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A Han'yō (Japanese: 半妖) in Japanese folklore is the product of a union between a yōkai and a human. Examples of han'yō are the characters InuYasha and Naraku, both from the anime and manga series InuYasha, and Sha Gojyo, the red-haired, red-eyed playboy from Saiyuki. In folklore, han'yō are often seen as useless monsters. They are ostracized by humans and yōkai alike, because they are proof of a relationship between a human and yōkai that both groups see as improper.
There are, however, exceptions. Human descendants of a liaison between a kitsune and a human male are sometimes portrayed as heroic figures. Abe no Seimei, a famous onmyōji of the Heian Period, is one such figure said to be descended from a kitsune. Even these han'yō, though, remain separated from human society in one sense — they possess unusual traits and superhuman powers as a legacy of their bloodlines, and this often makes ordinary humans uneasy.
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