Inuyasha - Sesshomaru / Characters

Sesshomaru

Voiced by: Ken Narita (JP), David Kaye (EN, Inuyasha, Yashahime), Michael Daingerfield (EN, The Final Act), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (LA SP, original series), Javier Gómez (LA SP, Yashahime), Niseem Onorato (IT), Phillpe Leroy (FR)

"I seek nothing more than to battle the most powerful beings alive, which excludes the lowly likes of you."

Sesshomaru is Inuyasha's elder half-brother, and unlike Inuyasha is a very powerful full-blooded youkai. He initially appears in pursuit of the sword Tessaiga, which their father had created from his own fang and left for Inuyasha to inherit; although Sesshomaru also inherited a sword, Tenseiga, he feels he has no use for it since it is a healing sword which cannot wound anyone. However, the trials his father set for him would eventually lead him into the path where he would develop compassion.

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# — G

24-Hour Armor: Sesshomaru never takes his armor off, not even when it's broken.
Absurdly Sharp Claws: Like Inuyasha, Sesshomaru's main form of offense when not wielding a sword (in fact, more so than Inuyasha given that his main sword is near harmless for most of the series) are his claws, which easily slice through youkai bodies on top of being poisonous.
The Ace: One of the few yokai who doesn't explicitly come after the Shikon shards for their immense power, he doesn't need it, and he knows it, all he ever really seeks is the fullest of the power derived from his own family. Even among other highly powerful yokai in the series; his full yokai blood and heritage give him an incredibly varied moveset, he's only ever brought to mortal danger a handful of times through the entire run, and he's an Instant Expert with any weapon he touches.
Action Dad: To Towa and Setsuna. He was able to easily defeat a powerful demon while carrying his newborn daughters to safety. Later on, after they have been Curb-Stomped by Kirinmaru, Sesshomaru arrives and fights Kirinmaru to a stalemate.
Adaptation Dye-Job: In the manga, his armor is green-tinged and his sash is pink with red accents. In the anime, his armor is matte-black and the sash is yellow with purple accents.
Aesop Amnesia: His mother gave him a very heavy-handed lesson that he can't always save Rin's life, and at some point, he needs to let her go. He fully realizes that if he wants her to be happy, then he must let her go; not only for his sake but hers and their daughters as well.
Aloof Ally: Of the I Was Just Passing Through variety whenever his brother and himself have a mutual enemy.
Aloof Big Brother: Other than knowing they share the same father, Sesshomaru and Inuyasha don't view each other as brothers. He looks down on Inuyasha for his human blood mixing with his own yokai blood. He also despises Inuyasha for receiving the Tessaiga instead of him.
An Arm and a Leg: His first fight with Inuyasha ends when Inuyasha severs his left arm. Sesshomaru initially struggles to handle the loss, which causes Naraku to exploit it in an attempt to pit the two brothers against each other for his own gain. Being used by Naraku starts Sesshomaru down the road of becoming one of Naraku's enemies. Sesshomaru eventually admits that the one thing he has never blamed Inuyasha for is the loss of his arm because the loss has made him much more powerful than he ever was with two arms. When Naraku finally sends Magatsuhi against Sesshomaru, Magatsuhi renders Sesshomaru unable to fight by deliberately targeting Sesshomaru's only arm. The sheer scope of Magatsuhi's threat to both Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's groups brings even Sesshomaru to the verge of death, resulting in him finally manifesting his true power - regenerating his lost arm in the process and creating the only sword that is capable of defeating Naraku's regeneration.
Animal Motifs: Dogs, due to being a dog youkai.
Anonymous Benefactor: He has Jaken take Setsuna to Shiori’s village while supplying her with items to survive, including a knife as her starting weapon. He also gives her instructions to bring out her latent powers.
Anti-Hero: His Character Development is about him going from a heartless demon who wants to kill his half-brother to an Aloof Ally who can feel compassion for others, although he's still too cold to be considered a traditional hero.

Appendage Assimilation: For a time, he tried to find a replacement for his lost left arm by using others from powerful demons; they all proved useless, and eventually he just stopped trying.
Arch-Enemy
- Naraku: Due to the half-demon manipulating him into almost getting himself killed, Sesshomaru has held a grudge against him ever since.
- Inuyasha: Was formerly this to Inuyasha due to his jealousy over the Tessaiga being in the possession of a "half-demon". Although his relationship with him improved, they still don't show affection to each other and prefer to avoid one another unless they need help with something (implying a professional relationship instead of a familial relationship).
- Kirinmaru: More of a rival than actual hatred, Kirinmaru is the only other character to match Sesshomaru blow for blow. He only goes after him once Kirinmaru starts becoming a threat to his family.
- Zero: And really, it's Zero that he has a problem with as she invaded his home, cursed Rin so that if Zero died, so would Rin, used that threat to kill his daughters due to a prophecy that one of them would kill Kirinmaru. Needless to say, Zero earned Sesshomaru's scorn.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: A secondary effect of Tenseiga is to send an already dead person to the afterlife. When he was in the Underworld, he was surrounded by corpses trying to touch the Tenseiga. He obliges by sending the pile of corpses into the afterlife.
Badass and Child Duo: After saving Rin's life, he develops this dynamic with her. Despite his stoic behavior and aloof treatment of her, he nevertheless protects her from any threats that come her way and prioritizes her safety in most situations.
Badass in Distress: Chapters 512-518 sees this happen. Inuyasha initially has to rescue him.
Bad Boss: He abuses Jaken, both physically and verbally, on a regular basis, and Jaken is so damn loyal to Sesshomaru that he puts up with it.
Bad Powers, Good People: Bakusaiga, a sword born from his own power, decomposes any living flesh it cuts - an effect that spreads endlessly like a virus. Given Sesshomaru's love for offensive power and the meaning of his name ("Destruction of Life") it is clear that the weapon is a reflection of his nature. However, by the point that he gains Bakusaiga, he had already graduated to Anti-Hero status.
Baritone of Strength: He is one of the most powerful characters in the series, with a suitably deep voice to match on both sides of the Pacific.
Berserk Button:
- Anything to do with Inuyasha when they met. They weren't exactly in good terms with each other prior to the main story. This eventually lessens as his character grew.
- Jaken implying he is showing some form of affection. Sesshomaru only shows affection towards Rin when Jaken isn't around, and when he thinks Sesshomaru is showing some form of it, he'll literally stomp on Jaken's head.
- Hearing Kagura's death being insulted upset him so much he broke his Tokijin over it.
Big Brother Mentor: Toyed with. Attempting to get Sesshomaru to form this kind of bond with Inuyasha was one of the true purposes behind him receiving the Tenseiga. However, Sesshomaru saw took this as a slight and this never really came to fruition as intended. Ultimately, he does go through with helping Inuyasha by giving him the mastered form of the sole offensive strike of the Tenseiga to allow Inuyasha the true completed Tessaiga as wished by their father; but not without being understandably bitter about the affair.
Borrowed Biometric Bypass: On one occasion, he grafts a human arm to his left stump to bypass Tessaiga's anti-full demon barrier.
Break the Haughty: An integral part of his Character Development is learning that he has limits and getting over his sense of entitlement as a full-blooded demon.
Byronic Hero: Lacked the compassion of his brother and overall moral restraints at first.
Cain and Abel: Starts out as the Cain to Inuyasha's Abel by trying to steal his younger brother's inheritance and then kill him. He gets better.
Canis Major: His true form is a massive white dog with red eyes.
Calling Your Attacks: He often does this when fighting. It's very prominent with Shoryuha, but taking to absurd levels with Bakusaiga in which he keeps calling his sword by its name while attacking.
Character Development: From villain to Anti-Villain to, kinda-sorta, Anti-Hero. He also goes from despising humans and half-demons, including his half-brother, to having two of them as his traveling companions. In particular, with the case of Rin, he goes on to say that the quest for power isn't worth losing her life, showing that he has gone from only living for himself to living for others, and a human at that. Than, Yashahime takes this even further in having him marry Rin and have half-demon children with her, something he scoffed at his father for doing at the very beginning of the original show.
Characterization Marches On: Character Development aside, Sesshomaru's personality was markedly different in his first appearance from his subsequent ones. He was smug, cruel, sneered a lot, and enjoyed actively mocking and insulting Inuyasha rather than simply treating him with dismissive disdain; he was, basically, a bully. His Stoic, Perpetual Frowner tendencies didn't appear until his second appearance. You won't see this in the anime, though, where he affected the stoic, unsmiling demeanor from later in the manga right from the start (although he still engaged in the same acts of wanton brutality as in the manga).
Clipped-Wing Angel: His dog form lacks the intelligence, grace and agility of his standard form, making it easier to attack.
The Comically Serious:
- Sesshomaru rarely loses his stoic poise, and the only times he smiles are when it bodes very, very ill for someone. Once he acquires Rin, however, it's pretty common for him to end up right in the midst of silly shenanigans involving her, Jaken, and others, made all the funnier by Sesshomaru's unrelenting gravitas.
- When Sesshomaru first met Rin in the manga, after he growls at her, she approaches him and dumps a bamboo full of water on his head. That's one hell of a first impression.
Cool Sword: As opposed to his brother who gets one ridiculously powerful blade with some evolving/adaptive abilities, Sesshomaru here wields a small set throughout the run;
- Tenseiga: The blade which he received from his father, the initial source of much of his animosity towards his brother. Can't harm the living, naturally enough it can strike the undead. By striking down the pallbearers of the afterlife it can revive the recently deceased... once. It, like its companion blade has a slight sentience and will protect Sesshomaru whether he wants it or not (in particular, it's meant to make sure Inuyasha can't kill him with his sword). It's revealed later, that it bears but one single offensive strike- one which banishes whatever it touches into the abyss, and it gained this ability because of Sesshomaru's sadness for Kagura. However, it turns out that Tenseiga was once part of Tessaiga and that this lone strike was meant to be given to Inuyasha, returning the blade to its original abilities. It is a simple katana in design with little flare and no transformations. It glows blue when utilized.
  - In Yashahime, it was broken by Zero out of rage because it was forged out of his father's fangs and used to revive her. Still carries it at the end but later bequeaths the sword to Towa so that she can use it to revive Setsuna.
- Tokijin: The second blade he carries over the course of the series (and most artwork will see him carrying this blade, as it stays with him for much of the series). Notable for being nigh-uncontrollable for anyone save for Sesshomaru himself and though it doesn't have any distinct named strikes, its power waves are more than strong enough to compensate. Eventually, Sesshomaru develops the Souryuuha, the Azure Dragon Strike, that can overpower Inuyasha's backlash wave. Distinct in design for being a moderately large broadsword/tsurugi instead of a katana. It's eventually broken by Moryoumaru after he insults Kagura's death and Sesshomaru became so upset that he attacked Moryoumaru so hard that it broke, after which Sesshomaru deems it worthless and doesn't bother repairing it.
- Bakusaiga. His final sword, gained at the pinnacle of his character development. It's not his father's or from anyone else; it's a sword formed purely from his own youki that would reveal itself only after he threw everything else away. Its only known power by the end of the series is a virus-like wave that, once struck with, will continue to eat away at its victim until there's nothing left. The damage will also transfer from person to person like a disease, enabling Sesshomaru to take out thousands of weaker demons with a single swing. He's seen with this along with Tenseiga at the end.
Combat Pragmatist: How he fairly quickly dispatches Kirinmaru in the final battle. Sesshomaru has fought him twice already and seen he can't defeat Kirinmaru in direct combat. It's also because he's experienced Kirinmaru's full strength that he is aware that the qilin daiyokai is not at full strength from his performance against him in that duel. At the same time, he knows if he just relied on his full abilities, the duel will take too much time and his daughters are in danger, so he takes advantage of Kirinmaru's emotional conflict to both harshly slap him with reality and leave him vulnerable. It works as Sesshomaru easily bypasses Kirinmaru's defenses and then beats him in a power struggle.
Death Glare: Dishes these out to whoever annoys him. When he gets really angry, his eyes turn red with blue irises.
Defrosting Ice King: Thanks to Rin, Tenseiga, and Kagura's death, he becomes a more compassionate person.
Determinator: Even after the reveal that the Tessaiga has a barrier that repels any demon who touches it, himself included, Sesshomaru keeps trying to find a way to take it from him for quite a while. When he finally loses interest in taking his brother's sword, he shifts the same unrelenting determination towards developing power superior to it.
Deus ex Machina: A recurring theme of the series is Sesshomaru appearing just as things get particularly tough for Inuyasha and solving the problem and beating whatever enemy is pressuring them while looking cool about it. In Yashahime, he appears to stalemate Kirinmaru after his daughters have been curb-stomped by him.
Deus Exit Machina: Being the only one who is able to match Kirinmaru, Sesshomaru is subsequently left incapacitated after saving his daughters from being killed by his giant fireball, meaning that while Inuyasha, Kagome, and the girls escape, their triumphant escape cost them the one person who they could work together with to defeat Kirinmaru. Subsequently, this effectively Kirinmaru is now more than a match for any of the heroes as they are currently without their strongest ally and must work hard together to face him.
Disappeared Dad: He intentionally remained out of his daughters' lives after he took them away from Kaede's village. Kaede herself thinks he left them by themselves to see who will be the stronger child as a sort of ritual. He's actually doing it to protect them from Kirinmaru and Zero's demons, who were after them.
Dogs Are Dumb: In the battle against Magatsuhi, he takes his true form but gets entangled in his enemy's tentacles. Jaken realises that all Sesshomaru has to do is transform back to his smaller humanoid form to easily escape. When Sesshomaru pointlessly shakes like a wet dog, Jaken understands that, while Sesshomaru's dog-form gives him his full power, it also reduces his intellect to that of a dog. Word of God has confirmed that Sesshomaru's intelligence is his weakest ability - while he is indeed very smart, his intellect pales in comparison to his other powers.
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Receiving Inuyasha's pity sent him into such a fury that he transformed into his true form and, as with the Mouryoumaru incident, resulted in him making unusual mistakes on the battlefield but which set up the life-threatening injury from which he came back stronger with Bakusaiga.
The Dreaded: He's considered second-best when compared to Kikyo, but even Naraku knows not to take him lightly.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: The fur over his shoulder grows progressively longer and thicker as the series progresses, going from a small boa to a gigantic tail-like mass of fur wider than his head that drags behind him as he walks.
Empathic Weapon: He carries both Tenseiga and Tokijin, which have their quasi-sentience. The former was meant to guard him and help him get along with his brother; the latter is an evil blood-thirsty thing from the remains of Goshinki out for Inuyasha's blood that Sesshoumaru basically whipped into obedience.
Establishing Character Moment: Casually rips the head off a samurai commander and then has Jaken incinerate his troops simply because he couldn't be bothered to walk around their camp.
Evil Counterpart: As Inuyasha's older, more callus, and full-youkai brother, he makes a fitting contrast.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: When Rin tries to help Sesshomaru, during their first few meetings, she soon becomes his morality pet after he revives her and allows her to follow him. Word of God clarifies, in an interview, that Rin's role is basically that in which she serves as a catalyst to help him learn other emotions and perspectives that he initially didn't understand.
Evil Plan: Back when he was the first major villain, it was to find his father's grave and steal Tessaiga. When he mellowed into an Anti-Villain he focused less on stealing a sword and more on making one. In the long term, according to Jaken, he wanted to build an empire, though in Yashahime Sesshomaru renounces whatever power he would have gained with the Great Dog Demon title to "walk his own path" and thus gives up those dreams of empire.
Evil Weapon: Tokijin, having been crafted from Goshinki's fangs, is full of Goshinki's hate for Inuyasha, and only Sesshomaru himself can wield it without being possessed.
Facial Markings: A crescent moon on his forehead and two pairs of stripes. The crescent moon in particular is something that he inherited from his mother, and his daughters show it to whenever they're demon powers are fully in use. Also, his "eyeshadow" isn't makeup - they're part of the markings around his eyes.
Fangs Are Evil: Like Inuyasha, he has prominent canines, but you won't see them too often.
Fantastic Racism: Like many fully-fledged Youkai in the series, Sesshomaru looks down on humans and half-demons, especially Inuyasha since they share the same father (in his debut, he is shown insulting Inuyasha's late human mother). Thanks to Character Development, he gets better.
Fashionable Asymmetry: His armor has a spiked pauldron over his left shoulder, while his right shoulder is draped by his mokomoko.
Fatal Flaw: His stoicism and ego cause him trouble sometimes and makes it harder for people to reach to his inner goodness. Rin sees right through it.

Rin: Master Sesshomaru is a really nice person when you get to know him.

Flash Step: He leaves afterimages at top speed.
Flight: Like many of the stronger Youkai, he has his own methods of flight.
Friend to All Children: Despite his rather cruel nature, he's actually shown to be quite good with children. This is seen with Rin and even Kohaku.
Generation Xerox: Like his father, Sesshomaru knew the imminent danger his half-demon daughters are being put through, and so he devises several contingency plans to ensure they are kept alive, and gifts them Gold and Silver Pearls. Though this time, there's no fire involved and his wife Rin wasn't in any imminent danger prior to giving birth like how his father went out of his way to save his human wife Izayoi and their son Inuyasha.
God Guise: In the Yashahime manga, it is shown that the reason why Rin poured water on Sesshomaru when they first met was because she thought he was a god.
Good Powers, Bad People: At first after getting Tenseiga, a sword that can revive instead of kill, and he's dismayed he got it while Inuyasha got Tessaiga. After Character Development, it gradually becomes Good Powers Good People. Kind of.
Greater-Scope Paragon: Is this along with his brother in Yashahime. He is essentially the reason why his children were able to get away from Kirinmaru as well as the reason why his brother and his sister-in-law are protected.

H — P

Hair-Trigger Temper: Tranquil Fury version. Totosai remarks on one occasion that Sesshomaru's temper proves that he and Inuyasha are brothers.
Handicapped Badass: Inuyasha cut off one of his arms in his first appearance but it doesn't slow him down at all. In fact, he once admits he doesn't hate Inuyasha for what happened because it's actually made him even stronger than he was before he lost it.
Healing Factor: As a demon he can recover quickly from injuries, but he can't regenerate his lost arm or so it seemed.
Healing Shiv: Tenseiga, which can bring back the dead once.
Heel Realization: When he encounters Inyasha as a mindless full demon, he finally understands that their father left the Tessaiga to the younger brother not to spite Sesshomaru himself, but rather to keep Inuyasha alive and sane.
Hey, You!: Rarely acknowledges anyone who he considers beneath his notice. Subverted with Inuyasha (though begrudgedly), Jaken and Rin, and his own daughters and Moroha whom he does refers them by name.
Hidden Heart of Gold: Part of his Character Development is to show how much he would care about someone and show compassion to others other than himself. When Rin spots two graves, she asks him if he would still remember her even after long after she passes away. He clearly fears the thought of losing her, and responds with "Don't ask such silly things". Even then, after his Character Development, he still shows signs of this when he protects Sango, her children, and Rin from Root Head's attacks. And while he seemingly acts like an uncaring father, he gives Towa Tenseiga to revive Setsuna.
History Repeats: Like his father, he went out of his way to put his family out of harm's way after their birth, which included his wife Rin, and their daughters. Sesshomaru even devises a few contingency plans in place so that his daughters would grow up independently and that they have something to help them survive on their own. Luckily, he doesn't have to die for it to happen.
Honor Before Reason: He refuses to kill Inuyasha even he is under the influence of his full demon blood because he is not himself. It would mean nothing.
Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Comparing him and Rin, she is barely up to his knee. Granted, she's a child, so it's understandable. In Yashahime Rin still only comes up to his chest, maybe his neck.
Hypocrite: During his debut arc, he calls Inuyasha out on his disrespect for trying to fight him in their father's grave. Inuyasha just as quickly calls him out by pointing out that he has no room to talk about disrespecting their father's grave when he himself was trying to rob it. Later on, he punches Inuyasha for disturbing their father's grave when he was about to do the very same thing to fight Naraku (though this one was probably just an excuse to hit his brother).
- Zero makes no attempts to hide the fact that he used to hate humans and half-demons, but that he even took a human wife and have a pair of hanyo daughters right at his face.
I Choose to Stay: Inverted in the case with Rin. While he doesn't mind her staying with him, he had considered leaving her in the care of human villages. However, Rin is too dedicated to him, and him alone because he saved her. And she refused to live in one on the grounds of bandit attacks whom she openly despises. It takes Kaede's convincing him to invoke this to stay in her village so that after she becomes of age, Rin can decide to travel with him again.
I Have Your Wife: Zero deliberately invokes Can't Live Without You on Rin so that if she dies, Rin will too. Though dialogue between Zero and his mother heavily implies she did it as a Revenge by Proxy because of his father's happiness with Inuyasha's mother and her jealousy started the entire mess come Yashahime.
I Was Just Passing Through: To be clear, he never helps Inuyasha's group; he just "cuts away foul stenches" that happen to be their enemies, or some other excuse.
Immortal Breaker: His final sword, Bakusaiga, is not only ludicrously overpowered in terms of raw might, it also decomposes anything it strikes until its gone entirely. This acts as a hard-counter to Naraku's regeneration abilities, because he cannot reabsorb the flesh that was struck by Bakusaiga (since the decomposition effect would spread to the rest of his body).
Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: By Magatsuhi. One of his opening moves was to pierce Sesshomaru's only arm in three places. He eventually stabbed Sesshomaru through the chest twice.
Inferiority Superiority Complex: He both resents Inuyasha for being the "favorite" and looks down on him for being a half demon.
Interspecies Romance: With Rin, a human to whom he would eventually marry and sire half-demon daughters with.
Instant Expert: He has a mastery with any weapon he gets his hands on, including weapons that aren't swords.
Implied Love Interest: To Kagura. Rin comments on it at one point.
Irony: He sought power for his personal conquest. Come during the 20-year Time Skip, he willingly gave up his own inheritance and his father's domain due to unknown reasons.
It's Not You, It's My Enemies: A domestic version of the trope when Sesshomaru went to pick up his daughters. While he doesn't say it, Rin trusts him enough to look after their daughters. Sure enough, Joka, the Ka demon comes after him specifically for the girls.
It's Personal:
- Naraku used him several times to kill Inuyasha, tried to absorb him, kidnapped Rin, and killed Kagura.
- Several demons were after his daughters after they were born. He makes sure they were hidden with Jaken's barrier to protect them.
It Only Works Once: Tenseiga can't resurrect the same person more than once.
It Was with You All Along: Learning compassion, accepting his younger half-brother for what he is, and understanding even his vast power has limits (notably when Rin almost died for good if it wasn't for his mother) was all for the purpose of giving him what he wanted all along...a sword. The Bakusaiga. A sword born of his strength, not his father's, and potentially more powerful than any physical weapon in the series.
- It could also be argued that his father understood this about his children before they knew themselves. While it appears heartless that the Tessaiga and all of its techniques were meant for Inuyasha alone, he also knew that Sesshomaru was strong enough as a full-blooded Youkai to fend for himself, while Inuyasha on the other hand as a hybrid would need all the help he could get just to get by.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He starts off as unrepentantly antagonistic. The "Heart of Gold" part starts with Rin, encompasses Kagura, Kohaku, then Inuyasha and his entire group. The manga eventually ends with the implication that his compassion is still growing - he still doesn't like it being pointed out.
Kill the Ones You Love: Invoked by Rin herself who refuses to reveal the location of their daughters to Zero, who wanted to kill them to prevent them from being a threat to Kirinmaru. This surprises him when he had been keeping her out of harm's way, and Rin would rather die to protect their daughters.
Know When to Fold 'Em: In his second fight with Inuyasha, he eventually notices that the latter is about to awaken Tessaiga's true power, which causes Sesshomaru to casually back off and leave.
Licked by the Dog: Rin's hero-worship of Sesshomaru is the first indication of his well-buried better nature.
Light Is Not Good: He has silver hair, dresses primarily in white with a long white fur boa across his shoulder and is introduced as an absolutely ruthless demon trying to kill his younger half-brother. He eventually softens up, but remains an Anti-Hero at best.
Lightning Bruiser: He's faster and stronger than Inuyasha. While he rarely takes a direct hit, he is also implied to be tougher.
Like Father, Unlike Son: He's quite different from his daughter, who is shown to be much more expressive than Sesshomaru ever was, before and after his Character Development. And while Sesshomaru was an Aloof Big Brother who started off hating Inuyasha and held his half-human blood with contempt, Towa absolutely adores both her younger twin Setsuna and adopted human sister Mei which she makes no secret of.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He's extremely beautiful and has very long white hair like his younger half-brother. In the Yashahime manga, The adult Rin even comments that she saw him as a god when they first met because he looked so beautiful to her and that he has even become more beautiful now.
Manly Tears: Has a dry cry when Rin dies for the second time; a significant show of emotion for someone like him.
Marked Change: In the manga, he gains three stripes on his wrists whenever he uses his dokkasou (in the anime he has two stripes on his wrists at all times).
Marry for Love: Rin was introduced as a poor, orphaned girl in ratty clothing; however, Sesshomaru and Rin marry for their own mutual love, especially in spite of his aristocratic lineage.
Master Swordsman: He's able to use any weapon to its full potential the moment he gets his hands on it. This is most evident in the few occasions when he uses Tessaiga - Inuyasha, for whom the sword was made, has to be actively thinking about protecting a human before it will change from a rusty piece of junk to a usable blade, and it takes him at least a season to master the Wind Scar to the point that he can use it at will. Sesshomaru is able to fire off Wind Scars immediately. He gets similar results with Tokijin, Bakusaiga, and even Sango's Hiraikotsu. His own heirloom is a bit of a special case, it's not that he can't make it work, he knows full well already that it's useless for what he generally prefers to do. Once he willingly lets it guide him for the first time, he has no issues with seeing and subsequently dispatching pallbearers. This is then played straight with its only combat-ready skill, which he displays unnatural speed at learning once more. This is lampshaded by Totosai, who remarks during a number of various sessions with both of them; that Sesshomaru has a gift for bringing out the latent abilities in every weapon he comes across while his brother must always take the long complicated route to mastery. Their father seemed to anticipate this talent in Sesshomaru and bequeathed him the part of Tessaiga (forming the Tenseiga in the process) that had one of its most powerful and lethal techniques, the strike which opens up the abyss, explicitly so he could master it and pass it on to the Tessaiga and Inuyasha later on knowing Inuyasha would likely be incapable of learning the technique properly. He ultimately does this, but not without extreme bitterness.
Mayfly–December Romance: What his relationship with Rin develops into once she grows up. And in the manga adaption of Yashahime, it's revealed that the reason why they had children was so that they could act as tokens of rembererance to her life, even long after she has passed away.
Meaningful Name: His name is written with characters meaning "kill," "life" or "genuine," and "perfection," a combination which could be interpreted to mean something to the effect of "perfect killer" or "complete destruction of life."
Mugging the Monster: Sesshomaru actually looks more humanoid at first glance than his half-demon half-brother (particularly because he doesn't have dog ears). Several people early in the series died thinking that they were attacking a human.
Mystical White Hair: Like Inuyasha, Sesshomaru has the long white hair inherited from their youkai father, except Sesshomaru is even more mystical because he's a full-blooded youkai.
Named Weapons: Tenseiga ("Heavenly Birth Fang"), Tokijin ("Demon-Fighting God") and Bakusaiga ("Explosive Crushing Fang").
Narcissist: He's extremely prideful, confident and arrogant. It heavily hurts his ego that his father preferred to give his powerful sword to his brother, a mere half-demon, instead of him.
Nigh-Invulnerability: It is very rare that he is seriously injured, and even when he is he makes a quick recovery.
"No More Holding Back" Speech: In a battle he learns the truth about the Tenseiga; despite not receiving Tessaiga from his father and losing an arm, he acknowledges it's allowed him to excel much more in battle just by working harder without them.
No-Sell: Sesshomaru's incredibly potent demonic power enables him to easily shrug off threats that anyone else would struggle with. Even Naraku tends to get no-sold by Sesshomaru on the rare occasion he dares try anything openly, and it's not until Magatsuhi that anyone or anything manages to put him in genuine peril.
The Nose Knows: At higher level than his brother, but he is too dignified to sniff around like the former.
Not in Front of the Kid: Whenever he goes off on his own, he makes sure Rin isn't involved to his more brutal methods of dispatching enemies in her line of sight, or if he's confronting his brother. When Tokijin was completed, he leaves Rin in Jaken's care when he decides to test Tokijin against Inuyasha, and when he confronts Inuyasha's Superpowered Evil Side. Another example is when he is confronted by Warrior Monks whom he encountered the second time, instead of outright killing them like he would have, he simply knocks them out when Rin is present.
Not So Stoic:
- It usually isn't obvious because of his constant cool expression, but Sesshomaru's temper is almost as short as Inuyasha's, something that was once lampshaded by Totosai as marking them as brothers.
- When he brings Rin back from the dead by using the Tenseiga, he gasps in surprise when he realises it actually worked.
- And in the epilogue of the Final Act, he gives a comically annoyed expression when Kagome calls him "big brother" out loud.
Official Couple: In Yashahime, which takes place 20 years later, he becomes this with Rin.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: He expresses on multiple occasions that he will be the one to kill Inuyasha, and only when Inuyasha himself is ready. Not that he ever does.
Papa Wolf: After his daughters were born, he goes to great lengths to make sure they are protected from demons seeking to kill them.
Parents as People: Sesshomaru is a tragic example come Yashahime as despite being a father with twins and Rin as his wife, Zero comes to invade his life out of irrational hatred for his daughters, and chooses to keep them out of harm's way. When they are old enough to defend themselves, he rarely makes any interactions with his daughters due to having his own problems to deal with. He will however mentor his daughters when a situation calls for it.
Perpetual Frowner: He's characterized by his constant aloof, disdainful frown. He rarely smiles, and it's usually a bad thing if he does.
Pet the Dog:
- His care for Rin and his attitude towards Kagura mark his transition away from villainy. He also saves the inu gang from being killed by Mukotsu, ostensibly so that they could tell him where Naraku was.
- Despite not being part of his daughters' lives, he still cares about them, and has his own fatherly moments where he'll help his daughters and coach them when able.
Pointy Ears: As opposed to his brother's dog ears, his are human-like but pointed.
Poison Is Corrosive: His toxic claws can melt his foes.
Poisonous Person: Able to channel acid through his claws; he used this power quite often during his first appearances, but not so much in his later ones. His affinity for it also gives him immunity to most -if not all- poisons.
Polite Villains, Rude Heroes: He and Inuyasha have no love lost between them, but Sesshomaru is formal but contemptuous while Inuyasha is generally rude and disrespectful to almost everyone to begin with.
Powerful and Helpless: He's a daiyokai and one of the most powerful characters in the series, and the only one of Naraku's enemies besides Kikyo that he considers a genuine threat... and despite all this, when undergoing his mother's test in the Underworld, is unable to do a thing when he comes across Rin's dead body and discovers the Tenseiga can't resurrect her a second time. This was the entire point of said test: for Sesshomaru to realize and accept that he isn't infallible or a god.
Pretty in Mink: The mass of fur hanging over his shoulder, affectionately referred to as "mokomoko-sama"^note. According to Word of God, it is actually a part of Sesshomaru's body (through which blood will flow if Sesshomaru is injured at the shoulder), which wraps around his torso and connects to his tail when he enters his dog form. In the manga, he can use it to whip, grasp and throw opponents or carry himself through the air (the anime replaced this with an energy whip and a sparkling dust cloud respectively).
Pride: His major flaw early on is to prove his superiority over his brother because of his noble status. This overlaps with Envy.

R — Y

Really 700 Years Old: He's biologically 19 years old despite being much older since youkai don't appear to age.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Like Inuyasha, his eyes are golden, but the sclera turn red when he's about to transform. This is never a good thing. Sometimes, he even does this when he's not turning into a giant monster dog and it's still pretty damn scary.
Revive Kills Zombie: Inverted. Tenseiga's abilities to slay the undead and creatures native to the netherworld can be used to revive a dead person.
The Rival: To his younger half-brother Inuyasha despite being stronger than him.
Sickly Green Glow: His poison-claws and anime-exclusive poison whip are both green.
Sideways Smile: He starts molding a smile so big it threatens to split his face. And then the smile keeps going, becoming a fanged muzzle as he takes on his true dog-demon form.
Smug Super: He's so confident in his own strength and powers that, unlike nearly every other youkai in the series, he has no interest in the Shikon Jewel.
The Snark Knight: Very condescending to everyone.
Sophisticated as Hell: In the Japanese version he addresses strangers or people he doesn't like as "kisama", an offensive version of "you", while otherwise speaking in a fairly aristocratic manner. (Ironically this is one way he's quite like Inuyasha, who calls pretty much everyone "temee", another very rude way of addressing someone.)
Spontaneous Weapon Creation: In the anime he can generate a poison whip made from his own youki.
Stronger Sibling: He is stronger than his younger half-brother, Inuyasha, as Sesshomaru is the very powerful full-blooded youkai.
Strong Family Resemblance: Towa and especially Setsuna bear a strong resemblance to their father Sesshomaru with the former's silver hair and the latter's facial features and expressions. Sesshomaru himself took strongly after his mother in terms of his physical appearance.
Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He's incredibly cold, aloof and never smiles. After his Character Development, he can show compassion for others, mainly Rin and Kagura, in his own distant way.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Reflecting his nature as a dog-youkai.
Super-Speed: He outruns Inuyasha pretty easily. Complete with Speed Echoes in the anime.
Super-Strength: According to Word of God, Sesshomaru's strength in one arm is equal to the strength in Inuyasha's entire body.
Story-Breaker Power: Seemingly the entire reason why Sesshomaru doesn't fully join Inuyasha, he is so powerful and good at fighting and thinking smart that having him would make things so much easier that mooks aren't even a challenge and things that would have been of serious threat to the team would have been beaten much easier, as Sesshomaru displays repeatedly by helping them only when they needed it. By the time he acquires Bakusaiga, he is unable to use it to just instantly kill Naraku as Rin would have been in danger. In Yashahime, he is forced to stay out of the conflict his daughters face with Kirinmaru's subordinates as he has other things to do so he doesn't one-shot every enemy they face and while he is still a background character who does help out, the only time he really fights for them is when they are nearly killed by Kirinmaru.
Third-Person Person: "This Sesshomaru", in the Japanese version; "I, Sesshomaru" in the English dub. This is a valid, if showy way to refer to oneself in the Japanese language, and, in Sesshomaru's case, probably meant to be an aristocratic way of talking.
Took a Level in Badass: Yes, really. You'd think losing an arm and getting a Morality Pet child companion that slowly leads him to take more of an Anti-Hero role would make him less of a badass? Wrong. When he regains his arm and gets his own, unique sword, exactly the opposite happens. By the next series, he is on par with Kirinmaru, someone who is at the same level as Toga, finally achieving his goal of rivaling his mighty father.
Took a Level in Kindness: Sesshomaru starts off as an arrogant antagonist who would have thought nothing of killing Kagome and actively attempted to kill Inuyasha. After he was badly wounded when Inuyasha blasted him with the Wind Scar, a young human girl named Rin came across him and started bringing him food and water. Initially, he treated her with his usual cold disdain, but when he saw she had been killed by Kouga's wolf youkai he looked at her with a tender expression before scaring the wolves away with a look and using Tenseiga's resurrection power for the first time to bring her back. Rin's influence and Kagura's death continue to cause him to become more compassionate as the series goes on.
Tranquil Fury: The most anger he usually shows is a cool glare and slight frown. It is especially tranquil when compared to the perpetually Hot-Blooded Inuyasha.
Tsundere: Like his half-brother, Sesshomaru isn't the kind of person who likes showing his fondness for people. On the surface, he gives Rin the same cold treatment as everyone else, but he'll go through hell and back to keep her safe. By the end of the series, he's also this to his sister-in-law Kagome, as while he is clearly annoyed when she openly calls him "big brother" he also threatens to kill Jaken if he doesn't shut up when the latter mouths off on the former for referring to Sesshomaru in such a familial manner.
The Un-Favourite: A major element of his characterization revolves around his dissatisfaction with the thought that their father favored Inuyasha over himself. It's only after he moves beyond his daddy issues that he's finally able to obtain his own sword, Bakusaiga.
The Un-Smile: When he smiles, it's usually not a good thing. On one such occasion, Jaken actually freaked out and literally begged Sesshomaru to beat him instead.
Villain-Beating Artifact: Bakusaiga's decomposition effect is a direct counter to Naraku's endless regeneration ability which made him nearly immortal. In the final battle, Sesshoumaru was responsible both for destroying Naraku's "outer" giant spider body, as well as landing the killing blow on his inner humanoid body (although the shikon jewel he was fused with remained unharmed).
Was It Really Worth It?: When he comes across Rin's body in the Underworld and discovering he cannot bring her back while undergoing his mother's test, he outright says that nothing he could have gained was worth losing her.
White Hair, Black Heart: Initially very cruel, but with Character Development he gets better.
The Worf Effect: For all his power, Sesshomaru tends to be used by the series to show just how powerful the enemy is and the seriousness of the situation, as whenever he gets in trouble or struggles, people know that it's a real deal.
- The fact that even he cannot penetrate Naraku's barrier or finish him off demonstrates just how while he is much stronger than Naraku, his barrier and immortality can't be overcome by any conventional means.
- Being beaten up by Magatsuhi even alongside Inuyasha proves that the Shikon Jewel's powers really are the strongest.
- In the third movie, Sounga really gives him a hellish time to confirm it isn't called the strongest demon sword of Toga for nothing. Inuyasha while only drawing on some of its power and actively trying to keep it at bay proves to be more of a challenge than he would be normally and even Kaze No Kizu fired by him doesn't even really damage him! Takemaru is able to fight him on equal footing, and once Sounga decides to go all-out, even working together with Inuyasha, they still can't finish him off and Sounga even states he is disappointed in Sesshomaru. Ultimately, Sesshomaru is brought to his knees for some time after taking a particularly strong blast and it takes him and Inuyasha using all their strength to finish him off.
- Being able to only fight Kirinmaru to a stalemate and later on actually being in a serious danger of dying after Kirinmaru's giant fireball leaves him in a state where his life-force is repeatedly fading demonstrates Kirinmaru is just as powerful as him, that Bakuseiken is capable of affecting even demons as powerful as him to a lethal extent, and that conflicts against him will be extremely difficult.
World's Strongest Man: His main goal through most of the series is to become the strongest demon in order to live up to the legacy of his father, who held the title of the world's most powerful demon until his death. While stated repeatedly to be nowhere near the level of his father, Sesshomaru was already the most powerful demon apparent in the original series and has consistently been shown to be far more powerful than Inuyasha, his younger half-brother, often subjecting him to a Curb-Stomp Battle and only ever being beaten due to external circumstances, and he's dispatched any foe he fights who Inuyaha and his friends happened to be facing with ease while they had been giving the group some trouble. Even the Big Bad Naraku, who had acquired great powers solely from absorbing other demons and the Shikon no Tama, instead of his own powers, acknowleged him to be much more powerful than himself and a fight between them has Sesshomaru pushing him onto the defensive entirely and he only couldn't kill him due to Naraku's immortality acquired from casting away his human heart and his special barrier. The moment he gains his very own Infinity +1 Sword, his power grows to where he kicks the ass of Magatsuhi, the evil spirit of the Shikon Jewel, who proved to be stronger than both him and Inuyasha at first, and the abilities of said sword also happen to be the perfect counter to Naraku's From a Single Cell regeneration. He is shown to be able to break even with Kirinmaru, who is regarded as his father's equal as the strongest demons in existence, showing that he does rank as the world's current most powerful demon alongside Kirinmaru. After Kirinmaru dies, although he is ultimately defeated by Sesshomaru only due to circumstances making him unable to use his full power, currently Sesshomaru is the most powerful demon alive.
Youkai: His true form is that of a giant supernatural dog, but he prefers to spend most of his time in humanoid form where his youkai nature is reflected in his coloration, facial markings and pointed ears. Although one of the strongest characters in the story, he only officially achieves "Daiyoukai" status after he achieves his full power and surpasses his own daiyoukai father.

Characters / Inuyasha - Sesshomaru

Sesshomaru

Voiced by: Ken Narita (JP), David Kaye (EN, Inuyasha, Yashahime), Michael Daingerfield (EN, The Final Act), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (LA SP, original series), Javier Gómez (LA SP, Yashahime), Niseem Onorato (IT), Phillpe Leroy (FR)

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Characters / Inuyasha - Sesshomaru

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Sesshomaru

Voiced by: Ken Narita (JP), David Kaye (EN, Inuyasha, Yashahime), Michael Daingerfield (EN, The Final Act), Alfredo Gabriel Basurto (LA SP, original series), Javier Gómez (LA SP, Yashahime), Niseem Onorato (IT), Phillpe Leroy (FR)

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