Kagome Higurashi
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| Kagome Higurashi 日暮かごめ |
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| Alternate Name(s) | Kikyo |
| Age | 15 |
| Race | Human |
| Weapons | Bow and Arrow Spiritual Powers (Reiki) |
| First Appearance (Anime) | The Girl Who Overcame Time...and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome |
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Kagome Higurashi (日暮かごめ Higurashi Kagome?) is a fictional character from the manga and anime series InuYasha. The title character (InuYasha) is her love interest.
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[edit] Description
Kagome is the main character of this manga and anime series. Her grandfather is the keeper of Higure Shrine, a shintō shrine near Tokyo. On her fifteenth birthday, she is pulled into the Bone Eater's Well by the centipede yōkai - Mudake Jōrō. This takes her back in time to the Sengoku period of feudal Japan. It is here that she finds the half-demon, InuYasha, asleep and pinned to a tree by a magical arrow. Kagome eventually releases InuYasha by removing the arrow from his chest, freeing InuYasha and beginning their adventures.
[edit] Relationships with other characters
- Kagome and InuYasha had a rocky start. Being the reincarnation of the 50-years-dead miko Kikyo, Kagome has a very close resemblance to her. Consequently, the resentment InuYasha held for Kikyo at that time was carried over to Kagome. Knowing Kagome had a close resemblance to the Miko Kikyou, he was very bothered by this, so he usually ignored Kagome.
- As the series progresses, however, the relationship between Kagome and InuYasha changes for the better. Because of her kind heart, Kagome is able to see past InuYasha’s despised mixed race, and she slowly begins to heal the emotional wounds he gathered from many years of racial persecution. InuYasha’s tough guy facade slowly dissolves as Kagome helps him mature.
- They even begin to fall in love, Kagome especially. However, their relationship’s steady progress is interrupted when Kikyo, InuYasha’s former lover, is revived from the grave (using part of Kagome's soul) and InuYasha reveals that his heart is still captured by the deceased miko. InuYasha encourages Kagome to stay in her time so that he may save and avenge Kikyo, but Kagome, still in love, decides to stay with him anyway, knowing that she could never break their bond. InuYasha is grateful to her and continues to fall in love with Kagome while still holding his love for Kikyo. This intense love triangle becomes one of the main conflicts within the manga/anime.
- As kind-hearted as Kagome is, InuYasha can certainly test her nerves though it is not always InuYasha’s fault. Used as a comic relief, the two argue constantly throughout the anime, which sometimes ends with Kagome saying osuwari (Sit in english dub) and InuYasha splatting to the ground. However, as both characters mature the arguments slowly dissipate, something especially evident in the later chapters of the manga.
- Other characters, such as Miroku, Sango, and Shippo, often speculate that Kagome and InuYasha are in love. The two avoid discussing their relationship, but there are clear indications in the series of their bond. This includes displays of intimacy such as holding hands, frequent physical contact below the shoulder, and Kagome allowing InuYasha to rest his head on her lap. In Japanese culture, such gestures represent obvious feelings of love between two people.
- Kikyo
- Kikyo is the origin of Kagome's powers, as she is her previous incarnation. Their relationship is uneasy due to Kikyo's past relationship with InuYasha. Kagome is upset that Kikyo still contacts InuYasha, often talking to him in private.
- In the beginning of the series, Kikyo tries to kill Kagome and take InuYasha with her to the afterlife. However, after learning the truth about Naraku's role in her death, she turns her focus from Kagome and InuYasha to Naraku and the jewel.
- Kagome has mixed feelings for Kikyo, but Kikyo does acknowledge Kagome and even helps her become a more powerful miko. Kikyo dies knowing that Kagome can finish her task of destroying Naraku and purifying the Shikon no Tama on her behalf.
- Shippo
- Kagome treats Shippo like a little brother, bringing him candy and toys from the modern era and allowing him to sleep in her sleeping bag. Shippo is quick to take Kagome's side in an argument, but never really states how he feels about Kagome.
- Miroku
- While Miroku is lecherous at times, he has great respect for Kagome and her power. Kagome is constantly trying to get Miroku and Sango together and confess their love for one another.
- Sango
- Sango and Kagome become close friends very quickly. Sango is the only other female character (other than Kirara who cannot talk) in the group. The two often consult and confide with each other about love interests and other important topics like the whereabouts of the the Shikon Jewel's shards. They call each other's using the -Chan honorific - a sign of close affections between the two girls.
- Koga
- Koga is first introduced when he tried to make Kagome his woman by kidnapping her. Eventually, as the series progresses, Kouga becomes a trusted ally to the group - often arriving in the nick of time to save someone (often Kagome) from danger. However, His claims that Kagome is 'his girl' causes tension between Kagome and InuYasha. Kagome doesn't really have any interest in Koga, and tries to tell him so. Despite this, Koga continues to pursue her and Kagome still appreciates his friendship.
- Ayame
- Ayame is Kagome's "rival" for Koga's affection. Though Kagome tries to befriend her, Ayame asserts that she does not like Kagome. Ayame loves Koga and once made him promise to marry her when she was older. Ayame blames Kagome for not putting an end to Koga's feelings for her.
- Ayame is an anime-only character.
- Hojo
- Hojo is one of Kagome's male classmates, and often brings herbal medicines and similar items to treat her 'sicknesses'. Kagome likes him as a friend, but is too polite to tell him she's in love with someone else.
- Yuka, Eri and Ayumi
- Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi are three classmates of Kagome. They are very nosy about Kagome's "boyfriend" and wonder why she isn't interested in Hojo. At the beginning of the series, they disapprove of InuYasha and encourage Kagome to 'dump him'. However, after meeting InuYasha, they change their minds.
[edit] Abilities
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- Purification/Miko Powers (Hama no reiryoku) - This ability means anything Kagome touches gets purified. By gathering an enormous amount of concentrated power into her right palm, she can direct it at her opponents. She only does this when the jewel is inside her body. This was used on the Mukade Jōrō and Urasue to some effect. She also uses this to purify the Jewel.
- Spiritual Powers - Kagome can pass through barriers, spells, and/or illusions. This includes those created by Kikyo (as she and Kikyo share one soul). Kagome is also able to sense evil auras and is unaffected by them. If possible, she is able to surround herself with her own spiritual powers to ward of any evil. She is also able to create the giant spiritual orb that Kikyo once made.
- Jewel Detecting - This allows her to senses the exact location of the Jewel shards. While other characters have shown a vague ability to see Shikon shards, only Kagome and Kikyo are able to sense the shards remotely.
- Time Travel - Kagome can travel back and forth 500 years between the present and the Feudal era. In the first part of the anime, Kagome seems to be only able to time travel when she has a Shikon Jewel shard with her or is with InuYasha. However, this restriction does not apply in the manga. Later on in the anime, this restriction is dropped and ignored.
- Rosary/"SIT" (Osuwari) Power - The string of beads placed around InuYasha's neck by Kaede is empowered to "subdue" him at a word from Kagome. This forces InuYasha to do whatever Kagome tells him to do.
[edit] Weapons
- Bow - Kagome uses a basic bow as a weapon. Once she infuses her powers into the bow, she can use it to reflect an enemy's attack. Kagome uses a shortbow, while Kikyo uses a longbow.
- Hama no Ya (literally "arrow of exorcism") - Kagome infuses her powers into her arrows. This allows the arrows to penetrate demonic forces and to purify objects.
- Sacred Backlash Wave (Hama-Bakuryūha) - This is actually a combined effort between InuYasha and Kagome. This has been used only in the movies and in episode 140 of the anime. This consists of Kagome firing one of her Hama no Ya in the center of InuYasha's Bakuryūha before it connects.
[edit] Voice actress
- Japanese Seiyū: Satsuki Yukino (credited as Satsuki Yukino)
- English Voice Actress: Moneca Stori
- Italian Voice Actress: Federica de Bortoli (ep 1-26); Maria Letizia Scifoni (ep 27-167)
- German Voice Actress: Ulrike Jennie
- Hungarian Voice Actress: Molnár Ilona
- Spanish Voice Actresses: Ana Lobo (normal), Leyla Rangel (some episodes)
- Catalan Voice Actress: Gemma Ibáñez
- Filipino Voice Actress: Donna Alcantara
- Korean Voice Actress: Jeong Mi Sook
