Shippo

Name: Deria
Age: 27
Journal: On file
Contact: On file
Other Characters Played: Satoshi Hiwatari, Rioichi Cooper, Joshua, Izzy Trengove, Ty, Manic Hedgehog, Jake Clawson, Lexington. Hakudoshi

Series: Inuyasha
Character: Shippo
Age: About 7
Timeline: Episode 48 - Return to the Place Where we First Met
Personality:
Shippo's character is a bit more complex than it appears to be. While he is very young by demon as well as human standards, he can often act surprisingly mature and show a great deal of insight. He's usually a little mellow even when exasperated or happy, though he can panic at a moment's notice when worrying about things or when he's afraid or even when he realizes how badly he may have screwed up. But in an instant he can remind someone that he's just a kid or state the fact himself. He's almost never afraid to speak his mind or to confront someone with an issue, but may get himself into trouble with his words sometimes because he irritates someone or gives a secret he shouldn't have...which isn't to say he can't consider another's feelings before he speaks or that he can't keep a secret, he just sometimes doesn't think first. He's also surprisingly brave can show a lot of determination. Like most fox demons, he also clever and resourceful despite being so young. He does seem to need reassurance that he has a place he belongs from time to time though.

Shippo can show a lot of understanding for things like relationships or people's behaviors, even though he doesn't always understand all aspects of them due to his age. He doesn't get the more physical aspects of relationships for example, but came to the conclusion that Inuyasha hadn't gotten very far with Kagome because of his reaction to the idea of bathing with Kagome when Shippo brought it up...something that had been perfectly normal in Shippo's family. He also easily caught onto Miroku and Sango's feelings for each other, which led him to being more exasperated by Miroku's lechery than he had been before Sango was a part of the group. He tends to fit his closest friends into more family roles, though he may not realize he's doing it. As such, he has no problem sharing baths with girls or women he's close to since it's how his family did things and he uses that to an extent to gauge how close to each other his friends are. Shippo is perfectly capable of quiet and contemplative moments by himself or with others, as well as participating in serious conversations with or without snide remarks depending on who he's talking to.

He can snap from being angry at them to worried in an instant in serious situations or might go from worried to angry as the situation deems, such as being angry with a friend who's been hitting him to being concerned when he realizes they've gone off into danger without him. He will sit with incredible patience at a location one of his friends is either supposed to return to, has disappeared from, or may appear at to wait for them. He will also protect and tend to wounded or sick friends regardless of any normal annoyance he has at them when they need him to, acting very responsible and taking his job seriously...at least until the friend in question does something to show that the situation is no longer so serious.

He has a sense of honor and does attempt to step up to be a reliable and responsible asset to his friends, and even if he can't help in battle and has to hide he hates being left behind altogether. He'll do just about anything to help anyone he feels truly obligated to, including endangering himself for them or getting on his knees to beg someone he doesn't like if they can help. He's also not the type who likes to sit by and watch someone be abused without proof of wrongdoing if he can do something about it. When in a situation that's stressful, extremely scary, or where he is being relied on by his friends, he may try to psych himself up by telling himself that he's got to keep it together.

Despite being as mature and level-headed as some adults overall, Shippo does slip into childish moments frequently. This usually happens when he's afraid, trying to escape punishment or get something from someone, or trying to get Inuyasha in trouble for hitting him. He can be obnoxious without meaning to mostly because he lacks a brain to mouth filter sometimes, so he tends to speak his mind even if it is insulting. He will sometimes try to lighten a mood but may end up more obnoxious than helpful and can exhibit rash judgement in pointing fingers or just acting without thinking. Like many people he expects to be paid attention to when he's talking about important things, and will become upset whe he doesn't have that attention.

He is just old enough to feel attraction and while he'll try to appear cool and mature to someone he's infatuated with, he's truthfully feeling awkward. But he will go to great lengths for the object of his affection's happiness or safety and even place himself in extremely dangerous situations to help them. The same is true of anyone he feels a strong connection to, such as other orphans.

It's been shown more than once that the deaths or disappearances of the ones he holds dear affect Shippo heavily. He's not good at keeping his own grief in check at all. But if he can he will hold it together until he can find help or it arrives before he breaks down. Someone else's grief over a loss is handled a little better and he's less likely to cry over it, but it still hits him hard especially if he knows the person who is suffering. If given the chance to help possibly prevent his friends from suffering, he will go above and beyond including, but probably not limited to, begging the help of someone who could either easily kill him or that he's less than fond of.

He wants badly to be considered to have some importance, so he hates when the enemy gives him the brush-off even if he's terrified of them...not so badly that he'll pursue them alone or anything though. He's also not immune to peer pressure and to keep up appearances may sometimes be goaded into doing things he doesn't want to or normally wouldn't...though if the person he's wronging has a tendency to pick on him like Inuyasha, then he'll probably enjoy the task to an extent. He's not so weak-willed that he'd try to seriously hurt someone, that he didn't feel deserved it, of his own free will though. When pressured into a situation where his honor has to come before his fear he may try to sound fearless, however unconvincing the act may be, but his brave words are probably a poorly disguised plea for help from his friends.

As a fox demon, he knows a little bit about how to play on emotions. He is a good actor and can be convincingly heartbroken seems to have mastered crocodile tears. He generally knows just when to play the "I'm just a little kid" card and can use his childishness to get what he wants from a lot of people. If he knows someone well enough he can actually impersonate them convincingly, and if he's at least seen them in action he can passably. He's clever enough to think of a way to get out of many situations and also knows when his best bet is to stay out of sight. He seems a bit cowardly, but it's because he is still a small child and not a powerful demon. Dangerous situations are something natural to be afraid of but he will usually stick close to his friends even while very afraid.

Even though he's a demon, Shippo seems to understand more complex emotions that demons are said not to be able to. He acknowledges that humans are weaker than full-blooded demons, or even half-demons, as a simple fact without being intentionally condescending and generally interacts with humans the same as anyone else. He doesn't normally pull tricks on them and several of his crushes were human. He can understand their fear of demons, but he doesn't like when it results in all demons being hated equally. Likewise he doesn't approve of demons who attack humans just because they can, or either race picking on half-demons just because they're half-demons. He actually can easily enjoy playing with any children regardless of what they are and him disliking anyone is based on their actions.

Background:
Prior to his appearance Shippo's father was murdered by the Thunder Brothers, who took his skin and the shard of the Shikon Jewel he had found. Nothing is really known about his mother, but it's implied that his family was close and that she may have died as well. He was just possibly closer to his father. It's also quite possible there were times that he was bullied by bigger demons.

Shippo first appears in episode nine, attempting to steal a shard of the Shikon Jewel from Inuyasha and Kagome to make himself strong. He almost got away but was initially caught and asked why he wanted them, and hestuck around long enough to explain. He was condescending to Inuyasha at first because he was a half-demon and he hadn't thought him strong enough to take out the Thunder Brothers like he claimed he could. When Inuyasha hit him because of it, he pretended to be sorry but then trapped Inuyasha's hands under a statue with a spell tag so that he couldn't get free. Then he stole the jewel shard and escaped to lure out the Thunder Brothers so he could avenge his father.

He stumbled across the younger brother, Maten, but even when he tried to attack him he wasn't strong enough and had to be saved by Kagome who had followed him to get her shard back. She angered Maten by accidentally removing two of his three head hairs trying to hit the jewel shards in his forehead and while escaping they were almost hit by a powerful attack. Kagome was knocked out and Shippo hid in the tall grass, unable to do anything as Kagome was taken away.

Realizing that he had to save her but knowing that he wasn't strong enough, so went to find Inuyasha who was still pinned by his magic. He made Inuyasha promise not to hit him anymore before removing the spell tag, but Inuyasha hit him anyway and took back the jewel shard before Shippo could explain what happened. When he did finally say Kagome was kidnapped, Inuyasha blamed him and accused him of hiding while she was taken. He then agreed to help if Shippo apologized and made him a hot bath that night. With no other options, Shippo agreed and apologized, but Inuyasha let it go and they went off to find Kagome.

The Thunder Brothers came to them because Kagome had duped them into believing they could swap her for more jewel shards. While Inuyasha fought the elder brother, Hitan, Shippo tried to rescue Kagome from Maten. When she angered Maten again, Shippo saved her by using his fox magic as a diversion so that she could temporarily escape. When Shippo's top removed the last of Maten's hair he became enraged and much more dangerous. Kagome had Shippo transform into her as a diversion to try and get the arrow she'd shot Maten with when saving Shippo earlier. She got it but Maten tossed them away and then tried to strangle her. Despite the threat of being murdered and skinned himself, Shippo tried to save her. He only tried harder as Maten mocked him with promises that him using his pelt would be like a reunion with his father and the idea that he might use his toes as earrings. He even went so far as to latch onto the demon's neck with his teeth and not release even though he was being beaten to near-unconsciousness. He was barely conscious as Inuyasha killed Maten, but insisted that Kagome save his father's pelt before passing out.

He woke still nestled with the pelt but quickly came to the aid of his new friends in taking down Hitan. He used the art of transformation to become a bow when Kagome needed one, and then tried to get Inuyasha his sword to stand a better chance. Hitan struck him and Kagome with Maten's lightning but Shippo's father was watching over them and used a bit of fox fire from his pelt to protect them from the flames resulting from the attack. They saw Inuyasha win the battle and with nowhere else to go, Shippo began to travel with them. It was shown rather quickly that Shippo was trying to fit in with his new friends when he tried to lighten Inuyasha's mood while Kagome was away, but that he really doesn't want to be left alone with him since Inuyasha hits him.

He traveled with Kagome and Inuyasha as they collected the jewel shards. While he often had to hide and couldn't contribute a lot to battle, he did use his fox magic to help them as much as possible. He was present when Inuyasha became human for the first time around his new companions, in the temple run by a spider demon in disguise. They had stayed the night there after helping a young apprentice who hated demons but ended up fleeing without their belongings and the jewel shards just before finding out about the transformation. Inuyasha took him along to battle and he did his best to help him even though he was terrified to face the spiderhead demons, but wasn't able to stop Inuyasha from being badly poisoned. When Kagome arrived they freed Inuyasha and barricaded a room in the temple where Myoga removed the poison. Shippo fell asleep soon after, but was woken near dawn when the spider broke in through the roof and stole the shards he'd managed to save before tossing him aside. Inuyasha had recovered though and defeated the demon as soon as the sun rose. Afterward they took the girl downriver near her village and continued their journey.

He was also there when Kikyo's remains were stolen and when she was resurrected, though he had slept through the actual explanation and decision to help Kaede track down the culprit. He also was extremely baffled by the awkwardness between Inuyasha and Kagome on the way there because to him it seemed to just come out of the blue. While they were surrounded by clay soldiers on a bridge, the grave robber attacked and destroyed the bridge, kidnapping Kagome while letting the rest of them fall. Shippo was able to save himself and Kaede and with Inuyasha they hurried to her rescue, but were unable to stop her sould from being transferred into Kikyo. Shippo stayed close to Kagoe's body, more concerned for her fate than the situation. Shippo constantly made sure Kagome was really okay again when she got her soul back, and even purposely picked a fight with Inuyasha who had gone quiet and tended to stare off into the distance a lot.

He was around when they encountered the monk Miroku and his raccoon dog companion, Hachi, who at first tried to steal the jewel shards. This was the first time he heard about the evil demon, Naraku. Miroku later joined them after having to work with them to defeat a human painter using hellish ink and a jewel shard. He saw Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru for the first time when he attacked and temporarily stole Inuyasha's sword, and mostly stayed out of the main fight. He did his best to protect and tend to Miroku when he was poisoned by demon insects Sesshomaru had brought. After the battle they had Hachi take them back to Kaede's village so they could recover and Shippo watched over Inuyasha.

In the village Inuyasha took Kagome back to the well, with Shippo and Miroku spying nearby, where after a short talk Inuyasha took the jewel shards from Kagome and pushed her into the well sending her home. Then he shoved a tree into the well so that she couldn't come back. Devastated because he thought that he would never see Kagome again, Shippo refused to continue the search for the jewel and Naraku. He ignored Inuyasha and Miroku planning and tried to get the tree out of the well all by himself, not stopping until well after they had left. He was then attacked by the wolf demon/forest guardian Royakan and ran to find Inuyasha who protected him despite still being badly injured. Miroku scared Royakan off with his Wind Tunnel, but fearing the attack would happen again they returned to the village and sealed Inuyasha in a hut so he could recover. Shippo stayed with him and was made aware of the fact Inuyasha had only been trying to protect Kagome. He tried to cheer him up by transforming into Kagome but was beaten up instead. Later he spent the night wondering about Kagome.

When the demon attacked the next day, bigger and stronger than before, Inuyash still wasn't healed. Shippo took their jewel fragment and fled into the forest, pursued by demon wolves, and used his fox magic to confuse them while he slipped into the well. He hit a branch on the way down and was temporarily knocked out, but the wolves were trying to enter the well when he woke. Kagome appeared and while he was overjoyed, they were in danger until Inuyasha saved them.

After a short odd reunion, Kagome sensed Naraku and the shards he carried and everyone rushed to confront him. He escaped though and soon the four of them took up the journey again. He was largely indifferent to Inuyasha's predicament around Kikyo because he didn't have the kind of connections to her that Inuyasha and Kagome had, and because he felt Kagome was the most important.

As they traveled, they learned of demon slayers who were collecting jewel shards because the jewel supposedly originated in their village and journeyed there to learn more...but the village was wiped out the night before they arrived by a horde of demons who had passed them. The only survivors were Myoga, who had gone there for answers about the jewel as well, and Kirara, the demon cat who had lived peacefully in the village with the slayers. After burying the dead, Myoga led them to the cave that was supposed to be the origin of the jewel, but a warded barrier kept them out. After learning some slayers had gone to the castle, they went to get more information from one of them on how to pass but were attacked by Sango, a slayer led to believe it was Inuyasha who massacred her village by Naraku. Sango was only a distraction though, as Naraku left as soon as he stole Kagome's jewel shard and Inuyasha was able to outsmart her but saved her. They pursued Naraku, who it was revealed was at fault for the massacre, and Sango was able to tell that this Naraku was a puppet and how to defeat it. Afterward, they returned to the slayer village.

After ten days of rest, Sango was well enough and willing to help them enter the cave, and they proceeded inside where they learned the history of the jewel. After this Sango traveled with them, and Shippo became good friends with her and especially Kirara as they tried to find the whereabouts of Naraku's castle. As they traveled, they earned their keep defeating troublesome demons in or near villages, or just got involved in situations they couldn't ignore. One such instance ended with Miroku's Wind Tunnel being damaged, leaving him vulnerable to a trap set by Naraku intended to force him to use his Wind Tunnel and be consumed by it.

Later, they came across a village that had been massacred by a young demon slayer, revealed to be Sango's younger brother, Kohaku...who had a jewel shard embedded in his back. Sango was able to pursue him into a barrier alone, leaving the rest of them behind. She returned unharmed but didn't tell them what happened and they stayed to tend the dead in the village, but the question of what to do about Kohaku and what happened when Sango followed him and met Naraku still stood. Kohaku attacked again, and tried to remove the jewel shard in his back when they wouldn't kill him. Sango stole Tetsaiga to save him and they followed. Naraku got away, Sango was hurt and Kirara poisoned, but Kohaku somewhat freed for a moment. Naraku tried to kill them all with miasma, but when Kagome located and pierced him with her sacred arrow he retreated in a powerful vortex of energy. Miroku kept Shippo from being pulled in as he held onto Kirara to keep her from being as well. The castle vanished and Shippo alerted everyone when Sango tried to leave them. Together they convinced her to stay. After, Shippo and Myoga were left with Miroku to watch over Sango and Kirara while Inuyasha and Kagome went for an antidote for Kirara's poisoning...to keep an eye on Miroku more than anything.

As they continued to travel, they had more confrontations including or set up by Naraku. One included a village where it had rained blood and demon parts near a mountain surrounded by a cloud of miasma. Because he displayed some resistance to it Shippo was left to look after Sango and Kagome, who were left behind as Sango still wasn't well enough to venture far in. He was later left with just Sango after sensing something that seemed to try pulling him into the mountain, as Kagome ventured inside to investigate after Kikyo passed her and entered the mountain. Kikyo was captured by Naraku and when they followed what they thought were her Soul Collectors to find him, they turned out to be his insects disguised to lure them into a trap that separated and captured them each in an illusion. Shippo's was apparently that he was left lost and alone, while in reality he was in the grip of a tree that would kill him as his fear and doubt grew. It was Miroku that saved his life, but it turned out that Kagome's jewel fragment had been stolen by Kikyo though.

A blacksmith named Totosai appeared to them, looking to test Inuyasha's use of the Tetsaiga he had forged...and for protection from Sesshomaru, who he'd refused to forge a new sword. Totosai proved crafty enough to let them escape from Sesshomaru, but was displeased with Inuyasha's handling of the Tetsaiga. But in the second confrontations with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha managed to use the Wind Scar and defeat him. It was revealed that Sesshomaru was not dead however.

They passed through a massacred village overrun by wolves soon after the fight with Sesshomaru, while following a jewel shard, and were attacked by them. When several wolves were killed the pack summoned their leader, who had three jewel shards on him. This demon, Koga, was extremely fast and cunning, and he knew when he was in danger and ran away with his pack. They stayed in the village to bury the dead again and Shippo told Kagome what he knew of the wolf demon tribe. The next day they started tracking the wolves, but were ambushed by them. Koga kidnapped Kagome and Shippo was along for the ride as he had been on her shoulder...thoughhe ended up clinging to the underside of Koga's tail. He left a trail of his signal mushrooms for Inuyasha and the others to follow, but would have been wolf chow when they got to the den if Kagome hadn't stepped in to barter for his life when Koga threw him to his wolves. His mushrooms were also picked by the wolves as possible food. Later Shippo disguised himself as Koga and tried to sneak Kagome out, but the wolves caught him because of his tail and they were exposed. Kagome helped him escape, tossing him off the cliff since he could transform and fly, trusting him to get Inuyasha. He found Inuyasha letting himself be carried off by one of the demon birds because Miroku thought they might be working with the wolves, but set them straight and they found Kagome and the wolves battling the birds and helped out. Koga was sent home with his pack because he was injured, but then Kagome went home angry after a fight with Inuyasha.

Several days passed and still no Kagome, though Shippo lingered around the well more often than not as usual. Miroku told Shippo and Sango they should all steer clear of the well in case Inuyasha went to get her because he wouldn't if he caught them there...but they all wound up spying anyway. Shippo tried to reason with Inuyasha, but it was really hard especially when Shippo found he couldn't understand why when everything had been settled Kagome had protected the injured Koga from Inuyasha. He finally got Inuyasha to go see Kaede for advice, by telling her that he was asking about his dog friend and essentially telling her exactly what happened with Koga with the aid of cute drawings of the situation. Following the the conversation, Inuyasha left to hopefully go talk to Kagome. Kagome came back the next day, but after Inuyasha had left Shippo had shown his drawings to the whole village because Kaede had told him they looked nice.

Once they set out collecting shards again, they were drawn into a trap where Inuyasha was framed for the murder of Koga's clan. When Koga arrived and assumed that what he saw was fact, he attempted to avenge his dead comrades and nearly killed Inuyasha. But the trap was all because of a wind sorceress called Kagura who was part of Naraku. Inuyasha sent her running, but the counterfeit shard Koga had been tricked into using was killing him. It was Shippo's quick thinking that saved the wolf demon, and once the shard was removed they moved on to a place where Inuyasha could be treated and they could talk about Kagura.

Not long after, they encountered another incarnation called Kanna, while staying in a village they had brought a girl Miroku had known to. Shippo was temporarily knocked out when Sango was thrown into him by her own repelled attack and Kagome's soul was being stolen when he woke so he tried to stop it but couldn't. In the end Kagome stopped it, but before things were settled Inuyasha was badly injured when his Wind Scar was turned against him and it was revealed Naraku had almost completed the jewel because Kikyo had given him the fragment stolen from Kagome.

Before Inuyasha's wounds healed Kikyo lured Inuyasha from the hut they were staying in, her spirit collectors binding Shippo so that he couldn't follow or stop Inuyasha. Shippo led Kagome and Miroku after him as soon as they returned. Soon after they returned to the hut to tend to Inuyasha and Sango, a dead villager came to plead they save his village from a demon, having been resurrected by Kagura for just that purpose and to make it clear she knew where they were hiding. The demon in question was another incarnation of Naraku called Goshinki, one who could read their thoughts and proved it to everyone while purposely blowing Shippo off just to toy with him. Inuyasha fought him but Tetsaiga was bitten in two and Inuyasha's demon took over, leading him to easily slay the demon with only his claws. Kagome was able to return him to normal though.

Myoga later came to them, sending Inuyasha to Totosai to have the sword reforged. While he was gone Myoga told the rest of them Tetsaiga had protected Inuyasha from his demon blood and that he had to keep hold of the sword or he would continue to transform when his life was at risk until his demonic nature eventually consumed his soul. Inuyasha soon returned to wait for the reforged sword with them, also going through his monthly human period on the final night.

A demon blacksmith by the name of Kaijinbo appeared that same night, wielding an evil sword that wanted Inuyasha dead. The others tried to fight him off and protect Inuyasha, but the sword controlled its wielder and was relentless. Totosai appeared finally with the reforged Tetsaiga and soon after the sun rose, allowing Inuyasha to return to normal, and he destroyed the demon even though his sword was heavier and he couldn't use it properly. They couldn't destroy the evil sword but Inuyasha refused to do nothing about it or leave it where it fell, so they were still there when Sesshomaru came for it, having ordered it made from the fangs of the demon who had bitten Tetsaiga in two. In the ensuing fight Inuyasha was disarmed and transformed, but Totosai helped them escape with him.

Soon after, they encountered Koga, who was looking for Naraku to get revenge for his slain friends. Shippo did try to help not make them fight, but his choice of words only got him a lump on the head. and soon battled two more of his incarnations, Juromaro and Kageromaru. The help from Koga resulted in another fight between Inuyasha and Kagome and while she made Shippo promise not to tell that she was only going home for bandages and medicine, she went home again right after bringing them because she had seen Inuyasha with Kikyo. It seemed like she really wouldn't come back this time.

Abilities/Additional Notes:
Shippo is a demon so he's immortal. Being a fox demon specifically, he's got somewhat heightened senses, but his nose is nowhere near as sharp as a dog demon's. He is able to smell the difference in races of those he's around without having to be right on top of them, but tracking is not and may never be his strong point and scents that are strong enough to bother demons with keen noses don't really bother him much. He's physically strong enough to carry a human child a bit bigger than him on his back without slowing much or hindering his surprisingly good jumping ability. He can take a bit more damage than most humans but is far from invincible.

Shippo's fairly proficient in fox magic, which is mostly very realistic illusions, moreso than other fox demons around his age. The tools most often used for this are his toys and various leaves, acorns, mushrooms, talismans, and very small statues that he carries with him: He's also knowledgeable about the fact that many smaller demons use similar tricks and is less likely to fall for most of the more common ones. The art of transformation may still fool him because he doesn't always use all of his senses, but this is most likely in the cases of convincing female disguises or in situations he really can't take the time to double-check. His fox magic can also be combined with other types of magic for new effects, such as working with the exorcist's talismans to turn himself or others completely invisible, making it much more flexible than it seems.

Mostly he can make the toys and mini statues appear larger, heavier, or more dangerous than they actually are, such as his toy snake appearing to be a real giant snake or dragon, or his tops appearing to be large and crushingly heavy. No matter how real they look and seem to feel, these illusions are temporary, but can leave quite and impression including indents in the ground from larger items. He also owns a little toy horse that can be transformed into a flying mount that can carry one person. In the manga and one of the movies, Shippo was the toy horse himself.

At one point he was shown to have a little toy propeller, which when attached to a person made them fly in a direction with no control over it.

The talismans can work to extend the effects of things like the mini statues being enlarged to pin someone, effectively keeping them prisoner until the talisman is removed. It seems that not just anyone can do so though.

The mushrooms or acorns can be made to appear alive, shrieking or crying distractingly and can be a distraction for enemies or an alert to allies that can lead them somewhere.

Using leaves he can create copies of himself or other objects to fool his opponents, or transform some other objects accordingly for traps. He can also transform himself into anyone, though it takes a lot of practice with a transformation to hide his tail properly in that form. He can also transform into other animals or even items as needed, but the resemblance to what he needs to be isn't always perfect. He can become a giant floating balloon-like form to fly and can carry up to one adult in this form, though at current it would be extremely hard on him to try. By mid-series he was able to carry one person easily though, and by the end he was able two easily carry two plus extra items. His balloon form can also be used to cushion the impact of one or more people sent flying, though the collision is less than comfortable for him.

He carries a number of fire bombs (firecrackers) that can be used for minor damage or a great distraction.

His fox fire can be used at will and works great as a light to the darkness. It can burn things like spider webs, but is not as hot as real flames. This makes it next to useless beyond a distraction in most cases, but is good for defense especially against the heat of a fire.

Despite not actually being evil, Shippo is still very vulnerable to the effects of holy powers. He suffers extreme fatigue and lethargy near powerful holy barriers and can take serious damage from attacks of the same type.

Advocate Note:
Yes. Shippo is the type who if given a responsibility or if made to feel important, would take matters seriously. He is also the type who can be pressured into doing things sometimes in the attempt to keep that image.

Sample Network Post: [Video | Semi-Accidental]

This thing has so many things to figure out. Is it even on?

[The voice obviously belongs to a very young boy. The voice is followed by a rapping noise as he taps it against his hands gently. Then the video turns on to show the very small boy with fangs, pointed ears, and a very fluffy tail frowning at the device. The fact that he's holding the 3STP up so he has to stare up at it also gives a peek at the little pawed feet he has.]

Really I'm pretty sure a simple magic spell would've been a lot easier to manage...

Sample RP:
http://3step-testruns.dreamwidth.org/5603.html

Prior to his appearance Shippo's father was murdered by the Thunder Brothers, who took his skin and the shard of the Shikon Jewel he had found. Nothing is really known about his mother, but it's implied that his family was close and that she may have died as well. He was just possibly closer to his father. It's also quite possible there were times that he was bullied by bigger demons.

Shippo first appears in episode nine, attempting to steal a shard of the Shikon Jewel from Inuyasha and Kagome to make himself strong. He almost got away but was initially caught and asked why he wanted them, and hestuck around long enough to explain. He was condescending to Inuyasha at first because he was a half-demon and he hadn't thought him strong enough to take out the Thunder Brothers like he claimed he could. When Inuyasha hit him because of it, he pretended to be sorry but then trapped Inuyasha's hands under a statue with a spell tag so that he couldn't get free. Then he stole the jewel shard and escaped to lure out the Thunder Brothers so he could avenge his father.

He stumbled across the younger brother, Maten, but even when he tried to attack him he wasn't strong enough and had to be saved by Kagome who had followed him to get her shard back. She angered Maten by accidentally removing two of his three head hairs trying to hit the jewel shards in his forehead and while escaping they were almost hit by a powerful attack. Kagome was knocked out and Shippo hid in the tall grass, unable to do anything as Kagome was taken away.

Realizing that he had to save her but knowing that he wasn't strong enough, so went to find Inuyasha who was still pinned by his magic. He made Inuyasha promise not to hit him anymore before removing the spell tag, but Inuyasha hit him anyway and took back the jewel shard before Shippo could explain what happened. When he did finally say Kagome was kidnapped, Inuyasha blamed him and accused him of hiding while she was taken. He then agreed to help if Shippo apologized and made him a hot bath that night. With no other options, Shippo agreed and apologized, but Inuyasha let it go and they went off to find Kagome.

The Thunder Brothers came to them because Kagome had duped them into believing they could swap her for more jewel shards. While Inuyasha fought the elder brother, Hitan, Shippo tried to rescue Kagome from Maten. When she angered Maten again, Shippo saved her by using his fox magic as a diversion so that she could temporarily escape. When Shippo's top removed the last of Maten's hair he became enraged and much more dangerous. Kagome had Shippo transform into her as a diversion to try and get the arrow she'd shot Maten with when saving Shippo earlier. She got it but Maten tossed them away and then tried to strangle her. Despite the threat of being murdered and skinned himself, Shippo tried to save her. He only tried harder as Maten mocked him with promises that him using his pelt would be like a reunion with his father and the idea that he might use his toes as earrings. He even went so far as to latch onto the demon's neck with his teeth and not release even though he was being beaten to near-unconsciousness. He was barely conscious as Inuyasha killed Maten, but insisted that Kagome save his father's pelt before passing out.

He woke still nestled with the pelt but quickly came to the aid of his new friends in taking down Hitan. He used the art of transformation to become a bow when Kagome needed one, and then tried to get Inuyasha his sword to stand a better chance. Hitan struck him and Kagome with Maten's lightning but Shippo's father was watching over them and used a bit of fox fire from his pelt to protect them from the flames resulting from the attack. They saw Inuyasha win the battle and with nowhere else to go, Shippo began to travel with them. It was shown rather quickly that Shippo was trying to fit in with his new friends when he tried to lighten Inuyasha's mood while Kagome was away, but that he really doesn't want to be left alone with him since Inuyasha hits him.

He traveled with Kagome and Inuyasha as they collected the jewel shards. While he often had to hide and couldn't contribute a lot to battle, he did use his fox magic to help them as much as possible. He was present when Inuyasha became human for the first time around his new companions, in the temple run by a spider demon in disguise. They had stayed the night there after helping a young apprentice who hated demons but ended up fleeing without their belongings and the jewel shards just before finding out about the transformation. Inuyasha took him along to battle and he did his best to help him even though he was terrified to face the spiderhead demons, but wasn't able to stop Inuyasha from being badly poisoned. When Kagome arrived they freed Inuyasha and barricaded a room in the temple where Myoga removed the poison. Shippo fell asleep soon after, but was woken near dawn when the spider broke in through the roof and stole the shards he'd managed to save before tossing him aside. Inuyasha had recovered though and defeated the demon as soon as the sun rose. Afterward they took the girl downriver near her village and continued their journey.

He was also there when Kikyo's remains were stolen and when she was resurrected, though he had slept through the actual explanation and decision to help Kaede track down the culprit. He also was extremely baffled by the awkwardness between Inuyasha and Kagome on the way there because to him it seemed to just come out of the blue. While they were surrounded by clay soldiers on a bridge, the grave robber attacked and destroyed the bridge, kidnapping Kagome while letting the rest of them fall. Shippo was able to save himself and Kaede and with Inuyasha they hurried to her rescue, but were unable to stop her sould from being transferred into Kikyo. Shippo stayed close to Kagoe's body, more concerned for her fate than the situation. Shippo constantly made sure Kagome was really okay again when she got her soul back, and even purposely picked a fight with Inuyasha who had gone quiet and tended to stare off into the distance a lot.

He was around when they encountered the monk Miroku and his raccoon dog companion, Hachi, who at first tried to steal the jewel shards. This was the first time he heard about the evil demon, Naraku. Miroku later joined them after having to work with them to defeat a human painter using hellish ink and a jewel shard. He saw Inuyasha's brother Sesshomaru for the first time when he attacked and temporarily stole Inuyasha's sword, and mostly stayed out of the main fight. He did his best to protect and tend to Miroku when he was poisoned by demon insects Sesshomaru had brought. After the battle they had Hachi take them back to Kaede's village so they could recover and Shippo watched over Inuyasha.

In the village Inuyasha took Kagome back to the well, with Shippo and Miroku spying nearby, where after a short talk Inuyasha took the jewel shards from Kagome and pushed her into the well sending her home. Then he shoved a tree into the well so that she couldn't come back. Devastated because he thought that he would never see Kagome again, Shippo refused to continue the search for the jewel and Naraku. He ignored Inuyasha and Miroku planning and tried to get the tree out of the well all by himself, not stopping until well after they had left. He was then attacked by the wolf demon/forest guardian Royakan and ran to find Inuyasha who protected him despite still being badly injured. Miroku scared Royakan off with his Wind Tunnel, but fearing the attack would happen again they returned to the village and sealed Inuyasha in a hut so he could recover. Shippo stayed with him and was made aware of the fact Inuyasha had only been trying to protect Kagome. He tried to cheer him up by transforming into Kagome but was beaten up instead. Later he spent the night wondering about Kagome.

When the demon attacked the next day, bigger and stronger than before, Inuyash still wasn't healed. Shippo took their jewel fragment and fled into the forest, pursued by demon wolves, and used his fox magic to confuse them while he slipped into the well. He hit a branch on the way down and was temporarily knocked out, but the wolves were trying to enter the well when he woke. Kagome appeared and while he was overjoyed, they were in danger until Inuyasha saved them.

After a short odd reunion, Kagome sensed Naraku and the shards he carried and everyone rushed to confront him. He escaped though and soon the four of them took up the journey again. He was largely indifferent to Inuyasha's predicament around Kikyo because he didn't have the kind of connections to her that Inuyasha and Kagome had, and because he felt Kagome was the most important.

As they traveled, they learned of demon slayers who were collecting jewel shards because the jewel supposedly originated in their village and journeyed there to learn more...but the village was wiped out the night before they arrived by a horde of demons who had passed them. The only survivors were Myoga, who had gone there for answers about the jewel as well, and Kirara, the demon cat who had lived peacefully in the village with the slayers. After burying the dead, Myoga led them to the cave that was supposed to be the origin of the jewel, but a warded barrier kept them out. After learning some slayers had gone to the castle, they went to get more information from one of them on how to pass but were attacked by Sango, a slayer led to believe it was Inuyasha who massacred her village by Naraku. Sango was only a distraction though, as Naraku left as soon as he stole Kagome's jewel shard and Inuyasha was able to outsmart her but saved her. They pursued Naraku, who it was revealed was at fault for the massacre, and Sango was able to tell that this Naraku was a puppet and how to defeat it. Afterward, they returned to the slayer village.

After ten days of rest, Sango was well enough and willing to help them enter the cave, and they proceeded inside where they learned the history of the jewel. After this Sango traveled with them, and Shippo became good friends with her and especially Kirara as they tried to find the whereabouts of Naraku's castle. As they traveled, they earned their keep defeating troublesome demons in or near villages, or just got involved in situations they couldn't ignore. One such instance ended with Miroku's Wind Tunnel being damaged, leaving him vulnerable to a trap set by Naraku intended to force him to use his Wind Tunnel and be consumed by it.

Later, they came across a village that had been massacred by a young demon slayer, revealed to be Sango's younger brother, Kohaku...who had a jewel shard embedded in his back. Sango was able to pursue him into a barrier alone, leaving the rest of them behind. She returned unharmed but didn't tell them what happened and they stayed to tend the dead in the village, but the question of what to do about Kohaku and what happened when Sango followed him and met Naraku still stood. Kohaku attacked again, and tried to remove the jewel shard in his back when they wouldn't kill him. Sango stole Tetsaiga to save him and they followed. Naraku got away, Sango was hurt and Kirara poisoned, but Kohaku somewhat freed for a moment. Naraku tried to kill them all with miasma, but when Kagome located and pierced him with her sacred arrow he retreated in a powerful vortex of energy. Miroku kept Shippo from being pulled in as he held onto Kirara to keep her from being as well. The castle vanished and Shippo alerted everyone when Sango tried to leave them. Together they convinced her to stay. After, Shippo and Myoga were left with Miroku to watch over Sango and Kirara while Inuyasha and Kagome went for an antidote for Kirara's poisoning...to keep an eye on Miroku more than anything.

As they continued to travel, they had more confrontations including or set up by Naraku. One included a village where it had rained blood and demon parts near a mountain surrounded by a cloud of miasma. Because he displayed some resistance to it Shippo was left to look after Sango and Kagome, who were left behind as Sango still wasn't well enough to venture far in. He was later left with just Sango after sensing something that seemed to try pulling him into the mountain, as Kagome ventured inside to investigate after Kikyo passed her and entered the mountain. Kikyo was captured by Naraku and when they followed what they thought were her Soul Collectors to find him, they turned out to be his insects disguised to lure them into a trap that separated and captured them each in an illusion. Shippo's was apparently that he was left lost and alone, while in reality he was in the grip of a tree that would kill him as his fear and doubt grew. It was Miroku that saved his life, but it turned out that Kagome's jewel fragment had been stolen by Kikyo though.

A blacksmith named Totosai appeared to them, looking to test Inuyasha's use of the Tetsaiga he had forged...and for protection from Sesshomaru, who he'd refused to forge a new sword. Totosai proved crafty enough to let them escape from Sesshomaru, but was displeased with Inuyasha's handling of the Tetsaiga. But in the second confrontations with Sesshomaru, Inuyasha managed to use the Wind Scar and defeat him. It was revealed that Sesshomaru was not dead however.

They passed through a massacred village overrun by wolves soon after the fight with Sesshomaru, while following a jewel shard, and were attacked by them. When several wolves were killed the pack summoned their leader, who had three jewel shards on him. This demon, Koga, was extremely fast and cunning, and he knew when he was in danger and ran away with his pack. They stayed in the village to bury the dead again and Shippo told Kagome what he knew of the wolf demon tribe. The next day they started tracking the wolves, but were ambushed by them. Koga kidnapped Kagome and Shippo was along for the ride as he had been on her shoulder...thoughhe ended up clinging to the underside of Koga's tail. He left a trail of his signal mushrooms for Inuyasha and the others to follow, but would have been wolf chow when they got to the den if Kagome hadn't stepped in to barter for his life when Koga threw him to his wolves. His mushrooms were also picked by the wolves as possible food. Later Shippo disguised himself as Koga and tried to sneak Kagome out, but the wolves caught him because of his tail and they were exposed. Kagome helped him escape, tossing him off the cliff since he could transform and fly, trusting him to get Inuyasha. He found Inuyasha letting himself be carried off by one of the demon birds because Miroku thought they might be working with the wolves, but set them straight and they found Kagome and the wolves battling the birds and helped out. Koga was sent home with his pack because he was injured, but then Kagome went home angry after a fight with Inuyasha.

Several days passed and still no Kagome, though Shippo lingered around the well more often than not as usual. Miroku told Shippo and Sango they should all steer clear of the well in case Inuyasha went to get her because he wouldn't if he caught them there...but they all wound up spying anyway. Shippo tried to reason with Inuyasha, but it was really hard especially when Shippo found he couldn't understand why when everything had been settled Kagome had protected the injured Koga from Inuyasha. He finally got Inuyasha to go see Kaede for advice, by telling her that he was asking about his dog friend and essentially telling her exactly what happened with Koga with the aid of cute drawings of the situation. Following the the conversation, Inuyasha left to hopefully go talk to Kagome. Kagome came back the next day, but after Inuyasha had left Shippo had shown his drawings to the whole village because Kaede had told him they looked nice.

Once they set out collecting shards again, they were drawn into a trap where Inuyasha was framed for the murder of Koga's clan. When Koga arrived and assumed that what he saw was fact, he attempted to avenge his dead comrades and nearly killed Inuyasha. But the trap was all because of a wind sorceress called Kagura who was part of Naraku. Inuyasha sent her running, but the counterfeit shard Koga had been tricked into using was killing him. It was Shippo's quick thinking that saved the wolf demon, and once the shard was removed they moved on to a place where Inuyasha could be treated and they could talk about Kagura.

Not long after, they encountered another incarnation called Kanna, while staying in a village they had brought a girl Miroku had known to. Shippo was temporarily knocked out when Sango was thrown into him by her own repelled attack and Kagome's soul was being stolen when he woke so he tried to stop it but couldn't. In the end Kagome stopped it, but before things were settled Inuyasha was badly injured when his Wind Scar was turned against him and it was revealed Naraku had almost completed the jewel because Kikyo had given him the fragment stolen from Kagome.

Before Inuyasha's wounds healed Kikyo lured Inuyasha from the hut they were staying in, her spirit collectors binding Shippo so that he couldn't follow or stop Inuyasha. Shippo led Kagome and Miroku after him as soon as they returned. Soon after they returned to the hut to tend to Inuyasha and Sango, a dead villager came to plead they save his village from a demon, having been resurrected by Kagura for just that purpose and to make it clear she knew where they were hiding. The demon in question was another incarnation of Naraku called Goshinki, one who could read their thoughts and proved it to everyone while purposely blowing Shippo off just to toy with him. Inuyasha fought him but Tetsaiga was bitten in two and Inuyasha's demon took over, leading him to easily slay the demon with only his claws. Kagome was able to return him to normal though.

Myoga later came to them, sending Inuyasha to Totosai to have the sword reforged. While he was gone Myoga told the rest of them Tetsaiga had protected Inuyasha from his demon blood and that he had to keep hold of the sword or he would continue to transform when his life was at risk until his demonic nature eventually consumed his soul. Inuyasha soon returned to wait for the reforged sword with them, also going through his monthly human period on the final night.

A demon blacksmith by the name of Kaijinbo appeared that same night, wielding an evil sword that wanted Inuyasha dead. The others tried to fight him off and protect Inuyasha, but the sword controlled its wielder and was relentless. Totosai appeared finally with the reforged Tetsaiga and soon after the sun rose, allowing Inuyasha to return to normal, and he destroyed the demon even though his sword was heavier and he couldn't use it properly. They couldn't destroy the evil sword but Inuyasha refused to do nothing about it or leave it where it fell, so they were still there when Sesshomaru came for it, having ordered it made from the fangs of the demon who had bitten Tetsaiga in two. In the ensuing fight Inuyasha was disarmed and transformed, but Totosai helped them escape with him.

Soon after, they encountered Koga, who was looking for Naraku to get revenge for his slain friends. Shippo did try to help not make them fight, but his choice of words only got him a lump on the head. and soon battled two more of his incarnations, Juromaro and Kageromaru. The help from Koga resulted in another fight between Inuyasha and Kagome and while she made Shippo promise not to tell that she was only going home for bandages and medicine, she went home again right after bringing them because she had seen Inuyasha with Kikyo. It seemed like she really wouldn't come back this time, and everyone tried to get Inuyasha to at least break it off cleanly with her, but in the end she came back to them.

As they continued the journey, they helped an old man and his grandson back to their village, which was attacked by bandits soon after. In going to help Inuyasha transformed again and slaughtered the demons and bandits responsible, but was defeated by Sesshomaru, who didn't kill him because he wanted to do it when Inuyasha was himself. Soon after, Inuyasha went to Totosai to learn how to wield the sword properly so he wouldn't be disarmed so easily and was pitted against the demon his father had sealed.

Following this, they passed through a seemingly peaceful village and, after deciding to leave Inuyasha and Kagome to have some alone time without being asked to do so, Shippo ended up saving a young girl named Satsuki from the three boys beating her up for stealing. He quickly came to like her, despite the fact she had stolen from one of the boys as they had said, but was obligated to tell his friends when she showed him a jewel shard she held...forgetting for a moment that if it really was one they had to take it and her wish for her brother to come home would not come true. It was really just a piece of quartz but Shippo felt badly for her and planned to give her one of their shards, but Inuyasha stopped him. The next day Shippo felt he should at least say goodbye, but she showed him that her brother had come home...though it was really a demon in disguise. The demon smashed her quartz and tried to use her to force Shippo to bring him the jewel shards, but Shippo helped her get away with his fox magic and tried to take on the demon alone. Thankfully Inuyasha and Miroku appeared to kill it, though they gave him most of the credit when his new friend thanked him. Shippo handed her the broken quartz pieces, but she discarded them, cheerfully announcing she was okay and moving on with her life.

They continued to travel, eventually losing Naraku when he was almost destroyed by Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. Naraku's disappearance resulted in the demons that had been in hiding starting to wreak havoc. They were mixed up in the feud between the panther tribe demons and the dog demons, and Shippo did his best to support his friends while avoiding capture with his magic.

When Inuyasha was dragged into saving a village from monkey spirits who were tricksters like him, Shippo fought them by matching his tricks against theirs to try and force them to break a spell that forced Inuyasha to stay stuck to a boulder. Shippo developed another crush, this time on a girl who had befriended a cat demon like Kirara, doing his best to help her find the cat which was driven from the village and then to protect the girl from a rat demon. A half-demon tried to use their souls to create a new sacred jewel. When trapped in a cocoon by a moth demon and placed under a nightmare spell, he dreamed of his father's death and being chased by demons he couldn't fight, and Inuyasha freed him by helping him find his courage.

As they traveled northeast, they became involved with the Band of Seven, wicked human warriors who had been resurrected by jewel shards to kill anyone searching for Naraku. Shippo tried to protect Kagome when they were attacked by the poison master, but couldn't and had to seek Inuyasha who had gone after one of the others. Their friends were saved coincidentally by Sesshomaru's interference, but were poisoned and needed rest and the antidote. They tried to move their friends to a safe place, but were attacked on the way, and then again when inuyasha left to protect them, with Shippo and Kirara finally retreating to a temple for safety...unaware their enemies had taken it over. As a result he was put to sleep with the others when the "monk" burned some incense under the guise of helping Kagome rest.

He woke when Myoga bit him, to find the temple burning. He tried to use the breeze from his smashing top to put out the fire but it spread and Kirara was injured still from earlier and was pinned under a support beam that fell. Not strong enough to move the beam or pull his friends to safety, Shippo had to do his best to be brave and kept them safe from the fire with his fox fire until Inuyasha could get to them...but his friends stopped breathing and he lost it when Inuyasha finally arrived, dissolving into tears because he felt like it was all his fault. Inuyasha moved them safely and left and Myoga asked Shippo about the poison and was able to save everyone by sucking it out of their bodies. After this, Shippo helped Myoga make a potion to help their friends recover faster and he took huge offense when Koga arrived and berated Inuyasha for the danger Kagome had been in.

Deciding to strike before the Band of Seven could collaborate to attack, they followed a jewel shard to a man who must have been one of the Band but seemed utterly unaware. The other members arrived for that man and attacked the village he was staying at to make his nature as one of them surface. They succeeded, but had to retreat and Inuyasha had to take Kikyo away because she had been injured but her soul collectors couldn't reach her. After this, the went to check out a mountain with a purifying aura, which quickly rendered Shippo useless as it purified his demonic aura. It seemed unlikely Naraku would be found in such a place so they sought the Band again for answers.

After a confrontation, the Band escaped with the help of a demon puppet. But this one seemed pure and smelled of flowers and water. Hoping to track Naraku with this knowledge, they wound up at a village where mysterious happenings had happened on the island shrine nearby two weeks earlier. The headman's son was worried because his dad hadn't returned and so they went to investigate. The island had a weaker purifying barrier, but it was still enough to incapacitate Shippo, though Miroku used his demon aura to find the center of the barrier and dispel it. Recovering soon after Shippo saw the end of the battle with the Band's leader, which came when the item that created the barrier helped the mercenary escape.

Miroku suspected Naraku might actually be on the mountain after all, because the barrier was perfect to block out all his strongest enemies. They went to investigate again, but Shippo was again incapacitated and he, Inuyasha, and Kirara had to wait outside the barrier with Kagome while Sango and Miroku went in to investigate. While they waited Inuyasha got a whiff of Koga and they found him and his companions injured. Kagome insisted they take him somewhere safe, which they did, but the surviving Band member Koga fought found them and attacked. He was driven off, but for a short time it seemed he had been blown up with Inuyasha.

Returning to the barrier, they waited for Sango and Miroku, who still weren't back, and Inuyasha went in after them. When he didn't come back, Kagome left Shippo and Kirara with the wolf demons. The barrier was eventually dispelled and they went inside but Koga was captured by Naraku for his jewel shards. Inuyasha and Kagome managed to free him, then Shippo carried Kagome to safety afterward...but then they learned Naraku had killed Kikyo.

As they continued their journey, they saw many scenes of devastation caused by the demons escaping Naraku's mountain, and were later tricked into separating from Inuyasha. When the others were captured, Shippo went to find him with Kirara and they managed to save Kagome from Naraku's latest incarnation before she was enslaved. Afterward Kagome went home for several days.

When she returned they learned a demon was kidnapping beautiful unmarried girls to bear his children. They went to investigate and Kagome was captured. They used Shippo to lure him out with transformation into a beautiful girl and defeated him. They continued traveling and Shippo soon found another crush, something that was becoming a habit. When he slipped off to make a present for the girl, he was approached by a group of young fox demons who thought he led his friends and wanted him to teach them the Wind Scar. They almost got him into trouble with a larger demon and then pressured him into playing a trick on his crush to prove he was a great demon...even though he really didn't want to prank the girl.

The demon from earlier also appeared, but rather than run this time, Shippo lost his temper because he felt that if he hadn't run from the demon he wouldn't have had to prove himself to the other foxes. Even though he got beat up, he didn't give up in fighting the demon and led the other foxes in biting it into submission. The foxes thanked him for teaching them and left, but Shippo's chances with the girl were already wrecked.