Bankotsu

Bankotsu's History

Bankotsu traveled around the countryside with Jakotsu, challenging every strong human and yōkai alike. He met Naraku while heading off to fight a powerful yōkai, who killed it before Bankotsu arrived. Naraku told him about the Shikon no Tama before disappearing. Soon after this, Bankotsu decided to go to war as a mercenary. This decision would lead him the create the Shichinintai, which gained infamy as mercenaries that had high success rates. However, due to their mercilessness and strength in combat, they were feared by all the warlords of Japan, even the ones they were allied with, which lead to a temporary alliance between the feuding Daimyō. The Shichinintai were given a job by a lord to slay an enemy army. As they carried out their mission, they suddenly found that they were surrounded by an overwhelming number of soldiers from different lords, and it was then that Bankotsu learned that his group was lured into a trap and ordered the Shichinintai to retreat. This proved to be futile, as the allied soldiers were able to capture the Shichinintai and then execute them; as the villagers had told the story to Inuyasha's group, a silhouette of Bankotsu was seen, being separated from Banryū, as he was struggling while two soldiers held him down and another soldier beheaded Bankotsu with his katana.[2] Bankotsu and his six comrades were later buried on a mound, in an attempt by the locals, to calm their vengeful spirits; the graves were known as the Tomb of the Shichinintai. Banryū had been kept by the lord as a testament to his victory over the Shichinintai. Fifteen years later, Bankotsu was resurrected and was given seven Shikon Jewel shards by Naraku, who promised to let him and his comrades keep their newfound life if they killed all of his enemies.