Ayame

Ayame
Ayame
Nihongo	菖蒲
Name meaning	Iris Flower
Biographical information
Age	15 (physical appearance)
Status	Married to Kōga
Physical information
Species	Wolf yōkai
Gender	Female
Height	163 cm (5'4")
Weight	115 lbs (52.2 kg)
Eye color	Green
Hair color	Red
Skin color	Pale
Family
Kōga (Husband) Wolf elder (Grandfather)
Skills information
Weapons	Iris, leaves
Affiliation
Loyalty	Wolf Demons
Debut
InuYasha Anime	Episode 83
Voice Actors
Japanese Seiyū	Yumi Kakazu
English VA	Natalie Walters

Ayame (菖蒲, "Iris Flower") is the granddaughter of the Northern Yoro Tribe leader, the Wolf elder (Chōrō) as well as Kōga's fiancée and eventual wife.

History

Ayame as a child.

As a little girl, Ayame was once saved by Kōga from the Birds of Paradise and was promised marriage when she got older.

During the Story

She later grows up and comes after Kōga, saying that her grandfather was going to marry her off to another wolf demon but she chose him since he promised, is very persistent, and tries to use force several times on him. When Kōga says (As a way to get rid of her) that he will only marry a woman who can sense the Shikon Jewel shards, she announces that she will train herself to sense them like Kagome (Though Miroku makes it clear that it is probably impossible).

Ayame handing Shippō back to Kagome.

Ayame and the Wolf elder.

Ayame appears again later when the northern wolf demon tribe is attacked and almost completely decimated by Kyōkotsu. She runs into Inuyasha and his group and tells them of the attack; she also mentions that the beast devouring demons is neither a human nor a demon.

The marriage of Kōga and Ayame.

Following the defeat of Naraku, Kōga moves on from Kagome, and ultimately keeps his promise to Ayame and they finally marry. Following this, Kōga became the chief of a now-unified Wolf Demon Tribe.

Personality

Ayame is a very dutiful and dedicated person, as shown by the fact that she trained in the Northern Mountains for a very long time while holding Kōga's promise to marry her close to her heart. She was understandably heartbroken when Kōga had apparently forgotten but still hoped that he would eventually live up to it.

Like many demons, she has a distaste for humans, judging by her initial hostility towards Kagome and belief that Kōga was above falling for a human. While she could be impulsive at times, Ayame was actually pretty smart and observant; she was able to quickly figure out that Kōga's love for Kagome was completely one-sided, something Kōga and Inuyasha had been unable to figure out for ages.

Physical description

Ayame has red hair that is always in pigtails and has green eyes. She wears an iris in her hair and a band that goes across her forehead. Her clothing consists of white wolf fur draped over her shoulders, a necklace, white fur skirt, insteps and arm guards, and red and blue armor.

Powers & Abilities

• Cutting Leaves: Ayame carries with her an unlimited supply of sharp green leaves. She uses them as shuriken, and are able to slice through demons.
• Iris: Ayame possesses a mystical iris, a plant believed to have the power of purification and only used it to stab a discarded hair demon. She often wore it in her left pigtail.
• Whirlwind: Like Kōga's, Ayame can generate whirlwinds of air and green leaves and build it up until her whole body is engulfed in a cyclone.
• Speed: Ayame had the ability to run at high speeds, but not as fast as Kōga.
• Agility: Ayame is very light on her feet and can leap incredibly large distances.
• Senses: Ayame can sense like other demons.
• Whirlwind of Leaves: Ayame pounds the ground with her fist, summoning a multitude of green leaves that swirl around her and can knock back or kill demons.

Quotes

"How could you fall for a mortal?! Where's your wolf demon tribe pride?!"

―Ayame

"I don't like this! Your name sounds just like mine!"

―Ayame

"You promised me... on the night of the lunar rainbow. Don't you remember at all?"

―Ayame

"Look how hard he's trying, and she doesn't even like him."

―Ayame

"Remember though, that doesn't mean I'll stop hoping you'll live up to your promise. I'm the only one who can be your wife."

―Ayame

Trivia

• Ayame is a filler character, meaning she did not originally appear in the manga. However, due to Rumiko Takahashi's fondness for the character, she was referenced by name in the manga.
• Ayame believes that her name and Kagome's name are too similar (in truth, it's just the last syllable of their names; め, me); Kagome even points this fact out.
• When she first meets Kōga, Ayame tells him she will train to use the Iris she is holding as a weapon, since she and the flower "have the same name." This is because "Ayame" means "iris".
• She is the only known wolf-demon who has special powers (the cutting leaves).
• Her characteristic resembles San from Princess Mononoke. She was not nasty at her first appearance, but nevertheless had reservations about humans. But already their second appearance she went nice to humans.

Media appearances

• Episode 83 (First appearance)
• Episode 84
• Episode 85 (Appears in a flashback)
• Episode 102
• Episode 26 (FA)