Let's Talk About... Yu Yu Hakusho

[Avaitor]

Awesome!

[Spark Of Spirit]

That fight was a lot better than I remembered it. And I remembered it being pretty good.

Kurama not only found his match in skill and strength, but found himself on the knife's edge throughout the back and forth of the match. That ending was incredible. But, something tells me this won't end exactly how we think it will...

[talonmalon333]

This has to the goriest match in the series. Funny enough, however, the match itself is less about gore and more about wits and strategy, Kurama and Karasu have a a bit of a rivalry going into it, which I think helps.

Also, Yoko appears. It had to happen after his reveal in the semi-finals. But I like how, unlike the semi-finals where Yoko's opponent coward away and begged for mercy, Karasu doesn't back down. He realizes the stakes are now higher, but he still thinks he can pull it off.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I absolutely love this match. It's a heated battle between two masters, and it relies on strategy more than raw power, despite both being relatively powerful compared to weaker fighters in the tournament. The way it ends so intensely and unexpectedly is also a major element of what makes it so good and memorable.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

55. The Beast Within

The start of this fight was great. Kurama needed to buy time for himself until he could unleash his Yoko form. It made for an intense struggle to stay alive, and it felt all the more rewarding when he finally got to let loose with all of his power. I also like the attention payed to continuity, in which Yusuke wasn't there to see Yoko the first time that he appeared, and is rightfully surprised by him in this match.


56. Yoko's Magic

This concludes the fight, and it manages to do so in a way that doesn't disappoint after the excellent first half. Yoko has the upper hand at first, but Kurama soon reverts back to his human form, while Karasu is now more powerful than ever. In that regard, it's great to see this match conclude on a note of desperation, in which Kurama appropriately must rely on strategy combined with self-sacrifice to take out Karasu. And, given how close to death he came in just the first match of the finals, it only goes to show you how tough these matches will be for the members of Team Urameshi.

[Avaitor]

Kurama vs Karasu made for a great opening match, with both fighters giving everything they've got. While you'd expect Team Urameshi to obtain the first win after Karasu's death, a technicality puts it in his favor, shaking all the rules as a result.

But if you thought that was an intense fight, this pair of episodes gets really bloody and insane. Bui is a strong opponent for Hiei, who shows no restraints in holding his own. It's great stuff.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I remember GSF saying that this was his favorite fight in the series. It's not quite that for me, but it IS definitely a bad-ass battle, all the same.

Also, Kurama winning the deathmatch but losing the fight on a technicality was genius. It is satisfying to see him triumph, but both unexpected and shocking to see it count as a loss, putting Team Urameshi at a very early disadvantage.

On another note, I sort of see Bui vs. Hiei as a super-powered shonen version of The Mountain And The Viper (in terms of big and powerful vs. small and fast), but with a much better outcome that doesn't make me think of watermelons bursting.

[Spark Of Spirit]

This was an intense fight, probably the closest YYH gets to DBZ in power matches, but it never failed being interesting even for a second. It's nice seeing Hiei really cut loose and seeing Bui as a much more intense fighter than we thought possible before. The stadium was nearly entirely leveled by the two of them, it's hard to imagine that this wasn't the finals.

But now, only the Toguro Bros. and Yusuke and Kuwabara are left. Something tells me we're only getting started!

[talonmalon333]

I have to be honest and say that this is my least favorite fight in the finals. Now, it's still very good, and a total spectacle watching the dragon drag Hiei around. That being said, of all the matches in the finals, Hiei and Bui are the two opponents with the least of a personal relationship. With Kurama and Karasu there's their rivalry, and with Elder Toguro and Kuwabara there's Toguro playing mind games on him before and during the match. Compared to those, Bui just feels like an opponent to Hiei. Which leads to my next point.

I'm not a fan of Bui. Well, I do like him when he's wearing his armor. He just works as a powerful force of nature, who uses no words and carries around a massively and delightfully oversize axe. When he takes off the armor, he honestly feels like a completely different character, and not a particularly inspired one. He starts talking fairly typical villain boasting, reveals his true power to be just... a lot of demon energy. His design isn't bad but something about it just feels a bit jarring when put next to other characters, as if he looks like he was taken from another show. They did try to give him a sympathetic backstory, which was fine, but it didn't feel developed enough. I think Karasu worked better as basically just a creepy, psychotic monster.

That being said, Bui did successfully overpower the dragon, which was very cool. And this lead to the awesome ending of Hiei becoming one with the dragon and annihilating Bui. And the first episode is also very enjoyable. So overall, it's a very good fight, one of the best in the tournament. But easily my least favorite of the four final matches. Just my opinion.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

57. Beneath Bui's Armor

This is a fairly standard episode, but well done for what it is. As I've already said, the decision to have Kurama lose on a technicality was brilliant, as it put Team Urameshi at a huge disadvantage from the start. It also makes for a suitable bad-ass moment when Hiei steps into the ring, ready to dismantle anyone who stands in his way. While we don't get to see too much of his brawl with Bui in this episode, what we do see is sufficient warm-up for the rest of the fight.


58. Wielder of the Dragon

And then we have this episode. It's very fun and has a bad-ass sort of appeal to it, but in all honesty I don't have much more to add than that. It's rather shallow, but to be fair, every action series could benefit from an episode like this from time to time. They do try an interesting animation style for this fight, though. It seems like they were going for a very surreal and distortion-heavy effect with the dragon technique. It doesn't quite work out so perfectly, but it definitely has a strange sort of charm and appeal to it.

[Avaitor]

Isn't this frame just awesome?



In this episode, Kuwabara takes on the Elder Toguro brother in an intense, clever battle that admittedly feels like an afterthought, just like the character does. But that's okay, since it's done well enough to fit story purposes, and leads into what this whole arc has been culminating to- Yusuke and Younger Toguro's rematch.

Because much is tackled here, from Kuwabara finally learning about Genkai's fate, to an insane proposal from Sakyo and Konema, before the big fight starts.

[talonmalon333]

feels like an afterthought, just like the character does

Why do you say that?

This is actually my second favorite match in the finals. Not a lot of action, but the characters make it work well.

[Avaitor]

feels like an afterthought, just like the character does

Why do you say that?

Because Elder Toguro is nowhere near as important or remembered as his younger brother.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I don't think that I can agree with you on the fight being an afterthought, Avaitor. For one thing, the whole scene where he mocks Genkai's memory right in front of Kuwabara is just brilliant. It shows how different he is from his brother, and I love how Younger Toguro shows a hint of disgust at this farce of his. Furthermore, it's a great character moment for Kuwabara. For once he is able to express rage, get serious, and let out his frustration, not just on Elder Toguro, but on his own team as well for what he perceives as lying to him because they think less if him.

The fight is also well done given how seemingly unbeatable Elder Toguro's powers were made out to be, making it all the more satisfying that Kuwabara, the one guy that he doesn't take seriously as an opponent, is the one to do him in. It's actually a highlight of Kuwabara's character arc, IMO.

Additionally, calling Elder Toguro an afterthought character doesn't seem quite right when you consider that....

Spoiler

....he still has a role to play in the next arc.

[close]

[Avaitor]

Spoiler

....he still has a role to play in the next arc.

[close]

Spoiler

Okay, now this, I forgot about, but you're right.

[close]

And calling this fight an after thought is indeed a mistake, in hindsight. It wrapped up faster than the previous couple, but you're right, this is an important character piece for Kuwabara. Every fight in this final match has been solid for character, so far. Which is why I can't wait to get to next week's episodes.