Yu Yu Hakusho Release Date, Plot, Cast, Trailer And More Details

In 2020, Netflix confirmed that it was turning Yoshihiro Togashi's classic '90s manga "Yu Yu Hakusho" into a live-action series, which came as welcome news to fans of the franchise. While it's not on par with the long-running pirate manga "One Piece," which the streamer adapted to widespread acclaim in 2023, "Yu Yu Hakusho" is definitely an important property: With over 78 million copies in circulation, it's one of the most successful manga series of all time.

Even the anime adaptation — which came out in the '90s and received an English dub in the '00s, introducing teen protagonist Yusuke Urameshi to a whole new audience — remains highly regarded among anime viewers, with a MyAnimeList score of 8.46. Netflix will be hoping to capture the magic of both the manga and the anime with its live-action adaptation, but which story arcs will it cover? When is it coming out? And who has been cast as Yusuke Urameshi? For all those answers and more, read on.

In its synopsis of the show, Netflix describes "Yu Yu Hakusho" thusly: "After a selfless act costs him his life, teen delinquent Yusuke Urameshi is chosen as a Spirit Detective to investigate cases involving rogue Yokai." That's a basic summary of Yoshihiro Togashi's manga. Yusuke Urameshi is a ne'er-do-well who dies in an unexpected act of altruism, saving a young child from being hit by a car. In the afterlife, Yusuke learns that the Underworld doesn't quite know what to do with him, and so he is offered a deal — pass some tests, and he can return to Earth in his body as a paranormal detective of sorts.

Obviously, Yusuke passes this test, sparking a series of supernatural adventures that change his life forever. In addition to solving a few mystical mysteries, Yusuke and his allies become embroiled in a variety of conflicts, especially supernatural fighting tournaments. As the story continues, Yusuke's foes only become more fierce, and he must do everything he can to adapt to the new and strange world he now lives in.

The Netflix show will follow the same basic structure, with promotional material confirming that the two first arcs — the Spirit Detective Saga and the Dark Tournament Saga — will be covered at the very least. Hopefully, the story doesn't stray too far beyond that point: Some fans are concerned that the live-action show will try to cram too much into one season. "It seems like a lot of material is condensed to make this work," said @reeseseater12 on YouTube, while fellow user @larryc8224 added, "They definitely condensed a lot which worries me."

Netflix has dropped three teasers for "Yu Yu Hakusho" so far. The first teaser is very basic — it's just one long shot of Yusuke Urameshi's hand as he uses his Spirit Gun attack, his signature move. Despite being short, it was enough to get fans excited. The second teaser opens with Yusuke's death and goes on to explain the circumstances of his resurrection as a spirit detective. Koenma, a prince of the Spirit World with a magical pacifier, is shown explaining the deal to Yusuke, adding, "You'll be alive again, that's incentive enough." The third teaser also opens with Yusuke being run down while saving a child, but this time we linger for longer, watching him stand over his own body in disbelief. It's far more tear-jerking than the previous two teasers, concentrating on the emotional beats of the story.

If the teasers were there to whet the appetite, then the first official trailer was the feast. It opens with a bloody massacre, showing the Yokai (the demons that Yusuke will have to fight) up close. Some are huge, and some are terrifyingly fast — which makes it that much cooler when they're split in two with swords. We also get to see Yusuke partake in some intense training (he almost impales his face after Genkai, his mentor, dodges an attack) and there's a stunning shot of Kurama using his signature red rose in battle. It's an action-packed trailer that makes the stakes of the story crystal clear ("The fate of the human world is in your hands," Koenma tells Yusuke) and really hypes up the show.

Netflix has described the visual effects created for "Yu Yu Hakusho" as "trailblazing," and there's been a lot of hype around how good the show will look. Fans reacted well to what they saw in the first trailer ("So far the visuals are nice and fights look fun," said YouTube user @larryc8224), which ends with Yusuke Urameshi using his Spirit Gun attack to quite literally melt the face of a foe. The effects have been created by the renowned VFX house Scanline, which has brought several DC movies to life (including "Joker," "The Batman," "Black Adam," and "The Flash") and has also worked on a number of other Netflix shows (such as "Shadow and Bone," "Cowboy Bebop," and "Stranger Things").

The action sequences showcased in the first "Yu Yu Hakusho" trailer are as stunning as anything you'll see in a Hollywood blockbuster. The creators achieved this using a mixture of CGI and motion capture technology, with 170 cameras used to film the actors from every conceivable angle during battles. The show will boast "plenty of action scenes," director Shô Tsukikawa confirmed during his IGN interview. "The visual effects we use are quite advanced, as we utilize cutting-edge technology, aimed for the best quality we can achieve," Tsukikawa said. "Just like when I first heard about this adaptation, there may be people out there who feel it's an impossible undertaking, but no matter how many ways I express how I feel, I believe the work will speak for itself and prove it's possible."