Tessaiga: The Sword That Defines Inuyasha's Journey

Rumiko Takahashi's popular anime series Inuyasha has gained a massive following since it first aired. The series' famous weapons, especially swords, are a big part of its appeal. The Tessaiga, a powerful sword more than just a weapon, is at the heart of the story. 

It's an essential part of Inuyasha's character and personal growth. Inuyasha's sword, "Iron-Crushing Fang," can kill 100 demons with a single swing. It is one of the most famous swords in anime and has saved Inuyasha and his friends many times from Naraku. 

Since the new Inuyasha spinoff show, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, is airing right now, let's look at how this famous yokai sword, Tessaiga, looks and its history in this post.

History of Inuyasha’s Sword — The Tessaiga

This sword, called "The Sword of Destruction," was made by a swordsmith named Totosai. Tōga, the father of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, donated his fangs to make the blade. So that he could steal Shishinki's Meidō Zangetsuha, Tōga asked Totosai to make the Tessaiga. 

Too strong and dangerous, though, is Meidō Zangetsuha, so Tōga asked Totosai to make the Tenseiga. Some people call the Tenseiga "The Sword of Life." Its job is to hold the Tessaiga's power. Sesshomaru is very upset that he gets the Tenseiga as an inheritance. 

When it came to the Tessaiga, Tōga put a wall around it so that greedy and evil demons couldn't use it to kill innocent people. Then, Tōga hid the sword in plain sight at his grave in the land where the living and the dead meet.

Physical Description and Characteristics of Tessaiga

When not used, the Tessaiga looked like a broken-down katana with a highly chipped and rusted blade and fabric tearing away from the hilt. It was fitting that when the blade changed into its form, it looked like a big dog's fang. 

The cross guard turned into a big patch of fur that looked like a dog's. In later chapters and episodes, the blade got a little bigger, changed colors, and made different forms based on the skills it took in. If you let go of Tessaiga, like when you throw it at an enemy, it can stay in its true form for a short time before returning to its normal form. 

Tessaiga is well known for its powers, such as the Backlash Wave, a potent counterattack that reflects demonic energy to its source, and the Wind Scar, which uses the collision of demonic energy to destroy enemies. In the series, the sword's powers frequently act as pivotal moments, enabling Inuyasha to overcome obstacles that appear insurmountable.

Tessaiga's Powers and Abilities

Tessaiga Scabbard

The Tessaiga's scabbard was made from Bokusenō wood to block or deflect yōki-based attacks. However, if that force was used repeatedly, the scabbard would break, and its shield would no longer work. 

This was shown when Inuyasha was stuck inside the flask of a sage. It could also be called the Tessaiga. You could fix a broken scabbard by putting it next to a nest of yōkai bees. The bees would use their beeswax to fix it.

Kenatsu

When Tessaiga releases small bursts of yōki, it can cut enemies without touching them, just like many other yōkai swords. When Inuyasha first learned the Kaze no Kizu, this was his primary way of fighting the Tessaiga. 

He used it to kill smaller yōkai easily. The Tessaiga can't change on the night of the new moon because the Inuyasha have temporarily become humans once a month as hanyō.

Wind Scar

Sensing the clash of yōki between the user and opponent activates Tessaiga's famous Kenatsu, which can kill a hundred yōkai with a single strike. At first, Inuyasha didn't know how powerful it was, but with Sesshōmaru's help, he learned how to use it. 

After fighting Ryūkotsusei, he put his power into the move, which immediately made it work. In the past, the Wind Scar had to fight enemies like Kagura, who could control yōki winds to stop it from happening.

Backlash Wave

"Ultimate technique" is what the Tessaiga's ougi means. It used the other player's yōki and immediately launched the Kaze no Kizu. Adding the Kaze no Kizu to the yōkai's power would bounce back at you. The first time Inuyasha used this move, he beat Ryūkotsusei by redirecting his yōki blasts back at him. 

But two things had to be true for the Bakury̫ha to work. Firstly, Inuyasha could only block strikes of pure energy or yōki. The second was that his yōki had to be about the same level as his opponent's, or the Bakuryūha wouldn't happen.

Akai Tessaiga

Akai Tessaiga, also written as Kekkai Yaburi no Akai Tessaiga (literally, "Red Tessaiga Barrier Shattering"): Shiori got this technique from her orb as a reward for protecting her from her grandpa and his bat yōkai. The blade could cut through walls in this state so that Inuyasha could get to his enemies. 

It could break through Naraku's barrier at one point, but it could not after what happened on Mount Hakurei. It also didn't work against psychic shields like Hitomiko's. The "Barrier-Breaking Red Tessaiga" is what people call it.

Yōki Absorption

When Tessaiga broke the yōkai sword Dakki, she learned how to directly take an opponent's yōki, which is demonic energy. As a hanyō, Inuyasha limited how much yōki the sword could take in before it turned against the person who used it. 

Yōreitaisei's senki bath stopped the vomiting. With this power, Inuyasha can also take demons out of possessed people, which he did in his fight with the cat demon. This skill does not have a name, just like the demonic barrier-breaking power.

The Impact of Inuyasha’s Sword Tessaiga on its Character Development

At the beginning of the series, Inuyasha is careless and somewhat selfish. But he grows up a lot, and Tessaiga is a big part of this change. 

With Tessaiga's help, Inuyasha learns to care for himself, protect the people he cares about, and control his wild half-demon nature. It shows how much he has changed, solidifying his role as a tool and a way for him to grow.

The Bottom Line

To sum up, the Tessaiga is not just a sword. It is a character in its own right, showing how Inuyasha suffers, grows, and lives in two different worlds. The show explores themes of responsibility, protection, and the interaction between the human and demonic worlds. 

Without the Tessaiga, Inuyasha's journey would have been very different, showing how important this fantastic tool is to the story and character growth of this beloved anime series.