Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho (Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files)

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Alternative Titles

English: Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files

Synonyms: Yu Yu Hakusho, Ghost Fighter, Poltergeist Report, YuYu Hakusho

Japanese: 幽☆遊☆白書

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 112

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Oct 10, 1992 to Jan 7, 1995

Premiered: Fall 1992

Broadcast: Unknown

Producers: Yomiko Advertising, Fuji TV

Licensors: Funimation

Studios: Studio Pierrot

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Comedy, Demons, Supernatural, Martial Arts, Shounen

Duration: 24 min. per ep.

Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.45¹ (scored by 219,320 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #125²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #262

Members: 482,048

Favorites: 18,015

8.45

Ranked #125Popularity #262Members 482,048

Fall 1992TVStudio Pierrot

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Episodes: /112

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Synopsis

One fateful day, Yuusuke Urameshi, a 14-year-old delinquent with a dim future, gets a miraculous chance to turn it all around when he throws himself in front of a moving car to save a young boy. His ultimate sacrifice is so out of character that the authorities of the spirit realm are not yet prepared to let him pass on. Koenma, heir to the throne of the spirit realm, offers Yuusuke an opportunity to regain his life through completion of a series of tasks. With the guidance of the death god Botan, he is to thwart evil presences on Earth as a Spirit Detective.

To help him on his venture, Yuusuke enlists ex-rival Kazuma Kuwabara, and two demons, Hiei and Kurama, who have criminal pasts. Together, they train and battle against enemies who would threaten humanity's very existence.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho was voted as the second best anime of the year in 1993 and best anime of the year in 1994 and 1995 at the Animage Anime Grand Prix.

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho
Side story:	Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho (Movie), Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Meikai Shitou-hen - Honoo no Kizuna, Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Mu Mu Hakusho - Nightmare Hakusho, Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Two Shots/Noru ka Soru ka
Summary:	Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho - Ankoku Bujutsukai no Shou, Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho: Eizou Hakusho II
Sequel:	Yuu☆Yuu☆Hakusho Picture Drama

Yamaguchi, Kappei
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer, ADR Director

Watson, Barry

Producer

Kimura, Kyotaro

Producer

Abe, Noriyuki

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director

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Opening Theme

"Hohoemi no Bakudan" by Matsuko Mawatari

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Ending Theme

#01: "Homework ga Owaranai" by Matsuko Mawatari (eps 1-29)
#02: "Sayonara bye bye" by Matsuko Mawatari (eps 30-59)
#03: "Unbalance na Kiss wo Shite" by Hiro Takahashi (eps 60-83)
#04: "Taiyou ga Mata Kagayaku Toki" by Hiro Takahashi (eps 84-102)
#05: "Daydream Generation" by Matsuko Mawatari (eps 103-111)
#06: "Hohoemi no Bakudan" by Matsuko Mawatari (ep 112)

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Reviews

Jul 7, 2008

112 of 112 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

ensatsu-ken (All reviews)

495 people found this review helpful

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.

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Sep 13, 2019

112 of 112 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 7

Optigisa (All reviews)

86 people found this review helpful

--- 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 read more

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Mar 16, 2008

112 of 112 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 8

UserZero (All reviews)

160 people found this review helpful

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.

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Sep 18, 2014

112 of 112 episodes seen

Overall Rating: 10

EpicBlargman (All reviews)

138 people found this review helpful

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 read more

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