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Naraku- character analysis

During my childhood I honestly considered him a rather simple villain, rereading as an adult definitely changed the picture I had of him.

I. Naraku´s (fragile) identity and acceptance

Naraku´s identity

At the first glimpse, you might think, that he is a (half-) demon that is trying to amass power just for the funsies of it.

He wishes to be a full (evil) Youkai, because what has such a clear evil being else to do? World domination obviously. Strangely, I have not found him utter even a sentence, what he had wished to be, or do, for the slim case, should he survive his grande quest.

Naraku is neither the demons that created him, nor Onigumo

Well, he was born of hundreds of different demons and one human being, yet is neither. He is neither Onigumo, nor do the demons actually change places inside him. Naraku is an entirely new being.

So in and itself, it does seem, that Naraku´s core concious wish was to establish his identity, as a separate being from Onigumo and the demons. As a true, great new demon. (Naraku was not born the usual way and has therefore a weaker existance).

Here he is telling the story of his birth long and wide in front of Inuyasha and the gang...

Here he is establishing himself as a separate being from both the demons and Onigumo in front of Kikyo.

And he is shown to protect this identity, Naraku...

After Kikyo had reappeared, one of his greatest wishes was to get rid of "Onigumo´s heart", yet he took it still back, as he needed it still as bridge; demons in his body were threatening to take over...

Naraku even hesitated at the end to take the Shikon no Tama in, as he would lose his being, his soul, his identity as Naraku by merging with it.

When Kagome reminded him of that fact at the end, she hit bullseye...Naraku was at a loss for words, wasn´t he?

acceptance- the double edged sword

The funny thing is, when you think it all through, what this guy craved the most was acceptance by others. Just like inuyasha. In order to establish this identity, this image, he needed other people. Or else there would be no worth to it.

That guy always chose flashy appearances, or took over a noble man´s role, his appearance since Mt. Hakurei resembled the one of a higher youkai, like Sesshomaru or his father. Just like a real demon his outer shell was still beautiful, yet had clear distinct feature of a demon-like creature.

Additionally Naraku behaved more like a demon, than the higher Youkais, giving nothing on human life. We do know, that Sesshomaru gave in at the end. Rin taught him slowly compassion. Naraku didn´t seem to have learnt anything..

By the way, how often do you forget, that the beautiful face, he is showing us, is not his own face? He stole it from Hitomi Kagewaki and kept it. Literally, he could have tried changed his face any time, yet he wished to have it, to make it part of his identity.

II. Naraku´s bonds - an effect of his unconciousness

Naraku loves showing off in front of others, and talking long and unending about his powers, time and time again, he forces the attention of other people on himself for that purpose.

Naraku needs really a great deal of attention in order to demonstrate "them", who he is...

Time and time again he wished to prove himself in front of others, like Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, or every other living breathing being.

After all, he does seem to have no real relationships, doesn´t he?

Naraku does have 0 positive relationship in his life, but bonds based on hate, binding people to himself...He actually has quite a few.

My guess was the following: Naraku drew so many enemies to himself, so much attention,even though he could have prevented it often. Yet, he still chose to do so. Well, maybe this was his wish? Like in Miroku´s case. Maybe having generation of generation of monks hunting him gave him something. After all, his opponent was human and Naraku lived longer. So did he - unconciously choose this route?

Naraku knows these people, can remember little details about them...in order to trick them. In order to do so, he is always keeping a good eye on them.

Isn´t it interesting, that Naraku remembers the face of Miroku´s grand-father, even though that guy must have been dead nearly 50 years? Sango seemed to have been chosen by Naraku to stay alive due to her abilities. All to make their lives a living hell, to create hate...

This half-demon "chose" to manipulate relationships, the hearts of people...from the first breath he took.

It wasn´t Onigumo´s plan to kill Kikyo. The demons´ hate was just that strong and that while Onigumo´s conciousness was still present. But then, you might argue, how much there was any kind of rational thought process, if Naraku was born with such a great hate against Kikyo, that this overwhelmed any "positive feelings" Onigumo´s.

And then Naraku banned him into his unconciousness...And he kept repeating the pattern since his birth...Again and again.

And Naraku did not understand, that he actually wished for real bonds...until it was basically too late.

III. Naraku´s unconscious feelings for Kikyo

The most important bond, Naraku ever creates, is with Kikyo. She is literally the reason, why he exists, as Onigumo sold his soul only in order to possess her. And that might be the reason, why these feelings for her, hunt him even now and seem to have even developed along the way.

Naraku and Onigumo are two separate beings

Pretty sure, Kikyo was just somebody he had killed, as Naraku and Onigumo were two separate beings...the reintegration of the different parties into one being, that is called Naraku was not fully completed at the moment of Kikyo´s death. Onigumo obviously, like we can read above, didn´t wish for Kikyo´s death; the new being, that is Naraku did.

Hate, maybe?

So Naraku´s first impulses were more influenced by the different demon´s wishes that were a part of him. Kikyo died and she was the woman, who had prevented him from getting, what he wanted: The Shikon no Tama. Therefore he hated her. Onigumo was not truly reintegrated into Naraku, yet his soul worked in Naraku´s unconciousness (look above point 2 bonds).

Unconcious attraction and confusion

He questioned her instead of killing her immediately

50 years later - he met her again. Instead of immediately killing her again, he is completely confused by her actions. Why did she not prevent him from getting his new body, but helped him?

Isn´t he her enemy?

So instead of killing her, because she is his enemy, he tried to ask her about her reasons. And Naraku needed to hammer home in her head, that he is Naraku, not Onigumo.

There was already some signs of Naraku´s physical attraction towards Kikyo.

I think it is wonderfully illustrated by Naraku´s statement, that Kikyo helped him and Kagome objected heavily. Kikyo did it for Inuyasha. ...And Naraku sulked (Why would he sulk, that the person that is supposed his enemy did not help him?).

Then he carried Kikyo bridal style and wanted to ask her, about her reasons. I think Kikyo is the only person Naraku had any wish to have a closer physical contact with. He held her in his arms - mostly also to upset Inuyasha.

Of course he wanted to use her; she refused, but gave him a big junk of the jewel anyway.

So she helped him again, understood that he was a Half-demon as well and even partly pretended, that she did not mind being dead. After all, so she claimed, she was now more free than before.

To say, that he did not trust her is true, however, it would not be wrong to claim, that all those feelings buried with Onigumo were resurfacing...

Onigumo´s heart and Naraku´s opinion on human beings...

All human hearts are indeed feeble in Naraku´s eyes.

Why would Naraku wish for such a "weak heart?" He strenghtened his body by throwing away unnecessary parts. As a common concious born out of many demons, why should he think any other way? After all, the strong ones survive. The world of Inuyasha - the Middle Ages in Japan was not a kind place.

Having such a heart would be a big hindrance, if you are a Hanyou, that wished to pretend to be and become a real Youkai.

And Onigumo? Naraku did not even know, that this person had any influence on him. It merely showed itself, when Onigumo´s greatest wish reappeared: Kikyo.

Onigumo´s feelings for Kikyo - only physical attraction?

What is interesting regarding Onigumo´s feelings, is the clear emphasis on the physical aspect.

Naraku describes Onigumo feelings as "base desires", so he compares them to animal instinct.

Onigumo in Naraku´s tale also treated Kikyo like a mere object. "Making Kikyo his"...Mentioning her with the Shiko no Tama, that he intends to steal.

Even Onigumo himself stated, that he wished to posses her...

It surely wasn´t a love like in a fairy tale, and Onigumo clearly head a very possessive streak. Kikyo seemed to be rather like an object to him, than a person to him.

IV. Naraku´s wish to kill Kikyo

Naraku clearly considered Onigumo´s desires as foolish, yet he recognized that he had no clear wish to kill Kikyo.

The first time Naraku tried to kill for the following reasons:

a) self-denial (most likely 90 %): Naraku wanted to believe, that he did not hold such feelings for Kikyo.

b) Kikyo had disrespected him. (Yes, he is that childish). But as a being, that has a fragile identity and self due to being a half-demon and born different than others...disrespect towards him is a big no-no.

But a look into the mirror proved him - unfortunately -wrong. That guy was so green of jealousy, that he tried to cut the spider on his back out with a sword. After this reaction, Naraku understood, that it was true. The human heart was still rampaging through his inner parts.

After the realisation...Naraku´s greatest wish was to get rid of the heart and even more to become a full demon...to bury his fragile human heart (If you know about Berserk...)

V. Naraku and his "children" (Kanna and Kagura)

After Naraku had got his hands on Kikyo´s (Kagome´s shards) , he "birthed" several "children". Demons with the spider on their back were produced out of his flesh.

Raise your hands, if you considered it hilarious, that the first two became women, while any other manifestation of Naraku was male?

Can´t you see Kikyo´s influence?

Kanna ("Nothingness") and Kagura ("Wind") are also the only ones of his many "children" that can feel longing/love.

Both were created during the time, when Naraku felt the longing the strongest, while being clueless its existance.

Kanna

Honestly, I consider Kanna as a manifestation of Naraku´s unconciousness.

She held the mirror, that helped Naraku realize certain truths about himself (look above)

Kanna also proved with her death, that Naraku was not only clueless about Kanna´s feelings, but that he did feel pain/longing even without Onigumo´s feelings for Kikyo.

Not only did Kanna mourn for Kagura in her way, she also helped Kagome and co...by telling them of the light inside the Shikon Shard.

Naraku however, like you see above, was feeling sick, when he saw Inuyasha and Kagome being compassionate towards Kanna.

He seemed unnaturally agitated during the fight, that they felt empathy with Kanna...it looked a little like jealousy.

So Naraku felt pain, that Kanna was given more compassion than him? Was loneliness stressing him out a bit? So Naraku was still unaware, unconcious of his own heart...

Kagura - decision for human emotions

Kagura, the Wind, resembled "her father" greatly, above else in physical appearance, yet she shared certain feelings with him.

Kagura, like Naraku wished to be free. Naraku wished to be free from his human heart, Kagura wished for her heart and her freedom of Naraku.

So Kagura and "her father" basically have wishes that resemble themselves, yet are polar opposites. Still...even Naraku recognized their likeness...

And she also had another feature in common with him, she longed for Sesshomaru, most likely as much, as he did for Kikyo...and that feeling seemed to have been reciprocated (at least in Kagura´s case).

I guess, the resemblances might have been a reason, why Naraku liked Kagura more than his other children.

Even though she had deceived him twice, Naraku not only protected her (twice), but did not kill her the first time.

Even the way, he killed her the second time, drove it home for me, that Kagura had been somebody special even in Naraku´s eyes:

He gave her heart back to her, and then drove his tentacles through her, pretty similarily to Kikyo. And let her go, thinking, that she might feel horrible in her last moments, yet was proven wrong again. In comparison, he let Inuyasha and co. handle Hakudoshi. And he could have killed Kagura by tearing her heart apart without giving it back firt. But no,he had to give her first hope, than crush it.

Naraku could simply not forgive her, that she wanted to be free of him. That she had tried to kill him.

(It is certainly not an accident, that Naraku and Kagura are drawn in the same perspective. They both are quite similar, yet Kagura decided for another way).

In contrast to Naraku, Kagura felt not only empathy for others, but acted on it. She rescued Kohaku ...to her own detriment.

Even his "children" betray him, quite often. Being "unfeeling" and taking advantage of others without giving something back has his price.

VI. Naraku sees Kikyo, Kikyo sees Naraku

I mentioned before, that Naraku really liked to be recognized like every human being, Youkai and dog under the sun.

In a way, Kikyo did so more than every other person.

She realized, that he was a half-demon before anybody else...a fact, the would have loved to forget...

Quickly Kikyo noticed, when he appeared...and Naraku was rather satisfied with this.

Kikyo still should understand and see him, even after he had tried to kill her...The fact, that she saw more, than anybody else, when she looked at him (even if not in a positive sense), seemed to have pleased him still and yet was still a clear threat.

Naraku was hyperaware of her presence...she was a threat and he wished to get her attention.

So it was no wonder, when he finally realized the danger he was in, after taking the baby in...She would purify him, if he did not act..

Time to get every part of his heart back...

VII. Naraku´s fragile human heart

Alright, sometimes metaphors can be so good. And that the heart of this guy is a helpless baby, for whom he builds a great armor, where he can hide his "fragile" human heart...is just so good.

Naraku had literally "no heart", he pushed it like Hakudoshi said..further from his own reach (until he was even more unaware, what he was feeling)...Say yourself, metaphors can be sometimes really nice.

Naraku literally built walls around his heart...

And yet, he is forced to take it back. After he has to fear for his life. How much he really fears human, or rather his own emotion, can be wonderfully observed...

And these are Naraku´s feelings, not Onigumo´s anymore. Naraku finally accepted this.

Or the guy, he took back would have not had his own face.

Naraku´s love for Kikyo was so underdeveloped, that it resembled a fetus or an abort. It had been not even properly born yet.

VIII. Linked hearts - the wish for Kikyo´s heart

Even though Naraku forced this linking of Kikyo´s and his own heart, their feelings were miles away. Both realized, what the other was feeling, yet they could not connect at all. It must have been quite painful to experience it, to actually feel, that the person you have such strong feelings for , loves somebody else.

He tried to possess her, before he killed her, keeping her away from Inuyasha. At the end she still died in Inuyasha´s arms.

I guess, he must have realized since this moment how strongly he longed for her heart.

Later, directly before he makes himself ready to take the Shikon no Tama into himself, he remembered Onigumo´s wish, talking to the dead Kikyo...Naraku is telling it like a fairy tale...

IX. Suicide of Naraku´s personality- becoming the Shiko no Tama´s vessel

The time before he became a full demon-without an aim

Naraku is basically pretty done for at the end. I do not mean the fact, that he died. No, even before he became a full demon, he felt like a husk...

Imagine, he killed so many people in order to get the Shikon no Tama, and what does he wish to make out of it?

Nothing...

He, who had merely bonded people by hate, that he had exploited, wished to take Inuyasha and co into himself, even though he had not wished to have anything weaker into himself before...

Naraku´s desperation and loss of his soul

Directly before he is being extinguished, before he let the Shikon no Tama eat his soul, he cracked...

Naraku started to talk about the Jewel, its will and intend...and remarked, completely by accident, that this might be so, even if he should die...

Then Kagome started to ask him, why he did use people in this way, why he did use every little weakness to make people betray each other...Of course, the Shikon no Tama becomes darker, every time, he crushed hope, (yet, he called the relationship with Inuyasha and co.."bonds"...)...

She concluded correctly, that he knew the importance of bonds, the pain of losing them...(he called the relationship, he had with Inuyasha and co. bonds...)

Shortly, before he let the Shikon no Tama consume his soul...his very being - we come a long way from the half-demon that had simply wished to be accepted as strong demon, he remembered his original wish...to have Kikyo´s heart.

I guess, when he tried to persuade Inuyasha, that he had killed the woman he loved, he told on himself...

After his death, he became a part of the Shikon no Tama and ceased to exist with Kagome´s wish.

#Naraku #narkik #inuyasha #kagome #kikyo #kagura #kanna