Shikon No Tamashii
A Kikyou Shrine
|
Haters VS Defenders
Contents Anime VS Manga
First of all, I support both Kikyou and Kagome, there is not a single character I dislike from Inuyasha or any other anime or manga. However, I feel that most of the reasons why people hate Kikyou are based on misunderstanding, so I'm more passionate when it comes to supporting Kikyou (perhaps one day I might make a Haters VS Defenders page for Kagome). So what is the point of 'Haters VS Defenders'? I'm not trying to force you into liking Kikyou. Instead, I hope to look at reasons why Kikyou haters choose to hate Kikyou and comment on some of the things they say about Kikyou. Also, it will provide Kikyou defenders with an insight into why people might hate Kikyou. Just a little note, instead of copying and pasting reasons why people hate Kikyou onto this page, I have re-written it in my own words where necessary because some people have such horrendous spelling and grammar mistakes. Some comments made by Kikyou haters have also been edited to remove unnecessary profanities. If I have made a spelling or grammar mistake, please let me know (keeping in consideration that I use Australian English). In my search for reasons why people hate Kikyou, I came accross these... In episode 98, she did not show gratitude when Kagome saved her.
What makes these reasons different? The answer is because they relate to the Inuyasha anime filler episodes and movies. Not that there is anything wrong in saying "I hate Kikyou from episode 98 or the 2nd movie", however, to hate Kikyou in general because of what she did in filler episodes and movies seems ridiculous. Rumiko Takahashi is the one who created Kikyou, therefore I believe that when you form your opinion on Kikyou in general, you should base that opinion on the manga, or at least the canon episodes (and maybe the modified canon episodes depending on what was modified). How much involvement Rumiko Takahashi had in the anime is something I'll have to find out, but in general, most anime have a character designer that is often not the same person as the one who created the manga that the anime is being based on. In other words, the Kikyou in the anime is possibly someone else's interpretation of Rumiko Takahashi's Kikyou. To sum it up, when it comes to facts regarding Kikyou, filler episodes and movies are as valid as a fan fiction from the Internet. On a side note, Kikyou only gave the Cup of Buddha to Kagura after being convinced that Naraku was dead. Kikyou's goal is to destroy Naraku, so if the cup appears to have nothing to do with Naraku, why fight a pointless battle? There are some things about Kikyou that had to be done in order for the 'Inuyasha' storyline to work the way it has. Kikyou has had to do things that were inconsistent with her character in order to make the story point in the direction that it does now. Therefore I think it is not fair to hate her because of that. Kikyou didn't stop to think about the ramifications of Inuyasha using the Shikon jewel. What if Inuyasha had been hurt? Kikyou using the Shikon Jewel to turn Inuyasha into a human is vital to the storyline, it's something that had to happen. If Kikyou had decided it was risky and did not suggest that Inuyasha become human, what would probably happen is Kikyou continues to protect the jewel, and maybe Naraku comes up with a different plan to steal the jewel. Who knows what would happen then, but one thing is for sure, the storyline would not be the same. Kikyou was quick to think Inuyasha betrayed her 50 years ago. Let's review the events of '50 years ago'. Kikyou goes to use the Shikon jewel to make Inuyasha human. Naraku, disguised as Inuyasha, attacks Kikyou and tells her that from the beginning, he had no intention of becoming human, and then spoke of plans to slaughter the villagers. Basically, 'Inuyasha' had told her that he was acting all along and planned to harm people, what more is there to dicuss? Only a fool in denial would think that they weren't betrayed. Furthurmore, upon returning to the village, Kikyou sees the real Inuyasha attacking the village. No words were exchanged, and the two continued to believe that they were betrayed. Also, think of it this way, why would Inuyasha be quick to think that Kikyou betrayed him. Of all the time the spent together, Kikyou had many opportunities to slay Inuyasha. Why would she choose that particular time to turn on him? Back to Kikyou, I don't see why she should not have thought Inuyasha betrayed her, so why hate her for it? Some would argue that Kikyou should have been able to sense that it was not Inuyasha. However, you can't reasonably expect Kikyou to be some sort of 'super-miko'. If Kikyou had been able to sense that it was Naraku, she would have followed his trail and shot him with her bow and arrow, thus causing the storyline of 'Inuyasha' as we know it to change greatly. Antagonist Kikyou and Protagonist Kikyou Most stories have 'good guys' and 'bad guys'. In general, the main characters are the 'good guys'. So in 'Inuyasha', the protagonists are Inuyasha and co (as well as other minor characters), and the antagonists are the ones who oppose the protagonists (although there may be exceptions). As a story develops, some characters may change from being an antagonist to a protagonist or vica versa. If you read the early chapters of Inuyasha, it is clear that Kikyou was intented to be the antagonist at the time. But later, Kikyou is portrayed as a protagonist. Another example of this change is in 'Naruto', where the character Gaara initially is an antagonist, but later becomes a protagonist. What does this all mean? In 'Inuyasha', Kikyou exists in two forms: antagonist and protagonist Kikyou. I don't mean that there were two Kikyous at a given time, rather, somewhere along the line, antagonist Kikyou became protagonist Kikyou. People and objects exist in an infinite number of forms. Me from 10 years ago, 10 months ago, or even 10 minutes ago will be different from the present me. Therefore, I believe that the present Kikyou, protagonist Kikyou, should not be hated for something she did in the past as anatagonist Kikyou. If find it hypocritical how some haters accuse Kikyou of holding a 50 year grudge when they themselves cannot let a 50+ chapters/episodes grudge go themselves. The following are reasons why people hate Kikyou that relate to antagonist Kikyou: Kikyou killed a monk in front of a child. First of all, Kikyou was unaware that Sayo was watching. Even if Sayo had not been watching, I agree that Kikyou did not have to kill the monk, after all, killing another person (especially one with good intentions) is wrong. Kikyou tried to kill Kagome. Kikyou did not help Kagome, and if Inuyasha had not come to resuce Kagome, she would have died. Nothing wrong with hating antagonist Kikyou for that. However, protagonist Kikyou should not be hated for something that she did during her antagonist phase. Apart from the example I mentioned, has Kikyou tried to kill Kagome any other times? Hopefully the following will clear up some misunderstandings and fallacies regarding Kikyou. Afterall, I'm pretty sure Kikyou haters don't want to look like fools who base their hatred on misunderstanding and lies. Kikyou didn't listen at first when she was told the truth about Naraku. Think carefully, who was it that told Kikyou the truth. When Kikyou was first resurrected, no one knew that Naraku was behind the events of 50 years ago. Upon being brought to life, Kikyou asks Inuyasha why he betrayed her and told the story from her point of view. All Inuyasha responded with was "That wasn't me", such a convincing answer. The next time Kikyou appeared, she concocted a plan to send Inuyasha to hell. At this point, Inuyasha and co knew about Naraku. When Kagome met Kikyou, Kagome told her about Naraku, but Kikyou did not listen, why? Look at it from Kikyou's point of view: Kagome is a stranger who Kikyou has never met before, a girl who threatened to interfere with her duty to destoy youkai that seek the Shikon jewel. After her 'betrayal', Kikyou is not going to be so gullible. It wasn't until Kikyou heard the story from Kaede, someone she knows and trusts, that she finally understands. Kikyou gave the Shikon shards to Naraku. Let's get this straight, Kikyou did not give the shards to Naraku because of malicious intent. The manga has stated several times that Kikyou believes that the only way to defeat Naraku is to do away with his soul. And the only way to do that is to allow the complete Shikon jewel to dissolve into Naraku's both and then Kikyou will purify the jewel along with Naraku. Seeing as Naraku has seperated himself from Onigumo, this should result in Naraku's destruction. Kikyou never smiles. Actually, Kikyou does smile. Other characters that rarely or never smile are Sesshoumaru and Kanna. The main reason people smile is because they are happy, and Kikyou doesn't have much to be happy about, nor does she have any reason to spend her waking hours smiling. If two sides view the same thing differently, does that mean one side has it wrong? Of course not. It is possible to have varying interpretations which are all valid. Afterall, not everyone thinks alike. The following are different, yet valid, interpretations of issues and events regarding Kikyou. Kikyou sealed Inuyasha to the Goshinboku. Some Kikyou haters say that Kikyou sealed Inuyasha to the Goshinboku as an act of malice. They say that by not killing Inuyasha, she has condemned him to eternity without moving on to the next world. Therefore sealing Inuyasha was an act of hatred. The way I see it, Kikyou, no matter how much she was hurt by Inuyasha's betrayal, sould not bear to kill the one she loved. Of course, her duty as a miko does not allow her to simply let Inuyasha go. Therefore she sealed Inuyasha to the Goshinboku as an act of love. Kikyou uses the souls of dead women and helps herself to Midoriko's soul. Kikyou haters say it is wrong for Kikyou to take souls because it interupts the soul's progession towards the after life. This may vary depending on your views on souls and afterlife. As for myself, I don't believe in any sort of after life. I believe that the life you have now is the only one, and when you die, that's it, no souls moving on or anything like that. Of course, in 'Inuyasha', you have to suspend your disbelief and go with the flow. No where in 'Inuyasha' does it say that Kikyou interupts any natural process to do with souls. Even so, the souls are not doing anything, but when Kikyou uses them to fuel her strength, she is able to continue with her mission to defeat Naraku. I think this is similar to organ donations. When someone is killed in a car crash, it would be a waste if the organs were not used in transplants to save another person's life. Therefore I don't see the harm in Kikyou using the souls. Okay, so some people don't want their organs donated to someone in need of a transplant. However, seeing as Midoriko's will is the same as Kikyou's, I'm pretty sure Midoriko would not mind that Kikyou is using her soul to accomplish her purpose. It's not like Kikyou takes souls for no reason whatsoever. If love can make you blind, then hatred twists the mind. Although there are Kikyou haters out there who are able to keep an open mind, there are many more who's minds are twisted by the hatred they have for Kikyou. What do I mean by 'twisted minds'? People with a twisted mind often imagine that Kikyou is malicious and taking every opportunity to interfere with everyone to satisfy her wants. This is not true, Kikyou accepts her situation and her goal is to destroy Naraku, simple as that. She is not scheming to dominate the world, kill Kagome and make Inuyasha her love slave in hell. Comments from minds twisted by hatred: She hinders the pack more than she helps, and knowingly takes every opporunity to do so. Only a mind clouded by hatred would come to the conclusion that Kikyou causes more harm than good. And to say that she does this intentionally is utterly false. Kikyou never intentionally seeks to cause harm to Inuyasha and co unneccesarily. Although some of her actions may be contrary to the wishes of Inuyasha and co, it is not done to simply interfere and disrupt. Instead, Kikyou will do what is neccesary to destroy Naraku. Afterall, she's not here to win popularity contests. Kikyou thinks she looks cooler when she doesn't smile. There is no where in the manga that states that Kikyou thinks she looks cooler when doing anything. I believe that comments like this are the creation of a mind that is full of bias and negativity. People who do things to look cool or win favour are seen in a negative light. They're what people like to refer to as posers or wannabes. Why is it 'cool' for one group, but 'trying to look cool' for another? Pure hipocrisy I say. In episodes 147-148, that trip was so fake, Kikyou did it on purpose to make Inuyasha catch her. If Kagome had tripped, and Inuyasha caught her, would the haters assume that Kagome did it on purpose to make Inuyasha catch her? Kikyou is allowed to trip too, it's not like she's some sort of all powerful God that makes no mistakes. Ah, the strange reasons why people hate Kikyou... or anyone else for that matter. But if you insist on hating Kikyou for the following reasons, then go ahead, what ever floats your boat. Kikyou wears same outfit everyday. Actually, Kikyou has appeared in clothing other than her white and red miko outfit. Even so, there are many other characters who rarely wear something different, for example Inuyasha. Why someone would hate a character because they are usually seen in a certain outfit is beyond me. When Kikyou was brought back to life, her hair was stuck to her nipples. And finally, the strangest reason for hating Kikyou. Do I even need to comment on this? I don't understand the person who made this comment. Do they hate people who are brought back to life? Or do they hate people who have hair stuck to their nipples? Either way, it's a strange reason to hate someone. |