Whereas Yusuke has a couple of important fights throughout the live-action show, most characters only get to show their full power during Yu Yu Hakusho’s ending. This includes Younger Toguro, who enters his 100% form during his first and only fight against Yusuke. This exemplifies how the anime power levels are not necessarily the same ones for the Netflix show.

8 Koenma Never Fights In The Live-Action Show

King Enma Jr. only enters the human world once

Despite his importance to the world of Yu Yu Hakusho, King Enma Jr. is not a powerful fighter, at least not in the human world. When confronting Sakyo in the human world, the only thing Koenma can do is make a bet against the villain, all but confirming that he would not have been able to stop him or any other threats by himself. This matches what happens in the Yu Yu Hakusho anime, during which Koenma acknowledges that he would not be able to beat Sakyo in a fight. King Enma Jr. may rule over the Spirit World, but in of human-based power levels, he ranks low.

7 Kuwabara Has High Spiritual Awareness But Lacks Training

His signature technique is the Spirit Sword

Kuwabara is the “most human” of the Yu Yu Hakusho protagonists. Yusuke visited the Spirit World and was guided by Botan, and both Kurama and Hiei are yokai. Kuwabara, on the other hand, has barely any idea of what is going on during the initial portion of the story. Still, he has high spiritual awareness, meaning Kuwabara can feel and even see beings from the Spirit World – which is something most humans cannot. Kuwabara’s spirit sensibility is symbolized by his Spirit Sword, which he naturally develops while training with Genkai. Though he has a very powerful technique, Kuwabara is not as skillful in combat as the yokai or Yusuke.

6 Elder Toguro Is A Shapeshifter Who Lacks Other Skills

He is no match for Younger Toguro

Not much is shown from Elder Toguro in Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho, although he does get a couple of fights that do not appear in the anime. In the live-action series, Elder Toguro moves freely without his brother most of the time and fights Kuwabara in episode 5. Elder Toguro also murders the guard who was trying to save Yukina. Elder Toguro is presented as a shapeshifter who can turn any part of his body into a weapon. However, in of sheer strength, Elder Toguro is not too powerful. The Younger Toguro sent his brother to the other side of the island with nothing but a punch.

5 Kurama Is A Skillful Yokai With A Secret Form

Kurama's true form is far more powerful than his human one

Kurama is one of the most skillful and creative fighters in Yu Yu Hakusho. Whereas Yusuke’s fighting style is more raw and based on relatively simple movies, Kurama combines traditional hand-to-hand combat with his demonic plant manipulation. Kurama shines in mid and long-range combat, with his plants doing most of the heavy lifting during a fight. However, when things become complicated, Kurama can enter his demon fox form. According to the anime’s power scale, Kurama’s real form is 20 times stronger than his human one. That said, Kurama struggled against Karasu in the live-action, and his sheer power never matched that of Hiei in the source material.

4 Hiei Was Nerfed In The Live-Action Show

His live-action counterpart seems weaker

Hiei looks a bit weaker in the live-action adaptation compared to the anime. The Netflix series also does not give Hiei too many moments in which he can shine, although it does portray his speed in a very accurate yet realistic way. Hiei is one of Yu Yu Hakusho’s most powerful characters, and there is always a debate on how he and Yusuke compare. In the live-action, the two fight twice, with neither of the fights having a clear winner. However, considering that Hiei fails to beat Younger Toguro, who is then defeated by Yusuke, the speedster demon ranks lower than the main character.

3 Genkai Is Past Her Prime But Still Incredibly Strong

She never actually fights anyone on-screen

In her prime, Genkai was easily the strongest human in the world of Yu Yu Hakusho. An argument can even be made that she was still the most powerful human even at her current age. Her secret technique, the Spirit Bomb, is what eventually kills Toguro at the end of the show. Yu Yu Hakusho does not show Genkai fighting, and she is killed by Toguro off-screen. As a result, there are not too many elements that help define her power levels in the live-action show. Still, the fact she trained Yusuke and was perceived as a threat by Toguro cannot be ignored.

2 Younger Toguro Is Ridiculously Powerful

He uses 100% of his power in episode 5

Netflix’s version of Younger Toguro was very different from the source material in of how the character’s backstory was revealed. Additionally, either live-action Toguro is weaker than his anime counterpart or Yusuke is stronger than his. The fact is that “100% Toguro” should not have been defeated by an inexperienced Yusuke who had just completed his first proper training with Genkai. Even with this major difference between the anime and the live-action, Younger Toguro is still ridiculously strong. He takes on Kuwabara, Yusuke, Kurama, and Huei at the same time and is only defeated by the Spirit Wave.

1 Yusuke Is More Powerful In The Live-Action Than In The Anime

He defeats 100% Toguro in their first encounter

By the end of the Yu Yu Hakusho anime, Yusuke is, without surprise, the most powerful character in the series. This makes sense considering he is the protagonist, and his skills come both from intense training and his spiritual awareness, as well as other key sources of power he unlocks throughout the story. Yusuke is also the strongest character by the end of the live-action, although he only trained with Genkai before killing 100% Toguro in what was the biggest deviation from the source material. Yusuke keeping up with Hiei based on his natural skills only is one thing, but killing Toguro so easily was a bit too much.

By skipping the Dark Tournament, Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho also skipped an important part of Yusuke’s development. There is little room for the character to believably progress as a fighter, which makes Younger Toguro feel weaker than he should be. Regardless, having Yusuke save the day with the technique her deceased master taught him was a good way to conclude the live-action adaptation. Few anime tropes are more famous than the “power of friendship,” and Yu Yu Hakusho captures it by having Yusuke find the strength he needs when he thinks of his mentor and all of the people who are counting on him.

Yu Yu Hakusho

Action

Adventure

Comedy

8.4/10

Release Date

December 14, 2023

Cast

Takumi Kitamura, Shuhei Uesugi, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongô

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

Powered by

Expand Collapse