Misunderstood Concepts:
When I think about it, there are going to be people in life who you simply can't stand. Something about him or her will just drive you insane and you can't even handle being around them. With that said, I can respect someone's opinions and beliefs and therefore, I refuse to impose my own judgment or beliefs on them. However, with that said, I think it is ridiculous to see people online bad mouth someone just because of silly, superficial or stupid reasons. This character in particular is incredibly complex; Kikyou's actions are difficult because she is the victim of past events, and at the same time, she is fighting to avenge her death and the betrayal she died for.

Kikyou was the powerful priestess designated to protect and be the Guardian of the Shikon Jewel (Jewel of Four Souls). As a young girl, she was raised at her temple to become a priestess, but little did her family know, she was gifted with immense spiritual powers. She grew up to be a very compassionate and powerful priestess. It was also said, that no other priestess could rival or match her skills. Kikyou was also a very pure person, and her purity and goodness made her spiritual powers so dangerous to demons. By the time Kikyou was 17-years of age, she was approached by a group of men, claiming to be from the Youkai Taijiya, also known as the Demon Exterminators. Stories of her purity and strength had reached their village, where the Jewel (Shikon-No-Tama) was originally from, and they begged her to defend it. The Jewel had been attracting many demons and they needed a more powerful person, more specifically, someone with spiritual powers to protect it. Kikyou accepted the duty and responsibility of protecting the Jewel and the men returned back to their village. Kikyou was only 17-years old when she took on the duty of protecting the Jewel. This act is incredibly significant because it highlights the self-sacrifice that Kikyou took on, knowing the burden it would have on her life. She was willing to give up on being an ordinary girl if it meant the safety and prosperity of her village. She also had a loving little sister, Kaede, whom she loved dearly. And this is how the tragic and depressing events of the story unfold...

Sadly, many fans of the series do not recognize the history of Kikyou's story. Many of those who are against Kikyou mention and favor the two main heroes, which are Inu Yasha and Kagome, but even with all the flashbacks and revelations of what truly happened, people choose to turn a blind eye because it is easier to say they hate Kikyou than truly appreciate her character and realize the hell she went through. With the responsibility of watching over the Shikon-No-Tama, Kikyou's responsibilities increased. Many demons would try to steal the Jewel and take it for their own personal gain. The Jewel under Kikyou's hands was pure and to keep it that way, she would have to defend it for the remainder of her life. The Jewel itself could not be tainted unless it was used in the wrong way or if the person it belonged to was evil. Kikyou had become more and more lonely with each passing day because of the never-ending duty of being the Jewel's Guardian. Inu Yasha learned of the Jewel's whereabouts and tried on many different occasions to steal it from her. Kikyou also had another asset that helped her in the protection of the Jewel and that was her unmatched spiritual powers. She could easily sense when a powerful demonic aura was near and therefore, defend the Jewel better. However, Inu Yasha was a half- demon and as such, she could not sense his presence that well. At first, she would use her bow and arrow to scare him off but that would not work; besides, he was merely a half-demon and posed no threat to her safety - in her opinion. However, after his consistent attempts in trying to steal the Jewel, Kikyou would pin him to a tree with her arrows, leaving him stranded and frustrated over all his failed attempts. Eventually, Inu Yasha began to wonder, why she would not use a final blow to kill him. In each attempt that he tried to steal the Jewel, she would pin him to the tree and leave him, even though she had the upper hand. Her response was that he was a "pest." Anti-Kikyou individuals don't talk about this. They say she never loved him or showed any compassion, emotion, or sympathy for the half-demon. I beg to differ. If she did not care, if she did not sympathize with him, if she did not show mercy and compassion, she would have killed him right away.

Kikyou's Story: As the seasons changed, Inu Yasha began to come to her village and watch Kikyo. He could not understand why a Human would spare his life each time he attempted to attack. When Kikyou invited Inu Yasha to sit with her, (she sensed his presence and knew he was watching her) he reluctantly came down but showed no signs of comfort and was on his guard. Kikyo maked a comment that they were both alike in that they were not normal like everyone else and that they were both pariahs. Inu Yasha was a half demon and Kikyou was a priestess charged with the duty of protecting her Jewel. This is where their relationship starts and gradually grows to love. A first love for both individuals involved. Even though they were very different, they were also so much alike. Inu Yasha becomes so attached to her, that in his state of anger and hate towards people, he is willing to give up being a full demon, to be a mere human, and all just to be with Kikyou. This truly does speak volumes. Inu Yasha was in love with Kikyou and Kikyou was in love with Inu Yasha. Anti-Kikyou individuals will argue that she was selfish in that she wanted to change Inu Yasha, but her suggestion to change Inu Yasha from a half-demon to a human was because of the circumstances. This occurred 50 years before Kagome arrived - the mentality back then was that half demons were never to be accepted as part of the group when it came to humans. Thankfully as time went by, and Kagome arrived, and through Kaede's guidance in the village, people slowly began to change their opinions regarding half-demons. But unfortunately, during Kikyou's time, half demons would never be accepted as one or part of the group. Kikyou wanted to not only love and live with Inu Yasha, but also give him the chance to experience acceptance not just by her, but by her village - the only way that would happen was if he was human. At the same time, the Jewel would cease to exist, and thus her burden and responsibilities would end. The two of them would be able to spend the rest of their lives together. But despite these desires, there was always that undermining theme of insecurity between them because they were putting their faith in each other's hands. It was a test of trust that would have succeeded, had it not been for that fateful day... Rumor spread throughout the land that the priestess, although she remained vigilant, had let herself fall in love with a half-demon. And this was the opportunity to strike for the Demon known as Naraku. He had sold his body and flesh to demons in his former state as a human in order to gain mobility. In doing so, he wanted to taint the Sacred Jewel with Kikyou's hate, because if she was truly that powerful and pure with holiness, just imagine the devastating effects the Jewel would have if it was tainted with her hate and anger. This is how he sets up the trap to have Kikyou attacked by Inu Yasha (which was him in disguise as Inu Yasha) and Inu Yasha attacked by Kikyou (and in this case, Naraku was in disguise as Kikyou). In having the two lovers "attack" each other, it was the spark Naraku wanted in order to build the flames of hate in order to taint the jewel. During this time, The Real Kikyou meets up with Inu Yasha and the Real Inu Yasha has stolen the Jewel in retaliation for the attack. Kikyou, her heart torn and dying from the fake Inu Yasha's attack, shoots an arrow at Inu Yasha's heart, pinning him to a tree. In all honesty, vengeance is served and Inu Yasha falls unconscious (believed to be dead) as Kikyou falls to the floor, picking up the stolen Jewel. She comments that all her pain and suffering, for such a small thing. This is where fans of the series who hate Kikyou also like to ignore the facts... Kikyou picks up the Jewel and instead of using its power to heal herself, she decides that no one deserves such a fate, and as she looks at her little sister, she instructs Kaede to burn it with her body, knowing that she is going to die. Naraku's plan fails, because Kikyou was so pure and good, she decided to die and follow Inu Yasha than use the Jewel for her own purpose of living. She dies, thinking she is following Inu Yasha to the world beyond, and it was such a heart-wrenching scene. Kikyou's death really was depressing because she never deserved that. She chose death not only to keep the Jewel Pure and Sacred (fulfilling her duty) but also to follow the one she loved (Inu Yasha) even in the face of death. That is why Inu Yasha in the series is so tormented, Kikyou died for him, instead of choosing life. She followed him to the grave (so she thought) so at least, they would have been together in the afterlife. Fifty Years after her death, Kikyou was resurrected by the Witch known as Urasue. She destroyed Kikyou's grave and stole her ashes. When Kikyou comes back to life, her soul is in pain and she still carries the same wounds she received on the day of her death. Inu Yasha then fights with Kikyou but the one thing that really pains him is the fact that she constantly asks him "Why did YOU betray me Inu Yasha?" This statement really does show how sad and hurt she was. She loved Inu Yasha and was willing, just like him, to spend the rest of her life with him. Then, in the one moment when their love was put to the test, and she was to meet up with him to take him back to the village and use the Jewel to make him human so he could spend the rest of his life with her, he betrays her. At least, that is what she thought; little did she know it was Naraku who abused their relationship and trust. Later on in the series, when Kikyou discovers who the real villain and traitor of the entire ordeal is, she cannot help but become bitter and jealous, especially towards Kagome. She has lost not only her one true chance of happiness with Inu Yasha, but now Inu Yasha has other feelings for another woman, her own reincarnation no less. Kikyou had gone through hell, died for Inu Yasha and came back to life with the pain and sorrow of 50 years ago, only to discover that he was now with another woman. Of course she will be angry and jealous and this is something that fans love to feed off of. They always say that she is so jealous and evil. Jealous, yes, Evil, no. She does things her own way in order to avenge what happened to her and in the end, it amounts to destroying Naraku (another thing people like to play with). They say she is helping Naraku by giving him the Jewel, but in fact, she is using him for her own plans - to kill him because of what he stole from her and Inu Yasha. And as for her relationship with Kagome, of course there is going to be tension because both of them truly love Inu Yasha and want him for themselves. Yet, Kikyou realizes that in the end, Inu Yasha chooses Kagome and this only pains her more. As for Inu Yasha, Kikyou will always try to gain his affections again because she loves him and wants him back. She wants the life she had with him even though by the end of the series, she knows it is not possible. Kikyou was robbed not only of her life as a normal person, but of her love life and any semblance of being normal, which was all she ever wanted. Kikyou was alone her entire life and by the end of the series, as you all know, she was always alone. Kagome gets to keep and protect the Jewel but she had allies and friends, and Inu Yasha, something that Kikyou never had. The tragedy is all the more telling because the series highlights just how compassionate and loving Kikyou was when she protects several of Inu Yasha's new friends (Miroku, Rin, and Kohaku just to name a few).

My Conclusion:
It is really sad to still see people in message boards and online writing such hateful things about Kikyou. Just imagine what she has been through! And then she has to go through the acceptance, that Inu Yasha no longer is In Love with her but loves her own Reincarnation. It is a betrayal that she must not only endure, but overcome. By the end of the series, when Kikyou is dying in Inu Yasha's arms, she admits to him that she was happy to just be in his arms, acknowledging that he had moved on to love Kagome instead of her. The simple act of just being with her in her official final moments at the end of the series was enough to bring a smile, a genuine smile to her face after all those years of pain and suffering. I firmly believe that the creator of the InuYasha series did this on purpose so that we, as fans of this series, would learn to understand and sympathize with those who were misunderstood.

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