Agile with fire and explosives, Renkotsu is the second-in-command and one of the more intelligent members of the Shichi'nintai. He respects his leader as much as any other member. However, the corrupt power of the Shikon Jewel shard embedded in his neck starts to fuel feelings of hatred and jealousy towards his leader, vowing never to die because of him by any means necessary. To achieve this, he needs all the Shikon Shards Naraku gave them.
Renkotsu is the first of the Shichi'nintai to uncover some truths about Naraku, realizing that Naraku cannot be trusted. His belief in his superiority over others grows, leading to a bit of overconfidence. After taking Jakotsu's shard (who was defeated by InuYasha) and killing him, Renkotsu attempts to kill Bankotsu, who had learned about Jakotsu after an insect brought him Jakotsu's hairpin. He fails, and Bankotsu takes Renkotsu's jewel shards, killing him, leaving Bankotsu as the last of the Shichi'nintai. In the anime, he survives slightly longer than in the manga, being ordered to fight first by Bankotsu before being killed.
An expert with explosives and metallurgy, Renkotsu used bombs, cannons, and other artillery; created fire from his mouth by drinking a liquid from a calabash bottle or through a crude flamethrower; set wires hooked onto his hands on fire, pulling his victims into a net of flames. A gifted strategist, he also possessed some skill in hand-to-hand combat, though the only member of the group he surpassed in fighting skills was Mukotsu. Skilled at mechanical work, he could reconstruct Ginkotsu into a living artillery weapon resembling a modern tank. His only weakness was needing to carry around his contraptions, which could hinder his mobility.
