WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
With Season 2 of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon nearing its end, fans likely have quite a bit to ponder about where the follow-up to Inuyasha is headed. Being a sequel series, especially to one so centered on the adventures of a romantic coupling in particular, it might've been a surprise that Yashahime didn't actually focus on Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter.
With what screen time she's been given, Moroha has shown she's more than a simple mashup or carbon-copy of her parents' personalities, and her backstory is intriguing enough to hold a series all its own as she uncovers her past. As compelling as Towa and Setsuna's own journey has been, having Moroha take the lead might've given fans an easier entry into this sequel series.
Whether or not viewers are familiar with its predecessor, Yashahime did well enough to explain Towa, Setsuna, and Moroha's connections to the original series early on. Still, Sesshomaru -- Towa and Setsuna's father -- didn't get as much emotional development over the course of Inuyasha compared to his half-brother. While he does have an arc showing he's grown to be more caring toward humans, in his own stoic way, the crux of Towa and Setsuna's story is dependent on his relationship with their mother, Rin.
Sesshomaru and Rin's somewhat father-daughter relationship is a big factor for his softening, but the fact that their sudden romantic relationship, which still hasn't been developed in great detail much at all, is a huge basis for the story makes its progression clumsy on top of outright problematic.
Towa's journey to find Setsuna and unravel what led them to be separated in the first place is interesting enough to balance out the bits provided of Sesshomaru and Rin's backstory. However, as it slowly becomes clear just how pertinent their legacy is, that plot point can't help but be compared to the use of legacy in Inuyasha. Exploring Moroha's legacy, with her more-established parents, would've been an easier story for Yashahime fans new and old to latch onto.
At first glance, Moroha's attire should be enough to clue in fans that she's Inuyasha's daughter, given its striking similarity to the robe of the fire rat that he was gifted by his mother. Yashahime does take its time to explain what happened to Inuyasha and Kagome -- and the rest of the original series' cast -- but Moroha's introduction is simple and compelling enough to stand on its own even before that point. Knowing next to nothing about her family, she was raised by a wolf-demon and eventually became a bounty hunter, spending her time hunting to pay off her mentor's debts -- a lifestyle that lends itself to adventure, easily making Yashahime an engaging series.
Every new demon introduced is a possible reveal to her parents' whereabouts, as well as a way to fill her (and new fans) in on their general importance to the story. With the series' focus on Towa and Setsuna, understandably it must cover all their ties across the two eras to make sense of everything. Unfortunately, it does result in some convoluted storytelling that might leave fans wondering where, or rather, who they should be focusing on as the episodes progress.
Were Yashahime to focus on Moroha, the story would be more concise through its focus on her efforts to learn who and where her parents are. Along her bounty hunting journeys, she could easily encounter the children of Sango and Miroku, learn about their families' past adventures, and perhaps even join forces to find Kagome and Inuyasha -- not unlike how all their parents joined together to find the Shikon Jewel shards.
Moroha may not be the star of Yashahime, but she has thankfully gotten more development as the anime has progressed. If the last couple of episodes in Season 2 don't end up being Moroha-centric, fans can hope for a third season or that the manga adaptation may cover more of her story. It's clear that Kagome and Inuyasha still play a role in Yashahime, so perhaps through them Moroha will get a larger chance to shine.
