Episode 130 - Roar, Shippo! - Arcanum "Kokoro no Kizu"
Moonbeam lights the way as five small feline yokai trudge thru a dense, dark forest. Stopping to a rest, the creatures are startled by a fierce demon, bounding into their path. The cats cower, but the demon isn’t after them: it’s being chased. As the creature curses its pursuer, the words “Kaze no Kizu” ring out followed by a blast of white-hot energy. The big yokai is vaporized and the frightened cats are awestruck! They watch as Shippo dashes into the blast zone to make sure the yokai is gone, listen to him declare victory, and decide Shippo is the hero they seek for disposing of their demon problem. Later, Inuyasha and the team are negotiating a demon-slaying job with a landowner. While Miroku does his sales pitch for the landlord and Inuyasha impatiently lounges around, Kagome and Sango watch as Shippo flirts with the landlord’s youngest daughter, Mezuki. The children have taken a liking to each other. Miroku seals the deal with the landlord and he; Kagome and Sango set off to search for the troublesome yokai, leaving Shippo and Inuyasha to safeguard the landlord’s home. Shippo announces he’s taking off for a little while too, and goes to pick flowers for Mezuki. His romantic revels are interrupted by the arrival of the cats. They state their business -- they need Shippo and his team to help eliminate a yokai that has been threatening them. Caught up in the excitement, Shippo agrees to help them without realizing the consequences. The cats ask for a demonstration of his amazing powers, so Shippo performs his kitsune magic attacks. The curious cats are aren’t impressed and ask for his “Kaze no Kizu” attack they saw in the woods. Shippo realizes he’s in deep trouble. Dashing back to the landlord’s house, Shippo rousts Inuyasha from a nap, grabs the Tetsusaiga and starts flailing it around. When Shippo asks Inuyasha why he can’t reproduce the Kaze no Kizu, Inuyasha tells him he doesn’t have the right stuff to make the katanna work. Reclaiming the Tetsusaiga, Inuyasha demonstrates. His demonstration flattens the landlord’s front gate and wall into a heap of smoking rubble. Shippo stomps off muttering about what an idiot Inuyasha is but his mood is lightened by an encounter with Mezuki. Shippo gives her the flowers he picked and no sooner does she leave than the litter of cats arrive, placing Shippo on the hero hot seat! Without the Kaze no Kizu of his own, Shippo struggles to save face. His “hero” task is made even harder when the group’s bully, a salamander yokai, shows up. The cats introduce Shippo as their champion and he unleashes a mushroom attack, which only gets all of them chased by the irate demon. Retreating a safe distance the cats insist on a better demonstration of Shippo’s power, selecting the unsuspecting Mezuki as victim. Mezuki is happily picking flowers when she looks up at a huge pink ball looming over her making ’threatening’ noises. (It‘s Shippo and he‘s very upset about this...) On top of the ‘ball‘, the cats appear and start pelting the hapless girl with acorns. Mezuki loses her balance and tumbles into the river. Shippo reverts back to himself going to Mezuki’s rescue, but it’s too late. Drenched, humiliated, and angry, Mezuki dumps Shippo and stamps off. While Shippo drowns in his anguish, the cats rejoice in his victory, that is, until the salamander yokai returns! The frightened cats turn to Shippo. Upset with losing Mezuki and angry about the yokai, Shippo reaches inside himself and draws out his true “yokai” power and he charges the salamander, full throttle. He latches onto the offending lizard with his teeth and the cats jump to his aide. Together, they defeat the salamander. The grateful cats thank Shippo for defeating their nemesis and leave. Shippo’s hero face dissolves s into tears once they are out of site; he may have won against the demon, but he still lost Mezuki. While Shippo sobs, the ‘defeated’ salamander yokai slips away only to encounter Miroku. The monk wastes no time plastering an o’fuda on the creature’s head and the yokai shrinks back to normal. Happy to be rid of the pesky demon the landlord prepares a farewell feast for the team. The food is brought in by the landlord’s women folk, including Mezuki. Placing the table before Shippo, Mezuki demonstrates she’s in no mood for explanations. Amused, Inuyasha teases Shippo about his misfortune and discovers Shippo’s new yokai power, up close and painfully personal.
