Yu Yu Hakusho Review

yusuke Main article: YuYu Hakusho characters

* Yusuke Urameshi (?? ??, Urameshi Yusuke?) - 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 dies and is revived by Keiko's kiss. His main attack is the Rei Gun (Spirit Gun in the English anime) where he can manipulate his Reiki and fire it into a projectile. He learns many techniques and abilities from Genkai. He mainly grows in strength from all of his different battles, because he responds to danger by unleashing his full strength.

* Kazuma Kuwabara (?? ??, 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.

* Kurama (??, Kurama?), also known as Shuichi Minamino (?? ??, Minamino Shuichi?) in his human form - Kurama is a demon with the ability to summon and control plants. He was originally the powerful and infamous yokai, kitsune thief, Fox Demon Kurama (as stated in the English manga) or Yoko Kurama (????, Yoko Kurama?, Yoko Kurama in the English anime) 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 Saga, Kurama was given a potion to aid him in his transforming to his Yoko Kurama state, but in later episodes seemed to be able to transform at will (this is explained as a side effect of releasing a lot of demon energy in the English anime).

* Hiei (??, Hiei?, a.k.a., lit. "Hiei of the Evil Eye") - A hi yokai (, hi yokai?, lit. fire demon) born of a Korime (??, Korime?, lit. Ice Maiden) who specializes in the Jagan (???, lit. (Evil Eye) skills?), as well as swordsmanship, and can move at superhuman speeds. 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 often bickers with Kuwabara. 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. He is commmonly confused to have the last name 'Jaganshi' in fandoms. Hiei is never given a last name in the manga or the anime, and 'Jaganshi' merely means 'Wielder of the Jagan'.

* Genkai (??, Genkai?) - The aged Reiki fighter who rigorously trains Yusuke in the Spirit Light Wave Fist (?????, Reiko Hado Ken?, Spirit Wave in the English anime). 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.
is a street-brawling delinquent with a tough guy approach to everything. Yusuke's mother Atsuko, an alcoholic, had him at the age of 15 and took a backseat in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor's office, and numerous other delinquents in the city are 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 the child would've miraculously survived, had it not been for him the child would have one less scratch on his right shoulder. Yusuke's premature death was unexpected and unnecessary, and the afterlife was not prepared for his arrival.

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived, and is assigned to work for the Spirit World as a detective investigating demon 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, translated in the English manga as the Demon Plane) and Ningenkai (human world) to aid him in his cases as they fight off demons and humans seeking to rule over all three worlds.