Yu Yu Hakusho Live-Action Series Announces Premiere Window

The Yu Yu Hakusho live-action series will premiere in December, 2023.

Netflix, who is producing the series, confirmed a final release window for the highly anticipated live-action reboot through its Netflix Geeked Twitter account. Netflix still isn't ready to reveal a trailer or even official still images from the series, which was first revealed last summer when residents of a Japanese neighborhood noticed that filming for the show was taking place in their area. Reports of extras in school uniforms matching the show's designs leaked soon after, followed by a picture of the movie's star, Takumi Kitamura, in full costume as the series' protagonist, Yusuke Urameshi. The rest of the new show's cast and crew have yet to be announced.

Yu Yu Hakusho tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a rebellious teenage delinquent who dies after he unexpectedly sacrifices himself to save another person's life. Instead of getting isekai'd into another world like a modern anime protagonist, Yusuke agrees to work as a spirit detective in exchange for being given a second chance at life in this world. Guided by his new partner, a reaper spirit named Botan, Yusuke investigates paranormal crimes and fights against the spirits and demons who commit them.

The franchise originally began with a manga series created by Yoshiro Togashi. The series was first published in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990, and is widely credited alongside Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball has helping to establish that shonen manga formula that many modern series continue to be inspired by. The manga was adapted into an anime series by Pierrot, the animation studio that would later go on to produce the Naruto anime. The anime was broadcast in Japan from 1992 - 1994, while an English localized version aired on Toonami and Adult Swim during the early 2000s.

Takumi Kitamura also plays another famous anime delinquent in the recently released Tokyo Revengers live-action movie. The movie premiered in Japan over the summer, and has become the highest grossing live-action movie in the region for the year, placing it ahead of big-budget American films such as Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and F9: The Fast Saga. The movie is based on the hit manga by Ken Wakui. Kitamura plays the series' main hero, Takemichi Hanegaki, a middle aged loser who gets sent back in time 12 years to prevent the death of his childhoold sweetheart. While the Tokyo Revengers anime and manga have been released internationally, a release for the live-action movie outside of Japan has yet to be announced.

Source: Twitter