Love is a Battle Field

The dynamic between Kagome and Inuyasha is probably the most important relationship in the entire series. Not only do they propel the action of the story, but their relationship creates both humor and drama within the narrative. While her feelings for him are fairly straight forward, his are complicated by the love he continues to feel for another woman. Still, Kagome stays by his side, believing that it is better to be with him, even under these painful terms, than it is to be without him at all.

When the two first meet, Inuyasha had been pinned to a tree for half a century and he believes Kagome is the one responsible for this condition. While he later realizes that this is not true, he continues to regard her in the same fashion—she is the enemy. She is offended by his attitude towards her and his rough manners, but she also likes him and desires peace between them. This original dynamic is important because it establishes their characters. Inuyasha is a stubborn half demon who keeps people at arm’s length with his grumpy exterior because of the pain he has suffered due to human contact. Kagome is equally stubborn, but her honesty and kindness creates a rapport with people, even with those reluctant to befriend her.

As time passes, the two become closer, building a tenuous friendship. While Inuyasha can still be grumpy and rude, he softens up and shows concern for her well being. Kagome does her best to help him and tries to be more patient with him, even though he is often quite vexing. He becomes very protective of her, whether it is from demons who mean to kill her or other men who profess to love her. While Kagome is flattered by his protection, he usually follows this up by doing or saying something insensitive to anger her. This push and pull dynamic, which is maintain throughout the story, creates much of the humor in the series.

Kagome realizes that she loves her new friend, but by that point she has learned that he is in love with another woman—Kagome’s previous incarnation Kikyou to be exact. At first she wonders if the Inuyasha’s feelings for her result from him seeing Kikyou within her. Although she acknowledges the fact that Inuyasha may never commit to her, Kagome decides that she would rather stay by his side than leave him and avoid the heartbreak of seeing him run after Kikyou. Although she does not stop him when he leaves, she is always wounded by it. The resulting tension constitutes much of the drama within the story.

He eventually stops denying that he has feelings for Kagome, but he will not generally admit to them either. Inuyasha is not quite oblivious to her pain, but he cannot seem to decide which woman he wants to be with most. He loves Kikyou and Kagome deeply, but continues to hurt both of them with his indecision. In the past he betrayed Kikyou when he believed Naraku’s rouse and allowed her to die, even though he did not kill her himself. This guilt weighs heavily on him, and this, perhaps more than anything, keeps him from breaking his bound with Kikyou. No matter whom he chooses, the other will be crushed. Still, he promised to protect Kagome and he intends to carry out that promise, especially since he was unable to protect Kikyou.

Kagome met Inuyasha as a half demon and fell in love with him in that form, so she wants him to remain that way. While Kikyou wanted Inuyasha to become a full human, Kagome does not ask him to change. (This is not to villainize Kikyou, since she was bound by social responsibilities that do not bind Kagome.) She does not even ask him to give up his love for Kikyou, even though she secretly hopes that one day he will. She does not ask him to give up his quest to become a full demon. She simply tells him the truth—that she likes him just the way he is.

Inuyasha protects Kagome with his life, often taking unnecessary damage in order to keep him safe. Kagome too would give her life to protect him, once even jumping in front of an arrow to keep him from being killed. People trying to destroy them often try to force Kagome to kill him in the same manner as Kikyou (to add insult to injury) but she always fights back against their control. Her love for him is far too strong to be easily manipulated. For his part, Inuyasha trusts Kagome far more than anyone else and is able to see through the trick. Still, he does not always welcome her aid, since it sometimes puts her in more danger and complicated the situation.

Still, the two sometimes have a rocky relationship. Inuyasha can be very insensitive and sometimes quite stupid, which irritates Kagome enough to use her “Osuwari” command. Kagome can also be impatient and (occasionally) childish, which also result in Inuyasha being slammed into the ground. While this is usually lighthearted and easily recovered from, when Kagome is hurt by Inuyasha’s feelings for Kikyou, she becomes uncomfortable around him and desires distance in order to get over her feelings of hurt and jealousy. Even though she recovers from these periods of isolation, Inuyasha often fails to recognize her need for space and makes things worse by prodding her until she tells him to leave her alone.

While the two clearly have obstacles in their way, their bound is very strong. If the nature of their relationship was to be altered, it is unlikely that Inu-Yasha would be the same story, because their feelings result in a precarious balance of comedy and drama. The future of their relationship has not yet been decided, and it is likely to remain that way until the very end. Even though they may never be a couple, Inuyasha will always love her, and she will always love him.