Yu Yu Hakusho follows the adventures of fourteen-year-old Yusuke Urameshi. Formerly a young rebel, Yusuke saves the life of a child and ultimately surrenders his own life. His noble sacrifice earns him a second chance and he is permitted to return to Earth from the Afterworld with new and amazing powers that must be used for good. His mission is to solve troubles between the Spirit World’s dark creatures and the unsuspecting Living World. Yusuke joins a motley crew of ex-rivals, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei, who join forces as friends to fight spirit criminals in this action-packed adventure series.

Yu Yu Hakusho premiered on Toonami March 3 at 6:00 p.m., after airing a year on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block. Initially, fans were skeptical because they feared the show would be hacked up with numerous edits. However, much to their surprise the series was not despite having necessary changes made when for the ratings change. Additionally, new episodes of the series premiered April 2, 2003, exclusively for Toonami. Eventually the series ratings declined over time and the show left Toonami in October of 2005. The remaining 24 episodes, however, were broadcast early on Cartoon Network’s Saturday morning schedule.

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.:Episode Guide

Spirit Detective Saga 1: Surprised to be Dead 2: Koenma Appears 3: Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men 4: Requirements For Lovers 5: Yusuke's Back 6: Three Monsters 7: Gouki and Kurama 8: The Three Eyes of Hiei 9: The Search Begins 10: Kuwabara's Spirit Sword 11: Hard Fights for Yusuke 12: Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls 13: Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks 14: The Beasts of Maze Castle 15: Genbu, the Stone Beast 16: Byakko, the White Tiger 17: Byakko's Lair 18: Seiryu, the Blue Dragon 19: Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts 20: Seven Ways to Die 21: Yusuke's Sacrifice 22: Lamenting Beauty 23: The Toguro Brothers Gang 24: The Deadly Triad 25: Kuwabara's Fight of Love The Dark Tournament Saga 26: Toguro Returns 27: The Dark Tournament Begins 28: First Fight 29: Flowers of Blood 30: Dragon of the Darkness Flame 31: Stumbling Warrior 32: Knife Edge Death-Match 33: A Day in Waiting 34: Percentage of Victory 35: Glimpse Beneath the Mask 36: Ambition Destroyed: A Trail of Light 37: Master of Disguise 38: Kurama's Stand 39: Crushing Revenge 40: Jin, the Wind Master 41: Reverse Decisions 42: A Matter of Love and Death 43: The Masked Fighter Revealed 44: Yusuke's Final Test 45: Hiei Battles On 46: Many Faces, Many Forms 47: Legendary Bandit: Yoko Kurama 48: The Cape of No Return 49: Genkai's Strength 50: Suzuki's Challenge 51: Arch-Rivals 52: The Death of Genkai 53: Overcoming Grief 54: The Beginning of the End 55: The Beast Within 56: Yoko's Magic

57: Beneath Bui's Armor 58: Wielder of the Dragon 59: The Shadow of Elder Toguro 60: Sakyo's Proposal 61: Yusuke vs. Toguro 62: Toguro's Full Power 63: Yusuke's Despair 64: Toguro's Desire 65: Out With a Bang 66: Toguro's Wish The Chapter Black Saga 67: Return to the Living World 68: Setting the Trap 69: The Power of Taboo 70: Genkai's Ruse 71: The Tunnel 72: The Reader 73: The Doctor's Disease 74: Sleep, Doctor, Sleep 75: Caught in the Rain 76: Kuwabara: Awakening 77: Sensui's Fall 78: Divide and Conquer 79: The Human Race 80: Moving Target 81: Let the Games Begin 82: If You Could Play Forever 83: Game Over 84: Kurama's Anger, Gourmet's Guest 85: Spirit Detective Showdown 86: The Difference Maker 87: Power Between the Teeth 88: The True Face of Sensui 89: Death of a Spirit Detective 90: Attempting Revenge 91: Waking the Lost 92: The Proof 93: Sensui's End 94: Topside The Three Kings Saga 95: Yusuke's Destiny 96: Three Strangers, Three Kings 97: Departing Living World 98: Return to Demon World 99: Haunted by the Past 100: The Secret of the Jagan 101: Reunion of the Bandits 102: Torn Between Identites 103: Inheritance 104: Every Demon For Himself 105: The Preliminaries 106: The Battle of Father and Son 107: The Demon World Tournament Begins 108: Farewell, Karuma 109: Love and War 110: A Reason to Fight 111: Closure 112: To The Future

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.:Characters

Yusuke Urameshi - Fourteen-year-old Yusuke Urameshi is the worst student at Sarayashiki Junior High. He gets terrible grades, skips class as often as possible, and has little respect for authority. On top of that, his coarse language and brash, arrogant manner get him into more altercations than he can count. Fortunately for him, he's good at protecting himself.

Really good. In fact, Yusuke has the reputation of being the toughest kid in town. But despite his killer rep, Yusuke is misunderstood. His home life is troubled. He is constantly hounded by his teachers, by his mother, and by fellow students gunning for him... As such, Yusuke is generally pretty miserable. Only after being assigned the job of Spiritual Detective does Yusuke truly begin to find his place in life.

Hiei - A fire apparition whose true origins are unknown. Hiei is a master swordsman, and his strength and speed are incredible. However, these are hardly his most fearsome abilities. Typically kept concealed behind a bandanna on his forehead is the Jagan, a mysterious third eye that possesses magical properties. With it he can control weak-minded humans, send telepathic messages, and move objects telekinetically. Hiei is fiercely independent, and his raw ambition drives him to pursue his own agenda at all times. Although he generally cares little for human life, and views others as mere obstacles in the pursuit of his own goals, Hiei strictly adheres to his own unique code of honor. As such, he helps those who help him, and is fiercely loyal to those who have managed to earn his respect.

Kurama - Not actually a human, Kurama has lived for over 300 years and possesses the wisdom and knowledge one would expect of someone his age. He is generally soft-spoken, almost eerily calm, even in the face of great adversity. But this calm exterior belies Kurama's incredible strength. He is a powerful, ruthless warrior, with wisdom and experience. As such, he is a formidable opponent to all he battles.

Kuwabara - Yusuke's chief rival at Sarayashiki Junior High. Like Yusuke, he isn't the greatest student, but he is an excellent fighter. Next to Yusuke he is a formidable adversary. Kuwabara is driven by an unwavering desire to be the best. And he has an affinity for kittens.

Botan - A messenger of the Spirit World, Botan serves as a guide to newly-departed spirits. She is friendly and often quite chipper, but when it comes to performing her duties she is all business. After Yusuke is assigned the job of Spiritual Detective, Koenma assigns Botan to be his assistant. Her knowledge and experience often prove invaluable to Yusuke during his many adventures.

Genkai - Aging master of the Spirit Wave fighting technique, she wishes to pass her knowledge to one worthy pupil before she dies. Yusuke is chosen to be that pupil, and he soon discovers Genkai's training to be the most difficult ordeal of his life. Despite her advanced years, Genkai constantly amazes Yusuke with her ability to perform superhuman feats of strength and agility. Her wit is as finely honed as her technique, and she possesses the wisdom that comes from a life rich with experience. Impossible to intimidate, she stares unflinchingly into the face of danger, ready to meet even the most daunting of challenges.

Kayko - Yusuke's closest, and sometimes only, friend. Kayko and Yusuke have known each other since they were little children, and although he would never admit it, she is probably the person that he cares most about in the world. As such, Kayko has a unique ability to talk sense into Yusuke when he is being stubborn or unruly. Kayko is one of the leading students in her school. Intelligent, friendly, and outgoing, she is well-liked and respected by her peers. She is confident, self-assured, and at times a bit head-strong. She is brave in the face of danger, and will not hesitate to put herself at risk in order to help a friend in need.

Koenma - Son of King Yama, ruler of the Spirit World, Koenma is left in charge of day to day operations while his father is away on vacation (a chore he despises - too much paperwork!). Koenma's youthful appearance is quite deceiving - the little prince is actually over 700 years old! Koenma possesses the wisdom to accompany his years, and can pose a rather commanding figure in spite of his diminutive size. There's only one thing that Koenma fears - making his father angry!

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.:Misc.

• Yu Yu Hakusho creator, Yoshihiro Togashi, is married to Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi.



• The manga the television series is based off of was published in Shonen Jump, which also published popular Toonami shows' orginal mangas "Dragonball" and "Rurouni Kenshin."



• The first part of the series, where Yuske is dead, is shortened in the anime, as compared to the manga.



• Yu Yu Hakusho is also known as Ghost Files and the Poldergiest Report.



• Yu Yu Hakusho’s anime adaptation was produced by Studio Pierrot, which is also produced the manga-to-anime adaptation of the highly popular Japanese series Japanese Naruto and Bleach.

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