 ✓
| ||
|
This Villain was proposed and approved by Villains Wiki's Pure Evil Proposals Thread. Any act of removing this villain from the category without a Removal Proposal shall be considered vandalism (or a futile "heroic" attempt of redemption) and the user will have high chances of being | ||
| “ | A half-demon bearing his fangs at me? You have tempted your fate. | „ |
| ~ Kaguya to Inuyasha |
Kaguya is the main antagonist of the second Inuyasha movie Inuyasha: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass. Her character is known from the popular Japanese classic The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter. In the Inuyasha adaptation, Kaguya is a yōkai who absorbed the powers of a celestial being, thus gaining her powers. She even started referring to herself as a celestial being, even though she was technically still a demon. After Naraku's apparent death, she plotted to free herself from the mirror she had been sealed in by Miroku's grandfather, Miyatsu, which she had been hiding in for fifty years, waiting for Naraku to die. She then attempts to freeze time forever and rule over a world of 'Eternal Night', but was defeated by Inuyasha and Kagome and killed by Miroku.
She was voiced Mieko Hirada in the Japanese version and Nicole Oliver in the English version, who also voiced Henna in Barbie: Mariposa series, and Dame Devin in Barbie: Princess Charm School.
History[]
Legend of the Celestial Maiden[]
Over one thousand years ago, a tale entered the Japanese folk culture of a beautiful woman who had descended from the moon and lived among mortal humans for a period as the daughter of a bamboo cutter and his wife. In this, The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, was described the celestial maiden's radiant beauty; so legendary did her appearance become, that men came from all over Japan just to try and gaze at her. Eventually, the maiden, whose name was Kaguya, was asked by her father, out of politeness, to choose one of the many suitors who came to call on her daily. Unwilling to wed, Kaguya came up with five clever tasks to test each of the men. If one of her potential suitors truly loved her, she argued, than they would be both willing and able to obtain the object she requested. Each of the quests, however, was so impossible that Kaguya hoped all of her suitors would fail and she would be free. The tests prescribed that each of the men find a very specific, rare item: the begging bowl of Buddha, a jeweled sprig from Hōraijima]], the Robe of the Fire-Rat, a jewel from the neck of a dragon, and a swallow's cowrie shell. Whosoever found the requisite item she assigned would be able to marry Kaguya. Fortunately, Kaguya was correct in evaluating the difficulty of her tasks, and none of her potential suitors were able to succeed in their quests. Though some either were publicly humiliated, lost all their wealth, or even died in the process.[1] Nevertheless, these objects would play a much more important role several centuries later and would be successfully obtained by two yōkai.
Eventually, Kaguya's true family from the moon returned for her, and though the Emperor had sent troops to protect her, they were unable to impede the moon delegation. Kaguya reluctantly paid her respects and bid farewell to all of her friends and two lunar attendants put a feathered robe around her body which caused her to forget her troubles and be at ease.[1]
Kaguya, the Ruler of Eternal Night[]
However, Kaguya would have had to have returned to the Earth once more, at which point she was attacked and absorbed by a female demon. This event, certainly, was never mentioned in the fairy tale.[1] The demon took on the maiden's beautiful appearance and even her identity, coming to call herself an "immortal heavenly being" and the "Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya". Kaguya also retained the princess' association with the moon. Whenever Kaguya was active in the world, a full moon would shine continuously, never waxing or waning. The moon would also give off a pale purple light the longer she exerted her power. More important than her appearance or her effect on the moon, though, was the feathered Celestial Robe she acquired from the celestial maiden. More than simply making its wearer forget their troubles and only experience happiness, the demon Kaguya was able to use the garment's untapped powers with profound and disastrous effects. In addition to increasing her own powers, Kaguya was able to use the Celestial Robe to stop the flow of time. Kaguya intended to use this ability to freeze the world in "eternal night" and reign uncontested as its queen. It is unclear as to why Kaguya was so intent on freezing time and ruling this "eternal night", though she claims that only mortals would find the passage of time an attractive prospect. So, perhaps, by contrast, only immortals could truly understand her motivation.
At some point, Kaguya encountered the spider half-demon Naraku. It is unclear what transpired between the two, but Naraku was of a like nature to Kaguya; namely, he absorbed other demons just like she did, in order to gain their powers. It is likely that Naraku either attempted to do so, or made plain his intention to do so. Either way, Kaguya knew of Naraku's existence and hated him; her fears of being absorbed would play a role in her captivity later in life.
Despite her intention to stop the flow of time, Kaguya did not act on her plans immediately, and ultimately was prevented from doing so altogether. While bathing in a spring, Kaguya's Celestial Robe was stolen by a passerby. When Kaguya realized this she became consumed by an unspeakable rage. In her fury, she attacked a nearby village, blaming them for the theft of her robe, killing one villager after another to satiate her anger. Luckily for the villagers, a monk by the name of Miyatsu happened to be passing by and confronted Kaguya. As this man, like his son and grandson after him, was a notorious womanizer, he could not bear to destroy Kaguya outright with his kazaana]]. So, instead, the monk sealed Kaguya to her own mirror, the Mirror of Life, and hid her in the Shrine of the Mirror of Life in the Forest of Illusion, so that she could not be easily located and unsealed. The only way to break the seal was to find each of the five items from the earlier tale of Princess Kaguya, and drop them each in one of five separate lakes in the vicinity of Mount Fuji.
Kaguya's Celestial Robe eventually fell into the possession of the Hōjō clan; knowing this, monk Miyatsu warned the family that if a full moon persisted for many nights (a sign of Kaguya's influence in the world), to throw the robe into Mount Fuji without delay. Miyatsu knew that if Kaguya were ever freed and reacquired her robe that it would be the end of mankind.
Obtaining freedom[]
Forging an alliance[]
While trapped in the Mirror of Life, Kaguya was not rendered completely dormant. She was still able to speak and look out of the mirror like a window. Kaguya might have been able to influence a passerby into helping her, yet even so, she did not. This was most likely because Kaguya feared being confronted by Naraku. Without the powers of her Celestial Robe, she risked being absorbed. Therefore, Kaguya bided her time for 50 years waiting for the most opportune moment to rise again.
That time came after the death of Naraku. Two of Naraku's incarnations, Kagura and Kanna, arrived at her altar in the Forest of Illusion. Kanna used her own mirror to reflect moonlight onto Kaguya's mirror. This awakened Kaguya and also caused a reaction in the moon itself, which immediately waxed to fullness, and remained so for the rest of Kaguya's campaign against the mortal realm. However, since she was still trapped in the mirror, the moon still shown white and not purple. As time went by, though, the moon began to change into a pale green and finally yellow, before Kaguya reemerged.
Sensing that Naraku had died, Kaguya proclaimed that the time had come for all life to be eliminated. She introduced herself to Kagura and Kanna, and raised her Dream Castle of the Pentacle Mirror from the depths of Lake Motosu. Despite the fact that these two demons were the former servants of her most hated enemy, Kaguya was eager to obtain their help and bore no ill-will towards them. Kaguya was even able to discern Kagura's wish for freedom, and she told her that the freedom she had gained from Naraku's death was only an illusion. Kaguya tempted Kagura with the promise of showing her true and everlasting freedom; if she helped free Kaguya from the mirror, then Kaguya would grant this burning wish. Intrigued, Kagura acquiesced; however, she explained that she was only doing it to "pass the time."
Obtaining the five items[]
Kaguya was already in possession one of the five items, the jeweled sprig, which was originally placed on the altar with her mirror. Therefore, Kagura and Kanna set out to find the second item, the jewel from the dragon's neck. They located it within a canyon and brought it back so that both items could be dropped in one of the lakes surrounding Mount Fuji. As each was dropped into the water, a poem from the Tale was recited by either Kaguya or Kanna. First, the jewel was dropped into Lake Yamanaka and then the jeweled sprig was dropped into Lake Shōji. Next, Kanna instructed Kagura to head towards the Robe of the Fire-Rat, which the two yōkai knew to be in possession of their old adversary, the half-dog demon Inuyasha.
The trio soon found Inuyasha and Kagura engaged him in combat. Kagura fought furiously and with a combination of her Dance of Blades and Dance of the Dragon techniques, she sliced off a sleeve of Inuyasha's robe. Elated, Kaguya decided to reveal herself to Inuyasha. The clouds immediately parted to unveil the full light of the moon, which glowed with an eerily beautiful green light. As cherry blossoms began to fall from the sky, Kaguya began to recite a haiku connected with the Robe of the Fire-Rat. Inuyasha demanded an introduction, and Kaguya introduced herself as the "Ruler of Eternal Night." Inuyasha's keen senses picked up on Kaguya's strong demonic aura and later described her as "reek[ing] of disaster." Kaguya's ability to discern the desires of others' hearts allowed her to peer inside Inuyasha's soul, and she discovered his wish to become a full-fledged demon. Kaguya mocked Inuyasha, telling him that at heart he was little more than a "despicable beast." As she did so, she displayed images on her mirror of Inuyasha completely overtaken by his demon instincts, and incoherent monster. This goaded Inuyasha into attacking Kaguya with his Kaze no Kizu]l. Kanna, the Mirror of Life in hand, was easily able to deflect this.
Seeing that his attack had failed, Inuyasha elected for a direct charge to strike at Kaguya herself. Kagura headed him off, unleashing the violent gales of her Dance of the Dragon. Inuyasha countered with his Bakuryūha, reversing the flow of Kagura's demonic energy back at her. Kaguya rebuked Inuyasha, calling him a fool. She then proceeded to summon a warp hole via her mirror which absorbed both Kagura's Dance of the Dragon and Inuyasha's own energies. Adding her own aura to the accumulated energy, Kaguya fired the combined force back at Inuyasha with immense force, effectively augmenting it five-fold. The attack was so destructive that it completely leveled the surrounding landscape. Inuyasha was only saved from annihilation thanks to the timely usage by Kagome of her osuwari command. As Kaguya and her allies ascended on Kagura's feather, Kaguya noticed that the flow of time around Kagome was different than normal, a side effect of her time traveling. Although intrigued, Kaguya's ruminations were interrupted by Kagura, who asked Kaguya if she was okay with letting the duo live. Kaguya replied that she got what she came for—namely, the Robe of the Fire-Rat—and so the fate of Inuyasha and Kagome were no longer her concern. With that, Kaguya and the others flew off, dropping the sleeve of the robe into Lake Motosu, accompanied by a verse. The next two items were the swallow's cowrie shell and the begging bowl of Buddha. Kaguya went to retrieve these items by herself, and succeeded in quickly gaining possession of both. She returned triumphant after confronting several dangerous foes; the objects were summarily dropped into Lakes Sai and Kawaguchi, respectively, accompanied by more verses.
With the objects all in place, the five elemental seals within the Mirror of Life shown brightly with color. As Kagura and Kanna looked on, the pentagram on the face of the mirror dissolved and the glass began to glow. Cherry blossoms poured out of the mirror, whirling in a quick, circular fashion. As they did so, Kaguya's form suddenly appeared in the midst of the flower petals. Gazing upon the moon, now turned purple by her release, Kaguya remarked upon its beauty, commenting that it is much better when viewed with a physical body, as opposed from within the confines of her mirror. With her tasks completed, Kagura demanded that Princess Kaguya revealed the "true freedom" she had spoken of earlier. Kaguya, however, said that she had one final task left to complete.
Advent of Eternal Night[]
Recovering the Celestial Robe[]
Kaguya used her powers of clairvoyance to detect the location of the Celestial Robe, and set off by herself to reclaim it. Using th light of the moon, Kaguya teleported, with her mirror appearing first as she recited yet another poetic verse. The tree she had connected with was at first barren, due to the season; yet in Kaguya's presence it bloomed fully and glowed with a brilliant light, petals falling softly on the surface of the adjacent stream. Upon arriving, however, Kaguya noticed that she had run into Inuyasha and Kagome again; the robe was in the possession of a man in their company. Annoyed, Kaguya lamented her poor luck in running across "such fools" a second time.
Putting aside her grief, Kaguya inquired to know where the Celestial Robe could be found. Inuyasha and Kagome claimed not to know what she was talking about; however, Kaguya sensed the Robe in the arms of the man behind them, Akitoki Hōjō. Inuyasha immediately leapt into action, menacing Kaguya with his Tessaiga and telling her that she would not lay her hands on the Robe. Kaguya began chanting and dissipated the Kaze no Kizu with her mirror. Proclaiming that she would not allow the hanyō to interfere, Kaguya raised her mirror and sent out six whip-like beams of light to strike at Inuyasha. Failing to block all of the blows, the hanyō was knocked up against the cherry tree, at which point Kaguya manipulated the roots to envelop him. Upon closer inspection, Kaguya realized that the reason Inuyasha was so "weak" was because he was, in fact, a half-demon.
At that moment, Hōjō tripped and dropped the bundle in his arms, exposing the Celestial Robe. Excited at having found it, Kaguya began chanting, in preparation for an attack. Moving to stop her, Kagome shot a sacred arrow]l which badly damaged the sleeve of Kaguya's kimono. Kaguya found this very interesting; since the girl not only had a strange flow of time, but also spiritual powers, she could be quite useful if her powers were absorbed. Kagome prepared a second arrow, demanding that Kaguya release Inuyasha from the tree's hold. In response, however, Kaguya merely scoffed, daring Kagome to attack her. When Kagome fired her arrow in retaliation, Kaguya absorbed the arrow into her mirror and fired it back, but at Inuyasha, not Kagome. This panicked Kagome into jumping into shielding Inuyasha with her body, while Hōjō threw the Celestial Robe in an attempt to stop the arrow. In effect, though, the Robe was caught by the sacred arrow and pinned into Kagome's back. Inuyasha became furious, lashing out at Kaguya. The princess, however, had no intention of allowing Kagome to die (having already made designs to absorb the young priestess' powers into her own being), and tried to allay the hanyō's fears. Nevertheless, he demanded to be released. Kaguya told him that if he agreed to become her servant, she would grant his wish to become a full-fledged demon. Inuyasha blatantly refused, so, with her business concluded, Kaguya took Kagome and the Celestial Robe with her as she departed. As she ascended into the sky, Princess Kaguya told Inuyasha that if he still wished to win back Kagome, then he could come to her Dream Castle, if he so desired.
Power of the Mirror of Stillness[]
In preparation for putting an end to time, Kaguya returned to Lake Motosu. She then activated each of the five objects which had been placed in each of the lakes surrounding Mount Fuji. From each lake, a beam of light spouted from the water's surface, each beam representing a different object, element, and color. The beams suddenly changed angles, intersecting each other in the sky, forming the shape of a pentagram, mirroring the one which formerly constituted the seal on Kaguya herself. The lights faded, but the pentagram, inscribed within a circle, remained, shining a brilliant pink. As the light showed brighter and brighter, a powerful demonic aura was gathered around Lake Motosu and the Castle of the Pentacle Mirror. The lake's waters began to rise in tumult, as a large rock rose out of its depths to join the one already in place behind Kaguya's castle. At its summit was a vast hall, where Kaguya's true dwelling resided.
Discarding her princess guise, Kaguya assumed her true demon form, as swirling cherry blossoms transported Kaguya to her halls atop the mountain. Here she stood in the midst of her seal, similar to the one which surrounded her when she was trapped inside her mirror. Behind her was another seal, of unknown significance. Having trapped Kagome inside her mirror, Kaguya now released her, but kept her legs bound by root-like growths which merged with the wooden floor of her halls. The rest of her body was suspended by a levitating replica of Kaguya's signature pink pentagram.
Noticing that some intruders (the yōkai taijiya Sango, her brother Kohaku, the grandson of the monk Miyatsu, Miroku, and other demons) were attempting to approach her castle, Kaguya summoned the aid of the creature at the bottom of Lake Motosu, which performed her bidding: a giant, five-headed dragon. From beneath the waves, this monster fired balls of fire at Kaguya's enemies, forcing them to land. Inuyasha made his appearance however, and began running across the lake. Hearing his cries through the mirror, Kagome regained consciousness. The wound in her back healed and the arrow disappeared, leaving the Celestial Robe unpinned and free to fall to the ground. Kaguya was surprised that Kagome had recovered, and acknowledged that this was due to the power of the Celestial Robe. Kaguya claimed the garment from off of the floor, stating that now her wish would be granted. Kaguya then commanded the creature to breach, confronting Inuyasha directly. While this was happening, Kaguya mused over the Celestial Robe, reflecting on the infinite power she now possessed. Kagura interjected, claiming that the Robe did not suit a "fake" celestial being such as Kaguya. This rebuke would foreshadow Kagura's actions shortly thereafter.
Despite its best efforts, the creature was unable to slay Inuyasha, and was finally destroyed by the hanyō's Kaze no Kizu (with the help of Kikyō, unbeknownst to either Kaguya or Inuyasha) when it collided with the creature's base: a gigantic crystal at which point all five heads of the creature were connected. With this destroyed, the monster was immediately obliterated by the force of the blast. Before she could regroup, Kaguya was accosted by Kagura for the creature's failure to defeat Inuyasha, contemptuously asking if Kaguya had been conquered already. She revealed to Kaguya that she had found out from Kanna that "Princess" Kaguya was little more than a ruse, and that Kaguya was in fact not a celestial being at all. She further drew a comparison between Kaguya and Naraku, claiming that, like him, Kaguya simply absorbed the powers of others to increase their strength, and guessed correctly that Kaguya probably devoured the real celestial maiden to gain immortality. Uncomfortable with the comparison to Naraku, Kaguya proclaimed that she detested "all these half-demons." Kagura conceded that Kaguya's hatred was probably well-founded, but that she, Kagura, was tiring of Kaguya's deception. As a woman "born of Naraku", she claimed that she was tired of Kaguya's "antics."
Amused, Kaguya asked if Kagura planned on confronting her, welcoming it as a source of good entertainment while she waited for Inuyasha's arrival. Kagura announced her intention to have Kanna steal Kaguya's soul. As the white wisps of Kaguya's soul began to flow into Kanna's mirror, Kaguya laughed at the foolish duo, admonishing them for thinking that it would be so easy to take her soul, which was quite safe against Kanna's meager incursion. Kaguya then asked if Kagura wanted to know why she had sought the Celestial Robe. As the aforementioned garment unwrapped itself form around Kaguya, it formed the shape of a circle facing Kagura and Kanna, while Kaguya began to chant the words to another spell. Kagura and Kanna lay helpless as Kaguya's Power of the Mirror of Stillness spell enveloped them, sending them paralyzed to the bottom of Lake Motosu for their betrayal.
By this time, Inuyasha had reached the summit of Kaguya's mountain. To prepare for his arrival, Kaguya finally set her ultimate plan into action. The Celestial Robe once again unwrapped itself from around Kaguya, but this time encircled Kaguya herself, directly overtop the seal at her feet. As Inuyasha ran into her hall to confront her, Kaguya activated the Power of the Mirror of Stillness once again, as a blinding pink light shown out across the entire room, overcoming Inuyasha. The pentagram in the sky began to expand, as Kaguya's spell began to take its effect. As the pentagram's boundaries expanded, so to did the effect of the spell, completely stopping the flow of time in the affected area. With the passage of time thus halted, the Robe returned to Kaguya's body, as she proclaimed with ecstasy that she would never be parted with her "beautiful, everlasting night" ever again. To her shock and chagrin, however, Inuyasha began to rose from where he had been pinned to the floor, steaming. Kaguya demanded to know how he was still free to move, and not frozen in time. Inuyasha answered back, claiming that his ability to move was the least of her worries, attacking her without further delay with the barrier-breaking Kaze no Kizu of the Red Tessaiga. This, however, only served to dispel the illusion Kaguya had cast of her castle into the physical world. Kaguya revealed to a startled Kagome (alarmed that Inuyasha had suddenly vanished) that he had never really been in their presence at all. Inuyasha had never entered her castle, but only a fake one on the surface of the lake.
Kagome and Kaguya were, in actuality, inside a separate dimension within her mirror, connected as it was with Lake Motosu itself. By this understanding, Kaguya believed herself to be completely safe from the interference of outsiders. But this obstacle, too, was soon to be overcome by Inuyasha.
Final confrontation[]
Inuyasha eventually figured out how to break through to the dimension inside Kaguya's mirror, by using his barrier-breaking Red Tessaiga on the frozen surface of Lake Motosu. Inuyasha and his friends were thereby able to make their way through the breach and into the Realm of the Night, to the Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Kaguya's true dwelling place. Kaguya thought it was foolish for her foes to confront in her in her own domain, and awaited their ensuing destruction.
Meanwhile, Kagome interrogated Kaguya, demanding to know her motives for stopping time. Kaguya dismissed Kagome's concerns, claiming that only mortals such as herself were enamored with the passage of time. When Kagome claimed that she would rather die than remain in the timeless void of Kaguya's "eternal night," Kaguya announced that Kagome's wish would soon be fulfilled, as it was Kaguya's intention to devour Kagome and take both her spiritual powers and her ability to put up a time barrier. At that moment, though, Inuyasha suddenly made a dramatic entrance, lunging at Kaguya with his Tessaiga. Kaguya removed one of her hair pins, which transformed into a large sword, allowing her to repel Inuyasha's attack. The hanyō set in for a second attack and Kaguya removed her cape, ready to do battle. After parrying his second strike, Kaguya grabbed the Tessaiga with her bare left hand, enveloped by a small barrier, which allowed her to touch the naked blade edge without sustaining any injury. After continuing to repeatedly thrust her sword at Inuyasha, Kaguya then wrested the Tessaiga out of Inuyasha's grip completely and threw it into the wall behind her. Sango and Miroku also tried to enter the fray, but Kaguya was able to effortlessly destroy the monk's sacred sutras. She also blocked Sango's Hiraikotsu with her sword. Miroku, Sango, and her brother, Kohaku, then followed up with a direct attack. But, after chanting a quick spell, the Hiraikotsu was consumed by blue flames, and catapulted back at Sango, slamming her and Kohaku off the platform. Inuyasha, too, tried a direct attack again, using his Iron Reaver, Soul Stealer technique. Two tendrils then unfurled from the armor on either of Kaguya's arms, speeding towards Inuyasha and Miroku. The left tendril pierced Inuyasha's chest, bringing him to his knees. Miroku was only able to temporarily block the attack with his staff, but it was quickly snapped it half and he was struck in the arm.
With all of her enemies thus summarily routed, Kaguya moved onto her next objective: transforming Inuyasha into a full-blooded demon and bending him to her will, effectively making him her servant. To this end, Kaguya turned her mirror on Inuyasha, promising to release the carnage within his heart, giving him the true form he desired. Once she began chanting a new spell, Inuyasha's appearance became savage, while his reflection in the mirror began to slowly morph into his human form. Sango tried to throw her Hiraikotsu at the mirror in order to halt the transformation, but Kaguya sent out her armor's tendrils to stop her, the coils morphing into branch-like formations which bound Sango to a pillar. Kaguya also constrained Kohaku and Sango's demon cat ally Kirara for good measure. With the darkness in his heart amplified and his human blood sealed in Kaguya's mirror, Inuyasha even attacked Miroku, who tried to snap his friend out of the trance. Kagome, however, was able to break out of her seal with the help of Shippō, and ran over to Inuyasha in an attempt to get through to him. As Kagome continued to plea with Inuyasha to go back to normal, Kaguya chided her, proclaiming that it was already too late, and that Inuyasha could never go back to being a hanyō again. Nevertheless, Kagome leaned up and kissed Inuyasha. This proved to be too much, and Inuyasha reverted to normal, breaking free of Kaguya's spell. As a result, the Mirror of Life cracked down the middle. Perhaps because of this, small red particles began to fall from the ceiling, confusing everyone present, even Kaguya. Retracting her armor coils from Sango and the others, Kaguya derided Inuyasha, believing him to be fool for giving up what she perceived as an excellent opportunity to see his wish to be a fully-fledged demon fulfilled.
After sharing a moment with Kagome, Inuyasha retrieved the Tessaiga from the wall, turning on Kaguya. In response, Kaguya indignantly chastised Inuyasha for "bear[ing his] fangs" at her, warning that he had tempted his fate. At that moment, though, the red particles which had been floating in the air coalesced to reform the lost sleeve of Inuyasha's Robe of the Fire-Rat, to the rejoicing of his friends. This served to only enrage Kaguya further, her hair pulsing angrily and shrill noises erupting out of seemingly nowhere.
Inuyasha attacked Kaguya yet again, this time with a point-blank range Kaze no Kizu blast. Kaguya attempted to prevent his attack by striking at him with her armor coils. However, these, along with Kaguya's entire left forearm were destroyed by the blast. Nevertheless, Kaguya's arm was immediately restored, thanks to the power of the Celestial Robe.
At this moment, Kohaku began to experience pain in his shoulder, which began to bulge. Perhaps sensing a demonic aura, Kaguya turned with a look of concern, as she joined with her enemies to watch the bizarre scene unfold. The bulging flesh continued to grow, eventually taking the shape of a spider, with eight legs and mandibles, at which point it exploded violently. When the smoke cleared, Naraku, exposed in his true, most grotesque form, lay in wait. He greeted Kaguya, saying that it had been too long since they last met. Kaguya disdainfully told Naraku that she thought he had died. He explained that he had merely faked his own death, long enough to draw Kaguya out of hiding. However, it is unclear how Naraku was able to escape the effects of Kaguya's Mirror of Stillness spell, since he did not possess anything that could put up a time barrier. At any rate, as he sent out his tentacles to ensnare her, Naraku told Kaguya to prepare to become one with his flesh, extending his body out to absorb her. Beside her self with disgust, Kaguya commanded Naraku not to lay his filthy hands on her and began to chant her most powerful spell yet. Her entire palace began to shake, timbers falling from the rafters, a few smashing into Naraku's bulbous body. As he got closer and closer, though, the Mirror of Life began to glow. As the light grew in intensity, Naraku's body was obliterated, except for his head. Finally the light shone out blindingly, and when it was all over, Naraku was nowhere to be seen. Unfortunately, this was not the end of Kaguya's hated half-demon enemy. Naraku had simply retreated into the recesses of Kaguya's halls, waiting for a better opportunity to attack her again.
Inuyasha decided to take this opportunity to go on the offensive yet again, unleashing yet another blast of his Kaze no Kizu. Kaguya easily dispersed it, telling Inuyasha that he did not have the power to defeat her. She and he continued to exchange blows, until finally Kaguya retrieved her mirror, electing to blast Inuyasha away in the same fashion she erased Naraku. Inuyasha stubbornly refused to move, and was only saved from destruction by the timely assistance of Miroku. Meanwhile, Kagome retrieved the broken top half of Miroku's staff, planning to use it as a projectile against Kaguya. The celestial maiden noticed her presence, and nearly killed her with her armor coils, but was thwarted by Sango. Still in attack mode, Kaguya wasted no time in turning her sights back on Inuyasha, slashing violently at him and narrowly missing Miroku, as her blade cut through a thick piece of wood, which had fallen from the ceiling. After exchanging a few last blows with Tessaiga, Inuyasha thrusted Kaguya away from him. She deftly used the momentum to skip back to the platform, where she gathered energy for a final attack. Raising her sword above her head, Kaguya chanted another spell, her sword shining with a brilliant light, finally culminating in a large ball of fiery energy. Inuyasha began charging forward, and just before she threw the attack at him, Kaguya dismissively told him to return to her darkness and vanish forever.
Inuyasha used the Bakuryūha to reverse the flow of Kaguya's blast, but she countered by absorbing it in the same fashion she had during his fight with Kagura. The warp hole gathered yōki, amplifying the attack. When the blast was unleashed, Inuyasha countered with the backlash wave yet again, much to Kaguya's disappointment at his unoriginality. Much to her dismay, however, this time Kagome shot the piece of Miroku's staff she had gathered earlier, catching the Celestial Robe and pinning it to the Mirror of Life, which smashed. Without the protection of either object, Kaguya was vaporized by Inuyasha's attack, leaving behind only a handful of falling cherry blossoms. With her body gone, Kaguya's voice still called out, questioning how she could possibly have been defeated by a mortal and a mere half-demon.
This was not the end for Kaguya, though. As her enemies tried to make it out of her palace as it collapsed, the black smoke-like form of Kaguya's aura cut them off, claiming that she could not be slain, since she was an immortal heavenly being. She then proclaimed that she intended to steal Kagome's body and take it as her own. Flowing forward, Kaguya's disembodied aura kidnapped Kagome yet again, dropping her on a fallen wooden beam. As she turned around, preparing to possess Kagome, Naraku emerged from hiding just behind the girl, planning to absorb her aura into his body, as she planned to do the reverse to Kagome. He didn't have the chance, however, as he was blown away, yet again, this time by a blast of Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu. Kaguya herself did not escape attack, as Miroku opened his Kazaana, sucking Kaguya's aura into the void of his hand and putting an end to her existence in the physical realm forever.
Personality[]
In her guise as "Princess of the Heavens," Kaguya acts in a very refined manner, like any high-born member of the nobility, as her title would suggest. She is almost always smiling and seems to keep herself in a good mood at all times. She often recites poetry from the original Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,[1] and sometimes waxes philosophical at points, musing on the beauty of the Moon and how it is best viewed with a physical body (a dichotomy that admittedly few are in a position to take a stance on, given her unique circumstances). Building on her natural refinement, Kaguya is typically very calm and calculating; thus, losing her temper would be unthinkable. Her serenity is essentially a tool to accentuate her own beauty and gracefulness. Though she does introduce herself, she otherwise barely deigns to notice to presence of others. Even when challenged, Kaguya maintains her poise and graceful bearing. Even when in combat she is very efficient, using a spell to counter Inuyasha's assault and then immediately using another spell to restrain him. When Kagome threatens her, she defeats her with one spell. However, despite her outward veneer of aristocracy and refrain from shouting, her actual vocabulary is just as crude and low brow as everyone else's (calling her opponents mere half-demon, pathetic fool, despicable wretch etc.), in a way highlighting her illusion of superiority. This is further backed by the fact that, even after Kagura had acquired the Robe of the Fire-Rat, Kaguya still took the time to make her entrance and introduce herself to Inuyasha, and take note of his 'dark desires'. Despite not killing the duo, she did take the time to observe them and noted that time did not flow around Kagome the way it did everyone else. This suggest that, despite her apparent ignorance of others, she is far more cautious than outwardly appearing.
Kaguya is extremely vain, given that her entire life has been dedicated to the pursuit of greater beauty and eternal youth. She reacts very negatively to any criticism or skepticism that she is a true celestial being. This vanity is what leads her to be so self-absorbed and narcissistic, only augmented further by her immortality and unlimited power. Fitting with her narcissism, Kaguya seems to have a paradoxal interests in making grand entrances and a general disregard for anyone she is not engaged with. When she appeared before the duo a second time, she made her entrance by making cherry-blossoms bloom and fall, quoting line from the Tale of the Bamboo Cuter as her mirror appeared, and then appearing herself, dramatically hovering above a small pond. In contrast, she disregards virtually everyone there. When Inuyasha threatened her, she didn't seem to acknowledge that he said anything, merely remarking on her own bad luck. Only when Inuyasha attacked her did she respond to him. The same was with Kagome. she didn't even seem to see Shippō or Akitoki. Interestingly enough, Kaguya does seem to posses an interest in Inuyasha and Kagome. When she first saw Inuyasha, she introduced herself and noted his dark desires. Later, when she came for the Celestial Robe, she bested him, but used a binding spell rather than a more destructive spell, and after besting Kagome, asked Inuyasha if he would become her servant. When he refused, she challenged Inuyasha to come to her castle. It's possible Kaguya sees Inuyasha as having parallels to herself. Kaguya keeps noting that Inuyasha's base desires are violent and savage. She herself later goes through a transformation from a beautiful and refined lady to a warrior in a notably provocative outfit.
Fittingly this mirrors Kaguya's most notable relation: Naraku. Naraku represents the antithesis of everything Kaguya values; namely, beauty and power. Because Naraku is a haphazard collection of lower-class demons, his true form is extremely ugly. For someone like Kaguya, who values aesthetics above all else, this is anathema. But unlike Inuyasha, whose released state would parallels some of what she values (freedom, lack of restrictions), Naraku brings to light her insecurities. Hideous, and achieves power by absorbing others, he is a reflection of Kaguya being a demon who ate the real celestial princess (and by extension, her desire to eat Kagome and get her powers too).
Of all the villians of the franchise, Kaguya's goals are the most esoteric. In its most extreme form, this aspect of Kaguya's personality is evidenced in the fact that Kaguya's overall goal in life is to freeze time and rule over a world of "Eternal Night." This is an overwhelmingly selfish goal, as Kaguya essentially wants to end the existence of every other living creature and rule over an empty, frozen world, inhabited solely by herself. What stands to be actually gained by this is unclear; in fact, Kaguya's motives are never clearly stated. Kaguya seems very attached and possessive of her "Eternal Night." She proclaims at one point that no one would ever "separate" her from her "Eternal Night" ever again, as if it were a living, tangible thing. It is possible that Kaguya simply believes that she is the epitome of perfection and so self-absorbed in her own existence that she looks at every other living creature with disdain and seeks solitude in an empty void to contemplate her own greatness. The fact that Kaguya also believes she deserves an entire planet just for her own personal enjoyment, albeit one frozen in time and void-like, is also thought-provoking. Ultimately, in contrast to the ambitions of other powerful yōkai such as Naraku, Menōmaru, or Sesshōmaru, all of whom desire personal power and even world-conquest, Kaguya's goals seem rather nihilistic in comparison.
Surprisingly, however, Kaguya did not seem ill-disposed towards either Kagura or Kanna. While she obviously manipulated Kagura's desire for freedom to secure her assistance in finding all the requisite objects for Kaguya's own freedom, Kaguya seemed to have a genuine desire to fulfill her wish and never treated her or Kanna with any sort of disdain or ill-will, despite her desire to destroy all life on Earth. It seemed likely that Kaguya would have even allowed Kagura and Kanna to live alongside her in her castle. This eventuality may be tempered slightly by the fact that Kagura and Kanna were confined to the illusory Dream Castle, and never allowed into Kaguya's actual domain. However, Kaguya did seem rather perturbed that Kagura had the audacity to betray her after all she had promised to do for her, but this is possibly more likely due to the fact that Kagura began her betrayal by calling out Kaguya on the fact that she was a fake celestil maiden, and just like Naraku. Despite all this, it does appear than Kaguya wasn't entirely lying when she said that Kagura's freedom was a 'flitting illusion', from a certain perspective. During the fight in Kaguya's castle, she begins to seal Inuyasha's human side in her mirror, transforming him into his mindless demon self. During the transformation, Inuyasha lashes out at Miroku, at which Kaguya states that "only by unleashing the power of darkness can one achieve true freedom". Given that Kaguya called Inuyasha's hidden insecurity's ' the darkness in his heart' it's possible Kaguya is referring to morals and emotional attachment, something Kagura still has in abundance. It's possible that Kaguya intended to seal away Kagura's emotional morality, thus granting her what she, Kaguya, considers true freedom.
When Kaguya unveils her true form, her demeanor changes remarkably from her cheery princess masquerade. Kaguya's manner of dress is not so much refined and ladylike, but she rather wears armor and is very warrior-like. She also freely exposes her skin and attractiveness in a slightly provocative fashion. Her empress-like cape and armor in combination with her intimidating scowl and even her make-up give her the appearance of a conqueror and ruler, and far from her original princess disguise. Despite her villainous appearance, Kaguya's own beauty remains undiminished, though it has far more menacing overtones from its previous semblance of feminine grace and purity.
Kaguya's personality is also clearly changed. She openly submits to impulses of anger and lashes out at her foes. Before she was sealed, and the Celestial Robe was stolen from her, Kaguya slaughtered innocent villagers nearby, despite the fact that she had no idea whether or not they were complicit in the theft, simply to satiate her unfathomable rage. In moments of intense anger, her emotions sometimes even manifest themselves in eerie screeching sounds in the distance, at the same time that her powerful anger causes her hair to ripple. Whereas, before, Kaguya was very precise in her actions and ignored individuals who did not figure into her plans, Kaguya in her true form is brutal and merciless. She attempts to kill Inuyasha, his allies, and especially Kagome, at every turn, completely forgoing her earlier, relative restraint. She completely disregards even her own palace in her attacks, causing extensive damage and leveling entire sections with powerful blasts. Kaguya's demeanor is completely remorseless, and the only happiness she experiences is from relishing in her own personal power or in the pain she inflicts on her enemies. Kaguya also adopts a much more physical style of fighting; whereas previously she had fought from a distance with the Mirror of Life, in her true form she confronts Inuyasha and others directly, preferring to fight primarily with a sword.
Physical description[]
Kaguya is widely recognized for her beauty. In fact, it was her attractive features that saved her from being sucked into the monk Miyatsu's Kazaana and led to her being sealed inside the Mirror of Life instead. As Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya has long black hair, with a slight blueish tint, that reaches down to just above her knees. Her hair is parted down the middle and two, long strands of hair that pass in front of her hair reach down to her chest. Both her eyes and eyelids are turquoise, framed by very long eyelashes and dark eyebrows. Her lips are colored a light purple. Kaguya also has very pale, delicate skin, which contrasts greatly with her dark hair.
As the Queen of Eternal Night, her true form, her features change only slightly, as her eyelids shift to magenta and her lips become blue. Her eyelashes become much longer and thicker, the lower lashes gathering together into jutting points, giving her a menacing appearance.
After her body is destroyed, she is only seen as a ball of smoke.
Outfit[]
As Princess of the Heavens, Kaguya wears a very intricate kimono, befitting a woman of her stature. The colors of her multiple layers are from innermost to outermost: khaki, dark green, off-white, and purple. The only layers exposed at her feet besides her purple outer-kimono is the topmost, off-white inner-kimono. As is the custom with such clothing, Kaguya's sleeves are very long. Curiously, unlike most kimonos worn by women, Kaguya has no obi sash that ties her kimono together. As such, her robes flow loosely when she floats or flies, billowing in some places rather unflatteringly, similar to Miroku. Kaguya also wears pearls around her neck; this piece resembles Inuyasha's Beads of Subjugation, due to the turquoise, tooth-like beads that separate every third pearl from the next three pearls. However, the color scheme is different (Kaguya—turquoise beads with pearls; Inuyasha—gray fangs with black beads) and numbering as well, as Inuyasha's beads are grouped into fives not threes. Kaguya also adorns her hair with two fin-like kanzashi hair-ornaments; both a light purple. It is not clear what sort of footwear Kaguya employs with her kimono, but in keeping with the fashion she wears, it can be assumed that she wears bamboo sandals with tabi socks.
As the Queen of Eternal Night, Kaguya's style of dress becomes far more macabre and menacing. Discarding her kimono, Kaguya wears a very distinct set of armor. It is comprised of shell-like pauldrons with red edges on her shoulders and a double-breasted plate on her chest that wraps around her back as well. This central plate connects in the middle of her chest with a large red coil. Similar coils wrap around the vambraces on her forearms (made of the same material as her other armor pieces) as well as the forearms themselves. These can be used as weapons to ensnare or impale her enemies. The center coil that runs from her breastplate almost resembles a segmented worm of some kind; tendril-like pieces jut out above her collar bone. A coiled circle in the middle forms the centerpiece of her armor and is located just above her heart. From her pauldrons drapes a large, red, floor-length cape. Kaguya also wears a black, floor-length skirt; tied around her waist by a red, floor-length sash. She replaces her earlier fin-like ornaments with three hairpins (two on one side of her head, one on the other), which she can enlarge at will and use as swords. Contrasted with her kimono, Kaguya's armor is far from conservative, and is very revealing and provocative. Kaguya also wears a peculiar type of armored legwear that protects her shins and feet, but leaves her toes uncovered. While it is in her possession, the Celestial Robe floats around Kaguya's waist, tied in two knots at the front. The Robe circles her back in a loop and connects to the first knot. Below is another, smaller loop, that connects, by way of the second knot, with the rest of the Robe, which is tied in a bow, with two large loops that hang about Kaguya's legs.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Kaguya calls herself a princess and took the form of a celestial being. Her voice actress, Nicole Oliver, would later do the voice of Princess Celestia in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, though unlike Kaguya, Celestia is connected to the sun rather than the moon.
External links[]
- Kaguya on InuYasha Wiki
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Main Villains Naraku's Incarnations The Band of Seven Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Four Perils Demons Hyōga clan Demon ninjas Four War Gods Humans | ||