Being a child in the Feudal Age must be extremely challenging. You must survive war, famine, and pestilence only to live a life filled with hardships. Children are generally more susceptible to disease than adults and, if they lost their parents, they faced the difficult situation of surviving on their own. Given these circumstances, it would be easy to lose hope and give in to despair, yet, somehow people survived and lived full and happy lives. Rin is a child of these ages, yet she retains a shining soul filled with hope despite her circumstances.

Rin is a rather typical child, which, given everything she has experienced, is what makes her so special. She picks flowers for Sesshoumaru, who would clearly not care about them. She is cheeky to Jaken at times, much like a child would be towards an older brother. She makes up songs and names a fierce demon as one would name a pet dog or cat. She likes to talk, and is specifically very inquisitive. In other ways, however, she is quite different from most children. Her behavior reflects a degree of maturity some children never acquire.

Even though she faced the tragic death of her family, not to mention her own death, she remains innocent and free from bitterness. She trusts people almost instinctively, even though it was humans who killed her family. Though Sesshoumaru clearly indicated that he did not want her assistance and that he was dangerous (despite being wounded), she still did everything she could to help him. Kohaku tried to kill her (though it was under orders from Naraku), but she still trusted and cared about him. When Kagome holds her after Kohaku is taken away, Rin is grateful rather than frightened.

Part of her innocence is her lack of bitterness. When she thinks about those who killed her family, she regards them with fear, but no hatred. When she and Sesshoumaru encounter the Wolf Clan who was responsible for her death, she asked for protection, not vengeance. In a story where nearly every character is seeking revenge for one wrong or another, Rin does not seek to avenge even her own death. It is not necessarily mercy or forgiveness on her part, but rather that the concept does not appear to even occur to her.

Despite her fears, Rin is very brave. Courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act in spite of one's fear. After the death of her family, Rin chose to survive on her own, rather than crying at the doorstep of every house she came to until someone agreed to help her. She was willing to help a demon who was wounded, even when he growled at her and, when he recovers, she follows him without hesitation. She faces many dangers to help Jaken when he needs help, even though he is often rude to her. This is not to say that she is reckless, because she does not seek danger, but rather that she is willing to do what she must even when she is afraid.

Although she relies on Sesshoumaru and Jaken for protection (she is a little kid after all), she is largely self-sufficient. She is responsible for feeding herself, and when Sesshoumaru points this out to her, she doesn't argue or complain, but rather accepts this duty with a smile. She also has to look after herself on occasion when Sesshoumaru thinks she would be in danger. All things considered, she is a relatively small burden on Sesshoumaru, even more so at times than his well-intentioned, but somewhat bumbling retainer.

More than anything, Rin is a character who represents hope. She has gone from a terrible situation of loneliness and fear to one of contentment and happiness, even if her circumstances may appear odd to one who does not understand her. In InuYasha, life can be a lonely, painful journey, but it can be made more pleasant if you have a few companions to make it more interesting.

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