In Japan's Feudal Era, Inuyasha breaks into a temple to steal a particular jewel called the 'Shikon no Tama'. Fleeing the guards, he smugly rejoices that the jewel is a way for him to 'become all demon at last'. He is stopped when an arrow flies into his chest, pinning him to a tree and the jewel drops to the ground. The shooter of the arrow is a priestess named Kikyo, who Inuyasha attempts to speak to before slipping into unconsciousness. Kikyo, who is struggling with a heavily bleeding injury, requests only that the jewel be burned with her body to keep it from the wrong hands. As Kikyo's body is burned along with the jewel, her Inner Monologue claims she will take it with her, to the other world.
In present day Japan, Kagome Higurashi is a typical fifteen-year-old girl. However, this particular day, she is coaxed to go into the well-house on her families shrine.
This Episode Provides Examples Of:
- Back from the Dead: Upon waking up, Inuyasha claims that Kikyo killed him. Whether or not this is meant to be taken literally is anyone's guess, though.
- Birthday Beginning: Kagome's life-changing adventure begins the day she turns fifteen.
- Character Death: We get what is apparently a two-for-one deal with Inuyasha being pinned to the tree (see Back from the Dead above) and Kikyo bleeding to death soon after.
- Face–Heel Turn: During his limited interaction with Kagome in this episode, Inuyasha seemed benevolent, if argumentative and rude. After Kagome pulls out his arrow (by the man's own request), he makes quick work of Mistress Centipede as he said he would. Cue him turning around and threatening Kagome with death if she didn't hand the Jewel to him right then.
- Fanservice: Lower-half aside, Mistress Centipede has the top of a human woman. A naked human woman.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: The manga places Kagome's time at 1997, and she is thrust into the feudal era; centuries into the past.
- Informed Attribute: In the manga, at first, Kagome did resemble Kikyo and only developed her current appearance (mainly slightly messier hair) over time. The anime jumps right to Kagome's current appearance, leaving many to wonder how she resembles Kikyo in the slightest.
- ItHasManyNames: Shikon Jewel, Sacred Jewel, Shikon no Tama, Jewel Of Four Souls or simply The Jewel. They all refer to the same thing, and each of the names are used in this episode alone.
- Mistaken Identity: Upon first seeing her, Inuyasha mistakes Kagome for Kikyo.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Kagome frees Inuyasha, only to have him threaten her a short time later.
- Riches to Rags: The village itself. In the cold opening, it appeared to be quite well-off with large temples, paved ground and being large enough that the Sacred Tree was actually in the village. By the time Kagome arrives fifty years later, the village is much smaller and is said outright to be too poor to bother with. This is implied to be the result of a war.
- Ungrateful Bastard: See Face–Heel Turn above.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: A downplayed version. Shortly after being thrust into the past, Kagome is able to recognize the tree in her yard and runs to it. She sees what appears to be a boy slightly older than herself, with long silver hair (not seeing his ears until she got closer) and pinned through the chest with an arrow! Her response? A casual 'Hey there, whatcha' doing?”
- Wrong Genre Savvy: At the episode's end, Kagome is surprised that Inuyasha isn't 'the hero'.
