Yu Yu Hakusho: Netflix Japanese live-action series release date, trailer, and cast - is it based on a manga?

Supernatural Japanese drama series Yu Yu Hakusho is the latest live action manga adaptation to come to Netflix. The series follows a delinquent teenager who is killed and later resurrected and forced to serve as an investigator of supernatural events.

The series follows popular Japanese Netflix adaptations including Cowboy Bebop, Alice in Borderland, and One Piece, and stars a host of actors well known in Japan, including Fullmetal Alchemist actor Kanata Hongô.

Yu Yu Hakusho has been adapted previously, into the 1990s anime series of the same name which originally aired in Japan, with an English dubbed version released in the early 2000s. The Netflix series is the first live action version and is likely to attract legions of fans on the platform.

Is there a trailer for Yu Yu Hakusho?

Yes there is, and you can watch it right here:

Who is in the cast of Yu Yu Hakusho?

• Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi
• Jun Shison as Kurama
• Kanata Hongô as Hiei 
• Shûhei Uesugi as Kazuma Kuwabara
• Sei Shiraishi as Keiko Yukimura

Is Yu Yu Hakusho based on a manga?

Yes, Yu Yu Hakusho is adapted from the manga series of the same name written by Yoshihiro Togashi, who also penned the Hunter X Hunter series. Yu Yu Hakusho is a 19-volume manga series published between 1990 and 1994, and is part of the Shōnen genre, aimed at adolescent boys.

The source material is longer than the 18 volume Alice in Borderland manga, but pales in comparison to One Piece, which currently runs to 107 volumes, with more on the way. The manga was adapted into the Netflix series by Tatsuro Mishima who is also working on an upcoming adaptation of the City Hunter manga.

Speaking of the legacy of the manga, Kitamura, who plays the lead role in the series, said: “I could almost say that this is really the original starting point of all the shōnen manga”.

When is the release date of Yu Yu Hakusho?

Yu Yu Hakusho was released on Netflix on Thursday December 14 - there are five episodes in the series and they were released in one go. You can watch the series in original Japanese with English subtitles, or with English dubs.

You can watch the original anime version on Crunchyroll, and you can sign up for a 30-day free trial of the streaming service with an Amazon Prime Video membership. The anime is also available to buy on Apple TV+.