Kagome Higurashi

Kagome Higurashi (日暮かごめ Higurashi Kagome) is a character in the anime and manga series InuYasha.

Kagome is the granddaughter of the owner of Higurashi Shrine, a shintō shrine near Tokyo. On her fifteenth birthday, she is pulled into a well by a centipede yōkai, known as Mudake Jurō (Mistress Centipede in the dub), and is taken into feudal Japan, specifically the Sengoku Jidai period. In the past, she finds what seems to be a sleeping hanyō who is pinned to a tree by an arrow. She is captured and taken into the nearby village and is confronted by Kaede, the priestess of the village. Kaede at first thinks that Kagome is a yōkai, due to her strange-looking modern clothing, but she changes her mind when she notices that Kagome looks quite like her long dead sister, Kikyō.

That night, the centipede yōkai attacks the village, and Kagome flees into the forest where the hanyō is pinned. This time, however, he is awake and calls her "Kikyō". When the centipede monster catches up to Kagome, the villagers unsuccessfully try to defeat it. When Mudake Jurō bites Kagome, the Shikon no Tama (Jewel of Four Souls) falls from her wound and is devoured by the centipede. Inuyasha, the hanyō, then asks Kagome to remove the arrow so that he can slay the yōkai and recover the jewel for himself. She does so, and Inuyasha defeats the yōkai, but then demands that she hand over the jewel to him, for the Shikon no Tama has the power to grant anything that the user desires.

As InuYasha advances on Kagome, Kaede magically summons kotodama no nenju (rosary beads; lit. "power of the spoken word") around his neck that binds him so that whenever Kagome says the word 'osuwari' (お座り, sit), InuYasha is instantly forced to the ground. This is an intentional joke as Inuyasha is a dog demon, and 'osuwari' is a command that is generally given to domesticated dogs to make them sit. Ironically, this same rosary is one that Kikyō intended to trick him into wearing 50 years previously, before deciding against it. Her word of subjugation, however, was to be 'beloved'.

The day after their chance meeting, a crow yōkai attacks and swallows the jewel, prompting Kagome and Inuyasha to attempt to retrieve it together. During the battle, Kagome shoots an arrow at the crow, using a piece of its flesh to assure accuracy. The arrow strikes and shatters the Shikon no Tama into many shards ("Shikon no Kakera") that are scattered across Japan and even to worlds beyond.

Kagome then sets out with Inuyasha to recover the shards so that other yōkai cannot use it for malice (though Inuyasha consistently claims his true intention has always been to become a full yōkai using the jewel), occasionally returning to the modern era for supplies or because she and Inuyasha get angry at each other. On their journey they meet many people and pick up many friends and companions along the way.

The focus of their journeys change slightly as they learn about the presence of Naraku, the evil hanyō that has not only greatly disrupted the lives of each of Kagome's friends but also seeks the Shikon no Tama for himself.

Voice actor

• Japanese Seiyū: Satsuki Yukino
• English Voice Actor: Moneca Stori

Special attacks

• Hama no Ya (破魔の矢) - The magic arrow of a miko (priestess). Initially Kagome could hardly shoot straight, but she eventually becomes very proficient and her arrow is charged with the purifying spiritual power that she possesses. The arrow would penetrate and purifies any yōkai it touches and is one of few things Naraku has trouble dealing with.

Friends

• InuYasha - He initially was angry about how Kikyō had betrayed him and projected it at Kagome, but eventually he realized that she was not Kikyō and slowly opened his heart as she showed him kindness and compassion. However, their friendship and blossoming love do not stop Kagome from shouting "Osuwari!" or "Sit, boy!" when it is warranted. She is also jealous and upset when he goes after Kikyō on occasion, totally forgetting about her.
• Shippō - She treats Shippō almost like a little brother, bringing him candy from the modern era and forcing InuYasha to "Sit" whenever he bullies Shippō. He is a kitsune (fox yōkai) and they love to play tricks. Shippō likes to transform into other people as a trick.
• Miroku - While he is kind of a nuisance (as he is lecherous), she respects his knowledge and actions and knows that deep down he would gladly give his life for his friends.
• Sango - She and Sango quickly become friends. She is the only other girl in the group, not counting Kaede.
• Yuka, Eri and Ayumi - In the Modern era, they are her three friends although they tend to be more than a little nosy about Kagome's "boyfriend" and why she isn't interested in Hōjō.
• Kōga- Kagome likes Kōga as a friend and trusts him. However his claims that they are in love have caused a strain between her and Inuyasha, even though she really isn't interested in Kōga.

See also: InuYasha