InuYasha is a brave but naive Hanyō (half demon), the result of a relationship between a powerful inu yōkai (dog demon) general and a beautiful human woman. Orphaned at a young age, InuYasha is rejected by humans because of his yōkai side and looked down upon by yōkai because his human blood supposedly taints his superior yōkai blood. Thus, before InuYasha met, and consequently fell in love with, the powerful miko, Kikyo, he found it very difficult to trust anyone else, and even more to find anyone who accepted him as a hanyō.
Since the Jewel of Four Souls (Shikon No Tama or Sacred Jewel) was powerful enough for InuYasha to become a full yōkai and Kikyo was the protector of the jewel, InuYasha was motivated to follow Kikyo. However, the two fell in love, and eventually, Kikyo talked InuYasha into becoming human, instead. A human, named Onigumo, plotted to take the jewel for himself. He was once a bandit who was obsessed with Kikyo and became jealous that she had fallen in love with InuYasha. Unable to take any other action, Onigumo gave his body to a horde of demons for power. Their union is Naraku. Naraku disguised himself first as InuYasha and then as Kikyo to deceive them into betraying each other. InuYasha broke into Kikyo's village and stole the sacred jewel. To defend the village and to keep him from escaping with the jewel, Kikyo shot InuYasha with a sacred arrow pinning him to Goshinboku. Moments later, Kikyo collapses from a wound she received from Naraku and gives final instructions to Kaede, her sister, to burn the jewel with her body so it would travel to the afterworld with her.