Hanyou

A Hanyou (Taboo Child 【禁忌の子供 Kinki no Kodomo】) is a hybrid being—half human, half youkai, the result of being born from the unlikely union of a human and youkai. Hanyou are considered taboo in Shangri-la: as profane as the combination of Magic and Science. Due to this taboo, old wives' tales abound that Hanyou are ill omen: destined to spread destruction and catastrophe in their wake. As a result, many villagers will treat Hanyou and their parents with disdain: often banishing them or worse for fear of having a curse befall their community. So the opposite tends to happen; most bad luck falls to the Hanyou rather than those around them.

☆ Generally, Hanyou are born with some variation of red hair and crimson red eyes, as applies to Gojyo. The thought behind it is that they are the color of blood, adding to their negative perception.

☆ As a hybrid of two such different beings, the genetic makeup of a Hanyou is distorted. One effect of this is that Hanyou are sterile from birth; Dr. Ni's research provides proof of this flaw. Gojyo, in question, is probably unaware of this. But this is proof that even though Gojyo is a loose man, it is very unlikely that any woman will be seeking him demanding he pay child support upon his return from the journey.

☆ It is unknown for certain how the Minus Wave affects Hanyou, though Hakkai speculates that Gojyo might be showing signs of being affected in the latest chapters of Saiyuki Reload Blast.

Known characters who are Hanyou

 * Sha Gojyo - He is the only one mentioned in the manga series. His father was a youkai and his mother was human. Both died shortly after his birth.
 * Hanyou Baby - In the anime only (Saiyuki Ep. 24) Gojyo meets a young woman who is being chased out of a store while he's grocery shopping with Goku. When the shop owner sees Gojyo he hands over the woman's supplies and locks up shop. Gojyo meets her again later and learns her name is Yanming and she's the mother a hanyou, the child's father being a youkai that disappeared after the Minus Wave started to spread. At the end of the episode she sets out from her village with her son, planning to raise him to be strong and not ashamed of his birth. Note: This baby is the only other male Hanyou beside Gojyo that we have met in the series thus far.
 * Houran - Houran is a hanyou born of a human woman and fathered by the great demon, Houmaoh. She appeared in the Saiyuki movie, 'Requiem' and was one of the main characters. She died sacrificing herself close to the end of the film.
 * Kougyoku - She's another hanyou woman appears in a Sai R. Gunlock Ep. 08. She was working for a youkai that was trying to destroy the Sanzo Ikkou. At the end of the episode she died.
 * Luca (路加) - Another female hanyou that encounters Sanzo Ikkou on their journey. She appears in the Saiyuki illustrated novel, Saiyuki Omnibus. In her story it is revealed that her mother was the youkai while her father was the human. Her mother put a spell over their home out in the mountains to keep her daughter safe. When the mother died, Luca's strong fear of the outside world instilled in her by her mother, kept the spell going. Sanzo undoes the spell and Gojyo tells her to start living her own life. She leaves her house, that is shrouded in shadows and mist, and steps into the light for the first at the end of her story.