YuYu Hakusho

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Template:Infobox animanga/Header Template:Infobox animanga/Manga Template:Infobox animanga/Anime Template:Infobox animanga/Footer YuYu Hakusho (幽★遊★白書 YūYū Hakusho, literally The Playful Ghost White Paper, meaning "Ghost Files" / "Poltergeist Report") is a manga and anime series by Yoshihiro Togashi.

The anime, produced by Studio Pierrot consists of 112 TV episodes and two movies, "The Golden Seal" and "Bonds of Fire" (Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report).

In Japan, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump. In North America, the manga currently runs in Viz's Shonen Jump.

The name of the series is spelled Yu Yu Hakusho in FUNimation's distribution of the anime that airs on Cartoon Network while the series's name is spelled YuYu Hakusho in Viz manga.


Also, a series of Yu Yu Hakusho Original Animated Videos were released only in Japan:


  • Eizou Hakusho: Ankoku Bujutsukai (2 Volumes)
  • Eizou Hakusho II: Yusuke Volume
  • Eizou Hakusho II: Kurama Volume
  • Eizou Hakusho II: Hiei Volume
  • Eizou Hakusho II: Kuwabara Volume
  • Opening Ending Encyclopedia
  • Recap Guide Complete Advance Set (3 Volumes)


In the Philippines, the anime and both movies were initially shown on IBC 13, then on GMA 7, all under the name Ghostfighter, with the names of the main characters changed.


Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

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Background

Image:YuYuHakushologo.PNG In the beginning of the manga, Yusuke Urameshi is nothing more than a street-brawling delinquent who only goes to school about every ten days. His teachers hate him and he has few friends. Yusuke's mother Atsuko is an alcoholic. She had him at the age of 14 and shows little interest in raising her son. Since every single punk in the city is trying to take him on, Yusuke is pretty fed up with life.

However, no one could foresee his most famous deed: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. When he arrives in the afterlife, the people in the afterlife inform him that, since no one expected him to die in that way, they are not prepared for his arrival. Eventually, Yusuke gets his life back and discovers a new power, he can see beings from the spirit world (yōkai). This is when the series really kicks off. He is enlisted as a spirit realm detective (霊界探偵 Reikai Tantei), to help control the actions of spirits in the real world. His first assignment is to round up three demon prisoners (Goki - spelled "Goki" in the English manga and "Gouki" in the English anime, Kurama, and Hiei) who escaped and stole three terribly powerful artifacts.

His second is to participate in a contest to choose the next disciple of an aged fighter (Psychic in the English Dub) named Genkai, and to defeat a demon, Rando, who is posing as a contestant so he can win Genkai's powers. Yusuke's next assignment is to kill the four Saint Beasts, Genbu, Byakko, Seiryu, and Suzaku. In that mission, he is assisted by Kazuma Kuwabara, Kurama (Shuichi Minamino) and Hiei.

The next mission involves the Kōrime, Yukina, who has been kidnapped by the evil Gonzo Tarukane (Tarukane Gonzō). Yusuke and Kuwabara have to fight the Toguro brothers, who fake their deaths. After Toguro threatens to hunt their loved ones down Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Hiei have no choice but to join the Dark Tournament.

Thus a new season, The Dark Tournament, begins. Here they encounter the Jolly Devil Six a.k.a. Team Rokuyukai (Rinku, Chu (Chū), Roto, Zeru, Ichikia, and Gouta), Team Ichigaki (Dr. Ichigaki, M1, M2, M3 (see below) ), Team Mashotsukai a.k.a. Shadow Channelers a.k.a. Team Masho (Gama, Touya, Bakken, Jin, The Master of Wind; and Risho), and Team Uratogi a.k.a. Fractured Fairytales (Momotaro/Black Peach Boy, Urashima, Shishi Wakamaru, Suzuka, and Makintaro/Evil Kintaro). Genkai is killed by the younger Toguro and Yusuke gains all of Genkai's power. In the finals Sakyo makes a bet and risks his life on Yusuke and Toguro's fight. He loses the bet and sets the stadium to blow up within ten minutes. The team and their loved ones barely make it out alive. Yusuke's wish for winning the dark tournament was to bring Genkai back to life.

Next is the Black Chapter Saga, which is the story of Sensui and his humans with Yokai powers. Kuwabara, and Yusuke must fight through the five human psychics who are helping Sensui open the portal to the Makai Realm. The seven members on Sensui's team are (in the order they appear): Black Angel (Shinobu Sensui), Sniper (Kanami Hagiri), Doctor (Minoru Kamiya), Gate Keeper (Itsuki), Seaman (Kiyoshi Mitari), Game Master (Tsukihito Amanuma), and Gourmet (Sadao Makihara). Yusuke later confronts Sensui head-on in the fight of the Spirit detectives to stop Sensui's plans of breaking the barrier and unleashing havoc upon the Human world. Yusuke learns there is no other way to beat Sensui and the charges head on at the fallen Spirit detective planning to get killed to bring out the limits of his friend, who get out of Itsuki's creature just in time to see Yusuke smile at them as Sensui punches a hole through Yusuke's heart. Enma (King Yama) tells Botan how Yusuke is distantly related to a powerful demon called the Mazoku, and has sent his spirit guards to make sure Yusuke can never revive. But at that exact moment, Yusuke starts to glow, and out comes an unusually long haired Yusuke (a hanyou). Yusuke and Koenma travel to Makai to help his friends. But at that same moment Yusuke is taken over by his "Father" Raizen, the war god of Makai. Raizen tells Yusuke that he is too weak and Raizen shows Yusuke his own potential. The possessed Yusuke fires a barrage of attacks on Sensui and ends off with a spirit gun. Yusuke regains his consciousness right before he fires his spirit gun and yell, "Sensui, dodge it!", but Sensui gets hit anyway. When Yusuke finds Sensui, Sensui tells him that this was his dream. Sensui says, "After all the demons I killed, I wanted to travel and die in Makai, after seeing how horrible humans are to Yokai." Yusuke starts yelling at Sensui to live so they can continue their fight, but Sensui dies because of his wounds as well as a pre-existing terminal illness. Yusuke has a choice to either stay in Makai or go back to human world. He decides to go back.

The series ends off with the Demon World Tournament. Yusuke begins to question his existence. There are no more difficult challenges for him to face and he is now regarded as too dangerous to stay in the Human World by King Enma. Genkai advises him to go talk to the first spirit detective. He gets a little insight before three demons arrive and try to persuade Yusuke to go back to Makai. Yusuke accepts, wanting to learn more about Raizen and face off with stronger demons. There is a war going on in Makai between the three strongest demons: Raizen, Mukuro, and Yomi. The war was started when there was a dispute over eating habits. Raizen felt that it was wrong to eat humans, and that all demons should stop. Mukuro and Yomi disagreed, which led to a standstill for over many centuries. Raizen is about to die from starving himself, and they need Yusuke to help lead the territory. Yusuke trains his hardest to try and beat his father. The story then turns to Hiei and his history. Hiei was abandoned by the ice apparitions and had to fend for himself in the harsh Makai world. He grew to be ruthless. Hiei received his jagan eye because he lost his jewel his mother had given him and he wanted to find where the ice world was. When Hiei goes to the ice world, he finds out he has a sister and goes off searching for her. Hiei is summoned to Makai by Mukoro. Then it switches off to Kurama, and we learn of his past. It is summoned by his co-commander, Yomi. Kurama faces with his past as Yoko Kurama, when he was a thief. He blinded Yomi because he was a huge risk to his group. After one year, Yusuke's father dies and he goes to Yomi to suggest holding a tournament to see who would rule all of Makai. Yomi agrees, along with Mukuro. Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama all particpate and each one deal with their conflicts. They all lose in the end, and Enki becomes the champion. He declares that all demons shall not harm or cause problems in human world and that there will be regular demon tournaments to see who becomes the ruler, sort of like general elections. Yusuke goes back to human world in the last episode. Hiei decides to stay in Makai. It's been a couple of months and everyone is going to Genkai to discuss about the opening to Makai. Genkai wants to set up a neutral place for demons to live. Yusuke still has not returned. They decided to go to the beach. The sun is going down when Keiko shouts that she will no longer wait for Yusuke. Yusuke appears and Keiko runs toward him, leaping on top of him. They kiss and a wave washes them away. The series ends with a water fight between the friends, and a very memorable message: Forever Fornever.

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Characters

Main article: YuYu Hakusho characters

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Names are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. The English anime name is to the right of the Japanese name if it applies.

  • Yusuke Urameshi (浦飯幽助 Urameshi Yūsuke) - Yusuke is the toughest kid in Sarayashiki Junior High School and has a typical tough guy approach to everything. He becomes a spirit detective after he had died and was revived by Keiko's kiss. His main attack is the Rei Gun (Spirit Gun in the Dub) where he can manipulate his Reiki into a projectile. He learns many other attacks from Genkai including the spirit gun double and shot gun. He mainly grows in strength from all of his different battles, because he responds to danger by unleashing his full strength. Near the end of the series, it is revealed that Yusuke is in fact a half demon. His demon ancestor copulated with a human female and arranged so that a descendant of his,once strong enough would become a half demon. This explains Yusuke's incredible spirit powers.
  • Kazuma Kuwabara (桑原和真) - Kuwabara (Which is what most people call him- the only characters seen referring to him as Kazuma are his sister and Yukina) is the second toughest kid in the school and was always trying to get Yusuke's spot. He leads a gang consisting of himself and three other people. As the show progresses, Yusuke and Kuwabara cease being rivals and become great friends. His main powers are his high Reiki sensitivity and his Rei Ken (Spirit Sword in the Dub), Reiki he has manipulated into the shape of a sword. He picks up a new spirit sword towards the end of the Dark Tournament, using the Tameshi no Ken (Sword of Trials/Trial Sword in the Dub) that Suzuka gives him. This increased his powers greatly, but also drained them, leaving him vulnerable at the start of the Chapter Black Saga. In the beginning of the Chapter Black Saga he learns the Jigen Tou (Dimensional Blade, or Dimension Sword in the Dub), which is stronger than his Rei Ken and can slice through dimensional barriers. He doesn't fully master this until the final battle with Sensui, when he uses it to break himself, Kurama and Hiei free from Itsuki's "pet" in an effort to save Yusuke. In the Three Kings saga, Kuwabara makes the decision that he will not try to ruin his life and retires from fighting so he can focus on his schoolwork.
  • Keiko Yukimura (雪村螢子 Yukimura Keiko) / Kayko Yukimura - Although Yusuke vehemently denies it, Keiko is his girlfriend. Her personality is almost the exact opposite of his and she keeps up with her schoolwork much better than Yusuke. Eventually, Keiko tags along with Yusuke to the Dark Tournament, and sometimes falls prey to Yusuke's enemies that want an edge over him.(Like Hiei and Suzaku) She has a fiery personality and is quick to berate Yusuke when he strays out of line.
  • Koenma (コエンマ) - Though he looks like an infant, he is actually 1500 years old and the son of the ruler of the spirit realm (Reikai). He hires Yusuke on as spirit detective after he helps him come back to life. His father is King Enma (Enma is named King Yemma, the Hindu name, in the English anime). Koenma can also transform into a teenage form so he's not as suspicious looking in public and such, but he still retains his pacifier. He soon loses his pacifier when he tries to use a sealing spell on Sensui. Sensui proves he is immune to it by using the Sei Kou Ki (Sacred Energy in the English Dub), a type of Holy energy that is difficult to master. The attack disintegrates it. It isn't until later in the Three Kings saga after Koenma returns to the Spirit Realm that the pacifier is seen again.
  • Botan (ボタン)- One of the hundreds of ferry girls of the spirit realm who are responsible for guiding the souls of the recently departed to eternal judgement (in the American version, she is referred to as the "grim reaper"). Originally assigned by Koenma to be Yusuke's spirit guide after his fatal car accident, she becomes his case manager and supplies him with equipment and information. She is a very loving and warm hearted woman who has a tendency to put herself in peril in order to protect the people she cares about.
  • Hiei (飛影) a.k.a. Hiei of the Evil Eye (Jaganshi Hiei) - Hiei is a fire demon (hi yōkai) born of a Kōrime (氷女 Ice Maiden) who specializes in speed, swordsmanship and "Jagan" (Evil Eye) skills (邪眼術). He possesses an Evil Eye, or Jagan, which amplifies his power and enables him to summon the fires of Makai (Demon Realm). He was one of the three demons Yusuke fought on his first case. Hiei became a valuable ally afterwards. His twin sister is Yukina. As the story goes on Hiei also learns that even though he thinks he doesn't need any friends, he's the one who needs friends the most. The choice of vocabulary used in reference to Yukina's age in the early manga suggests Hiei and Yukina may be adolescents in the early story.
  • Kurama (蔵馬), also known as Shuichi Minamino as a human (南野秀一 Minamino Shūichi) - Kurama is a demon who has the power to use plants as lethal weapons. He is one of the three demons Yusuke Urameshi faces on his first case. Kurama does not fight Yusuke, for he is trying to use the artifact to save his human mother. He was originally the powerful and infamous kitsune thief, Yoko Kurama (妖狐蔵馬 Yōko Kurama) until he was shot by a hunter and only barely escaped by inhabiting the body of an unborn human baby. He grew up as the human child Shuichi, and regrets the grief he has given his human mother, Shiori, he blames himself for his mother poor state of health. The "pretty boy" of the group, he is also the cleverest and wisest member. Despite his good looks and soft-spoken nature, Kurama can become a ruthless killer who will destroy anything that stands in his way or threatens what he loves. Although he carries himself with an air of nobility, he is not above using cruelty and torture if he feels his enemy deserves it. Kurama has a wide variety of techniques, because of his ability to control a wide variety of plants, including the oft-seen Shimanekiso (シマネキ草 Shimanekisō).
  • Genkai (幻海) - The aged fighter who held a tournament to decide who would be her successor. Yusuke wins and defeats the demon, Rando. She trains Yusuke in the Spirit Light Wave Fist (霊光波導拳 Reikō Hadō Ken) aka the Spirit Wave in the English Dub and coaches him to the extreme. Though she may appear to hate Yusuke and the others because she is not very kind, she truly cares about all of them, and tries to lead them down the right road. In the past, she was one of the most powerful human fighters ever to be known in both Ningenkai and Makai, alongside with her fighting parter and suggested lover, Younger Toguro. However, Toguro became depressed and changed after a demon named Kairen (there are alternate spellings) killed all of his students at his dojo. When he was invited to the Dark Tournament by Kairen, he and Genkai along with some others fought and won. His wish was to be given a powerful body, the body of a demon that would serve him for whatever purposes he wanted. Because of this, Genkai became angry and her wish was simply never to ever have to be involved in the tournament again. She left to her own temple, and did not speak to Toguro until when he pushed her apprentice Yusuke into the Dark Tournament. There, Toguro kills her, but she is wished back to life by Yusuke. When manipulating her Spirit Energy to a certain extent, Genkai can temporarily revert to the state of a twenty year old woman. This is due to the fact that her cellular makeup automatically shifts to the form of the time of their life when the individual in question was at the peak of their power. Although Genkai is of advanced age, she is still a fighter to be respected and feared.
  • Yukina (雪菜) - She is an ice yōkai who was captured by a mobster, Gonzo Tarukane (name meaning "stooping monkey"). When ice maidens cry, their tears harden into rare, priceless jewels. Yusuke, Botan, and Kuwabara rescue her from Tarukane, who is torturing Yukina to force her to produce the gems. She returns later during the Dark Tournament (Ankoku Būtsukai) looking for her brother (she isn't aware that Hiei is her brother). She is also naïve of Kuwabara's affection towards her. As a koorime, she has the ability to cause cold temperatures, as well as use powers of healing.
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Story Arcs

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Terms

Reikai Tantei (literally Spirit Realm Detective) / Spirit Detective - "Spirit Detective" is the name given to those who defend the human world (Ningenkai) from interference from demons, beasts, and apparitions known as yōkai hailing from the Demon World (Makai). Reikai Tantei are usually picked by Koenma, the prince of Spirit World (Reikai), the realm of the dead or disembodied.

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Classes

Template:Main In YuYu Hakusho, the ranking of demons and apparitions is done by grade letters. E-class is the weakest class of demons, only slightly stronger than ordinary humans. Meanwhile, S, which indicates "Super A-class", is the strongest demon classification. Each class also has sub-divisions of upper (or +), middle, and lower (or -). For example, A has three subclasses: A-, A, and A+. While the classes are intended for ranking demons, they are also used to classify powerful humans. A* indicates that the particular character is at the highest level of that rank. In the Three Kings Saga, it seems that many demons surpass the Upper S Class rankings, so Yu Yu Hakusho adopts a numerical system. 80,000 on this system is equivalent to a Middle B class, 120,000 to a middle A class, and 200,000 to a Middle S class. However, the Device used to record the energy levels aforementioned breaks before the Makai Tournament, so the few figures are just inferred when comparing the class and the energy readings.

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Theme songs

  • Opening
    • "Hohoemi no Bakudan" (Smile Bomb) by Matsuko Mawatari (originally used only on Adult Swim but now seen on regular Cartoon Network)
      • In the English version, this and the ending themes are dubbed on the English tracks.
      • During the Chapter Black Saga, the images of the entire opening have been replaced with updated ones. Some of those images are updated during the Saga of the Three Kings.
      • The full song was used as the closing for the final episode.
  • Ending
    • "Homework ga Owaranai" (Neverending Homework) by Matsuko Mawatari (1-29) (Used on Cartoon Network up until Toonami moved to Saturday Nights)
    • "Sayonara Byebye" by Matsuko Mawatari (30-59) - Used on the Cartoon Network version starting with the Finals of the Dark Tournament storyline.
    • "Anbaransu na Kisu wo Shite" (Unbalanced Kiss) by Hiro Takahashi (60-83) Used for the Cartoon Network Version starting with the beginning of the Chapter Black Storyline using the English lyrics and music from Ending #4.
    • "Taiyō ga Mata Kagayaku Toki" (The Sun is Shining Again) by Hiro Takahashi (84-102) Used for the Cartoon Network Version finishing the Chapter Black Saga.
    • "Daydream Generation" by Matsuko Mawatari (103-111) Used for the Cartoon Network Version starting the Three Kings Saga(episode 95)
  • Main Characters Songs
    • Kurama (By Megumi Ogata)
      • "Kurayami ni Akai Bara" (Soldier of Love)
      • "Kyou no Sayonara wa Mirai no Hajimari" (Today's Goodbye is the Start of Tomorrow)
      • "Nightmare"
      • "Koori no Naifu o Daite" (Embracing the Ice Knife)
    • Hiei (By Nobuyuki Hiyama)
      • "Kuchibue ga Kikoeru"
      • "Manazashi no Aria"
      • "Ryuusei no Solitude"
      • "Tasogare ni Se o Mukete"
    • Kuwabara (By Shigeru Chiba)
      • "DACHI"
      • "Eien ni THANK YOU!"
      • "Konjou Icchokusen"
      • "Otoko no Junjou"
    • Yusuke (By Nozomu Sasaki)
      • "All Right!"
      • "Akatsuki no Chikai" (Rising Sun)
      • "Dead or Alive"
      • "FIRE"
      • "Kokoro o Tsunaide"
      • "TOUGH"
      • "Tsukanoma no Sunset"
  • Other Characters Songs
    • Hinageshi
      • "Anata o Dakishimeru Watashi de Itai"
    • Toguro
      • "Cry Lonely Cry"
      • "Icy Blood"
    • Keiko
      • "Donna Toki Demo Anata to Mezametai"
      • "YELL"
    • Touya
      • "GLEAM" (Yami ni Hikaru)
    • Kaname Hagiri
      • "Kiri no Naka no Sniper"
    • Chuu
      • "Maa, Nome yo"
    • Itsuki
      • "Never Ending Dreams"
    • Mukuro
      • "REBIRTH" (Saisei)
    • Yomi
      • "Sennen no Yami no Hate"
    • Koenma
      • "TOKOTON"
    • Jin
      • "Tsumujikaze de Fly Away"
    • Sensui
      • "Unbelievable"
    • Suzuki
      • "Utsukushi Sugite"
  • Group/Duet Songs
    • "Mienai Mirai" - Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, Kuwabara, Yukina, Keiko, Botan, and Koenma
    • "Wild Wind" (Yasei no Kaze no Youni) - Hiei and Kurama
    • "Yasashisa Wa Nemuranai" - Kurama, Yusuke, Hiei, and Kuwabara
    • "Moonlight Party" - Botan and Koenma
    • "EYE TO EYE" - Kurama, Hiei, and Kuwabara
    • "Rocket Hanabi no LOVE SONG" - Kuwabara & Yukina
    • "Omoide o Tsubasa ni Shite" - Yusuke & Keiko
    • "Love Song o Anata ni" - Koto, Juri, Ruka
    • "HOLD OUT!" - Botan, Keiko, Yukina
    • "Hikari no Naka de" - Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei
    • "Eien no Requiem" - Sensui & Itsuki
    • "Dark Side Stories" - Youko Kurama & Hiei
    • "Boku-tachi no Kisetsu" - Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Hiei
  • On the FUNimation DVDs, there is a flaw in DVD volumes 9-12. The English lyrics track for Ending #2 did not start until Episode #43, which is the first episode on DVD Volume #13. On all the DVDs that have this, it will only play the English version of Ending #1 for the end credits by not turning on the Japanese subtitles (English subtitles that follow the Japanese version) in the menu. The reason behind this flaw is that no English track was produced at that time during the DVD releases.
  • "Daydream Generation"(Ending 5) first aired on episode 95 in the U.S. starting the Three Kings Saga.
  • "Hohoemi No Bakudan" and "Homework ga Owaranai" were re-made by Kurama on a special collecter item CD. The same applies for "Anbaransu na Kisu wo Shite" and "Taiyō ga Mata Kagayaku Toki" by Yusuke. Koenma re-sung "Daydream Generation". The dance re-mixes and karaoke versions of most of the character songs were also on this (and other) Yu Yu Hakusho CD's.
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Trivia

  • In episode 9 The Successor to Genkai! The Tournament Begins (The Search Begins; English dub title) background characters that look remarkably like Zangief, Dhalsim and E.Honda from the fighting game franchise Street Fighter appear behind Yusuke and Kuwabara.
  • When Yusuke, Botan, Kuwabara and his sister Shizuru are watching a video (VHS) (sent by Hiei from orders of Koenma) about Yukina in Episode 22, the video started featuring Koenma spoofing (with trademarks of his own name) Columbia Pictures, with Koenma circling and holding a torch; and a stunted male oni meowing inside the name Koenma as a parody of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
  • Kuwabara's looks and character are the pattern for the main character Hanamichi Sakuragi of Inoue Takehiko's Slam Dunk.
  • Kuwabara's favourite band is Megallica, the "Gods of Heavy Metal" as he calls them, in the Chapter Black saga; Megallica would be a clear tribute/parody of both Megadeth and Metallica.
  • In The Three Kings saga, Koenma appears at the tournament dressed incognito as Sailor Moon's Tuxedo Mask, perhaps because series creator Yoshihiro Togashi began to date Sailor Moon creator Naoko Takeuchi (whom he later married).
  • In the final episode, while Kurama is speaking to Kuwabara on the train, a sign on a building reads in English "Yu Yu Hakusho will not END".
  • Also in the final episode, the two girls shown as Keiko's classmates bear strong resemblances to Haruka (Sailor Uranus) and Michiru (Sailor Neptune) of the anime Sailor Moon.
  • In Episode 44 while Kuwabara is playing cards, the Ace of Spades is printed with Nintendo's name, with Nintendo also coming up again other times throughout the series.
  • In March 27th YuYu Hakusho aired in Israel on The Kids Channel Dubbed to hebrew. However, Yusuke Urameshi's Name was changed to YuYu Hakusho (The name of the show).
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See also

Template:YuYu Hakusho

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External links

fr:Yû yû hakusho it:Yu degli spettri ja:幽☆遊☆白書 pt:Yu Yu Hakusho th:คนเก่งทะลุโลก zh:幽遊白書

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