The Girls of Inuyasha: Kana & Kagura

To speak of Kagura and Kanna is to speak of Naraku, the bad guy. This is a demon, or a conglomeration of demons, that is directly opposing the heroes of this story. He was born from the bitterness and anger that came from being betrayed, coupled with his lust for the one person who took pity on him when he could do nothing for himself. In the normal course of events, he was a man who should have died.

Kikyo, a beautiful young priestess, tended his needs in order to ease his pain until he passed from this world. At the time, he was known as Onigumo, and he was an evil man, a bandit with no conscience. Those in need often develop a fondness for the caregiver, but he went beyond that and fell in love with Kikyo, desiring her above all things, even his own humanity.

He made a pact with the demons of the land, and there were many. He would give up his body and let them feed upon him, if he could be strong and healthy, so he could have Kikyo. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of demons descended upon him and, in devouring Onigumo they combined to form one demon; Naraku. Now that Onigumo was gone, or so it seemed, there was no need to honor the pact that was made and Naraku set out to destroy Kikyo and all that was good in the land.

Now we can get back to Kagura and Kanna. Since Naraku was a group of demons, rather than just a single entity, he could afford to break off parts of himself to form other demon creatures. It took some time for him to gain this ability, but once he did, there were many that he formed of his own substance, and Kanna was the first, with Kagura right behind.

Kanna appears to be a little girl, maybe ten or twelve years old. She carries an ornate mirror with her wherever she goes. The mirror has three major powers that Kanna can use at will. First, it can be used as a scrying device (like a crystal ball) to view whatever she wishes to see in the world. Second, it can absorb any power directed towards her and send it back upon its source. Third, it can absorb the souls of anyone looking into it.

Kanna is totally devoted to Naraku and does his bidding without question. In fact, she seems to be able to discern what his wishes are without even consulting him directly. She never grows old and she never gets excited; she just does what she has to do. Kanna has white hair and is always seen wearing white, perhaps symbolizing the innocence of youth.

Kagura, though, is a woman, and she has a mind of her own. She resents the fact that she must serve Naraku and she is ever on the lookout for a way to break the bonds between them. Kagura is the Sorceress of the Wind and she can control the winds in her vicinity. She uses a magical fan to display her powers. There is the Dance of Blades which can cut her enemies to ribbons, the Dance of the Dead which can raise them up again to do her bidding, and the Dance of the Dragon which can rend an enemy to shreds. Kagura travels on the wind. Taking the feathers from her hair (seemingly, only an adornment) and casing one into the wind, where it becomes large enough to carry her and at least one passenger, she will ride where she wills at great speed or she can just hover above a chosen spot.

Kagura is the wind, and the wind bows free. Above all else, she desires to be free of Naraku and his schemes. In time, she even secretly hopes that Naraku's enemies will prevail, and she aids them; if not openly, at least by not following Naraku's orders to the letter. Shortly after we meet Kagura, we see that Naraku holds her heart within his grasp, literally, and that he can snuff out her life at a moment's notice. Later, we find that he can re-absorb those creatures that he builds from his own substance as well. Kagura's only hope of freedom is that Naraku will be defeated by some outside force, allowing her to escape.

I often feel sorry for Kagura. I believe that she would go her own way and not bother anyone, if she were only allowed to do so. She is beautiful, in a worldly way, and she has exhibited hints that she could love someone who is her equal, like Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomeru. She eventually comes to a point where she is disgusted by the hateful acts of her master and wishes for it to all come to an end.

Unfortunately for her, Naraku knows her heart and he discards her before the final conflict. He doesn't even bother to reclaim her; he just destroys her. I was sorry to see her go, in spite of the many evil things she did in the beginning. In a sense, she was new born at that time, and she learned better as she grew older.