Kagura // Overview

Age: Unknown
Gender: Female
Race: Kaze-youkai
Personality: Hot-headed, Independent, Scheming
Aliases: Kagura
Role: Troubled Villain

Overall:
Kagura is the second incarnation of Naraku and his most willful creation. Temperamental and headstrong, Kagura is a force to be reckoned with both on and off the battlefield. Independent and dissatisfied with her life of servitude, Kagura will go to any and all lengths to gain the freedom she so desperately desires—even if it means collaborating with Naraku's sworn enemy.

Each of Naraku's detachments hold for him varying levels of disgust, Kagura's being the most extreme/intense. She spends a better portion of the series plotting her escape and/or coordinating Naraku's demise. Because he controls her very existence, Kagura is perpetually bitter/negative, thinking only of ways to become "like the free wind."

Though Kagura is the second of Naraku's incarnations, she is actually the "baby girl" of the "family," her elder sister Kanna, in actuality, the oldest of Naraku's offspring. Kagura is originally created/used as an "experiment," if you will, to test the strength of Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga, though it would seem her "true" purpose is that of "investigator," and most notably, a means of transportation for Naraku. As such, Kagura uses an adjustable feather—kept as a hair accessory—to travel distances, which "triples" in size at Kagura's command. This feather is large enough to accommodate two and three passengers, which is used countless times throughout the manga (Volume 19, Chapter 182).

Unlike her "siblings," Kagura is one of few detachments to survive past their introductory volume. If she feels her life is in danger, or is faced with a no-win situation, Kagura will flee/retreat to safety—one of many traits she shares with her metamorphosic "father," Naraku. And of all Naraku's "children," Kagura resembles him—both physically and mentally—most.

Appearance-wise, Kagura is one of the most attractive/sensual demons (not to mention females) of the Inuyasha universe. She is, presumably, a single-form youkai (i.e. humanoid), unlike Sesshoumaru, who possesses the ability to transform into a gigantic, salivating dog. Kagura's hair is black, wavy, and typically tied in a "bun" of sorts with beads(?), and various feathers(s) (some images suggest multiple feathers, though it tends to fluctuate). Her eyes—Kagura's wildest/most exotic feature—are sharp and blood red. She wears dangly, beaded earrings, and travels barefoot.

Also interesting to note—Kagura provides most of the series' nudity, namely in the form of exposed breasts. Her kimono top is often torn and/or completely disintegrated as a result of battling, and as such, sports a variety of outfits throughout the manga.