Love triangles are often rivalrous between those involved, captivating the audience with a more complex romantic conflict. In the case of Inuyasha, however, the love triangle was a source of major headache and heated debate among the fandom.
Anyone that has stayed up till 3 in the morning to watch Inuyasha on Adult Swim knows just how frustrating it was to see the two female leads, Kagome and Kikyo, fighting over their common love interest, Inuyasha. The romantic conflict between the three characters was a big secondary plot point in the series, but how did this love triangle come about in the first place, and why was it such a divisive topic?
How The Three Met
500 years before Kagome’s time, Kikyo and Inuyasha were involved with each other romantically, and they made a promise to elope and live happily together. Tragically, their love would not have a happy ending. The demon Naraku would turn Inuyasha and Kikyo against each other; Inuyasha was sealed away thinking Kikyo had betrayed him, and Kikyo died thinking Inuyasha had betrayed her. Her dying request was to be cremated along with the spiritually powerful Shikon jewel.
Kikyo was then reincarnated into Kagome, who was born 500 years after Kikyo's death. Kagome meets Inuyasha, and the two grow closer each day as they travel and fight enemies together. Despite their feelings for each other growing stronger, the memory of his first love, Kikyo, still hurts him. Then, a necromancer brings Kikyo back to life… well, sort of. Her physical body is resurrected, and she is able to move and talk, but her original soul does not return. This is because her soul is now in Kagome’s body. The return of Kikyo floods Inuyasha with conflicting feelings and fills Kagome with jealousy.
Just Pick One Already
It was incredibly frustrating to watch Inuyasha's and Kagome's growing relationship and trust nipped at the bud every time Kikyo entered the scene. Whenever Kikyo was around, Inuyasha would divert his attention to her. Inuyasha would go chasing after Kikyo, leaving Kagome feeling sad and abandoned. 90% of the fights between Inuyasha and Kagome were because he prioritized Kikyo over her.
Kagome would passive-aggressively throw a fit and run back to her home, while Inuyasha would be left feeling confused, guilty, and confused as to why he felt that way. It felt like Kagome and Inuyasha were taking one step forward and two steps back in their romantic development because of his indecisive feelings for the two women.
Jealousy and Animosity
Throughout the show, there were a lot of moments of high tension between Kagome and Kikyo. They were love rivals fighting for Inuyasha’s affection. Kagome was jealous of Kikyo because Kikyo was Inuyasha's first love, and she knew she could never replace Kikyo or make Inuyasha forget about her. She was jealous of their past history and felt like Inuyasha was going to choose Kikyo over her. Kikyo hated Kagome because she felt like Kagome had replaced her and stolen Inuyasha from her.
They may have had a lot in common (soul and love interest included), but the biggest difference between the two was their humanity. Kikyo felt so much bitterness and animosity towards Kagome that on one occasion she even tried to kill Kagome so that nothing would stand between her and Inuyasha. Despite this, Kagome never had ill intentions towards Kikyo and even saved her life on multiple occasions.
A Fandom At War
The romantic conflict didn't only cause turmoil in the show; it caused turmoil in the fandom as well. As usual with love triangles, fans began to take sides. There was "Team Kagome" and "Team Kikyo," and fans would root for their chosen character to win Inuyasha's heart while praying for the other woman's downfall. There were heated arguments in the fandom over who was the better match for Inuyasha. Those on Team Kikyo argued that she deserved Inuyasha because if it hadn't been for Naraku's meddling, then Inuyasha and Kikyo would have been together. They also argued that theoretically, Kagome may only love Inuyasha because she is the reincarnation of Kikyo. Because they share the same soul, they share the same love. Therefore, if Kagome hadn't been born with Kikyo's soul, then she never would have fallen for Inuyasha.
Some fans believed Kikyo deserved a second chance to be with Inuyasha and live the life she always dreamed of having with him. On the other hand, fans on Team Kagome believed she was meant to be with Inuyasha. They argued that although Kikyo may have loved him, she wanted Inuyasha to change who he was and become a human for her. Kagome, however, loved Inuyasha for who he was and accepted him as a half-demon. The love triangle may have seemed never-ending throughout the 167-episode series, but where there is conflict, there is resolution. It was only when Kikyo died for the second time that Inuyasha was finally able to move on and pick Kagome. Ultimately, Kagome was fated to be with Inuyasha, and they lived happily ever after. Sorry team Kikyo.
Inuyasha Should Be The Next Anime Adapted To A Live-Action Series