I have said before that I believe that Rumiko Takahashi changed her plans for Kikyo partway through writing Inuyasha, and had to 'bend' the story to make those changes fit (Inuyasha particularly suffers from that as a character), and there are a number of reasons for why I feel that way, but the most interesting one to me are the shinidamachu.
Kikyo falls off a cliff and disappears shortly after being resurrected by Urasue. When we see her again, the gang are investigating a soul-stealing creature.
The soul-stealing is without question seen as a horrible act. The story mixes shinto and buddhist traditions and I'm not sure which one is more relevant here, but regardless, destroying a soul means ending the person. [The guy mentions heaven which I'd assume falls more into the shinto category, but they are hiring a buddhist monk to help them sooooo... who knows.] Whether they're supposed to reincarnate or go to heaven, their essence will no longer exist. You could argue that it's worse than murder — robbing people of their eternity. Either way, everyone is rightfully horrified by it.
As for Kikyo, she directly says that the body needs to be 'nourished' by souls. I point that out because I've seen people say that they headcanon that she doesn't fully consume the soul, and while I sympathize with that if you like Kikyo, I do want to say that like... what would that look like? In a system based on reincarnations, does it prolunge the souls's cycles? In a system that doesn't have them, is their essence... depleted? It's just not a satisfactory answer to me — and I think Rumiko was well-aware that a lot of her readers wouldn't buy it.
Because as we keep going further into the story, she quietly drops that plot point and never comes back to it. I remember this flabbergasting me when I first watched the show. The soul-consuming was so shocking, so horrible to me, that I constantly expected them to come back to it, and then they just... didn't? For a while, I genuinely thought that I was missing a huge cultural element where it was Fine to eat souls because it made so little sense to me that Miroku, Kagome, Sango, hell, even Inuyasha would be chill with Kikyo in the latter parts of the manga in these circumstances. After talking to other people about it, I don't believe that was the case.
My personal take is that it was very deliberate on Rumiko's part. She was trying to make Kikyo sympathetic; reminding the reader that she has to consume countless souls to just move around would not help achieving that. I think she didn't even want to try and introduce a solution/retcon it, because then the reader might go "ooooh right, she did that, that was fucked up wasn't it?". Like, if you say "oh she no longer needs to consume souls she found another way", she still did it do at least dozens of souls, right? So she kinda just... looked the other way and never brought it up again — exactly like she did with the fact that Kikyo tried to kill Kagome.
Something Inuyasha never finds out about either — even though it clearly should be a huge deal to him.
In the same way, I think Rumiko knew that him finding out about that would break the story. Inuyasha can't overlook Kikyo hurting Kagome, and it would destroy his bond with her. Since it's not the story Rumiko wanted to tell, best to just... sweep it under the rug, and never bring up a huge pivotal point for Kagome's character in hopes people forget about it.
Here's a sweet Inukag moment following that to cleanse your palate:
Back to the Shinidamachu, whose name is literally translated to 'Soul Collectors' in the show and at least one translation, they stick around in both manga and show — I think even more so in the show, as they become a big part of Kikyo's visual identity — but their role changes quite a bit.
This is from chapter 309; although they play an important part in guiding Kagome to Kikyo, they're only visible in two panels, and they serve as messengers/Kikyo's helpers. They're definitely featured in more chapters, but I just wanted to show they stay around up until pretty late in the manga too.
The total lack of resolution on this storyline was genuinely story-breaking for me — incomprehensible to the point of loss of immersion. It also makes it impossible for me to think that Kikyo had a redemption arc: how could she, when the wrongs she's comitted are never actually adressed?
And yet, if you wanted Kikyo to stick around without being perceived as a straight-up villain, this might have been the only road Rumiko could take.
there are a lot of instances where inuyasha’s compassion is depicted in the manga, but the scene where he spares sesshomaru from the full brunt of the wind scar takes the cake for me.
mind you, this is the man who taunted inuyasha with the visage of his dead mother, who has tried to kill inuyasha on multiple occasions, and who consistently makes sure to remind inuyasha that he’s a half-breed who shouldn’t be getting any grand ideas of self esteem. and it’s not like sesshomaru was any nicer this time around; he was on factory settings this entire battle:
he’d also blinded inuyasha with poison beforehand:
so inuyasha is blind and is relying on his sense of smell to locate the wind scar, which makes this even more absurd because without the use of his sight, he would have had to be even more deliberate about his aim to ensure that sesshomaru didn’t die.
even while he’s thinking, “i’m going to kill sesshomaru!!” he doesn’t go through with it.
totosai is aware of his true intent, even when inuyasha denies it:
this scene makes me a little sad, though. i know it’s meant to demonstrate inuyasha’s “soft spot,” as totosai calls it, but there’s something sobering about inuyasha being so desperate for kinship that he isn’t able to kill the last remaining family member he has, despite never having maintained a good familial bond with them.
inuyasha has already shown himself to be merciful time and time again, often to his own detriment. in the spider head arc he tries to save the head priest, only to get ensnared in his webs. he tries to save the painter with the cursed ink even after being tricked. and with kagome, his compassion and self sacrificial behaviors are increased tenth-fold. he’s genuinely a lot kinder than someone of his upbringing should have turned out.
inuyasha, kagome and jealousy: why their feelings were justified
disclaimer: I'm aware there's a debate about whether or not inukag was officially, canonically dating during the series and that the answers tend to change according to the source material embasing them (manga or anime), but despite using manga panels to write this, I did it purely out of practicality and have no intentions of opening this particular can of worms right now. The point I'll be trying to make for @inukag-week's bickering prompt is that their feelings were valid regardless.
Inuyasha and Kagome get criticized a lot for the jealousy they feel of each other.
People seem to think that Kagome is not entitled to that sentiment because she chose to stay by his side knowing what it entailed and, more often than not, was the one telling him to go see Kikyo, so it's not fair of her to resent him when he actually does.
On the other hand, they claim that precisely because Inuyasha goes to see Kikyo, it's hypocritical of him to get mad at the fact that Koga is constantly showing just how much romantically invested he is on Kagome, as he has no ground to stand on.
Their feelings, however, are completely justified and no other scene proves that better than this manga interaction Sunrise mercilessly cut out:
Inuyasha is once again jealous of Kagome and Koga's proximity and he lets his frustrations out in no uncertain terms, but then Kagome makes a good point: what righ has he to be upset about it when he is also close to Kikyo? It's exactly why he gets flak in the first place. And his answer to that question is very interesting:
She may think Inuyasha is diverting, but he's really not. That's the briliance of this exchange: they are both right and they are both wrong on their assumptions.
Of course that, from Kagome's perspective, Koga putting his arms around her is not that big of a deal. They have no history whatsoever and she made it clear since day one that she wasn't interested. If he still wants to shoot his shot, it's all she can do to lay a friend and ally down gently.
Plus, it doesn't hurt that Koga's interest on her is such an ego boost...
Or that it turns the tables on Inuyasha to make him feel insecure and worried for a change.
Or that, in a twisted way, it actually reassures her of the feelings he tries so hard to be nonchalant about.
It might be a little petty of her, but how any of that even compares to Inuyasha kissing Kikyo? To Inuyasha meeting her alone even though she did terrible things to the two of them? To everyone constantly talking about how he still has feelings for her?
Surely he must know, after everything they've been through, that it can't compare, that he is the one Kagome is in love with. And since he does know, how dare he ever doubt her?
And of course that, from Inuyasha's point of view, Koga putting his arms around her is a huge deal. She complains about how every time he sees Kikyo they "float off into their own little world" but the truth is that except for the kiss she laid on him and the goodbye one they shared when she passed away for good — none of which had romantic conotations —, his interactions with Kikyo were pretty sterile, especially if juxtaposed with Kagome's interactions with Koga.
Kikyo is dead and isn't romantically interested in Inuyasha, nor is he romantically interested in her, but Koga certainly is into Kagome. Just because it isn't reciprocal yet, doesn't mean it hasn't potential to be.
Koga is the one regularly inserting himself into her personal space and she lets him, even though he did terrible things to the two of them. And so how can he be sure she doesn't like it? And how exactly is that different from the dynamic they share? Was she, after all, just being nice with him too and nothing more?
Surely she must know, after everything they've been through, that he only leaves because he has a duty to fulfil, but that he will always come back to her, that she is the one whose shoulders he puts his arm around. And since she does know, how dare she ever doubt him?
It's a classic case of miscommunication, but one that actually makes total sense, because they're just two teenagers navigating through extremely complex feelings in the worst possible circumstances.
They don't have the bigger picture the audience has and even if they did, their judgement would still be clouded by their jealousy, which keeps they stuck into their own perspectives.
And what makes even hard for them to get over these feelings is that they don't come from a place of ownership at all, but rather from a place of insecurity.
That's why Koga and Kikyo make up for such formidable rivals for Inuyasha and Kagome: it's not about the competition — the audience knows there isn't really one —, it's about the insecurities they bring out of the pairing, because they were carefully designed to do just that.
From the very beginning Kagome was being compared to Kikyo for being her reincarnation. She starts the story already having to measure up to her in power and once Kikyo actually enters the scene, Kagome is also taken aback by her beauty and elegance, but more than that: she feels like she can't compete because Kikyo "died for Inuyasha." One day he might return the favor.
For his part, Inuyasha has Koga to deal with. A good looking, uncomplicated man who has taken a like to Kagome and has absolutely nothing holding him back from pursuing her, while he has nothing to offer but a difficult past, an unstable present and an uncertain future. One day she could grow tired of it all and realize that Koga could give her everything he couldn't and leave for good.
In conclusion, all that jealousy is rooted in insecurities and in the fear of losing each other, which are completely understandable and absolutely valid .
The differece, I think, is that the narrative lets Inuyasha express his feelings of jealousy directly towards Koga, from insults to actual physical fights, without grand repercutions, while Kagome is never allowed allowed a similar outlet
But that's a topic for another day.
Special thanks to @kitramune for helping me with the panels.
Bankotsu has been quite consistently characterized in the fandom as something of a playboy or a suave, heterosexual bad boy.
However, is there any sufficient evidence to support this reading, or is it pure fanon?
The most relevant question in pop culture possibly ever:
Does Bankotsu Actually Like Women?
(I’m sure you’re losing sleep over it.)
Content warning note for period-typical sexism and implications of SA by Mukotsu.
First Argument: Sake
English Dub
Not a single person left alive? That’s rather inconvenient… You weren’t really thinking, were you, Jakotsu? You could’ve at least left a woman or two alive to pour our drinks.
English Sub
A slaughter? Damn it! Jakotsu, this is your doing. Couldn’t you keep one woman alive to pour sake?
Manga English Translation
Shit, it’s no good. There’s not even one woman alive. Jakotsu, this is your doing, isn’t it? Could you at least leave enough women to pour sake for us?
Manga VIZBig Translation
PFF. What a pain. Not a single woman left alive. Jyakotsu, this was your doing, wasn’t it? You could have at least left one or two women to pour the sake.
One of two instances that could theoretically imply Bankotsu is attracted to women takes place in Episode 110, when Bankotsu laments the fact there aren’t any women to serve them.
The wording differs between anime and manga. Notably, in the anime, Bankotsu laments that Jakotsu killed everyone because it means there aren't any women to pour their drinks for them.
With this, it’s easy to notice something else about his dialogue, which is that he specifies— in all four variations— that there aren’t any women to pour their drinks.
Bankotsu could have, like most other men in the series, just asked Jakotsu to “leave some women” in a more ambiguous way, because typically, the era views women as something of commodities. They are servants, entertainers and objects of sexual desire, and requesting “women” in itself needs no specification.
Miroku, on more than one occasion, requests that villages they stay at “provide women” for them. He does not specify what they are providing them for because it is not considered necessary.
Which is why I find it interesting that Bankotsu does specify that he wants the women specifically to pour their drinks for them.
In my opinion, this does not inherently indicate sexual attraction. It seems to be a very common thing socially, as there’s several instances of women pouring sake for male characters.
Miroku, Mushin, Gatenmaru + his bandits, Kansuke’s bandits and Chōkyukai are a handful of examples that we see. From what little we can surmise about InuYasha’s version of Feudal Japan, it seemed to be somewhat of a staple amongst restaurants and such to have women as entertainers and servers.
Bankotsu is complaining because now he’s pouring the sake for the both of them instead of outsourcing the work, and it’s putting a bit of a damper on his “unwind and relax with the boy” time because pouring drinks is cumbersome.
If they wanted to imply Bankotsu is upset because of the lack of women to ogle, they could’ve phrased it more like:
“You could’ve at least left the women alive for the rest of us” / “You could’ve left some women alive for us”
That would’ve helped establish Bankotsu as heterosexual as well as serving to further “other” Jakotsu. The anime could’ve gone with the manga dialogue, which is closer to implying he’s upset he can’t get a peep.
Even with the manga dialogue though, there were ways they could have phrased it to emphasize or imply heterosexuality, but didn’t — “Couldn’t you have left the pretty [women] alive?”
Second Argument: Beautiful
English Dub
Hah… I’ve heard the rumours about you. Still, I’d never have guessed you’d be so beautiful.
English Sub
So… I heard the stories. But I never thought you’d be so beautiful.
The second instance that could act as evidence for Bankotsu being attracted to women is this part of his conversation with Kikyō, in which he calls her beautiful.
However, no matter the translation, what he says is more or less “I never thought you’d be [this/so] beautiful” which… Is something of a backhanded compliment.
But it also makes sense in the context. What Naraku told Bankotsu is that Kikyō is dead, a facsimile of her former self, as well as her relationship with Inuyasha 50 years ago.
Naraku always seems to describe Kikyō in the least flattering way he can, which makes sense because he wants to separate himself from Onigumo as much as possible— in that regard, at least.
Naraku loves mentioning that Kikyō’s existence is a false one.
Before this point, Bankotsu had no idea what Kikyō looked like outside of any details Naraku might’ve told him. He starts the conversation by asking if she is Kikyō, implying he doesn’t have enough information to be sure.
As far as Bankotsu likely knows, Kikyō is a priestess made of clay, bones and graveyard soil risen from the grave, sustaining her body on the souls of dead women. A body lacking any human warmth, a lost, wandering soul — and, well.
Kikyō’s beauty is something referenced quite a bit, whether it’s Inuyasha claiming she was cuter than Kagome in Episode 1, or the monk she kills trying to cover up his staring as being entranced by her beauty.
She is, in and outside of canon, very beautiful, described this way by multiple characters, including Kagome herself.
After saying he didn’t expect Kikyō to be so beautiful, Bankotsu uses what must certainly be a contender for most romantic pick-up line ever:
So, you want to take me on, do you? / Want to fight?
He accepts her “invitation” to fight with no hesitation, and waits for her to shoot him with an arrow. This courtesy is not exclusive to Kikyō, as he also offers Renkotsu the first attack in their battle.
So, to summarize this interaction: Bankotsu says Kikyō is prettier than he expected her to be, and then immediately asks to fight her.
Bankotsu’s Interactions with Other Women
Bankotsu really doesn’t interact with the female characters basically at all. The only direct interaction outside of Kikyō that I recall him having is this one, right after Kagome shoots him in the arm and disintergrates his flesh.
Well, girl. You’ll regret that.
The English subtitles provided by Netflix are “Bitch.. How dare you?”, which is quite a chucklefest. But just for clarification, the actual line in Japanese is:
“Onna (woman)... Temē (you, derogatory)”
He also recognizes her as being Kikyō’s reincarnation, Kagome, because of the sacred arrow. We know he knows Kagome’s name, as he refers to her as “that girl Kagome” when confronting Renkotsu about the shards, plus Inuyasha consistently yelling Kagome’s name out and demanding Bankotsu leave “Kagome and the others” out of their fights.
Bankotsu never really considered Kagome as a threat, even though he’s aware she’s Kikyō’s reincarnation. He doesn’t really pay any attention to Kagome. She might as well not exist to him, up until she forces him to consider her existence.
This view, while extending to the rest of Inuyasha’s friends as well, kind of extends to women as a whole for Bankotsu. They don’t seem to take up any space in Bankotsu’s mind. He is unconcerned with them.
The reason he isn’t interested in fighting any of Inuyasha’s friends is, because as far as he sees it, it’s two women, a child and a monk. He isn’t opposed to fighting women, but he has to believe they’re going to be worth the effort to fight.
Bankotsu seeks exclusively the strongest opponents, and also doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in battles involving spiritual powers. (As he later says he does not care for them.)
Based on the fighting styles of the main cast, the only one of Inuyasha’s friends he’d have any interest in fighting is Sango, and she hasn’t piqued his interest either. In fact, he’s had absolutely no interactions with her.
The only reason he’s open to fighting Kikyō is because she’s Kikyō — hard to read, very strong, undead and initiating the fight by pointing her bow and arrow at him, though it doesn’t happen.
Comparison to Hiten
Bankotsu and Hiten share similarities outside of their design, namely that they both tell Inuyasha that he shouldn’t concern himself with Kagome. Their biggest difference is that
Hiten is actively written to be heterosexual.
He is implied to be sleeping with this woman “Vixen” and Manten references him as pulling the ladies. Hiten is a playboy who willfully discards “Vixen” and serves up a batch of Crispy Fried Woman, because as he’ll later reiterate, women are not actually important to him. They’re commodities, not worth avenging, not worth giving up the Sacred Jewel shards.
With Bankotsu, any interest in women he seems to have is circumstantial at best.
Even among characters who aren’t womanizers, it’s still fair to say they’re attracted to women. Inuyasha, Hōjō, Nobunaga, Kōga, Shippō, Sōta — for the men who aren’t playboys, it’s usually shown as them being chivalrous and treating women like people, for the most part.
Bankotsu doesn’t have that, and certainly isn’t a playboy, as Bankotsu doesn’t do casual in any relationship. Which would have to mean that, if Bankotsu was heterosexual, he wouldn’t have met the “right” woman yet…
…But because the “right” woman for Bankotsu quite literally, does not exist in canon, neither does any significant evidence to support the idea he’s heterosexual.
In conclusion: There’s no reason to believe Bankotsu is straight outside of the outdated idea that heterosexuality is the “default” sexuality.
The story of InuYasha takes place in the timespan of about a year, but the main cast runs into and has significant interactions with an openly homosexual man— two, if you count Suzaku.
In addition to that, they have Sesshōmaru, who never displays attraction to anyone because he’s ‘above’ it, and Jaken who is seemingly desperately in love with him.
There are close friendships amongst men that border homoerotic at times, such as Ginkotsu sacrificing his life for Renkotsu in an explosion of love, or Ginta and Hakkaku’s entire ordeal.
There’s Byakuya of the Dreams, who wears lipstick and enjoys teasing Sesshōmaru — a prime example of Rumiko Takahashi’s deep, deep love for femboy twinks.
Kohaku is both never shown having crushes on girls the way Shippō and Sōta, both younger, are, and is also a sensitive young boy who hangs out in flower fields in secret and whose father brings into battle, eerily reminiscent of the “taking your son hunting to tough him up.”
Does that mean any of the characters I listed are gay? Not so much as it means it’s equally plausible they are. Sometimes more plausible.
To me, that’s the case with Bankotsu. Does anything make it feel more obvious than the heterosexual fan-made art and fiction portraying him as wildly out of character?
(I had this sitting in my drafts for like 7 months so I'm finally giving it a prison break.)
I thought about what I felt Kagome gets out of her relationship with Inuyasha, since I think it's pretty clear what he gets out of the relationship with her...
Kagome is already sort of at a good place. She knows her worth, what's worth her time, and doesn't need a Man™ (or any person) to satisfy anything she "lacks"... we all know she was just vibin before slipping into the feudal era.
But compared to the other suitors in her life (Koga and Hojo)... Inuyasha doesn't quite treat her like a princess. Of course, he loves her and would do anything for her, but he doesn't exactly grovel at her feet either (I mean, he's tsundere max x5).
(This panel is pretty early on in Ch. 44, but basically summarizes their dynamic lol.)
Some people would prefer to be treated like a princess, but I don't think bad azz b*tch Kagome does. Inuyasha pushes back, fights her a little, he has a little pride, and Kagome is the same to him, but never to a point of no return, and they both trust each other to know they can handle criticism. They humble each other. Kagome seems to get a bit of satisfaction from that.
If she were with Koga or Hojo, I imagine it feels like a cat scratching at a smooth pole. It doesn't satisfy her. Whereas when she's with Inuyasha, it's like scratching... you know, at a scratch post. There's a right amount of resistance.
He's also a good guy, and that helps.
So it's not so much that Inuyasha fulfills an emotional need — he simply complements her personality. Meanwhile, he's not all fight; he's gentle in their moments alone later on, he keeps his promises, believes in her, reminds her of her worth when she's feeling insecure, and always shows up for her no matter what, which includes unsolicited visits to her house or room.
He's a kind person and also a protector of not just her, but everyone she cares about.
Kagome knows she is safe with him, just as Inuyasha knows he is safe with her.
Why did Rin name them "Towa and Setsuna"? - The meaning behind their names
I received a question about their names. The meaning behind Moroha's name will be in another post. Since these were things we previously covered I'll have the master post on Towa and Setsuna's name here -
In Yashahime Episode 15 Rin says "Towa and Setsuna" to their names.
In Japanese - Towa and Setsuna mean One Moment and an Eternity.
It's also said in each episode. "Towa and Setsuna, between us half-demon twins, two worlds exist at the same time; Human and Demon, Feudal Era and Present Day, Peace and War, Joy and Sorrow, Dreams and Reality, Now and Forever, and finally Love and Hate. A Feudal fairytale, Yashahime. We'll keep moving forward, overcoming the hurdles of destiny."
Katsuyuki: — What is the origin behind the names “Setsuna” and “Towa”?
**From the outset, I came up with “Setsuna” using “setsu” in “Sesshōmaru”. I chose the name “Towa” so that it would pair with “Setsuna”.
https://ayuuria.tumblr.com/post/684458629287542784/yashahime-translation-official-guidebook
Setsuna means “moment” while Towa means “eternity”. - Hence, a pair.
Katsuyuki-san said that "Setsuna is a black Sesshoumaru" and Towa is "White Sesshoumaru" they are Yin and Yang.
https://www.tumblr.com/officialinuyasha/629334377576464384/this-was-a-translation-collab-between-esther-xiao
Katsuyuki: "Setsuna and Towa inherited the "yin" and "yang" of Sesshomaru, respectively, but at the same time both yin and yang exist in Towa and Setsuna. Half-demons are self-contradicting existences, and that is the subject that has been passed down."
Rumiko also mentioned this
https://ayuuria.tumblr.com/post/667032838479265792/yashahime-translation-official-guidebook
"Sumisawa-san told me “Towa is a white Sesshōmaru and Setsuna is a black Sesshōmaru”"
You can also find "Rin to Sesshoumaru" theme song in Towa's theme song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9lofIKeL_0
The voice actors said Setsuna and Towa's relationship seems to reflect on Sesshoumaru and Rin's -
https://www.tumblr.com/officialinuyasha/646757262237597697/staff-thoughts-on-sessrin
"Towa seems to close that gap like *that person* (Rin" "Their relationship seems like that of their parents"
"If you look at Towa, I think you can figure out who the mother is"
Their names are black and white, past and present, human and demon, one moment and an eternity. A pair.
Inuyasha didn’t really see any benefits to being human (even when he resigned to being one permanently for Kikyo) he constantly was anxious and wary of others he didn’t really trust. That was until he met Kagome. She was the first person he trusted. He also deduced that humans are very stubborn creatures. Humans are also very determined. He thanked his human mother (Izayoi) for those traits. Because those traits translated to his determination in protecting Kagome.
“…I have someone I have to protect, and that’s why I can never give up.” Inuyasha, movie 3
What started off as a power trip to make himself stronger, changed into making himself stronger for her. This is especially true after he turns full demon. He wanted to hold on to his humanity.
Ergo, long story short, Kagome helped him realize the benefits of being human while still being himself. (A half demon)
Going off the very little amount we have about Miroku's father and grandfather my poor brain decided to cook up Miroku's dad raised him with as much love and care he could give him because he himself was raised as a weapon, as an instrument of vengeance.
From what Buddhism stuff I've read and the influence of Confucianism brain decided Mirkou's dad maybe forgave/understood his own father's faults and felt honor bound not just out of filial piety but as a duty of someone with spiritual power that the quest to end Naraku must be continued.
Or other option compartmentalised the fuck outta himself along with Naraku's gotta be slain somehow.
Either way he was not prepared to confront how small new humans are, nor how helpless they are, or feel loss and some anger about how he was raised so he resolves to give little Miroku as much love as he can. Raise him to fight and survive of course but be encourage him with care and not despair disguised as wrath.
Near the end maybe he worried that a gentler raising was selfish on his part and was even a little afraid that having his son love him will make his death hurt more than his own father's death hurt him.
I'm running out of articulateness but like if he was raised weapon-y Miroku's dad might not have had good social skills etc.
But Miroku himself has enough social skills and social intelligence to make friends, allies, and con the fuck outta people.
The part that made this hot dog roll around in my brain at enough speed to need freeing is the concept of being raised with kindness instead of an an instrument of vengeance helped defeat the being of abject cruelty that was Naraku.
Power of love in multiple forms.
