He is a kitsune, a (yōkai-fox) who tags along with Kagome and InuYasha after they defeat the Thunder Brothers. At first, Shippō attacks InuYasha and Kagome in an effort to steal their shards of the Jewel of the Four Souls (Shikon no Tama). He wants to use them to become stronger so he can avenge his father's death at the hands of the Thunder Brothers. After InuYasha and Kagome hear Shippō's story, they help him fulfill his revenge and he becomes the first new member of the group. Shippō, unlike some yōkai, has no problem with humans, but InuYasha and Shippō always tease each other while Kagome acts like a combination of mother and sister to Shippō. Though young and rather naïve, he has a very good grasp of the emotions and motives of his companions, and has oddly accurate moments of insight. He wishes very much that Kagome and InuYasha would not fight, and when they do, he is right there trying to convince InuYasha to apologize for whatever he did, resulting in a quick bop to the noggin for the kitsune.

As a kitsune, his specialty is trickery. He has fooled with InuYasha in particular on a few occasions, once abandoning him on the side of a road with his robe trapped beneath a stone with a sutra on it, which he is unable to touch, one act among several that have garnered InuYasha's mild resentment. Shippō's illusions aren't always complete and don't always last for very long, leaving Shippo to face trouble from the people or yōkai he may be trying to deceive.