Utsugi

Utsugi is a mysterious antagonist who appears in the video game Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask. Utsugi summons the main character, Kururugi, into the feudal era using an ancient spell. Because you can choose to play Kururugi as either male or female, Utsugi's gender is dependent on your choice. He is a male in Michiru's storyline and a female in Kaname's. The gender of Kakuju also changes accordingly to fit the storyline.

Origins
Utsugi is a Hitogata, an enchanted clay doll that was granted life by the priest(ess) Kakuju and the power of Shikigami after the original Utsugi, Kakuju's lover, died. Many attempts were made to breathe life into a doll before the final version of Utsugi succeeded, and the imperfect Utsugi-hitogata were discarded in the valley below Kakuju's village. Kakuju mystically sealed the valley and isolated the village to prevent these wandering, imperfect dolls to escape and harm anyone.

Kakuju and the new Utsugi lived in peace for many years, until eventually the villagers began to grow suspicious of the way in which Utsugi never aged. Eventually, they chased him/her out of the village. Guilt-ridden, Kakuju left the village to find him/her. It is on this journey that Inuyasha and the gang encounter her/him.

Eager to become truly human and please Kakuju, Utsugi joined up with Naraku and his incarnations in order to summon Kururugi to the past. Because Kururugi was a descendant on the original Utsugi and gifted with the power of shikigami, Utsugi planned to absorb his/her soul and become human.

During the execution of this plan, the elderly Kakuju is killed by a giant hitogata while protecting Kururugi, but gives him/her an enchanted amulet to shield him/her from Utsugi.

In the final battle, Kururugi is attacked and Utsugi achieves humanity -- but he/she is then absorbed by the completed Naraku. After Inuyasha and the others kill Naraku, Utsugi lays dying as a human, the power of shikigami having been enough only to protect him/her from being obliterated with Naraku.

It is revealed that the soul absorbed before Naraku's attack was not Kururugi's, but Kakuju's, as it was put into the amulet Kururgi received. With the knowledge that he/she is dying as a human, with the soul of the person he truly loves inside him/her, Utsugi dies. Kururugi is then released from the spell and sent back to his/her own time.

Nature
Because Kakuju used an ancient spell of shikigami to breath life into the hitogata, Utsugi possesses similar powers, and wields them with far more skill than Michiru/Kaname. Though he/she loves Kakuju dearly, Utsugi remains a hitogata because he/she is without a soul. His/her behavior is self-centered, emotionally detached, and cold for the majority of the game and cares only about Kururugi's well being after he is granted humanity.

Utsugi's real age is unknown, but he/she appears to be in his/her late teens/early twenties, like most of the main characters in Inuyasha. His/her real age could be much older, given the magical nature of his/her existence.

Since Utsugi is a perfect hitogata of Kakuju's original lover and Kururugi is a descendant of theirs, his/her face is almost exactly the same as Kururugi's. This is a mystery concealed for the first three-quarters of the game, and revealed only after Inuyasha breaks Utsugi's demonic mask with the Tessaiga.

Abilities

 * Shikigami: a spiritual power that lives in every living thing. A select few can wield it.
 * Teleportation: Utsugi teleported on several occasions to escape.

Attacks
Raging Flame: the basic and first shikigami attack to appear in the game that is a flame-type attack. Utsugi used it on Inuyasha after taking on the Wind Scar head on.

Unknown wind Shikigami: a wind-based attack that Utsugi used during the battle in the swamp; it lowers the action of all enemies.

Light of Judgment: the strongest shikigami attack in the game is a light-type attack that appears as several lightning bolts coming down when a dragon of light comes up. Utsugi only uses this against Kururugi.

Relationships

 * Kakuju: his/her former lover that he/she still loves to this day.
 * Michiru/Kaname Kururugi: there is no love or hate connection but he/she wants Michiru's/Kaname's soul to become human.
 * Inuyasha: Utsugi thinks Inuyasha is pathetic and treats him like a child.
 * Kagura: Utsugi doesn't much of Kagura while Kagura thinks Utsugi is weird for joining up with Naraku.
 * Kikyo: Utsugi knows about Kikyo and fears her powers a little.
 * Naraku: Utsugi does not trust Naraku, but joined him to get chance to absorb Kururugi's soul.

Items

 * His/her mask: Utsugi wears a wooden Oni mask through the game until the battle with Kagura against Inuyasha and Kururugi in Demon Wolf's forest. The mask is destroyed by Inuyasha's Wind Scar and reveals Utsugi's true face.
 * Kimono: his/her normal clothes that he/she wears.

Weapons
Utsugi really has no physical weapons but he uses Shikigami that is the form of pure energy.

Fighting Style
Utsugi has a mysterious fighting style that he/she uses with his/her Shikigami powers in dances.