Shiori (InuYasha)

Shiori is a character in the manga and anime series InuYasha, a hanyō like the title character. She only appears for a short time, but plays an important role in the story. The name "Shiori" is made up of the Japanese characters "poetry" and "weave."

History
Shiori's father was Tsukuyōmaru, leader of the bat yōkai who had continuously attacked a nearby human village. Tsukuyōmaru fell in love with a woman from the village named Shizu, who gave birth to his daughter. He then went to his father Taigokumaru and demanded that the attacks stop, and if they didn't, he'd abandon his duties as guardian of the barrier that protected their tribe. Taigokumaru agreed, but some years later, killed his own son. The tribe began attacking the village again, but Taigokumaru soon made a pact with the villagers, agreeing that he would stop attacking the village if his granddaughter Shiori was handed over to him. To Shizu's dismay the villagers agreed and Taigokumaru took Shiori into his custody, but the attacks continued.

It was about this time that InuYasha's crew showed up. Unable to break the barrier around Naraku's castle, Tōtōsai informed them that InuYasha must use the Tetsusaiga to kill the demon that controlled the bat clan's barrier and absorb its blood. If he succeeded, the Tetsusaiga would absorb its power and have the ability to break Naraku's barrier. However, when Inuyasha learned that the guardian of the barrier was a hanyou like himself, he became unwilling to kill her. This was because she was only a child and a hanyou.

That night, the bat tribe attacked again, intending to wipe out the humans. InuYasha defended them, and attempted to destroy Taigokumaru because of his wickedness, but was unable to break the barrier. During the battle, Taigokumaru revealed the truth behind Tsukuyomaru's death. Hearing this, Shiori rebelled against her grandfather, who was forced out of the barrier and slain by InuYasha's Backlash Wave. Afterward, Shiori and her mother finally learned why InuYasha had come to their village. Shiori then gave InuYasha the Blood Crystal which had been passed down through the leaders of the bats for generations, and actually produced the barrier. She told him that by destroying it, he would gain the power he sought.

When InuYasha tried to break the crystal, Taigokumaru's spirit manifested from it and tried to kill both Shiori and Shizu. He was prevented from doing so by a barrier produced by the spirit of Tsukuyomaru, and was finally destroyed by InuYasha. The crystal then broke in two, giving its power to the Tetsusaiga and turning the blade red. This was the Red, or Crimson, Tetsusaiga.

Following the death of their leader, the bats who had survived the attack chose to flee the area for parts unknown. Shiori was left behind, now free to live with her mother once more, and knowing that her father's spirit still watched over them.

Shiori's name means "Poem" or "Weave".

Byakuya