Zero is the secondary antagonist of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon. She is the older sister of Kirinmaru and paternal aunt of Rion.
She was voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese (who also voiced Quinella in Sword Art Online, Ciel Phantomhive in Black Butler, Crona in Soul Eater, and Eto Yoshimura in Tokyo Ghoul), and Carrie Keranen in English (who also voices Satsuki Kiryūin in Kill la Kill).
Appearance[]
Zero is talk slim woman with white hair held up by a good butterfly clip. She also had two gold pins going through her hair and green eyes like her brother. She wears a black loose fitting kimono tied with a giant grey ribbon that has a checkered pattern. The sleeves if her kimono are baggy with butterfly decals on them. Underneath, she wears a dark blue kimono, and a white robe. Her nails are painted black, and she wears White Tabi socks
Personality[]
Zero is arrogant, sadistic, and vengeful. She had feelings for her brother's rival Tōga and was very friendly and playful. She does not share Kirinmaru's sense of honor and has no problem using under hands tactics to win.
She appeared to be benevolent to the Shikyō (Four Perils in the English Dub). After Tōga's death, she becomes heartbroken and cries. She denounces her demon side and feelings, creating the rainbow pearls. Zero is quick to anger and hates being compared to a human as seen when Sesshōmaru's mother did that.
Zero seems ashamed by the creation of the Rainbow Pearls and it is implied that seeing them makes her feel humiliated likely because of how they were created in a moment of weakness for her.
Biography[]
600 years ago in the Heian period before the main series, as Kirinmaru arrived back from the battle, Zero was surprised to see her niece Rion back, and thinks that the battle is terrible for her. As Riku was made, the bugs has arrived on his right arm and she ordered him to dispatched it at the Bone-Eater's Well. Not too long after, Zero and Rion accompanied Kirinmaru as he slaughtered an entire kingdom as the samurai tried to kill him by the orders of Emperor Daigo. Rion was hiding behind Zero and clutching her robes when Sakasa, who's going to avenge his master's death grabbed her and held his sword to her. Kirinmaru effortlessly decapitated Sakasa, but Sakasa was a half-demon, who could still control his headless body. Sakasa's head has his body stabs Rion through the chest, killing her.
A century later, at the palace of Sesshōmaru's mother where they are waited as Tōga and Kirinmaru are going to desrtoy the Grim Comet.
Zero and Kirinamru were in possession of the Shikon Jewel. Zero had a crush on Kirinmaru's rival Tōga. In 1297 in the Kamakura period, she and Kirinmaru have heard from Kyūki and Konton that they reported that Tōga have been spotted in Kamakura as he has been escaped grave injuries from battling with Shishinki and Ryūkotsusei. When Tōga died, Zero feared the jewel's prophecy would come true, and made a wish on the jewel to get rid of her emotions. As such, the Shikon Jewel took her demonic power and separated in the form of seven small pearls known as the Rainbow Pearls.
Fourteen years prior, Zero would attempt to have Joka kill Tōga's twin half-demon granddaughter's, and then alerted Kirinmaru of their births and reminded him of the Shikon Jewel's prophecy. Kirinmaru would then attempt to attack Tōga's half-demon son Inuyasha and his human wife Kagome, but Inuyasha's older demon half-brother, Sesshōmaru would protect them.
Four years later, Zero found where Sesshōmaru had hidden his daughters, and ordered the fire God Homura to burn the Forest down, and kill them. The twins would survive, and reunite with their cousin Moroha years later when they were teenagers. They would battle and kill two of Kirinmaru's Four Perils, and Zero was disappointed by her brother's inaction.
Zero would attempt to take action herself. She would disguise herself as a human named Otsuyu and attack the monk Miroku, so she could unseal the demon blood of Sesshōmaru's daughter, Setsuna, and unleash her on her twin sister Towa and their cousin, Moroha. The girls would later attempt to fight Zero and hers and Kirinmaru's servant Riku.
Riku would reveal to a shocked Zero that he had attempted to gather all of the Rainbow Pearls, which shocked and infuriated her. She took the two remaining pearls from Setsuna and Moroha respectively. However, she would be cut down by Setsuna's blood blade on her arm that was inadvertently created when her demon blood was released.
Zero's life was tied to the twin's mother Rin, and while in the underworld, Zero was taunted by Sesshōmaru's mother. Zero said she took great pleasure in the fact that Rin would die due to her death, but Sesshōmaru resurrected her with the Tensiega. Zero destroyed the Tenseiga, and then Kirinmaru arrived.
Kirinmaru admonished Zero for her behavior, and Zero called him ungrateful since she said she was trying to protect him as his older sister, but Kirinamru instead scattered the Rainbow Pearls. Zero was furious and denounced Kirinmaru, claiming they were only strangers now. She used her staff to shoot a web into the sky, and said they would no longer see each other again as it launched her away.
Wanting to further taunt Riku, she uses him to inform Kirinmaru of his failure to keep her precious Rainbow Pearls from her. Seeing how confused Riku is as to how she is communing with Kirinmaru so easily, Zero informs the demon-pirate about his origins that neither Kirinmaru or the Four Perils had been "nice enough" to tell him: That he was originally one of Kirinmaru's own slanted horns that was cut off by none other than Tōga during one of the rival beast kings many intense battles, six centuries ago. She scornfully tells a slightly shocked Riku to never come to her again; otherwise she would kill him without a second thought.
Once alone, Zero prepared herself to absorb each Rainbow Pearl back into her eyes from which they came as tears for ultimately using Tōga, whom she had loved so, both to a mere mortal woman and then to death itself. While looking the orange Rainbow Pearl, she can see Tōtetsu eating monks and so glad. Recalling that her red Rainbow Pearl was entrusted to the late Tōkotsu of the Four Perils, she absorbed it back into her left eye. It was then that she saw certain memories that shocked and infuriated her; of Inuyasha and Kagome bequeathing the shell rouge that retained remnants of not only Tōga's demon blood but the residual essence of Izayoi as well. Once absorbing the golden Pearl, she then witnessed a memory of a cold Setsuna meeting Towa for the first time in the modern era. Enraged that even one memory of the Half-Demon Princesses was absorbed to join her immense demonic strength and abilities as an unforeseen side effect of the Rainbow Pearls, she deduces that the placing of her Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls within the eyes of his newborn twin daughters' was all Sesshōmaru's own design from the very beginning, now coming to the shocking realization that Sesshōmaru had foreseen everything she had every accomplished up to this point. Zero leaves the temple with the crystal ball, as Rion visits her from the crystal ball.
Zero then traveled to Nanahoshi's mansion in her Otsuyu disguise. Zero feigned weakness and asked Nanahoshi what he would like in return for granting her a wish. Nanahoshi opened the mini galaxy and sent one of it's orbs to detect the sorrow in Zero's heart. He was dismayed to find there was none, and Zero shed her disguise, explaining she sealed her emotions in the Rainbow Pearls. Zero then sent the pearls to surround Nanahoshi, and trapped him in an electric barrier. Nanahoshi asked Zero what she was going to do to him, and Zero said she was going to set a trap with his help.
On the night of the new moon, Zero sent her lantern butterflies to find Towa, who would be in her human form. Towa was transported to Nanahoshi's mansion where he placed the Eternity Bug on her and fed off her sorrow as Zero encouraged Towa to cry. Towa finally shed tears as she regained her demon powers. Nanahoshi then used his illusionary magic in combination with the Rainbow Pearls. Zero forced Towa to relive her misery of being alone in the Reiwa era, and how Setsuna had forgotten about her. This caused Towa to turn into a full demon, and Zero was delighted to see the essence of Tōga in her. Towa destroyed the Eternity Bug and then Nanahoshi. Riku and Rion arrived as Towa went to attack Zero. Riku got in the way, and blocking Towa's strike. Zero then reabsorbed the Rainbow Pearls to restore he demon powered and declared she would send Towa to hell herself.
Zero continue to attack Towa and egg on her, revealing that she was the one who had Homura burn down the forest. However, Setsuna arrived and saved Towa by reveal that their mother had stolen her memories and now she remembers Towa as her sister. As the sisters tearfully embrace, Zero is dismayed that Towa won't attack. In fact, Towa thanks Zero for allowing her to go to the Reiwa era and meet all the people there. Tōga's spirit rises behind Towa and tells Zero it is all thanks to her. Furious, Zero tried to stab herself in the neck with her staff to kill both herself and Rin. In the nick of time, Setsuna finds the thread of fate that connects Zero to Tōga's spirit. Setsuna severs it, releasing Zero's memories, and destroying the Rainbow Pearls. Zero's emotions return once more as she breaks down and shames herself for Tōga's death. Tōga's spirit reassures Zero and reminds her to keep being who she is. Freed from her anger and past regrets, Zero commends Towa for being like her grandfather, and thanks Setsuna for untangling the thread of her heart. Zero willingly severs her ties with Rin and releases her from the silver-scale curse since she has no more regrets. Rion approaches Zero, and asks her to help them stop Kirinmaru. Zero apologizes to her niece and says this is goodbye. She then calls Riku's name, who stabs her in the chest. Riku sobs as he asks for Zero's forgiveness, but Zero thanks Riku. Before dying, she reveals to Towa and Setsuna how Rion died, and that is why Kirinmaru hates half-demons. Through her staff, Zero tells Kirinmaru that these half-demons are not the ones he hates, and that though he was prophesied to be felled by a half-demon, they may be able to save him or Rion. Zero says goodbye to her brother and says she'll wait for him in Nirvana, before her body disintegrates into sparkles. Her staff falls to the ground, restoring the flowers around Nanahoshi's mansion as Zero's spirit talks about how if a hopeless demon can fall in love with another demon, then she doesn't see why a demon can't call in love with a hopeless demon, and thinks the Half-Demon Princesses would agree with her.
Powers & Abilities[]
- Transformation: Like her brother, it is unknown if Zero possesses a true yōkai form, like Tōga, Sesshōmaru, and his mother do. She is currently in humanoid form, as she had relinquished all of her various abilities into the seven Rainbow Pearls.
- Longevity: As a demon, she is capable of living for many centuries and has remained unchanged between the two times the Grim Comet traveled close to Earth - which has 500 years of difference. Surprisingly, despite her demonic power having been removed from her, she was still able to live for many more years after Tōga's death with no change to her physical appearance, suggesting she used some kind of magic to prolong her life, though Sesshōmaru's mother was not surprised when she finally died, suggesting she would have died eventually anyway.
- Demonic Puppetry: Zero used a black swirling smoke to possess a demon puppet and since Sesshōmaru cut down, it came out and hearing her voice warning about the return of the Grim Comet after the lunar eclipse concluded. A feat that was revealed when Sesshōmaru cut her down with his Bakusaiga.
- Spiritual Power/Ability Absorbtion: When she encountered Miroku, she was able to easily drain him of the strong spiritual ability he had used to seal Setsuna's innermost true demonic self and abilities.
- Levitation: She can hover motionlessly above the ground.
- Azusa no Yumihari: A webbing-like ability that acts as a strong binding agent that not only restrains movement, but also links the fate between said caster and target themselves with the threads of fate; namely young Rin in Episode 27 and, at one point, Towa. The thread is unstable, which even capable of withstanding Moroha's Crimson Backlash Wave.
- Curse Inflicting: Zero has a special scale called "the Silver Scale" that once cast upon another, human or demon alike, it can inflict a curse call "Silver Scale Curse" (銀鱗の呪い, "Ginrin no Noroi") that will grow and cover the victim's entire body, ultimately killing them. Zero uses this to curse Rin which can cause the third and final death for her (including that Kirinmaru tries to assassinate Kagome and Inuyasha). But she tells to Sesshōmaru in Episode 27, that if they give the location of their half-demon twins, the curse of the silver-scale will be broken so Rin will be free. According to Rin, the silver scale curse is actually her lingering grief and regret for not being able to protect Tōga in his time of dire need, ultimately leading to his demise along with the mortal man Takemaru.
- Lantern Butterflies: By conjuring a flock of said butterflies, she used them as her eyes and ears to find Towa's whereabouts.
- Teleportation: By casting a strong spell combined with her lantern butterflies, she was able to abduct an entirely powerless, human Towa by teleporting her to Nanahoshi's mansion.
Demonic Abilities[]
Upon the impulsively rash creation of the seven Rainbow Pearls from her tears to grant her wish to the Shikon Jewel, Zero's demonic power, along with her heart and grief, were stored away into the seven pearls. She even renounced her identity as a demon. Although just how powerful of a demon she was has not been stated, she was confident she could kill Towa, Moroha and Setsuna with her demonic powers restored and both Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru would not allow her to use her respective demonic powers against them, suggesting she was an extremely powerful demon, especially as she was also a daiyōkai, though Kirinmaru seemed to still be incredibly strong, as he was able to confine all seven Rainbow Pearls and scatter them across various regions, despite Zero's presence capable of detecting and reclaiming her extraordinarily strong, respective demonic powers within each of them. She later absorbs all her seven Rainbow Pearls to gaining access her demonic abilities once again.
- Rainbow Butterflies: Zero was capable of releasing colorful butterflies. She can only seem to do this once she restores her full demon powers with the Rainbow Pearls.
- Yellow Dragon: The butterflies had merged into a dragon.
- Demonic Energy Orbs: Zero was capable of releasing large energy balls. She can only seem to do this once she restores her full demonic powers with all seven of her Rainbow Pearls. She can launch a multitude all at once at incredible speed and angles. However, a fully demonic Towa was capable of shattering these powerful orbs relatively easily with her fully demonic energized broken Kikujūmonji replica.
Weapon[]
- Staff: Zero wielded a tall scepter-like staff that has a spider emblem on it. It can shoot spider webs and blasts of violet energy from it. It is what is later known as the Azusa no Yumihari. The staff can be levitated and used to communicate Kirinmaru. It also has a point end that can be used to stab and impale if need be as seen when Zero attempted suicide by sending the end of staff towards her neck. Upon her second and final departure to the Underworld, only it was left of her.
- Rainbow Pearls: Zero was capable of using the Rainbow Pearls themselves to trap Nanahoshi in an electric force field. Later, she merged the pearls with herself to restore her full demon powers.
- Nanahoshi's Fan: Zero used Nanahoshi's fan in Episode 34, and her final current physical appearance which was Episode 37.
Gallery[]
External links[]
- Zero on the InuYasha Wiki
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 Villains
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Main Villains Naraku's Incarnations The Band of Seven Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Four Perils Demons Hyōga clan Demon ninjas Four War Gods Humans | ||