Hojo (Inuyasha)
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Hojo (北条 Hōjō) is a character in the manga and anime series InuYasha.
Hojo is a classmate of Kagome. Apparently he is the smartest student in Kagome's school, which combined with his looks results in many younger girls lusting after him. He likes Kagome and often tries to date her. Yuka, Eri and Ayumi have often conspired toward this end, firmly believing that Hojo is the most eligible boy in school, and far better for Kagome than her 'two-timing & violent boyfriend,' Inuyasha.
Hojo is portrayed as a sweet, albeit naïve young man who completely believes Kagome's grandfather's false explanations that she misses school due to her many "strange illnesses." As a result, he often brings Kagome items from his family's store, such as therapeutic sandals or seat cushions to help her feel better. He also helps Kagome with her studies; in Episode 89, "Visitation Showdown Between 'That Guy' & 'Him,'" Kagome prevailed upon the visiting Hojo to teach her everything she had missed in her math course in her efforts to pass a major impending exam. She begged him to do so because he had already taken that course, which indicates that Hojo is either older than Kagome and her friends, or that he is in a more advanced course of study.
Early in the series, Kagome decides to go on a date with Hojo after a dispute with InuYasha. However, she is so concerned about wounds that Inuyasha sustained earlier that she ends the date early and returns to the Sengoku Jidai (Waring States Era) to check on him. Kagome tried to give Hojo a chance early in the series, but by Episode 48, "I Want to go Back to Where We Met," Kagome has realized that she loves Inuyasha and begins to resist her friends' urgings to date Hojo.
In arguably one of the must humorous points in the anime, Hojo challenges a visiting Inuyasha to a swordfight in the midst of a play, which Inuyasha gladly accepts. Hojo draws the prop sword he has at his side, while Inuyasha draws the Tessaiga, providing a very sharp contrast in their chosen weapons. Had not a yōkai interupted Hojo might have very well ended up dead.
Akitoki Hojo is Hojo's ancestor and Hojo is possibly his reincarnation
- Hōjō in this context is a Japanese family name. Hojo's given name is never revealed.
[edit] Akitoki Hojo
Akitoki Hojo is an ancestor of Hojo and, due to the remarkable similarities between the two characters, is likely intended to be a previous incarnation of present-day Hojo. He is a clumsy, sweet, naïve young man who first appears in Inuyasha THE MOVIE: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass as the keeper of a celestial robe which his family has commanded him to cast into Mount Fuji, lest it fall into a demon's hands. He is quite taken with Kagome, but returns to his family without her after the robe is destroyed.
Akitoki appears once more in the series: in a story arc from Episodes 137 through 140. The present day Hojo finds an ancient scroll with his ancestor, Akitoki Hojo, written as married to a woman named Kagome. While her friends think this is a sign that Kagome and Hojo (present day) should get married, Kagome is secretly worried that she would be trapped in the past, resorting to marrying Akitoki.
When Akitoki actually shows up when she returns to the feudal era, Kagome's fears grew larger. She is completely freaked out when Akitoki declares his love for her. She goes on pondering this while the gang helped Akitoki, who was looking for Inuyasha in order to find a way to purify family heirloom: a demonic blade known as the Naginata of Kenkon (the Halberd of Heaven and Earth), which brought misfortune to all mortals who tried to wield it. Akitoki's bad luck is visibly evident as everything he touches breaks or snaps.
Four demonic ninja pursue Akitoki and Kagome for possession of the weapon, with three disguised using the appearences of Kagome's friends Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi while Suzaku, the fourth, maintains its true form and openly displays his affection for Akitoki (Note: all four ninjas are animals with demonic properties and were all male. The aforementioned ninja openly displays his homosexual tendencies towards both Shippou and Akitoki during the episode).
By the end of the adventure, Akitoki encounters a beautiful young woman who looks quite similar to Kagome (not Kikyo, who is a past incarnation of Kagome) on his way home. He proposes marriage to her on the spot and suggests that she change her name from Suzaku (since it reminded him of the demon ninja who kept coming on to him) to Kagome. The girl agrees to both, but remains rather disturbed by the stranger. It is this encounter, of which Kagome never learns, which leads to present-day Hōjō's discovery of an ancestor named Kagome in his family tree. This discovery, revealed in Episode 137, sparks the idea that Kagome is meant to become Hojo's wife, but a spilled drink near the end of Episode 140 blurs the ink on the ancient document and forever erases the entry, which may be construed as Fate putting an end to that particular track for Yuka, Eri and Ayumi's campaign to get Kagome and Hojo together.
[edit] Voice actor
- Japanese Seiyū: Yuji Ueda
- English Voice Actor: Matt Smith
