Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho

Alright, I'll start off by saying that I'm no longer a big fan of fighting-based anime. However, I do still enjoy the ones which are well done, as well as some of the classics. That said, if you really don't like fighting anime of any sort, even if its one which has a decent or really good story, then don't bother reading this review, because I can already tell you that this anime is most likely not for you.

Anyways, for those of you who do like a well constructed fighting/action anime, Yu Yu Hakusho is an outstanding show in this category, overall. Yes, it is ... a shounen, and yes, it does have a few of those typical shounen clichés. However, it also manages to come up with a lot of very unique and inventive ideas, and its dialogue, above average story, with much more depth to it than what you would expect from a shounen, and actual good sense of humor (when compared to most other action anime), make this title stand out from the crowd.

I find the characters to be the real award winners here. They each have something unique and interesting about them. Upon first glance they may look like they each have those 1-dimensional cliché roles of an action series, but upon further viewing you will see that there is more than what meets the eye with Yu Yu Hakusho characters. I can guarantee that throughout the course of this show anyone watching it would at least find 1 character which they can truly appreciate. Also, this show doesn't just focus on the main character getting stronger and always being the big hero. There is some very interesting character development for many of the characters, and the way in which they interact with one another, as well the diversity and similarities that they show, make for a very balanced chemistry between this cast.

The animation and artwork isn't top notch, even for its time, but its adequate and gets the job done. The action isn't amazing, but believe it or not, unlike most action/shounen anime this anime often tends to focus more on developing its story and characters, rather than producing lots of mindless action. And at that, even if it doesn't look all that great it is great to see actual strategy and emotion playing big parts in many of the fights, rather than simply just having a bunch of punches, kicks, throws, explosions, etc., taking up multiple episodes.

Now, as for the music, its really all opinion. Some people won't find it to be anything special. I personally fell in love with the entire soundtrack of the series, and believe it or not, it has some of the best BGM that I have heard in any shounen anime. Its doesn't quite give you the same diversity and overall satisfaction that the soundtracks of Cowboy Bebop and a few other anime with great musical scores give you, but once again, its far above average when compared to most other shounen and action anime, or at least I feel that way about its music, personally.

And then finally, there is the voice acting. Oh, and how wonderful it is. Well, if you're watching the sub then chances are the voices will stand out to you as adequate, yet nothing amazing, but as long as you're watching a decent and reliable fansub or the DVDs, you will love the dialogue, which is brilliant in its use of sarcasm/jokes and also in delivering many of the serious and plot-oriented lines. However, if you're an English speaker, even if you typically can't stand dubs, the English dub is the way that this series should be watched. The English voice acting is absolutely fantastic. The voices all fit their respective characters almost perfectly. Sure, the dialogue may not be 100% accurate in correspondence to the original lines from the sub with its added humor and sarcasm (which is well worth going a little off track from the original script for, though), but the messages that each character gets across with their lines are delivered solidly and would be interpreted and understood in the same way, whether you were watching the sub or the dub. So, overall, the dub is loyal to the original text despite the fact that it makes a few very noticeable changes and states some lines in different ways.

Overall, Yu Yu Hakusho is a very fun and enjoyable series. This anime is not something that everybody is going to like, but most people should at least find something about it that keeps them interested. Its not a DBZ clone, and its not just a mindless excuse for intense action scenes. The show is fairly long, but its one of the few series that go over 100 episodes and still manage to stay fresh the whole way through. Therefore, I highly recommend this series. I personally find it to be one of the best series that anime has to offer, action or otherwise, and I know that many people would disagree with me (although, I'm really not a big anime buff), but I have watched my fair share of anime and I almost never give out 10's as scores since no series is perfect (and this anime is no exception), but when I feel that a series deserves it then I give it that score, and Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the few. If you haven't seen it yet then go out and give it a try. I can almost guarantee that you won't be sorry.

Probably one of the greatest Anime's ever made in my personal opinion. It is a timeless classic that really stands out. This was the second anime I ever watched back in the day thanks to Toonami. Here is my thoughts and opinions on Yu Yu Hakusho.

Story/Plot: Yu Yu Hakusho’s setting is in Japan. It tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi who was hit by a car while trying to save a child’s life. Now Yusuke has to survive ordeals and investigate cases concerning apparitions and demons all while trying to get his life back. Yusuke gets new found powers and has to defend spirit ... world and human world from the demons. There are 4 arcs in total for the series.

To note: In my opinion I do feel like the Demon stuff has been overdone a lot, but the Demons in Yu Yu Hakusho were interesting for me due to Togashi's portrayal of some of them being nightmare fuel creatures to creatures similar to human beings. Also to note that even though Yu Yu Hakusho is Shonen, there are actually a lot of elements that would be Dubbed as Seinen (some stuff in the manga that was not allowed to be shown for the anime)

Characters: There are a lot of characters in Yu Yu Hakusho but let's cover the main four.

Yusuke Urameshi – Yusuke has the most growth and character development in the whole anime. He is a delinquent/tough guy attitude in the beginning but actuality he’s a jokester who is kind at heart. Yusuke is also very protective of his friends and is very self-aware of things around him.

Kazuma Kuwabara – Kuwabara may seem clumsy and short tempered at times but he is the most loyal and nicest character in the show. Kuwabara has a strict code of honor and he’s very honest. He is one of the best characters in my opinion next to Yusuke.

Kurama – Kurama is one of the most intelligent and cunning of the main four. He is the type of character that plans ahead while also analyzing and thinking deeply into things or a situation. He is usually very nice even while having a detached emotional state. The other side of himself is shown to be very merciless and cruel.

Hiei – Hiei is the most distant and cold of the main four. Hiei is very cynical and usually mocks or talks down to humans. He also has misanthropic views of the world and people. Hiei in actuality is very protective and actually cares deeply for the people in his group, notably Yusuke. He is a character that is having an internal struggle but projects himself as being cold on the outside.
Even the minor characters in Yu Yu Hakusho are interesting.

The 2 most important main antagonist characters of the story are probably my favorite antagonists in all of anime in terms of personality and design and even their fighting methods. They are not the stereotypical "evil" bad guys, but antagonists you can actually agree with or relate to and feel sympathy for them.

Animation & Art: Even for it's time the animation still impresses me both for nostalgic reasons but also because of the huge process they must of went through for all of the hand drawn animation. The only minor complaint I have is when they zoom in on the same shot 3 times or when some animation is repeated and reused; though I heard they were on some budget constraints at times so it is understandable. When actual big fights happen, the animation gets really good though and even fluent. The Artwork is very 90's of course and you can distinguish it too from Togashi's style of doing a half-anime style and semi realistic style at times.

Sound & Music: The sound effects for the fighting sequences are chosen very well and they match up perfectly with what’s going on. It's also a little on the nostalgia side for me because of the 90's anime sound effects; you don’t really hear them anymore. The music is absolutely amazing in my opinion. Part of it is 90's ambient with funky elements and dark electronic tones. The one thing that bothers me is that there’s a lot of unreleased music from the show. At least thirty plus music tracks are missing on the osts. None the less the music really fits and is very intense.

Voice Acting (English Dub & Japanese Dub): This is one of the rare animes where i actually prefer the English dub compared to the Japanese voice acting with subtitles. All of the character voices fit perfectly especially Justin Cook as Yusuke. This is one of the English dubs you can't forget especially if you watched it back in the day; it stays with you like the dragon ball z dub. I have listened to some of the Japanese dub though, and I have to say it’s also very good too.

Final Verdict: I would highly recommended Yu Yu Hakusho to anyone. It has everything right going for it and is a good example of an anime done right. The best part about Yu Yu Hakusho is that it has no filler and gets straight to the point even with 112 episodes. Yu Yu Hakusho is very actiony, supernatural, comedic, and serious/dark when needed. You don't really see anime like this anymore.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first watched this show, as I was expecting another typical DBZ clone that was heavy on action but light on the plot and character development. Amazingly what I discovered was the first shounen action anime that was ever able to hold my attention for over 100 episodes. Despite the length of the series and the now-familiar superpowered junior high school student cliché, Yu Yu Hakusho manages to deliver original material for each episode.

What really set this show apart from other shounen action shows for me was the relatively intelligent use of dialogue by the main characters. I originally watched ... the uncut Funimation dub, which is definitely the translation I’d recommend (even if its probably not as true to the original dialog as some of the fansubs.) The humor in the show is less slapstick than most anime, and situational comedy plays a large part in the show, with some parts practically satirizing the action genre itself.

The story revolves around a junior high delinquent named Yusuke Urameshi becoming something called a “spirit detective” (although I’d really call him more of a fighter than a detective.) It is his job to take care of demons that escape into the living world and stop them from causing trouble. Yusuke takes his orders from a ancient mystical being named Koenma who also happens to look like a toddler and in addition to knowing the secrets of the universe is also “quite potty trained.”

Each character is portrayed uniquely, and contributes to the storyline. Yusuke manages to overcome many of the usual tough-guy stereotypes present in anime of this kind, coming across as witty and sarcastic as well as being a strongly independent fighter. Meanwhile, Kuwabara on the other hand actually embraces these same stereotypes to such a degree as to be hilarious as his “dumb punk” behavior is juxtaposed against such things as his love for kittens, or his “romantic” attempts toward Yukina.

The animation is really nothing special, even when compared to other anime released around the same time period. There are a lot of still and scrolling shots and characters are drawn relatively simply. The action scenes are somewhat lacking in visual effects as well, however what they lack in animation quality they more than make up in style. Each fight is characterized by the combatants unique personalities and fighting methods.

The soundtrack is nothing to write home about either, being somewhat repetitive and lacking in originality. Then again, clever musical arrangement is not something I have come to expect from shounen programming anyway. So I’ll admit that as far as audio and visual effects go, Yu Yu Hakusho is pretty mediocre. If you require stunning realism and breathtaking artwork, I would definitely not recommend this show for you. Since I tend to place more emphasis on story and characterization, these obvious shortcomings did not bother me as much.

So I’d say this show was definitely enjoyable, even to someone like me who tends to lack appreciation for less serious anime. While light in tone and not exactly intellectually stimulating, Yu Yu Hakusho manages to deliver an engaging story with a large dosage of clever humor as well. Certainly a decent show, especially if you enjoy classic early 90’s style anime action.

--- This review spoils the entirety of Yu Yu Hakusho, and is advised to be read after completion of the series ---

I am astounded and equally appalled by the amount of idiocy and ignorance in some of the reviews for Yu Yu Hakusho, as it boggles the mind how some of them are even considered valid criticisms of the series in the first place. As you can already tell, this review won’t be a professional one, more so than a rant on the amount of hate this absolutely legendary franchise has garnered over the years. This also will serve as a refutation on the invalid ... and fallacious “criticisms” the franchise has received over the years as well, meaning that this won’t be a review discussing the show more so than it being a refutation against the undeserved hate the show has received. To put it bluntly, Yu Yu Hakusho has to be the most unfairly hated on Anime of all time. It is labeled as an old, unwatchable work by the casuals who hype up everything new and despise everything that came out before the 2000's. It is also a work which receives a lot of hate from the elitists, the same kind of elitists who place the same ten shows in their Anime favorites lists and think that they are cultured because of it. “Oh how I love thee, Neon Genesis Evangelion. Oh how I love thee, Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Oh how I despise thee, typical battle shonen trash, with the exception of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Hunter x Hunter of course.” They say, while throwing around fallacies with no backing evidence.

I am beginning to stir away from the main point, so let us begin with the fallacies and my refutations to said fallacies before I stir away even further:

1.“Yu Yu Hakusho has no good villains. The main antagonist of the Dark Tournament arc is nothing more than a brute who receives no real character development.”

This is inherently false. Yu Yu Hakusho has two main villains in the franchise: Toguro and Sensui, who are the central villains of the arcs they encompass. Toguro is a villain who receives development from the moment he is introduced up until the moment where he is finally beaten. Toguro is also a great subversion of all the other battle shonen villains, because he is beaten through his own will rather than being beaten through the power of friendship which most battle shonen use as a cheap way to progress the plot. His relationship with Genkai is developed thoroughly, and this makes him feel like a real character rather than some obstacle the main characters have to overcome in order to move on to the next obstacle. He is made all the more human when his dark past is shown, and even more so when the viewer starts to question if he is really evil or not. When a character does that, are they really the typical battle shonen villain? Are they one dimensional? Or is the viewer who is criticizing the show nitpicking at straws just to attack the series? You be the judge of that, because anyone can see that Toguro is a well-developed character. This refutation also applies to Sensui as well, as both he and Toguro are developed and get the same fallacies thrown at them over and over again, with no concrete evidence to back said fallacies up. The amount of hypocrisy these pseudo intellectuals adhere to is unbelievable! You mean to tell me that Father from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is a well-developed villain, whereas Younger Toguro from Yu Yu Hakusho is not? These people must be so far up their cranium to not see the obvious hypocrisy in what they say.

2. “Yu Yu Hakusho is a formulaic battle shonen, especially the first arc which is the Spirit Detective arc.”

How can these people say that Yu Yu Hakusho is formulaic, especially the Spirit Detective arc, when they also contradict themselves in the same sentence and go on to say that the arc was needed to establish two of the central characters, Hiei and Kurama? No arc in Yu Yu Hakusho is formulaic, since the show develops it’s characters all the while moving the plot forward with each ongoing arc in the story. It would be illogical to start an Anime with the central thrust revealed to the viewer immediately, rather than developing it’s leads first and giving the viewers an insight into the world of the Anime. This is exactly what the spirit detective arc does: it introduces the characters, introduces the world, and introduces the concept so that the viewers can familiarize with what they are seeing. It does it well enough and also advances the story smoothly into the next arc. It would be illogical for tension to arise from the very first episode, and the spirit detective arc avoids that issue while introducing characters and developing them. As for the other arcs, while they border on some battles that were not entirely important to the main narrative, they still serve to progress the plot and develop the characters. The Dark Tournament arc was necessary to progress Toguro’s, Genkai’s, Kurama’s, Hiei’s and Kuwabara’s character arcs, all the while developing Yusuke and Keiko’s relationship and introducing new characters such as Gin as well. The next arc was all about developing the main villain, revealing more about the demon realm and the lore of the Hakusho universe, and finally closing in on Yusuke’s character, where his relationship with Keiko would come to fruition and he would meet his father and mature from a troublemaker into a person who is more responsible. The very last arc gives a final clause to the whole Anime: from the lore, to developing Yusuke and Keiko’s relationship, to developing the other characters, and so on and so forth. How is Yu Yu Hakusho a formaluic shonen where the plot barely progresses, when the plot does in fact progress and the characters are constantly developing? It makes zero sense what these people claim.

3. “The main characters are unsympathetic and slow-witted tough guys.”

Again, this is wrong and the Anime proves it. A tough guy would be someone along the lines of a Jojo character, Kenshiro from Hokuto no Ken, a Dragon Ball character, or any other meathead you could find from any other battle shonen out there. By this same logic, every battle shonen character has to be a dull witted buffoon, right? Even when the central characters go to school, unlike most samurais and ninjas which plague the genre, people still proclaim that they are dull-witted tough guys. For argument’s sake, let us suppose that the four central characters from Yu Yu Hakusho are dull-witted tough guys. Ok, what is so bad about that? Are they one dimensional? Are they underdeveloped? Clearly not, since the Anime develops them thoroughly throughout the course of it’s run. The central characters are neither slow-witted nor are they though guys, and even if they are, they achieve what most other battle shonen characters fail to achieve: Character development.

Now to refute said argument, Hiei is a character who was abandoned and was shamed throughout the entirety of his life. Due to this, it only makes sense for his character to be a tough guy who lacks any form of emotion. Even then, he still does show some sympathy and emotion when talking about his sister, Yukina, as he still wants to protect her from all of the harm in the world. He not only does have very valid reasons as to why he is the way he is, but he is also sympathetic and far from the usual archetypical tough guy one would see in a battle shonen.

Yusuke and Kurama grew up in neighborhoods which were filled with crime. Yusuke had been abandoned by his father and his mother had been an alcoholic for years, so it only makes sense for him to turn out the way he did. He was also hated on and ridiculed by some of his teachers, so it is not that hard to see why he puts a tough guy act on. It’s also an act, and he isn’t really a tough guy so to speak. As for Kurama, he isn’t a tough guy at all, far from it actually.

4. “Yu Yu Hakusho has no tough female leads, only tough male leads.”

Yu Yu Hakusho was the first battle shonen to introduce strong female leads, which to this day barely any battle shonen does. Genkai is one of the toughest female characters one could find in a battle shonen. Mukuro is a girl as well, and she is stated to be the second toughest demon king in the franchise, and the second toughest character in the franchise overall, if not arguably the toughest. She beats up S rank demons fairly easily during the last arc, and comes close to winning the entire tournament all by herself. If this is not equal representation of males and females, then I really do not know what is. Of all the battle shonen one would pick on, people choose Yu Yu Hakusho to rant about the inequality between male and female characters. Even the females who exhibit no battle power whatsoever are still developed throughout the course of the Anime’s run, such is the case with Keiko and Botan, who are given time to develop and entire episodes dedicated to them.

Other fallacies people like to throw at Yu Yu Hakusho include it having too much plot armor and convenience at times, and that the audiovisuals have not aged well at all. Aside from the latter, which is an entirely subjective critique and does not matter at all when discussing factors which are truly important such as narrative and characters, Yu Yu Hakusho barely suffers from the issue of plot armor. Keep in mind that these people who accuse Yu Yu Hakusho of having plot convenience are the same people who think that the original Rurouni Kenshin is a good Anime, the one where Shishio is defeated by the power of plot armor and the one where Himura Kenshin pulls a victory right out of his pocket every time he needs to win a battle, even against foes who are shown to be able to outclass him at first.

Yu Yu Hakusho has no plot armor whatsoever. The reason Yusuke beats Toguro is because Toguro wanted for that to happen so that he could find someone worthy enough and fulfill his wish of death and end his suffering, not because Yusuke magically became stronger through the power of plot convenience. Other cast members are shown to lose at times throughout the tournament’s run, and that shows that the series does not reek of plot armor. Similarly, Sensui is defeated by Yusuke because Yusuke’s father, the demon king Raisen, willed that to happen, not because Yusuke magically became stronger due to plot armor. Moving on to the final arc, Yusuke is expected to win the battle against Yomi, especially after he had gained so many abilities and increased both his power and his abilities along the way. The series subverts audience expectations by showing Yomi winning and Yusuke losing, even though Yusuke had gained a lot of strength prior to that throughout the Anime’s run. How are any of the examples listed above plot armor? These are the opposite of plot armor.

The last and final point people like to bring up about Yu Yu Hakusho is that it suffers from power creep, unlike it’s successor Hunter x Hunter. Rarely is this statement made, but let us address it nonetheless. Yu Yu Hakusho started to suffer from the power creep issue around the end of the third arc - the Chapter Black arc - where Yusuke defeated Sensui after a hard fought battle through his awoken demon form. The writer fortunately enough ended the series at it’s high note, and the power creep ended just as it had fairly started, and Yusuke did not end up becoming the strongest character at the end of the day (Even though it was logical for him to be, since he is Raizen’s son and shares the same blood with him). The lore was fully explored by then, and the series did not need to introduce any more villains since the narrative ended there, and the epitome of power was shown. Some like to say that it wasn’t Togashi’s intention to end the series there, as he only ended it due to time constraints and pressure from Shonen Jump magazine. Regardless of the validity of that statement, the fact still remains that he ended it there, right when the power creep started to show itself.

After addressing all the fallacies thrown at Yu Yu Hakusho, I still cannot find one criticism which I think holds any validity to it. Moreover, the amount of hypocrisy coming from those who criticize it is unfathomable. The same people who call the villains one dimensional are the same people who like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, which contains one of the weakest villains to ever come out of the Anime medium, Father. The same people also criticize it for having plot armor yet find no contentions with Rurouni Kenshin’s plot armor and conveniences whatsoever.

Regarding the audiovisuals, they have aged well and I do not see any problem whatsoever in them. One listen to “Struggle of Sadness” should prove that the soundtrack is inherently well made and is still a great listen. The animation was consistent throughout all of the episodes, and has barely aged whatsoever.

That’s all I have to say about Yu Yu Hakusho. It is a series which deserves more recognition, as it is one of the very few good battle shonen out there, and all the fallacies both the elitists and the casuals throw at it are not real criticisms, more so than they are nitpicks with no evidence to be backed up with. Yu Yu Hakusho was and still is ahead of it’s time, both in narrative and in technicalities. It inspired many series which were to later come after it, such as Naruto and Bleach, and it does not deserve the harsh treatment that it receives nowadays.

Here we go, once more, from the top.



Fighting Shounen like to correspond to a particular formula and list of tropes, one of the most consistent and predictable genres of anime in existence. That being said, it’s also the most popular genre out there, pandering to the mentally challenged section of the anime community. Bleach is an unholy tragedy that follows the, "This isn't even my final form!" trend that seems to last forever and Naruto has the biggest fan base of fat losers I've ever had the displeasure to see or know.


But way back before the dinosaurs became extinct, good Shounen existed. Something had to ... set the stones that the next generation would step on (Or just copy the shows that came before it; same difference). Dragon Ball, by far the most famous of any fighting show. Without it, we wouldn't have the horrible shows we have today. For however much shit you want to give Dragon Ball and its sequel Z, it came in a time where these types of shows were received with an open heart and, well, excuse my French, but when Shounen wasn't completely fucking shit. I'm not saying Shounen couldn't be bad (Ex: Inuyasha) but it wasn't nearly as bad as today.


Then there's Yu Yu Hakusho.


Yu Yu Hakusho is literally the greatest fighting anime ever made. This isn't an exaggeration or hyperbole. I'm being dead serious. It's imaginary and creative, holding a profound meaning that is more than what the eye can see or comprehend. It's a journey of life, constantly bringing depth to its world and characters, never ceasing to be gripping and fantastic. The amount of work and detail put into its script is shocking; every second is used wisely. There is no filler. There are no episodes and episodes of powering up. There are no pretentious philosophical rants that take away enjoyment and realism. There is only show. It is a masterpiece by no other name.


Extremely influential to boot, there's a number of reasons why it beat DBZ in its air time. Bleach didn't only copy their entire premise from Yu Yu Hakusho; they also copied a section of episodes straight from the Chapter Black arc for their first shitty filler saga. While Kubo can't write his way out of a paper bag, he had good taste to look at Yoshihiro Togashi for inspiration.


Yusuke Urameshi is angry. He really doesn't know why he's angry, and that makes him even angrier. Other people don't understand him either, which just makes him even angrier. He even gets angry at people who try to help him, and he gets angry at getting angry at people. He's a normal 14 year old boy, angst and anger included. Without ever finding a meaning to his life, nor accomplishing anything, he dies.

Ironically, in dying, he finds his answer.

Yusuke is given the job of his dreams. To take all his anger out on the creatures that helped make life so miserable, by kicking demon ass. As the Spirit Detective of the afterlife he's able to finally make something of himself. Never send a man to do a boy's job.

Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't barrage you with a cast of characters. Instead it opts to keep a set cast and develop them along the stories direction. Watching these characters grow is one of the most satisfying aspects of the show. Whether it be Yusuke finding his place in the universe, Kuwabara keeping his morals and ideals in a dark world or Keiko chasing after Yusuke, these developments are as interesting as they are real. Characters aren't black and white cutouts. Villains can prove to be good guys with their own reasons to fight that aren't cliché like "world domination", and the heroes can have dark pasts too.


The anime for Yu Yu Hakusho is so well made; it surpasses even the manga in almost every aspect, which is unexpected and rare for a fighting series. There isn't a speck of filler in its 112 episodes, which are considerably not that many episodes if you compare it to some shows. Cut into 4 sections, or seasons, that each hold their own story line that flows smoothly into the next section but still have a definite conclusion and solution.


The English dub is a gift from the gods. Unnecessary lines from the original dub were cut, and localization that didn't make the show awkward was added. English actors bring the characters to life in ways that the Japanese could never do, the dub is an absolute must watch for any English speaker. All the opening and ending themes were changed to English and sung by talented professionals (produced by Carl Finch), making all the songs sound much better comparatively. Unlike some show's that have the nerve to change their theme songs every 10 episodes, "Smile Bomb" is the opening for the whole run time, and it's so good you never get tired of it. "Sayonara Bye-Bye" and “Homework Never Ends" are fantastic songs that you'll never skip, along with the other ending themes to make a completely satisfying OST.


Yu Yu Hakusho has managed to leave an imprint for a reason, if not several. It's a classic, a must watch for any fighting fan. It pulls out all the punches and leaves you with a taste in your mouth wanting more after every episode. 112 episodes go by fast with Yusuke and the gang, and at the end of it all, you'll have mixed feelings of satisfaction and craving more.

Life isn't an easy ride, it's constantly challenging, and those who rise to meet those challenges will gain the most out of what they do. You have to face the sun and shout, never giving in to yourself. Believing in your own strength, and most importantly, the strength of others to the end no matter what the conclusion.

You aren't alone. That's the detail that people forget very easily, but retains more meaning than you believe. Several fists pack more of a punch than one.


And I think we can sum all this up in one word. C'mon, all together now. Let's take it from the top.


Bang.

Heartwarming, Addictive, Classic...

Yu Yu Hakusho remains one of the most cherished animes I have watched in my entire life. From beginning to end, I always find it hard to stop watching Yu Yu Hakusho, from the intense battles to the great character development. There are 112 episodes and I have managed to actually watch this series 3 entire times and I own all 4 seasons on DVD. This is one of my favorite shows and I hope this review can convince you to watch Yu Yu Hakusho if you haven't already.

Story:

I'm going to review the story not as a whole, but instead by giving my ... impression of each season.

First Season: The transformation of the main character, Yusuke Urameshi, from an immature delinquent into adulthood, begins with his death and rebirth into Spirit detective. From there, Yusuke meets the demons/apparitions Hiei and Kurama (who is a demon fox trapped in a human's body). Along with Yusuke's delinquent friend, Kuwabara, the four create an impenetrable bond of friendship throughout the series as they grow up, while facing many hardships. With a unique beginning, the first season of Yu Yu Hakusho extremely memorable and sets the right tone for the rest of the series, even though it is much more campy and light compared to the rest of the show. It's very hard to find a way to draw in people to watch a series that will take hours out of their days, but Yu Yu Hakusho succeeds in this aspect.

Second Season: Yusuke Urameshi and his friends face off against other teams of demons throughout the Dark Tournament. This is where the series becomes more grim and serious, despite abundant amount of humor, which Yu Yu Hakusho does a perfect job at balances the two. The ending to the tournament is epic, with the unforgettable battle Yusuke wages against Togoro's seemingly invincible team.

Third Season: After the Dark Tournament, it seems that Yusuke's group has defeated the strongest enemy imaginable, until a man named Shinobu Sensui and his band of psychics pose an eminent threat to the entire human race. The season ends in what I feel to be the greatest and most epic fight scene in the entire series, and one of the best I have seen in any anime.

Fourth Season: Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuroma return to demon world, where they each take an opposing sides of each demon king. This season introduces many new characters in such a short amount of time, yet each one is well done and developed, especially the three demon kings. Every good show has to end, and Yu Yu Hakusho has a perfect ending to a great series.

Art/ Sound:

The art in Yu Yu Hakusho is obviously dated compared to today's standards since its broadcast was in 1992. Yet there is a certain charm to the artwork.

The opening theme is classic, as well as all the ending theme songs. Like any other good television show or movie, the soundtracks set the right mood for the entire series. From establishing sense of tension in battle to desperation in a final move to win a battle to the more relaxed time during this experience, Yu Yu Hakusho nails in the music department. The voices as well as the dialogue is spot on, especially in the English dubs. Sorry that I haven't watched the Japanese version yet, but I might later on.

Characters:

From the main character to the villains, and even the side characters, all are given great emotion and purpose to the show. All are well developed and grow throughout the series, even the villains and most of the side characters!

Yusuke Urameshi starts out a tough guy delinquent who is still trying to find purpose in life, that is until he becomes a spirit detective. All I have to say is that Yusuke is one of the best main characters in an anime show and is completely unforgettable. At first Yusuke's chiseled friend Kuwabara seems to be there for only comedic purposes, which he excels at. Kuwabara, though, is a character with a lot of heart. Hiei, the proud and ruthless antihero of the show, is in a lot of ways like Vegita from Dragonball Z. Last, but not least is Kurama, the calculating bishounen pretty boy. All four characters have great chemistry together and make an unforgettable team.

Overall:

I can't say how much I recommend this anime series because it transcends the enjoyment of the average anime show into something else. It was truly an unforgettable experience!!!

NOTE: I apologize ahead of time for a rather lengthy and what’ll seem dragged on review, this is a show that holds a special place in my heart -gets teary- So I wouldn't feel right leaving anything that I feel is important out of this review. Thank you for taking the time to read this.


Introduction:
“Don’t judge a book by the cover.” This is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the show that is Yu Yu Hakusho, given it’s not actually a book but an anime adaptation of a manga, baka, of course I know this much. It appears ... to be another one of those scream-as-loud-as-you-can-to-power-up-and-protect-your-friends, kind of show, which seemed to be riddled throughout the anime industry in the early and late 90s. Sure the show has it’s cliché moments but I would argue they are ingeniously portrayed in an enjoyable manner that is for the most part unpredictable and interesting. The mangaka of Yu Yu Hakusho is Yoshihiro Togashi who you might know as the creator of the hit series Hunter x Hunter (Fun fact: Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon.) - Togashi is exceptional at creating characters with depth, and putting these characters in various psychological struggles both internally and externally to strengthen their growth and development. This is what makes Yu Yu Hakusho stand out so much, it’s characterization. Now, with the introduction out of the way let’s power up and start! “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

Story. 9/10
The show tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi a 14 year-old delinquent that is always itching for a fight, he refuses to attend classes regularly and enjoys fighting fellow delinquents in his city, not the most charming guy, right? Well he’s our protagonist, and pseudo-spoiler-alert he dies in the first, wait for it… 25 seconds of the show. He amazingly enough jumps in front of a car to save a child who was chasing after a ball. No one could have guessed Yusuke, of all people would sacrifice his life for another. Hell, even the head honchos at Spirit World wouldn’t of imagined he would perform such a selfless act, thus his adventure begins with his death.
Yusuke’s death was an unpredicted one and well he has no place to go. There’s no place for him in the afterlife, they at Spirit World, did not know he would die on that day by saving someone’s life at the cost of his own. Therefore, Koenma, the son of King Yama, decides to put Yusuke to a test, an ordeal to see if he deserves to come back to life. So with this Yusuke’s first unofficial mission begins, the mission of resurrecting himself, little does he know on completion of this mission he will become Spirit Detective of earth; and must now protect all of humanity from aberrations with the help of his assistant Botan, the blue haired grim reaper, Kuwabara, Yusuke’s classmate and arch rival, Kurama the intelligent former demon fox, and lastly Hiei the demon swordsman with a bitter attitude. Together they are earths ragtag team of defenders.
The premise of this show is an interesting one, it grabs your attention with the very unique cases *jobs* Yusuke is given as a Spirit Detective. The story at times can be rather dark, and does a very good job at pointing out the underbelly of society and meshes it with the story in a way you wouldn't feel preachy, it’s very crafty with this. Overtime we see the story progresses from the simpler cases to more life threatening and consequential ones that affect things on a larger scale which brings the intensity up!

Animation. 9/10
First off, the Yu Yu Hakusho anime adaption was done by Studio Pierrot, who is also responsible for the anime adaptations: Naruto, Bleach and GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka) So it’s blatantly obvious this studio is more than credible with their animation skills. Yu Yu Hakusho aired in 1992 (Fun fact: The user Cloud_Silvers as also born in 1992) and at the time the animation was very fitting and very well done as was the fluidity in the action sequences, given at times the colors can be a bit crude. I believe the show’s visual can hold up today pretty well seeing how it originally aired 22 years ago, I bet you feel old... As we progress with the story and things become gradually more serious we see the art style losing some of it’s softness and in turn becomes a lot more detailed and mature which can be interrupted as a tool to symbolize the story and characters growths over time.

I tend not to be overly critical with animation especially anime from the 90s but for the time this was done it was done very well. The protagonists all have a unique enough styles that they’re very memorable and same goes with the antagonist, you won’t see an actual character in this show that doesn’t have a creative design, one that will burn into your brain, like a tattoo.(Fun fact: I have no tattoos.)

Sounds. 9/10

Now the soundtrack. Oh boy, does this show have one, a good one at that. The show’s soundtrack is a very memorable one because it does an amazing job at setting the mood for the show. The pieces are very 90s and kick-ass the perfect mixture for a fighting shounen. You can really tell a lot of care was put in the soundtrack because you being to feel the emotions when a certain track comes on and makes the experience all the more enjoyable.

Listening to the soundtrack you can feel a sense of urgency, emotions both sad and happy, you can feel the pain and anger all this is done with the genius music. Overall beautiful pieces composed by Yusuke Honma (Wow his name seems familiar, I swear I've seen it somewhere -whistles-) The soundtrack is beautiful, appropriate and is truly a labor of love.

Characters. 10/10

Yu Yu Hakusho’s characters are very diverse and complex. Watching the show we get to experience this adventure with them as they grow, mature, learn new perspectives and change their outlooks on life itself. The best part of the characters is that they are so human and relatable. You gradually come to understand every character, and their ideals, mindsets and feelings. You get emotionally attached to each character and even the villains you come to sympathize with as you found out their backstories. I rarely watch a show where I literally shed tears for a villain's demise. These villains all have their various reasons and they may be wrong but they're just trying to achieve their own respected goals and the show does a good job at making this apparent. They are not villains for the sake of being villains.

Enjoyment.10/10

Lastly the enjoyment factor… I love this show wholeheartedly, it’s one of my first anime I ever watched when I was younger. It was not until I was older and re-watched it could I truly appreciate this anime for what it was. A battle shounen with an amazing cast of characters, interesting storylines, and fantastic villains. This show is special to me not because of nostalgia reasons but because I’ve watched it over 6 times and still find myself not getting bored. There’s a lot to it, more than you would really think. I would say it’s arguably one of the most enjoyable long-shounens.

Overall: 10/10
Yu Yu Hakusho does a superb job of creating these totally human characters both good and bad. We get to see them in a state we can understand and this makes it all the more enjoyable when seeing them mature or learning about their back-stories. Again, this show will at times make you sincerely feel sorry for the antagonists because of the complexity and human nature they put into them. Out of them all Yusuke our protagonist is the one who we see “grow up” the most, from a quick-to-throw-a-punch-cocky teenager to a dependable man who can both protect and cherish his friends and loved ones which is the opposite of how he started off. I fell in love with the characters and I truly cared for them, I cried with them and I smiled with them, I was on this adventure with them and for that I thank you Yu Yu Hakusho. This show is great for both young adults and more mature audiences.

Honestly i was a little skeptical about this anime series since it was old. Usually old anime series aren't that great because of the bad audio and artwork, where'as you compare it to like Parasyte maxim another amazing anime series the artwork really differentiates. But this anime series was so fricken good i love the characters, artwork and sound effects/music used. Its the best damn show ive seen so far, the story is very well put together i loved the character development of Yusuke and company. I would recommend this to all of my friends, since this show was absolutely awesome 10/10

This anime is outstanding because it is based on a great story where Spirit Detective Yusuke Urameshi has to team up with Kazuma Kuwabara,Yoko Kurama ( Minamoto Suichi ) and Hiei Jaganshi and save the Human World from demons.
I like the action, storyline, graphics ( Needs improvement though, but still outstanding !!!) and the Cool Super Powers that each one of those character has,its just outstanding.
I also like how they put the Saga's together,they're only 4 Saga's,which is good.Unlike Dragonball ( Z,GT etc...),which has alot of Saga's,the makers of Yuu Yuu Hakusho knew that if they put in too ... many Saga's,the whole anime would be messed up.
I do wish they add another Saga and more episodes though,i think about 6 Saga's would be enough and 201 Episodes would be enough although i think i watched 201 already so i think someone got the number wrong (112).

This Review refers to my feelings towards the anime Yuu Yuu Hakusho, it truly does not help anyone in anyway possible.........haha...

One of my first and favorite Animes, just want to share my thoughts.

Story: A common misconception about this series is that it's just another Dragonball Z. It is not. While both contain energy blasts and fighting, the plots here are more deep and complex especially during the third arc. It really made me think about the way the world works. Otherwise, every other arc is a tournament but viewers are compensated with well written characters and great development. The other surprise is that there were no stupid filler episodes. In fact, the Manga had more chapters that can be considered "filler" material. For an Anime ... with so many episodes, this was a big surprise. The show has its comedic moments. They are genuinely funny and the show doesn't try too hard to be funny. You should get a good laugh once in a while from watching it. The beginning of the series is probably my least favorite but that doesn't take away from how good the show is. It gets incredibly amazing as the episodes roll by.

Art: Sometimes pretty good for its time, sometimes pretty odd-looking. Sadly, Yu Yu Hakusho was slightly poor in terms of animation when compared to some of the other Anime at the time. There were so many episodes where you can tell a completely different team worked on it and I wonder if they even tried to make it consistent with the animation viewers are used to. Granted, the Manga won't be winning art awards but some of these scenes are just bad and odd to look at. Would've liked to see better animation for such a great series but I guess due to the length of the series, it would be costly to keep the animation clean and consistently good.

Sound: Really good. I enjoyed the opening and all the endings. The soundtrack was great, a lot of solid songs worth getting the osts for. One disappointment is that a very common song in the series played during sad moments was excluded from the osts and it was a personal favorite. Fans should know which one I'm talking about.

In terms of the voice acting, I watched the dub for the entire series. I tried the Japanese later but I just could not get over what a great job Funimation did. They had excellent dialogue for the cast who gave outstanding performances which really brought the characters to life. Only problem was Kurama's voice at the beginning, it sounded pretty bad before they changed it during the Dark Tournament. Considering this was Funimation's second series, you can't really blame them. It still turned out great.

Character: This is where I feel the Anime really shines. Many of the characters did not seem cliche or just carbon copies brought in from other Anime. Each one was very unique and viewers can truly respect them due to the excellent writing that gave birth to these characters. Never a dull moment with the mains of this show. Each character is thoroughly explained and given a great amount of development. The interactions between them are great to watch and when the show ended, you wanted more. It was sad to know that I wouldn't be able to see these characters experience new adventures.

Enjoyment: A definite 10. Despite the 112 episode length, a lot of the fights were more than amazing. I still re-watch some of my favorites today because for me this Anime will always be a classic and bring up some nostalgia whenever I pick up a dvd.

Overall: With a great story, good music and more than awesome characters, Yu Yu Hakusho definitely gets a great rating from me. I only wish that it was at least in the top 100 here because it truly deserves it. Compared to the Anime of today, there is no debate that Yu Yu Hakusho should stand near the top. Many Anime from the last decade are overlooked and are insanely better than most Anime of today which get so much undeserved praise and are overrated beyond belief. I definitely recommend this to almost any Anime fan, there should be something for everyone here.

Thank you for reading my review. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hope this helped.

Never have I given anything a perfect ten really, and I mean that. However Yu Yu Hakusho I believe deserves that rating. I had been a fan watching DBZ for the longest time, however I threw that show out the window with this one. For all of you wanting to get into the shounen aspect of anime here it is. It's short than most action shows (112 episodes), and shows a considerable amount of characterization. As we meet each person, especially our main cast we may have mixed feelings. Yusuke is a punk, but he has a big heart regardless, Kuwabara may come off stupid ... but he really isn't, Hiei may seem unbelievably cold, and Kurama too nice. As the series goes on their personalities grow with it. That is what I found to be so nice, was the gradual and obvious change in character. Even the 'villains ' some of them aren't too villainous. Take for instance two of the guys from Team Mashou, Jin and Touya. Sure Yusuke and Kurama had to fight them but, they're more like friends.

The dub for the english is actually extremely well done. Kuwabara's voice may take some a while to get used to. However everyone else sounds close, or better to their Japanese counterparts. The animation quality goes up as the series goes on as well. So for all of you looking for a shorter action show with good characters, animation, and plot pick up Yu Yu Hakusho. Now that the boxsets are all but released this should be easy.

Yu Yu Hakusho is another one of my favorites and its definitely my favorite long running anime. (over 100 eps) It does seem to drag on at parts but eventually brings the viewers attention back with the plots twists and turns. The original version of it is so much better once it was brought to afternoon television the censor absolutely butchered it to pieces so if you didn\'t appreciate the one that aired on Toonami I suggest finding a version that isn\'t chewed up by the proverbial censor and spit out as a peice of crap.

"You can't end a good party without somebody on the floor."
-Yusuke Urameshi

Nostalgia is powerful. Whether it's snuggling up in a warm, fleece blanket watching Christmas movies with family or taking a casual stroll through a vibrant Autumn color scheme. It reminds us of a very secure and comfortable time in our life. There are certain things in our lives, artifacts from that time period that act as memory vessels, transporting our minds back to that time. For me and presumably most of us here on MAL, the nostalgia-inducing medium is most likely anime or video games. The euphoric feeing that this nostalgia instills in our ... minds is something special, irreplaceable and unreplicated.

I remember running home from the bus stop as fast as humanly possible to catch the newest episode of Dragonball Z or Yu Yu Hakusho on Toonami, often trudging through the thick Ohio snow. I was enthralled by the sanctity of Japanese animation. It made me feel comfortable. These types of shows were starkly different from Westernized cartoons, with their flamboyant animation style and detailed fight scenes. Characters I could relate to put in extraordinary situations transported me to the driver's seat, letting me live experience vicariously through them.

I will attempt to keep this as spoiler free as possible.

I decided to take a retrospective look at one of my personal favorites from that time period, Yu Yu Hakusho. This is an anime with so much to offer from a character development and shounen side, but often gets forgotten about due to its age. It's a story of maturity, morality and mortality. It works tirelessly to involve the viewer and teach them about the beauty of mortality, failure and the importance of friendship. Writer Yoshihiro Togashi takes four relative delinquents on the path for corruption or evil and places them in precarious situations that test their willpower and moral conscience. It's the writing of these characters and their relationships that truly sets Yu Yu Hakusho apart from other works in the genre. Sure, most shounen have extravagant combat scenes and bombastic characters, but few tell a story behind the scenes to the level of brilliance Togashi has achieved here.

14 year old Yusuke Urameshi is a very unappreciated protagonist. He starts the series as a hard-headed derelict without a drive for school or making friends, focusing his energy almost entirely on picking fights with others around him. Once his life was changed by dying at the hands of a speeding car, his previously undiscovered purpose in the world surfaced with gusto. Botan, a grim reaper of sorts, offers to spare his mortality in return for chasing spirits and other ghosts around as a "Spirit Detective". However, it ends up being less detective oriented and more like busy work, but it proves vital to introduce the remaining main characters and develop some characterization for Yusuke himself. Essentially, it's the necessary evil for a lengthy shounen, allowing the bond to be formed with the main cast. The fights are often short and underwhelming, with Yusuke often claiming victory by way of some outside force or accidental fluke. In a way, he had a great deal in common with the demons he fought, often blindly rushing in without any feasible strategy. This understandable flaw is a true testament to his character, and how invincible he felt was a testament to his immaturity as a teenager. His ignorance left him oblivious to the threat of his opponents.

Unfortunately, this "detective arc" is the weakest of the four main arcs within Hakusho's story. This causes some viewers to be turned off from the series due to its implied gimmicky tone. The narrative (Yusuke growing stronger and wanting to help save his friends and the rest of the world) is disguised under a layer of cheap fights and episodic missions. The bond Yusuke begins to form with fellow student body member, Kuwabara (once a sworn enemy) and spirits Kurama and Hiei are still weak and presumably exist only to propel the story forward. Though it was initially weak, the one commonality the four of them shared is what kept me engaged and committed to seeing the series through.... the wanton feeling of redemption. They wanted that second chance at life, and began to cherish their own mortality after they were awarded with it.

The second or "Dark Tournament" arc is when I began taking the show seriously. Yusuke first meets Toguro, arguably the show's most threatening villain, and his perception of power and demons in general gets flipped upside down. Seeing Toguro's strength firsthand slaps him in the face with some figurative smelling salts, and we see Yusuke willingly training with his master Genkai to channel his true potential. The refreshing part of this training is that it doesn't finish quickly, or without some inexplicable pain on Yusuke's end. The same could be said for Toguro who, without going into too much detail, learns a humbling lesson that strength isn't everything, and selfish greed only leads to loneliness and eventual defeat.

I'd be blatantly doing the anime world a disservice if I didn't take the time to mention the tournament structure represented in this arc. For a teenager looking for face-exploding action, I found solace in Yu Yu Hakusho's dark tournament. The fight scenes in this arc were the most nostalgic to me and laid the groundwork for other series adapting this concept later on through the years. I challenge you to try and make it through this arc without binging it at least a little bit. Yusuke displays perhaps his first example of growth during the tournament's "fight to the death" structure by befriending most of his opponents during battle in lieu of vanquishing them as the rules state. In return, this causes unrest from the already rambunctious crowd but draws a healthy amount of respect from his adversaries.

Another fine point of writing from Togashi here is the sudden relevance of Kuwabara. Normally belligerent and useless, Kuwabara exhibits the fruits of his hard work by actually holding his own in combat. For once, other people are relying on him to further a just cause... not to mention the fact he's trying to impress a certain ice demon he has the hots for. This new found love gives him an even greater call to arms, surprising even his friends at the tournament. Hiei and Kurama further their bond with the group throughout the rest of the tournament, not taking for granted their second chance and freedom.

The Sensui or "Chapter Black" arc for me is one of the most pondering and dynamic arcs I've ever come across in an anime. To further develop Yusuke as a main protagonist, Togashi pens his antithesis, a former spirit detective who questioned morality and demon/human relations perhaps a bit too much. The result is a spiritually gifted human with a very different outlook on life than Yusuke himself. Up until this point, the series was very focused on efforts to become stronger and defeat opposition in a very regimented manner. When Yusuke is faced with a carbon copy of himself, a yin to his yang, his is conflicted with how to handle the situation. Now he has plenty to fight for, and his selflessness is shown on full display within these episodes. The envelope is pushed to the limits for what would be the normal quota for a shounen between the sinister tone and edgy subject matter. In ways, this arc is strikingly similar to the Chimera Ant arc in HxH.

During the 4th and final arc, Yusuke finally discovers who he truly is. Again, we are reintroduced with a tournament setting, only this time Yusuke has a much different reason for fighting. It was a nicely tied bow on top of this already successful series. Not to mention IT HAS A GOOD ENDING. Some would be quick to knock the series for ending so soon, but with criticism of Togashi's lazy artistry during the final issues of the manga it's only fitting that the anime would drop off quickly afterward. Unfortunately, with most attention diverted to revealing character backstories, the arc is rather dull compared to the rest of the series. Happy tears did stream down my face prior to the final credits rolling, thankful that I was able to experience such a masterpiece in the shounen genre.

One of the areas Hakusho succeeds the most is in the quality of its English script. Justin Cook, Yusuke's unique voice actor took the reigns for translating this Eastern success into a Western gem. Many times anime are either directly or sloppily translated, often leading to confusing dialogue or moments of awkward one liners. Cook's ability to take the source material and transform it into something so digestible for the general American youth was remarkable, with some scenes holding almost entirely different meanings after this transformation. Despite the differences in some translations, Togashi's original narrative of growing stronger and fighting to save those you love stays mostly constant throughout the series.

The dialogue in the anime is another fine point. Although released in the early 90's, much of the humor and wisecracks the characters make at each other are still valid in today's culture. Sure there are still corny one-liners from placeholding antagonists and the occasional missed cultural reference, but Cook did a fine job crafting lines like the one opening this review.

Comradery is a very important concept within Yu Yu Hakusho. Four generally independent characters are tied together in a twist of fate and are forced to work with one another in order to redeem themselves and protect the world. It's the "anime second chance program", so to speak. Initially, the cooperation is awkward at best. Hiei is the most notorious violator of synergy within the group, still vying to handle matters solo whenever he gets the chance. Despite all the resistance and bickering, an odd couple for the ages is formed. Though Kurama is generally the most selfless demon, Hiei comes around and makes sacrifices of his own starting in the Dark Tournament arc. As described earlier, the development of these four characters is refreshing and extraordinary. At the end of the series you truly feel like you know these individuals through and through. As a result, the rest of the supporting cast takes a backseat for the most part (sans Genkai and Toguro), and can be slightly off putting if you don't care for the main cast.

As a teenage boy, nothing interested me more about tv shows than flashy fight scenes... and it just so happens Hakusho has plenty of those. In fact, even though the anime is older than half the users on this website, the scenes still hold up quite well. Most of the battles are action packed and toward the middle of the series become quite cerebral, with many moments of internal monologue and dialogue between opponents. It was hardly ever obvious who would win a fight when it started, making the suspense all the more satisfying. I'd say it's more on the violent side than most shounen of the present, making it especially appealing to the older, more mature crowds as well.

The rest of the animation and direction could use some work. Granted there were more limitations back in this early period of anime, which lead to many lazily animated static scenes and reused background images. Anime as we know it has changed dramatically over the years, especially on the animation side, so scenes in Yu Yu Hakusho are less eccentric and vibrant than those today. If you can look past this blemish, watching the series should be no problem for you.

When it comes to the soundtrack, Hakusho shows it's age again. Many of the tracks are thrown in simply to silence the dead air, and are often recycled even if the scene doesn't necessarily call for it. I do like the OP, perhaps more from a nostalgia standpoint than an actual critical one. It's the period of anime where more attention was given to the script and less to the pretty package it came in. The English dub is fantastic though. So much so that it is really the superior way to watch the anime, just don't even waste your time with the original subbed version. Cook's portrayal of Yusuke is one of the strongest voice acting performances I've ever heard. It was rumored he once bled from his throats and had the postpone recording after belting one of Yusuke's iconic screams. Pretty serious stuff! Chris Sabat (Picollo, Zoro from OP) is unique and talented as Kuwabara and Chuck Huber nails the role of Hiei. I'd say it's on par for one of the best dubs I've ever seen.

There's no doubt from this long-winded review that I enjoy Yu Yu Hakusho. It's one of my favorite anime and it played an important role in my childhood. Rewatching it as an adult reaffirmed my love for the series, and it's one that I highly recommend. Some people may be hesitant due to its age, but I urge you to look past the surface and experience the anime for all that it is. The emergence of Hakusho director Togashi's later work (HunterXHunter) has begun to overshadow his original masterpiece, but true anime fans viewing Hakusho with an open mind will see HxH's true inspiration come to light. It has flaws of its own, but gripping characters, a suspenseful story and fantastic fight scenes make this a shounen for the ages.

"Maybe there have been times when I've been pissed and hated things, but it wasn't from this work. My dad's a no-show, my mom's a lush, and school sucks. But this job is the one damn thing I've ever been good at. And if all the crap in my life hasn't screwed me up yet, then neither will this. And neither will you."
-Yusuke Urameshi

Overview:

Yu Yu Hakusho is a classic early 90s shonen that was popular throughout the world. Lets take a look at what made this shonen different from its peers and what it did well to achieve its beloved status.

Story: 7/10

The series is about a juvenile delinquent that is brought back to life after being killed by a car. In exchange for his new life, he must work as a paranormal investigator working for Heaven itself to hunt renegade demons. The plot starts out quite unique and interesting, but then Yasuhiro Togashi's laziness becomes apparent and there is a tournament every 2 arcs like clockwork. The 3 ... kings arc is also very lackluster and seems to lose a lot of what made Yu Yu Hakusho so enjoyable in the beginning. It basically became more and more of a DBZ clone the longer it went on. Despite the all to frequent tournaments and decrease in quality towards the end, the story is still very solid and well deserving of at least a 7/10.

Characters: 10/10

The characters is honestly where Yu Yu Hakusho does the best. Yusuke broke the trend of shonen heroes at the time and was actually somewhat of an asshole. He was more than capable of being selfish, mean spirited, and a bit of perv. He didn't want to help anyone unless his hand was absolutely forced and he even once questioned if demons should have the right to eat humans, since they are higher life forms. He develops as a character of course, but it is refreshing to see a character that isn't Goku, Natsu, Naruto, Luffy, and all the other shonen heroes. Kuwabara was an excellent comic relief character that always tried to be honorable, but often found himself in over his head. His random love for all chicks with blue hair was also quite amusing. He even hit on Death herself! Kurama is the team's cold, calculating strategist. He is one of few characters so badass that he can make killing people with flowers cool! Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Hiei is my favorite character of all. This vertically challenged demon swordsman has his own code of honor, but is a loyal ally to those he deems worthy. His snarkyness is also off the charts! His hobby seems to be tormenting Kuwabara, which makes it quite funny when Kuwabara gets a crush on Hiei's little sister, much to Hiei's dismay. There are other secondary characters, but if you want to learn more than you can watch the series.

Art: 5/10

The art looks VERY dated and the animation is honestly pretty bad. Stock footage is reused with reckless abandon and in one scene Yusuke is getting chased by guided shurikans that change in number at complete random. You can overlook the art for the things the series does well though. Also, at least it looks a LOT better than the manga. Togashi is honestly one of worst artists working in manga. I love the man to death, but I have to be honest.

Sound: 9/10

The soundtrack has epic action themes, tense music for serious times, and a kickass opening theme that is oddly enough sung by Kurama's voice actress! You know a soundtrack is going to be good when the opening is sung by a band called Atomic Smile Bomb!

Enjoyment: 9/10

I enjoy this series so much that when I went on vacation to China and saw that a marathon was on, I watched it in Chinese with no subtitles!

Overall: 8/10

Yu Yu Hakusho is far from a perfect series, but it does many things very well. It had a level of moral ambiguity and greyness that stood in sharp contrast to the purely good and evil storytelling that pervaded shonen in the early 1990s. Yu Yu Hakusho abandoned the cheesy, Manichean slump that was effecting manga and drifted away from 1950s Captain America and more towards Allen Moore's comics. It did rely FAR too heavily on tournaments and had a number of cliche's but its characters were great, the soundtrack was great, and it was really enjoyable to watch. If you want to watch a shonen that is a little different, but not too different, I would highly suggest giving Hakusho a watch!

Yu Yu Hakusho is the Fucking king. Nothing that has come out in the last 10 years can touch it. It'll kick your ass, make you pregnant and then give you an abortion with some pliers. Its the bad ass ruler of anime, nothing you watch nowadays,( i was forced to take out this line by a lucky star lover, obviously someone who's brain is made of something harder than mine, Cause i cant stand that shit, but just so you know its naming overrated anime) EVEN COMPARES. ... This is on a completely different level. I give everything a 10, because thats what this masterpiece deserves. DBZ is another childhood favorite, that is on par to this, but i believe Yu Yu Hakusho has a better story. Now thats just a OP. But what i said before about lucky star is true. ( This sentence was making fun of Weeabooboos)


The story is one that instantly captivates you, and has you cheering and crying throughout every moment. Every person i have ever shown this show to, people who dont like anime in particular, fucking love it. The story is so well spun around the characters and the world, its never overdone. Each saga completely makes sense, and has the just some of the best pretense's i have ever seen in my life. It has no filler. Absolutely NONE. There are some difference from the manga however, none that cause an significant damage to the show. No episode is wasted. The intricate tale it sows into your head is one i will never forget.


Now, its a 90's anime. Its not going to be all special animation like with modern anime's where you can shut off your brain, look at pretty colors, Pathetically choke a laugh out at things that have no comical sense to them whatsoever, and try to fool yourself it has a good storyline. Everything is strong about this show. It has flaws, very little, but it has some. The show i watched in HD, a dude on Youtube ripped em off the HD store, and put them up. You can watch all 112 episodes on there. I saw this alot on Cartoon Network as a kid however. The difference in quality is not complete necessary to have though.


The sound is Fan-fucking-tastic. The opening is awesome, I'm a complete metal head, and i love the opening. It the same opening song, but the OP slides change, every season except for the first two. Every ending is Great too, Mostly just the first 3. Just something about Chu and Yusuke punching each other in the knife edge death match makes my blood sear. Dub is infinitely superior. I will only watch sub if the dub is absolutely horrible. Sub is for Weeaboos. English is most of our language, if you want to watch it in Japanese, you either live in japan or ( Add insult here). But seriously the dub is freaking sweet. Watch it, or dont watch the show at all.


WOW wait a second, your telling me, in this show characters are actually developed and AREN'T cardboard cutouts of anime stereotypes? Fucking Exactly, I love every god damned main and side character. They each have a story with no loose ends and at the end of their road, you have no choice but to love them. They actually have characters that act like humans! God damn, you dont see that anymore. I can truly say that each character is the best i have seen in anime. There isn't to many either,


I FUCKING heavily enjoyed it. I would shout that in any crowd. I fucking love Yu Yu Hakusho. Its the best show i have seen in my life. I enjoyed it as a young kid on T.V and i enjoy it on my computer!


Overall it breaks the scale. Its better than a 10, its too good to be rated. It cant be beat. Of course, you can like shows better. Thats totally your opinion. But still, most shows still cant compete, whether you like them better or not. This show will make your heart explode.

Usually, I am a hard grader of animes. But this anime just exceeded
my every expectation. The art quality was outstanding for the 90s
and I think that they should make more animes of the same style.
Of course, the length of this show(112) is a big relief from the usual 13 or
26 episode ones. Most importantly, this show gives you everything
you could possibly want. There is action, love, and it is surprisingly deep.
I was moved to tears several times and the ending is one of the most
satisfying ones ever!
One of the best (or the best) anime of ... all time? Definitely.

I first saw the series when it aired on Cartoon Network. It's safe to say that I fell in love with the show after one episode. The characters are all captivating and have well developed background, so you can expect to get attached to them as the series progresses. The action scenes are amazing and have meaning to them because of what is at stake in each arc. Thus, you never feel that the fighting is meaningless like you tend to get from other fighting anime. Cough Cough!! DB

This series is one of my favorites and is the first anime I ever purchased so I ... highly recommend it. Don't hesitate to give it a shot because you will not be disappointed. Enjoy the journey till the end and get ready to hope for more.

"They say what you do in life is reflected in the after-life; for Yusuke Urameshi, is both a blessing and a curse." This couldn't be any more true for Yusuke as, one day, he makes the selfless sacrifice of risking his own life for the sake of another and, given his track record, the spirit world doesn't know what to classify him as since an event like that for someone of his status is extremely unlike, so he is given the opportunity for a second chance in his life ordeal.

For a lot of Yu Yu Hakusho, it's very action-oriented and that may set you off, ... but the good news regarding that is the overall blend of story mixed in with the overall action that kept me going. In regards to the story, it is great and keeps you entertained all the way through, but at no time is it more present than in the final arc, much unlike most action series where the final arc is just more action with even less story than the previous. Story - 9/10.

You can tell that it's partially inspired by Dragon Ball Z, but it's far superior in terms of story/plot and is much more balanced in terms of humor & action. The artwork/animation meets the standard for it's time, but the creator got sick towards the end of the story and the last editions of the manga are somewhat lacking & forced. In the Dark Tournament arc, it has a few fighting scenes that are pretty bad, but I believe only 1 of them is essential to the main plot. I find that the artwork/animation is still tolerable - 7/10 artwork.

It has the typical cliches, but nothing unexpected that's too horrible. Character development is exceedingly great throughout the story and, as you go on, you learn more about each character, most prominently & abundantly in the last arc. This series has produced my favorite character in anime & the character/connection development will keep you hooked and equalizes itself greatly throughout the entire series.

Contrary to what many who haven't watched Yu Yu Hakusho may think, it is anything but a DBZ clone. Of course, there are some moments reminiscent of DBZ, but the story has no connections whatsoever and the action isn't dragged on forever without any new story. For each fight they have, a new story comes along with it and you don't find that in DBZ, though you could see why they are similar.

I couldn't recognize any plot inconsistencies in the anime as everything pretty much coped and is explained within the series. For those who prefer story over action, the last or third arc may be your favorite though it goes much more into detail with action than does the manga. For those who are more likely to enjoy a series for action, the second arc will probably be your favorite. Neither of those are to say that they don't mix story with action or vice versa in one specific arc, since without one, the other would suffer.

I enjoyed the series as much, if not more than my all-time favorite anime, Dragon Ball & I connected and was more interested with every new story or new villain that the crew faced. I recommend this anime to any action-oriented fan as it meets your typical shounen needs & much, much more for some.

Let me start off by saying, I saw this originally when I was kid on Toonami and picked it back up again a few years ago. I have seen the ENTIRE series 4 times completely though and over half of the episodes well over 10 times.

This anime is without a doubt my all-time favorite. Not only is it enjoyable and fun, but its re-watch value is second to none. (This review is for the English dub which was beautifully done and i would watch this series no other way). Though warning!!! The first few episodes ... will seem slow perhaps, the series does not start off with it's well-known action tone! Give it a chance to introduce the characters a bit.

Story: This anime doesn't have a complex plot with alot of metaphors, idealism or plot twists, it doesn't need to. The main character, Yusuke Yurameshi is killed within the first 10 seconds of the show, call it a spoiler if you want, and goes through many hoops to eventually get his life back along with connections to the spirit world which employs him as their new spirit detective. While this plot lays down the beginning of the series it slowly curves around into something completely different. While keeping with a basic format throughout, it manages to continually stay interesting (trust me there are alot of tournaments) and give very fleshed out scenarios with great character development and the perfect mix of action, comedy and drama.

Characters: Yusuke, our hero is essentially a punk, but is completely brought into believability by his voice actor Justin Cook, a man who i will fangirl over later. Though i have trouble believing this character is only 14, it doesn't detract from the series. The very wide cast of characters in this show changes at just the right tempo while keeping the main, and in my opinion best characters along for the big picture. They all have backstories, talents, personality quirks and emotions that are portrayed in a way that you become attached to them while enjoying all of the challenges they face.

Music: YuYuHakusho is a very odd series in that it keeps one group of background music throughout its 112 episode entirety in addition to only using 1 opening song as well. I must say, that the music was so well fitting that Iwould have been disappointed if any other music was introduced. The BGM always fit perfectly and shaped scenes in way I can only compare to works like Mushi-shi or Moribito. Though the music is not artistic in a sense that classical is, it has a very distinct personality and individualism that cant often be found in anime in addition to being simply a perfect fit to the feel of the series. If it came down to it, the music really completes the whole series' identity and overall tone. The OP song is also amazing, both version though I prefer the dub. And the multitude of ED songs range from amazing to good.

Voice Acting: I am a person who believes that it is definitely possible to surpass the original Japanese if you get the right people for a dub. Not often does an anime show up in which the voice acting is just so hugely important to almost every part of the show. Justin Cook has an amazing voice, I was lucky enough to meet him once, he truly shows emotion and personality consistently and was crucial to the greatness that makes up our main character. All of the other voice actors fit their roles perfectly, honestly. Every character was matched as well as Vic Mignogna was matched to Ed. Funimation's best work in my opinion, and best over all. (Even better than the dubs for Princess TuTu, Cowboy Bebop or Rurouni Kenshin.) One comment I'd like to make is that there were no squeaky, fail attempts at high pitched girls. Show like Elfen Lied were plagued by them but not YYH, all of its few female characters had believable and enjoyable voices.

Art: This series isn't new, and should not be compared to recent works like Haruhi or Eden of the East. Its a classic who's animation style is that of true Shohnen. The animation does change throughout and you can tell when different teams worked on different scenes, but it really doesn't take anything from the experience. The animation budget did seem to go up on season finales though, most of which didn't have action, or very little of it which was actually a good thing as it would have taken the appeal right out of fight sequences. Though it does have a flaw which has to be spoken of, it may not bother you the first time, but after several re-watches it my annoy. Re-used animation. Being such a long series, it has many small sequences that are reused and sometimes more than twice, not to much of a problem, its just distracting to see something from 30 episodes ago resurface.

Ending: This ending (no spoilers) was indeed the best I've seen, perfect closure. No loose ends or cliffhangers and it just makes you happy. They set a tone that is specific to this series that will leave you with a feeling of joyful completeness after seeing it all the way through. Nothing like the empty, and in many cases, open endings of: Elfen Lied, Fruits Basket, Kuragehime, Kuroshitsuji II and Inuyasha (the original 167 run).

Enjoyment: I've happily re-watched this 12 episode long series, 4 times. Theres not much more to be said. I'm astounded about how easily this can be seen again and again and not get boring or stupider each time.

Overall: Well, you know that I think, 10/10. Nothing more to it, a great piece of work I will always love that i would recommend to any person, regardless of taste in anime.

I remember when I first started seriously getting into anime, proclaiming that you liked mindless superpower fighting anime - in particular "Dragon Ball Z" - would put a big dent in your street cred as a Serious Anime Watcher. The flaws and cliches of those kind of anime are legendary: long, repetitive, with fights containing more talking and powering up than actual fighting. So for a while I avoided them like a homophobe avoided the Pride parades (disclaimer: I am not a homophobe).

And yet, I'd always felt drawn to a show called "Yuu Yuu Hakusho", partly because I'd played a good game based on it. ... Eventually I decided to bite the bullet and sat down to watch what was at the time the longest anime I'd ever attempted to watch in full.

To say that I wasn't disappointed would be an understatement - I honestly did not think I could get so much enjoyment out of this kind of anime ... with said enjoyment tempered only by the dreaded realisation that maybe, just maybe, I am no better than a narutard.

Then again, maybe "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" is actually good? It does appear to have more of a respectable reputation, and doesn't get shat with regularity by critics. Not having watched many other shows of its ilk though, it's hard for me to tell. I can only tell you how it defied my own expectations of it.

First of all, "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" doesn't just focus on the action: it has a strong all round game, boasting a substantial story and a cast of characters oozing coolness and charisma. In fact, it takes nearly 10 episodes before it becomes apparent that "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" is a fighting anime. Those early episodes tell the backstory of how the main character Yusuke Urameshi becomes a spirit detective after his premature death, and I found them to be thoroughly enjoyable. The strong characterisation jumps out from the very beginning: Urameshi's goofy classmate Kuwabara won me in a single character focused episode early on, and I felt sure he was going to be my favourite character in the show. Until Kurama and Hiei showed up, who in turn captivated my attention me with their personalities. Both spent time as my favourite characters of the show ... until Kuwabara gets spotlighted once again. There was something effortless about the appeal of these characters, and I struggle to think of another series where my favourite character changed so many times.

While the original creator Yoshiro Togashi had always planned for "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" to switch into the fighting genre, there were nevertheless signs he may have wanted to do something more with it. For example, when Urameshi first became a spirit detective, he was given several interesting tools to help him do his job. However, those tools quickly disappeared from the plot line with so little use that whoever bought them could have got a refund. Togashi would go on to create the genre-hopping shounen "Hunter x Hunter" where those kind of curious items would feature more heavily. "Yuu Yuu Hakusho", though, had to settle for being more conventional, perhaps because Togashi just wasn't able to take those budding ideas anywhere interesting at the time.

Initially, I was dismayed when the show went from one with engaging story and characters to one displaying all the cliches I'd heard about the genre: increasingly long and drawn out battles, hero being beaten within an inch of his life before making a miracle comeback via a single attack, etc. But that all started changing once the Dark Tournament saga began. As anyone who's watched "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" can tell you, the Dark Tournament is undoubtedly the highlight of the series. Once again, the masterful story telling shines through, with the show ratcheting up the tension and excitement before the tournament even starts. Though still peddling in many of the genre's cliches, the fights were incredibly engrossing, with the myriad of colourful participants and their fascinating powers keeping things interesting. I struggle to recall a single boring fight in the entire tournament. Mixed in with all this is the powerful character drama that upped the emotional stakes to incredible levels. Like I said, "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" has a strong all round game, and in the Dark Tournament, the show fires on all fronts.

The Dark Tournament saga was so good that the show would never go on to hit those dizzying heights again. That said, latter half of "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" is still mostly enjoyable. The start of the next part of the story, Chapter Black, begins with battles against characters with some really intriguing powers. None of the battles involved direct conflict, and one didn't involve physical combat at all. Again, these unusual ideas weren't taken very far, but would resurface more prominently in "Hunter x Hunter".

By the end of the Chapter Black saga, I started to get tired of "Yuu Yuu Hakusho". The fights were getting too drawn out for my liking, and the power level creep began getting out of hand. The problems only got worse in the final part of the anime, the Three Kings Saga, which involves - surprise surprise - yet another tournament. By now, everyone was so powerful it kinda diminished the impact of the Dark Tournament, making it look like some kids having a playground brawl. The excitement of the battles also seems inversely proportional to the power level of the fighters, which meant by then I found them about as thrilling as doing laundry. One of the few good things to come out of the Three Kings saga were the backstories of Kurama and Hiei - when the action failed, the story and characters could still somewhat carry the show. Even though "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" was unusual in that Togashi was able to end the story on his own terms rather than continuing until it's limping like a one legged horse on crutches and everyone becomes sick of it, I still feel the show went on for one saga too long. It is perhaps telling that Togashi originally intended to finish the story with Chapter Black.

Production value wise, "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" fares pretty well as a long running shounen. In particular, I remember the recaps during opening scenes often contain redrawn animations of action highlights in previous episodes, presenting them with different angles. The art style hasn't aged particularly well, but some of the action still looked great when I last checked. The sound production often evokes the feelings of a bygone era, but not in a bad way. While most of the opening and ending themes kinda sucked, the background music and sound effects did a good job at dramatising.

I've watched "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" several times now. While I'm no longer as enamoured with it as my first watch, the series remains one of my favourites. For about a decade, it was also the longest anime I completed - the longest period any anime has held that title for since I become a Serious Anime Watcher (incidentally, the current holder is the latest adaptation of another of Togashi's works Hunter x Hunter). Taking into account rewatches, it's fair to say that the many hundreds of episodes of "Yuu Yuu Hakusho" I watched probably makes it my most watched anime as measured by time spent watching. It also represented a significant step in expanding my anime horizons. Perhaps one of these days I should pick up"Naruto" too ... but not today.

Personal rating: +2.5 (excellent)