Inuyasha watch order
Schoolgirl Kagome falls through a well into Japan's Warring States period, frees the half-demon Inuyasha, and shatters the Shikon Jewel, so the two set out to collect its shards before the demon Naraku does. Sunrise's adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's manga ran 167 episodes, stopped without an ending, and was finished five years later by The Final Act.
First time? Watch Inuyasha (episodes 1–167) and then The Final Act, which finishes the story. The four films are optional side stories; fit them in where they're listed or save them for later. Yashahime is a sequel about the next generation, for after The Final Act.
Story order
The TV series with each film at the point in the story it was made for, then The Final Act and Yashahime. The Kuroi Tessaiga special is left out because The Final Act includes it.
- Inuyasha (episodes 1–54)
Kagome frees Inuyasha and breaks the Shikon Jewel, and the group forms: Shippo, Miroku and Sango join as Naraku, the demon who manipulated Inuyasha and Kikyo fifty years earlier, emerges as the enemy.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (optional)
A 100-minute original story: the moth demon Menomaru, sealed by Inuyasha's father, awakens. A side story the series never mentions; it fits after episode 54, once the full group is together.
- Inuyasha (episodes 55–95)
The hunt for Naraku and the jewel shards continues, ending with Naraku's apparent destruction. Episodes 59, 63–65, 68, 72, 75–79 and 89–95 are anime-only filler; 75–79 is the Panther Devas arc.
- Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (optional)
Set just after Naraku appears to have been destroyed, so it fits after episode 95: Kaguya, the princess from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, tries to stop time. The only film the series nods to (its character Akitoki Hojo returns in episode 137).
- Inuyasha (episodes 96–136)
Opens with the tail end of the longest filler run (episodes 89–101 are all anime-only), then Naraku returns and the story picks up again. Episodes 129–130, 133–134 and 136 are also filler.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (optional)
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru must deal with So'unga, their father's third sword, and the film shows Inuyasha's birth. Takahashi designed the new characters, so it's often called the film closest to canon, but So'unga is never mentioned elsewhere. Fits after episode 136.
- Inuyasha (episodes 137–167)
The search for the last jewel shards goes on, but the series ends without a conclusion because it had caught up with the manga. Episodes 137–140 and 162–163 are filler.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island (optional)
Released three months after the TV finale, and set after it: half-demon children on Horai Island face four war gods. The only film with no modern-era scenes. An 88-minute side story.
- Inuyasha: The Final Act
Picks up exactly where episode 167 left off and adapts the last 21 volumes of the manga at a brisk pace, with no filler: the end of Naraku, the fate of the Shikon Jewel, and the ending. Essential.
- Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
An anime-original sequel set years after The Final Act, following Sesshomaru's twin daughters Towa and Setsuna and Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter Moroha. It spoils the whole original story, so watch it last.
- Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act
Episodes 25–48, continuing straight on and finishing Yashahime's story.
Release order
Everything in the order it came out. The films came out each December during the TV run, so release order and story order are the same.
- Inuyasha (episodes 1–54)
Kagome frees Inuyasha and breaks the Shikon Jewel, and the group forms: Shippo, Miroku and Sango join as Naraku, the demon who manipulated Inuyasha and Kikyo fifty years earlier, emerges as the enemy.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (optional)
A 100-minute original story: the moth demon Menomaru, sealed by Inuyasha's father, awakens. A side story the series never mentions; it fits after episode 54, once the full group is together.
- Inuyasha (episodes 55–95)
The hunt for Naraku and the jewel shards continues, ending with Naraku's apparent destruction. Episodes 59, 63–65, 68, 72, 75–79 and 89–95 are anime-only filler; 75–79 is the Panther Devas arc.
- Inuyasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass (optional)
Set just after Naraku appears to have been destroyed, so it fits after episode 95: Kaguya, the princess from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, tries to stop time. The only film the series nods to (its character Akitoki Hojo returns in episode 137).
- Inuyasha (episodes 96–136)
Opens with the tail end of the longest filler run (episodes 89–101 are all anime-only), then Naraku returns and the story picks up again. Episodes 129–130, 133–134 and 136 are also filler.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler (optional)
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru must deal with So'unga, their father's third sword, and the film shows Inuyasha's birth. Takahashi designed the new characters, so it's often called the film closest to canon, but So'unga is never mentioned elsewhere. Fits after episode 136.
- Inuyasha (episodes 137–167)
The search for the last jewel shards goes on, but the series ends without a conclusion because it had caught up with the manga. Episodes 137–140 and 162–163 are filler.
- Inuyasha the Movie: Fire on the Mystic Island (optional)
Released three months after the TV finale, and set after it: half-demon children on Horai Island face four war gods. The only film with no modern-era scenes. An 88-minute side story.
- Inuyasha: Kuroi Tessaiga (optional)
A 30-minute special made for a Rumiko Takahashi exhibition, adapting the manga's Black Tessaiga chapters with the original cast. It was re-edited into The Final Act episode 15, so you can skip it.
- Inuyasha: The Final Act
Picks up exactly where episode 167 left off and adapts the last 21 volumes of the manga at a brisk pace, with no filler: the end of Naraku, the fate of the Shikon Jewel, and the ending. Essential.
- Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
An anime-original sequel set years after The Final Act, following Sesshomaru's twin daughters Towa and Setsuna and Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter Moroha. It spoils the whole original story, so watch it last.
- Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon – The Second Act
Episodes 25–48, continuing straight on and finishing Yashahime's story.
Explained
Which episodes are filler?
About 35 of the 167 episodes are anime-only: 59, 63–65, 68, 72, 75–79, 89–101, 129–130, 133–134, 136–140 and 162–163, plus some mixed episodes. Most are harmless side stories; the one stretch people usually skip is 89–101, thirteen filler episodes in a row. The Final Act has no filler at all.
Why does the series stop at episode 167, and what is The Final Act?
The anime caught up with the manga in 2004 and simply stopped. The Final Act (2009–10) was made after the manga finished and adapts its last 21 volumes in 26 episodes, picking up straight from episode 167 with no recap. It moves much faster than the original series, but nothing is skipped between them.
Are the movies canon?
No. All four are original side stories that the series doesn't acknowledge, apart from a character from the second film reappearing in episode 137. The usual placements are after episodes 54, 95, 136 and 167, which match the group and powers each film assumes. Watch them there, later, or not at all.
What's Yashahime, and is it worth watching?
A sequel series from 2020–22 about the next generation, written by the original series' head writer with Takahashi supervising the character designs. It's not based on the manga and fans are divided on it. Watch it only after The Final Act, since it gives away the whole ending.
Which dub, and is anything new coming?
The original Viz dub was recorded in Vancouver with Richard Ian Cox as Inuyasha; The Final Act's dub keeps most of the cast but recasts Kagome and Sesshomaru, which some fans notice. Yashahime brought back most of the original cast. Nothing new for Inuyasha has been announced as of October 2026; Takahashi's next anime, MAO, is a different series.