Mayu Ikeda (池田真由, "Ikeda Mayu") was a ten year old girl who died in a fire she caused. Trying to worry her mother, she had hidden in a closet and was unable to get out. She had become a vengeful ghost attempting to kill her little brother.
History
When her mother did not come to the school's open house, Mayu returned home angry and hateful. Her mother explained she was unable to come because Mayu's younger brother Satoru was sick. Feeling envious of her mother's constant attention towards her brother, she runs away but comes back later. After returning to the apartment they live in, Mayu puts her scarf over a radiator (something her mother told her not to do) and hides in the closet to get back at her mother for perceiving and for ignoring her. The scarf catches fire and leads to the apartment catching fire as well. Mayu's mother comes back from shopping and finds her apartment on fire. She rushes in to save Satoru and gets out safely but unfortunately did not know Mayu was still hiding in the closet. By the time the firefighters found Mayu, it was too late.
However, this was not the end for Mayu, believing her mother had deliberately left her to die in the fire, Mayu's soul was not at peace as she was filled with hatred and resentment towards her mother and brother. Thus Mayu could not pass on to the afterlife and became a vengeful ghost, intent on killing Satoru who she thought her mother loved more than her, as revenge on her mother for (unknowingly) leaving her to die.
Mayu's existence as a ghost was maintain by a demon known as the Soul Piper, who looks after the souls of dead children until they can either accept their deaths or are to be sent to hell if the child does wrong. It's eyes are usually closed, but every time Mayu committed a harmful act against her mother, brother or anyone, the Piper's eye opened slowly symbolizing Mayu drawing closer to the point of no return.
Because of the fire, Satoru fell into a coma and remained in this state for about a year. He also happened to be friends with Sōta, Kagome's little brother. Sōta, with Kagome visits Satoru in the hospital. Kagome has the ability to see Mayu in her spirit form, and finds her with the Soul Piper. She goes to Myōga to learn of the Soul Piper and returns to attempt saving Mayu's soul. After learning the truth about what really happened during the fire from Mayu's mother, the two of them catch Mayu as she's making yet another attempt to kill Satoru. She knocks her mother unconscious but Kagome is able to get through to Mayu and she realizes that she was responsible for the fire. But claiming she still hates them both, Mayu tries to kill Satoru again but he is saved by Inuyasha for his just-in-time arrival.
Before Mayu can make another action, the Soul Piper appears behind her with its eyes fully open, signifying that Mayu is doomed to hell because of all her hateful actions. Mayu protests as the Soul Piper wraps her up in chains and takes her away back to her apartment where she died and subjects her to an illusion of how she died in the fire. As Mayu thinks on how it happened Kagome soon arrives and tries to get Mayu to come with her but Mayu brushes her off not wanting her help.
But moments later, a portal to hell opens up in the floor and the chain still attached to Mayu's arm pulls her down into it, much to her terror. Kagome barely manages to grab her other arm as Mayu holds on desperately, but the Soul Piper adds more force to the pull making it all too clear that it's only a matter of time before Mayu is dragged into hell.
To save Mayu from Hell, Kagome tells Mayu she can't have it end like this and urges her to make up with her mother before she passes on for good. She tries to convince her that her mother does love her and always has, which cause Mayu to think back to all the happy times she had with her mother and realizes it's true. Driven to tears, Mayu pleaaded desperately for a chance to apologize. Seeing Mayu's change of heart, the Soul Piper decide to give Mayu a chance to atone and changed his judgement on her soul. Her chains break as the portal disappears, Mayu was spared from hell.
The next day, Mayu's mother returns to her old apartment and is confronted by Mayu. Mayu apologizes to her and asks for her mother's forgiveness. Her mother lovingly forgives Mayu and she says her final goodbye. Though still grief stricken, Mayu's mother is now more content having reconciled with her daughter. Having made up with her mother, Mayu's soul was finally at peace.
Because she atoned for her actions, Mayu was now able to ascend to the heavens, the Soul Piper allowed her to remain for one more week until her brother came home from the hospital. At this time, Mayu visited Kagome at her home wearing a beautiful goldfish kimono her mother had made her. Mayu thanks Kagome for everything, and finally moves on.
As Kagome watches as Mayu departs with the Soul Piper, she thinks to herself on how Mayu was never an evil spirit as Myōga had claimed but merely ordinary little girl who loves her mother more than anything.
Powers & Abilities
Although a human, as a ghost, Mayu gained a variety of powers akin to a poltergeist. Her powers appeared to be strongly tied to her emotions.
- Telekinesis: Mayu could move and manipulate objects of seemingly any size depending on her emotional state.
- Pyrokinesis: When angry, Mayu could summon flames, although they were only maintained by her presence.
- Teleportation: Mayu could vanish and appear anywhere she chose.
- Flight: As a spirit, Mayu was unaffected by the physical world and thus immune to gravity, she could fly and hover in mid-air.
- Invisiblity: Being a ghost, Mayu could not be seen by the living, however, people with spiritual powers like Kagome were able to see her. Inuyasha and Mayu's mother were also capable of seeing her.
Trivia
- In the Korean dub Mayu was renamed to Yoo-jin.