As Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon has continued to be released, the show has encountered its share of criticism. One notable point is that the show is confusing, acting as a poor jumping on point for new fans. Others don't like the seeming erasure of the happy ending at the end of Inuyasha. These complaints have merit but could be explained as necessary byproducts of the show's storytelling.
However, one issue that continues to frustrate fans is the show's sidelining of Moroha. Moroha is the brash, adventurous daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome, and as of 10 episodes, we still know barely anything about her.
A big part of this sidelining stems from unclear character motivation. From the get-go, the show has made it very clear that the central protagonist is Towa, one of the two daughters of Sesshomaru. Towa's central drive as a character is to repair her damaged relationship with her sister by recovering her dreams. Setsuna, meanwhile, serves as a character foil to Towa, resisting her attempts to reconcile and remaining fixated on her mission to hunt demons.
As for Moroha, she... wants money? That's about all we know about her. Towa's plot is central and is integrally entwined with Setsuna's. Moroha, meanwhile, just kind of tags along. She feels like a third wheel, or an afterthought -- not what fans had hoped for from the daughter of Inuyasha and Kagome!
A glaring example of this is in Episode 10, "The Gold and Silver Rainbow Pearls." The episode involves Towa and Setsuna's rainbow pearls being stolen from fighting demon siblings, and their attempts to get them back. The sisters' relationship is developed and mirrored by that of the demons. And Moroha? Well, at the start of the episode the sisters jump on Takechiyo's back and leave Moroha to run behind them. When does she catch up? At the very end of the episode. She barely appears at all.
What makes the creators' apparent lack of interest even more frustrating is that Moroha is a great character. She is outspoken, fun-loving and mischievous. She is a strong fighter with unique and compelling powers. Her character design calls back to both her parents and has inspired some great artwork among fans. She has had a moment, as well, that hints at greater depth, wherein she confesses to Takechiyo that being a quarter demon had left her lonely. But one revealing moment in 10 episodes doesn't exactly scream central character -- honestly, even the one-off character of Meifuku had more of an arc than her.
There is no doubt that Moroha will be delved into more deeply in episodes to come, but so far the show has made it very clear that her goals and motivations are secondary to those of Towa and Setsuna. It's a disappointing choice for fans of Inuyasha, and hopefully, one that will be rectified soon.
