Naraku is kind of the main enemy of the show. His name actually translates to "hell", and you'll see why. He is a shape-shifting demon, usually appearing as a young prince. Guess why? His brilliant disguise is a freakish white baboon skin. He also is after the power of the sacred Shikon Jewel, and has WAY more fragments than Inuyasha, or anyone else, for that matter. Naraku manages to piss everyone in the series off. SPOILERS!!!: To start, Naraku used his shape-shifting ability to turn himself into Inuyasha, and he went after Kikyo when she was going to give Inuyasha the jewel (to become human). Naraku attacked Kikyo and gave her the wound that would later kill her. Since Kikyo didn't know it was Naraku, Kikyo turned against Inuyasha. Then Naraku took the jewel, saying he would never become human and had never desired to do so; and placed it back on its mantel. Then Naraku made himself appear as Kikyo, and he went after Inuyasha trying to kill him and saying Inuyasha would never have the jewel to fulfill his petty desires. Inuyasha ran from "Kikyo" and stole the Shikon Jewel and destroyed the village. Then the real Kikyo showed up and shot Inuyasha, then died. Needless to say, now both of them think the other betrayed them. A little confusing, but that is why Kikyo shot Inuyasha, and that is why Inuyasha stole the Shikon Jewel. Anyway, Naraku also killed Sango's whole family right in front of her by possessing her brother, then he killed the whole village and told her it was Inuyasha. Then he went and used Kohaku as a puppet again to try to trick her into giving him the Tetsuiga, Inuyasha's sword, then kill them all. He also put a curse on Miroku and his ancestors, a.k.a. the Wind Tunnel, his excuse to ask every woman he meets to bear his child. ^_^ . This is what killed Miroku's father and all the men in his family, and will soon claim Miroku. He also made a spawn of his, Kagura, destroy, and kill, Kouga's whole Wolf Tribe. Even Sesshomaru was once involved in his evil plots. Besides the main characters, Naraku just goes around killing innocent villagers and everyone else, or using them in some sort of twisted plot. Naraku's just a mean person. Naraku was born from a (human) bandit named Onigumo who suffered from serious burns and other injuries. Let him burn! Onigumo was taken in by Kikyo and Kaede's village (who were stuck tending for him) and was sheltered in a cave. Onigumo was VERY fond of Kikyo and her jewel, but she saw him as nothing, and he wanted revenge someday, plus he couldn't move. So he let demons possess him (actually, feast on him), and viola, Naraku was born.
 

Pictures: Naraku in his skin thing, Naraku in his neutral appearance; not actually looking that bad...
 
 

Pictures courtesy of  http://www.animelab.com/jump.cgi?id=4068
 
 

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