How Inuyasha Paved the Way for Demon Slayer (and Vice Versa)

Inuyasha: The Feudal Japan Aesthetic

Inuyasha was an anime that took the mundane teenager of Kagome and placed her into a magical world that was filled with monsters and demons, but the strange new environment most assuredly had a Japanese feudal period aesthetic to it. With the arrival of Inuyasha, we see an anime that is neck deep in the Japanese culture of old, and while Demon Slayer might not exactly take place in Japan, it's clear that the former was able to help clear the way in showing that anime series with this particular aesthetic could be just as more popular, if not more so, in the west versus the east!

Inuyasha: Half-Demons Galore

Inuyasha is a story that is populated not just with demons, but with half-demons as is the case with the titular protagonist of the series. In an anime that relies on the supernatural, it was one of the series that helped clear the way for the likes of Demon Slayer to gain a foothold within the medium. Tanjiro and Nezuko's story might be far more tragic than the one we saw of Inuyasha and Kagome's, but their statuses are surprisingly similar if not flipped around a tad. Nezuko struggles with her inner demon much like Inuyasha, proving that the two series have far more in common when you start diving into the details, whether they are demon related or not.

Inuyasha: Huge Honking Swords

To go along with the Japanese aesthetic, both Demon Slayer and Inuyasha's most traditional weaponry that was used throughout each series was usually swords that were imbued with magic. While Tanjiro uses a sword that is far different from the likes of Inuyasha's, both are just as magical as the worlds that they were spawned from. We have to imagine that some of the battles that took place in Demon Slayer had to take some influence from the demon fights that took place in Inuyasha. Inuyasha created a unique fighting style all its own, with Demon Slayer taking a somewhat similar approach in creating unique animated tussles which helped propel it to insane levels of popularity.

With these commonalities between Inuyasha and Demon Slayer, what are some elements of the latter that seem to have been responsible for the sequel series of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon?

Demon Slayer: Insane Popularity

Rumiko Takahashi revealing that she was working on a new sequel to Inuyasha was a shock to everyone, especially considering that she is currently working on a manga series called Mao. We have to believe that at some point, those responsible for the upcoming Yashahime series caught wind of just how popular Demon Slayer was and realized that there was a market for a series of the same kind of aesthetic, giving the green light to the sequel. While none of this is confirmed of course, we wouldn't be surprised to know that the stories of Tanjiro and Nezuko had something of an influence when it came to Inuyasha's "rebirth"!

Demon Slayer: The Series Finale

As you should know by this point, the franchise of Demon Slayer is coming to an end with the final chapter of the manga series about to be released. With the story of Tanjiro and Nezuko coming to an end, there will definitely be an empty spot for a franchise that has its fair share of demon fighting and elements that are taken straight from feudal Japan. Though the series most likely wasn't created in response to Demon Slayer coming to an end, we can't imagine that the sequel to Inuyasha could have picked a better time to arrive than this fall!

Demon Slayer: Anime Is Still A Place For Magic

With the likes of My Hero Academia, One Piece, and Dragon Ball focusing far more on the fight scenes than anything else these days, Demon Slayer has showed that the world of the supernatural is still an easy sell when it comes to bringing in anime fans from around the world. With Demon Slayer leading the way, it isn't a surprise to see that a sequel to Inuyasha would be able to fit right into the anime landscape and the sheer amount of excitement that erupted from the announcement of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon proves that this is a franchise that will hit the ground floor running!

The Ouroboros Effect

Both Demon Slayer and Inuyasha might not have any official connections, but the similarities between these two franchises show that they are able to play with one another's strengths and have clearly helped in creating an anime landscape in which audiences would be able to dive into both of these worlds. With Inuyasha's sequel being released this fall, will it be able to take the throne from Demon Slayer as one of the biggest animes in the world today?