Let's Talk About... Yu Yu Hakusho

[talonmalon333]

So far? Yusuke Vs. Jin. It had pretty much everything. Crazy moves, good tactics, humor, and one awesome finale.

Second would be Yusuke Vs. Chu.

I agree. But I do think the Knife Edge Death Match makes the Chu fight a very close second.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Best single fight is Yusuke vs. Jin, so far.

However, as I've stated before, I tend to think of Team Urameshi vs. Team Masho as one long, extended battle.

[talonmalon333]

So, of the episodes that have aired thus far, I'd call Reverse Decisions the best one yet. I really can't weird for the semi-finals to begin.

Can I just say, I really like when we see other parts of Hanging Neck Island beyond the stadium. They did a good job of making the island just look nice and tranquil outside of the stadium (which, obviously, is not tranquil). We saw a lot of it in A Day in Waiting, and some of it in the episodes this week. Next week, we'll see a whole lot of it again.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I like how this arc has a lot of breathing room in-between fights despite being a tournament arc. The stuff that happens outside of the ring has just as much weight and importance to it as what goes down inside of the ring, and it's just as interesting. That's why this is the best tournament arc of all time, IMO.

[talonmalon333]

I like how this arc has a lot of breathing room in-between fights despite being a tournament arc. The stuff that happens outside of the ring has just as much weight and importance to it as what goes down inside of the ring, and it's just as interesting. That's why this is the best tournament arc of all time, IMO.

And that breathing room is one of the things that makes it special when there is no breathing room before the fight against Team Masho.

[Spark Of Spirit]

This week we move into more interesting back story.

The fight against Team Masho might be over, but they're still a ways from the goal line. Not only that, but Yusuke still has more to learn and the Masked Fighter is going to teach him what it is he's missing.

Not only that, but Koenma shows up with a surprise!

First, not only does Yusuke's spirit egg (remember that?) finally have enough energy to hatch, but it is also the true test of Yusuke's character. Will he be devoured and left for dead once gain, or will he hatch a valiant beast that shows just what a dynamic hero he is? Well, what he gets is not quite what anyone expects.



And that is apparently the true form of Yusuke Uremeshi.

But that is not everything. As Team Uremeshi rests, the Masked Fighter (now officially revealed as Genkai) shows that his training still needs one final step to complete. He must take in her spirit orb-- a concentration of power that will allow him to reach his peak potential. If he survives, that is.

See, though Genkai is master of the Spirit Wave, it's an incredibly dangerous technique that can kill the user of used improperly. Not to mention that there's no guarantee that Yusuke will survive taking the orb into his body. There's a chance he might be able to figure out a way to beat Toguro without it, but he can't risk his life on that. So he instantly jumps at the chance to become more powerful. Otherwise they are all dead.

Yusuke takes in the spirit orb without a second thought and, well, it doesn't go too well for him.



Not only that, but Team Uremeshi is readying for the semi-finals, and two of their members are off training instead of getting ready for the match. Can Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara, take on the semi-finals by themselves? Or are they up a creek?

The Dark Tournament arc rages on in our weekly discussion, so what do you all think of this pair of episodes?

[talonmalon333]

There's a chance he might be able to figure out a way to beat Toguro without it

Spoiler

Well, considering that he still almost died against Toguro until Kuwabara's faked death even with all of her energy, I'd say he would have lost quickly without it. He wasn't even able to scratch Toguro with a full powered spirit blast, and considering that probably, like, 90% of his power was Genkai's, I can only imagine how ineffective his attacks would be without it.

[close]

I know the Team Masho match is widely considered on this board as one of the best matches in the tournament, if not the best. That said, I do think the show doesn't necessarily go downhill with the semi-finals. But more like, so much of the Dark Tournament happens to be fantastic, and the semi-finals just happens to come after a match that is slightly more fantastic. So basically, I see these matches as different levels of awesome as opposed to different levels of quality, if that makes sense.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I really do love all of the moments where the good guys get some downtime in this series to just be themselves. It makes them feel more human and more relatable.

And I fucking love the match between Hiei and Makintaro.  That was literally the perfect way to start off this round of the tournament, and it's absolutely hilarious in a very dark/morbid way. It's one of the few times that Togashi gets violent with a scene in a way that actually makes it feel like it benefits from doing so.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

43. The Masked Fighter Revealed

So, let's address the elephant in the room. Yes, Genkai being the masked fighter was absolutely no surprise to anybody. But, that mystery (or lack thereof) was hardly a focusing point of the character. Rather, I think that Togashi knew that it was obvious to readers/viewers that Genkai was disguising herself to be in the tournament, but the real question that's presented to us now is just WHY did she feel the need to disguise herself in the first place. Between this and Toguro seeming to know what's going on with Yusuke and his training, we get a big hint of a relationship between Genkai and Toguro that we were previously unaware of.

On another note, remember that Macguffin Spirit Egg that was introduced way back in the first arc of this story? Well, it's finally back, and as I've stated before it makes a great metaphor for Yusuke's character arc. Whereas it was introduced as a means to restore Yusuke back to life in the first arc, Togashi has thus turned it into a physical representation of Yusuke's soul. The egg having grown bigger since he last saw it represents how he has grown as a person since the beginning of the series, but more so than that, Puu finally emerging from the egg to me represents Yusuke having truly completed his rebirth as a Spirit Detective. After all of his experiences, he is now a far cry from the hopeless street punk that he once was.

The rest of the episode is just great for giving the characters some downtime to just be themselves. Sure, some plot progression still occurs, but it's the little moments between characters, such as the group playfully mocking Yusuke to his annoyance, that really injects a healthy dose of humanity and relatability into a series as outlandish as this one. It's what sets this apart from certain other series that are so scared of slowing down the pace with a bit relief to all of the tension. Most people would consider that filler, but in that regard, filler is not inherently a bad thing. However, I wouldn't call this filler myself, in the sense that it still does feel relevant. Not so much in terms of the plot, but in terms of reminding us what these characters are really like when their lives and well-being aren't being threatened, and in essence it's what they are really trying to protect, in the end.

44. Yusuke's Final Test

I love the whole mentor-to-student relationship between Genkai and Yusuke. Furthemore, I love how this feels sort of like a classic martial arts story or something of that like, where the wise master asks the student to perform a difficult test, but it's really a disguise of a test within a test, and by refusing to partake in the initially proposed test of killing Genkai, Yusuke has unwittingly passed the real first test of whether he is of the right character to inherit her power. However, putting that cute little bit aside, his real test is just about as rigorous and agonizing as you would expect it to be.

And back at the tournament, we now have Team Urameshi in the semi-finals in another disadvantaged situation with two of their key members missing, but what's brilliant about it is that it gives Hiei a chance to shine right away since he didn't have much to do in the last two rounds. And boy, what an awesome match it is when it reaffirms for all of us and the characters on screen what a bad-ass he is and how you should never take him lightly. In a matter of seconds the first match is already done, when he slices Makintaro's arm off so fast that he doesn't even feel what happened until he realizes that he's missing an arm by seeing it with is own eyes. It's like a classic FOTNS or JoJo-esque moment of over-the-top martial arts ability triumphing over a much bigger but far more slow-witted opponent. It's probably one of the most genuinely bad-ass moments in any shonen manga or anime that I've ever seen.

Also, next week, we finally get to see my namesake on screen!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Hey guys, I'm in one of these episodes! Hiei summons me and then forces me to penetrate some hairy guy, with his wet hot juices spilling off of my pointy end. This is clearly the best cameo ever!

Also, you find out here that my first name is Jao. I would later go on to earn a PharmD degree and refer to myself as doctor.

[talonmalon333]

It's funny how Kuro Momataro puts up such a fight when, in reality, he's probably nothing. The only reason the match lasted more than a single minute is because he had those Steaming Spears to boost him up, and because Hiei was fighting at half strength.

[Avaitor]

This week's pair continues Team Urameshi's match against Team Uraotogi. The lion's share of these episodes involves Hiei's second battle, where he faces Kuro Momotaro, who is able to transform his abilities to mess with Hiei's. It makes for a good stream of combat. Both trade off a few new (to us) moves, which results in an exciting match throughout.

Hiei holds his own throughout, eventually winning, as the next match brings Kurama into the field as he takes on Ura Urashima, a seemingly average, but conceptually worthy opponent that uses Kurama's compassion to his advantage. It results in one a big reveal for Kurama, which is bound to make next week's episodes even more exciting.

Meanwhile, Yusuke is still giving it his all, as he and Genkai continue their training. Will they be MIA for the entire match?

[talonmalon333]

I was always unclear how the Sword of the Darkness Flame works. Like, it's the dragon taking on the form of a sword, right? Always seemed a bit weird since the dragon is supposedly a living creature.

Still a cool move. And I love how Hiei doesn't like it since it's similar to Kuwabara's Spirit Sword.

[Spark Of Spirit]

These were great episodes focused on giving Hiei his first real trouble of the tournament since he sacrificed his arm and half his power to beat Zeru in the first round. We also see the extent of Kuro-Momotaro's power which is quite amazing despite him being an otherwise average fighter. Also dig the jab at Kuwabara when Hiei uses the Ensatsu-ken to win the match. It's such an uncouth technique!

As for the tournament, it's not going well for Team Uraotogi who have already suffered two losses. If this weren't the semi-finals, they'd really be up a creek. And seeing that Kurama is up next to fight, it's not looking good for them either. Or is it? They seem to have some sort of plan going.

Next week we should finally see what Kurama's potential is truly capable of.

I was always unclear how the Sword of the Darkness Flame works. Like, it's the dragon taking on the form of a sword, right? Always seemed a bit weird since the dragon is supposedly a living creature.

He channeled the dragon's energy into his broken sword (like Kuwabara did with his own energy way back in the Genkai Tournament) instead of his arm. It's not as strong as the normal Darkness Flame, but seeing that it only needed to kill on the first attack, it was his best option without killing himself or losing his other arm.

[talonmalon333]

So basically, the sword is a portion of the dragon's energy, and not necessarily the actual living dragon itself?