Inuyasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler

Inuyasha and his brother Sesshomaru each took a sword from their father. But there is a third. Sounga had been sealed away for years and is now released; the sword has a will of its own and steers whoever carries it. It reaches first the human son of Inuyasha's father. Then both brothers come to the same place. Sounga can bring back the dead and begins to use that; the two brothers have to act together and neither of them wants to. Toshiya Shinohara directs. It is the third feature in the Inuyasha series. The matter at its centre is what a father leaves behind; the three swords stand for three approaches and the film says so directly. The father himself is shown in this film; a character only described in the series appears here. More room is given to Sesshomaru than in the other films and the relationship between the brothers is the axis. The animation is above the series; the fights were prepared separately for cinema. Its limit is independence; a viewer who does not know the characters' history lacks the context. It is short and the plot proceeds directly. Who it is for: people following the series and viewers who like Japanese fantasy animation. Who it is not for: it is not an entry point, the villain is thinly written, and the resolution quick.