Inuyasha is one of Rumiko Takahashi’s most beloved series next to Ranma 1/2 and Urusei Yatsura. Much like the rest of her work, the cast is filled with well-written and interesting characters.
One of the best characters in the series is Sango, a fiery member of the main supporting cast who is known for being one of the strongest demon slayers of all time. However, her character development isn’t talked about as heavily as some of the other main heroes.
Sango’s Tragic Backstory
The main cast of Inuyasha all have tragic backstories that fit them into their respective universe — and Sango is no exception. However, Sango, arguably, has one of the most compelling and heartbreaking stories among them. Sango’s story starts in her home village, filled with demon slayers. As their name suggests, their jobs were to slay demons, usually for money, but occasionally they would take the demon’s corpse or other valuable items as payment. Her father was the village’s leader, and of course, a powerful demon slayer. Sango and her little brother, Kohaku, wanted to follow in their father’s footsteps and began training from a young age to become great demon slayers.
After the Sacred Jewel was accidentally shattered by Kagome, Sango was requested to slay a centipede demon. After completing the job, Sango figures out the jewel’s power had possessed the centipede, driving it mad. She takes the jewel shard as payment and goes back to her village, where she speaks with Kohaku about his first demon-slaying mission. Sango reassures him, and tells him the other slayers will be with him, so he doesn’t have to worry. When the slayers reach the castle, Kohaku becomes possessed by a spider demon and slaughters the other slayers, including his father.
Before Sango can do anything, the castle guards kill Kohaku and attack Sango. They bury her, thinking they had killed her. Sango pulls herself from the grave and is “saved” by Kagewaki, who tends to her wounds. Shortly after, Sango is manipulated by Naraku to kill Inuyasha, but his plan fails, and she ends up traveling with Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo to help repair the Shikon Jewel.
Unlike Miroku or Shippo, Sango doesn’t trust the others right away, and she is first manipulated and used by the antagonist, Naraku, before she joins the main cast. This is a unique twist to the series, given the original main four, Kagome, Miroku, Inuyasha and Shippo, joined the group over the span of a single episode. While Sango is distrustful of the others in the beginning, she slowly grows to appreciate their friendship, and comes to trust them.
Sango’s Bold Personality Makes Her the Perfect Addition To the Cast
Sango’s strong, defiant personality sets her apart from the other cast members in Inuyasha — and from Takashi’s other heroines. Sango may not be the lead of Inuyasha, but she is one of the main characters and heavily influences the story. She has some similarities to Akane Tendo from Ranma 1/2; Akane has a tomboyish attitude and isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and fight others when needed.
Sango’s personality sets her apart from other female characters within the Inuyasha, because she isn’t a damsel needing to be saved. Kagome is a little “too nice” for some people’s liking, and tends to only show her anger when Inuyasha runs after Kikyo. This isn’t to say Sango isn’t kind as well, she is, but these traits stand out more in Kagome. Sango is easily annoyed, especially when it comes to her love interest, Miroku, who is constantly harassing unsuspecting village girls, earning him a whack from Sango’s weapon, Hiraikotsu.
Sango is also very strong-willed and self-sacrificing, which is shown a number of times throughout Inuyasha. In Episode 50, a possessed Kohaku tries to hurt Kagome and steal the remainder of the Shikon Jewel she carries. Sango saves her and pursues Kohaku, chasing him down and pinning him. She then explains to him, that she is going to kill him, blaming herself for letting Naraku use her beloved brother like a puppet. She says she’ll also kill herself afterward to keep him from dying alone. Inuyasha stops her, and later explains Kohaku still has a will of his own because he didn’t kill Kagome, and actively resisted doing so.
This scene shows Sango’s hopelessness, but also her strength. She believes there is no other way to free her brother from Naraku’s clutches; to her, the only way Kohaku will be free is in death. But even when Sango is at the end of her rope, she still trusts in her friends and believes Inuyasha’s words with minimal convincing.
Sango’s personality and ability to trust the other members of the cast, even after such a short period of time makes her stand out among other characters in the series. Sango is one of the most interesting characters in Inuyasha, and there are many facets that make her a compelling female heroine.