A Feudal Fanfiction: Let's Play Inuyasha: The Secret of the Cursed Mask

[Waffleman]

From now on I have to look for a way to get back to my world on my own. First, I need to look for a place to stay tonight.

Well, we wanged everything up.

Ah beans.

I was waiting for you.

Utsugi wants our soul and

we kinda need that.

AAH NO

What?! That arrow?!

Kagome?!

…Kagome?

Huh? A priestess?

Nah, I don’t think Anime’s THAT dumb. She knows this is a different people.

So yes, it’s Kikyo! Priestess, Kaede’s sister, former lover to Inuyasha, preincarnation of Kagome, and now she’s just kinda a walking corpse.

She’s also enough to get these two assholes to fuck off.

And she took us to her house.

Pretty.

Beautiful? That’s a weird thing to say.

Take the compliment.

There are villagers here?

Oh no this is some Kanna bullshit.

Let’s get outta here!

Well, we’re safe now, I guess.

That light that you thought was beautiful. It is the souls of people who have died. I am collecting souls. Something that normal people wouldn’t find a use for.

Just a note, at this moment while I’m writing this update, they announced Inuyasha Funko Pops and I’m upset okay back to the game.

Kikyo tells us to get outta here but nah, she’s cool.

You can’t blame me. You’re a nice person. A nice person…

Maybe we can be a nice person even though we weren’t doing anything wrong…

Hmmm. They’ve caught up to us already!

Did we?

Anime takes the opportunity to explain what her deal is and hey we both wanna kill Naraku.

Kikyo also reinforces how dumb we were being by running away. But we still like our friends, so…

Then you have nothing to worry about. Stop feeling remorseful, and be true to your own feelings. When you find the answer in your hear, no one will be able to blame you for anything.

Ah fuck they caught up.

They’re about to end it when…

Someone’s coming.

They fuck off, but why?

The thing that got in their way is the same thing that you are troubled about.

Heeey!

Kikyo and Inuyasha past relationship at each other, she leaves, and we head back to the inn.

No reason, get off my back, gosh.

Kagome gets jealous and goes for a walk, with Inuyasha going after.

We get the chance to talk to the others about Kikyo and they say what I did up there, they liked each other, Naraku did shit, Kagome reincarnation.

Yeah, sucks man. Torn between two girls.

Kagome talks to us about her feelings for Inuyasha and Kikyo and all that and it’s very weird that we never really resolved our own plotline we started, huh? Anyway, none of this is relevant to the game as is and she goes off.

Anime please stop pretending this is still about you.

Shippo’s all afuss because Utsugi is going to kill Kikyo for some reason. Which he knows somehow. Ah well, back to the shitty ghost village.

Kikyo! Aw beans, they still want my soul.

A saimyosho comes in and it’s time for Utsugi to bounce.

Do you know how to say anything else?

Oh hey guys, you wanna beat up a little girl?

Another boss battle. Kanna is one of like maybe two fights in the entire game that requires a modicum of strategy.

Every so often, Kanna will raise her mirror and you don’t wanna hit her or else she’ll turn it back on you and hurt you bad.

That’s it, it’s really not that hard.

Hooray, we beat up a child. Kanna’s not in the game anymore, good character.

Also we make a halfhearted attempt to tie up Anime’s issues whatever.

Kikyo and Inuyasha also do their thing which doesn’t matter because this is the last time in the game these two are onscreen together.

This is the important shit. We have our next lead!

Oh also I forgot.

Better.

As we exit the village, we talk about how we have to go to Shiyosai Village and get a boat to Asagiri and some useless fucking dialogue happens about

Fuckin’…shut up.

We’re just gonna ignore all the question marks now. None of it matters. Next time, we go on an Animal Crossing New Horizons.

[Waffleman]

Here’s a rare non-update post to announce that if all goes as planned, there should be three updates left in the LP, no more than four.

[Waffleman]

Well, time to get a boat.

Unfortunately, none of the fishermen here will go to Asagiri Island. It’s too spooky. But there is…one.

It’s this guy.

Sh-Shippo…what? We…we’re explicitly trying to go there…to get Naraku…have you been paying attention?

We ask about the island and the dude just makes a noise so Inuyasha literally threatens him with his sword.

Ah sweet.

Wow, this island is surprisingly bright for being foreboding and on the horizon in a dark foggy port town.

Also Inuyasha almost fucked things up on the way there it’s not funny this game is never funny.

Hey, a boat! Is someone else here too?

If there’s another boat here, there must be someone else here too. But, I wonder who?

You see why I’m abridging this shit now?

Inuyasha smells the boat and it’s Kikyo’s scent, which…I don’t think makes sense with the nature of Kikyo as she exists now? I dunno.

Ah geez, I’m lost already.

Ah geez.

I wandered for about 20 minutes. Here’s a demon.

Who are you?

I wonder if it’s because of this guy that there aren’t any people on the island.

Yeah no it’s not the tens of demons we just fought for half an hour. It’s this fuckin’ trash mob nobody.

But, he’s not very big.

The demon takes umbrage to being called small which is a hilarious quirk of its…chaaaaaracter? It asks us not to, which, hey, reasonable enough request.

Kagome what the fuck

Inuyasha rightly figures our time is being wasted and makes to leave.

So uh…this boy planted explosives in the ground. Somehow. And has the fuse.

This is obviously bad.

I mean yeah I guess.

F. Demon: So you won’t say I’m small anymore?

I won’t, I won’t! I won’t ever say you’re small again!

F. Demon: Aaaa. You said I’m small! You said it!

Oh no, I did.

WE DIDN’T THOUGH. CONTEXT. FUCK THIS IS DUMB.

Well, RIP.

Just kidding.

Well it’s just you and me, Sango.

Sango!! Hang on! Don’t die! Don’t…!

Good news we’re all fine.

Well, Sango’s a bit tender, but hey, considering we got blown up, I’ll take it.

Bad news it’s the dinguses.

Run away.

What about you, though?

If you’re alone, you’ll be able to run away.

Um, no. We’re gonna stay because we ARE FRIENDS WITH you.

Hey idiots, here we are!

Oh thank God, Kikyo. I did not actually have an exit strategy.

The two bolt because I guess Kikyo is too strong.

I didn’t come here to help you.

Sango, are you okay?

I’m not okay. If you had died, my getting hurt would have been for nothing.

It was dumb, but we’re FRIENDS.

Kikyo has medicine and helps Sango get back to health.

I really look bad now.

That’s not true at all!

Since you’ve already seen me fail, can I say something else?

What?

I’m really happy that you stayed, Anime. When I said you should run away, I was actually really scared.

Sango…The reason I’ve been able to hang in there till now is because of you.

…

When I came into this world I felt so lonely and afraid. But you’ve helped me this whole time.

Me too. Up until now I’ve had many bad things and sad things happen…but I am grateful that I have been able to make such a close friend, which whom I can talk about anything.

Friends? Yes, you’re right.

You can see the exact moment her heart breaks.

Oh hey guys I’m fine I’m just fine.

Alright, we’re back, we’re okay.

Ah.

Utsugi! Kagura! I’m gonna destroy you this time!

Inuyasha they’re gone, settle down.

Let’s…just follow them.

That’s weird because there’s definitely no other way they could have gone, not over the rocks or through the grass.

Nowhere else to go.

Does that mean they flew away?

Anime with a reasonable suggestion for once.

Or a secret passage. Let’s head in.

This lovely cave is accompanied by what sounds like the lovely screams of the damned.

And those screams of the damned are where we leave off this part. Tune in later today to see the exciting conclusion.

[Waffleman]

Where were we? Right, Hell cave.

KUNAI WITH CHAIN

Kagome wonders why Kohaku is here and Kagome…come on.

He also attacks us which seems rude.

Kohaku…I can’t let you kill my friends. Then I must…

No, you can’t, Sango!

Sango does some power of family at Kohaku and

He gets a headache.

M. Demon: Damn. You’re useless.

Another trash mob in a fart cloud masquerading as an important or worthwhile character appears. It tells us Kohaku was breaking free of Naraku’s control or whatever.

We kill it. Whatever.

Again, Kohaku’s coming back to us but we gotta kill Naraku.

Alright, let’s get the fuck on with it already.

Ah fuck.

Ah fuck.

It’s this fucking guy again and I’m gonna spare you more of the garbage Abbot and Costello bullshit. There’s explosives and he’s about to light them, but

Kagura? Well, she bolts so I guess…

Time to die.

It wasn’t hard!

Why did Kagura help us, though?

Ah, who cares, we’re locked in a room with a bunch of explosives!

Never mind door’s open.

Inuyasha tries to do more bad jokes by arguing with Mirkou and Anime encapsulates my thoughts.

That’s a lot of big head demons.

Wait how are you here how do you know.

Oh okay I get it now.

They reuse her battle cry for Dance of the Dead for like no reason and it feels so weird.

Also so Kagura wants to help us.

And there’s a secret door in the middle of these corpses.

Okay so if you know the series, you probably know what’s going on. Kagura doesn’t like Naraku anymore, wants to be her own girlboss, Naraku has her heart, she wants to help us kill him so she can be independent.

How’s the weather up there?

Shippo are you okay? I’m concerned.

Inuyasha’s had enough of this bullshit and uses one of his most basic attacks on an enemy in a much stronger form than we’ve ever seen them.

It makes him fart so much we can’t get close. Kagura’s on the job.

Hooray!

Kagura gloats and Naraku’s head disappears.

Foolish Kagura. You thought you could set me up.

エフ

Heck you expected?

Damn it! Where did Naraku go?

Ha ha ha. Can’t you see me? I’m right in front of you!

Oh no, he’s a sprite!

AH FUCK GOD GET IT AWAY

Inuyasha tries his basic attack again and there’s a barrier, and this time we can’t dispel it!

What does this mean?

That boy needs therapy.

Aw jeez, we’re in trouble now, boys. It’d take some kind of…third party that’s currently unaccounted for.

OH RIGHT THE SHIKON JEWEL EXISTS

AN UNACCOUNTED FOR THIRD PARTY-I mean KIKYO.

Kikyo shoots…

And scores!

But ah dang there goes Kikyo.

And there goes the jewel aw shit

His final form…

It’s the final battle against Naraku! This one’s actually maybe a bit tricky, but it’s easy enough to keep healed up. Just be patient, give it all you got, and you can win.

Everyone gets their shot at Naraku and he swears he’ll be back.

Man, we really won Inuyasha. That’s wild.

Well, let’s go home.

Bum bum bum!

That’s right, the game’s not over just yet. The third act begins next time. (The third act is incredibly short.)

[Waffleman]

It seems like forever since I’ve had a good sleep! And it looks like it’s good weather today too! That’s right! We destroyed Naraku!

We sure did. Something doesn’t feel right, though…

Oh right, we’re still in the past.

Kagome got a nice pretty kimono from Kaede. She seems to really be at home here, which makes sense since she’s been here longer.

She must be looking forward to going back to her time.

Well, we should probably catch up with the others, too.

Inuyasha is making himself useful for once.

Kaede said I have to chop all the wood by the time she gets home.

He complains a bit, but he’s still doing it. Looks like Inuyasha’s finally found a place where he belongs.

And Shippo’s got friends. I get enough kids at work, so I’ll leave them be.

Wild idea: What if the Bone Eater’s Well works now?

Oh, I uh, guess we didn’t pick up the jewel shard. Oops. Well, I suppose we can just go back and

Who took the shard?

The name’s Utsugi. A Shikigami master.

Ah jeez aw crap.

Kikyo figures it has something to do with us, which…probably.

I can’t depend on them anymore. I have to do this on my own.

Yeah, this is firmly an Anime problem.

Aah fuck

Miroku is packing his things to go back to his temple. Again, he’s got his own stuff to worry about.

Well, that leaves one more person…

Sango…

So Kohaku is completely fine and once he recovers they’ll be a family again.

Well, guess we should get going.

Yeah well, I don’t wanna bug everyone else with my problem. But don’t tell them I’m gone, they’ll worry about me.

Well, Kasasagi Town is a big place. Maybe we’ll get a lead there.

Fuck you.

Headman wants us to kill some demons for him. It’s not gonna help us, but eh, we might as well.

Let’s go find a demon.

That was easy.

I thought it was just a little demon, but it was surprisingly strong.

Ah damn.

Shit, he’s too swole…

The demon wants our blood! We need that!

Hooray! Wait, shut up.

Do you wanna hire a good Demon Slayer? I’ll help you for free.

Long story short, power of friendship saves the day.

Why are they helping us? Naraku dead.

Does there need to be a reason?

So they’re gonna stay in our party which makes sense because it’d be weird to spend the last two hours of the game alone.

But about this demon…

It’s Naraku. Only very faintly, but this demon smells like Naraku!

Something’s coming out of it!

I guess this thing was part Naraku. We let them know that Utusugi has the Shikon Jewel which frankly is probably something they should have known the whole time.

Well, we should at least let the headman know we did the thing.

We did the thing.

We get some money and Inuyasha goes on a weird tangent about accepting gratitude it doesn’t fucking matter this whole half hour of gameplay didn’t matter.

So we figure we can ask people who had contact with Utsugi where Utsugi is, and the only one aside from us who has that we can ask is…

Koga! There was a whole optional event I did centered around Shippo but it’s long, boring, and broke the flow.

I’ma save you about 10 minutes of nonsense and give you the only relevant dialogue box, there are demons all on Mount Houoh.

Oh it’s the monk shack. Something’s weird though.

There’s a road just ahead!

Yes, but that road wasn’t there before.

Maybe someone was hiding it behind a barrier.

Either someone broke in…or something broke out…

They look like effigies.

Are they hitogata?

Look at the face…?! Aaah!

What is it, Kagome?

Oh, well, wouldn’t be the first thing that looks like me.

What is this?

Oh it stood up.

Damn, these things could use Shikigami…

Could these be cursed? Like a mask could be?

We also got Anime’s ultimate technique, Miracle of Light, which fully heals all living party members in exchange for all of her HP, which…Great River Blessing basically already does that for less energy and we get to stay alive so no thank you. The male Kururugi’s version is a powerful attack which seems a bit more useful, especially if you’re stocked up on revivals.

All the dolls in here have your face too.

So this must have been what the barrier was keeping in.

But the ones over there don’t have faces yet.

Maybe they’re not finished yet. Some of them don’t have legs or arms yet either.

Shippo worries about if these ones will attack and I think he’s overreacting.

Fuck.

Second verse same as the first.

If that’s the case, there must be something ahead. There’s a strange smell coming from ahead.

Well, let’s follow our noses.

Yes it is. It has a very different energy from all the other villages.

Well, let’s just ask this dude where we are. Weird that there’s a village behind a barrier.

Hey, where is this?

Shigezo: What did you say? Did you come from the other side of the valley?

Yes we did.

Shigezo: It’s been years since anybody’s come here from the other side of the valley.

Never mind that, just tell us where we are.

Wait wha

Wait! Did you say Kururugi?

That’s MY name! This is weird…

Let’s go talk to the people. Over on the right is a shop where we stock up, but on the left…

Huh? I don’t believe I’ve ever met you before.

Omitsu: That’s not true. You were going to the valley the other day and I warned you to be careful. You wouldn’t listen to me and kept on going anyway.

Must have been Utsugi…

And this lady scolds her son for going into the valley where the hitogata are. We talk to her and she says that the village priest has put a seal on the road so that the hitogata don’t git people.

Otaki: Yes, the priest of the Kururugi Shrine just ahead.

The Kururugi Shrine?

Wait…we’re home.

Hearing about the Kururugi Shrine priest reminded me of my father.

Dad…

It’s been a while now since you entered into this world.

It’s probably been at least a couple months based on travel time alone. But hey, this is the closest we’ve gotten to a way home!

lately, I’ve been feeling more and more that I’d like to stay.

We have friends here! And…friends.

But, whatever. Let’s go to the shrine.

It can’t be. The Kururugi Shrine is exactly the same as the one in the present.

You mean this shrine?

Yes. Some of the details are a little different. But the location and almost everything else is the same.

This is all very nostalgic but unfortunately there’s no one here.

Hey, there’s a dude.

Excuse me, I’d like to ask you about the valley.

So this guy has a unique design, a sprite, and a portrait. You’d think he was important, right?

He basically ceases to exist after this one conversation. It’s baffling.

Huh…I’ve seen you somewhere before.

Huh?

I think I met you somewhere a long time ago.

You probably just imagined it. This is my first time here.

Come to think of it, it couldn’t have been that long about because you’re only a child. I’m sorry about that. So, what can I help you with?

On our way here, we were chased by some Hitogata and the puppers looked exactly like me.

You were chased by Hitogata? Did you come through the valley to get here? I created a magical seao so that nobody could get in there, but someone must have broken that seal. Well, I’m glad you got through safely.

It was very difficult.

We would like to ask you more about the Hitogata.

I don’t really know anything. I was told by the former priest that they were dangerous and to put up a magical seal to seal them away.

Is it possible for me to talk to the former priest?

Unfortunately, after telling me to create the seal, the predecessor left without saying anything. That was over 10 years ago.

I see. 10 years. That’s a long time ago.

And with that, the priest gives one more regard to having met us before and has no more lines.

This guy gives us some unfunny “old man can’t hear” nonsense before giving us the information we need. But he doesn’t know where the priest is.

Hisa: But when the former priest was here…

She tells us the former priest was handsome and all the girls liked him. Not where he is though.

Oho?

You what

I can’t believe the shrine’s priest was Grandpa Kakuju!

Guess we gotta look for him. Wonder where he is.

Oh.

[Waffleman]

Grandpa, we need to talk.

Kakuju, is it true that you used to be the Kururugi Shrine’s former priest?

What? The Kururugi Shrine? Where did you hear that?

I heard it at the shrine. At the Kururugi Shrine.

You went to Kururugi Village? But there’s supposed to be a seal that stops people from traveling into the valley. It can’t be! Was the seal broken?

So you do know. Please tell us about the hitogata.

I don’t know why you would want to know about that, but there’s nothing to tell. You better be on your way.

What’s wrong, Kakuju? Until now, you’ve told me so many things, like how to use Shikigami. Why is it so different all of a sudden?

What? U-Utsugi? Did you just say Utsugi?

Yes. It seems Utsugi is in Kururugi too.

Kakuju asks us to take him to Kururugi Village and that time is of the essence but it’s gonna take like a week, right? The game is inconsistent about travel times sometimes.

Also it doesn’t even have you do the world map, it just takes you there.

Wait a minute, Inuyasha!

Kakuju’s old, so we gotta take it easy.

I’m sorry. But, why are you so desperate to go after Utsugi?

Well…Remember I told you that I came from a different world?

Yes, I remember.

It seems that Utsugi was the one that summoned me here. I don’t know why, but the connection seems to be that I’m Utsugi’s descendant.

What? You’re Utsugi’s descendant? That’s…

What’s wrong, Grandpa Kakuju?

Your face is completely white.

Well that’s good.

It’s…

AN ATTACK

GRANDPA NO

It’s a giant hitogata!

This is the second to last fight in the entire game, folks.

And this is what we look like going into the endgame.

It’s bad.

Don’t talk right now, Kakuju. We’re going to take care of you.

It’s okay, just listen. Like you were saying, I was the priest of the Kururugi Shrine. I was living there, happily, with my wife. But when our son was born, and my wife died, I was so sad. I went to the valley and made a hitogata that looked like my wife. Using a secret are that came from the Kururugi Shrine, I breathed life into it.

That can’t be!

Yeah, this sounds like the remnants of a possible planned original plot that could have been explored in the entire game and not sidelined into the last hour while the rest of the game was a boring safe Disney World ride through the IP, and that’s not likely!

Yes. That is Utsugi.

So, are all the hitogata that we saw in the valley your failures?

Exactly.

Then why did you make a huge one.

How could you be happy with an imitation?

Good question, Inuyasha. Let me ask Kikyo.

Even though Utsugi was only a hitogata, she loved me. I began to despise the Utsugi that didn’t age…I continued to get older, but she stayed the same.

How could you be so selfish?

Yes, it was selfish. But I didn’t think that at the time. As I got older, it became very difficult for Utsugi in time. The villagers became increasingly suspicious of the ageless Utsugi. They said she was a demon because she never aged and they chased her out of the village.

Would have been nice to see all this and not just have it barfed up.

Kakuju, that’s terrible!

Yes, it was. After a few years, I realized how selfish I had been, so…

So Kakuju went traveling to try to find her and apologize. Unfortunately, Utsugi got the idea to infuse a relative’s soul into herself to be a real girl. This involved calling us from the future somehow and for some reason. This is also why she needed the Shikon Jewel. This is…presumably why she was working with Naraku?

I need you to do something for me. Please give this amulet to Utsugi. I think you have what it takes to help her see the wrongness of her ways.

Think there’s another word you coulda used there?

So Kakuju touches our face against CDC recommendations, says we do in fact have Utsugi’s face, and dies.

With a new goal, we have to move forward.

Well, actually, forward will get us back to Kururugi Village.

We have to go to the next screen, then go back to get back to the world map and the final area.

Utsugi, listen!

As long as I have your soul I can become human. And Kakuju will love me again. So give me your soul.

But that won’t make you any more of a character!

No, Utsugi! Aaah!

If I have your soul, I can be human. Kakuju will…

Damn, I’m dead.

Oh, I’m okay.

That’s right, when I lost consciousness, the amulet…

Kakuju’s amulet?

Yes. It got warm, and then…

The amulet protected you.

Why? Why can’t I become a human?

Oh no! Utsugi!

Not that guy again!

That’s Naraku’s voice!

FUCK.

Ha ha ha…Did you really think you could destroy me?

SO APPARENTLY. Naraku LET us kill him so he could get Utsugi’s power. Okay. Makese sense.

The final boss is Naraku again. You know, for being the big original antagonist of the game, we never actually fought Utsugi in a legitimate fight. Just a couple unwinnable battles. It just seems weird that they’d design these original characters, even going so far as to design two versions of each, and then just doing nothing with them. And it makes me sad, the story of Utsugi, Kakuju, and whatever cursed mask could have been an interesting story. But I guess it’s not safe enough. What could have been.

Oh also this boss fight can actually be a bit tricky. Just keep at it, your biggest enemy is the tedium of how much HP he has.

Also my literal final significant input into the game is the co-op attack where Miroku touches Sango’s butt and she gets so mad she tosses her boomerang real hard.

Seeya bitch.

We all get a little word in but…

Red blood? You’ve become human?

Using a secret power, Kakuju must have put his soul into the amulet.

Kakuju? I understand, Kakuju…Instead of taking your spirit, I took his soul. I can die as a human now. With the soul of the man I love. I’m happy now. Thank you.

Utsugi…

I have one last request. Please bury me in the Kururugi Cemetery.

After a little hemming and hawing from Anime…

We let her go.

Kakuju…I love you…

And as she dies, we’re enveloped in light.

Is it because Utsugi’s magic has disappeared?

Then you’re going back to your time?

Everyone…

No! I don’t want you to go!

You’re here and gone in a moment’s notice.

I hope you’re happy, even in the present.

GIRL SHUT UP YOU CAN COME VISIT US

I am really glad I met you.

I won’t forget you.

You’ll come back again, won’t you?

Thank you, everyone…I’m so happy I met all of you.

So if you had a romance, there’d be a little extra between you and yours and a declaration of love during the wipe, but not for friends.

[url=https://youtu.be/lcLnYrXg8Nk]Ending Movie[/url]

I already transcribed all this shit in the subtitles so I’m not gonna be exact here.

We’re home!

We’re really home!

This little girl asks if we’re okay. We are, I think.

The Doll Festival of Wishes, right…that symbol…

The Shikigami!

The festival was started to honor Utsugi and Kakuju this whole time.

Well, RIP.

HEY WHO DID THAT?

Wait, Sango?

…As if.

Wonder how she’s doing?

THE GAME IS OVER.

And so is the LP! Thank you everybody for following me through this dang ol’ year and a half journey. I’ve wanted to LP this game for quite a while, and I’m finally glad to actually finish an LP again.

So this game, as I said, has been a long-standing guilty pleasure for me, but having to revisit the footage with a fine-toothed comb for the LP has definitely taken some of the sheen off. The inane writing is fine when I can just skip through it, but when I have to actually write every word down, yeesh. It’s still a gem of my younger days that I hold in my heart. I just might…not come back to it again for a while.

As for what’s next, work has already started on the next project, but it’ll be a few months before I’m ready to start it. But rest assured, I will be back.

Maybe someday but not today.

[Waffleman]

@moderators This one’s finished. People can comment on it if they want.