Fans’ anticipation and skepticism for the Yu Yu Hakusho live-action has been building since it was first announced. Following the tremendous success that other adaptions like Sweet Home, One Piece, and Alice in Borderland received, it seemed like Netflix had found its stride in live-action anime adaptations. Yoshihiro Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho is a pinnacle of shonen anime with a timeless legacy that has been praised for over 30 years. While the live-action was entertaining and able to capture most of the essence of Yu Yu Hakusho, it also fell short of meeting its full potential. The casting, performances, fight choreography, and even the subtle inclusion of the song Smile Bomb was a perfect touch for this adaptation. But then things quickly went downhill from there due to various changes that affected the storytelling and pacing, now making us wonder about what could happen if Yu Yu Hakusho gets a Season 2.
SPOILER WARNING: This piece contains spoilers for Yu Yu Hakusho.
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The Changes
Adapting anime to live-action naturally involves changes due to differences in medium and practical considerations. While alterations can enhance the narrative, Yu Yu Hakusho’s live-action faced challenges as the changes adversely affected character development, storytelling, and the series trajectory. The challenges the Yu Yu Hakusho live-action faced became more apparent as the series attempted to cover a substantial portion of the Spirit Detective Saga. This ambitious undertaking resulted in the creative and writing teams having to compress over 5o chapters from the original manga into only five episodes. Instead of individually adapting the distinct arcs within the saga, the approach involved amalgamating elements to present Yusuke and his friends’ stories in a different light. Here are some of the significant changes that were made and how they hindered the adaptation from being great.
Artifacts Of Darkness Arc
The live-action slightly delves into the Artifacts of Darkness Arc when Koenma tasks Yusuke with recovering three stolen magical artifacts from the Spirit World including the Orb of Baast, the Forlorn Hope, and the Shadow Sword, taken by Goki, Kurama, and Hiei. While Yusuke’s discovery of Kurama’s true motives aligns with the source material, significant deviations occur elsewhere. For example the most notable change is that Hiei and Yusuke do not engage in a substantial battle, resulting in the latter’s victory. Diminishing their battle to a brief fight limited much of Hiei’s presence on screen which resulted in him not fitting into the season. It also didn’t provide much opportunity for character development.
Makai Insects and the Maze Castle Arc
Although the live-action excludes Suzaku and the other Four Saint Beasts from its adaptation, one part of the Maze Castle Arc, the Makai insects, is included. In a departure from the original storyline where Suzaku employs the insects to conquer the human world during Yusuke and his friends’ castle infiltration, the live-action presents the demon insects emerging from a portal connecting the human world to the Demon World. In the live-action adaptation, the Makai insects invade humans, imbuing them with demonic powers and unleashing mayhem and destruction. This stark departure from their appearance toward the end of the Spirit Detective Saga in the anime places the Makai insects as a central focus in the first and second episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho. The Maze Castle Arc is critical to establishing the connection between Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei. In the Netflix series, the bonding moment between the four characters occurs for the first time just before they set off on a journey to rescue Yukina and Keiko.
Yusuke’s Training
Yusuke’s training with Genkai is one of the most influential moments in shaping his abilities and pushing him to become his best self. The extensive training sessions with Genkai are crucial for Yusuke in mastering his powers. A significant milestone in their master-student relationship occurred when Genkai imparted the Spirit Wave technique to Yusuke. Although the absorption of this technique nearly kills him, Yusuke manages to overcome its power, ultimately mastering it just in time to confront Toguro. In contrast, the live-action adaptation takes a different approach to Genkai and Yusuke’s relationship and condenses their training period. This choice undermines the depth of Yusuke’s journey, dismissing the substantial effort and challenges he faced in making the Spirit Wave technique his own.
Dark Tournament Saga
The Dark Tournament Saga is the second saga in Yu Yu Hakusho that plays a prominent role in the series storyline. The tale follows Yusuke and his comrades participating in a deadly martial arts competition called the Dark or Demon World Tournament. Season two of the live-action would have been the ideal setting in the Dark Tournament Saga. This choice would have allowed for an in-depth exploration of themes like friendship and sacrifice among the main cast while introducing new adversaries and building suspense within the storyline. It would have also followed Yusuke and his friends to gain more depth and develop their skills. Instead, the adaptation drew inspiration from various elements of the Dark Tournament Saga, recontextualizing the fights but failing to capture the same impact and meaning as in the source material.
Major Character Deaths
In this season of Yu Yu Hakusho, two significant characters meet their demise, Genkai and Toguro. In episode three, Toguro kills Genkai after she completes Yusuke’s training. In the original series Genkai doesn’t die during the Spirit Detective Saga and actively participates in the Dark Tournament. As for Toguro’s death, the adaptation diverges from the original timeline, as he also does not meet his end so early in the series and participates in the Dark Tournament. Despite attempts to capture the essence and significance of Toguro and Genkai’s deaths, these changes in the live-action lack the same impact and resonance as their portrayals in the anime.
So Where Can They Go From Here?
It’s unclear whether there will be a Season 2 of Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho. In some ways, this season was written like it was meant to be a limited series which is a shame because there is so much more of Yusuke and his friends’ adventures to tell. If given a second season that properly paces it’s story this adaptation could improve greatly. Two main ideas for season two include reviving Genkai and adapting the Chapter Black Saga.
Genkai’s Revival
Sometime after Genkai’s death, Toguro secretly gave Genkai’s body to Koenma before the Dark Tournament finals. This was done to preserve her body for potential revival after the tournament. Miraculously, Genkai is brought back to life through the tournament’s prize. In the live-action adaptation, reviving Genkai in Yu Yu Hakusho Season 2 could open avenues for continuing Yusuke’s training and further establishing their bond. This extension would allow for a more comprehensive exploration of his abilities which would also prepare him to face more formidable adversaries. As the series continues, more enemies threatening the Living World arise, further showing the importance of Yusuke’s continuous training and mastery of his skills.
Chapter Black Saga
The Chapter Black Saga, is the third installment in the YuYu Hakusho series, which delves into Yusuke’s conflict with the former Spirit Detective, Shinobu Sensui. Sensui would make for a complex villain and adversary for Yusuke to face in the second season. Sensui grapples with guilt from his past, having indiscriminately killed demons during his time as a Spirit Detective, ultimately causing him to go mad and develop a hatred for humanity. This saga further explores Yusuke’s morals and powers after the Dark Tournament, presenting a unique challenge as he faces a human adversary whose supernatural abilities surpass any demon Yusuke has encountered thus far, even Toguro.
While the fate of the Yu Yu Hakusho live-action’s continuation remains uncertain, I am hopeful for a Season 2. There’s untapped potential in the series, and with the right vision and execution, the show has the opportunity to significantly improve and contribute to the franchise’s legacy.
Yu Yu Hakusho live action is exclusively available on Netflix.
