Some older anime have gained the title of classics, such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, and Naruto. Another that belongs on that list is Inuyasha, the story of a girl who travels back to the feudal era to stop a looming evil along with newfound friends. Most anime watchers in the U.S. probably saw Inuyasha for the first time on Toonami, otherwise known as Adult Swim, the late night version of Cartoon Network.
Because of Inuyasha‘s popularity, it had not just one, but four movies made during its original run. This was even before the main storyline or Inuyasha: The Final Act was finished or those episodes aired. There are mixed reviews on the movies, as they aren’t a part of the canon storyline, but as a fan of the show, they’re nice breaks from the main villain, Naraku. You also usually learn more about the characters and their histories, which makes the show itself more entertaining. This is a list including all four of the Inuyasha films and ranking them from worst to best.
4. Inuyasha The Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (2003)
There’s nothing exactly wrong with Swords of an Honorable Ruler, but it is the least memorable of the four Inuyasha movies. It goes over plot devices that we’ve already seen in the original series — namely, Sesshomaru wanting his father’s swords for himself. In this movie, though, we see the effects the feudal era’s weaponry could potentially have on the present day, and Inuyasha is quickly sent back to his own time.
The story is fine — it just doesn’t compare to the rest of the movies, especially when its not considered canon in the series. We see Inuyasha and Sesshomaru work together to fight and defeat their enemy, however this plot device is then recycled in Inuyasha: The Final Act. Swords of an Honorable Ruler isn’t a bad movie by any means, but it’s easily the worst out of the four.
3. Inuyasha The Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island
This movie focuses on Inuyasha and his character development, which is always good to see. A young half-demon, Ai, escapes from Hōrai Island which is home to the four war gods and the half-demon children they’ve claimed. Inuyasha explains that there’s a legend surrounding the island as it only appears every fifty years. When he goe to the island, Inuyasha is given four scars on his back, the mark of the four war gods.
Ultimately, the goal of the film is to save the half-demon children who are trapped on the island and defeat the war gods. We see Inuyasha find common ground with the children, as he too is a half-demon, which has made him an outsider for most of his life. It’s nice to see his soft side come out around someone other than Kagome or Kikyo.
2. Inuyasha The Movie: Affections Touching Across Time
In Affections Touching Across Time, we find the group victim to the son of a demon Inuyasha and Sesshomaru’s father defeated almost two centuries ago. Vowing to avenge his father’s death, the moth demon, Menōmaru, goes after Inuyasha and his friends. His minions, Ruri and Hari, take control of Kirara and Menōmaru places a curse on Kagome, leading her to shoot down Inuyasha like Kikyo did fifty years before.
One of the best things about this movie is the multiple meanings of the title, Affections Touching Across Time. Is it talking about Inuyasha and Kagome or Inuyasha and Kikyo? Or maybe it’s talking about Menōmaru and his father, or even Sesshomaru and Inuyasha with their father. There are infinite meanings which makes it such an incredible title. Not only that, but we also see Kagome dealing with the idea that she’ll never be able to see the Feudal Era again, and it’s the first time we see her struggling to come to terms with that.
1. Inuyasha The Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
The best Inuyasha movie was an easy choice — it was the three below it that were hard considering how good all four movies are. However, The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass easily takes the cake for the best in the series. After believing they’d defeated Naraku, the gang splits up with Miroku and Sango returning to their homes while Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippo continue on their hunt to find the rest of the Shikon jewel shards. Of course though, a new evil reveals itself in Kaguya of the Moon, a Demon set on getting hold of the celestial robe.
What makes this movie so memorable is that we finally get an Inuyasha and Kagome kiss after years of waiting. Not to mention, it didn’t feel like fan service which is sometimes a problem in shows with romance as a subplot. It was warranted and it was an act of bravery on Kagome’s part who could’ve died if her kiss didn’t break the curse Inuyasha was under. And again, when all seems well and defeated, Naraku comes out of hiding to show that the group still has a long way to go before defeating him for good.