Review: “YashaHime: Princess Half-Demon”

Warning: Spoilers for both InuYasha and Yashahime are ahead.

If you’re like me and grew up watching anime, it would not be uncommon to sneak and stay up past your bedtime to watch the Adult Swim programming block on Cartoon Network. Among the great lineup was a “feudal fairytale” known as InuYasha, which told the story of a middle school girl named Kagome Higurashi who was taken almost 500 years into the past and went on an adventure to restore a powerful gem known as the Shikon jewel and bring closure to a sordid fifty-year-old affair between titular half-demon InuYasha, an amalgamation of demon and man named Naraku, and a dead priestess named Kikyo (who Kagome’s soul was reincarnated from).

YashaHime: Princess Half-Demon takes place roughly twenty years after the end of InuYasha, when Kagome chose to return to the feudal era after graduating from High School and marry InuYasha. The new series, however, does not focus on the original main cast, with very few of them having cameo appearances. Instead, the main characters are Towa and Setsuna, the half-demon twin children of Sesshomaru (InuYasha’s older brother) and Rin (a traveling companion of Sesshomaru).

Sesshomaru’s subplot in the flagship series was one of personal growth. Being the only fullblood demon child of Toga, the Great Dog Demon, Sesshomaru grew up with a sense of entitlement and a condescending view toward humans, who he felt inferior to him. For that reason, he resented his father’s decision to marry a human woman and hated his younger brother for inheriting their father’s powerful sword, the Tetsusaiga while he was left the healing sword Tenseiga.

A battle between the brothers leaves Sesshomaru wounded and near death. As he lay injured, a young orphan girl roughly 10-12 years old named Rin finds and cares or him. Sesshomaru later finds Rin dead and in an uncharacteristic act of gratitude, uses the Tenseiga to resurrect her. Having no one else, Sesshomaru allows her to follow him and his manservant Jaken.

As the series progresses, Sesshomaru’s derisive view towards humans fades and he becomes fond of Rin and accepting of his brother. The villainous dog demon becomes a stoic hero who aids InuYasha and Kagome in defeating Naraku. After the battle, Sesshomaru tells Rin that she must grow up in the world of humans and leaves her in the care of the priestess Kaede. But he frequently visits her and brings gifts.

In YashaHime, it is revealed that years later, Sesshomaru took Rin to be his wife (much like his father wedded InuYasha’s human mother) and she bore him two daughters, Towa and Setsuna.

By that time, a new threat had emerged. A great demon named Kirinmaru (an old friend and counterpart of Toga) awakens from a long slumber intent on killing the three princesses foretold in a vision from the Shikon Jewel. Those three princesses are revealed to be Sesshomaru’s half-demon twins and Moroha, the quarter demon daughter of InuYasha and Kagome. To protect them, Sesshomaru takes the newborns from Rin’s side and leaves them in a forest with two artifacts called Rainbow Pearls to protect them. He seals Rin away in the tree of ages to keep her safe from Lady Zero, Kirinmaru’s sister, and he seals InuYasha and Kagome away in the black pearl where Toga’s tomb resides after they entrust Moroha to the Wolf Demon clan.

At the age of three, Lady Zero sets the forest ablaze and the twins are separated. Towa, the older sister, is hurdled forward in time to the present-day era and found by Sota Higurashi, Kagome’s younger brother. Sota adopts Towa and raises her with his family until she comes of age and reunites with Setsuna, who has no memory of her, and Moroha. The three travel back to the feudal era and begin a journey to defeat Kirinmaru and unravel the mystery of their past and their separation.

Much like InuYasha before it, YashaHime’s episodes are made up of many smaller adventures that develop the characters and flesh out the backstory I’ve covered in this article. The twins eventually come face to face with their father, who does battle with Kirinmaru to protect them before they both disappear. Sesshomaru would eventually emerge again after the death of Lady Zero, revealing that her life has been bound to Rin’s. For this reason, Sesshomaru revives her with the Tenseiga, and in her anger for this, she destroys it.

The season finale has the three princesses facing off with Kirinmaru, but they are clearly outmatched. In the course of the battle, Setsuna is struck down and killed, causing the inner demon power within Towa and Moroha to awaken. Kirinmaru shows respect for their power and praises their effort. Still, their power is not enough to overthrow him, and he leaves them defeated. As Towa grieves for Setsuna, Sesshomaru appears again and passes down the fragmented Tenseiga to his daughter before disappearing.

At this point it is speculative, but because Towa has the power to manifest an energy blade through broken swords, it is likely that she can re-awaken the Tenseiga and resurrect her twin sister and continue their adventure into the next season, which is revealed to be called YashaHime: The Second Act.

Overall, the series has successfully held my interest and recaptured the wonder I felt watching InuYasha, a show I would risk punishment to stay up and watch as a youngster.

Season 2 is confirmed to release in fall 2021.

Ryan Farmer

Ryan Farmer was born in 1989 and raised by his grandparents alongside his sister and uncle. He is an aspiring author who works a day job as an assistant produce manager, and refers to himself as a proud Marylander. Ryan enjoys gaming and political commentary as hobbies, and is very outspoken about his opinions and beliefs.
Ryan Farmer