This screenshot demotivational poster is highly, highly Anti-Shippou because even though he is the tagalong kid of Inuyasha, I cannot really root for this poor excuse of a kitsune who gives yokai such as them a bad name. Sit back, relax, and soak in why I do not care for this bratty half-pint whose existence is to try to outshine the main hero while looking “cute” and “sympathetic” doing so.
Ah, yes, another Inuyasha character I do not particularly care for, yet I did try to enjoy him and his silly antics when I was a bit younger. However, now as an adult, I cannot find too many things lovable about this occasional smart aleck. It is true that he did have a bit of a tragic backstory of his father being killed by Hiten and Manten a.k.a. The Thunder Brothers, he wandered the earth as an orphan, and wanted the Shikon Jewel to become more powerful. His first appearances were tolerable, but as the series progressed and the filler episodes starring him popped up, I became less impressed with him.
Just looking back at Shippou makes me think that tagalong kid characters such as Chibiusa a.k.a. Rini from Sailor Moon, Scrappy-Doo, and even Flim-Flam were a whole lot more tolerable than Shippou could ever be because they were not as insufferable. My main problem with Shippou is that he is constantly belittling Inuyasha at his expense, thus the many punches he receives from him, and always tries to put up the act of behaving like a crying, wounded child by having Kagome sit him or having Miroku and Sango scold him.
There were also many occasions where he thinks he is this great and cunning warrior when in reality, his tricks turn out to be nothing more than inferior and of little consequence. There were times he was helpful like when he transformed into a bow as a weapon or a huge pink balloon-like or any other huge animal as a means for transportation, but his contributions in battle remain inconsequential and at times ended up worsening the situation for Inuyasha, especially when he was battling Kagura that his weakness of turning human at the night of the new moon was revealed. Ergo, Shippou’s skills as a fighter were extremely flimsy.
As for his transformation skills, they were just as flimsy as his fighting skills with him still having his bushy tail, thus making him run the risk of still being conspicuous.
I criticize Shippou so much not to bully him because he was the tagalong kid and one of the child characters of Inuyasha, but to drive home the point that he gives kitsune a really bad name. For those of you not in the know, kitsune are actually my favorite yokai in Japanese mythology. They are known for their craftiness, abilities to transform into other creatures, are extremely clever, conscientious supernatural beings, and they do not always need to have super strength to win any battle. It is through tact, intuition, and cognizance that makes kitsune overcome any challenge be it physical or mental. Shippou only has very little aspects that make him a kitsune such as his occasional cleverness, but he is more of a smart aleck, a coward, a brat who takes way too much credit despite not doing so much in battle, and not being all that wise.
This is a huge shame on him, as I have a couple of favorite anime characters who have proven themselves to be really cool examples of what a kitsune can do such as Youko Kurama from YuYu Hakusho and the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon from Naruto.
Youko Kurama, who is the human Kurama’s yokai counterpart, has this suave yet lethal air about him, as he has a huge list of weapons and tricks up his sleeve to incapacitate his enemies such as the occasion when he finished off Ura-Urashima with a deadly plant and was about to defeat Kurasu with a deadly venus fly trap. Ergo, Youko Kurama brought in the cool factor of kitsune.
The Nine-Tailed Fox Demon played a significant role in Naruto, as this was part of Naruto learning about what creature he was defined by and how he can control such a beast. Furthermore, seeing the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon in its powerful glory demonstrates that there is an element of sheer peril whenever it is provoked with.
As for Shippou, there is barely any of those facets which make kitsune cool, powerful or even formidable.
The other straw that breaks the camel’s back for Shippou is the fact that he has become none other than a member of Kagome’s posse all because she was a “special snowflake from the future” who brings treats and goodies from her era. I am aware that he finds Kagome more approachable than Inuyasha, but the mere fact that he keeps making jokes and taunts about him at his expense is quite well-earned of a few knocks to the head. Moreover, his relationship with Inuyasha is constantly antagonistic rife with taunts and name-calling. What kills any form of positivity between him and Inuyasha is how Shippou ended up jumping on the Kagome has been cheated by Inuyasha with Kikyou bandwagon without fully understanding that the guilt Inuyasha feels speaks huge volumes.
In conclusion, if Shippou does not want to be classified as a disgrace to the kitsune race, he needs to learn how to keep his know-it-all mouth shut, listen to Inuyasha more rather than crack jokes at his expense, and drop the act because he has an excruciatingly long way to go. The only hope I have for Shippou is that he ends up being Miroku’s and Sango’s adopted son. I cannot see him being Kagome’s adopted son because she is not mother material in the slightest iota. Despite me not liking both Miroku and Sango, I could say with confidence that they are the lesser evils because at least they can give Shippou the home he does deserve.
I hope you all enjoyed this rant I had in store for Shippou. I know it sounds like I really hate him, but I am both annoyed and disappointed in him because his presence in Inuyasha was a waste of my time and parts of my enjoyment. I only wish he could have developed more as a character rather than just the pitiful excuse of a tagalong kid I mostly associated him with.
Until then, I will see you all in the next submission. Take care and stay safe, everybody.
Shippou from Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
