WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 32 of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, "Nanahoshi's Mini Galaxy," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Animelab, and Hulu.
While Yashahime foreshadows Kirinmaru's diabolical plan to bring about the Degenerate Age, Episode 32 has confirmed Sesshōmaru's family is vital to this plan. As Kirinmaru schemes to locate and take control of the Windmill of Time to manipulate time and space, the demon spirit behind the mystical and powerful windmill appears before Towa and Setsuna. With Akuru's sudden appearance in Yashahime, here's the key role he plays in the overarching plot -- and his special connection to Sesshōmaru's family.
The spirit Akuru appears before Towa and Setsuna separately in Episode 32 of Yashahime, yet curiously, they were both applying hand lotion when he first shows himself. Only Towa sees him at first, but he remains silent and spins his pinwheel before suddenly disappearing again. Towa tells Riku and Rion that a boy was just there, but they didn't see anyone. After the confusion, the pair ask to join Towa because Zero wants to kill her -- and they want to help protect her from Kirinmaru and his sister.
When Setsuna is traveling with the Demon Slayers, she applies the modern-era hand lotion Towa gave her to protect her hands in the cold weather. Suddenly, Akuru appears in front of Setsuna and looks like a curious child, staring at the lotion she's holding. This prompts Setsuna to ask the boy if he's wondering what the lotion is, but Hisui, unaware of who she's talking to, quickly interrupts and Akuru once again disappears without a trace. Setsuna deduces that he must be a spirit or apparition, but has no clue how important he is to her family and the entire world.
Later in the episode, Kirinmaru threateningly appears before Towa, Riku, and Rion to warn them that he won't let them interfere with his "dream to travel beyond space and time." He even threatens to kill his own daughter, who's determined to stop him bringing about the Degenerate Age. Despite admitting she's no match for him, Towa's instantly willing to engage in direct combat with Kirinmaru. However, she halts her attack when she again sees Akuru as he runs up to her modern-era bike to turn its pedals.
The others wonder who she's looking at -- they only notice something invisible turning the bike pedals. Kirinmaru, growing suspicious, muses that Towa is undeniably Sesshōmaru's daughter since she can see Akuru, an ability exclusive to the Dog Demon clan. During his musings, Rion reminds her father that the Windmill of Time doesn't favor him and he should stop pursuing it, but Kirinmaru has no intention of doing so as he suddenly leaves the battlefield.
Kirinmaru likely left them all alive because of Towa's unique ability to see Akuru, the very demon spirit he's after in the hopes of finding the Windmill of Time and a way to control it. Many believe the little spirit intentionally appeared and intervened to save Towa's life by preventing her from attacking Kirinmaru. However, Akuru appears to have a fascination with modern-era products as he appears and gravitates toward objects like Towa's bike and hand lotion. This interest in modern objects is likely linked to his connection to the Windmill of Time that controls time and space.
While this is the most screen time Akuru's received in the series so far, he has appeared previously in Yashahime. The first time was when he ran in front of Sesshōmaru and Jaken in Episode 23, where it's revealed that Kirinmaru tasked Sesshōmaru with locating Akuru and his pinwheel. This unique ability to see Akuru may indicate his allegiance to the Dog Demon clan, while also hinting at the clan's connection to the Windmill of Time. Fans will have to tune into Yashahime to learn how Akuru and the Windmill of Time will be used to control the world's fate.
