter and only child of Inuyasha and Kagome Higurashi, a three-quarters human and quarter-demon bounty hunter known as "Moroha the Demon Killer" (Bake-goroshi no Moroha) who slays demons and sells their parts to other demon slayers, presumably so they can make weapons and armor out of them. Aside from being capable of using her father's claw attacks and exorcising demons like her mother, she wields the yōkai sword Kurikaramaru ("Profitable Fairy Tale Tool") and carries the Red Rainbow Pearl with her, which she stole from the demon Tokotsu's corpse. Tragically, Moroha knows very little of her parents as they sent her away for her own safety when she was an infant. She likely knows her cousin Setsuna through her business dealings with demon slayers. It is later revealed that she was sent away for her own safety at the behest of her miko mother Kagome.

Kin'u and Gyokuto

Voiced by: Aya Gomazuru (Kin'u), Hitomi Ueda (Gyokuto) (Japanese); Jillian Michaels (The Final Act), Jackie Lastra (Kin'u), Michelle Marie (Gyokuto) (English)

Kin'u & Gyokuto are the identical twin daughters of Miroku and Sango and the older sisters of Hisui, who appears at the end of the original series about two-year-old. In Princess Half-Demon, they make appearances about twenty-year-old. Kin'u was later reveal as a nun/priestess who was undergoing mid-level training by her monk father, and managed to utilize her own ever-developing spiritual abilities to reapply the seal on Setsuna's demon aspect. She has yet to been seen infusing them into arrows or sword.

Hisui

Voiced by: Takehiro Urao, Larissa Tago Takeda (as baby) (Japanese); Aleks Le, Michelle Marie (as baby) (English)

Hisui is Miroku and Sango's youngest child and only son, who first appears at the end of the original series as a baby. In Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, he is now a young man who has taken up demon slaying and inherited a Hiraikotsu from his mother, although it lacks the strong demon poisons that enables it to shatter demonic energy, and infect opponents with its lethal toxins.

Takechiyo

Voiced by: Fairouz Ai (Japanese); Ryan Bartley (English)

Takechiyo is a young tanuki who serves under Juybei the Corpse Dealer. He also takes the Half-Demon Princesses to places sufficient enough for profit.

Mei Higurashi

Voiced by: Haruka Terui (Japanese); Xanthe Huynh (English)

Mei Higurashi is the daughter of Sota and Moe Higurashi, adoptive sister of Towa and the niece of Kagome Higurashi, and the maternal cousin of Moroha.

Moe Higurashi

Voiced by: Eriko Matsui (Japanese); Erika Harlacher (English)

Moe Higurashi is the wife of Sota Higurashi and the mother of young Mei Higurashi, adoptive mother of Towa, and the maternal aunt of Moroha, as she is sister-in-law to Kagome Higurashi.

Kirinmaru

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)

Kirinmaru is an ancient demon and master of the Shikyō (Four Perils) that rules over the eastern lands whose power rivals Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father, who ruled the western lands of Japan. With the death of his rival, and the refusal of Sesshomaru to assume his father's place, Kirinmaru's presence expands to the whole country, prompting the Sacred Tree of Ages into enlisting Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha's help and combined strength in destroying him for good. He dons a white mask in the shape of a dog, and wields a katana. He has disregarded a prophecy long ago foretold by the Shikon Jewel itself of his annihilation at the hands of a half-demon and an impossible entity surpassing time itself. He had set out to kill Inuyasha and his human wife Kagome, as he had failed to do the same to their newborn quarter dog-demon daughter, but was foiled due to Sesshomaru trapping them within the Black Pearl with the claim that Inuyasha's powerful Meido Zangetsuha ability will be eventually required.

Nearly two decades years later, Kirinmaru continues to rule the Four Perils and their underlings, but does not seem to remember one of them, Tokotsu, to whom he had bestowed the red Rainbow Pearl onto. As the months pass, he seems less interested in putting an end to Toga's granddaughters than his sister Zero is. Upon finally confronting them directly and easily defeating them, he expresses his disappointment at how weak the Half-Demon Princesses truly are compared to his strength and skills as a full-blooded demon, so he opted to wait for them to grow into their natural demonic abilities before fighting them again. It is eventually revealed that he is seeking to end the threat of the Grim Comet that had once plagued both his and Toga's lands until they worked together to destroy it and then when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha destroyed it and is currently reemerging in the modern era and that he, Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru's mother are working together over an artifact called the Windmill of Time and a being named Akuru and its pinwheel. At the end of the first season, he and Zero officially part ways as Kirinmaru finally loses all tolerance for his sister's repeated dishonorable ways after she breaks Tenseiga and is about to use the Rainbow Pearls to regain her demonic powers, and scatters them across the land. Forced into a final fight with Toga's granddaughters, he once again prevails, committing a heinous act by mercilessly slaying Setsuna, but they are able to challenge and injure him to where he is impressed and decides to spare their lives, looking forward to their next meeting.

Kyūki

Voiced by: Toa Yukinari (Japanese); Dawn M. Bennett (English)

Kyūki is one of the Shikyō and a winged tiger demon who possesses the Purple Rainbow Pearl, which she gave to her lackey Yotsume the four-eyed owl demon to find weaknesses in the minds of the Half-Demon Princesses via the dream-gazing spell. She is defeated by Towa's Azure Dragon Strike attack, and Riku steals her purple Rainbow Pearl as he kills her by draining her of her bodily fluids via his blue Pearl.

More about her history with Lord Kirinmaru and Riku is revealed in "Secret of the Rainbow Pearls" via flashbacks.

Riku

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese); Zach Aguilar (English)

Riku is Jyubei and Takechiyo's mysterious employer who intends to obtain all seven of the Rainbow Pearls for himself. He was originally a creation of Kirinmaru who didn't have any emotion until Zero used the power of Shikon Jewel to discard her sadness in form of the Rainbow Pearls. At some point afterward, Riku was cast aside by Kirinmaru, but secretly still serves Zero. He wishes to gather the Rainbow Pearls and return it to Zero for unknown reason, but important enough that he refuse to give it to even Kirinmaru. He carries the Blue Rainbow Pearl on a earring placed in his left ear. He later takes the purple, green, and silver pearls, making three of the mystical Rainbow Pearls now in his possession. He has a policy of only killing people whom he loves. For this reason, he enlisted Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha's help to kill the Four Perils whom he hates. After meeting Towa, he seems to develop feelings for her, going as far as risking himself to protect her from Tōtetsu and even personally defeated the latter for harming Towa despite his policy to never kill people he hates.

Jyūbei

Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama (Japanese); Neil Kaplan (English)

Jyūbei is the owner of the corpse-dealing shop that specializes in bounties placed on demons. Moroha currently lives under Jyūbei's shop in order to pay off a very large debt.

Tōkotsu

Voiced by: Taro Kiuchi (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)

Tōkotsu was one of Kirinmaru's top minions, the Four Perils, who was given the red mystical Rainbow Pearl by his lord and master to further develop and amplify his abilities and strength greatly. He was eventually beaten and killed by an unknown opponent, but had his red Pearl stolen by bounty-hunter Moroha the Demon Killer, who kept it as her own. His grown son, Jakotsumaru, was then bent on revitalizing him by accumulating red bones. Thanks to the intervention of Towa and Setsuna, Moroha was able to wound Tokotsu's reanimated corpse with her enhanced claws after she had applied the blood of her late grandfather Toga to her lips from the rouge that was given to her late paternal human grandmother Lady Izayoi.

Jakotsumaru

Voiced by: Yūko Sanpei (Japanese); Marianne Miller (English)

Jakotsumaru (若骨丸) was the teenage son of the greatly demon Tokotsu, whom he wanted to revitalize by giving him enough red bones from mortals and demons. He was beaten and killed by Moroha whose strength was amplified by her late grandmother Lady Izayoi's rouge that contains the full demon blood of her deceased paternal grandfather Toga. Before his death, he was amazed as to how Moroha, a demon, could be capable of possessing spiritual powers. Myoga had then explained about Moroha was the daughter of the high-level priestess Kikyo's reincarnation, Kagome Higurashi.

Konton

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese); Armen Taylor (English)

Konton is one of Kirinmaru's top minions from the Four Perils. He is the third follower to encounter the prophetic Half-Demon Princesses and wishes their annihilation after his fellow member of the Four Perils, Kyuki. He had managed to subdue a strong turtle-demon and rob him of his unbreakable armored shell, with which he molded into a suit of armor with his powerful Tao and fang magic. He had eventually sent the sage-turned-demon Nikosen after Towa, Setsuna and Moroha, so he could get their Rainbow Pearls but failed. Watching the whole battle from inside his new cavern lair, he was glad to learn that half-demons did have one vital weakness: the New Moon.

A few weeks later, he had slain the iron-rats and found the key that Yawaragi the wolf-demon was seeking to use as leverage to get to fight and kill her own pupil, Moroha. When Moroha first managed to tap into the special Crimson Backlash Wave technique, Konton was nearly destroyed but used the blue Rainbow Pearl to create a shield.

Konton had later then cast a powerful eight-field trap that required another demon to act as the focal point, which was Totetsu. While Totetsu was fighting Moroha, Konton was distorting the space around Towa and Setsuna from the field he was controlling. He was soon discovered by the twins' combined attacks, and used the blue Rainbow Pearl to summon an ogre to fight Towa and Setsuna. He revealed a bit about the two of the seven Rainbow Pearls they were housing in one their eyes to them, and that his master had a direct connection to the Dream Butterfly. He was soon killed by his own creation, leaving only his headless body around.

Tōtetsu

Voiced by: Hiroshi Shirokuma (Japanese); Paul St. Peter (English)

Totetsu is the last of Kirinmaru's top underlings, the Four Perils, to appear. He is quite gigantic with sharp fangs and powerful air breath that is able to suck in almost anything into his mouth similar to Miroku's Wind Tunnel. As such he has quite an insatiable appetite, wanting to mostly consume humans such as priests/monks into one bite. Towa describes him as a powerful vacuum. He possesses the seventh and last of the mystical Rainbow Pearls, the orange one, which he talks to. Once eating it himself, his breath strengthened into emitting fire as opposed to strong air. He flees to seek aid from his lord and master, who leaves the sanctuary of his ship lair and orders him to leave.

A few weeks later, Totetsu appears on another moonless night to attack Towa, who has turned fully mortal and is thus powerless against him. He is then confronted by Riku, who berates him for rudely interrupting his "date" with Towa. After Towa regains her powers as broad daylight appears, he attempt to escape again as Riku perform a sneak attack on Tōtetsu, beheading and killing him as Riku steals his orange Rainbow Pearl with Moroha takes his head to collect bounty on her own.

Zero

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)

Zero is Kirinmaru's older sister. She abhors all humans and half-demons especially. As such, she wishes Sesshomaru's fraternal twin daughters gone since a prophecy foretold by the Shikon Jewel prior to its destruction predicted the downfall of her younger brother at the hands of a being that is neither human nor demon, and an impossible entity that surpasses time itself; namely the Sacred Tree of Ages itself. She had sent Joka in an attempt to kill infant Towa and Setsuna, but had failed and saved by their father Sesshomaru, and ordered a fire demon named Homura to burn down the forest where four-year-old Towa and Setsuna had been living in to ensure their deaths.

She was the one who created the mystical Rainbow Pearls, the pearls were created by the wish she made to the Shikon Jewel, which the jewel granted by materializing her suffering into the seven pearls from her tears of sorrow and regret after learning the death of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. She seems to want Sesshomaru and Rin's twin daughters' and Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter, Moroha, gone even more so than Lord Kirinmaru does as it was she who had told her younger brother that he was supposed to kill the twin daughters of Sesshomaru for her. Furious at her brother's sense of honor, she ends up disowning him and leaves to parts unknown, calmly stating that she shall find the Rainbow Pearls wherever they may be as they were tears.

Episode Summaries

** SPOILER WARNING BELOW IN DESCRIPTIONS **

Episode 1: "Inuyasha: Since Then"

Transcription: "Are kara no Inuyasha" (Japanese: あれからの犬夜叉)

Towa Higurashi was captured by a feudal lord who interrogates her about some items from the future in his possession, including a book from the Reiwa Era and the seat from Kagome's bicycle, but Towa refuses to comply, certain that sharing info from the future will alter the past. The story then shifts back to six months later after Kagome started living in the feudal era with Inuyasha and her other friends. Inuyasha and Miroku fight the Root Head, a demon who was sealed by Kikyō many decades ago, but the enemy escapes. Unaware of Kikyō's death and mistaking Kagome for her, the Root Head attacks Kagome and she joins Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango to destroy it, unaware that a small part of the demon has survived. Back in the present, Towa is rescued by her twin sister Setsuna and their first cousin Moroha, who realize that the lord attendant is the ayakashi Yotsume in disguise and chase after it but before departing, Towa confiscates the book and the bike seat from the lord.

Episode 2: "The Three Princesses"

Transcription: "Sanbiki no Hime" (Japanese: 三匹の姫)

When they were four years old, Towa and Setsuna were playing together in a forest until they get caught in a fire and while trying to rescue her sister, Towa is dragged away by a portal which leaves her stranded in the present. She is found by Kagome's younger brother Sōta, who takes her in. Ten years later, Towa is being harassed by some bullies despite changing schools to avoid them, although she easily defeats them in a fight. Back in the past, the Demon Slayers Hisui (the son of Sango and Miroku), Kohaku, and Setsuna confront Moroha, mistaking her for a demon that is attacking the locals, until Mistress Three-Eyes appears and steals the Red and Gold Rainbow Pearls in Moroha and Setsuna's possession to power herself up. In the present, the bullies return and hold Towa's adopted family hostage, but she makes quick work of them and then they flee once they hear the police sirens, unaware that they were just passing by. Suddenly, a portal opens, dragging Setsuna, Moroha, and Mistress Three-Eyes to the present before Towa, who recognizes her long-lost beloved twin sister. Sensing the Silver Rainbow Pearl in Towa's possession, Mistress Three-Eyes attacks her as well. Towa tries to slash her, but her sword breaks in half, much to her shock.

Episode 3: "The Dream Butterfly"

Transcription: "Yume no Kochō" (Japanese: 夢の胡蝶)

Moroha tells Towa that her sword broke because it was ordinary, but Towa manages to use her powers to convert the remains into a laser blade and damage Mistress Three-Eyes. Setsuna finishes her off and she and Moroha recover their Rainbow Pearls. As Moroha claims Mistress Three-Eyes' skull as a trophy, Towa tries to get reacquainted with her sister, but Setsuna does not remember her and rejects her. Moroha deduces that the two are the daughters of Sesshōmaru, but neither of them know who that is. In the past, Kaede tells Hisui and Kohaku that Setsuna is one of Sesshōmaru's twin daughters. They found Root Head's roots around the Sacred Tree of Ages and deduce that Setsuna and Moroha were sent to the distant future of Kagome's era. A minor demon called Hitokon possesses Towa and has her attack Setsuna. After a brief fight, Hitokon jumps into the body of Towa's adoptive sister, Mei, but Setsuna exorcises it. Towa's family allows Setsuna and Moroha to stay with them and Sōta and Kagome's mother recognizes Moroha as Kagome's daughter. Moroha deduces that Setsuna was cursed by the Dream Butterfly to be unable to sleep or dream and had her memories of her past erased. Towa is struck with guilt, believing she could have prevented this if she did not get separated from her ten years ago.

Episode 4: "The Gateway to the Past"

Transcription: "Kako e no Tobira" (Japanese: 過去への扉)

The three girls resolve to return to the past to capture the Dream Butterfly and restore Setsuna's ability to sleep. As they spend a few days in the modern world, Setsuna masters the violin and becomes fond of it, while Moroha discovers Root Head in the Tree of Ages and negotiates with him to reopen the portal in exchange for their sacred Rainbow Pearls. Setsuna takes the violin with her while Moroha brings a massive bag of modern supplies. Towa bids farewell to her family and the three jump into the portal. They are interrupted by the Spirit of the Tree of Ages, who takes on the form of the late Kikyō. She asks them to slay Kirinmaru, an old rival of their paternal grandfather, the Great-Dog General, who plans to twist time and reduce everything to nothingness. Sesshōmaru has renounced his title, resulting him being on the wrong path but on the same path as Kirinmaru. The Sacred Tree of Ages ask for them to kill both at the same time. Setsuna refuses, saying she doesn't care about the father she never met, while Towa doesn't want to kill her father on principle. The spirit transports them to Root Head, who attacks them for their Rainbow Pearls, but they defeat it and arrive in the past to be greeted by Kaede, Kohaku, and Hisui. Towa realizes that without Root Head, they have no means to return to the modern world. Meanwhile, the Spirit of the Tree of Ages watches over a young adult Rin, who is in suspended animation within the Sacred Tree, and tells Sesshōmaru if he forsakes her, she will never awaken.

Episode 5: "Jakotsumaru of the Red Bone Palace"

Transcription: "Aka Hone Goten no Jakotsumaru" (Japanese: 赤骨御殿の若骨丸)

The demon Jakotsumaru attacks humans to collect their bones in order to revive his father, the demon Tokotsu after it was slain by Moroha, who retrieved the Red Rainbow Pearl from his corpse. Once learning of the situation, Kohaku sends Towa and Setsuna to deal with it, eventually meeting Moroha, who intends to retrieve Tokotsu's head and receive a large reward for it to pay off her debts. Accompanied by Myoga, who reveals Tokotsu is one of the Four Perils who work for Kirinmaru, the three eventually discover Jakotsumaru's hideout and confront him. At first, Towa refuses to attack Jakotsumaru because he looks cute and naively thinks Moroha apologizing will be enough to stop the conflict, but realizes she has to fight. Moroha defeats Jakotsumaru, but Tokotsu's head attacks her and she uses her secret technique to awaken her demon blood, dealing massive damage on the enemy, but losing consciousness soon after, leaving Towa and Setsuna to deal the finishing blow. With both demons destroyed, their palace vanishes without a trace, leaving no bounties for the three girls as all traces of their bodies vanished as well. Upon learning that Moroha possess both demonic and spiritual powers, Setsuna expresses her interest.

Episode 6: "The Cat Juan at the Old Temple"

Transcription: "Furudera no Neko Juan" (Japanese: 古寺の猫寿庵)

Towa, Setsuna and Moroha investigate some disappearances near a mountain pass when they meet a little girl who was abandoned by her mother. Upon taking the child back to her village, the three discover that the villagers are being controlled by a horde of bakeneko and slays most of them, with the rest fleeing. Looking for more clues about the disappearances, the girls arrive at a temple and meet the resident monk, Juan, who offers them shelter. Realizing that the bakeneko are hidden in the temple, they pretend to sleep and slay the demons after they reveal themselves. They learn from Juan that a priest sealed a powerful demon beneath the temple one hundred years ago and Towa stays inside the temple to protect him, while the others look for the demon's remains until they find some old bones that transform into a huge bakeneko. Meanwhile, Towa is trapped inside the temple with an unusually strong demon shield by the real bakeneko, who reveals himself to be possessing Juan while the monster fighting outside is a construct made from the bones of the humans it devoured. Moroha uses a sacred arrow to break the barrier and Setsuna decides to kill the monk to defeat the Bakeneko, but after hearing from Myoga that Inuyasha used to defeat demons without killing their hosts by absorbing their powerful demonic abilities and energy into Tessaiga, Towa attempts and succeeds to do the same, saving Juan and defeating the Bakeneko.

Note: This episode is based on a chapter from the original InuYasha manga that was not adapted into The Final Act.

Episode 7: "Meeting through an Apple"

Transcription: "Ringo no Deai" (Japanese: 林檎の出会い)

Kyuki informs her master, Kirinmaru, of Tokosu's slaying at the hands of Moroha "Beniyasha" and Sesshōmaru's twin daughters. Kirinmaru commends Sesshōmaru's daughters for their success in slaying quite a formidable warrior that served under him, which he seemed to have forgotten somehow. Kyuki warns him that if he does not take immediate action, she worries that the Half-Demon Princesses will surely bring him disaster. After participating in a demon slaying with Kohaku's group, Towa and Setsuna stay the night at Kaede's house. The next day, Setsuna departs for another mission leaving the sleeping Towa behind. Once Towa awakens, she decides to look for the Dream Butterfly, but has an encounter with the pirate Riku instead. Riku presents Towa with the real mystical Kikujūmonji sword that he stole from the nearby lord before leaving, and Towa is arrested for being mistaken for the real culprit, and is brought before the Lord and Yotsume, leading to the events of the premiere. Setsuna and Moroha are informed of Towa's predicament and decide to rescue her, but they are stopped by Fubuki, an ice demon serving under Kyuki, another of Kirinmaru's Four Perils. While being confronted by Yotsume and the Lord, Towa notices Fubuki's true body besides her and signals for Moroha to shoot at it, destroying the enemy. Afterwards, Moroha and Setsuna storm the castle to rescue Towa and the three leave to chase after Yotsume.

Episode 8: "The Dream Gazing Trap"

Transcription: "Yume Hiraki no Wana" (Japanese: 夢ひらきの罠)

Riku pays a visit to Jūbei, who gives him a large sum of gold for his services and reveals that he intends to use Towa, Setsuna and Moroha in his plan to defeat the remaining three Perils so that he can obtain all seven Rainbow Pearls and gain untold demonic power. Meanwhile, the three girls follow Yotsume to Kyuki's hideout. Kyuki uses the Purple Rainbow Pearl to empower Yotsume, who uses his power to put Towa, Moroha and Takechiyo to sleep. In their dreams, it is revealed that Moroha was given away at Kagome's urgent request as a baby and entrusted to Hachiemon when the two were about to confront both Kirinmaru and Sesshōmaru, Takechiyo was entrusted as a baby to Jūbei by Miroku for unknown reasons, and that the Dream Butterfly had carried Setsuna's memories to the Sacred Tree of Ages, where the adult Rin is imprisoned. Setsuna, being incapable of sleep, resists Yotsume's powers and destroys him. Kyuki reclaims the Pearl and confronts the three girls, stealing Towa and Moroha's energy due to them still being under influence of Yotsume's spell. As Setsuna fights Kyuki alone, Moroha reminds Towa about her natural ability to steal demonic energy and Towa uses it to fight and defeat Kyuki with the Sōryūha attack she inherited from her dog-demon father. After the battle, Riku arrives to obtain the purple Rainbow Pearl, and Jūbei later introduces him to the girls as his and Takechiyo's employer, rewarding them for Kyuki's defeat with part of the gold he received from Riku.

Episode 9: "Meifuku, the Meioju"

Transcription: "Meiōjū no Meifuku" (Japanese: 冥王獣の冥福)

Konton, one of the Four Perils, destroys a fortress atop a mountain to establish his lair. Jūbei announces that there is a huge bounty on him and Moroha accepts the mission, but Towa and Setsuna refuse, until Jūbei suggests that they should use the money as a reward for info about the Dream Butterfly. The three girls fight Konton, but his armor is too strong for their attacks and they are overpowered until Meifuku, a Meiōjū child appears to rescue them. Meifuku reveals that Konton killed his father and used part of his shell to make his armor. Since then he has searched for Konton in order to retrieve it and give his father a proper funeral. Konton attacks the group and Towa realizes that Konton created his armor by draining the demonic energy from Meifuku's father's shell, returning it to normal by infusing it with her own energy. Without his armor, Konton is forced to flee. Meifuku returns his father's shell so that he can finally pass away, and the girls regret that they could not get the bounty on the enemy's head, while a humiliated Konton swears vengeance on them from inside his new cavern lair.

Episode 10: "The Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls"

Transcription: "Kin to Gin no Nijiiro Shinju" (Japanese: 金と銀の虹色真珠)

The twin brothers Kinka and Ginka, who share the same body, continue their battle to the death so that the victor can claim their entire body for himself. Towa, Setsuna and Moroha are sent to stop the damage they are causing to nearby villages and attack them. Noticing that both Towa and Setsuna carry Rainbow Pearls, Kinka and Ginka hold a truce so that they can steal them for themselves. The two possess Towa and Setsuna's bodies respectively, forcing them to fight each other until Setsuna uses some poison to expel them, but they end up running away with the pearls. The brothers report their feat to Joka, their clan's leader, who decides to absorb both while claiming the pearls for herself as part of her plan to get revenge on Sesshōmaru. Towa and Setsuna arrive to retrieve their Pearls when Setsuna, watching the brothers in peril, has some glimpses of the day when she got separated from her own twin sister. After Joka separates Kinka from his brother to absorb him first, Ginka joins forces with Setsuna to defeat her, but Kinka does not survive the attack, with his brother dying soon after. Towa and Setsuna regain their Rainbow Pearls and Towa wonders if Setsuna remembered her past a little, while Moroha laments that with the enemies' bodies turned to ashes, they can't claim any reward for slaying them.

Episode 11: "Curse of the Man-Eating Pond"

Transcription: "Hito Kui-numa no Noroi" (Japanese: 人喰い沼の呪い)

While Setsuna plays her violin in a clearing and Moroha overcooks pancakes in a portable cooking pot, she suddenly notices a bird being swallowed up by a pond of murky green water but Towa and Setsuna do not believe her and leave. They talk to Hisui and Kohaku, who concur that the pond is indeed inhabited by something that devours any who come near it. Seeing that Moroha was indeed correct, the half-demon twins leave to investigate the pond. Towa and Setsuna arrive, and Setsuna runs to stop young Hikoumaru from arguing with his younger sister Chiyo who wants to stop him from approaching the pond to avenge their parents, as she does not want to lose him, too. Towa scolds the boy for hurting his sister and states that he would regret letting go of her hand later. Back at the Corpse-Dealer's home, a disgusted Moroha is cleaning while complaining that she is suited to much better jobs. Takechiyo scolds her that it is the least she can do to pay of the debt she owes Juybei. Hikomaru and Chiyo take Towa and Setsuna to their home where they are raised by their grandmother. She explains that pond had been murky ever since she was a child but was once as clear as a mirror. Hikoumaru and Chiyo reveal that the "something" that has inhabited the pond is called Venom Serpent. The two siblings then notice the violin case, remembering that their father had played the Biwa near the pond when he was devoured. Setsuna plays the violin to comfort them but causes them to cry for their departed father. After a delicious meal, Towa and Setsuna are invited to stay the night. Towa later awakes and joins Setsuna outside the hut. She apologizes for accidentally falling asleep. Setsuna brushes her apology off. Towa firmly assures Setsuna that she definitely will find the Dream Butterfly. Setsuna simply says that her inability to sleep has been happening since she can remember and that it has not been a hardship for her. She then tells Towa to sleep, as they have a job slaying the Venom Serpent that has been inhabiting the pond for decades.

Episode 12: "Night of the New Moon and the Black-haired Towa"

Transcription: "Saku no Yoru, Kurokami no Towa" (Japanese: 朔の夜、黒髪のとわ)

Konton tasks Nikosen, a sage-turned-apparition demon, of annihilating the Half-Demon Princesses and attaining their Rainbow Pearls. At the village, Towa and Setsuna accepts the mission of slaying Nikosen from Kohaku while Moroha helps local villagers in destroying the demon for his bounty. Towa and Setsuna come to join her but are attacked by Nikosen who demands the rainbow pearls they possess. Towa attempts to join her twin sister and cousin in battle, but her light blue energy blade does not form, which concerns her and puzzles Setsuna, as she can hear her heartbeat louder than she should. Moroha tries to use her Kurikaramaru but is unable to slice through Nikosen. In retaliation, Nikosen sends forth a stream of poison that affects and weakens Towa. Setsuna gives her a poison-shielding mask and tells Moroha to take care of Towa while she fights the demon. As Moroha helps an unconscious Towa across a bridge, she notices the change in Towa's hair color and length but is blocked by Nikosen's torso. In midair on Kiara, Setsuna attacks an illusion of Nioksen's head which is undo by the assistance of Hisui and his fellow Demon-Slayers. Finding shelter in a cave, Moroha is surprised that she smells the sent of human on Towa and learns from Myoga that Towa's predicament is because of the new moon which is different for every half-demon, with the exception of the late Naraku who was capable of choosing a night of his own free will. Towa is concerned that Setsuna has experienced the exact same transformation and wants to go find her. With Myoga's aid, Moroha infuses her spiritual powers into sutras to erect a blue sacred barrier to protect Towa. As Setsuna retains her full abilities, Moroha deduces that because her memories were taken from her by the Dream Butterfly, the laws of the new moon no longer apply to her. Taking advantage of this fact, Setsuna manages to hold off Nikosen who hopes to eat her and gain strength from her. Fortunately, daybreak comes and restores Towa's dog-demon abilities, ending in her using her charged sword to wipe him out completely. Having witnessed the whole battle in fire he created, Konton states how good a show it was and smiles in satisfaction, now aware of their weakness.

Episode 13: "The Delicious Feudal Monks"

Transcription: "Sengoku Oishii Hōshi" (Japanese: 戦国おいしい法師)

Tōtetsu, the last member of the Four Perils, is eating virtuous monks to increase his demon power, even though he possesses the orange Rainbow Pearl. Taking heed of this, Kohaku sends Hisui, Towa and Setsuna to protect his brother-in-law Miroku, who is participating in a 1000-day training course to increase his spiritual powers tremendously, while Moroha is assigned by Jūbei to protect another monk. Hisui is dissatisfied at first with meeting his father, as he does not approve his behavior. While meeting Miroku, they also meet Hisui's older sister Gyokuto, who is paying a visit to her father. Tōkotsu appears to attack Miroku and attempts to eat him. While protecting his father, Hisui is afflicted by some poison they used on Tōkotsu and the sisters keep fighting the enemy while Miroku tends to him. Knowing that they are in as disadvantage, Setsuna asks Miroku to undo the seal he put on her to restrain her demonic blood, which unlocks her true powers and she forces Tōkotsu to retreat, with Miroku restoring the seal afterwards and Hisui starts seeing his father in a better light. After the battle, Hisui, Towa and Setsuna bid farewell to Miroku, who now must clean all the mess caused by the battle and Hisui informes his mother Sango that Miroku is safe and continuing his training, while Moroha is disappointed that once again she could not get any bounty or money.

Episode 14: "The One Behind the Forest Fire"

Transcription: "Mori o Yaita Kuromaku" (Japanese: 森を焼いた黒幕)

Towa, Setsuna and Moroha are hired by Tamano, a beautiful young woman who was rescued by Riku to slay Homura, an evil mountain god who had abducted her from her grandparents and filled with sheer jealousy, started to kill all men who eve glanced at her. During their confrontation, Homura recognizes Towa and Setsuna, revealing that he was the one responsible for the forest fire that separated them one decade ago, as he was ordered to dispose of the half-demon twins under the command of the Youkai Zero. He attempts to cover for his failure by killing them when Riku arrives with Tamano by her request. Tamano openly rejects Homura for his behavior and declares that she will never return to his side. Disheartened and because he cannot bear to live without her, Homura burns himself to death. Riku gloats at the mountain fire demon's self-destruction, stating to himself how loving a human being only leads to destruction and pain to demons as it had for Tōga and eventually his eldest son Sesshōmaru. Tamano leaves to rejoin her grandparents' side while Towa finds some relief in finally enacting her vengeance. Riku looks on with a confident smile.

Episode 15: "Farewell Under the Lunar Eclipse"

Transcription: "Gesshoku, Unmei no Sekibetsu" (Japanese: 月蝕、運命の惜別)

Riku reveals that eighteen years before, he had the demon jeweler Hosenki the Second to create a second Black Pearl using the late Lady Izayoi's reassembled rogue, which contain her tears of grief for Tōga's death, and can create a path to his graveside. Hosenki then gives the Pearl and the rogue to Inuyasha and Kagome respectively, with Inuyasha placing the Pearl inside his right eye for safekeeping. In Kaede's hut, an older Rin gives birth to Towa and Setsuna. Riku approaches a pregnant Kagome and warns her about the dangers of the dark comet, which was partially destroyed 500 years ago by Kirinmaru and Tōga but a fragment of it is about to fall on Earth and asks for Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru to work together to destroy it, while Zero warns Sesshōmaru that Kirinmaru will surely kill his children as well as Inuyasha and his family once he knows about them. In response, Sesshōmaru takes the newborn Towa and Setsuna with him. Joka attacks Sesshōmaru to kill his newborn daughters and he cuts her arms away, obtaining the silver and gold Rainbow Pearls from her that he gives to Towa and Setsuna before entrusting them to Jaken who erects a demon barrier. Meeting with his younger half-brother and Kagome at his mother's palace, Sesshōmaru destroys the Grim Comet fragment with Inuyasha's help, while Zero awakens Lord Kirinmaru and informs him about the existence of Tōga's half-demon twin and quarter-demon granddaughters. Fearing a prophecy left by the Shikon Jewel about him being killed by someone who is neither demon or human, Kirinmaru orders Sesshōmaru to accompany him in order to kill Inuyasha and his newborn daughter. Inuyasha and Kagome entrusts Moroha and the tincture to Hachiemon and confront them. Sesshōmaru suddenly steals the Black Pearl from Inuyasha and traps both him and Kagome inside it until Inuyasha's Meidō Zangetsuha ability is required. Hachiemon delivers Moroha to Kōga's wolf clan. Four years later, Zero learns where Towa and Setsuna are hidden and orders Homura to burn down the forest where they live to kill them, with Sesshōmaru unable to intervene. In the present timeline, Riku ends his narration, affirming that he can not reveal further for now.

Episode 16: "Double-Edged Moroha"

Transcription: "Moroha no Yaiba" (Japanese: もろはの刃)

Three years earlier, Yawaragi, Moroha's mentor from Kōga's wolf clan, gives her the task of surviving the demon fight inside the Kodoku cave, promising to award her with the Kurikaramaru sword, but forbidding her from using her rouge. Moroha successfully passes the test, but to pay for the debts with Jūbei, Yawaragi has Moroha working for him, while she leaves to look for the fire-rat demons to remove her cursed armor, which is slowly compressing her body until the moment it will kill her. Back to the present, Yawaragi finds the village of the fire-rat demons and learn that all of them were slain by Konton, who orders her to kill Moroha in exchange for the key to remove her cursed armor. During the encounter, Moroha considers using her rouge to fight Yawaragi, but reminisces that Yawaragi was cursed with the armor to protect her when she lost herself while fighting with it and decides not to. Yawaragi uses her most powerful attack, Scattering Winds, which Moroha manages to deflect using Kurikaramaru's special technique, Crimson Backlash Wave. When Yawaragi is about to be stricken by the deflected blast, she attempts to take Konton with her, but fails. Konton escapes and Yawaragi passes away after congratulating Moroha on mastering the Kurikaramaru sword. Appeased by Towa and Setsuna, Moroha buries Yawaragi and decides to move on with her life, knowing that she is no longer alone as her twin cousins are now by her side.

Episode 17: "Trap of the Two Perils"

Transcription: "Ni Kyō no Wana" (Japanese: 二凶の罠)

Riku approaches Konton, who is preparing a spell against the girls and offers himself to lure them to his trap, as well as Totetsu, who will be used as part of their plan. He then informs Moroha about Totesu's location and suggests that Kirinmaru must be involved with the Dream Butterfly, which also piques Towa and Setsuna's interest. The three stop Totetsu from eating another monk and chase after him to the demonic field of Konton's trap, where they are separated. Towa later realizes his trick and alongside Setsuna, the half-demon twins break free and pinpoint the enemy's location.

Episode 18: "Sesshomaru and Kirinmaru"

Transcription: "Sesshōmaru to Kirinmaru" (Japanese: 殺生丸と麒麟丸)

Towa and Setsuna confront Konton, who explains that the Rainbow Pearls spell disaster as they are fragments of an even greater power that must not exist, which was why they were scattered across the lands by none other than Zero. The Twins manage to destroy him, leaving Riku to reclaim the blue Rainbow Pearl from him. They rejoin Moroha and together they overpower Totetsu, who flees to Lord Kirinmaru's ship seeking his help. Kirinmaru drives Totetsu off and Towa attempts to reason with him, asking for his cooperation to return Setsuna's dreams but he refuses and fights the three half-demons, easily defeating them. Sesshomaru arrives and fights Kirinmaru to protect his daughters. Kirinmaru decides to spare the Half-Demon Princesses, but reminds Sesshomaru that he will do what Kirinmaru requires of him, and both leave. This leaves Towa, Setsuna and Moroha quite confused, as Towa wonders what her father's motives are. Moroha tries to get the essence of the Sacred Tree of Ages to emerge, but without success. We see Towa and Setsuna's beautiful mother still slumbering within.

Episode 19: "Princess Aiya's Beniyasha Hunting"

Transcription: "Aiya Hime no Beniyasha Taiji" (Japanese: 愛矢姫の紅夜叉退治)

Moroha gets caught in the middle of a tournament between Hisui and other bounty hunters, and is forced to fight Setsuna for the amusement of the silly Princess Aiya, who happens to be the daughter of the Lord of the Danjo Clan from the premiere and Episode 7. Setsuna warns her twin sister Towa that she will not hesitate to fight her, too, should she interfere.

Episode 20: "The Hidden Village for Half Demons"

Transcription: "Han'yō no Kakurezato" (Japanese: 半妖の隠れ里)

Setsuna tells her twin what had happened to her in the decade they were separated by time, and how she was helped by the teenage half bat-demon Shiori, leader of the village of half-demons which she has kept safe with her incredibly strong demonic barrier. When a poisonous moth-demon, by the name of Gaga Gozen, comes to devour the half-demon children, they are aided by Miroku as Shiori's demon-bat abilities have all been neutralized by the appearance of a solar eclipse and turning her fully mortal with black hair. This stirs the very powerful demon blood within Setsuna to emerge, further increasing Setsuna's dog-demon abilities to kill Gonzen in mere seconds. Miroku then knocks her out with poison from the demon-slayers, and applies a strong seal on her demon blood using the naginata she had taken from Gonzen as the focal point. With the battle over and her demonic powers back in full, Shiori re-erects the shield around the village, and has Setsuna live in the outside world with the promise that she should bring another half-demon, half-human child who feels troubled in any way; which was why Setsuna had brought Towa with her outside the cloaked entrance.

Episode 21: "Secret of the Rainbow Pearls"

Transcription: "Nijiiro Shinju no Himitsu" (Japanese: 虹色真珠の秘密)

200 years ago, amidst the news of Toga's demise, a saddened Zero wishes upon the Shikon Jewel to seal off her emotions, which creates the seven Rainbow Pearls. Back to the present, it is the new moon and with Towa's power diminished, Setsuna orders her to take shelter at Kaede's home. In the occasion, Kaede reveals to Towa that she lived many years with Rin until her disappearance that occurred just after she gave birth to the twins. Seeing a Dream Butterfly passing nearby, Towa chases after it all the way to the Sacred Tree of Ages, where she meets Riku. Riku reveals that he intends to gather all seven Rainbow Pearls and return Zero's lost emotions when Totetsu appears to attack her. Riku risks his life to defend her until Setsuna and Moroha arrive to help them. Riku takes the opportunity to slay Totetsu and Towa gives him her silver Rainbow Pearl to him to help with his mission, but she regrets it soon after when Setsuna points that Riku's master could use them for evil ends.

Episode 22: "The Stolen Seal"

Transcription: "Ubawareta Fūin" (Japanese: 奪われた封印)

Around 500 years ago, at the palace of Sesshōmaru's mother, she and Zero waited as Toga and Kirinmaru destroyed the Grim Comet. In the present day, Zero steals from Miroku the seal he used to contain Setsuna's demon blood and dispels it, making her lose control of her demonic powers and begin a rampage while sprouting purple butterfly wings that emit demonic energy similar to the Dream Butterfly. Sesshōmaru and Tōtōsai react as they feel Setsuna's stronger demonic power, with Sesshōmaru stating that she still can't suppress her blood. Towa and Moroha attempt to stop her to no avail until Miroku's eldest twin daughter Kin'u learns the situation from him and both she and Hisui come to their assistance. By their instructions, Towa risks her life to restrain Setsuna long enough for Kin'u to restore the seal and have Setsuna recover her senses. However, the seal did not contain Setsuna's demonic blood completely and she swears to take revenge on Zero for what she did. Meanwhile, in the modern era, Towa's teacher notices the Grim Comet approaching again before having an encounter with Sota and his young daughter Mei.

Episode 23: "The Three Princesses Strike Back"

Transcription: "Sanhime no Gyakushū" (Japanese: 三姫の逆襲)

Towa and Setsuna enlist Mohoha's help to fight Zero. They track her all the way to the palace where Toga died and Riku makes a stand to protect his master. In the occasion, Riku reveals that he had achieved his objective of gathering all Rainbow Pearls before Zero, who gets angry at him and retrieves all the pearls to restore her powers. Setsuna takes advantage of her loss of composure and deals Zero a fatal blow with her awakening blood blade. As Zero makes the passage to the afterlife, she reveals that her life is connected to Rin's, and finds some joy at knowing that Rin will die with Zero, until Sesshōmaru uses a restored Tenseiga to revive her. Zero is furious at Sesshōmaru for his interference and breaks Tenseiga before declaring her intent to take care of Towa and Setsuna personally. She demands that Riku return the Rainbow Pearls to her, which contain all of her powerful demonic abilities, when Lord Kirinmaru appears before both parties.

Episode 24: "Sesshomaru's Daughter"

Transcription: "Sesshōmaru no Musume de Aru to Iu Koto" (Japanese: 殺生丸の娘であるということ)

Kirinmaru begins by apologizing to Sesshōmaru for Zero stepping out of line and breaking Tenseiga, but Sesshōmaru is intent on killing her again, no longer worried about Rin's life being bound to hers as it will only prolong Rin's sadness. With Zero ready to accept the challenge, Kirinmaru is forced to intervene by scattering the Rainbow Pearls, leading Zero to renounce her relation with Kirinmaru and leaving to search for the pearls. Sesshōmaru and Riku follow suit, the latter wounding Kirinmaru beforehand. Towa, Setsuna and Moroha, are left to engage him in combat, until things go terribly wrong with Kirinmaru attacking Setsuna with a fearsome slash by breaking Setsuna's weapon as she is left dying in the ensuing conflict. Heartbroken and fuelled by her intense fury over her dearly beloved twin's death, Towa finally taps into her inherent demonic power and Moroha turns into Beniyasha, allowing the two of them to gain the upper hand against Kirinmaru, but it ultimately proves that it was not meant to be and they are both defeated. Kirinmaru decides to spare them and leaves, saying that he hopes to challenge them again one day. As Moroha wakes up with Kirara, she sorrowfully apologizes to Setsuna that they had lost this fight. Towa, stricken with grief, is left with nothing but to mourn over Setsuna, but Sesshōmaru returns and bestows the broken Tenseiga onto her, knowing that she is capable of harnessing her demonic energies into it and possesses a compassionate heart true enough to be able to freely wield such a useful gift, most likely to revive her fallen twin sister.

The Verdict

I felt that I should get my opinion on this sequel/spin-off of the original Inuyasha anime off of my chest since Toonami is FINALLY adding this to their weekend block. It's been a few months since I watched this in its entirety over on Hulu Plus in English subtitles, but I'm anxious to rewatch again with the English dub voices. 

This was a series that lured people in on the premise of nostalgia and to see what happened to their beloved/favorite characters from the original Inuyasha anime, only for that to be held over their heads like a lure bait to stick around until the end. It's not that Setsuna, Towa, and Moroha were bad characters. It was mainly due to the fact that their adventures were mostly boring and lackluster for the most part. The anime recycles the same "villain/random crisis of the week" trope that the original series did time and time again while they were traveling around the Feudal Japan era, looking for the Shikon Jewel shards and/or Naraku's whereabouts, but the problem in this series is that it rarely comes across as interesting. Sesshomaru's daughters manifest the same powers and characteristics in a span of episodes that took Inuyasha the course of the entire series to master. One could make the argument that since they are the offspring of Sesshomaru - a much stronger descendent of the Great Dog Demon Toga - that their progression would be quicker, but still. It comes across like your typical "Mary Sue" as much as I hate using that term, but they aren't unbeatable/flawless as they share their half-demon uncle's weakness of losing their powers under specific conditions. Moroha, the daughter of Kagome and Inuyasha, is the most interesting of the trio to me. She was trained and raised by one of the master bounty hunters in Koga's wolf demon tribe and happens to possess the rare combination (at least in this continuity) of both demonic and spiritual power. I found myself much more intrigued at her progression throughout this series than her cousins. She too develops some of her father's same techniques, but she has an interesting weakness of her own too. 

Don't get me wrong though. I like Towa and Setsuna's personalities. Setsuna is reserved and takes after her father's loner tendencies and seriousness to the task(s) at hand, which lends itself to her fighting style from how she's been forced to survive in the Feudal Era for so long. On the other hand, Towa has been sheltered (or rather nurtured) in the care of the Higarashi family in the Modern Era, which has made her extremely naive and trusting of all of the shady individuals that they run into in the Feudal Era. It's rather ironic that one of Sesshomaru's two daughters is more caring and mindful of others than the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, especially when the latter filled that role in the original anime. I can't knock Setsuna and Towa's sisterly bond either, even though Setsuna's problematic amnesia subplot is poor writing. Setsuna's personality might change completely if she remembers her childhood with Towa that was prior to her rough upbringing on her own in the Feudal era. That revelation could be troublesome down the road and I think it's something that the series' creator(s) didn't think through completely. Then again, that could be the reason for how the season ended, but from how Sesshomaru left the ball in Towa's court when things were all said and done, I doubt Setsuna's going anywhere either. 

Without a shadow of a doubt, the best episodes of this series (thus far) were the flashbacks and callbacks to the OG Inuyasha gang with the mystery about Sesshomaru's daughters being dragged on and on until the last few episodes was ultimately this series' detriment. The only thing that wasn't so much of a mystery was the identity of Setsuna and Towa's mother since just about everyone had put the pieces together on that one... *Cough* Rin *Cough* 

I'm not even going to talk about how messed up that relationship is either... I get that times were different in the Feudal Era, but I don't have to like it either. At the same time, I'm not worked up about it as a lot of the reactions and controversies online about this are. 

I felt the search for the Rainbow Pearls (something that we have little to no idea what they are and what they do outside of powering up demons in the same vein of the Shikon Jewel shards in the OG Inuyasha series, but somehow Moroha, Setsuna, and Towa all are in possession of one) was ultimately a waste of time after it was revealed to be the source of restoring Zero's demonic powers back. 

Who is Zero?

Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)

Zero (是露) is Kirinmaru's older sister. She abhors all humans and half-demons especially. As such, she wishes Sesshomaru's fraternal twin daughters gone since a prophecy foretold by the Shikon Jewel prior to its destruction predicted the downfall of her younger brother at the hands of a being that is neither human nor demon, and an impossible entity that surpasses time itself; namely the Sacred Tree of Ages itself. She had sent Joka in an attempt to kill infant Towa and Setsuna, but had failed and saved by their father Sesshomaru, and ordered a fire demon named Homura to burn down the forest where four-year-old Towa and Setsuna had been living in to ensure their deaths.

She was the one who created the mystical Rainbow Pearls, the pearls were created by the wish she made to the Shikon Jewel, which the jewel granted by materializing her suffering into the seven pearls from her tears of sorrow and regret after learning the death of Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father. She seems to want Sesshomaru and Rin's twin daughters' and Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter, Moroha, gone even more so than Lord Kirinmaru does as it was she who had told her younger brother that he was supposed to kill the twin daughters of Sesshomaru for her. Furious at her brother's sense of honor, she ends up disowning him and leaves to parts unknown, calmly stating that she shall find the Rainbow Pearls wherever they may be as they were tears.

But yeah, Zero is the sister of the main antagonist of this series, Kirinmaru.  

Now you're probably wondering who the hell is Kirinmaru though?

Voiced by: Yoshimasa Hosoya (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)

Kirinmaru (麒麟丸) is an ancient demon and master of the Shikyō (四凶, lit. Four Perils) that rules over the eastern lands whose power rivals Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father, who ruled the western lands of Japan. With the death of his rival, and the refusal of Sesshomaru to assume his father's place, Kirinmaru's presence expands to the whole country, prompting the Sacred Tree of Ages into enlisting Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha's help and combined strength in destroying him for good. He dons a white mask in the shape of a dog, and wields a katana. He has disregarded a prophecy long ago foretold by the Shikon Jewel itself of his annihilation at the hands of a half-demon and an impossible entity surpassing time itself. He had set out to kill Inuyasha and his human wife Kagome, as he had failed to do the same to their newborn quarter dog-demon daughter, but was foiled due to Sesshomaru trapping them within the Black Pearl with the claim that Inuyasha's powerful Meido Zangetsuha ability will be eventually required.

Nearly two decades years later, Kirinmaru continues to rule the Four Perils and their underlings, but does not seem to remember one of them, Tokotsu, to whom he had bestowed the red Rainbow Pearl onto. As the months pass, he seems less interested in putting an end to Toga's granddaughters than his sister Zero is. Upon finally confronting them directly and easily defeating them, he expresses his disappointment at how weak the Half-Demon Princesses truly are compared to his strength and skills as a full-blooded demon, so he opted to wait for them to grow into their natural demonic abilities before fighting them again. It is eventually revealed that he is seeking to end the threat of the Grim Comet that had once plagued both his and Toga's lands until they worked together to destroy it and then when Sesshomaru and Inuyasha destroyed it and is currently reemerging in the modern era and that he, Sesshomaru, and Sesshomaru's mother are working together over an artifact called the Windmill of Time and a being named Akuru and its pinwheel. At the end of the first season, he and Zero officially part ways as Kirinmaru finally loses all tolerance for his sister's repeated dishonorable ways after she breaks Tenseiga and is about to use the Rainbow Pearls to regain her demonic powers, and scatters them across the land. Forced into a final fight with Toga's granddaughters, he once again prevails, committing a heinous act by mercilessly slaying Setsuna, but they are able to challenge and injure him to where he is impressed and decides to spare their lives, looking forward to their next meeting.

Kirinmaru and Sesshomaru's appearances in this series are scarce until roughly the last 2-3 episodes where we get an exposition dump of sorts and even that revelation is rather dull after the build-up and how things have dragged out for 20+ episodes. We got the explanation about Kagome and Inuyasha's whereabouts in Episode 15, but still. It was asking a lot from Inuyasha fans to commit to the long haul of this series, especially well past the halfway mark to give them any sort of proper explanation to Inuyasha and Kagome's absence. Kohaku and Lady Kaede (she's fucking ancient in the original series and surprises me that she's still around in the sequel...) are around regularly at least, even though they don't let Setsuna, Towa, and Moroha know much either. Sango's painfully absent in a lot of the action too as she has retired her demon slayer career to be a mother to her and Miroku's twin daughters and youngest son, Hisui, who becomes a demon slayer like his mother and uncle. Hisui inherits a Hiraikotsu but it doesn't seem to possess the same properties that Sango's own possessed at the tail end of the original series. I suppose they are saving that "upgrade" for down the road. I guess I was hoping that they would go the Boruto route in terms of special powers and skills inherited from the new generation's parents to add onto and expand over time, but instead, the acquisition of new powers and skills are done in the same manner of the original Inuyasha series within the heat of battle. That's all well and good but I'm constantly wondering who is the target audience for this spin-off? There's a lot of concepts and narrative points in this series presented like viewers are not supposed to know who any of these characters are, but at the same time, there's enough callbacks and cameos that expect viewers to know who these characters are in the first place, making this rather jarring on who this show is exactly made for. 

I said it before and I'll say it again. This is a spin-off banking off the heels of nostalgia from the original Inuyasha anime, especially with a lot of the disappointment from how Inuyasha: The Final Act was treated with adapting the last tail end of the manga in a rushed, Cliff Notes-style format. The creators this series probably had the best intentions in mind to continue the stories in this world, but boy was the execution not up to par with what made us all fall in love with Inuyasha in the first place. There's some potential for this anime to find it's voice in the next "season" of sorts, but in the meantime, I can't recommend this to people in the current state that it's in. 

Watch It or Don't Bother?

While Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon was airing one episode per week on Hulu/Funimation with the simultaneous premieres with the Japanese dub followed by the English subtitles and English dub following a few weeks behind, I honestly can't recommend this to you unless you're a hardcore fan of the original Inuyasha anime. The story takes forever to pick up as the mystery surrounding the girls' origins and the fates of their parents is left on the backburner for majority of this "season" - mind you, something that everyone watching at the time weren't aware of that it was going to be split up into a seasonal format like this - and when the series finally decides clue viewers in, it feels like an appetizer just to ensure you to keep watching. For casual fans, I suggest waiting until the entire season is available for binge-watching, such as on Hulu or Funimation if you prefer Japanese audio with English subtitles or you can watch along with the Toonami faithful(s) as part of their weekend block. Don't quote me, but I believe that Hulu still has the rights to streaming the English dub of the series on their service as well. If so, then you still have options. Funimation has both English and Japanese audio available on their streaming service. I think this is a series that will do better once the entire story is out there instead of waiting around to digest it in smaller chunks.