Inuyasha Manga Ch. 464 - to the end: Current Discussion*MAJOR SPOILERS*

[AstroNerdBoy]

Originally Posted by herbkir

MANGA CHAP. 549 -- GATHERING

It also was a bit amusing to see everybody except Sesshomaru bearing marks of battle. Sessho, naturally, appeared immaculate. Dirt and trash just wouldn’t DARE besmirch Lord Sesshomaru. And I hope people stop saying Shippo is useless. He’s proven to be a valuable friend in this battle, saving Miroku, Sango, Inu and Kagome from disastrous plunges.

He's taking his father's place as a daiyouaki for sure and will earn that "sama" honorific. ^_^

I expect next week we will see something bad happen to Kagome because of what Byakuya did, but I can’t quite predict what. I’ll have to wait with the rest of you until next chapter. (^_*)

Well, Takahashi-sensei does have to fill volume 56 with something.

[herbkir]

MANGA CHAP. 550 -- COLLAPSE

Well, the battle is on, Naraku is preparing to play his hidden ace, and the finale will go down in or near Kaede’s village, the place where Naraku was born, Kikyou and Inuyasha had their doomed love, Kagome came on the scene and returned the jewel to the Feudal Era. It’s the place where the well is and where it will be 500 years in the future.

Everything began in this village, so it’s fitting that everything should end there, as well. But with all the foul shouki pouring out from Naraku, the villagers had better run for their lives. If the well is Naraku’s actual goal, not the village, then maybe they’ll be safe. Somehow, I think the well is where he’s going, and it will play an important part in Naraku’s plot to overcome his enemies.

Naraku has been keeping Kagome off balance, stopping her from shooting any more arrows. But it’s clear that at some point very soon he’s going to want her to shoot him. That’s the point where whatever Byakuya did to Kagome will manifest itself, probably causing Kagome’s powers (the light) to backfire against herself and the whole Inu group. Naraku’s heart has been devoured by the jewel and he can now fight as a youkai. The transformation was pretty neat.

One theory has it that Byakuya gave the Meidou to Kagome so that when she shoots Naraku, she'll destroy her friends and the village as well. But maybe it's worse. Maybe it's like if Kagome has the Meidou ahd shoots Naraku while he's at the well, she'd destroy both past and future Japan. If he told her that, would she shoot?

Anyway, this week Sesshomaru saw that Rin cares about Sango’s well-being because she gave back Sango’s gas mask. I wonder how he took that, since he said nothing. And Kohaku implictly acknowledged Miroku’s bond with Sango as he give up his mask and told Miroku to take care of his sister. Sesshomaru also revealed he cares about Jaken and the kids, when he told Jaken to get out fast as soon as he sensed how strong Naraku’s shouki had become.

I’m hoping next week will see the revelation of Naraku’s ace in the hole, since otherwise we’ll have to wait two weeks for Chap. 552 because of Japan’s Golden Week of national holidays. (^_*)

[GWOtaku]

Originally Posted by herbkir

MANGA CHAP. 550 -- COLLAPSE


One theory has it that Byakuya gave the Meidou to Kagome so that when she shoots Naraku, she'll destroy her friends and the village as well. But maybe it's worse. Maybe it's like if Kagome has the Meidou ahd shoots Naraku while he's at the well, she'd destroy both past and future Japan. If he told her that, would she shoot?

It may also be as simple as that, if she fights, the well may be destroyed and Kagome will have no way to ever return home again. She'd then be forced to choose between her old life and defeating Naraku and staying with Inu-Yasha on the spot, in the heat of battle, which will complicate things. Both we readers and the characters were figuring that this would be a choice saved for an epilogue after Naraku is finally killed.

Granted, in this case her choice is expected and easy, at least to us. Kagome will never not kill Naraku just for her own sake, and everybody knows how she feels about Inu-Yasha. However, at least we would have an ending that's a real ending and Takahashi will have finally written a romance that has a tangible conclusion. It'd also be a better ending than having the Naraku battle play out like any other standard shounen fight, and after that spending several chapters having Kagome agonizing over whether to stay or go and then more chapters of her saying goodbye to either her family or to Inu-Yasha and company. The most generic and obvious ending to me would be for her to go home, only for her to find out that Inu-Yasha turned himself human and followed her home.

I like the first possibility since it demands a harder, more sudden, and even more definitive choice to be made. If Takahashi is capable of doing this, I feel it would have more emotional impact than the alternatives.

Whatever happens, enough preparation and setup, this fight needs to get seriously underway already.

[Beat]

I still think he's going to get away. I don't know why, but there's a nagging feeling that he will escape or turn into a form that will let him escape. I can see the epilogue, animal Naraku running around in the forest, still alive.

"I was once...a man..."

[FireStarterLE]

well if he does live (which I really don't think he will) the only way I would want it would for him to be alive and to be completely powerless. I do believe that would be a "fate worse than death" for someone like him (especially with how his current state is)

[herbkir]

MANGA CHAP. 551 -- FALL

This week we saw the all-out battle of the physical realm against Naraku, with swords, Kazaana, Hiraikotsu, all assailing Naraku and the jewel at once and all of them insufficient to destroy the jewel, although it seemed Naraku might finally have bought the farm. And Kagome came to realize the jewel had a life of its own, not tied to Naraku’s existence. The chapter confirmed what Kikyou had said earlier – the Shikon Jewel can’t be destroyed by swords or other weapons of this world. And even Sesshomaru’s awesome Bakusaiga couldn’t scratch it.

Speaking of Sesshomaru, I snickered at the part where Naraku says if they kill him now, they will kill Kaede’s village, and Sesshomaru replies with "So what?" and goes for the gusto, chopping into Naraku with Bakusaiga.

Compassion be damned, this is more like the Sessho of old, refusing to show any weakness to an enemy, or stay his sword for the sake of humans. But he ended up a bit nonplussed because his invincible Bakusaiga had no effect on the jewel. It looked like Sessho killed Naraku, but we didn’t see that confirmed because Miroku was still using his Kazaana some time after Sesshomaru’s attack.

But leave it to Inuyasha. If Inu couldn’t destroy Naraku’s body all at once, he’ll send it to hell piece by piece with volleys of Meidou crescents. But it looked to me like Inu’s Meidou attack actually served to stabilize Naraku’s body. I’m not sure what the swirls on its surface were supposed to be, but clearly something had changed.

Of course, the real question is what will happen when Kagome shoots her arrow. It’s pretty obvious that Naraku wanted Kagome to shoot the jewel now, and her shot will reveal what Byakuya did to her or her arrows. Will her shot backfire against her and her allies? Or will it grant Naraku’s true wish (whatever that is)? Or will her shot permanently befoul the jewel beyond anyone’s ability to purify it? So many possibilities.

Or, gawd forbid, she’ll hit the jewel, shatter it into jillions of pieces and have to go hunting them up again, but this time they would be truly evil things that would create scores of new beings as bad as Naraku. Then she and Inu head off into the sunset on the new shard hunt. (The End). I would scream.

I hope the fact that the jewel in the modern era is considered a good luck charm means Naraku’s Ragnarok won’t come to pass, that something he overlooked or disregarded will come into play to turn his dark victory into his final defeat.

But with Japan’s Golden Week of national holidays coming up, there won’t be a chapter next week, so we’ll probably have to wait quite a while for the spoilers and won’t see until around May 7 how this cliff-hanger is resolved. (^_*)

[Rocketboy]

Spoiler:

Haha, nice shop, but really, how did he escape this time?

[Kyuss]

Who said he escaped? I'm pretty sure Naraku is dead and we're all happy this story is finally over.

[bigdeath]

What was Naraku's final words? He has to have final words. They always have final words.

[Kyuss]

I imagine it's "Inuyasha...I'm your father's cousin's brother's sister's nephew's roommate!"

At least that's my hope.

[bigdeath]

Originally Posted by Kyuss

I imagine it's "Inuyasha...I'm your father's cousin's brother's sister's nephew's roommate!"

At least that's my hope.

ROLF

[Kyuss]

Yes I admit it. I love Space Balls and Mel Brooks does great comedies.

[Beat]

Originally Posted by Kyuss

I imagine it's "Inuyasha...I'm your father's cousin's brother's sister's nephew's roommate!"

"And what does that make us?"

"Absolutely nothing!"

[Kyuss]

Beat,

Well it makes sense in that context for Naraku and Inuyasha since they are not related.

[Lightning Tiger]

hah, Naraku probably escapes to the future (present), Inu and Kagome being the only ones able to go, go after him, they beat him, but are forever traped in the future (present) somehow and live happily ever after........... THE END.

[Kyuss]

I find that...doubtful. *shrugs* Then again this entire manga has yet to go the way I expected.

[Beat]

He's still alive I'm betting. I mean, look at him. Naraku's head is probably going to be kept alive in a test tube or something while a new body is being built.

[Kyuss]

Beat,

If that occurs I'm very much done with Inuyasha.

[Megaman X]

Naraku gets a super transformer body and Inuyasha must go dbz in order to defeat him!

Nah guys really what I THINK is going to happen is Naraku escaping into Kagome's time and then trying to destroy it. And Inuyasha and Kagome use the power of love,friendship, AND flashbacks in order to defeat Naraku.

[Kyuss]

Megaman X,

Honestly I think Naraku just saved up his essence for one final strike visa vie Byakyuka(sp) to destroy Kagome and thus destroy the happiness of Inuyasha with Kagome.