Naraku

Latest revision as of 10:28, 10 April 2006

Naraku wearing his baboon pelt.

Perhaps the most evil being to stalk Feudal Japan, Naraku is a powerful half-demon, who seeks ultimate power. While he himself is already powerful, he greatly prefers to manipulate ally and enemy alike from behind the scenes. But it is not enough to destroy his enemies and seek power, he enjoys setting up elaborate traps, turning friends against one another, and takes perverse pleasure causing pain and misery.

Born from the the bandit Onigumo and a horde of demons devouring his body and soul, the cruel Naraku was born (but still bears the spider shaped burn mark of Onigumo's on his back). His first action was to take the form of Inu-Yasha and deliver a mortal blow to the Priestess Kikyo, and afterwards took the form of Kikyo and attacked Inu Yasha. Turning the two against each other, they struck the other down. Naraku planned to steal the Jewel of Four Souls, but was thwarted when it was burned along with Kikyo's body.

Naraku spent the next fifty years building up his power, absorbing more demons into himself, and at some unknown point he repeatedly battled a monk. In their final battle Naraku took the form of a beautiful maiden, and cursed the monk with a Wind Tunnel in his hand that would grow and grow and devour him, and would pass on through his descendents for as long as he (Naraku) lived. The current monk, Miroku has taken up the hunt. At another unknown point, Naraku killed a sickly prince named Kagewaki and took his form; after all, what better disguise than the son of a powerful lord, who was so sickly, he would be avoided.

Later on the Sacred Jewel again re-appeared (after Inu Yasha reawakened, and the reincarnation of Kikyo, Kagome Higurashi, traveled to Feudal Japan) and Naraku began to secretly gather many pieces. After Miroku joined up with Inu-Yasha and Kagome to hunt down the shards of the Sacred Jewel (the Jewel was shattered and its pieces scattered), Naraku turned his attention towards them. His first plot was to manipulate Sesshoumaru by giving him an arm with a Sacred Jewel shard embedded in it (so he could weild his coveted Tetsuaiga) and sending him to try to destroy them, while the arm would destroy Sesshoumaru. The plot failed, but Naraku managed to regain the shard. Shortly afterwards Naraku openly declared himself to Inu-Yasha as his enemy, and Inu-Yasha vowed to hunt the demon down and avenge Kikyo's death.

Naraku.

In the form of Kagewaki, Naraku arranged to destroy a clan of Demon Slayers upon learning they had many shards of the Sacred Jewel. Using a Spider Demon to possess "Kagewaki's" father, he summoned many of the Slayers to destroy the Spider Demon, but the Demon had possessed the lord of the castle, and killed the Slayers. Naraku then sicced an army of demons on the village of the slayers, and had it destroyed. As the demons were arguing over the Jewel shards, Naraku appeared and absorbed the demons and took the shards for himself.

One of the slayers (a girl named Sango) awoke, and "Kagewaki" took her in and used a Jewel shard to pretend it healed her, he then allowed Naraku (actually a Demon Puppet) to lie and say that Inu-Yasha had destoyed her village. Naraku's puppet led her to Inu-Yasha and pitted them against each other, while he stole Kagome's jewel shards, but was chased down by Miroku. The puppet was destroyed, and Sango joined up with Inu-Yasha to hunt down Naraku.

Naraku resurrected Sango's younger brother Kohaku, and used him to lure Sango to her and offered her Kokaku back if she betrayed her new friends and brought him the Tetsuaiga. While she did at first comply, she decided to try to slay him and in the process unmasked Naraku and realized the full depth of what Naraku had done to her. Inu-Yasha, Kagome, Miroku and [Shippo] arrived and were almost destroyed by Naraku when he surrounded them with poisonous miasma. Kagome used one of her Sacred Arrows to destroy Naraku's body from the neck down, forcing the demon to flee.

Naraku created an phony body as an illusion, and was visited by the resurected Kikyo, and he used her to lure Inu-Yasha into a trap where demons were battling one another and merging as one was defeated. When the final demon won, it was absorbed by Naraku becoming his new, even stronger body. He kidnapped Kikyo and set her against Inu-Yasha and his friends, where she stole Kagome's jewel shards and gave them to Naraku. Naraku released her, but knowing she couldn't be trusted, decided to have her watched, as Kikyo was planning to destroy him.

With all the shards he had collected, Naraku's jewel fragment was nearly whole and his power and significantly grown. He now was able to spawn new demons (his Incarnations of Naraku) and first created Kanna the Void, and Kagura the Wind Sorceress. First setting Kagura against Inu Yasha to test the strength of the the Tetsuaiga, much to Kagura's fury when she figured it out. Then Kanna and Kagura to steal their souls and destroy them. Naraku then revealed his nearly complete jewel fragment, and that it was Kikyo who gave it to him. He unleashed more Incarnations of himself, first the telepathic Goshinki who was destroyed and his fang used to create Sesshoumaru's new sword the Toukijin and afterwards Juromari and Kageromaru who were both also destroyed.

Naraku continued spying on Kikyo, who grew amused by this and pointed out to him that Onigumo's heart obviously still beats within Naraku, and at this Naraku grew furious, and in an attempt to convince himself otherwise, launched a failed attempt to kill Kikyo by sending a giant Soul Collector after her.

Naraku's next scheme was one of pure maliciousness, he sent forth an amnesic Kohaku to again play with Sango's emotions. While at first he was seemingly out of Naraku's control, but still amnesiac, it became clear that Naraku was still in control. He sent Kagura to lead an army of demons to distract Inu Yasha, Sango and Miroku, so that Kokaku could kill Kagome. While Kohaku almost did, he refused to carry out this order and ran off, Sango (thinking otherwise) tracked him down and resolved to kill Kohaku (to rescue him from Naraku's control) and afterwards kill herself. Inu Yasha stopped her, convincing her that doing this would accomplish one thing. It would make Naraku happy.

Naraku's most recent plot unleashed the father of Inu Yasha's old enemy, Ryukotsusei who came closer to destroying Inu Yasha than any demon previously. Ryukotsusei was destroyed. But Naraku was hardly done, as he enacted several schemes, and was slowly growing stronger by purging weaker demons from his body. He even attempted to purge the heart of Onigumo from his body, so he could kill Kikyo, but was not yet strong enough, and had to reabsorb the bandit.

Later on, Naraku ordered Kagura to kidnap Sesshoumaru's ward, Rin. Kagura followed his orders, despite wanting to kill the half-demon herself. The plan was of course, to lure Sesshoumaru to his castle, so that Naraku could absorb him and become a full-demon. The plot failed thanks to Inu Yasha's interference. Naraku attempted to absorb them both, but was greatly wounded, most of his body destroyed, and was forced to flee, abandoning his castle.

Naraku hid himself and his minions, and needed to distract those who hunted him while he recovered and increased his strength. he resurrected seven dead mercenaries called the Band of Seven, while Naraku hid himself in Mount Hakurei, and placed the mummy of a Buddhist monk before the mountain to create a sacred barrier preventing any demons from entering or leaving. For weeks, he hid himself while the Band of Seven battled Inu Yasha and his friends. Eventually, they all made their way to the mountain, in time to be trapped by Naraku.

Naraku's new body.

Naraku had finally succeeded in purging his heart in the form of a new Incarnation named Hakudoushi, and with Inu Yasha and his friends in his clutches, he revealed himself, creating his new, rejuvinated body. Naraku was now more powereful than ever, his enemies were no match for him.

Having lured Kikyo to the mountain as well, Naraku without the presense of Onigumo's heart in him, was finally able to seemingly slay the priestess. Sesshoumaru arrived to attempt to kill Naraku, but was unable, as Naraku's body quickly reformed, the evil demon retreating, boasting that he would never die.