Inuyasha

Inuyasha (犬夜叉 Inuyasha) is the titular protagonist of the series. Born of a dog-demon father and a human mother, his appearance is equivalent to that of a fifteen-year-old boy who is always barefoot. As a half-demon, he had a difficult and lonely childhood, as demons and humans despised him for his mixed bloodline. Bound to a tree by priestess Kikyo, Inuyasha was under her spell for 50 years unaged and unharmed, until Kagome freed him in attempt to defeat Mistress Centipede. He has dog ears, claws, superhuman strength, and other demonic abilities. He sports a red garment called the Robe of the Fire-Rat and is always barefoot. Inuyasha also wields a strong demon sword called Tetsusaiga.

Kagome Higurashi (日暮 かごめ Higurashi Kagome) is the narrator and coprotagonist of the series. A brave and kind girl who believes in never turning her back on someone in trouble, she develops a close relationship with Inuyasha over the course of the series and begins to fall in love with him during their quest to collect the Shikon shards and defeat Naraku, though she finds herself competing with the revived Kikyo for his affections. Although physically weak, she becomes stronger and skilled in archery as the series progresses, and eventually learns to master her immensely strong spiritual powers.

Miroku (弥勒 Miroku) is an eighteen-year-old lecherous Buddhist monk who travels the countryside performing spiritual services, such as exorcisms and demon exterminations, though he has a habit of either ripping off or outright robbing his clients if they are rich. Miroku can attack enemies with his khakkhara and sutra scrolls, but his greatest weapon is the Wind Tunnel (風穴 Kazaana) embedded in the palm of his right hand, which is actually a hereditary curse originally inflicted upon his grandfather by Naraku.

Sango (珊瑚 Sango) is a sixteen-year-old demon slayer (妖怪退治屋 yōkai taijiya, "Apparition Exterminators"). She hails from a village that practices the act as their profession and is also the original home of the Shikon Jewel. While travelling, she wears a traditional woman's kimono, over which she wears long skirt, most likely "mo-bakama", and traditional woman's arm guards and leg guards, and straw sandals. As a demon slayer, Sango dresses in a black skin-tight jumpsuit, and pink armor plates made of demon parts, and a red sash. Of her broad repertoire of tools and tricks for fighting demons, Sango usually wields her most powerful weapon called the Hiraikotsu (飛来骨, "Flying Return Bone"), a human-sized boomerang made of purified demon bones, which she can throw using her enhanced strength. Her other weapons include a short sword, a concealed blade and various poisons. She is always accompanied by the demon-cat Kirara, her mount.

Shippo (七宝 Shippō) is a young orphaned kitsune, who attempts to steal the Shikon Jewel from Inuyasha and Kagome, wanting to become stronger and avenge his father's death. Though his plan fails, Inuyasha and Kagome aid him after hearing his story, and he becomes their companion. Shippo normally appears to be a young boy with certain fox-like features: his legs, feet, ears, and tail. He can shape-shift, but his other forms (such as a large flying balloon) are temporary and often ineffective, usually given away by his lingering fox tail. He can also create illusory duplicates of himself, as well as weak Foxfire (狐火 Kitsunebi) magic and toy-based tricks such as his giant spinning top attack.

Kirara (雲母 Kirara) is Sango's faithful companion who usually appears to be a small kitten-sized feline with two tails, but can become large enough to carry several passengers whenever the need arises. She is a spiritual entity, like the kitsunes; her full-sized form has fangs and flames, while in her small form, she is small and cute.

Sesshomaru (殺生丸 Sesshōmaru) is a powerful dog demon (daiyōkai), feared throughout the feudal era. Born of a great demon bloodline, he is the older half-brother of Inuyasha. Chronologically, he is over 200 years old, while according to the official Inuyasha Profiles guide by Rumiko Takahashi, his appearance is equivalent to that of a 19-year-old male. He appears as a tall and handsome young man. He has fair skin, golden eyes with slit pupils, waist-length white hair (in the anime, his hair reaches as far as his knees), and a purple crescent moon on his forehead. Sesshomaru's true form is that of a giant red-eyed white dog. He produces an acidic poison that is mainly released from his claws in the Dokkasō (毒華爪) attack. While in his true form, the Dokkasō attack is transferred to his fangs. Due to his full-demon bloodline, his strength, speed and senses are all significantly greater than Inuyasha’s (except when Inuyasha’s demon blood takes control, at the expense of his mind).

Naraku (奈落 Naraku, litt. "Hell") is the main antagonist of the series, having caused the misery of most of the main cast. He was born fifty years ago from the desires of a gravely burned bandit named Onigumo (鬼蜘蛛, "Spider Demon"), who was found by Kikyo who tended to his wounds. As the injuries had severely crippled him, Onigumo forms a pact with the surrounding demons attracted to his darkness to consume him in return for his soul to occupy a new body created from their merged bodies so that he could satisfy his frustrated lust for Kikyo. However, with Onigumo buried deep in his subconscious, the newly born Naraku acted against his human self's desire as he arranged for Kikyo's demise and her falling out with Inuyasha in the expectation that events would corrupt the Shikon Jewel. When Kikyo had the jewel burned with her corpse, Naraku bides his time until the Shikon Jewel is brought back to the feudal era by the priestess's reincarnation, Kagome Higurashi.

Kagura (神楽 Kagura) is Naraku's second detachment, although she is introduced before her "elder sister" Kanna. As a wind witch who is always barefoot, Kagura uses a fan to enhance her powers where she can create a blade-like tornado or use wind to animate dead bodies. She can also use her feather hair-ornaments as transportation, enlarging them to ride in the wind. Though initially cold and calculating, Kagura despises Naraku more than she does his enemies, because he possesses her disembodied heart and uses it as a means to punish her or remind her of her place. As a result, Kagura's desire to be free leads her to covertly aid both Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, developing feelings for the latter, in hopes that they can kill Naraku for her so that she can reclaim her heart. As time goes on, Kagura becomes much more sympathetic and caring toward Inuyasha and even more hostile toward Naraku and his minions. She is ultimately killed by Naraku moments after he returns her heart, but dies content that she got to see Sesshomaru one last time and that she is free.