"Surprised to be Dead": A humble start to the terrific series that is "Yu Yu Hakusho"

As with numerous franchises, I once again have to credit Youtube’s “Death Battle” for introducing me to a series. This specific instance involves a matchup between Sasuke of “Naruto”, and Hiei of the older “Yu Yu Hakusho”. I enjoyed that episode and its animated fight, though DB’s verdict was one of their hotter takes in recent memory. Regardless, that versus pairing was where I first heard of the character Hiei, and his aforementioned show. Right off the bat, “Yu Yu Hakusho” is a cool sounding title, and roughly translates to either “Ghost Files” or “Poltergeist Report” (It also sounds like somebody sneezing backwards). That name is certainly fitting, given the show’s broader focus on spiritual beings and their impact on the human world - both good and bad. 

Written by Yoshiro Togashi, who later penned the much beloved “Hunter X Hunter”, the series is one I definitely connected to. I didn’t grow up with the Anime genre, but there was a period in my adult life where I binged many related properties. As such, I have a general understanding of some Anime tropes and writing conventions. Two big elements that keep me detached from certain Anime are story filler, and the rushed schedules of early Shonen Jump publications. “Yu Yu Hakusho '' isn't a true victim of either, however; In fact, I’d say its pacing is quite strong for the scope of its extensive narrative. I also think the balance between action and character writing is well handled, most prominently from the eventual dynamic between our main squad. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This post isn’t reviewing the entire series, but rather the premiere episode “Surprised to be Dead”. 

The pilot focuses squarely on the series protagonist Yusuke Urameshi, a fourteen year old delinquent who spends the first half of the episode angry and confrontational. The teenager has currently avoided school ten days in a row. He’s rude, disrespectful to authority figures, and doesn’t shy away from physical violence. He snaps at his local rival Kuwabara (voiced in the English dub by Christopher Sabat), and lifts the skirt of his classmate and childhood acquaintance Keiko Yukimura (Laura Bailey, unsurprisingly). Side note: Since I’m mentioning performers, I’ll clarify that I watched the original Japanese audio for this episode, though the dub version is reportedly very funny. Despite all of his angst fueled behaviour, Yusuke isn’t without his charitable side. When a kid chases a ball into oncoming traffic, he pushes him out of the way and gets struck instead. He awakens as an intangible spirit, and sees everyone flocking around the site of his death. He also encounters this show’s version of the grim reaper, which happens to be a giggling blue haired woman with a floating paddle. This woman is Botan-Chan, and with the unexpectedness of Yusuke’s death, she graciously offers him a chance to be returned to the living.

So everything up until this point has displayed the amusingly shortsighted (if problematic) antics of a troubled, angry youth. The following sequence, however, takes a more poignant and effective tone. Yusuke watches his funeral procession, and initially seems relieved to be dead. Earlier, when Botan-Chan gave him a choice to be resurrected, he resisted. He believed no one would care that he was gone, but as one might predict, that’s not the case at all. His mother is expectedly distraught over her son’s death, since it's clear that her husband/Yusuke’s father isn’t around, thus leaving her all alone. Keiko, meanwhile, still cries for her friend despite his reputation and immaturity. Even Yusuke is surprised at her emotional response; Maybe he didn’t realise how much of a constant he’d been in her day-to-day life. Even more unexpected are the reactions from Kuwabara and the school principal. The former seems devastated that his rivalry has been cut short, before he had the chance to get even. The latter, on the other hand, mourns the snubbing of any future potential Yusuke had, whether academically or otherwise. 

Although this whole scene is relatively brief, it manages to be a touching and complex depiction of grief from varying relationships in our lives. The artistry and soft music help convey that quality, and Yusuke’s own perspective is well illustrated throughout. Many of us can comprehend our own emotions and sense of self, but what about the people we’ve affected after our death? That’s what this scene was exploring, and Yusuke’s surprise and sadness, from looking at his actual impact, would likely be shared by most people. Yusuke’s growth is one of the major factors in the show’s success, and this was an important first step in that process. The character never fully shedded his brash and cocky demeanour, yet his experiences still tempered those traits all the same. We see here Yusuke’s introspection finally kick in, thereby setting him on his path for the rest of the series.

I quite enjoyed revisiting this episode, since it offers a small taste of the show’s appeal. There’s an abundance of extreme comedy, from obtuse people in heightened scenarios, that slowly gives way to interesting ideas and world building. Obviously, with this being the premiere episode, I’ve yet to address so many other elements to the series; The Spirit and Demon Realms, crazy energy powers, the Dark Tournament, Hiei and Kurama, the Spirit King being a toddler sucking on a pacifier - so many quirky characters and concepts that aren’t shown until much later. Nonetheless, this is a solid start, and I can appreciate how such a unique franchise came from such a humble beginning. 

Additional Info:

https://yuyuhakusho.fandom.com/wiki/YuYu_Hakusho

https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Yu-Yu-Hakusho/