The first season of the anime series InuYasha aired in Japan on Animax from October 16, 2000 through May 21, 2001. Based on the manga series of the same title by Rumiko Takahashi, the episodes were produced by Sunrise and directed by Masashi Ikeda. The anime is licensed for release in North America by Viz Media. The English dub of the first season was broadcast on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim programming block from August 31, 2002 through January 21, 2003.