20 Years of InuYasha: A Retrospective

On November 13th 1996, Rumiko Takahashi's feudal fairy tale InuYasha began its serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday, where it would continue to run for a nearly 12-year run. From the very beginning, InuYasha was wildly popular and successful both in Japan and internationally, and its popularity and influence on anime fandom are still indelible nearly a decade since it's conclusion. In honor of 20 years of InuYasha, Manga Mavericks' resident Rumic World expert LumRanmaYasha has recruited their brother and previous guest VlordGTZ to discuss the legacy of the series. We explore the origins of why InuYasha was created, how several characters came to be, and the history of InuYasha in North America. Then, we answer some Q&As asked of us by fans on Reddit, and discuss our favorite moments from the series, as well as commenting on Rumiko Takahashi's own. So sit, boy, and listen to us talk about everyone's favorite dog-eared half-demon. Don't worry, we promise it won't take as long as actually reading/watching the series! Disclaimer: You may hear a lot of sirens going off in the background of this episode. Let's just say the neighborhood I live in is always very noisy. Normally, we've been able to edit them out, but this week was a no-go, unfortunately. Just a heads up for those of you wondering what the heck that's about. Editor's Note, 2020: In this episode, Lum repeatedly refers to themselves with an epithet that includes an unfortunate slur. We were much younger and not as socially and critically conscious back then as we are now, and in retrospect, we find the use of this pejorative in a self-deprecating sense excruciatingly in poor taste and cringey. We humbly ask you to keep in mind that the use of this term in this podcast does not reflect upon what we consider acceptable to say now. Podcast Breakdown: 00:48 - Introductions 03:28 - The History of InuYasha 28:30 - Our History With InuYasha 37:20 - Q&A: “Thoughts on Rumiko Takahashi’s Episodic Writing Style?” 42:27 - Q&A: “What is InuYasha’s Legacy?” 47:22 - Q&A: “Koga: Hero or Jerk?” 52:10 - Our Top 10 Favorite InuYasha Moments 1:53:00 - Rumiko Takahashi’s Top 10 Favorite InuYasha Moments 2:02:53 - Wrap-Up Enjoy the show, and follow us on twitter at @lumranmayasha and @VLordGTZ. If you want to hear even more InuYasha discussion, check out our InuYasha Manga Fight with Josh Dunham! If there’s something you want to ask us that’s too big to tweet, drop us a line in the comments below, or e-mail us at [email protected]! Thanks for listening!