Matching the intensity and the style of anime fights in live-action is incredibly difficult, not to say impossible, but Netflix’sYu Yu Hakushoshow came close to it. WhileOne Pieceseason 1 dominated the conversation in 2023 when it came tolive-action anime adaptations, a different Netflix production delivered a solid take on another beloved shonen.Yu Yu Hakusho, one of the most influential anime series of the 1990s, finally received a live-action adaptation in the form of a five-episode Netflix series produced in Japan. While the show had problems, its fight scenes were spectacular.
Yu Yu Hakuho’s live-action show only having five episodeswas surprising and played against the adaptation. The show felt like two feature-length movies split into five chapters, which resulted in very fast pacing but led to some big changes to the source material. That said, it’s impossible to look at aYu Yu Hakushoadaptation without discussing the fight scenes, and the Netflix series did not disappoint in that regard. Both the fight choreography and the visual effects were on point.
Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action Fights Felt Like Anime Brought To Life
Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action Got The Fight Scenes Right
Anime fights have a very unique styleto them and are usually defined by a lot of energy and a sense of speed. Of course, every series has its own style, with each animator doing something different. However, some recurrent aspects in shonen anime fights can be found in virtually every series, fromYu Yu HakushoandDragon Ball ZtoJujutsu KaisenandDemon Slayer. Replicating that style in live-action is very difficult and has arguably never been done. However, some projects came close, and that includesYu Yu Hakusho.
Netflix’sYu Yu Hakushotechnically covered the first 66 episodes of the anime, although it merged a few arcs and skipped over others.
The action inYu Yu Hakusho’slive-action show may not have felt as fantastical and larger than life as the ones in the anime, but the outstanding fight choreography made up for it. From the clash between Yusuke and his zombified friend to the final battle against Toguro,Yu Yu Hakushodelivered one great hand-to-hand fight after another.Even when the fights were full of visual effects – such as when Kurama fought Karasu – they still felt grounded and featured incredible choreography. Thefights in Netflix’sYu Yu Hakushofit the tone of a live-action show while honoring the anime.
Yu Yu Hakusho’s Fight Scenes Are What Live-Action Anime Should Look Like
Solid Fight Choreography And Clever Editing Go A Long Way
Given that it is arguably impossible to fully replicate the style and the looks of an anime fight in live-action, adaptations like Netflix’sOne Pieceor theupcomingNarutofilmmust find clever ways of honoring their source material. The personality of the characters and the pacing of the story are obviously very important, but so is the quality of the action scenes and how well they resemble what was done in the manga or the anime.Yu Yu Hakusholeft a lot to be desired in some aspects, but it at least delivered great fights throughout.
It seemed like Netflix’sYu Yu Hakushowanted to leave no room for a second season, opting instead to wrap up the stories of Yusuke and his friends within five episodes
Finding the balance between good fight scenes and nailing everything else is not easy. For example, although Netflix’sOne Pieceis arguably the best Hollywood live-action anime adaptation, it did not have any remarkable fights in the first season. Zoro versus Mihawk was well-choreographed but did not really feel like an anime fight. Likewise, Arlong didn’t feel as powerful in live-action as he did in the source material. Interestingly,One Piecestar Mackenyu teased that season 2 will have better fights.
Yu Yu Hakusho Was Not A Perfect Adaptation (Despite Its Amazing Fight Scenes)
Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho Changed Too Many Things From The Anime
Unfortunately, althoughYu Yu Hakushohad great fights, it was not the best possible live-action version of Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga. The show made way too many changes to the source material, some of which completely altered the structure of the story and made it impossible for the Netflix series to be an accurate live-action of the manga. While some small changes made sense – such as using Koenma’s adult form right from the start – others were difficult to understand. This includes skipping overthe Dark Tournamentand condensing the whole story into five episodes.
Yu Yu Hakusho Season 1’s Ending Explained: Was That The Dark Tournament?
Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho makes major changes to the anime, especially in the final episode, with one of Yusuke’s best fights happening quite early.
It seemed like Netflix’sYu Yu Hakushowanted to leave no room for a second season, opting instead to wrap up the stories of Yusuke and his friends within five episodes. The final battle between Yusuke and Young Toguro, which only happens at the end of the Dark Tournament in the anime, happened at the end of season 1 as the heroes tried to rescue Hiei’s sister. Given how they all looked great and the fights were all fun, it’s disappointing thatYu Yu Hakusholive-action couldn’t live up to the anime.
Yu Yu Hakusho
Cast
Yu Yu Hakusho is a live-action adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi manga series of the same name. The series focuses on a teenager who dies while trying to save a young boy only to be resurrected and become a supernatural investigator. The series stars Takumi Kitamura, Shuhei Uesugi, Jun Shison, and Kanata Hongō.
