Spoiler Alert!!! Watch episode 24 of Inuyasha The Final Act before reading this blog post.

In this episode titled "Naraku's Uncertain Wish," Naraku tries to split the bonds that unite friends and loved ones. He's thwarted not only by a couple of really awesome twists of weaponry but also seemingly by Kagome's calling him on his emotional baggage. Kagome should consider psychotherapy as a career, should she resume a modern life.

"You couldn't have done those things without understanding a person's heart," says Kagome to Naraku.

Perhaps like Caesar, Nakaru should beware the Ides of March today. This normally self-assured baddie looks thrown off guard now that Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, and their clans have assembled inside Naraku's shape-changing body, prepared to stab him with all that they've got.

No doubt, however, that Naraku has at least a few more tricks in those tentacles.

There's also a really sweet moment with Shippo and Kirara. Watch episode 24 on VIZ Anime for loads of action, some cute comic relief, and a story that's revving up big time.

With the storyline in Inuyasha The Final Act speeding up quickly, I have found myself thinking about where the characters will end up. Frankly, I’m most interested in Kagome’s story.

Kagome is one of the most intriguing characters in Inuyasha and Inuyasha The Final Act (but don’t tell Sesshomaru I said that). On the one hand, she is an average girl from a modern world. While she has a good heart and acts as the conscience for the group, she is not exceptionally skilled at anything. You could consider Kagome a support character, like a Paladin in Dungeons & Dragons.

And like a Paladin, Kagome is vital to the overall group. She plays a major role in the fate of a world that precedes her own by hundreds of years, a situation that causes her to lead a fascinating double life.

We see how deeply tangled Kagome's life has become. At the same time that Kagome’s school career is moving forward, Naraku has completed the Shikon Jewel, so it's now or never in terms of defeating him. The two worlds move forward simultaneously, and like it or not, Kagome will eventually have to choose one of them to call home.

I know, I know... You’re saying, “Hey Tauri, she doesn’t really have to choose, does she?”

And to that I respond, “Uhh... Yeah!”

I know it’s nice to think that Kagome will spend her life hopping to and from the Feudal Era for lunch dates on weekends, but that just doesn’t seem practical. Spanning two worlds is already stressful, and eventually she’ll have a career and maybe a family of her own.

Kagome also runs the risk of exposing the Modern World to the wrath of demons. If a lowly demon like Mistress Centipede can traverse the path between the two worlds, then it’s only a matter of time before bigger baddies figure out that there’s a smorgasbord of weak humans on the other side of that well.

In the end, Kagome will either stay in the feudal era with her beloved Inuyasha or live her life in the modern world. Either scenario seems to end in tearful goodbyes.

What’s that, devout Inuyasha fan? You say that Inuyasha can live in the modern world with Kagome? Well, that’s one scenario... But you’re wrong. Every time Inuyasha comes to the modern world, he becomes a destructive force like no other. Don’t believe me? Watch Inuyasha episode 160 “The Lucky but Two-Timing Scoundrel!,” and the first five minutes of Inuyasha The Final Act episode 20 “When the Jewel is Whole”.

What do you guys think will happen? Without dropping any spoilers (you know who you are), let me know where you think Kagome will end up.

— Tauri Miller, Digital Entertainment Assistant at VIZ Media

INUYASHA THE FINAL ACT © Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise 2009

Nearly every minute of episode 22, "Naraku: Trap of Darkness," is packed with action, emotion, and story. To say anymore would trigger a spoiler alert, so watch the episode now.

On a more thematic level, this episode is one of several that seem to play with the question of what makes a person (or demon) strong: weapons, breeding, or heart. Already in Inuyasha The Final Act, the issue of weaponry gets complicated; weapons are closely tied to the characters wielding them. The beginning of the episode shows Inuyasha painfully wrestling with the drawbacks of being half-human. But in this episode, we also see the heart prevail. Of course, we'll need to see more of it if the gang is to survive being inside Naraku. Till next week…

Wow, that was a tough episode to watch. In episode 21 of Inuyasha The Final Act "Inside Naraku," the battle with Naraku begins. Now that he's embodied the Shinkon Jewel, it looks like this ultimate bad guy has a decided advantage. Things are not looking good for Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku. Not to mention Rin, who's floating around kidnapped in Naraku's body.

Not that anyone thought a fight against Naraku would be a walk in the park, but it's hard to watch the good guys struggle, and with a cliffhanger that will leave you biting your nails all week.

Sango and Kagome weren't the only ones crying when Naraku took Kohaku's shard in episode 20 "When the Jewel is Whole." (Can someone get me a tissue? Sniff.) Watch the episode to see how Kohaku fares. Kohaku is such a tragic figure, thinking he deserves to die because of something (albeit horrible) in his past that he just can't fix. When will he stop punishing himself? In other news, Naraku ends up with the whole Shinkon Jewel and quite possibly Rin, who is kidnapped by a hiding Magatsuhi! Yikes. Watch this episode of Inuyasha The Final Act for the rest.