TV-Series
Description
Awa no Hachiemon, a tanuki yōkai from Awa, serves as assistant and companion to the monk Miroku. His lineage holds the Mamidaira Clan's assistant elder role, inherited from his grandfather. Hachiemon met Miroku during the monk's early travels, forging a master-servant bond marked by steadfast loyalty despite his frequent reluctance toward perilous tasks. Physical persuasion via Miroku's staff often settled disputes, yet Hachiemon consistently proved dedicated to aiding his master.
His transformative ability lets him shift into a giant yellow flying gourd, extensively used to transport Miroku and allies like Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango. Key flights included evacuating wounded companions after Sesshōmaru's assaults, ferrying groups to the Realm of Fire for Border of the Afterlife access, and aiding journeys to locations like the yōkai bat cave to strengthen Tessaiga. These services proved critical during missions to Naraku's castle, the Tree of Ages under Menōmaru's threat, and the Panther Tribe's territory during Kagome's abduction. Despite his utility, Hachiemon avoids combat due to limited battle skills, deploying smoke screens to escape threats.
Notable incidents include impersonating Miroku to solicit food and favors, inadvertently causing trouble until a weasel yōkai exposed him. He participated in Mushin's fabricated "final request," mistakenly believing the monk was dying after witnessing him cough blood—later revealed as a fish bone obstruction. During the Kaguya clash at the Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Kagura's dragon Orochi blasted him from the sky, leaving him immobilized by Kaguya's time-freezing spell.
Post-Naraku's defeat, Hachiemon continued assisting Miroku. Four years later, he accompanied Miroku to Mamidaira Island during a leadership transition, witnessing Kagome seal a corrupted Full Moon Raccoon Dog using Tenkū no Yabusuma. Three years afterward, amid Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru's confrontation, Kagome entrusted him to transport her infant daughter Moroha to safety. He delivered her to the wolf yōkai tribe under Kōga, Ayame, and Yawaragi. When the Full Moon Raccoon Dog resurfaced, endangering young tanuki Takechiyo, Miroku directed Hachiemon to relocate him to corpse dealer Jyūbei's protection.
A decade post-Naraku, Hachiemon journeyed with Miroku to Shiori's half-demon village, advising retreat against the formidable moth demon Gaga Gozen. After Miroku's defeat, he witnessed the monk wield Gaga Gozen's naginata to seal Setsuna's demon blood. Four years later, he facilitated Takechiyo's reunion with retainer Takamaru and expressed surprise upon learning of Inuyasha and Kagome's survival in the Border of the Afterlife. During Moroha's infiltration of Mamidaira Island against Shōgen Mamiana, Hachiemon exposed Shōgen's tax embezzlement, rallying tanuki to overthrow him. He later aided Moroha and Takechiyo in mastering a Miroku-taught technique, catching Moroha after she destroyed the Full Moon Raccoon Dog's core tower.
Personality-wise, Hachiemon complains and balks at danger, often requiring coercion for hazardous missions. Yet unwavering loyalty binds him to Miroku, fulfilling obligations under duress. His Miroku impersonation revealed unexpected skill in charming women—a talent the genuine monk later attempted to mimic, much to Sango's displeasure—showcasing Hachiemon's sporadic mischief alongside core devotion to his master.
His transformative ability lets him shift into a giant yellow flying gourd, extensively used to transport Miroku and allies like Inuyasha, Kagome, and Sango. Key flights included evacuating wounded companions after Sesshōmaru's assaults, ferrying groups to the Realm of Fire for Border of the Afterlife access, and aiding journeys to locations like the yōkai bat cave to strengthen Tessaiga. These services proved critical during missions to Naraku's castle, the Tree of Ages under Menōmaru's threat, and the Panther Tribe's territory during Kagome's abduction. Despite his utility, Hachiemon avoids combat due to limited battle skills, deploying smoke screens to escape threats.
Notable incidents include impersonating Miroku to solicit food and favors, inadvertently causing trouble until a weasel yōkai exposed him. He participated in Mushin's fabricated "final request," mistakenly believing the monk was dying after witnessing him cough blood—later revealed as a fish bone obstruction. During the Kaguya clash at the Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, Kagura's dragon Orochi blasted him from the sky, leaving him immobilized by Kaguya's time-freezing spell.
Post-Naraku's defeat, Hachiemon continued assisting Miroku. Four years later, he accompanied Miroku to Mamidaira Island during a leadership transition, witnessing Kagome seal a corrupted Full Moon Raccoon Dog using Tenkū no Yabusuma. Three years afterward, amid Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru's confrontation, Kagome entrusted him to transport her infant daughter Moroha to safety. He delivered her to the wolf yōkai tribe under Kōga, Ayame, and Yawaragi. When the Full Moon Raccoon Dog resurfaced, endangering young tanuki Takechiyo, Miroku directed Hachiemon to relocate him to corpse dealer Jyūbei's protection.
A decade post-Naraku, Hachiemon journeyed with Miroku to Shiori's half-demon village, advising retreat against the formidable moth demon Gaga Gozen. After Miroku's defeat, he witnessed the monk wield Gaga Gozen's naginata to seal Setsuna's demon blood. Four years later, he facilitated Takechiyo's reunion with retainer Takamaru and expressed surprise upon learning of Inuyasha and Kagome's survival in the Border of the Afterlife. During Moroha's infiltration of Mamidaira Island against Shōgen Mamiana, Hachiemon exposed Shōgen's tax embezzlement, rallying tanuki to overthrow him. He later aided Moroha and Takechiyo in mastering a Miroku-taught technique, catching Moroha after she destroyed the Full Moon Raccoon Dog's core tower.
Personality-wise, Hachiemon complains and balks at danger, often requiring coercion for hazardous missions. Yet unwavering loyalty binds him to Miroku, fulfilling obligations under duress. His Miroku impersonation revealed unexpected skill in charming women—a talent the genuine monk later attempted to mimic, much to Sango's displeasure—showcasing Hachiemon's sporadic mischief alongside core devotion to his master.
Cast