25 Years Later, ‘Inuyasha’s Most Disturbing Storyline Is Still Hard To Watch

Published Sep 8, 2026, 7:29 PM EDT

Collier Jennings is an entertainment journalist with extensive experience. Collier, or “CJ” to his friends and family, is a dedicated fan of genre films - particularly science fiction, fantasy, and comic book adaptations, not to mention all forms of animation. This stems from a close bond with his father, who introduced him to these genres via copies of X-Men comics and reruns of the original Ultraman series. With his near-encyclopedic knowledge and bottomless love of genre, he’s tackled a wide variety of articles.

When Rumiko Takahashi created Inuyasha, she created a story unlike any other anime or manga before or since. It’s the rare isekai that takes the time to flesh out its world, rather than serving as a backdrop for blatant power fantasies. It expertly blends intense action sequences with tender romantic moments, especially where the titular half-demon and high-schooler Kagome Higurashi are concerned. Inuyasha’s defining feature is the horror elements that permeate its narrative. The demons Inuyasha, Kagome, and their friends fight are truly terrifying, and one episode delivers some of the most disturbing moments in the entire series.

That episode is “Enter Sango the Demon Slayer,” which, true to its name, brings the demon slayer Sango into Inuyasha’s narrative. Ironically, Inuyasha barely features in “Enter Sango the Demon Slayer,” as most of the episode is dedicated to Sango and her entire village of demon hunters tracking down a spider demon that’s made its residence in a nearby castle. Sango easily slays the spider demon, but a piece of its thread possesses her brother, Kohaku, who starts killing off the entire village of demon slayers. It’s an outright horrifying moment that helps shape the series’ future.

By shifting the focus from Inuyasha and Kagome to Sango, “Enter Sango the Demon Slayer” sets the stage for the tragedy to come. Prior to Kohaku’s possession, we get to see his interactions with Sango, and how she deeply cares for her brother. It makes the reveal that he’s possessed hit even harder, especially when he kills his father and is killed himself. Kohaku is only 11 at this point, which hammers home the dangers of Inuyasha’s world*. *The demons in this world don’t care about a human’s age or profession, and will slaughter with impunity if given the chance.

If Kohaku’s death wasn’t horrifying enough, it’s also revealed that the demon Naraku was behind his death and frames Inuyasha for it — sending Sango on the warpath. While Sango and InuYasha eventually become allies, Naraku pulls off one of his most diabolical schemes **by resurrecting Kohaku and making him his servant. **In the episode “Sango’s Suffering and Kohaku’s Life,” Naraku tells Sango he’ll free Kohaku if she brings Inuyasha’s sword Tessiga to him, which she eventually does. This turns out to be a trap as Naraku utilizes Kohaku to attack her, Inuyasha, and their companions. What follows is one of the most emotional moments in Inuyasha’s history, as Sango refuses to fight her younger brother and also feels immense guilt over betraying her friends. The guilt even grows to the point where she’s willing to actually kill Kohaku, and then herself, in the episode “That Unforgettable Face!”

Your instincts, your strengths, and your particular way of thinking under pressure point to one villain you actually have a fighting chance against. Everyone else — good luck.

Jason is relentless, but he is also predictable — and that is the gap you would exploit.

Michael watches before he moves. He is patient, methodical, and almost impossible to detect — until it’s too late for anyone who isn’t paying close enough attention.

Freddy wins by getting inside your head — using your own fears, your own memories, your own subconscious as weapons against you. That strategy requires a target who can be destabilised.

Pennywise is ancient, shapeshifting, and feeds on terror — but it has one critical vulnerability: it cannot function against someone who genuinely stops being afraid of it.

Chucky’s greatest advantage is that nobody takes him seriously until it’s already too late. He exploits the gap between how something looks and what it actually is.

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