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YuYu Hakusho

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YuYu Hakusho
File:YYH Manga Cover.jpg
Yu Yu Hakusho
GenreSupernatural, Action
Manga
Written byYoshihiro Togashi
Published byJapan Shueisha
Anime
Directed byNoriyuki Abe
StudioStudio Pierrot

YuYu Hakusho (幽☆遊☆白書 YūYū Hakusho or Yu Yu Hakusho, literally Spirits Wander White Book, meaning "Ghost Files" / "Poltergeist Report") is a Japanese manga and anime series created by Yoshihiro Togashi.

The anime, directed by Noriyuki Abe and co-produced by Fuji Television, Yomiko Advertising and Studio Pierrot, consists of 112 TV episodes and two movies: "The Golden Seal" (YuYu Hakusho: The Movie) and "Bonds of Fire" (YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report). In Japan, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. The series consists of 175 chapters across 19 volumes. In North America, the manga currently runs in VIZ Media's Shonen Jump.

The name of the series is spelled Yu Yu Hakusho in FUNimation's distribution of the anime, and YuYu Hakusho in the Viz manga. The TV series originally aired on Japan's Fuji Television network from October 10, 1992 to January 7, 1995 [1], and was later licensed in North America by FUNimation in 2001. The show first aired on US TV on February 2002 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. Around March 2003, the show moved to Cartoon Network's Toonami block due to higher ratings with children. Then Yu Yu Hakusho was taken off Toonami around March 2005 and moved to an early Saturday morning timeslot at 5:30 A.M. where the series finished its run. It currently airs as part of the FUNimation programming block on CoLours TV.

A series of Yu Yu Hakusho Original Animated Videos were released only in Japan:

  • Eizō Hakusho: Ankoku Bujutsukai (2 Volumes)
  • Eizō Hakusho II: Yusuke Volume
  • Eizō Hakusho II: Kurama Volume
  • Eizō Hakusho II: Hiei Volume
  • Eizō Hakusho II: Kuwabara Volume
  • Opening Ending Encyclopedia
  • Recap Guide Complete Advance Set (3 Volumes)

In the Philippines, the anime and both movies were initially shown on IBC 13, then on GMA 7, all under the name Ghostfighter [2], with the names of the main characters changed. It has also been released in Italy under the title Yu degli spettri.

It has also been broadcast across Japan, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Subcontinent by the anime satellite television network Animax.

Background

File:YuYuHakushologo.PNG
YuYu Hakusho logo (English manga)

Yusuke Urameshi is nothing more than a street-brawling delinquent with a typical tough guy approach to everything. Yusuke's mother Atsuko, an alcoholic, had him at the age of 14 and shows little interest in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor's office, and every single punk in the city is trying to take him on. Yusuke is pretty fed up with life.

However, no one expects a sudden act of heroism on his part: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. In fact, when he arrives in the afterlife, he is informed that no one was expecting him to die that way, and were not prepared for his arrival.

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived, and is assigned to work for the Spirit Realm as a detective investigating demonic cases in the human world. He comes into spiritual abilities of his own, and enlists the help of numerous friends from Reikai (spirit world), Makai (demon world) and Ningenkai (human world) to aid him in his cases, and fight off demons and humans seeking to usurp and rule over all three worlds.

File:N1194240527 30049694 4166.jpg
(Characters from left to right: Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara(above), Hiei(below), Kurama, Botan)

Characters

Main article: YuYu Hakusho characters

Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. The English anime name is to the right of the Japanese name if it applies.

  • Yusuke Urameshi (浦飯 幽助, Urameshi Yūsuke) - Yusuke is the toughest kid in Sarayashiki Junior High School and has a typical tough guy approach to everything. He becomes a spirit detective after he died and was revived by Keiko's kiss. His main attack is the Rei Gun (Spirit Gun in the English Dub) where he can manipulate his Reiki into a projectile. He learns many other attacks from Genkai including the spirit gun double and shot gun. He mainly grows in strength from all of his different battles, because he responds to danger by unleashing his full strength. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that Yusuke is in fact a half demon. His demon ancestor mated with a human female and arranged so that a descendant of his, once strong enough, would become a half demon. This explains Yusuke's incredible spirit powers.
File:Kurama transform.jpg
Left to Right: Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei
  • Kazuma Kuwabara (桑原 和真, Kuwabara Kazuma) - Kuwabara is the second toughest kid in the school, and resents Yusuke for it. Originally rivals, Yusuke and Kuwabara would start a grudging friendship that only strengthens throughout the series. Although human, Kuwabara has high Reiki sensitivity; shortly after accompanying Yusuke on missions, he is able to manifest a Rei Ken (Spirit Sword in the English dubbing); a type of Reiki that normally takes on the shape of a glowing sword. After the Dark Saga, Kuwabara is believed to be the strongest human alive (Genkai implies this). Though he may not be the strongest in the "gang", he is certainly the kindest, as he has a certain affinity for kittens
  • Keiko Yukimura (雪村螢子, Yukimura Keiko) / Kayko Yukimura - Although Yusuke vehemently denies it, Keiko is his girlfriend. Her personality is almost the exact opposite of his; she is a model student, and often berates Yusuke for playing hookey or for getting into trouble. Her relationship with Yusuke has sometimes made her a target of demons who had sought to gain the upper hand against the detective. Keiko eventually learns of Yusuke's life as a Reikai detective, and while apprehensive of some of his more dangerous fights, often supports and cheers him on.
  • Koenma (コエンマ, Koenma) - Though he resembles an infant in appearance, he is actually over 700 years old and is the son of King Enma (King Yama, the Sanskrit name, in the English anime), the ruler of the spirit realm (Reikai). Koenma also has the ability to transform into a teenage version of himself (ostensibly for formal occasions) but still retains his trademark pacifier. He does this only to blend in with the human world.
  • Botan (ぼたん, Botan) - One of the hundreds of ferry girls of the spirit realm (a type of shinigami) responsible for guiding the souls of the recently departed to eternal judgement (in the American version, she is referred to as the "grim reaper"). Originally assigned by Koenma to be Yusuke's spirit guide after his fatal car accident, she becomes his case manager, supplying him with equipment and much of the information he needs. Botan is a kind and warm-hearted woman who has put herself in peril on several occasions to protect the people she cares about. She takes her job very seriously, although she tends to act in a very bubbleheaded manner.
  • Hiei (飛影, Hiei) a.k.a. Hiei of the Evil Eye (Jaganshi Hiei) - Hiei is a fire demon (hi yōkai) born of a Koorime (氷女 Ice Maiden) who specializes in speed, swordsmanship and "Jagan" (Evil Eye) skills (邪眼術). His artificially created Jagan amplifies his power and enables him to summon the black fires of Makai (Demon Realm) and channel it as an energy attack, often in the shape of a dragon. He's a bit of a hot head and is not very fond of Kurwabara. Hiei is also a bit short. His twin sister Yukina is unaware of their relationship, and Hiei has gone as far as to threaten harm to others to prevent Yukina from realizing that he is actually her brother. The choice of vocabulary used in reference to Yukina's age in the early manga suggests Hiei and Yukina may be adolescents throughout the series.
  • Kurama (蔵馬, Kurama), also known as Shuichi Minamino (南野 秀一, Minamino Shūuichi) in his human form - Kurama is a demon with the ability to summon and control plants. He was originally the powerful and infamous yōkai, Kitsune thief, Fox Demon Kurama (as stated in the English manga) or Yoko Kurama (as stated in the English anime) (妖狐蔵馬 Yōuko Kurama) until he was wounded by a hunter. Managing to escape by inhabiting the body of an unborn human baby, he grew up as the human child Shuichi, and planned on abandoning his "family" once his demonic power returned at the age of ten, but grew to love his human mother, Shiori Minamino. Kurama has a wide variety of techniques, because of his ability to control a wide variety of plants, including the often seen Rose Whip. In The "Dark Tournament" Kurama was given a potion to aid him in his transforming to his "Youko Kurama" state, but in later episodes seemed to be able to transform at will.
  • Genkai (幻海, Genkai) - The aged Reiki fighter who rigorously trains Yusuke in the Spirit Light Wave Fist (霊光波動拳 Reikō Hadō Ken, Spirit Wave in the English dub) technique. Though her manner is often gruff, she cares for Yusuke and the others, and constantly tries to help them grow stronger. In the past, she was feared as one of the most powerful human fighters in both Ningenkai and Makai.
  • Yukina (雪菜, Yukina) - An ice yōkai (An "Ice Maiden" 氷女 Kōorime) whose tears can harden into rare, priceless jewels (a characteristic of the Kōrime race). Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara rescued her from Gonzo Tarukane, a black market businessman who was torturing her to produce the gems. She reappears later in the series, searching for her brother. She is unaware of the fact that Hiei is her sibling, and that Kuwabara is in love with her. As a Kōrime, she has the ability to cause cold temperatures, as well as use powers of healing.

Plot

Main article: List of YuYu Hakusho episodes

Story arcs

Terms

Reikai Tantei (literally Spirit Realm Detective) / Spirit Detective - "Spirit Detective" is the name given to those who defend the human world (Ningenkai) from interference from demons, beasts, and apparitions known as yōkai hailing from the Demon World (Makai). Reikai Tantei are usually picked by Koenma, the prince of Spirit World (Reikai), the realm of the dead or disembodied.

Ningenkai The human world. (Earth)

Reikai The world of spirits, and the afterlife for both demons and humans. A loose analogue for Heaven.

Makai The world where demons reside.

Meikai The Netherworld. An analogue for Hell. Was once the afterlife for demons, but was sealed away after its ruler tried to conquer the other realms.

Reiki Spirit energy possessed by humans.

Youki Energy possessed by yōkai (demons). Also known as Demonic energy.

Youkai Demons.

Seikouki Sacred energy possessed by Shinobu Sensui and some inhabitants of Reikai.

Classes

The ranking of demons and apparitions is done by grade letters. E-class is the weakest class of demons, only slightly stronger than ordinary humans. Meanwhile, the S-class is the strongest demon classification. Each class also has sub-divisions of upper (or +), middle, and lower (or -). For example, A has three subclasses: A-, A, and A+. They are not used to classify humans, and when judging the power of a human, they will say that the characters power is equivalent to a certain demon class. A* indicates that the particular character is at the highest level of that rank. In the Three Kings Saga, it seems that many demons surpass the Upper S-class rankings, so Yu Yu Hakusho adopts a numerical system. 60,000 on this system is equivalent to a Middle B-class, 120,000 to a High A-class, and 200,000 to a Middle S-class. However, the device used to record the energy levels aforementioned breaks before the Makai Tournament, so the exact class and energy readings of some of its contestants remain unknown.

Middle E-class 150

Middle D-class 5,000

Middle C-class 15,000

Middle B-class 60,000

High A-class 120,000

Middle S-class 200,000

High S-class 1,000,000 and Beyond

Theme songs

  • Opening
    • "Hohoemi no Bakudan" (Smile Bomb) by Matsuko Mawatari (originally used only on Adult Swim but now seen on regular Cartoon Network)
      • In the English version, this and the ending theme songs are dubbed.
      • During the Chapter Black Saga, the images of the entire opening have been replaced with updated ones. Some of those images are further updated during the Saga of the Three Kings.
      • The full song was used as the closing for the final episode.
  • Ending
    • "Homework ga Owaranai" (The Homework is Finished) by Matsuko Motokoshi (1-29) (Used on Cartoon Network up until Toonami moved to Saturday Nights)
    • "Sayonara BYE BYE" by Matsuko Mawatari (30-59) - Used on the Cartoon Network version starting with the Finals of the Dark Tournament storyline.
    • "Anbaransu na Kisu o Shite" (Kissing the Unbalanced) by Hiro Takahashi (60-83) Used for the Cartoon Network Version starting with the beginning of the Chapter Black Storyline using the English lyrics and music from Ending #4.
    • "Taiyou ga Mata Kagayaku Toki" (The Sun is Shining Again/When the Sun Shines Again) by Hiro Takahashi (84-102) Used for the Cartoon Network Version finishing the Chapter Black Saga.
    • "Daydream Generation" by Matsuko Mawatari (103-111) Used for the Cartoon Network Version starting the Three Kings Saga (episode 95)
  • Main Character Songs
    • Kurama (By Megumi Ogata)
      • "Kurayami ni Akai Bara ~Romantic Soldier" (Red Rose in the Darkness ~Romantic Soldier)
      • "Kyou no Sayonara wa Mirai no Hajimari" (Today's Goodbye is the Start of Tomorrow)
      • "Nightmare"
      • "Koori no Naifu o Daite" (Embracing the Ice Knife)
      • "Hohoemi no Bakudan" (Smile Bomb) Character Version
      • "Homework ga Owarani" (The Homework is Finished) Character Version
    • Hiei (By Nobuyuki Hiyama)
      • "Kuchibue ga Kikoeru" (I Hear a Whistle)
      • "Manazashi no Aria"
      • "Ryuusei no Solitude" (Solitude of a Shooting Star)
      • "Tasogare ni Se o Mukete"
    • Kuwabara (By Shigeru Chiba)
      • "DACHI" (Buddies)
      • "Eien ni THANK YOU!" (Thank You Forever)
      • "Konjou Icchokusen" (Guts All the Way)
      • "Otoko no Junjou" (The Simple Feelings of a Man)
    • Yuusuke (By Nozomu Sasaki)
      • "All Right!"
      • "Akatsuki no Chikai" (Rising Sun)
      • "Dead or Alive ~Toshi Kami" (Dead or Alive ~Holy Battle)
      • "FIRE!"
      • "Kiki!"
      • "Kokoro o Tsunaide" (Join our Hearts)
      • "TOUGH"
      • "Tsukanoma no Sunset"
      • "Unbalancena Kiss o Shite" Character Version
      • "Taiyou ga Mata Kagayaku Toki" Character Version
    • young Genkai (By Megumi Hayashibara)
      • "Forever Dreamer"
  • Other Character Songs
    • Hinageshi (By Chisa Yokoyama)
      • "Anata o Dakishimeru Watashi de Itai" (I Want to Embrace You)
    • Toguro (By Katsumi Suzuki and Tessho Genda)
      • "Cry Lonely Cry"
      • "Icy Blood"
    • Keiko (By Yuri Amano)
      • "Donna Toki Demo Anata to Mezametai"
      • "YELL"
    • Touya (By Yasunori Matsumoto)
      • "GLEAM ~Yami ni Hikaru" (GLEAM ~Shining in the Darkness~)
    • Kaname Hagiri (By Eiji Sekiguchi)
      • "Kiri no Naka no Sniper" (The Sniper in the Mist)
    • Chuu (By Norio Wakamoto)
      • "Maa, Nome yo" (Just Have a Drink)
    • Itsuki (By Koji Tsujitani)
      • "Never Ending Dreams"
    • Mukuro (By Chisa Yokoyama)
      • "REBIRTH ~Saisei~" (REBIRTH ~Rebirth~)
    • Yomi (By Masashi Ebara)
      • "Sennen no Yami no Hate" (The End of a Thousand Years of Darkness)
    • Koenma (By Mayumi Tanaka)
      • "TOKOTON"
      • "Daydream Generation" Character Version
    • Jin (By Kappei Yamaguchi)
      • "Tsumujikaze de Fly Away" (Fly Away with a Whirlwind)
    • Sensui (By Rokuro Naya)
      • "Unbelievable"
    • Utsukushii Matouka Suzuki (By Kazuyuki Sogabe)
      • "Utsukushi Sugite..." (Too Beautiful...)
    • Shizuru (By Orikasa Ai)
      • "Sayonara Bye Bye" Character Version
  • Group/Duet Songs
    • "Mienai Mirai" - Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Botan, and Koenma
    • "Wild Wind ~Yasei no Kaze no You ni (Wild Wind ~Like the Wind of the Wild) - Hiei and Kurama
    • "Yasashisa Wa Nemuranai" (Kindness Never Sleeps) - Kurama, Yuusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara
    • "Moonlight Party" - Botan and Koenma
    • "EYE TO EYE" - Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara
    • "Rocket Hanabi no LOVE SONG" - Kuwabara & Yukina
    • "Omoide o Tsubasa ni Shite" (Turning Feelings into Wings) - Yuusuke & Keiko
    • "Love Song o Anata ni" (A Love Song for You) - Koto, Juri, Ruka
    • "HOLD OUT!" - Botan, Keiko, Yukina
    • "Hikari no Naka de" (Inside the Light) - Yuusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei
    • "Eien no Requiem" (Never Ending Requiem) - Sensui & Itsuki
    • "Dark Side Stories" - Youko Kurama & Hiei
    • "Boku-tachi no Kisetsu" (Our Seasons) - Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei
  • On the FUNimation DVDs, there is a flaw in DVD volumes 9-12. The English lyrics track for Ending #2 did not start until Episode #43, which is the first episode on DVD Volume #13. On all the DVDs that have this, it will only play the English version of Ending #1 for the end credits by not turning on the Japanese subtitles (English subtitles that follow the Japanese version) in the menu. The reason behind this flaw is that no English track was produced at that time during the DVD releases.
  • "Daydream Generation"(Ending 5) first aired on episode 95 in the U.S. starting the Three Kings Saga.

Merchandise

  • Yu Yu Hakusho has released many DVDs and videos, and also has three video games in North America. It also released a few action figures.
  • The Yu Yu Hakusho TV series in its original DVD form was released in sets of three to four episodes, with a total of thirty-two DVD and VHS volumes.
  • Yu Yu Hakusho also has DVD's of both of the movies that are currently available, which have been licensed and released by Media Blasters and Central Park Media.
  • FUNimation is currently re-releasing the Yu Yu Hakusho series on DVD sets made up of fourteen episodes each.


See also

Notes and references

External links

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