This screenshot demotivational poster is highly, highly Anti-Kagome. So, sit back, relax, and revel in the evisceration I have in store for this whiney, bratty, manipulative, stupid excuse of a heroine from an anime series I have the most epic love hate relationship with.
Back when I started watching Inuyasha as an eleven-year-old fifth grader, I never ever cared for Kagome in the slightest iota, and I was only there to see Inuyasha transform into his full yokai form to defeat Goshinki with his bare hands and claws. All she was back then, at least in my view, was just a waste of my time.
In my teens, my indifference to her reached new heights because I did not buy her as a strong, capable heroine, given the many times she ended up being kidnapped and did not prove herself to be a good let alone a fine fighter. The worst part was that one example where she was all cool with Kouga after he kidnapped her and after he and his wolves slaughtered a village of people and even Rin. Just when Inuyasha was about to go for the punch at Kouga, she ended up sitting him. I never even cared for Kagome when she got kidnapped by Princess Kaguya and when she reversed Inuyasha's transformation into a full yokai by kissing him. After that, they just went back to their own bickering ways.
Even when I was trying to like her as a character, there were many crippling flaws about Kagome I could never, ever ignore. Her incompetence in battle and inability to adapt to her Feudal Japanese environment aside, what ground my gears about Kagome was her manipulation, short temper, whiny attitude, and her constant abuse of Inuyasha in the forms of those God-forsaken sit commands and those God-forsaken Beads of Subjugation. Had she been a much more capable heroine, I could kind of forgive those flaws. However, I have not forgiven her for the terrible things she has done to Inuyasha and even her unnecessary jealousy towards Kikyou because she never understood the deep bond Inuyasha had with her, given that he is a dog hanyou who was loyal, protective, and attentive to her but felt guilt when he could not carry out his duty to Kikyou due to Naraku manipulating the both of them.
Sure, Inuyasha, Kikyou, Miroku, Sango, and Sesshoumaru had their own reasons for wanting to defeat Naraku, but Kagome just joins in the bandwagon because she can sense the Sacred Jewel shards while not proving herself to be a capable fighter. This does not even help with the fact that Kagome does have a decent life with a single mother, a younger brother, and a grandfather, even though her father was absent in her life, has a decent social life, and never really suffered anything major in her life unlike another more pure-hearted character in the form of Rin whose family's lives were taken from her and lived a lugubrious life before meeting Sesshoumaru. Ergo, she has it so good in her life, that she does not know how to truly empathize with others even with Inuyasha.
With more repeated viewings, my sentiments towards Kagome sank much deeper and deeper, as she was nothing more than a puerile child in a young woman's body. In fact, her first encounter with the still-dormant Inuyasha started off with her touching his ears and not even thinking about releasing the arrow that kept him on that sacred tree until she got attacked by Mistress Centipede. Even after Inuyasha woke up from his slumber, he wanted to kill Kagome, which I think he should have done right there. The final nail on the coffin was that Kagome was the one who started the whole search for the Shikon Jewel shard malarkey by accidentally shooting the arrow on the mutated carrion demon's belly to the point where the jewel splintered into smithereens. Nice work, Kagome, you pretty much started this whole malarkey to happen! Ergo, she never really took responsibility for her own actions and took them out on Inuyasha.
By the time "Inuyasha: The Final Act" was released, Kagome did the most senseless deed imaginable by leaving Inuyasha for three years so that she can graduate high school and coming back to be "reunited" with him. Seriously, after all the absences Kagome ended up incurring, all of the sickness excuses her family had to formulate for all of Kagome's journeys to Feudal Era Japan, and all of the terrible things she did to Inuyasha, she ended up being together with him? Kagome really had her priorities all screwed up and she never deserved to be with Inuyasha in the first place. She was even stupid enough not to only keep Inuyasha with those damned Beads of Subjugation, but even further displayed her complete incompetence by calling Sesshoumaru big brother, which he ended up glaring at her about it.
I am going to go out on a limb and say that Kagome was there in Inuyasha's life for one, solitary reason, and that is what to not look out for when it comes to companionship, and Kagome was that one person to do that in spades followed by Sango, Miroku, and Shippou. If I were Inuyasha's bare feet, I would endeavor to take those Beads off, run away from Kagome, and settle with someone who can be more emphatic than that vile woman-child of a manipulator.
My venom towards Kagome aside, I would like to point out to a fanfic recommended by streetgals9000, which managed to make Kagome into a slightly more likable person by turning her into a five-year-old child. "Daddy Inuwasha" originally written by Kawaii Inu'no 54 is not only lovely but far more plausible than both the manga and the anime really are.
Think of it this way. Kagome might have been a teenager in the manga and the show, but her manner is far more reflective of a child and is not a great example of a fish out of water story. Starfire from Teen Titans displayed how a fish out of water story can work because of how quickly she can adapt to her new environment on Earth while proving herself to be a powerful combatant. Kagome, on the other hand, fails at getting more accustomed to the environment of Feudal Era Japan and fails to rise above her own petty circumstances to prove herself to be a strong fighter. So, turning her into a child does reflect what Kagome was on the inside, and what Kawaii Inu'no 54 did to give her the child treatment was quite fascinating and made me slightly more inclined to Little Kagome, as she is far more plausible in that representation.
In conclusion, Kagome Higurashi is a poor excuse of a heroine I will never, ever root for. Her pettiness, manipulation, and inability to rise above to prove herself to be a strong fighter makes me proud to proclaim her as one of the biggest dumbasses in distress I had the displeasure of seeing. I have reasons why I have always avoided InuKag like the plague. The abuse she inflicted on Inuyasha, her petulant attitude, and her inability to display any type of deep empathy towards him make her suck so badly in my eyes.
I hope you all enjoyed this evisceration that I dished out for this "heroine" and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and Happy Mothers' Day everybody!
Kagome Higurashi from Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
