Inuyasha

The tale of Inuyasha was written by Takahashi Rumiko and was first published in Weekly Shounen Sunday on November 3, 1996. After 12 years and 56 volumes of publication, the series ended with its final chapter on June 18, 2008. The first 36 volumes manga were adapted into an anime series that aired for 167 episodes. A second 26-episode series titled Inuyasha: The Final Act, aired once the remainder of the manga had finished publication.

The story itself centres around Higurashi Kagome, an average school girl who finds herself approximately 500 years in the past, in the feudal era of Japan. Kagome grew up hearing about the legendary Shikon no Tama, a mystical jewel with extraordinary powers. Upon arriving in the past, she learns that she is the reincarnation of a powerful priestess named Kikyou and that the legendary jewel is in fact sealed inside her own body.

As Kagome runs away from a horrifying monster lured by the power of the jewel, she discovers a strange boy, pinned to a tree with a lone arrow. The boy, a half-demon named Inuyasha, offers to protect Kagome in exchange for his freedom. Kagome agrees and sets Inuyasha free. Inuyasha keeps his part of the bargain but as more demons are lured to the jewel, it ends up shattering into hundreds of shards. Kagome and Inuyasha, despite their differences, agree to travel together to look for the shards in an effort to reform the jewel in its entirety.

For more information about the series as a whole, check out the Inuyasha Wikipedia article. More awesome, informative Inuyasha-related sites can be found on the links page.