Sango

Sango
Sango
Nihongo	珊瑚
Name meaning	Coral
Viz Manga	Sango
English TV	Sango
Biographical information
Birth	Born in the Yōkai taijiya village 16 year prior to the begin of the main main story
Age	16 → 19 (Three years later)
Status	Married to Miroku, with children (Age 19)
Occupation	Yōkai taijiya
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Height	165 cm (5'3")
Weight	52 kg (115 lb.)
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Brown
Skin color	Fair
Family
Kohaku (Younger brother) Miroku (Husband) Sango's mother Father (Deceased) Shako (Paternal grandfather, deceased) The twins (Daughters) Son (3rd child) Miroku's father (Father-in-law, deceased) Miyatsu (Grandfather-in-law, deceased)
Skills information
Weapons	Hiraikotsu Sword Poison powder Demon Slaying Salve Nioidama Filter Mask Iron Chain Wakizashi Hidden Blade Yōki and Shōki Dispersion
Affiliation
Team	Kirara, Kagome Higurashi, Inuyasha, Shippō, Miroku Kōhaku
Loyalty	Yōkai taijiya village Inuyasha's group Miroku
Debut
Manga Debut	Chapter 85
InuYasha Anime	Episode 24
Movie Debut	Affections Touching Across Time
Voice Actors
Japanese Seiyū	Houko Kuwashima
English VA	Kelly Sheridan

Sango (珊瑚, "Coral") was the only teenage female yōkai taijiya from her village. Before being destroyed, the village of demon slayers consisted of humans that had mastered the techniques of yōkai extermination and frequently helped others remove yōkai from their villages. She lived in the village with her younger brother Kohaku and their father, the head of the village.

History

Sango lived in the village of demon slayers with her father, the village leader, and her younger brother Kohaku. Sango was taught from a very young age in the ways of demon slaying. She was ten when she and her clan were called upon by the Lord of Takeda Castle to slay a bear that was harassing his domain. Her skill caught the eye of the young lord Kuranosuke Takeda, and he vowed to one day marry her. Sango, unfamiliar to romance, reacted shyly to his advances.

The nekomata Kirara grew up with the family and became very close to the siblings, especially Sango. She and Kirara learned to fight well together, and developed a strong bond. Her love for her brother, Kohaku, was strong. She always helped him with training and loved him dearly. By the age of sixteen, Sango was one of the best yōkai taijiya in her village, using her weapon the Hiraikotsu with ease.

Yōkai Taijiya Slaughter

On a day not long after the shattering of the Shikon no Tama, Sango slew a centipede demon at a village that requested the demon slayers' help. She figured out after she had slain the demon that it had drawn on the power of a Sacred Jewel shard; she took the shard, along with some of the corpse, as payment. After arriving back at her home, she rested and talked to her brother Kohaku, who was nervous about his first mission as a demon slayer. She told him not to worry, as their family and friends would be there to help and give him strength.

Sango's scar after her brother hurt her.

The village’s best slayers were summoned to a castle to slay a spider yōkai. When they reached the castle, the demon possessed Kohaku and forced him to kill all the slayers, including he and Sango's father. Sango quickly searched for a reason behind his irrational behavior, and noticed the spider webs attached to Kohaku leading back to the lord of the castle. From this information, she realized that Kohaku was being controlled by the demon possessing the lord, and Sango attempted to attack him. The guards of the castle promptly killed Kohaku and attacked Sango as well, perceiving her to be dead as well. The young lord of the castle, Kagewaki Hitomi, proceeded to slay his father, revealing his suspicions that the lord had been possessed by a demon. He ordered the slaughtered demon slayers to be buried in the castle garden. Not long after, though, Sango pulled herself out of her grave and refused to let herself die. Kagewaki noticed her and tended to her wounds.

Kagewaki's advisor Naraku reported to the young lord that the demon slayer village had been destroyed and all the villagers killed. He explained that the one who killed them was the hanyō Inuyasha. Sango overheard this conversation, and declared that she would kill Inuyasha for murdering her family and friends. As part of his nefarious plan, Naraku tricked Sango into attacking Inuyasha, and gave her a Sacred Jewel shard to prevent her from feeling pain. Sango soon located and attacked Inuyasha, but he was able to convince her that Naraku was lying.

When the plot failed, Naraku revived Kohaku in order to manipulate Sango's emotions, and attacked the rest of Inuyasha's group. Sango later joined Inuyasha, the miko Kagome Higurashi, the kitsune Shippō, and the monk Miroku on their quest to defeat Naraku and save her brother. Like the others, Sango vowed to destroy Naraku, although her primary goal was instead to rescue Kohaku from Naraku's influence and save his life.

Naraku's Barrier

Naraku had plans to absorb Sesshōmaru. He abducted Rin, as bait, to lure Sesshōmaru to his castle. He lowered his barrier and allowed his scent to escape to lure him in. At the same time, Inuyasha and crew began tracking the scent to the castle as well.

As they drew close, Kagome began to sense a Jewel Shard fragment nearby. Inuyasha forged forward as Sango, Kagome, and Miroku investigated the shard. Upon arriving at the jewel's location, they were attacked by several of Naraku's demons. They were guarding Kohaku and the abducted Rin. As Sango battled several of the demons, Sesshōmaru and Inuyasha arrived after having wounded Naraku and stopped Kohaku from harming Rin. Sesshōmaru escaped with Rin while Inuyasha and crew remained with Kohaku who was still under Naraku's spell.

Later life

After Naraku's death and Kohaku's rescue, Sango married Miroku and retired as a demon slayer to become a housewife, although it is implied that she continued to maintain her warrior skills as Hiraikotsu and her other equipment are shown in their house. She soon became the mother of three children, first twin girls, followed three years later by a son. However, she briefly emerged from retirement to help fight Ne no Kubi alongside her friends, ironically leaving the otherwise quite active demon slayer Kohaku to babysit her children.

Personality

Because she grew up and worked as a demon slayer, Sango had a strong sense of responsibility along with a brave heart. On the other hand, she had feminine emotions, weaknesses, and many human aspects. Consequently, her personality wavered depending on her feelings. Although she was a compassionate person, she displayed a bit more of a no-nonsense attitude than Kagome.

Sango took great pride in being a demon slayer. Being independent and tough by nature, she did not like people helping her. Sango relied on her advanced fighting skills, never letting an enemy escape once she had her sights on it. She fought aggressively and confronted every enemy bravely. She showed no mercy, and had a very strong sense of obligation towards fulfilling her duties. Sango's fighting will was very strong, and once a fire was lit under her, it was not easily doused. Even if, for example, she was seriously injured, she would continue to advance towards her enemy until she defeated it. She fearlessly battled enemies with no regard for her own life. This was seen when she thought Inuyasha had murdered her family and village; even though she was on the brink of death, she fought valiantly.

Sango had great selfless love towards her younger brother Kohaku. She gave her cowardly brother Kohaku encouragement and continuously showed support towards her brother's decisions. Even when Kohaku was under the influence of Naraku, her unconditional love for him never wavered. She remained positive, believing that someday the real Kohaku would come back to her. In the end, despite going through many trials and errors, her hopes were realized. Sango's love for her brother was seen many times throughout the series. For example, she shielded him from being shot by arrows right after he killed her father and fellow slayers. It was also shown when Naraku attempted to manipulate her into killing her brother at his castle; she refused, loving her brother more than her own life. When Kohaku's Sacred Jewel shard was taken out, Sango was incredibly grief-stricken, sobbing for his loss. Consequently, she was extremely grateful when Kikyō saved her brother's life, despite once hating her.

All of Sango's demon slayer comrades were killed, and her only relative, Kohaku, was under the control of Naraku. After all this tragedy, Sango was consumed with loneliness and despair, resolving to do everything alone and trusting no one. Thankfully, her sadness was healed by the gentleness and kindness of Kagome and her newfound friends. Sango developed a deep sense of fondness and gratitude towards her companions as time passed, because of how they stood by her (even when she betrayed them to save her brother), and gave her hope that Kohaku could still be saved. Since then, Sango's loyalty and devotion towards her closest friends was seen time and time again, feeling protective towards all of them. She finally felt a sense of happiness since the misery she had gone through because of Naraku.

Sango thought each matter through calmly and grasped situations logically. Her words and actions were efficient and accurate, and she always came up with quick solutions. However, once she came to a certain conclusion, she would not doubt or rethink it. One of her faults was dashing into things recklessly. Sango showed great intelligence in battle. In addition to the knowledge of her ancestors, she had experience battling numerous demons. She knew how to dominate a battle by finding a demon's weak points based on their characteristics. Sango always felt love for her brother, responsibility as a sister, and feelings of guilt for her companions. She was usually calm, but when it came to Kohaku she could be distracted and was quick to become emotional. While Kohaku was under control of Naraku, these mixed feelings sometimes manifested themselves as rage towards his actions. Due to her various emotions concerning Kohaku, she had at one point decided to kill her brother and then herself so she could take responsibility for his actions. She couldn't bear to see Kohaku, her kind and fainthearted brother, kill innocent people because of Naraku's evil intentions, knowing that the real Kohaku would never be able to do such things, stating that it "would go against his very soul." She felt responsibility, a brutal love, and gentleness towards him as his sister.

As time passed, Sango developed affection for and eventually fell in love with her companion Miroku. This was ironic, since she believed in pure love and held a great deal of disdain and disrespect towards perverts like the monk. Yet every time she saw him womanizing, she was consumed by jealousy and anger towards his shameless flirting. This was in part due to irritation towards herself for not being able to confess her feelings to him, resulting in a conflicted heart, as well as jealousy. One needs to remember that Sango was a young teenager without any experience. Being unfamiliar with romance, Sango had trouble dealing with such love and affection towards and from another person, which proved to be a struggle throughout her relationship with Miroku. In this way, she is similar to Kagome and her feelings towards Inuyasha save Inuyasha spends much of the series pretending he has no affection for Kagome while completely missing any affection Kagome shows him. Miroku, of course, interprets any attention as an invitation to blatantly sexual behavior. While Sango is young, she is not innocent, and she does not wish to be what she believes will be just another sexual conquest. She is also interested in romance in her own way. In a famous scene where she became intoxicated she overtly flirted with Inuyasha. While this is played for comedy, the scene reveals some very important aspects. Miroku became very jealous. While Kagome rants as Sango tried to get Inuyasha to play with her a bit, Miroku did not approach Kagome. He remains upset and focused on Sango. In another scene, when Miroku tries to dismiss his continuous proposals as something he does to every girl he meets since he wishes to preserve his line, Sango sheepishly mumbles that he had never asked her. Naturally, Miroku immediately proposes, and Sango reacts violently, but the scene reveals some of her feelings and perhaps insecurity. As "match-maker" Kagome lamented in a later scene, Miroku simply does not understand "mood" and does not know how to treat a woman he actually cares about. Thus in yet another scene, which Kagome watches hidden with Inuyasha, things seemed to go smoothly between Sango and Miroku. Kagome, who had previously enthusiastically daydreamed about a wedding between the two, eagerly announces that they had "confessed" their love. Then, naturally, Miroku places his hand on Sango's breast resulting in Sango's violent response. Kagome could only lament that Miroku had no understanding.

Their mutual affection becomes, then, an "open secret" for the rest of the gang who mainly blame Miroku for "hurting" Sango. For his part, Miroku occasionally revealed to them his irritation that they think he does not care for her. He surprised them with his flashes of jealousy and concerns that were clearly beyond simple physical attraction. Over the course of the series Sango moves from interest and jealousy to genuine love for Miroku. However, she remained furious with his behavior. Sango hated his lecherous aspects, often directed at herself and other women, since she believed that he was only physically attracted to her and showed little respect towards her as a person. To give an example, when he consoled her in one scene she was very happy until he took her positive response as license to, once again, rub her butt. She angrily wonders to herself why he could not at least start with her "shoulder" before inflicting painful vengeance. In other words, Sango had affection for Miroku, but she is frustrated that he moves too fast which will always suggest he sees her as an object rather than a person. In another scene, when they sit alone together and he behaves very maturely and respectfully, she takes the opportunity to start rubbing his butt. She explains she wanted to make sure it was him and not his companion disguised as him!

Thus throughout much of the series, Sango wonders about her feelings towards him, wonders if he actually likes her as oppose to viewing her as just another girl, and he seethes in jealousy whenever he, inevitably, "proposes" to yet another woman. When Miroku finally revealed his true feelings to her in a situation when he expected to die, she came to recognize his sincerity hidden beneath his behavior. In this way, she is like Kagome learning that Inuyasha actually cared for her, despite his attempts to hide it. When Miroku proposed marriage and a potential family life together, repeating, very seriously, his trademark request that she bear his children, Sango tearfully accepted without hesitation.

Physical description

Artworks from the Final Act.

Sango was a teenager of average height with brown eyes and long dark brown hair. She wore pink eyeshadow, and her long hair was usually tied loosely with a ribbon, though it was tied in a high ponytail when Sango was fighting. She was considered to be extremely beautiful by many boys she encountered throughout the story, many of which attempted, and failed, to capture her for her beauty.

Outfit

Sango often wore two types of outfits.

• Sango normally travelled wearing a traditional woman's kimono. Over this she wore a long skirt, most likely "Mo-bakama". Sometimes she carried her Hiraikotsu in this outfit. She completed her outfit with traditional woman's arm guards and leg guards, and straw sandals. Her concealed blade is strapped against her right forearm under her sleeve
• Her demon slayer outfit consisted of a black skin-tight jump suit with a kanji written on her left shoulder that has a decided mainland flavor, pink armor plates made of demon parts, and a red sash around her waist to carry her wakizashi (short sword). She carried her Hiraikotsu over her shoulder. Her gas mask is worn over her lower face, while her various poisons and grappling chains are stored under her armor plates.

Powers & Abilities

• Master Demon Slayer: Sango was known as the strongest demon slayer of the famous demon slayer village; her father, the leader of the village and a master demon-slayer in his own right, claims that her skills are greater than his, despite the fact that she was the second youngest. Being trained in the ways of slaying demons for a living, Sango knew a number of useful skills that made her a valuable asset to the group.
  • Expert Weapons Specialist: Due to being a human with no spiritual or demonic powers, Sango mastered the use of a number of weapons that could help change the tide of the battle to her favor, which she kept on her person at all times. She used the Hiraikotsu effortlessly, and mastered the unique weapon in spite of it being rather uncommon in the Feudal Era. Sango also equipped herself with a sword as a backup in case Hiraikotsu was unusable, along with a blade hidden in the sleeve of her demon slayer uniform and a number of other concealed weapons.
  • Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Sango was also a very skilled hand to hand combatant. Even without either of her weapons, Sango could fight without them with great skill, albeit normally against lower ranking demons or humans. Despite being the only member of the team who had no spiritual or demonic powers, she was still easily equal to them in knowledge and fighting capabilities. On humans, she used hand to hand combat in combination with her weapons. However, in the episode "Only You Sango", she was shown fiercely taking on a large bear demon and sending it flying with punches and kicks alone, as well as jumping very high in the air, a feat which everyone was surprised and intimidated by. Inuyasha once said "There isn't anyone in this world that can defeat Sango right now...", showing just how strong Sango could be when she put her mind to it.
  • Expert Blacksmith: As Hiraikotsu often broke during serious battles against demons, Sango had also trained herself to know how to repair it. When she is first seen in the series after slaying a giant centipede demon, she proceeded to collect its remains for the village to manufacture into weaponry, displaying her skill in identifying what aspects of a particular demon were useful for future forging.
  • Poisons Expert: Sango also had a lot of poisons, powders, mists, and liquids at her disposal, which she was able to use to their full potential without being harmed. She even proposed instructing two ninja girls on how create a poisonous mist powder that could drive away demons after she declined on teaching them demon slaying.
  • Demon Knowledge: As a seasoned demon slayer, Sango had accumulated a vast amount of knowledge regarding demons in general, such as their various species and what they were capable of. This in turn made her a very reliable source when dealing with a challenging problem regarding demons, which is rivaled only perhaps by Inuyasha.
• Enhanced Strength: Sango was much stronger than most humans. She could use Hiriakotsu it in a lot of different ways despite its weight, effortlessly wielding the huge weapon one-handed; Miroku, in the first movie, was surprised by how heavy it was and was baffled by how she made handling it look so easy. Her attacks with Hiraikotsu were so powerful that, during the battle caused by Naraku's trickery, Inuyasha initially had a good deal of trouble defending against them even when wielding Tessaiga.
• Enhanced Durability: Sango had great physical might for a girl of her age, as shown when she managed to recover in little time after Kohaku, controlled by Naraku, stabbed her in back with his kusarigama. She managed to endure a number of attacks by various demons throughout her journey to recover the Sacred Jewel shards, none of which ever slowed her down significantly.
• Enhanced Endurance: Sango also had endurance and stamina at the peak of human potential, as she managed to give Inuyasha a decent amount of trouble during their fight despite having been wounded in the back recently by Kohaku previously. Even demon attacks did little to impede her overall fighting capabilities.

Weapons

• Hiraikotsu: Hiraikotsu was a gigantic boomerang that was carried by Sango, made up of various kinds of demon bones. Hiraikotsu required a lot of strength to throw in order to destroy the target. It was a fierce weapon, possessing a great amount of power when thrown by a sufficiently strong user, to the point of severing most natural defenses of demons, and even managing to push back Inuyasha defending with the Tessaiga.
• Yōki and Miasma Dispersion: In The Final Act, Sango was forced to sacrifice the Hiraikotsu to the bone demon in order to save Miroku. Afterwords, Myōga informed her that there was someone that could fix it, the sage/potions master. After getting the weapon fixed through a trial involving the potion master's jars of herbs and poisons and the demons in Hiraikotsu, the potions master informed her that although it was fixed, it would never be the same as it was before. Sango used Hiraikotsu for the first time after it was repaired against Naraku, who was surprised by it because it greatly wounded him and canceled his regeneration. He stated that it was attacking him with a whole different type of poison than his own, as well as emitting its own demonic aura. Hiraikotsu was much more powerful than before because it was able to not only emit a demonic aura and extremely strong poison on its opponents, but also absorb miasma/poison and disperse it accordingly, increasing its effectiveness greatly, especially against Naraku.
• Wakizashi: The wakizashi was a medium-length sword often carried by demon slayers. In case they lost their main weapon, they could use their sword for close combat instead. Like the armor and other weapons, wakizashi were infused with demon bones so that they could kill demons as well as humans.
• Iron Chain: The iron chain was another weapon of choice for demon slayers, used to hit or stumble opponents at a distance. It could also wrap around an enemy, preventing them from escaping. The chain could also be equipped with a grappling hook for climbing.
• Hidden Blade: Sango's hidden weapon was a short, curved blade strapped to her wrist. It was concealed against her right forearm, underneath the sleeve of her uniform; she can extend it simply by flexing her forearm. It could be used to attack enemies by surprise when she appeared unarmed, or to free herself from being tied with ropes.
• Demon Slaying Salve: Sango also carried a highly corrosive poison salve made to wipe out demons that could not easily be taken down with Hiraikotsu; she ultimately used this to destroy her own weapon at one point (in order to save Miroku's life) though Hiraikotsu was later restored. The salve was held inside a castanet-like case, and appeared to be a purple gel which the potions master stated was a vicious poison for demons.
• Poison Powder and medicines: Sango used poison powder to lure out demons who were hiding, or to disturb the keen noses of certain demons and weaken them, such as Inuyasha, who was susceptible to the scent of the poison. She also originally carried a medicinal salve for minor cuts and burns, which she gave to Kohaku. The powder and medicine was kept in small shell containers under the plates of her armor.
• Filter Mask: Sango and other slayers carried a metal gas mask to prevent them from breathing in the poisonous fumes of demons. Sango also used this mask to clear her lungs if she had already been poisoned. However, since the mask left her upper face and eyes exposed, she could still be harmed by nerve toxins, although the only enemy she encountered capable of utilizing such poisons was Mukotsu.
• Nioidama: Are a typical/basic weapon for every Yōkai Taijiya. They're a mix of stink bomb and smoke bomb, Nioidama unleash a gas when they explode which yōkai consider as disgusting while also leave a cloud of smoke at the same moment. This weapons is usually used to knock out or kill smaller yōkai, or to distract greater yōkai and are especially effective against yōkai with a strong sense of smell.

Relationships

Miroku

A reverse of their usual routine.

When Miroku and Sango first met, Miroku restrained himself out of sympathy. As noted in the above History, once she recovered from her crushing depression and despair, he became his lecherous self again and pursued her for what appeared to be a "cheap thrill." He frequently groped her (or occasionally propositioned her) when the opportunity arose; invariably Sango responded by slapping him or whacking him with Hiraikotsu, and this was often played off as a running gag.

A routine exchange between Sango and Miroku.

Yet, Sango angrily displayed varying degrees of jealousy whenever Miroku paid attention to other women and asked them to bear his children, which was one of the show's recurring sources of humor. Although she was constantly frustrated by his lecherous, womanizing antics, her romantic feelings for Miroku soon became apparent early on in the story, and it became obvious she had fallen in love with him. Perhaps the earliest example is contained in the scene where she sheepishly mutters that Miroku never asked her the question he asks every girl he meets.

As the story progressed further, it became clear that Miroku himself had also fallen deeply in love with Sango, but was unable to express those feelings for her. Perhaps since he was obsessed with having a son to maintain his line, he has little understanding or appreciation of romance. However, he initially felt he could not love her as an ordinary woman and then feared that the Kazaana would consume Sango after consuming him. Since Miroku was technically a Buddhist monk, Sango usually addressed him with the respectful term hōshi-sama (Hōshi means "Buddhist priest," and -sama is a respectful honorific), even when he acted disrespectfully. In the English Dub of the anime, Sango often addresses him as "Lord Miroku" or "Lord Monk."

Miroku protects Sango after their face-off with death (In the form of Kagura and a flood of demons).

Despite their "cat and mouse" relationship, Sango and Miroku actually made an excellent pair in battle, and whenever the group split up, the two of them often accompanied each other while Inuyasha and Kagome formed their own separate pair. Curiously enough, with all his of groping and innuendo with other women, Miroku had not asked Sango to bear his children upon meeting her, as he typically did with other women, until she sheepishly pointed out this fact and finally brought the subject to his attention. Surprised, Miroku naturally asked the question, and Sango gave him a typical response by exasperatedly telling him to "spare" her. She also feared that Miroku would leave her for another girl, which was possibly why she had resorted to anger. Another explanation is simply that Miroku seems to move to fast in a relationship. As Kagome laments in a later scene, Miroku lacks any appreciation for "mood."

When they were alone exploring the caves inside Mount Hakurei, Sango was knocked out by Kagura. When she awoke, she found Miroku had sucked in the Saimyōshō to save her. Not willing to leave him to die from the venom or the horde of demons (which, unknown to both of them at the moment, were unable to attack them due to the purifying barrier), Sango revealed her true feelings, saying she would die with him. However, she later forgot she said this (since it was all in the moment), and was extremely embarrassed, wondering what she possibly said.

Miroku saved Sango from a demonic salamander egg she was forced to swallow, which caused her to repeatedly attack him. Unfortunately, to save her, Miroku was required to defeat Sango in combat, having to punch her hard in the stomach with an ofuda scroll connected to his fist. He was injured during this fighting, but nevertheless felt guilty over his actions, as his negligence led to her possession in the first place. Miroku then got Sango alone to ask her forgiveness; however, she replied that it was not his fault since she let her guard down. Mustering his courage, Miroku then confessed that she was the only woman he had ever truly loved; however, he also said that he could not love her as an ordinary woman, but instead as a comrade and a friend. Once again, Miroku appeared to fail to understand "mood." Heartbroken, Sango almost left him; however, he promised that he would live with Sango and raise children with her after Naraku was defeated if his Wind Tunnel did not consume him before then. Practically proposing marriage to Sango (and asking her to have at least ten to twenty children with him), she tearfully accepted, much to the happiness of Kagome and the skepticism of Inuyasha, who both were observing the couple from the bushes with Shippō.

However, she followed up her "Yes" with the request that he would stop asking other girls to "bear his child." His failure to respond elicited a dirty look from her, and she thought this silence had been a "no." However, it actually meant it would be hard to break an old habit. The scene represents another step and obstacle in their relationship.

Sango after giving birth to her son.

Toward the end of the series, Miroku's Kazaana threatened to tear and swallow him. Sango became desperate to save him and kill Naraku. She demonstrated this by damaging her own weapon, Hiraikotsu, to save him from a demon and by nearly killing Rin to kill a fake illusion of Naraku. This is a very significant scene that reveals Sango was willing to sacrifice herself (or perhaps others) for Miroku. Sango knew who Rin was; she knew Rin was both an innocent child and under the protection of Sesshōmaru, who could kill her with ease. However, she wanted to save Miroku from his now expanding Wind Tunnel. She regretted this decision and freely confessed it soon after to Sesshōmaru. She did this expecting him to immediately kill her but only begs that he allow her to live until they defeat Naraku which will save Miroku. Her fear and love for Miroku culminated in her expressing that if Miroku died, she would be unable to live on. But Naraku was destroyed in time, and the curse of the Kazaana vanished, freeing Miroku from death.

Three years later, they settled down in Kaede's village, married, and have two young twin daughters and a newly born infant son. Miroku supports the family through exorcising demons with the help of Inuyasha. Sango probably will have many children with Miroku, as she promised to him as much as 10 to 20 babies.

Kohaku

Kohaku was Sango's younger brother. He was killed by a demon possessing a castle's lord during one of the demon slayers' missions, and was controlled to kill every demon slayer that was there, including their father. He was later revived by Naraku as a human puppet, and had a Sacred Jewel shard embedded in his back to keep him alive and under the control of Naraku, without memory of what he had done. Sango went through great lengths to save Kohaku from Naraku's grasp, even if it meant killing herself in the process.

Although Kohaku was five years younger than Sango, she had a very close relationship with him, and always looked after and protected him, but with a very mature respect. She took her role as his older sister very seriously, and throughout the entire story constantly went out of her way and put herself in danger to try to rescue him from Naraku, and make him remember her. It was also clearly shown how much Kohaku means to her by her intense emotional distress each time she leaves from an encounter with him.

She was extremely protective of Kohaku, and always felt responsible for the sinful actions he had committed, often appearing angry at him. It pained her to see him under the control of Naraku.

After he regained his memories and returned to normal, Sango was always supportive of his decisions. The love between the two siblings always remained strong. After Sango got married and started a new family with Miroku and her three kids, she allowed Kirara to train and travel with Kohaku on his quest to become a strong demon slayer and to help people troubled by demons. She still loved her brother and Kirara very much while eagerly waiting for them.

Kirara

Sango's two tailed demon cat partner and friend, Kirara originally belonged to the priestess Midoriko, eventually finding her way to Sango's grandfather and father. When Sango was young, Kirara was given to her by her father as a gift. Both cared about each other, and were always willing to battle alongside each other. Kirara always gave Sango a ride, or acted as a way to reach higher altitudes for her to attack from. Kirara always caught Sango when she fell, and they fought exceptionally well together. Kirara loved Sango, and Sango loved Kirara. The both of them were so attached that Sango worried constantly for Kirara whenever she would disappear. Sometimes Sango even felt guilty and blamed herself for not treating Kirara better. In Episode 97, when Sango thought Kirara was dead, she was heartbroken. At the end of the series, Kirara often travelled with Kohaku as he tried to become a more talented demon slayer.

Kagome Higurashi

Sango started out as aloof and distant from the rest of the group, though she warmed up to Kagome first. The two girls have a sisterly love and friendship. Both discussed secrets and feelings amongst themselves. Eventually, Kagome revealed that "Sango is my best friend, I will do anything to save her". For example, whenever the two bathe, they discuss what problems they had. Sango was also usually the first to speak up for Kagome whenever Inuyasha hurt her by being with Kikyō, and whenever Sango was upset by Miroku's womanizing, Kagome always tried to comfort her. In The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master, while intoxicated by the mist of sake, Sango commented that "three Kagomes is definitely a crowd" (the other two Kagomes being Shippō and Hachi). Coincidentally, both girls were the eldest children in their family, both were older sisters who loved their younger brothers, both become married, and both owned a cat (or in Sango's case, cat demon). Sango said that Kagome was incredibly brave to speak up about Kikyō to Inuyasha. Though she was astonished, she also admired how Kagome was so forgiving of Inuyasha, even allowing him to visit Kikyō. The girls have an easygoing, relaxed friendship, and enjoyed being in one another's company. Sango genuinely cares about Kagome, even during the time when Inuyasha wanted to say goodbye to her after making up his mind about protecting Kikyō instead. Miroku insisted that even if Inuyasha were to say goodbye, he had to get the shards, leaving Sango and Shippō the only ones who considered Kagome's feelings at the time. Kagome sometimes tended to Sango's wounds after battles, and Sango would take care of Kagome whenever she was injured or got sick.

Inuyasha

A drunk Sango about to kiss an unwilling Inuyasha.

Originally, Sango was tricked by Naraku, into getting her to trust him. He had been impersonating Kagewaki Hitomi, the young lord of a castle. "Kagewaki", trusted Naraku, and Sango trusted "Kagewaki", so when a puppet of Naraku told "Kagewaki" that Inuyasha was the one who destroyed her village, she fought Inuyasha, intending to exact revenge and kill him. When she later learned that Naraku destroyed her village, she felt bad and joined the group. Inuyasha and Sango's relationship was originally somewhat strained, but later on they become very great, trusting friends. Sango would get mad at Inuyasha often whenever it involved Kagome, and often was the first to yell at him and scold him whenever Kagome went back to her own time because Inuyasha was seeing Kikyō. Once, Sango was talking about what she would do to Inuyasha if she were in Kagome's position, saying horrible and violent things, which began to scare Shippō and Kirara. In The Last Banquet of Miroku's Master, after becoming intoxicated by the sake mist, she showed some kind of infatuation toward Inuyasha and even tried to kiss him. While a very comic scene, it does reveal that Sango is, actually, interested in relationships, while Miroku considers her very special as he grows very jealous of Inuyasha who tries to fend her off.

In The Red and White Priestesses, when two miko created their own versions of Inuyasha and Kagome, Sango stated that she wouldn't mind fighting Inuyasha and that she could fight him all day without feeling guilt (much to his annoyance when she called the copy by his name). Also, when Sango was just about to kill Kohaku, who was possessed at the time, and then herself, Inuyasha came in the nick of time and promised her that they would get Kohaku back. This also played a part in a later episode. When Inuyasha first pointed out that Sango may have been jealous of the attention Miroku was giving the other girls, she glared at him, stating that it was his imagination. She would later glare at him whenever he insulted Miroku and his lechery, much to Inuyasha's confusion and fear. Sango's dark looks were quite formidable, as everyone in the group was intimidated by her glare. Whenever Inuyasha was acting stubborn, she would remain quiet and just let Miroku or Kagome chastise him. During the events in which Inuyasha was struggling with his inner demon, Sango was willing to stay with Inuyasha, and would continue to help him even if he became a full demon. This was due to him helping her when she was suffering over her family and her brother. This showed that she developed even further trust in him and showed how their friendship continued to build, even though he could be a threat to her and her friends. During the moments when Inuyasha went to see Kikyō, leaving Kagome upset and hurting, Sango would be irritated with Inuyasha. She was often exasperated with him, and spoke up defensively for Kagome. Other times, the both of them had this great bond as companions fighting together. They respected each other's strengths, and Sango was always the first to help Inuyasha when he was caught in a tough predicament in battle.

Shippō

Sango and Shippō had a very close relationship; Sango took the role of an older sister/aunt-like figure towards Shippō. The two were usually together when Inuyasha and Kagome were having their fights. Along with Sango, Shippō was disgusted by Miroku's perverted habits. Shippō had great fear of Sango when she's angry, more so than Inuyasha; he tended to cower in fear when she snapped. Much like he did with Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship, Shippō tried to convey Sango's feelings of hurt/wrath towards Miroku to try and get him to realize what his flirting was doing to Sango. Shippō was often worried for Sango when she was injured and continued to fight, though she dismissed it. Sango was generally amused with Shippō and his childish actions and sometimes mature comments. The two genuinely cared about each other, and Sango always ended up saving him when Inuyasha focused more on Kagome.

Sesshōmaru

Although they met several times in their travels and there does not appear to be a lot of interaction between Sango and Sesshōmaru, their interactions prove subtly significant. In Episode 20 (FA), Sango told Sesshōmaru that Rin was poisoned by Magatsuhi which made Sesshōmaru rush back to Rin. When inside of the large jewel-like battlefield during Naraku and the group's final fight, she was willing to sacrifice Rin's life to destroy Naraku once and for all to save Miroku. When Sesshōmaru overheard the conversation between her and Byakuya about this, he was infuriated to the point where he threw Hiraikotsu at Byakuya, missing him, and was ready to kill Sango for endangering Rin. Sango confessed to him then asked that he kill her only once Naraku was slain and Miroku was saved. One should remember that from the beginning Sesshōmaru behaved utterly self-centered with little regard for anyone other than himself. Over the course of the series, he developed an attachment to Rin, Kohaku, Jaken, and even his brother though he would never admit it! This incident occurs after Sesshōmaru revealed his care for Rin when she died a second time. Again, the growth of his character is subtle and develops over the course of the series.

Seeing that Sango did what she did to save another knowing and accepting she would die for it gives him pause. Having felt the pain of his previous loss of Rin, perhaps Sesshōmaru understood her desperation, particularly her willingness to sacrifice anything including herself and her honor to save someone she loved. The Sesshōmaru who relents is not the Sesshōmaru first seen in the series who displays utter contempt for humanity. On the way to the final confrontation with Naraku, Sesshōmaru saw Sango give Rin her gas mask to protect her from the poison despite the dangers to herself. He also saw her apologize sincerely to Rin, who, of course, has no idea what Sango apologized for. Thus after Naraku's defeat, when Sango reminded him of her expected execution, Sesshōmaru dismisses it without comment. He still cannot admit regard for humans.

Quotes

"Even though the same thing may be repeated...being together...is it okay?"

―Sango

"Please, body, hold fast until I can complete my final task."

―Sango

"As long as Kohaku is in Naraku's hands...I know I'll end up betraying you again!"

―Sango

"No way. You're not leaving me again. You're my only little brother."

―Sango

"Kill you? What makes him think I can kill you? I...can't."

―Sango

"No! If you can't go on...then we'll die here together!"

―Sango

"You can't be serious Kagome! Me like that pervert!?"

―Sango

"Oh, I knew that. You don't have to tell me. It's not as if...as if I hoped you would love me. I never thought that."

―Sango

"No! Kohaku is still my brother!"

―Sango

"I'm going to kill you, then myself. It's my only choice. This is the only way to free you from Naraku. Forgive me Kohaku."

―Sango

Trivia

• In the very last chapter of the manga series, the bonus chapter: "Since Then", Sango had the very last line in this chapter thus also had the very last spoken line of the entire manga series.
• Coral is actually listed as one of the Seven Precious Things. Among other mystical properties, coral was believed to protect people from evil spirits.
• When Sango first joined the group, her hair reached down past her waist, but during the three year timeskip, she cut her hair some, as it was shown in the final episode to reach just past her back.
• Sango bore somewhat of a resemblance to the character Ukyo Kuonji from Rumiko Takahashi's previous work Ranma ½. They even shared the same English voice actress, Kelly Sheridan. Her seiyū also voiced Rin from Takahashi's previous work Mermaid Saga.
• Her voice actor, Kelly Sheridan, also voiced Hitomi Kanzaki from The Vision of Escaflowne, whose love interest is Van Fanel - voiced by Kirby Morrow (who also voiced Miroku). They also voiced Jay (Kirby) and Theresa (Kelly) from Class of the Titans who were also romantically involved.