Miroku

Miroku was raised and trained by his father's friend, Mushin, who became his guardian when his father was swallowed by his Wind Tunnel, an event Miroku witnessed alongside Mushin.

His paternal grandfather was cursed by Naraku who, in the past, had fought together many times and each time Naraku appeared to him in a different form. Though Miyatsu was a powerful monk, he was also a lecherous man; which Naraku used to his advantage. Naraku took the form of a beautiful maiden in order to catch Miyatsu off guard. When Naraku revealed himself, the battle between the two foes began. Whilst battling Naraku, Miyatsu was pierced though the hand - creating the Wind Tunnel. The wind tunnel would grow bigger as time passes, and eventually will overgrow the victim's hand, which will suck in the victim and tear them apart.[4] This curse has been passed down from father to son, and thus eventually to Miroku. Miroku is able to control the wind tunnel by sealing it with prayer beads.

Prior to meeting Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku traveled the countryside performing (as he viewed it) his Buddhist duties towards the people he meets on his journey. This includes praying for any who ask, comforting the sick and dying, and (his particular specialty) exorcising unwanted spirits and yōkai, sometimes destroying them in the process. These exorcisms should not be confused with the work done by the yōkai taijiya Sango. If his clients are rich, Miroku rips them off and/or steals anything of value he can get his hands on.

As a Buddhist monk, one of his main concerns is that the spirit or soul of the individual (Including that of a yōkai) should "find rest" and pass peacefully into the "next world". Without this, the spirit is doomed to wander this world, often in a malicious or malevolent form, and further can be taken over by other yōkai to cause more trouble.

In addition to these duties, Miroku is constantly searching for Naraku, the being that cursed his family with the Kazaana; for if he does not find and destroy Naraku, then he will be consumed by the curse as his father and grandfather were before him. Near the end of the series, his Kazaana reaches its limit and Naraku plans on forcing him use it one final time so that he will suffer his father and grandfather's tragic fates. However, as Naraku meets his gradual defeat, his Wind Tunnel begins to close before vanishing altogether.