Inuyasha was one of my first anime crushes. I have no shame in yelling it from the highest mountain in feudal era Japan. But, in all honesty, can you blame me? Inuyasha is a muscular half-human, half-dog demon with a troubled past, trapped in a love triangle with a dead priestess and her modern day reincarnation – what’s not to love?!
However, the Inuyasha series has more than just a very attractive main character – it has love, betrayal, sibling rivalry, death, revival – the list goes on and on. Inuyasha is so beloved and well-received that it spawned several video games over the past two decades – including my favorite, Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale.
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The game’s story mode closely follows the plot of the manga and anime. You begin with the main characters – Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango and Miroku – collecting shards of the sacred Jewel of Four Souls while enemies one at a time, until you get to the final boss – the dastardly demon Naruku.
When I recently learned that a mobile game had been released last year, I was more excited than Miroku anytime he sees a pretty young woman. Okay, maybe not that excited, but excited nonetheless. Although I will definitely be downloading Inuyasha: A Tale of Rebirth as soon as I am done writing this very article, I would be remiss to say I was a little disappointed when I read the game’s plot synopsis, which is once again focused on Inuyasha and Kagome collecting the shards of sacred Jewel of Four Souls. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I guess?
Although my love for Inuyasha runs deeper than the mystic Bone-Eater's Well, I don’t think every game should be focused on his story – especially when there is another character who is more complex and honestly, much cooler looking – his older half-brother, Sesshomaru.
One of the main reasons I would love to play a game as Sesshomaru is the ability to control all of his different forms. A Feudal Fairy Tale has two playable versions of Inuyasha – his human form and his full demon form. Although fighting styles are different – one uses the sword, Tesiaga, and the other only uses their bare hands – Inuyasha’s two forms are very similar in appearance, with seemingly only eye color and his fighting stance changing. However, Sesshomaru’s humanoid form is completely different from his true form, which is a terrifyingly enormous white dog demon with glowing red eyes, sharp fangs and flowing white fur. The pooch version of Sesshomaru would be a great character to battle the shapeshifter Naruku, whose true form is a spooky spider demon.
Additionally, his backstory is very interesting. An aloof demon who was bequeathed a healing sword from his mighty father that can not kill, who ends up protecting the very creatures he long despised? To quote Philip J. Fry, “Shut up and take my money.”
Inuyasha will always hold a special place in my heart and on my gaming shelf, but if Bandai wants to create a new game focused around the alluring demon standing on a rock, staring into the abyss, I will be first in line, sword in hand, ready for feudal combat.