Characters
Kohaku
Kohaku is the younger brother of Sango, and a recent inductee into the life of a demon slayer. On his first mission to destroy a spider demon at the castle of the Hitomi clan, Kohaku's mind is taken over by a spider demon and he is forced to kill his father and two other demon slayers. He plunges his sickle and chain deep into his sister's back, intending to kill her, but she survives. Kohaku is not so lucky, as he dies from a volley of arrows fired into his back by the castle guards.
Kohaku is brought back from the dead thanks to a shard of the Shikon Jewel implanted into his back by the castle lord, secretly Naraku in disguise. From the time he is awakened, Kohaku has no memory of his past, he is simply a blank slate ready to serve Naraku. Often Naraku commands him to do things that will force his sister to kill him, such as murdering innocent people or helping Kagura and Kanna carry out their missions.
When Naraku is forced to relocated his castle he abandons Kohaku. Wandering alone but without any memory of who he is, Kohaku takes up residence with an elderly couple until he is found by Sango and the others. He joins them, but soon Naraku reasserts his control over the boy and forces him to attack Kagome, who narrowly escapes death. This betrayal leads Sango to nearly kill her brother, but Inuyasha saves the boy and vows to free him from Naraku's influence. Although he remains under Naraku's control, from this point forward he will always remember Sango's face, although he does not know her identity.
Kohaku also finds himself at the mercy of Sesshomaru when he kidnaps Rin in a failed attempt to coerce the demon into killing Inuyasha. Although Naraku commands Kohaku to kill Rin, he is able to resist. This is the first indication that Kohaku is beginning to defy Naraku. It is this act that helps bond him with Kagura, who sees the sam rebellious spirit in the boy that she also harbors.
Naraku eventually forces Kohaku to act as a bodyguard for the Infant. When the castle is attacked by Abi, Kohaku is once again forced to murder many innocent men and women. Upon seeing this Sango asks him why he would do such a thing again. With this, all of Kohaku's lost memories flood back to him. Kagura sweeps him away and back into the service of Naraku, who he serves in order to avoid falling back under his spell, and hopefully get close enough to slay him. Sango soon learns of her brother's restored memories, and the two briefly reunite before Kohaku is called to serve with Kikyo, who has absorbed the soul of Midoriko, thereby connecting her with the shard in Kohaku's body.
The Meaning Behind the Name - 琥珀
Kohaku means "amber". All of his family members have names relating to stones.
Voices:
Akiko Yajima
Ryohei Kimura plays Kohaku as an adult in Yashahime. His previous roles include Bokuto Koutaro in Haikyū!!, Eichi Sakurai in Full Moon o Sagashite and Tartaglia in Genshin Impact.
Alex Doduk & Danny McKinnon & Aiden Drummond
After Alex Doduk's voice changed too much, he was replaced with Danny McKinnon. Danny previously played Suekichi in Inuyasha, as well as Kant Kestner in Brain Powered, Dai Daichi in The Daichis - Earth's Defense Force and Takashi in Junkers Come Home. Finally for Inuyasha: The Final Act Kohaku was played by Aiden Drummond, pictured at left.
Alan Lee plays adult Kohaku in Yashahime. His previous work includes Tsubaki in Fena: Pirate Princess, Kamanue in Demon Slayer and Junpei Hyuga in Kuroko's Basketball.