I thought Kohaku lost his shard, and now it's Kikyou's light that's keeping him alive.

Or at least I seem to remember that >.>

i am sorta confused on this point - obviously

Snaraku *snicker* good one! And I thought the jewel was complete? Didn't Snaraku get the last shard - but Kohaku did not die anyway? Because Kikyou had done something so that he could live without it...I dunno, don't mind me it is late where I am, I have a headache and am coming down with a cold...damn.

Yep, you remember correctly.

well obviously i'm confused on this point too... it's all so overwhelming. and when i read it i'm reading more for snark these days than plot line :D

Okay.. I have snark about sending Kohaku - the one with the most cause to fight Naraku (in the line-up for offing Naraku) and avenge his family and village and can battle demons - away and having the rather useless Shippo - who has the least amount of reason to vanquest Naraku stay and has zero ability to fight with the exception of cowering behind something or by blabbing characters weakness secrets by virtue that Kagome and InuYasha stand on him. Noe I don't like Shippou that much.

I did see this happening - the If I Can't have the Jewel then I will take out everyone - SO THERE! type of scenario. The possiblity of everyone getting out of Crumble-Cake Naraku and discovering the village is a liquid wasteland is rather something not very many has thought about.

Naraku's true form?? Maybe it's the Baboon's butt we haven't seen ever? Or maybe he looks a little like Hyouga from the first movie.. and what is it with the latest MoW having Inu's stripey look? InuYasha a Trend-setter? Though Snaraku is packing some serious wood... (he looks like a carving peoples!! >.<)

Inu's poofy-ness comes from Kagome's secret - she is a highly sought after Dog Groomer.

Sorry Naraku has the shard and the Jewel is completed... Kohaku is animated courtsey of Kikyou's flashlight.

I say Kagome and Naraku are going to end up inside the Jewel itself for the final battle.

-- say Kagome and Naraku are going to end up inside the Jewel itself for the final battle.----

Hmmm...I remember about half a dozen fanfics or so with that idea....

Really? where they good?

I have snark about sending Kohaku - the one with the most cause to fight Naraku (in the line-up for offing Naraku) and avenge his family and village and can battle demons - away and having the rather useless Shippo - who has the least amount of reason to vanquest Naraku stay and has zero ability to fight with the exception of cowering behind something or by blabbing characters weakness secrets by virtue that Kagome and InuYasha stand on him.

However, there are only two gas masks and five humans. Worse, there are five humans and a hanyou who are all vulnerable to Naraku's shouki. Even worse again, when Kagome unsealed, Naraku accidentally revealed his shouki was actually strong enough to hurt even Sesshoumaru, who's supposed to be immune to Naraku's shouki.

If Sesshoumaru can be hurt by the true strength of Naraku's shouki, then everyone's in danger. But there are only two gas masks, and the youkai and the hanyou at least have some native resistance that the humans don't have.

Although Jaken and Shippou are the weakest youkai there, not only does Sesshoumaru not view Shippou as "his" but Shippou is the only thing capable of protecting Inuyasha and Kagome from Bakusaiga. If Sesshoumaru is to be allowed to use Bakusaiga inside Naraku's body without hurting any allies, then his allies must all be flying rather than touching Naraku's flesh.

Now, people could have waited for Rin, Kohaku and Jaken to switch with Inuyasha and Kagome, so Shippou could carry the trio out of the body - but that's a stupid waste of time in a very dangerous situation. Besides, the dragon is at least theoretically capable of providing protection, even if this isn't used as much in the manga as it has been in the anime.

Personally, I think Shippou's been very useful and, considering he's a kid, very brave too.

This isn't about people having the right to be present. If it was, Kouga wouldn't have been written out. It's about people who need to be there and who stand a chance of surviving being there. Shippou needs to be there, and as a full youkai, he stands a chance of surviving the experience.

His presence is the only thing that will allow Sesshoumaru to use Bakusaiga without endangering Inuyasha and Kagome's lives.

I did see this happening - the If I Can't have the Jewel then I will take out everyone - SO THERE! type of scenario.

We don't actually know that's what Naraku's goal is. I'd be surprised if it was, actually. If Naraku really does need the village destroyed, then it's a stepping stone to his true goal, it's not the goal itself. And that's if he does want the village destroyed - which may not be the case.

I think Naraku's interest in this place is bigger than simply destroying one pathetic village. I don't know what that may be, but I'm betting it's connected to whatever his true wish is that the jewel failed to grant.

The possiblity of everyone getting out of Crumble-Cake Naraku and discovering the village is a liquid wasteland is rather something not very many has thought about.

Well, I've been wondering for a long time (since before the final battle ever began) whether it would occur in the area of Kaede's village and whether Tenseiga's ultimate technique would be seen a second time in saving the lives of the entire village. I'm definitely not the only person to have speculated on this.

Again as I mentioned he is there by virtue of Inuyasha and Kagome standing on him. He still serves no other purpose but that... or maybe as a distraction later on when he loses his strength and gets himself into serious trouble so that InuYasha will get really hurt/killed in protecting him.

I wish I could see him as useful but beside the Band of Seven arc, he hasn't been.

I do suspect that Kouga will appear somehow in all this.

It may happen that Kagome's way home is going to be destroyed.

and when I meant 'thought about' I refer to the fanfics.. I haven't come across any that was written in the village, by the Well yes, but not in(over) the village itself.

Then again RT could just throw her usual Monkey Wrench into the works and gives us a WTF?! moment.

Nope, Kohaku is shardless. Naraku was gonna leave him for dead, but some residual Kikyou magics saved the day. Chapter 528-529 have the pertinents.

So much of this, so much of that...memories. It gets hard to track the players without a program. After one afternoon (or thereabouts) that lasted 20 chapters, who remembers the days before Kagome's graduation?

Oh, but now the evil Naraku obviously has some reason he wants Kagome to make things blow up at a timing of his choice.....


Next chapter is called "Fall"....no real clues yet. The cellphone preview basically repeated the teaser from the chapter.

Edited at 2008-04-19 02:36 am (UTC)

Why does it seem everyone believes Kohaku is alive?.. he is still a corpse but now under Kikyou's influence so he can have his own will.

That's the impression RT gave us. Possibly cause that's the way she thinks about it.

"Is it ok for me to live?" he asks Sango. Sango tells him he must live.

Kagome tells us Kikyou chose to save Kohaku's life over destroying Naraku.


Later, Sango tells him not to throw away the life that Kikyou had given him by joining them to fight Naraku.


So they talk about it like he's alive, not just an animated corpse. I suspect that's how RT views it...but you are free to interpret this however you like best. I don't think we have a definitive statement on whether he's the walking dead or fully alive like you or me - except the comment that he can't be revived by the Tenseiga because he's been brought back to life already by the shard...

He should have been dead with the tentacle through his throat. In fact he was dead. But Kikyou's power revived him fully, I think, like in a healing. But that's just my opinion.

I forgot he was shardless - slipped my mind. So, how was it that Naraku was supposed to have controled him a few chapters back? Or, maybe that was megasushi. Oh, I should've picked Fano's choice above about not being about to keep the characters straight, duh.

Can't tell the players with out a program.....er, episode guide.

I can't remember either Naraku or Magatsuhi controlling Kohaku since he lost his shard. The last such incident I recall was Magatsuhi controlling Kohaku in the arch that ended with the loss of his shard and the resurrection of his life thanks to Kikyou. But he managed to throw off Magatsuhi's control before the shard was taken by Naraku.

That said, Naraku's proven that he's been able to manipulate people into acting according to his will without needing his victims to be wearing shards to do it (Inuyasha, Kikyou, Sango, Sesshoumaru, etc, and although he's offered many people shards as a bribe, he hasn't controlled them because of the shard itself). And Magatsuhi has proven he can possess and control people without requiring shards to do it (Rin is the most recent example of his successful control but Inuyasha is his most recent example, even though Inuyasha managed to eventually throw him off).

why do you think i put that choice in there to begin with?:)

You would describe pre-showdown Naraku as "playful"? Fano, are you crushing Narkie? Now you got some rose-tinted glasses.

The kid moment is the only substantial thing Sesshoumaru has going at the moment, really, since you konw that whatever he does, it won't succeed. I'm sure RT has that set aside for Inu or Kags. And I'm a little worried about Rin, the girl's survival instincts are a little off.

Rin? Survival instincts? I don't think those words go together, but I like her anyway.

Yeah, me too. And I suppose staying under the protection of uber-powerful Sesshoumaru isn't a bad idea. But approaching him in the first place....

nah. sess is in there to help save the day. this is now a BIG bad guy and will need all the help he can get dying.

sure, the previous Naraku was suave and debonair compared to this icky guy.....

Is it just me or is Inu appearing more poofy as the series ages?

It's not just you. It's like his clothes have started trying to compete with Sesshoumaru's for billowiness (new word!) and puffosity (another new word!).

so I'm thinking she means the light.

It's like Naraku revealed their hope was false hope. Gathering together isn't enough for the group. It'll take more than that to defeat Naraku.

I am thinking it's absorbing Snaraku Naraku to replace it's meanness

Naraku has been filling the shards with his darkness from the start. Once the jewel was completed, he stated his darkness had already replaced Magatsuhi. Every soul has its own naohi and magatsuhi. Killing one magatsuhi doesn't destroy every magatsuhi in the world. Now a new soul is providing the darkness of the jewel Magatsuhi is rising again - Naraku's.

Please tell me Midoriko won't let that happen, assuming she's still in there.

I think it's more likely that Kagome would save Midoriko's soul and sever Midoriko's fate with the jewel than the other way around. It's Midoriko I expect Kagome to suppass - she suppassed Kikyou when Kikyou was resurrected. Midoriko's failure birthed the jewel - Kagome must do better.

Is he just referring to it's effort to drag Kagome back to the feudal era to.... uh... what was it again?

Yes. There's always been a sense of this. Kikyou tried to remove it from this world when she died, but the jewel found its way back through Kagome's body and a time-travelling well.

Something keeps the jewel clinging to this world, until that's addressed the jewel will not stay removed from this world.

What makes Inu think it would be easy to obliterate it and when did they decide to obliterate it instead of making a wish anyway?

They've always been in it to destroy the jewel and Naraku - ever since understanding Kikyou's words about destroying the two together and ever since Inuyasha stopped being motivated by a desire to become youkai. The reason they don't focus on the role of the Right Wish is probably, quite simply, that they don't understand what the Right Wish is and how it would be relevant to the defeat of Naraku.

It's not complete yet! How can it do all this stuff w/o being complete?

The jewel was completed when Kohaku's shard was reclaimed.

Leave it to Sess to Save the Children.

It's always cracked me up that the most child-friendly character in this manga has always been Sesshoumaru. In a weird way, though, it fits the human vision of the perfect dog - a child-friendly dog is clearly a dog that can be trusted. As much as he's always wanted to deny his dog-instinct to protect humans, underneath all the ego and angst, Sesshoumaru's the perfect dog.

I'm sure he means that too, though.

Yeah, it definitely looked like a "I know about you and my sister and I approve" comment. :)

Bygones are clearly bygones now.

Well, Rin doesn't know what Sango tried to do, not that it would matter, I think. What mattered really was Sesshoumaru's reaction. He's been watching Rin and Sango like a hawk.

(he does still have it, right? It's just purified, right?).

No, he lost the shard in Chapter 528 (pg 16). Chapter 529, pg 14+ revealed that although the shard was gone, Kikyou's light had remained inside Kohaku's body and was keeping him alive.

However, I agree the kids part isn't over yet. I think they're in a prime position to help the village.

Come'on Kags.

What really got me was that she isn't worried by her apparent immunity to Naraku's shouki. She shouldn't be "fine"!

And by the way, in bad-guy speak, this is BAD.

Oh yeah - but he's seemed to have had a plan for Kagome's arrows ever since the arrow of shouki.

So? Bets on how long the ending battle will be? And what's with the title of this chapter? "Collapse"? Naraku's body?

Yes, but only beginning to collapse, rather than collapsing in its entirety. I used to think the final battle would end in Volume 56. Now I believe it'll take the rest of the volume to set up Kagome's true strength, so the final battle will truly end at some point in Volume 57.

yeah, i whuffed it on the kohaku shard thing. i really should read each chapter several times after i snark it - just to absorb the meanining.

i agree w/ you about kags. why wasn't she worried about her own vulnerability to the shouki? i agree that naraku is aiming for kagome, to bring her into the jewel/destroy her purification/light for all time or something. i wonder if he's somehow avoiding hittin gher with the shouki to keep her alive until he can do that?

So... if Sesshoumaru/Rin is one of the more popular fan pairings, how come Kohaku/Rin is proving so popular in this poll? :)

because my friends are weird?