The Inuyasha manga and anime characters are created by Rumiko Takahashi. Most of the series takes place in a fictional version of Japan's Warring States period with occasional time-travel/flashback elements to modern Tokyo or the Heisei period. The setting and plot incorporate many elements of traditional Japanese folklore and religion; its main characters (both protagonists and antagonists) include a Shintō priestess, a Buddhist monk and several types of yōkai (usually rendered as "demon" in English-language translations of the series).