WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 47 of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, "Father and Daughter," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation and Hulu.
Yashahime finally completes its greatest arc yet after the conclusion of Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru's long-standing rivalry as the Great Beast Kings of the East and West. When the two fight in front of Rin, the series' biggest antagonist suddenly has a change of heart that will redirect the plot and change everyone's future.
While fans rejoice as peace is restored and the entire cast of both Inuyasha and Yashahime are reunited for the first time, several major characters die before the next chapter of the sequel series begins.
In Episode 47 of Yashahime, Rion remains in control of the Grim Butterfly as Moroha and Setsuna work to cut her threads of fate that reveal her undying love for her father Kirinmaru. However, Towa remains locked in her solo fight against Mr. Kirin when Riku comes to her rescue. While they manage to take down Mr. Kirin, Riku is fatally wounded and dies in the process. When he dies in Towa's arms, Riku finally admits how much he loves her and wants her to live for his sake.
While the rest of the cast encircles the Grim Butterfly to contain it, the final showdown between the two most powerful demons in Yashahime's world is taking place at the Tree of Ages where Sesshōmaru and Kirinmaru go head-to-head. When Jaken advises Rin to flee the battlefield to safety, Sesshōmaru shockingly instructs his wife to stay and watch his fight with Kirinmaru instead. During their action-packed clash, Kirinmaru can't help but imagine the face of his helpless daughter Rion whenever he looks at Rin. As a human, her presence reminds him of his humanity and love for his daughter who was killed in front of him. Kirinmaru gets distracted and is ultimately defeated by Sesshōmaru before asking the Great Dog Demon to kill him.
However, Rion can sense that her father fell in battle and uses the red threads of fate to bring him to her in the Grim Butterfly as Sesshōmaru, Rin and Jaken follow them. After successfully freeing Rion, the loving parents meet up with their twin daughters and niece. Towa allows Rion to use her body momentarily to live long enough to reconnect with Kirinmaru as he arrives. The two finally tell each other how they feel before agreeing to leave this world together to reunite with Zero in the afterlife. When Rion's spirit departs for the final time, Towa's consciousness is restored as the Bakuseiken and Zanseiken merge together to form the legendary sword known as the Sword of Amatsumikaboshi.
After father and daughter depart for the afterlife and the Grim Butterfly disappears, everyone's favorite characters and their families gather around the Tree of Ages to celebrate. Rin finally fulfills her promise and hugs both Towa and Setsuna now that they're safe from their enemies. Sesshōmaru watches them while admitting to Jaken that he showed mercy on Kirinmaru and Rion because he knew that's what his daughters wanted. Jaken notes how happy Sesshōmaru looks when he's watching his wife and daughters hug, exposing the immense character development the powerful demon had undergone.
Moroha happily stands beside her parents Inuyasha and Kagome, the three of them smiling at each other with pure joy at being together as a family after 14 difficult years apart. Behind them, Sango and Miroku stand beside their three children and Kohaku. Other notable attendees of the reunion include Shippo, Takechiyo, Hachi and Kirara, who are expected to become more consistent supporting characters throughout the rest of Yashahime.
While fans rejoice at the epic reunion they waited two seasons for, they must also come to terms with the deaths of the characters they've grown to love. Riku's sudden death was a shock, but there is still hope he'll live on after many viewers noticed a horn-shaped object inside Towa's body when it was restored. With Rion and Kirinmaru now out of the picture, the series must create a new overarching antagonist and conflict to drive the plot forward. Previews of Episode 48 allude to a brand new chapter starting in Yashahime and with the entire cast finally reunited, fans can expect original Inuyasha characters to play a much bigger role in the future.
