| “ |
Welcome to my Forest of Sorrow. |
” |
—Garamaru[src]
Garamaru (蛾羅丸, "Moth") was a moth yōkai and the brother of Gatenmaru.
History
Garamaru's Yōkai Form.
Not much is known about Garamaru's past other than he was Gatenmaru's brother. Despite this, Garamaru did not seem very fond of his late brother, or the fact he associated with humans and devoured human blood,[1] which seemed to be something of an anomaly.
During the story
Inuyasha and his friends were trapped in Garamaru's Forest of Sorrow, and, when he first appeared, they mistook him for his brother Gatenmaru. Garamaru expressed his distaste for Gatenmaru, and the fact that he banded together with a group of humans.[1]
Garamaru soon trapped Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippō, and Kirara in poison cocoons, where he planned to devour their heart and souls by first absorbing them with a blue energy. As Inuyasha unsuccessfully attempted to free them with his Tessaiga and claws, Garamaru told Inuyasha that by morning, a part of him would take hold of their hearts and souls.[1]
Inuyasha and Garamaru continued their battle, where Garamaru pointed out Inuyasha's fear of loneliness, though Inuyasha refuted these claims. Garamaru then transformed into his true form, a giant moth, and said that he will gladly devour Inuyasha and his fear of being alone.[1] Though, before the newly transformed Garamaru could act, Inuyasha completely destroyed his body with the Kaze no Kizu.
Inuyasha had only a moment to savor his victory, as Garamaru's severed head begins speaking to him. Garamaru said that he is not dead, and he would devour his friends' souls, and would then create a new body for himself.
Inuyasha repeatedly tried to break his friends free from the cocoons, but to no avail. He was eventually able to break a small opening in the cocoons, and in the process positively influence his friends' nightmares. They soon are able to awaken, and they all break out of the cocoons, thus preventing Garamaru from being resurrected. Inuyasha then destroyed the barrier of the Forest of Sorrow with his Red Tessaiga; this proved that the forest was nothing more than an illusion.
Personality
Garamaru was shown to be quite a cruel demon; he did not care at all that his brother Gatenmaru was destroyed by Inuyasha, in fact, he scoffed at the idea that Inuyasha thought he would seek vengeance for his brother's death as he saw Gatenmaru to be a disgrace to the moth demons.[1] He seemed to delight in the prospect of devour Inuyasha and his friends' souls after they had been soaked in fear and despair.
Powers & Abilities
- Hypnokinesis: Garamaru had the ability to create almost impenetrable cocoons to capture his prey.While inside, Garamaru was able to create nightmares for them which would bring forth their deepest fears; he did this so that when he devoured their heart and soul, they would be completely consumed by fear and despair.[1]
Quotes
- "So uncouth to suck human blood. These days, my tribe prefers to devour the heart and soul, engulfed in fear and despair."
- ―Garamaru
- "Suffer. Beyond that suffering you'll find only endless despair waiting for you. I'll see to it that you get an ample helping of fear and hopelessness."
- ―Garamaru
- "Humans and demons are alike, all have fears that they suppress deep in their hearts, fears which can only be released in nightmares. And that is what we moth demons feed on."
- ―Garamaru
- Garamaru: "Amusing half-demon, your own fear is written all over your face."
- Inuyasha: "I ain't afraid!"
- Garamaru: "Without your friends around, you're so lonely you can hardly bear it."
- ―Garamaru pointing out Inuyasha's deepest fear[src]
- "Think you've defeated me, do you? Even if you do destroy my body, I shall devour the souls of your friends. With their bodies I shall grow a new body for myself, and when I do, that will spell the end for you. In essence, you shall be devoured by your former friends; that is the fate that awaits you. The very moment that you are devoured, you will be truly released from the fear of loneliness."
- ―Garamaru
Trivia
- His seiyū, Toshihiko Seki, voiced Mousse from Rumiko Takahashi's previous series Ranma ½.