When Do You Think Inuyasha Caught Feelings? I Constantly Reread The Very Beginning And Try To Find Out!

When do you think Inuyasha caught feelings? I constantly reread the very beginning and try to find out! I know that it’s common for the character to not be consciously aware of their feelings (especially in Rumiko’s work) buuuuut we had that scene with Kagome realizing her feelings for Inuyasha at the tree! So I always wondered how Inuyasha would react if he had a clear AHA moment like Kagome. Or like the exact panel when he crossed the line from friend to ///blush////. I switch back and forth between thinking inukag was platonic for just a tiny microsecond or Inuyasha was always in denial about liking Kagome. Who by the way? Is pretty flirty with him from the get go?

I think the Yura of the Hair arc was the turning point in their strained relationship. They became friends and Inuyasha gained respect for her. Then by the time we get to Sesshomaru’s plot with the Unmother, we are potentially in crush territory because of the Tessaiga! And maybe Kagome’s turning point was the Noa Mask arc. He was trying to look cool for her by then- WHICH IS SO FAST!! Idk how he kept it together in the Fateful Night in Togenkyo arc! Kagome kept hitting him directly in his weak spot. Seeing her naked? Wearing his haori, and that line about not being disgusted with his blood because it’s his? Like Jesus Christ Kagome!! Give the poor guy a second to breathe 😂 The way she accidentally swooped him off his feet will forever be funny to me.

Idk just wanted to ask for your thoughts. Even though you probably get asks like these all the time 🥲

I completely agree about the Yura of the hair arc! Kagome went from being "this annoying girl who looks like the woman who killed me" to "oh this girl is actually pretty brave and resourceful actually".

It's also coincidentally when he called her by her name for the first time, and Kagome really hated being called "woman" or just "you" so to use her name showed that he respects her (side note, it's also why I dislike when he calls her "wench" in post-canon fanfics). The Tessaiga plotline is also a good one, he again saw how courageous she is when she followed him without any hesitation and stood up for him in front of Sesshomaru!

Another important one is the spider head arc, where he realized how kind and caring Kagome is, which I've talked about more in details here.

But the moment when he crossed the line from friend to ///blush//// as you so well described, imo is at the end of the arc where Kikyo gets resurrected:

This scene is also why I think it's sooo funny when people say he sees her as Kikyo's replacement because... he literally doesn't lol. At the beginning of this arc he says Kikyo's sad face made him feel "like he did something wrong" while here, Kagome's happy smile makes him feel "relieved". He starts crushing on Kagome based on qualities she has (the ability to cheer him up and her playful nature) that are different from Kikyo...

So this was the start of him crushing on her, but the real turning point and when he really realized his feelings for her is the other Sesshomaru arc, where she got put in danger and he realized how much it would hurt him to see anything happen to her....

That is not a hug between besties 😭 It's also after Kagome came back to him and hugged him back that he said "I thought it would be better if you were far away, but it's when I saw your face that for some reason my strength returned. That's when I realized... I want you by my side Kagome." to me that is 100% when Inuyasha realized he was developing romantic feelings for Kagome! 

I think it's interesting that you say Kagome flirted with him early on, because I don't really remember that? Except that one line above where she teased him for "looking at her with desire in his eyes"? I think she started flirting with him after this whole "I want you by my side Kagome", like when they had to watch over a dead woman together and she snuggled up to him.

Also yes, Kagome very first sign of crushing on Inuyasha was when he saved her and Sota during the Noh mask arc!

But Kagome was in denial for a looong time 😭 She knew they weren't "just friends" (not that platonic relationships are lesser, just that there was clearly also romantic tension between them) but it really wasn't until chap 175 / episode 48 that she realized she really was in love with him! 

Also everything you said about the Togenkyo arc is SPOT on, I still don’t know how Inuyasha survived that LMAO