[Top 10] Yu Yu Hakusho Best Episodes
(Yusuke and friends)
Hi everybody! Your friendly neighborhood Shonen man here once again. There is no question that Yu-Yu-Hakusho is one of the most unique and interesting anime out there. There is so much in-depth character development. Epic battles filled with crazy action, and emotion heavy plot lines. Have you ever tried to explain its amazingness to someone? Tried to recommend this wildly exciting show to a friend? If you have then the question of what episodes should I tell them about probably occurred to you. It’s a hard decision with many right answers. As always I am here to tell you what I believe is the top ten best episodes of Yu-Yu-Hakusho.
10. Episode 13:Yusuke vs Rando:99 attacks
(Rando the Demon)
What's Great About This Episode:
This episode marks the ending of the tournament where the prize is Genkai’s training. Our hero Yusuke has defeated every opponent he has faced. But Rando is different from anybody he has ever seen. This demon is famous for his ability to copy/mimic other techniques. Eventually, he loses due to his shrinking ability backfiring on him and getting crushed by a falling Yusuke.
- He copies Yusuke’s spirit gun creating a more powerful version and using it to great effect.
- Yusuke avoids Rando’s shrinking technique due to pure luck. When Rando used it our hero had mud stuck in his ears so the move backfired.
- Seeing the demon using his many different stolen moves is very entertaining.
- Yusuke’s victory marks the beginning of his training arc and him becoming a true powerhouse.
9. Episode 65:Out with a bang
(Dark tournament arena)
What's Great About This Episode:
This episode is great for many different reasons and doesn’t get the praise it deserves. Right at the beginning, we see the main antagonist of this arc defeated. Toguro always wanted to be killed by someone while fighting at full power. After believing his friend Kuwabara was killed by Toguro.Our boy Yusuke gave him exactly that. Afterward, Sakyo, the man who ran Toguro's team blew the arena up with a bomb due to losing a bet.
- seeing Toguro at full power catch Yusuke’s final spirit gun and crush it out of existence was a crazy sight. Watching his body crack into thousands of pieces and fall down as a white husk was unbelievable.
- Yusuke, still horrified over what he thought was his friend’s death, cried punching the ground and blaming himself. After listening to him cry a bit Kuwabara jumped up saying that he was faking to help Yusuke find his strength. Yusuke beat the crap out of his friend in a lighthearted moment.
- Sakyo made a bet with Koenma that whoever’s team lost the finals would forfeit their life. Even when Koenma tries to call the bet off, Sakyo declines saying, that you stick to your bets.
8. Episode 10:Kuwabara's sword
(Kuwabara's first spirit sword)
What's Great About This Episode:
This episode may not be looked at as a lot of people’s favorite but for me, it will always have a place in my top ten. In this episode we see Genkai’s tournament push on. The trial for this episode is one on one fights in pure darkness. A battle of wills as well as spirit sensing abilities. Kuwabara spends most of his fight being demolished by his opponent. What makes this one of my favorites is the first appearance of the spirit sword which is a series staple and one of my favorite moves from the show.
- Kuwabara is so stubbornly tough that his opponent breaks his sword on him trying to finish him. The man he is fighting uses a wooden sword that he coats in spirit energy.
- Kuwabara is a man of honor and it always shines through in his fights. His samurai-like nature never fails to impress.
- Getting to see the spirit sword for the first time will always be one of the best moments in Yu-Yu-Hakusho.
7. Episode 112:To the future
(A hero's goodbye)
What's Great About This Episode:
The final episode is fondly remembered due to the fans getting to see where all their favorite characters ended up. It’s set two years after the three kings arc. It starts with Kurama and Kuwabara at a train station talking about the demon world tournament and where Yusuke is. Meeting up with Keiko and Kuwabara’s sister we find out through their conversation where Hiei has been. He stayed in the demon world working on a human retrieval team to help rescue humans who wandered into the demon world. He visited his love regularly.
- It’s awesome to see where life has taken our friends. Knowing Kuwabara has become popular in high school and that Kurama was able to continue living as a human is truly heartwarming.
- Demon World has been ordered by the winner of the tournament to no longer cause damage or mischief in the human world so the barrier between the two has been dropped.
- Yusuke finally comes home just as Keiko has become fed up with him being gone. As soon as she sees him she runs up to him kissing him. It’s really cool to see everyone get their happily-ever-after.
6. Episode 6:Three Monsters
(Robbing a spirit king)
What's Great About This Episode:
This episode is the intro into Yusuke’s first real case as a spirit detective. Three relics are stolen from King Enma’s vault. Yusuke has a week to find them before the king finds out and sinks a continent trying to find them. Out of the three thieves, two become main characters of the series.
- We get to see Yusuke use his spirit gun for the first time. He uses it to knock out a teacher who was trying to frame him for theft in a hilarious act of justice.
- It is also an amazing episode due to getting to meet Hiei as well as Kurama for the first time.
- Our spirit detective battles a real monster for the first time. Taking on the Ogre Gouki he gets smashed around but eventually beats him by blasting a spirit gun in his mouth.
5. Episode 52: Death of Genkai
(yusuke holds Genkai)
What's Great About This Episode:
In this pivotal episode of the dark tournament saga, Genkai gets killed in a fight with Toguro. We find out through their conversation as they battle that they used to be partners and lovers. They even ran a school together until a demon killed all their students. They entered the dark tournament to kill him. After their victory Toguro asked the committee to award him with becoming a demon. Genkai regrets never being able to save Toguro from himself.
- We get to see Genkai fight at full power trying to bring Toguro down. She even blows a hole through his arm with her spirit wave technique but he heals almost immediately.
- In his fight with her, Toguro punches the ground creating a giant crater just from the force of his blow. It’s a great show of his power.
- Yusuke makes it just in time to see her dying. Moving faster than he ever has he jumps to her side. After she dies he rages out charging Toguro but gets knocked back with one hit.
4. Episode 47: Legendary bandit Yoko Kurama
(Yoko Kurama)
What's Great About This Episode:
This is a great episode because we finally get to see the fabled Yoko Kurama. The demon bandit who was thought to be killed in a botched burglary. Effected by the age altering mist used by his opponent Ura. Kurama transformed into this older, more powerful state. We get to see the cold nature of this version of Kurama and how different he is from his normal self.
- Seeing Kurama’s shift in personality as he changes into this new form is very exciting. He has no problem using torture to get what he wants.
- To get answers out of his opponent he unleashes the death tree. A tree with many mouths that have fang-like branches dripping with acid. The pain from which makes every second feel like an eternity.
- After threatening Ura with the death tree he finds out that Ura is not who he says he is. He begins to reveal all the answers that Yoko Kurama wants until a sword from outside the ring is thrown through his neck killing him.
3. Episode 1: Surprised to be dead
(Yusuke gets hit by car)
What's Great About This Episode:
The one that started it all. What kind of top ten list would this be without the first episode on it. This episode introduced all of us to Yusuke Urameshi. The heart and soul of the series. We meet a young man named Yusuke. We find out that he is a school skipping delinquent who spends all his time fighting. Eventually giving his life to save a little child. We end up realizing that he has a heart of gold hidden behind his gruff exterior.
- Being introduced to the world of Yu-Yu-Hakusho is fondly remembered by all its fans. It is an essential episode for learning Yusuke’s character.
- Due to his sacrifice and him not supposed to have died Koenma gives him a second chance at life and offers him the job of spirit detective.
- Seeing our hero play with the kid on the side of the street by making funny faces is a very wholesome and light-hearted act that makes you fall in love with our hero.
2. Episode 77:Sensui’s Fall
(Sensui's power)
What's Great About This Episode:
This very important episode during the chapter black saga shows us why the spirit detective before Yusuke became a villain. We learn of the prodigy that was Sensui. How he could kill spirits and demons at a young age. He believed humans good and demons evil, that it was that simple. But when he witnessed the feast of human vices it broke his mind causing him to flip thinking completely. From that point on he decided humans were the monsters and they all must be killed.
- Seeing Sensui as a child destroying demons is pretty awesome. He even decapitates one as it charges him.
- The feast of human vices where a particular group of humans torture demons for pleasure is a heavy scene. Sensui snapping and murdering them all is emotional as well.
- The philosophy in this episode is one that brings up a lot of discussion among fans of the show. What really makes a monster? Are you born one or do your actions make you one? The conversations that come from this episode make it important.
1. Episode 84:Kurama’s anger/Gourmet's guest
(Gourmet's last meal)
What's Great About This Episode:
Alright friends, my final pick is an emotionally charged episode for Kurama. Having just been forced to kill a child Kurama was filled with guilt and anger over the situation. The man gourmet who can eat people to steal their powers taunts him. He tells him that he knows how guilty he feels as well as how embarrassed. Kurama becomes furious and tells Yusuke to get back so he can fight this man. After cutting his head off in one swift motion with his Rose whip gourmet’s body falls to the ground. But Kurama knowing it’s not over tells the body that he knows who he is. “Stand up Toguro” he commands and the guy begins to laugh getting up. Elder Toguro who was an enemy in the dark tournament arc pops out of gourmet’s neck.
- This episode is my favorite because you get to see true conflict. Kurama had to kill a child to have a chance to save the world and it was eating him up.
- Seeing Kurama cut gourmet's head in half was pretty crazy. Also seeing the Elder Toguro brother come back was pretty epic as well.
- Kurama defeats the now overpowered Toguro brother by trapping him in a hallucination. The sinning tree he traps him in drains his life energy but because he can never die he will be stuck forever.
- Seeing the conflicting emotions Kurama had over being forced to kill the child showed why Kurama is one of the most complex and well-written characters in the show. And maybe even anime itself.
