Kikyo Inuyasha - Nendoroid

Inuyasha is one of the several series produced by the legendary manga artist, Rumiko Takahashi and has gone on to become one of her most popular works. After the anime adaptation of Inuyasha began in 2000, this popularity spread, even more, resulting in a variety of merchandise based on its characters being produced. One such type of merchandise was collectible figures of Inuyasha's extensive list of characters. Among these characters, Kikyo is a particularly important one, as she is both the previous incarnation of the series' protagonist, Kagome Higurashi and the former lover of Inuyasha. When it comes to figures of Kikyo, the Nendoroid line of figures from Good Smile Company is notably popular and saw the release of the "Nendoroid Inuyasha Kikyo" in 2021.

Nendoroid Inuyasha Kikyo

This figure of Kikyo has her wearing her standard red and white shrine priestess uniform and her long, black hair tied up into a ponytail. Although the figure comes with a default neutral expression on its face, this set also includes two additional face plates. These face plates allow the owner of this figure to swap between a determined stare and a relaxed smile with Kikyo's eyes closed. Other additional accessories in this figure include Kikyo's bow and an arrow, the Sacred Jewel, and a Soul Collector. All of these things, in addition to the figure's numerous points of articulation, allow users to customize this Nendoroid in a variety of ways and recreate their favorite scenes from the series.

Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptors: Shichibee
Specifications: Painted, non-scale, articulated ABS and PVC figure with optional parts and stand
Height (approx.): 100 mm | 3.9"

About Kikyo

Kikyo is a key character in the Inuyasha series and is a previous incarnation of the series' protagonist, Kagome Higurashi.

About Kikyo: Background

Kikyo once lived in the Sengoku period of Japan approximately fifty years before Kagome Higurashi was transported into the past. While she was alive, she was the shrine priestess responsible for purifying and protecting the Sacred Jewel, a precious artifact that holds immense power and is sought out by humans and yokai alike. This caused Kikyo to be targeted by many people, leading her to become a very competent fighter capable of fending off powerful yokai all on her own. One such yokai happened to be Inuyasha, who made several attempts to steal the Sacred Jewel for himself. That said, as time went on, Kikyo and Inuyasha ended up falling in love. Unfortunately, a yokai named Naraku would manipulate them into fighting each other, resulting in Kikyo sealing Inuyasha away for centuries before she succumbed to her injuries. This is not the end of her story, however, as an oni named Urasue would revive Kikyo.

About Kikyo: Abilities

In order to protect the Sacred Jewel from power-hungry yokai, Kikyo had to utilize a variety of unique abilities, skills, and powers. One of the most obvious abilities she has is her unbelievable amount of Spiritual Power. Kikyo often used her vast stores of Spiritual Power to cast devastating spells or simply manipulate her energy to defeat her opponents. Other abilities that Kikyo has also include purification, spiritual awareness, and shikigami creation. Aside from her spiritual skills as a priestess, Kikyo is also an incredibly proficient archer who had the skill to hit Inuyasha despite being mortally wounded. After she was resurrected as a specter by Urasue, she also gained immortality at the expense of needing to absorb the souls of other women. Kikyo also learned how to control Soul Collectors, serpent-like yokai with the ability to collect the souls she needed to continue living.

Other Important Inuyasha Characters

Throughout the long list of characters from Inuyasha, two of the most important characters to both Kikyo and the series overall include Kagome Higurashi, the reincarnation of Kikyo, and Inuyasha, her former lover.

Kagome Higurashi

Kagome Higurashi is the main heroine of the series, Inuyasha. Although she was born in modern-day Japan, she is transported around 500 years into the past after she is kidnapped by a yokai. Here, she meets and frees Inuyasha, who was stuck to a tree with a sealing arrow. Kagome later learns that she is the reincarnation of Kikyo and held the Sacred Jewel, though she destroyed it after a yokai attempted to steal it. As the reincarnation of Kikyo, Kagome has many of the same skills that Kikyo had when she was alive, though Kagome lacked the training that Kikyo had. She is also one of the only people in the series who can freely travel back and forth between the modern and feudal eras of Japan via the Bone-Eater's Well. As the series continues, her relationship with Inuyasha deepens and the two eventually become lovers.

Inuyasha

Inuyasha is the titular protagonist of Inuyasha and is a half-yokai son of the daiyokai dog, Toga. Prior to the series, Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to obtain the Sacred Jewel and use it to make him a full-blooded yokai like his brother, Sesshomaru. After meeting Kikyo, however, he abandoned his quest to steal the Sacred Jewel from her and simply wanted to spend time with her. However, another half-yokai named Naraku sought to take the Sacred Jewel for himself and made the couple fight each other, eventually resulting in Inuyasha being sealed away and Kikyo dying from her injuries. After Kagome travels from the future, she frees Inuyasha, who then attempts to take the Sacred Jewel for himself once again, though his attempts are thwarted. Shortly after, Kagome and Kaede force the Beads of Subjugation onto Inuyasha, causing him to become more obedient to Kagome.