I’m always so confused when people try to paint Inuyasha as a “two-timer” who strung Kagome along. Because like… did they not pay any attention to chapter 176 of the manga (episode 48 of the anime), when Kagome asks to stay with him? That entire relationship arc—all the heartache and tension of it—is the precise opposite of two-timing.
That scene (and the events leading up to it) is the culmination of Inuyasha grappling with what he owes Kikyou and then communicating that as honestly as possible to Kagome; it’s Inuyasha giving Kagome the chance to walk away from a situation he knows will be painful for her. He doesn’t want to string her along: this whole scene is him telling Kagome in no uncertain terms that he needs to prioritize Kikyou. It’s him refusing to make Kagome any promises he’s not sure he can keep. Inuyasha believes it’s his duty to prioritize Kikyou, because Kikyou died for him and it would be dishonorable to give her anything less than his life in return (he says as much in the chapter). And try to put yourself in his position; really try to feel what he must have felt. The woman he’d once had feelings for—presumably the first person to treat him as anything more than just a monster—died for him, maybe died because of him. (That’s certainly what he thinks). How could he then abandon her when she’s brought back against her will, when she’s suffering in a counterfeit body, when she needs him most? In his eyes in that moment, the best way to honor Kikyou is to first avenge her death and then give her his life in return for hers.
In other words: he’s trying to do right by Kikyou. He’s trying to honor her sacrifice the best way he knows how.
But he knows he can’t then ask or expect Kagome to stay with him. In his own words from the chapter, “Who’d be so selfish?” Pay attention to that word: selfish. He thinks it would be selfish to expect Kagome to stay with him after his decision about Kikyou. He knows it would cause her pain, and that’s the last thing he wants to do.
But let’s be clear: it’s not easy for him. Not at all. He doesn’t want Kagome out of his life. He doesn’t want to leave her, or see her leave him. That’s why he puts off going through the well: he knows it would be the last time he sees her. That’s why he gets upset with Miroku, Sango, and Shippo for pushing him to do it: he shouts at them, “You want us to break up so much?!” He doesn’t want to “break up” with Kagome. He cares deeply for her, and it goes way beyond simple friendship. At this point in the series, he’s already admitted that he wants Kagome by his side (chap. 72), that there’s no replacement for her (chap. 78), that Kagome is his home (chap. 115), that when he met Kagome he regained his “lost heart” (chap. 123)… I mean, come on: this is not just friendship with Kagome, and Inuyasha feels that, even if he doesn’t cognitively recognize it. I think at this point in the series he’s already in love with her.
But for him, the situation with Kikyou is not a question of whom he loves more (despite how many people want to interpret it that way): it’s a question of doing the right thing. Of what honor demands of him. This isn’t about Inuyasha loving Kikyou more than Kagome. Pay attention to the terms he uses whenever he talks about or considers Kikyou: he talks about his role in her death (in chap. 78, he says her death is at least half his fault), he talks about his own failure to help her, he talks about how he doesn’t deserve to laugh or feel lighthearted after what happened to her… in other words, he almost exclusively talks in terms of guilt, in terms of duty and honor. That’s a stark contrast from the terms he uses when he thinks of or talks about Kagome (home, ease, happiness, etc.). This is very, very telling.
He loves Kagome, however unconsciously at this point; but he owes Kikyou. And it’s a debt he can’t just ignore. He can’t be selfish, even though he wants to be. It’s not about whom he loves more, it’s about guilt and redemption, what’s owed and what must be paid. So in light of the debt he owes, he decides to see Kagome one last time and let her walk away from a mutually painful situation.
It kills me, because this scene is so often misconstrued and used as ammo against Inuyasha’s character. But this isn’t two-timing, this isn’t Inuyasha trying to “have both” (thanks for that “artistic license,” Sunrise) or play one against the other—it’s the exact opposite. He’s come to a painful decision about what he thinks honor demands of him: now he’s going to cut Kagome loose from it, because to do otherwise would be to cause her even more pain. It would be dishonorable not to give Kagome a clean break from it. Despite what she means to him—or really, because of it—he can’t ask her to keep returning to him when Kikyou has such a claim on his future.
But Kagome surprises him: she acknowledges his decision, acknowledges Kikyou’s place in his life—and then asks if she can stay with him anyway. She decides his happiness is more important than her pain. And she makes that decision of her own free will and with eyes wide open. I’ve seen people argue that Inuyasha should have talked her out of it, or tried to convince her otherwise, and the fact that he didn’t means he’s two-timing; but I don’t think that’s at all fair to Kagome, and I wonder if Inuyasha sensed that, too. Kagome had a right to make that choice for herself. She has just as much agency as Inuyasha in determining her future and with whom she wishes to spend it. And as I mentioned before, she made that choice for herself with all the information. Inuyasha didn’t deceive her about his intentions.
And guys, this scene is huge, because now they’ve arrived at a mutual understanding. Inuyasha admits pretty clearly that he cares for Kagome (as evidenced by the lines, “I didn’t trust anyone until I met you,” and “When I’m with you, I feel at ease”), but he’s not in a position to promise her anything certain when someone else has a claim on him; Kagome verbally recognizes and accepts Kikyou’s claim, and asks if she can stay with him regardless. They’re being gut-wrenchingly honest with each other about the possibilities and potential limits of their relationship. They’re working so hard to be on the same page.
This is not what two-timing looks like, y’all. Two-timing involves deceit and callous disregard of your partner; in this chapter and throughout the events leading up to it, Inuyasha is nothing but honest with Kagome (who is honest with him in return), and he cares very much about hurting her. That’s why he was going to say goodbye to her in the first place: to spare her further pain. He’s actively doing everything in his power not to mislead her or give her false hope. Like, it just astounds me that people can call Inuyasha a two-timer with a straight face, because JUST LOOK AT THIS FREAKING CHAPTER.
Anyway, tldr: please read the manga and stop bashing Inuyasha, because he’s a good honest boy and he’s doing the best he can in an extremely difficult situation.
