This screenshot collage is dedicated to all of my friends, fellow artists, fans, and brethren who really love Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran aka The Splendid Seven, SessAyaInu in the OT3 sense, ShuHak in the BroTP sense, GinShun in the OTP sense, Sesshoumaru x Shuran x Hakkaku in the BroT3 sense, Inuyasha x Ginta in the BroTP sense, and Ayame x Shunran in the BroTP sense. Sit back, relax, and soak in the power, the beauty, the sheer majesty, and the absolute amazement of Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran being one big blessed family. Furthermore, this is my contribution to this year’s Red Ribbon Reviewers’ month.
The Splendid Seven is the result of combining two dog yokai warrior brothers in Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, three wolf yokai warrior siblings, though Hakkaku and Ginta belong to the Western Tribe and Ayame in the Northern Tribe, and two panther yokai warrior siblings in Shuran and Shunran, thus creating a phenomenal team to lead the Western Lands, the Northern Yoro Tribe, and all of Feudal Era Japan to victory. This is also the result of combining my most precious OT3 of all time, Sesshoumaru x Ayame x Inuyasha, my absolutely awesome BroTP of all time, Shuran x Hakkaku, and my most beloved OTP of all time, Ginta x Shunran, putting them all in a blender, and make them one tight-knit family worthy of all emulation, respect, and love. Furthermore, this is the AU headcanon side of me doing all the talking by making Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran not just one mighty team complete with unparalleled combat prowess but also being the clear-cut example that family may be about blood relations, but they are also based on trust, understanding, and keeping a tightly screwed ship together.
Where my AU headcanon is concerned, the people who made them the team that they are were none other than Toga the Dog General and The Wolf Elder, who are respectively Sesshoumaru’s and Inuyasha’s father and Ayame’s grandfather. Ever since they were babies, i.e Sesshoumaru at 4, Inuyasha at 2, and Ayame as a newborn, the bond that they had with each other was in full evidence, considering how the little Inu brothers were playing with baby Ayame. It was also from that moment that the Wolf Elder and the Dog General blessed Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame to be united, with Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha being entrusted to Ayame as her husbands, protectors, and cavaliers for life. By the time Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame were respectively 6, 4, and 2, their bond was firmer than ever and they even made great friends in the forms of 5-year-old Shuran, 4-year-old Hakkaku, 3-year-old Ginta, and the newborn Shunran. Toga not only fulfilled his paternal duties to his sons, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha, and his daughter-in-law, Ayame, but also to Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran to the point where all seven of them developed a strong familial bond.
As children, all seven of them would play with each other whether they were sparring, playing hide-and-seek, playing tag, swimming in the lake or camping in the woods. Even at so young an age, with Sesshoumaru being 9, Inuyasha being 7, Ayame being 5, Shuran being 8, Hakkaku being 7, Ginta being 6, and Shunran being 3, they also demonstrated their extraordinary powers ranging from super strength to super speed to their own unique powers. Whether it was Sesshoumaru’s poison claws, Inuyasha’s iron reaver soul stealer, Ayame’s leaf shuriken, Shuran’s lightning, Hakkaku’s grappling, Ginta’s speed, and Shunran’s mirages, they knew how incapacitate their enemies, despite their opponents laughing that they were still little kids. All of their prodigious skills made The Dog General and The Wolf Elder really proud of The Splendid Seven even to the point where one might perceive them as The Von Trapp Family of Feudal Era Japan because of how close-knit the seven children especially were, how much unconditional love The Dog General gave to them, and how much discipline The Wolf Elder instilled upon them. Every night, all of the seven children would have a bedtime routine where the seven of them would cuddle close to each other, with the sleeping arrangement being Sesshoumaru, Shuran, Hakkaku, Inuyasha, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran.
Even when they were teenagers twenty years ago, with Sesshoumaru being 19, Inuyasha being 17, Ayame being 15, Shuran being 18, Hakkaku being 17, Ginta being 16, and Shunran being 13, they still proved themselves very worthy of the respect The Dog General and The Wolf Elder could ever bestow upon them and their combat prowess grew stronger every year, with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame being the bearers of the legendary Goraishi, Shuran mastering new lightning techniques, Hakkaku building up on his strength, Ginta becoming a lot faster, and Shunran demonstrating greater strength and agility in her movements and not just relying on creating mirages. They also started having families of their own when they were still very young, with each of them having a whopping twenty-four children.
Furthermore, in terms of love lives, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha were both married to Ayame for over thirty-five years now, considering that The Dog General and The Wolf Elder blessed them to be in holy unity in the name of all their ancestors, Shuran and Hakkaku are both single bachelors who have been maintaining a firm friendship as children, and Ginta and Shunran have been married to each other for over thirty years now. Now with Sesshoumaru at 39, Inuyasha at 37, Ayame at 35, Shuran at 38, Hakkaku at 37, Ginta at 36, and Shunran at 33, they continue to be the courageous septet of warriors Japan has ever seen. Their legacy has also been passed down to their children and their grandchildren.
The Splendid Seven fit these designated roles in their family.
Sesshoumaru is the eldest of the family and is the stoic and intelligent older brother not only to Inuyasha and Ayame but also to Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran. He enjoys meditating, practicing various martial arts, sparring with the guys, and he absolutely loathes being disturbed. He tends to let his actions speak louder than words and would kill anyone who dares to hurt him or his family. He may not show it so much, but he does care for his brother, his wife, and his sibling-like friends. While he loves to compete with Inuyasha in a lot of physical activities and wholeheartedly admires Ayame body and soul, he also has a really brotherly relationship with Shuran and Hakkaku to the point where the two of them look up to Sesshoumaru as their older brother, a nice brotherly relationship with Ginta, and a protective big brother relationship with Shunran.
Inuyasha is the third eldest and the muscle of the family. He loves weightlifting, boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, and exuding his super strength to the point where he uses that to spar with Sesshoumaru. If ever he gets really angry, his full yokai side will be on full display, thus scaring the pants off of his enemies and shredding them to smithereens with his claws, fists, and muscles. Underneath his beastly brawniness is someone who genuinely cares for his family, whether it is having a competitive relationship with Sesshoumaru, an unconditionally loving relationship with Ayame, a great friendship with Shuran and Hakkaku, a brotherly relationship with Ginta, and a supportive relationship with Shunran, he definitely feels the love, support, and encouragement pouring from their veins and he is more than blessed and grateful to have them in his life.
Ayame is the sixth child and the fierce warrior queen of the family. She loves boxing, kickboxing, brawling, grappling, running marathons, and using her strength and agility to overpower her enemies. She is a great encourager and does not give up at the fourth quarter. It is also that encouragement that makes her the cement that keeps the family together. Whether it is helping Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha maintain their competition-loving brotherly bond and always seeing the best in them, rooting for Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta to never give up or having this supportive, loving, cool older sister relationship with Shunran, Ayame is always their to keep the family together. As much as she loves both Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha for everything that they are, she also has a great friendship with Shuran, Hakkaku, and Ginta and an equally loving sisterly bond with Shunran.
Shuran is the second eldest and the big guy of the family. He is a prodigious sumo wrestler who also loves many combat sports such as wrestling, Pankration, Muay Thai, and boxing and is also a huge fan of weightlifting. He also loves having sparring matches with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, and Ginta because they can test their strength on each other. Given that he is the biggest of the family, his imposing size makes all of his enemies weak in the knees and is akin to a bulldozing tank weeding out all of his foes in one fell swoop. Shuran is not all fisticuffs and brutality, though, as he is soft and lovable on the inside. He is fiercely loyal to Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Hakkaku, Ginta, Ayame, and Shunran to the point where he will protect them all from harm and is literally huggable, considering the many occasions he would he would wrap his gigantic arms around his family in one tight hug. Ergo, his relationship with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran is a glorious combination of loving, tender, and utterly genuine.
Hakkaku is the fourth child and the hyperactive one of the family. This bundle of energy enjoys marathon running, wrestling, boxing, circuit training, and various martial arts. He also displays a surprising amount of strength, as he can tackle demons and objects over twice his size and is really capable of outrunning anyone faster than him. He also keeps the family up and running with his high energy and unwavering spirit. There are occasions where he does overreact to the smallest of things, but he will be reminded that it is nothing compared to what other circumstances may end up being bigger and stronger than whatever anxieties he has. Regardless, he can rest assured that his family will be there to back him up and support him. Out of all of them, he considers Shuran, Hakkaku, and Shunran to be his closest friends because they understand him the most. He also finds a lot of support in Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha as well as a good friendship in Ayame. Ergo, there is nothing in this world that will ever get him down thanks to them.
Ginta is the fifth child and the lovably goofy charmer of the family. He is also the fastest of this family, given that he loves to run marathons, go swimming and diving, enjoys weightlifting, and is an extremely avid fisherman. Given his speed, he can use it to his advantage to put his enemies into such a great confusion. He also bears a surprising amount of strength, as he can also dish out on who he can tackle next. As the innocent charmer of the family, he always believes that his dimples are his favorite part of his face and his darling Shunran can certainly attest to that. He is also someone who keeps the love flowing in the family and he is not someone who can allow any dark cloud to loom. His positivity is what makes him encourage Sesshoumaru to lighten up every once in a while, Shuran to be reminded that there is more to life than glory and conquest, Hakkaku to be the loving big brother he can be to Ginta, Inuyasha to feel comfortable in his own skin and even look up to him as if though he were his older brother, Ayame to find the simpler things in life, and Shunran to never give up on what she believes in.
Shunran is the youngest child and the radiant ball of positivity of the family. She is also the craftiest member of the family, as she is capable of creating illusions and mirages to distract her enemies and is a huge fan of gymnastics, marathon running, circuit training, and various martial arts that make her take advantage of her agility and speed. Every move she makes is reminiscent of a graceful dancer and she pulls each of them with finesse and deadly accuracy. Being the optimistic one that she is, she always encourages her family never to give up and always sees a silver lining in what is otherwise a dark cloud. Being the baby of the family, she is often susceptible of the tickle games Inuyasha and Ayame would unleash on her as well as the loving cuddles she would receive from Ginta, the overprotectiveness she would obtain from Shuran and Hakkaku, and the big brother support she would get from Sesshoumaru. With the love, encouragement, and acknowledgement she receives from her family, nothing can stop her.
To this very day, The Splendid Seven always make time for each other as a family as well as see their children and grandchildren grow. They still partake in sparring matches, marathon running, swimming, diving, and a huge bevy of physical activities that will keep them active and fit all the livelong day. Every demon and villain they encounter would be vanquished by their awesome power. When their good day’s work is done, they would all go to bed in serenity and calmness, with Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran sleeping in one huge bed in their den, to save their energy for their next morning of glory.
There you have it. Seven powerful warriors who are just like family towards each other in the good days and in the bad days. Their bond will never ever be broken and that is a promise.
I hope you all enjoyed this look in to The Splendid Seven in all of their courageous glory and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and Happy Holidays, everybody.
Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, Ayame, Shuran, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shunran from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
