kagome

Age 15, Hiragashi Kagome is the modern day Tokyo schoolgirl who went into the past and awakened Inuyasha, which started all this drama to begin with. The heroine of the show, as it were. Growing up in a temple with the love of her friends, poor Hojo and her family surrounding her at all times; Kagome enters the series as a spoiled girl who has no idea about the harsh realities of the world. Even after breaking the Shikon no Tama and putting the world in jeopardy, all she cares out is going home. Worrying about her appearance (especially her hair), taking modern day luxuries for granted, caring mostly about onesself and complaining when feeling the least bit discomforted; Kagome enters the scene portraying what most females of that age are like and so, we can relate.

So she stays for quite a while until the reappeance of Kikyou. Having one's soul being forced out of you and meeting your past incarnation is bound to force the hard reality on someone, after all. Meeting other people - Sango, Miroku and Shippou - who have also been through some much harder times than she can ever imagine also makes Kagome change gradually as a character. Aware that she has to start taking things seriously and that the world doesn't revolve around her, Kagome becomes a unmitigated model of selflessness, sympathy and hard work. Of course, Kagome still has her distinguishing characteristics, such as worrying about school and wanting to visit her family; but as the series goes on the complaining is toned down dramatically.

As for the short school girl uniform, because I know that Kagome haters always like to bring this up, I believe that Rumiko has Kagome wear it all the time in order to set the heroine apart from the other characters. Why? Because Kagome is not from that time, she is from the present and is a representation of this time. A school girl uniform because most all schools in Japan require them and so the readers can relate. If Kagome were to suddenly wear miko clothing or dress differently, then she would lose her individuality and what makes her set apart from the others in the story. Kagome is not the girl who just happens to be the reincarnation of Kikyou and can see the shards, Kagome is the girl from another time who is trying her best to save a period that she doesn't even belong in.

Her love for Inuyasha really isn't all that complex. Even from the very beginning she played the helpless heroine and depended on Inuyasha to save her when she was in trouble. Actually, her falling in love with Inuyasha was predictable of any kind of manga of this sort. What makes this story unique and the relationship between Inuyasha and Kagome so precious is the fact that Kikyou does exist. Because of such, Kagome is forced to keep her love to herself instead of the regular storyline of admitting love and then suddenly you are a couple. What makes Kagome great is that she doesn't brush it off and then runs away to find someone who can return her feelings right away, but instead she waits until he can love her back. Kagome decides to wait for Inuyasha and the entire situation with Kikyou - no matter how long it takes. All the while, her love for the hanyou continuing to grow.

This is part of what makes Kagome amazing, her limitless ability to love despite the circumstances and forgetting the fact that she doesn't know if he loves her back to that extent. Yes, there are times when she acts a bit immature and becomes jealous of the relationship that Inuyasha and Kikyou share, but I think that is typical of the personality that has been given to her and the society she was raised in. For the most part though, she gives without expecting anything in return.

Rumic Alikes

Otonashi Kyoko, the widowed female lead of the finest of romantic comedies, Maison Ikkoku, is a character whom I think is quite similiar to an older Kagome. Appearances aside, as they do look remarkably comparable right down to the hairstyle, they have the same kind of personality. Wanting to remain faithful and still in love with her dead husband, Kyoko tries to ignore the requests of men other than her beloved. However, once she's fallen in love again - she's fallen hard and loves him despite his own personal circumstances that other women would use against him. They even express their anger in the same way, most of the time preferring the cold look and silence to screaming (although Kagome sometimes is more verbal).