Talk:Naraku

Appearance

I don't know where people got the impression that Naraku has a true form. He originated from a combination of people with opposing goals. The man sends out parts of himself to serve him, and they all hate his guts. All except the girl Kanna, who personifies emptiness. His name means Hell, and the damned soul in question (Onigumo) perceives him as a black abyss. If you don't count the prisoner, there's nothing under the masks. A quick search reveals at least two sites where people agree with me; the link http://www.animenation.net/forums/showthread.php?t=155218 seems to work. Dan 03:18, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

And oh yes, we never see Onigumo's face because he lost his identity during the formation of Naraku. His original face no longer exists, even in memory.

I don't know where people got the impression that Naraku has a true form. He originated from a combination of people with opposing goals.

It is quite possible that the Spider/Youkai-Human form which he appeared as in episodes 80-81 is his true/defualt form. After both InuYasha and Sesshoumaru assumed that it is (in both the Manga and the Anime), Naraku never did deny it-- in fact, he nearly agreed. Sometimes, it is almost like some people are a bit afraid to research and then assume things based on what they had researched. Or maybe Naraku's true form is whichever form he obtains after being reborn...There are so many possiblities and theories. However, people may be mistaking "true form" for "original form".

Perhaps most of these mysteries would be resolved if the Zusetsutaizen Ougikaiden official character data book were translated in English.IANS 10:11, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

Um, to "assume things" would technically violate the prohibition on original research at Wikipedia. And a data book would add a new POV, nothing more and nothing less. Dan 02:30, 25 April 2006 (UTC) (I moved both comments from the end of this page)

The article says Naraku's spider scar disappears at one point. Sounds plausible, but where does this information come from? Do we see his back after that point in the manga? I don't recall seeing it in the anime. Dan 23:34, 24 March 2006 (UTC)

Noman953, please explain the following edit: [[1]]. You removed sourced information without saying why, and restored at least one demonstrably false statement ("have never been used in combat".) Dan 17:26, 7 April 2006 (UTC)

I reversed some of those changes, and also removed a disputed assertion. Notice that I cited other fan sources for my own interpretation, and I've modified my text slightly to avoid making any claim in violation of NPOV. (Or Wikipedia:No_original_research.) If you want to restore the claim I deleted, please give a source instead of asserting it as the article's official position. Dan 18:39, 10 April 2006 (UTC)

Naraku's true form is a mystery, but it has been suggested that his favourite face is his true face, such as when he lost his powers in the third season. I'm not sure what his true form is, but it is possible that all of the forms he has taken are at least close to his true form, especially since his face never changes. Mathew Williams 19:05, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Although I may have misinterpreted the opening post, I'm not quite sure where the claim that the youkai of whom Naraku was composed were in conflict with one another originated from, as he never really appears to be in conflict with himself, unless one counts Onigumo's heart as part of his personality, although Naraku himself seems to disassociate Onigumo from himself. At least within the translations I have read, it hasn't really been inferred that the personality Naraku exerts is just a series of masks with nothing behind them, that his apperent goals, motivations, and intent are all just an elaborate ruse to cover the fact that he is a walking internal war. As for the statement that all his offspring hate him, the only ones to show outright animousity toward him are Kagura and Hakudoshi/Akago. Kanna, Goshinki, and Byakuya all seemed fairly loyal to him, Juromaru and Kageromaru just attacked everyone indescriminately, and Akago was a personification of Onigumo's heart, so it stands to reason that he would hate Naraku. What seems to be stated in this post, and this may just be my interpretation, is that Naraku's offspring are just the personalities of several of the original youkai who compose him that have been given new bodies that have broken off from the herd (Naraku), and where this may be there nature, I personally cannot recall this claim being confirmed, although I could be mistaken. I am not saying that this is necissarily inaccurate, I am only bringing into question whether or not this has been confirmed. Similarly, where Naraku appears to be of a single mind, if any confirmation can be made that he is in fact many different people in conflict with each other, if that is what is being proposed, can this be cited with examples from the manga? 74.67.115.126 21:33, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Article appearance

Who took the italicisations off of yōkai and those other words? They are foreign words that are not proper nouns; leave them italicised.

What is with the Japanese language help things on all the names of Naraku's children? I feel that it is detracting from the appearance of the article. It is well-known that those are the appropriate kanji and Hepburn romanisations thereof. If nobody responds with an explanation of why the Japanese language help things are there, I will delete them. The same goes for the formatting thing that causes hyphens to appear when there should be em dashes. Θεοδωρος יִרְמְיָהוּ Nizarck 00:51, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

The Japanese help page exists to help people display the characters properly in their browser. But one link would probably suffice. I don't know if I see this formatting problem you speak of. Dan

The formatting problem apparently only appears on some computers, as I have been experimenting with different networks. If there is to be only one link (logically), should it not appear with the first Japanese text in the article, Naraku's own name at the very top? Θεοδωρος יִרְמְיָהוּ Nizarck 00:30, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Okay, the new character template has the problem that the table that showed furigana now looks like crap standing out against the vermillion background. I assume that is why Kunzite removed them from all the articles that had them. Is there anyway to incorporate a table that will not conflict with the template's background? Θεοδωρος יִרְמְיָהוּ Nizarck 17:01, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Age

I'd like to inquire as to why Naraku's profile lists him as being around 70 years old. Naraku was created around the time Inuyasha was sealed, ie, 50 years ago. Unless the manga/anime lasts 20 years, I don't think Naraku could be any older than maybe 52 or 53 (again, depending on how long the manga/anime lasts)., I'd like to suggest we change his age to '50+ years', Who supports this? User: Drake Clawfang, April 14 2006, 9:09 PM, EST.

Sounds reasonable to me. I don't know how you could arrive at an age of 70 years unless you identify him with Onigumo, which probably explains it. I don't recall Naraku ever using time travel. Dan 07:41, 17 April 2006 (UTC)

I was wondering about his age too (although it seems you all decided on this last year). You have Naraku's age listed as 50, which is accurate in as far as his "demon" age is concerned, but would it be more accurate to list it at perhaps 75 or so which would take the age of Onigumo into account? --Brahman 05:30, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Manga vs anime

Hello, I believe certain false information in Naraku's article needs to be removed; which includes:

1) The parts about Onigumo & Rasetsu, Etc. That was a filler episode, so none of the Onigumo/Rasetsu stories were written/created by Rumiko Takahashi.

2) The Naraku who was reborn at Hakurei-Zan is not a full Youkai-- which was confirmed by Abi-Hime and Tekkei.

3) Things that Naraku had said or done in InuYasha movies and filler episodes should not be listed as official information.

One thing that I notice is, many times, different people's contributions to Naraku's article are deleted--even when the information is true. There used to be more pictures, facts and other information about him, which made his article look more complete-- like most of the other InuYasha character's. At one time, most of the page was deleted-- why is that?? I assume that everyone is free to edit and add to any page, so all articles should be shared and NOT owned. In other words, I believe no one has the right to delete someone else's information UNLESS it is awfully false.

I beg to differ concerning points one and three. Events exclusive to the anime, however incompatible with the original manga, are still officially licensed under the InuYasha franchise, and should be given due consideration. That being said, because of the disparities between the anime and manga, I do believe that anime- or movie-only information should be noted as such. Do not simply remove it, though; it is still relevant. Θεοδωρος יִרְמְיָהוּ Nizarck 00:51, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you for the most part, but what I meant is: information that came from filler episodes and movies usually leads to more confusion, which is not a good thing. Again, I agree that the information is officially licensed, but it is not canon, and it probably would not seem right to use it as 100% canon. I am mainly talking about the Onigumo parts; creating a big thing such as Onigumo's past is a big step, since none of this has been confirmed by Takahashi. However, just like you said, if it is noted that the information came from a filler or movie, that should be good enough, I suppose.

It also occurred to me that a lot of contributors write things from a Naraku-hater's point of view (not only in Naraku's article, but in Hakudoushi's, Kagura's, Sesshoumaru's and others as well), which does not seem like a very intelligent, nor mature thing to do. Because this is an information site, I believe that things should be writtern from a neutral point of view-- without favoritism or dislike.IANS 2:11, 24 April 2006 (UTC)

Duly noted; the changes have been implemented regarding both Naraku's status as a han'yō, and the disparities between the manga, anime, and movies. Θεοδωρος יִרְמְיָהוּ Nizarck 00:43, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

Time of weakness

The article said that Naraku's time of weakness happens once a month, like Inuyasha's. I don't think the manga or the anime ever says this. In fact, both appear to say that more than one month passed between the first sequence of story events at the castle, and the one time we see the castle barrier weaken along with Naraku. I guess you could reconcile this with the once-a-month interpretation using some ad hoc hypothesis, but let's keep it out of the article unless someone provides a citation. Dan 18:18, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

This is a tricky issue. Naraku says that he can choose the time when he reverts to his human form. Does that mean that he can go on for a million years without reverting? obviously not. Hanyo's revert to human form to balance out the existence of being halfway between yokai and human. That's why I think Naraku just like Inuyasha reverts once a month, but he choose which day of the month that is, but he still has to do it once a month. Also remember Naraku isn't a main character and we don't see him in every episode. Kagura herself stated how he disappears from time to time without her knowing where he is. We only got to see a one time wonder of Naraku's "human form", so we can't really tell how long the period is for Naraku. That's why I think we should state in the article that the general assumption is that it is one month during which he has to pick a day for reverting to his human form. (User:Noman953)

Who makes this general assumption? If you find people saying this outside Wikipedia, maybe you could get away with quoting them or citing them in the article. But WP:No original research strictly forbids adding theories that seem reasonable to you without citations from outside sources. Dan 18:45, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

How powerful is Naraku-sama?

-We know he doesn't fear Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru always going after him, but not the other way around. Naraku has manipulated and tried to kill him but never went after him. -Moryomaru was able to hold his own against Kikyo, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. I bet if Naraku had just let him grow super powerful with the Shikon jewel he could have easily killed of all of Naraku's enemies. -And I doubt Kikyo would even be able to reach the Shikon jewel while its inside his impenetrable shell; and now Naraku has absorbed Moryomaru so then why does he have to reclaim his human heart to fill Kikyo with malice. He even told his heart he didn't want to come back meaning he doesn't like his human heart, so why did he reclaim it. -Either Rumiko Takahashi screwed up or there's something I'm missing (User:Noman953)

The manga explains this clearly at the time, in my view. Midoriko and Kikyo had planned to destroy Naraku by purifying a shard of the Shikon jewel to such a degree that when Naraku seized it, the shard would purify him. Onigumo's heart says it can stop this from happening by bringing darkness to the shard first. In other words, Onigumo's feelings give him a completely different kind of power, one that Naraku didn't have without Onigumo despite growing in youki and physical abilities. Apples and oranges. Dan 18:40, 8 May 2006 (UTC)

Yōkai or han'yō?

First of all I don't remember anywhere in the manga about Abi and her mom saying he's a hanyou. And the anime isn't very reliable because there are loads and loads of continuity problems in it. In the beginning of the series they claimed that Kagome, but not Inuyasha, needed the shikon jewel to pass throught the well. But later on she was able to do without it. Same goes for the second movie; which by the way was removed from the story due to continuity problems with the anime; during the Akitoki Hojo arc I believe. And by the way exactly what do Abi and her mom know about Naraku? Do they know that he's made from millions of of yokai? Do they know his history with Onigumo? Do they know how he expelled humanity from himself, etc.? I don't see exactly what makes them an authority over Naraku?

I strongly advice you guys to watch episode 123 to get an idea of what I'm saying; Naraku says something about why absorbing humans would make him weaker. That's why his powers increased astronimically in Mount Hakurei. Naraku was always very powerful since he had so many different powers from so many different demons, not to mention how many he absorbed in 50 years but his humanity was always reducing his power. Once he go rid of it he became all powerful. I'll admit that he has the hugest shikon shard giving him strength, but he still was a lot more powerful then when he appeared with the same shikon shard after the Mount Hakurei arc. This huge jolt in power that we see at Mount Hakurei seems too concidental. Naraku has always been absorbing demons so I don't see why absorbing more could give him such a big boost. The reason is simple, its because he's full yokai now. (User:Noman953)

Please, remain civil while discussing articles. No need to say things like "dammit". -- ReyBrujo 20:37, 7 May 2006 (UTC)

In the Manga, Abi and her Mother did, indeed say that Naraku is a Hanyou or half-Demon. If you do not believe me, then read these exact Manga scripts: http://www.wot-club.org.uk/trans/iv31/ . If somehow, you do not believe the script, then I will provide actual Manga scans that I own. I agree, there are many errors in the Anime, which is why many people get all of their information from the Manga.

Yes, Naraku said that absorbing Humans would weaken him, or do nothing for him, but that is probably because humans are weak compared to Youkais. Absorbing a few low-class Youkai or Demons probably would not help Naraku much, either. I agree; Abi nor Tekkei knew nothing about Naraku, however, Abi somehow knew that Inu-Yasha is a Hanyou/Half-Demon, and there is not much that proves that she was wrong about Naraku, either. Seriously, Naraku became more powerful at Hakurei-Zan, but why would that automatically make him a full-Youkai? I know that he got rid of Onigumo's feelings towards Kikyou, etc, but he still appeared to be similar to how he used to be, in my opinion. Perhaps Naraku is unable to erase every bit of Onigumo or humaity from his body or soul unless he uses the complete Shikon No Tama. And by the way, Kikyou DID say that Naraku cannot erase who he once was...

All of these are opinions and theories of mine, but I DO believe that Naraku is still a Hanyou. And sometimes, the characters themselves ( Abi, Tekkei, etc) know more than we do-- unless they are proven wrong.IANS 2:37, 18 May 2006 (UTC)

Fictional sadists

Would it be safe to say that Naraku gains a general pleasure out of the pain he causes others? Although most of his actions throughout the series seem to be a means to an end, such as turning Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other in order to corrupt the Shikon jewel, does he not seem to enjoy the act of manipulating and ruining the lives of other characters? An example of this would be during the Tsubaki arc, when he left Inuyasha with the choice of either killing Kagome in self defense, or being killed himself by her (while she was manipulated by a corrupted jewel shard). I say this because Naraku has been taken out of and placed back in the aforementioned category on several occasions.

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I am the person who removes it,( Fictional Sadists ) because there is practically 0-proof that Naraku is a Sadist. Also, " fictional mass murders " hardly seems to describe him correctly either, in my opinion, because he does not always kill simply to kill and such; he does whatever he wishes to do for power, and innocent people usually get caught in between -- so they die. Also, Inu-Yasha kills many Youkai and such, so should he be under that category as well? Good or evil -- a killer is still a killer, and Youkai may not be human, but they still value their own lives as well as the lives of their family, and they have flesh and blood also.

Type in, " sadist " either here, or at http://www.dictionary.com , then you will see exactly what a sadist truly is, and Naraku barely seems to relate to one at all. I agree on Naraku tending to behave somewhat sadistic when it comes to hurting Inu-Yasha and perhaps Kikyou, but that is merely because he has / had a PERSONAL grudge against them, and again, he seems to get no sexual pleasure from hurting them ( which is one of the most obvious feelings that a sadist gets ). If any Naraku-related character is a sadist, I believe it is Kagura or Hakudoushi, but I do not see their articles listed under that category -- Naraku's article tends contain enough HATEFUL-BIAS, so it does not need anymore unproved assumptions ( what are people trying to prove? We all know that Naraku is evil and hated, so why fluant or hype it so often?? Why not act " neutral," since this is supposed to be an intelligent, mature, informative article...?). Peace... IANS 8:37, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

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By that definition I would have to say that it would be sensible to leave Naraku out of that category. However, most of the characters listed as 'fictional sadists', with the exception of Xenia from 'Goldeneye', do not exhibit sadism in the literal sense of gaining sexual satisfaction, but rather simply exhibit a non-sexual pleasure for causing others pain in and of itself. The criteria listed in that catergory does not it fact even decribe literal sexual sadism, but rather "sadistic personality disorder." What I was questioning whether or not he would qualify for that definition, or if his cruelty was simply a means to an end.

In regards to his listings as a sadist or mass murderer being "hateful biases", I'm not sure whether or not it is the result of editors having a grudge toward a fictional character, or whether it is simply an objective, neutral statement describing a character portrayed as outwardly evil. For instance, Hannibal Lecter is listed under fictional sociopaths because his actions in the novels and films more or less qualify him as one, not because an editor thought he was a jerk. Likewise, Naraku being regarded as 'sadistic', by editors could have been the result of his personal grudge against Inuyasha and Kikyo being interpreted as an urge to see them suffer rather, and therefore they regarded him as a (non-sexual) sadist. Would being listed under "Manga and anime villains" be the result of someone being angry over him trying to kill Inuyasha? No. It is because he is opposed to the goals of the characters the story centers around, which qualify him as an antagonist, regardless of whether or not he conforms to the editors' ideas of morality.

At any rate, where I do agree that Naraku is not a sexual sadist, the category 'fictional sadists' is something of a misnomer, as it describes characters with "sadistic personality disorder", not characters who conform to the literal definition. My question is whether or not Naraku's actions fit that category's definition, or if his actions are impersonal and solely directed toward gaining power.

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I agree, many of those characters do not appear to be sadists, either. As for " sexual sadists, " a sadist, in general is usually a person who gets a sexual feeling while causing pain to others; ( or while thinking of doing so ) I do agree with you for the most part, though. When I said " hateful-bias, " I was not simply referring to calling Naraku a sadist or mass murderer; I was referring to the parts of his article that tend to exaggerate his evil and such. It is all right to *note* that Naraku is evil and such sometimes, I suppose( but shouldn't explaining all of the evil acts that he has done be good enough? )why over-interpret it by saying things such as, " Onigumo was full of hatred and such for others " or " the evil Demon did this or that--" ? Kagura, Hakudoushi and others are nearly as evil as Naraku is, yet I see little or none of that in their articles. Also, why do people continue to write that Onigumo's feelings for Kikyou were simply lusts? If it were lust, then Musou would not have been so angry at Naraku for " killing " her, or Onigumo would not have sold his soul simply so he that can be with her -- that seemed more like real love to me, because " lust " is not really valuing a person, it is more like a strong desire for pleasure and such. Well, it is a bit hard to explain, but by reading most of Naraku's article, I believe that practically anyone can assume that the main person or people who wrote it obviously do not like him at all ( which is fine, but acting neutral is the key to writing a truly good article, in my opinion ). However, I did say, " tends " which means that it has the tendency to contain hateful-bias sometimes, but some of it has been removed and not all parts contain it.

And as for Naraku hurting people for fun, I do not see that at all, and especially not in the manga. I truly do not wish to sound biased, ( I am not a big Naraku-fan, or anything like that -- but even if I were, I would not be biased, anyway ) but everytime Naraku had caused pain, it was to either get rid of interferences or to obtain shards of the Shikon no Tama-- which is practically Naraku's " life. " Naraku is a very selfish man, yet, he risks his own life for the jewel, so would he allow strangers to lose their lives so that he can reach his goal? Of course. He is careless, selfish, greedy and evil, but more selfish / greedy and careless than anything else, in my opinion. Peace! IANS 8:47, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

1. Naraku often laughs at the suffering of others. Some of his actions, and the kazanna curse in particular, make no sense to me unless I assume he takes pleasure in causing pain. Making the kazanna didn't get rid of interferences at all. Compare this with a different kind of villian, a strict orthodox member of the yugoloth race. Their normal leaders avoid all emotions except greed for wealth and power. Officially they don't laugh or gloat unless putting on a show would advance their interests. They barely notice the pain they cause unless they've decided to study it scientifically, as a means to increase their power. Do you think Naraku behaves like that in canon? If so, how do you explain the curse he put on those monks?

2. What definition of love did you use here? Onigumo does not act like his happiness depends on Kikyo's happiness (in accordance with Heinlein's definition of love). He acts like he wanted to possess her. When he emerged as Muso and mistook Kagome for Kikyo (if mistook is the right word), didn't he try to kidnap and by implication rape her? When Naraku reabsorbed his heart after expelling it for the second time, he did so in order to corrupt people and jewel shards with his malice. Then he hurts Kikyo and tries to kill her. I suppose you could argue that Naraku changed Onigumo as the years passed. But the evidence still doesn't support the claim that he loved Kikyo at the start. Summoning demons does not portray his emotions back then in a positive light. Dan 21:05, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

Naraku often laughs about many things, including when he himself is injured. Naraku laughs mainly when his plans are going smoothly or when he does not take someone seriously, so saying that he is sadistic simply for laughing is somewhat weak, because as I stated, he laughs about practically EVERYTHING. The Kazanaa curse was somewhat unnecessary to me as well, but Naraku probably assumed that the entire bloodline of Houshi was extremely powerful and would probably come pursue him once again ( you know how Naraku always takes extreme measures to ensure his safety and such ). After Naraku had placed the curse on Miroku's grandfather, he told the Houshi that as long as he is alive, the Houshi's family will be cursed, which justifies the theory of Naraku detroying all of the Houshi in the family ( only males are cursed, and THEY are the ones with the spiirtual powers ) so no one would threaten his life, in my opinion. Why else would Naraku tell him that -- to encourage him to pursue and destroy Naraku? That simply is not like him at all. In my opinion, it seemed as though Miroku's grandfather was the one who pursued Naraku first, because Houshis and such are constantly attempting to kill practically every youkai they sense because they feel they should not be around, etc. However, I doubt Naraku was " innocent " either, but it is quite possible that he was minding his own business at first ( Naraku rarely or never picks fights with strangers ). I strongly agree on Naraku occasionally taking some type of pleasure in the suffering of his enemies, but I never see him taking pleasure in anyone else's ( not Kohaku's, villager's, etc ). Naraku rarely tortures people for long periods of times ( only Inu-Yasha's group and Kikyou, sometimes ), never targets innocent people for the purpose of enjoying it and never kills anyone unnecessarily violently ( especially when compared to other characters ) -- all of these factors and more are what helps make one a sadist. In my opinion, one is not a sadist unless he or she takes pleasure in torturing EVERYONE, whether or not they are an enemy, and Naraku is not like that. Of course, Naraku is aware of the fact that he is responsable for everything he has caused, but that does not necessarily mean he cares either way ( he cares only about his own goals and such ). Unlike Musou, I have never seen Naraku brag about or seem proud of being responsable for the deaths of innocent people or villages being destroyed. He is more cold-hearted than most, but not sadistic, in my opinion. Also, Naraku does not always attempt to torture Inu-Yasha's group and Kikyou; he often sends others to kill them as well. And after all, most enemies do enjoy the pain of eachother, because that is hatred, so it is normal, in my opinion ( Also, Naraku is evil, so evil + extra hatred = very, very bad ).

As for Onigumo, true, he did act as if he wanted to possess Kikyou and also did not appear to care for what Kikyou wanted. However, I believe his happiness did somewhat depend on being with Kikyou, because she was the main reason why he sold his very soul. In the manga, he said that he wanted the youkai to give him the power ( the Shikon no Tama ) to make Kikyou his woman, in this proves some type of love to me, at least. Onigumo was undoubtedly evil, and it is doubtful that he actually knew how to truly love, because he probably never experienced it before -- never in his life. However, because Kikyou was kind to him, ( probably the first person who had ever been nice to him ) she probably changed him a little, so he probaby did the best he felt. Onigumo never said anything about wanting to rape Kikyou or anything, and I have no idea why people immediately assume that. Musou had mistaken Kagome for Kikyou because they looked alike and he never knew that Kikyou was reborn. Musou also stated that all he desired was Kikyou and to get out of that cave with a new body.

Naraku has stated that he wishes to become a full-youkai just like Inu-Yasha used to, and he wants to complete a corrupt Shikon no Tama so taht he can make that wish. 50 years ago, Kikyou was purifying the Shikon no Tama and told Inu-Yasha that he could use it in order to become human, then the purified Shikon no Tama would cease to exist. Perhaps a corrupt Shikon no Tama would create the ultimate youkai, even though they are not always naturally evil ( just as humans are not always pure ), so perhaps that is why Naraku always makes certain that it is always corrupt...Only a theory.

And lastly, Onigumo's evil soul attracted youkai and oni, and youkai are NOT demons -- not even close. Youkai can be good just as often as evil, but in Inu-Yasha at least, it always seems as though there is some type of corruption about them, or perhaps it is because humans see them so differently. The youkai made a deal with Onigumo, he believed them, but they tricked him.

Peace. --IANS 08:48, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

You say Naraku saw the monk's family as a threat? Then a sane non-sadist would kill them, instead of giving them a new power and then showing them you can neutralize it. If that first monk even had children at the time (and I don't recall seeing proof of this), they must have been fairly young. Oh, and if you object to the term "attempted rape" applied to a situation where the villian tries to seize the woman by force (physically speaking), then just think of it as a "literary rape". Dan 18:49, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

I said it is very likely that Naraku saw the entire family as a threat, and it is also possible that the Houshi had a child, because he appeared somewhat " old "; at least Miroku's age ( Miroku is 18, of course ) or older, and in the feudal era, they often had children as young teenagers. True, Naraku should have simply killed him / them instead of giving them a new ability, but the curse would supposedly destroy every Houshi in the family, rather than Naraku needing to come back and kill them all. As we said, there is no doubt that Naraku sometimes likes to see his enemies suffer, because he hates them, of course ( though, the Houshi's family did nothing to Naraku, but they were potential threats to him and the curse was originally directed toward that Houshi in the first place ). Still, torturing an enemy or two does not make one a sadist, because many, many people do that, in my opinion. --IANS 23:55, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

More pictures

I have been wondering this for a while...Should Naraku have more than one picture, since he changes his look more than everyone else? Most main and supporting characters seem to have more than one picture in their article, ( Kikyou, Kagura and Sesshoumaru have too many, in my opinion ) and I believe that it is somewhat necessary to show his many forms -- especially since his " appearence " is somewhat of a big issue sometimes. Also, Naraku looks somewhat different in the manga. ( more different than others ) I do not intend for this article to look like a " Fanpage " or anything like that, but I believe that it should have an image of all or some of his forms.

What does everyone else believe? And why was the picture of Naraku's 2nd form deleted?

Peace. --IANS 00:50, 14 July 2006 (UTC)

Kagura's motives

IANS, you keep addding inference about Kagura's motives. As I said in my edit summary, she doesn't seem to mind the first order Naraku gives her (that we know about). Then she discovers he had no problem letting her die to get information, and attacks him in anger. He responds by squeezing her heart to show his control. After that she does indeed hate taking orders from him, for obvious reasons in my view. She may count as a "traitor" or disobedient servant, if you view Naraku as her rightful lord for some reason, but Naraku betrayed his feudal obligations first if we go by any kind of "social contract" view. As for Hakudoshi, serving a child (who seemed loyal to Naraku at first) might have emphasized her slavery to someone she hated. If you think we don't have clear evidence of Naraku's sadism, surely you can see that we have no proof of the motives you give Kagura. Whereas we know she hates Naraku's control. Perhaps we could compromise and say she hates involuntary servitude or (without the euphemism) living in slavery, regardless of the master. Dan 18:41, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Why would Naraku NOT be her rightful lord? He created her as a servant, and he had every right to make serving her duty, in my opinion. Kagura also had every right to dislike what he did to her, but she was actually immortal as long as her heart was safely with Naraku ( which should have been obvious, since Hakushoushi and Naraku were also the same way ). I also believe that Kagura belongs under that traitor category just as much as Naraku does, because Onigumo is NOT Naraku, and no one knows if Onigumo truly betrayed that man in canon -- that was an anime-only filler episode, and people who know a lot about the series' storyline never use anime information as valid. As for Kagura, she had reasons to betray Hakudoushi and Naraku I suppose, but she also used others as well ( she betrayed Kohaku twice in the manga, then Mouryoumaru, and Hakudoushi AGAIN all in 1-2 manga chapters ). Kagura wished to be free as the wind so badly that, it appeared that she did not wish to be bound to anyone, and that is somewhat understandable. However, in terms of using and betraying, Kagura is a lot more like Naraku than many fans believe -- perhaps it runs in the family or something ( All of Naraku's children betrayed him, and not always because he so-called " mistreated " them ). But I agree with many things that you had said. Peace. --IANS 23:55, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

So, you like the proposed compromise? (I can't resist pointing out that creating a daughter does not normally give you the right to kill her, nor to risk her life without telling her. And while the writer may have given her immortality later, it does not make the slightest bit of sense -- he would have done that to all his detachments if it worked the way you say.) Dan 04:13, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Kagura did not know that she was protected from death by Naraku's possession of her heart. Remember in episode 166, she went to see Sesshomaru again one more time before she died. Presumably not knowing that she would be revived. JRSpriggs 09:41, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

I agree, Kagura did not know at first, but she later did, and still chose freedom, which again, is not a bad thing. Naraku is Kagura's father, but he did not create her to love here -- he created her to do his evil deeds whether or not it costed her life. Naraku created her and his other children as servants, they simply happen to be his children, and in my opinion, Naraku has the right to endanger them if he wishes ( no matter how " cruel " it may sound ), since he created them of his OWN flesh and power. I honestly do not wish to sound biased, ( why would I be? ) but this is how I feel, and simply because Naraku's children look human and are " likable " to many fans, does not mean that Naraku does not have the right to create soliders ( like Kikyou's Kochou and Asuka, and the creator of Kikyou's clay soliders ). And yes, Dan, I agree with you and the article / info looks fine now.

Peace.--IANS 10:28, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

character book

I rephrased the character book stat info in a way that seems more NPOV. Someone who knows Japanese tells me those numbers in context actually refer to a morally neutral form of "spiritual" strength. Dan 04:01, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

The POV seemed neutral enough to me, ( it is not like I was saying that Naraku actually has a heart or something -- it is simply strange and interesting ) but yours' looks fine as well. On Kuro's message board,( she is the Webmisstress of Ear-Tweak and is a great translator who lives lives in Japan ) there is a discussion regarding the guide, and even she is unable to understand many things, including Naraku's certain stats. Here is some of the thread ( you have to be a member in order to view the board, and your account must be verified and such first ): http://www.geocities.com/mvc2lady20/Guid-Topic.txt http://www.geocities.com/mvc2lady20/Guide-Topic2.txt

Does anyone have any more theories as to what exactly Naraku's stats mean ( in terms of love, friendship, etc -- the strength, intelligence and such have been explained )? I hardly care, but it is still a somewhat interesting mystery ( this guide also solves the mystery of Kagewaki Hitomi, somewhat ).

Peace.--IANS 10:28, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Fictional Spider?

Does he really warrant being references as a Fictional Spider? He has a spider-mark and is possibly part spider, but I wouldn't say he himself is a spider. Darien Shields 00:54, 28 January 2007 (UTC)

Not really, in my opinion. But, there are several hints that are given that don't solidify anything. For one, the demon that initially approaches the wounded Onigumo is quite clearly a spider demon. Second, Onigumo, the man from whom Naraku was created, translates as "demon spider" or "spider demon". Last but not least, why would the spider scar appear on nearly all of his incarnations? Granted, it was originally Onigumo's mark, but, still, it is curious. And he spiderweb-like things he uses later on in the series kind of supports the spider theme. But I still wouldn't list him as a 'Fictional Spider'. Punk reader 20:14, 29 July 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Punk reader (talk • contribs)

Article format

I believe the Appearance section should not be placed so early in the article; you don't describe what a Zebra looks like before first explaining what a Zebra is, for example. So I'm going to move this section to right before the abilities section. Also, there are too many japanese terms used casually in the article, without even a Wiki link to explain what they mean. The article just assumes the reader will know what they mean, but that's not true for the average reader. Finally, this article is too long. It also contains quite a bit of speculation; fan opinions should not be included in an encyclopedic article. Removing them would likely help shorten the article. -Wilfredo Martinez 17:51, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

Clean-up

The article needs a heavy clean-up, in particular it needs many more sources. Currently, the article is overly long and detailed, it should be re-written in a short, concise way so that presumably, someone with no knowledge of Inuyasha can look at this page and understand the character well. The plot summary as mentioned is way too long currently and needs to be drastically cut down. The attachment section should be re-written as well so that it's more of a section explaining Naraku's detachments in minor detail (large details can be reserved for their own articles) and their purposes when he created them. As well, the relationships section needs to go outright, if the plot summary is written properly then Naraku's relationships with various characters should be made clear there.

I'm a big fan of the anime and really want to see this page cleaned up, because right now, it's a mess. The Clawed One 18:44, 1 October 2007 (UTC)

the last shard

Despite what this page says, in the latest chapter, Kagome see's a light in the shard. The shard is not cpmpletly corrupted contrary to popular belief. remember when Naraku touched it and the light from the jewel flew INTO the shard...well, apparently the same trap in the jewel is now also in the shard. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.94.57.184 (talk • contribs)

Check This OUt!!!

For Inuyasha Manga Scans pass episode 167, check this cool website out. Its up to date and has good references.

LINK REMOVED

(Kelvin Martinez 03:37, 27 October 2007 (UTC))

Completed form

Should a picture of Naraku's appearance upon completing the Shikon Jewel be added to this article? 24.24.90.148 (talk) 19:19, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Naraku.jpg

Image:Naraku.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images lacking such an explanation can be deleted one week after being tagged, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot (talk) 14:35, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Hm, the "agents" of wikipedia have come to crack down on this article too... Well, I'm sure if someone were to explain that paragraph in a reasonably understandable language, people would be happy to do...whatever it is that we are supposed to decode from that. Because honestly, through all the links and pages you gave, it's very difficult for ordinary fans of the show (the people who edit this article) to understand what you said.

5 January 2008 (UTC)

Naraku's death

As the current sections in the overview describe the major events surrounding Naraku's actions in the series, it seemed that the fight in which he is killed by Inuyasha's group ought to be seperated into its own section. Another anonymous editor had changed the title of this section to include mention of this, although the title of "The completion of the shikon jewel and the final battle" was a bit too wordy. However, given that '"Completion of the Shikon Jewel"' implies a description of the events leading up to and including the completion and subsequent absorption of the jewel, the events surrounding the main characters' last confrontation with Naraku seems as though it would work better under its own section. As for the information added in this section, although I did fail to cite sources for this, was added in a manner no different than how the overview sections have developed, with plot details added as they become available. Where the overview section may be in need of reformating, having a description of Naraku's perticular actions within more recent chapters seems to be fairly useful. It may have been more clear, however, had I filled in the edit summary. 66.24.238.22 (talk) 01:30, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Your edit has been removed due to you inappropriate linking to copyright violating websites, which is a complete violation of Wikipedia policy. AnmaFinotera (talk) 01:32, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Fair enough. I did neglect to check the copyright of this website, although I did not intend this as deliberate act of vandalism, and I do apologize for the inconvienance. On that note, what would be a good website for citations on this perticular series, as this article does not site much of its information. 66.24.238.22 (talk) 01:50, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

Reliable sources, such as news sites (ANN, AnimeOnDVD, ICv2, etc), official sites, the books themselves (the actual published volumes), and the magazines they are published in are all great places to start. AnmaFinotera (talk) 02:00, 9 May 2008 (UTC)

I believe Naraku's death should get its own section, for the reasons that were suggested. After all, Naraku's death is arguably the most important part of the serious, in my opinion.--72.130.250.102 (talk) 11:02, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

The entire article already has beyond excessive plot summary. It needs to be compacted into a single section, or at most two. AnmaFinotera (talk) 15:40, 10 May 2008 (UTC)

Japanese version?

Shouldn't there be a Japanese version of Naraku's page? He is a fairly significant character... Moocowsrule (talk) 09:42, 9 August 2008 (UTC)Moocowsrule

removed text

I removed the following text from various parts of the article in an attempt to get rid of questionable claims, as well as information that seems redundant or not important to the topic.

For any creature with demon as its spirit, they would die at this point no matter how powerful. For example, Koga could not even pass the perimeter of the barrier due to the fact that he is a normal demon. Sesshomaru however was able to penetrate the barrier's perimeter and travel deeper into it but was weakened, during his battles with Suikotsu and Jakotsu. InuYasha was able to pass this final point, but his half demon blood was purified so completely that he transformed into his human form while inside the barrier.

His powers increased dramatically as he challenged Sesshomaru and deliberately let him tear his body apart with a point-blank range yōki blast, however it had no effect and Naraku proclaimed that "I cannot die". In order to find the final Shikon shard located at the border between this world and the afterlife, Naraku made a deal with Abi, the princess of the bird demon. However, Abi and her mother, Tekkei, never did trust Naraku because he was "merely" a half demon. Both being full demons with utter contempt for half demons, Abi and Tekkei plotted against Naraku and later attacked him. Naraku kills Abi and proceeds to behead Tekkei, which creates a river of her blood producing a gateway to the world between this world and the next.

Throughout the series Naraku is always constantly absorbing demon to carry on the process of expelling the weak components of his victims and retaining the stronger ones. Thus he is able to constantly increase his strength even after the events of Mt. Hakurei, though it never increases enough to counteract InuYasha's Kongōsōha until he has absorbed Mōryōmaru and a barrier-dissolving Daiyōkai tree.

Once the Jewel is completed, Naraku will have the power to become a full youkai. This line appeared after he's already discarded and reabsorbed his human soul.

(that she was killed by Naraku with Magatsuhi's wish)

The Shikon no Tama was finally killed but not destroyed: so Kagome instead chooses to wish that the Shikon no Tama disappear forever. I kept that last part, of course, but I don't understand the part about killing the jewel.

I'm also a little confused about Magatsuhi, since I thought the name referred to the humanoid oni manifestation rather than the original composite monster. Dan (talk) 08:45, 14 December 2008 (UTC)