Kara Dennison
August 8, 2020 
Anime fans — and fans in general — know what it’s like for a favorite series to wake back up after years, or even decades. Whether it’s a return to air after a long hiatus, a “next generation” story with all new characters to love, or a continuation we never thought we’d get, it’s like waking up after a long, restless nap. Inuyasha fans are getting this in spades right now, thanks to the arrival of his daughter Moroha on our screens this fall.
Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon will continue the saga that began in Rumiko Takahashi’s Inuyasha, this time following the daughters of our favorite characters. A new PV released yesterday gives us our first look at the new heroines in motion. Fans have naturally leaped on the video, piecing apart what they can of the footage while we all wait. But once they’re done with that, there’s still plenty more to keep them occupied. Because while everyone’s favorite dog boy has never sat completely still in the world of anime, he’s running full-tilt now.
Thanks to manufacturers like COSPA and SuperGroupies, at least one piece of themed merchandise could be expected every year or so. But Yashahime has opened the nostalgia floodgates, celebrating our OG feudal fairy tale heroes before their daughters arrive. T-shirts, housewares, and accessories are (naturally) on the list, thanks to anime maker-of-everything AMNIBUS. But what if you’re in the mood for something a little more detailed?
No worries… you can now buy his Robe of the Fire Rat! A perfect opportunity to dress up like anime’s new Best Dad:
As for in-person events? Well, we already reported on the upcoming Inuyasha café, but there’s still more: the first-ever exhibit devoted to the anime, where fans can browse materials used in the making of the series.
Inuyasha was a gateway manga and anime for many fans in the late 1990s and early 2000s. There were no expectations that it would continue when the Final Act closed out ten years ago. But it’s never died in the fandom mindset, holding a fond place for isekai fans, action fans, and romantics alike. Rumiko Takahashi’s work is always enduring to be fair — even now, Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 ride high as classics.
The nostalgia we feel as older fans, having watched and read it, when it first came out, is two-pronged. For one, it feels good to have Inuyasha at the forefront again, with special events and merchandise lines and talk shows being devoted to it. It feels good to hear the original cast back in character for YouTube events. It’s the same little thrill you get when one of your favorite classic openings rolls through in your playlist — for a hot second, it’s like you’re a young fan again.
At the same time, though, Yashahime (like Boruto before it) doesn’t ignore the passage of time. Our heroes have grown up with us, and — like many of us — have kids of their own. Our kids will discover these new adventures the way we did their parents’, as we continue to see this world through our grown-up heroes’ eyes.
It’s great to be an Inuyasha fan right now, for sure… not just because it’s back with a vengeance, but also because we can share it with the young people in our life in a whole new, meaningful way.
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