The Mystery of the New Moon and the Black-Haired Inuyasha is the 13th episode of the InuYasha anime. It first aired in Japan on January 29, 2001.
Synopsis
- After rescuing a girl named Nazuna who was being chased by a demon known as Spider Heads, Inuyasha, Kagome and Shippō stay the night with her and her master. Inuyasha is against the idea and appears to be hiding a secret. Soon they are attacked and are are suprised to find that the Tessaiga is unable to transform and worse Inuyasha appears to slowly losing his powers.
- It is revealed that Inuyasha, like all half-demons, loses his demonic powers during a certain period; in Inuyasha's case, during the new moon. Can the group survive the night without Inuyasha's powers to help rescue them?
Summary
In Tokyo Kagome rushes out of the class, but her friend Yuka told her that they have clean up duty to do. Kagome promises that she'll make it up to them but she really has to go see someone. Her friends assume its her "boyfriend," even though Kagome insists she doesn't have one. When she is about to finally leave the classroom, she bumps into Hōjō who brought a half cut bamboo branch. Hōjō asks Kagome to go to a movie with him on Saturday. Her friends try to convince her to go, but when Kagome is hesitant they think she has never been on a date before, Kagome insists she has... which is actually a lie. She then finally says yes to Hōjō.
Later on, back in the feudal era, Inuyasha, Kagome, and Shippō find spiderwebs crossing the river as they ride on a small wooden boat downstream. They find a girl named Nazuna, who is under attack by Spider Head demons and to avoid a swing at her, she falls off a cliff. Inuyasha jumps off the boat and catches her in time. Nazuna at first thanks him, but then sees his demon dog ears and hits him in the back of his head causing them to fall into the river. It turns out that she greatly despises demons, instantly developing a dislike towards Inuyasha and Shippō. Shippō tries to explain that not all demons are created equal, but she would have no part of it. She tells them about the Spider Head demons have been attacking some villages lately. Kagome wants Inuyasha to help out to find a way to kill them. But Inuyasha behaves strangely, which worries Kagome. Nazuna brushes them off and tries to head back herself, but ends up falling to the ground. With some convincing from Kagome, Inuyasha carries her to the temple where a Temple priest assures that they'll stay at the temple that night saying how they have demon seals to protect them. Inuyasha doesn't want to stay, but under some insistence from Kagome, grudgingly agrees.
Later that night, Kagome asked him why Inuyasha has been acting weird lately. Shippō turns into a spider assuming he's afraid of them which Inuyasha snaps that he isn't, flattening the fox demon. He goes out and notices that the temple has been surrounded by Spider Heads despite the protection the priest said he had there. Inuyasha draws the Tessaiga and for some reason it doesn't transform and doesn't make a scratch on the Spider Heads. The Spider Heads blast webs all over him but Shippō uses his fox fire to break them off. Kagome gets him, and they all flee into the forest. Nazuna, realizing they are under attack, rushes to the priest and sees that he is hurt.
Inuyasha's Human Form
In the forest, Kagome is shocked to see that Inuyasha has become human. Inuyasha tells them that he can't help them while he is in human form. When Kagome asks how he has become human, Myōga tells them that every half demon has a short period every month where they lose all of their demonic powers; Inuyasha's is during the new moon. Kagome is clearly hurt and surprised that Inuyasha didn't tell her this information. Inuyasha tells her that he has been on his own for so long that he doesn't know how to trust anyone. Kagome starts to cry saying how she wishes he would open up to her a little more before yelling at him them that he's going to pay big time for what he did; causing the two to fight. Shippō, during this, silently thinks that he is the only one who can protect them now when he hears a rustle; he gets scared when Nazuna comes out and urges them to come to the temple to aid the priest. Inuyasha declines the offer, but Kagome remembers that her bag is still in there and clearly becomes anxious. Inuyasha blows her off telling her to get a new on when they go back, but she confesses to him that the Sacred Jewel shards were in there as well, which alarms him. Inuyasha then lend the sword's sheath to her in order to protect her when they go back to retrieve the shards. Inuyasha grabs Shippō and they head back to the temple.
Back at the temple it turns out the priest is the Spider Head demon leader. Inuyasha throws some wood pillars at him to stop his attempts to get the shards from Kagome's bag. Shippō gets some of the shards but the Spider Head manages to get some of the shards, consuming them. The Spider Head attacks Inuyasha and pins him to a wall and bites him on the shoulder; poisoning him. He then demands from Shippō to tell him where the rest of the shards. Shippō points to a door, but his bluff isn't enough to fool him. Nazuna and Kagome come in and realize that the priest had been deceiving Nazuna from the very beginning. Shippō tells her that Inuyasha has been poisoned. Kagome runs in to help and the Spider Head blasts webs at her, but the Tessaiga protects her from his attack. Kagome climbs on the webs to save Inuyasha. Inuyasha tells her it is over and to run and save herself while she still could. Kagome refuses to leave without him and jumps off the webs, hitting the webs that bound Inuyasha with the Tessaiga, freeing him. Inuyasha sees Kagome crying for him before he is freed and then passes out.
A Tender Moment
The group hurries with Nazuna who takes them to a small room for them stay safe. Myoōa tells Kagome to put the sword on the door to prevent the demon from coming in; though it will last for only a short while. Myōga then rushes to Inuyasha and sucks out the poison from him and then says that all he can do now is to rely on his strength to survive. Inuyasha begins to breath heavily and also begins to sweat. Kagome, noticing, takes out her handkerchief and wipe of the sweat. He wakes up and asks her why she was crying when she jumped to save him. She answers that she thought she was going to lose him; that he was going to die. Inuyasha expresses how he is touched that she cried for him before asking if he could rest his head on her lap. She concedes to his request. During this time, Inuyasha says how she smells kind of "nice," surprising her. She brings up how he made a direct point of telling her before that he couldn't stand her scent. He admits he did, but then confesses that he was lying. Kagome wonders if the poison has gone to his head as he falls asleep.
There is a short time of peace, but then the Spider Head breaks into the room. Myōga says they have to get Inuyasha out of there, but Kagome sees that he is unconscious. The Spider Head grabs Shippō to take the remaining shards and swallows them. Nazuna believes that the Spider Head has possessed her master, but the Spider Head bluntly says that he was no priest and it was all a trick to get Inuyasha. She attacks him but it is no use and he grabs her, preparing to eat her. She asks her father to forgive her for trusting the Spider Head and drops the sword. Before it can fall, the Tessaiga is caught by Inuyasha who turns out to be okay, and expresses how he admires Nazuna's determination. The Spider Head grabs him instead, but Inuyasha has a smile on his face; the sun is rising, allowing Inuyasha to return to his demon form and re-gain his demonic powers.
With his powers, and those of Tessaiga back, Inuyasha easily dispatches the Spider Heads. After Inuyasha defeats the Spider Heads, the shards of the jewel are revealed to have fused together while in the Spider Head; showing they have about less than half of the entire jewel. They leave by boat and Nazuna thanks for their help and remembers to trust the demons a bit more and that some demons aren't bad.
While on the boat Kagome thinks about what happened the previous night and wonders if Inuyasha actually meant it or not and wonders if she should ask him. Inuyasha then asks if she was going to keep staring at him since it was "ticking him off," and if she "had something to say, say it." Kagome then gives him a flat look and figures that some things were better left unsaid. Shippō then asks for a break from the boat ride because of his seasickness. Inuyasha blows him off and Shippō then throws up on Inuyasha.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Notes
- The Spiderheads look different in the anime; in the manga, their bodies are reversed, being human heads on spider bodies.
- This is probably the first real hint that Inuyasha and Kagome may be developing feelings for each other. Kagome cries at the thought of Inuyasha dying when rescuing him while he states he lied about her scent originally, admitting he actually likes it.
Quotes
- Kagome: "Sure, I'll go with you..."
Hōjō: "Okay, then, this Saturday. It's a date!"
Kagome: [thinking] Oh, no! I'm going back to the Feudal Era! What was I thinking, making a promise like that?!
[later]
Kagome: "Um, do you think it'd be okay for me to come back on Saturday?"
Inuyasha: "I don't see why not."
Kagome: "Really?"
Inuyasha: [lifts her up by her backpack and holds her over the well] "I don't know what a 'Saturday' is, though..."
Kagome: [sighs] "Can we just go now?"
Inuyasha: [drops her into the well] "'Kay."