'Yu Yu Hakusho' to Release Cuddly Baby Hiei Plush

Yu Yu Hakusho is one of the most popular action franchises of all time, and part of the success is due to the character work done by original series creator Yoshihiro Togashi. Many enemies at first became fan-favorites later in the series, and none are as reflective of this as Hiei.

Hiei's origin as an orphaned child abandoned due to fear over his power helped fans love the character even more, but what pushed that love over the edge was how cute his baby self was. Soon fans will be able to own a plush version of that cuteness.

In the series, Hiei was a cursed child born to a tribe of ice maidens who held a dark, fiery power. His power and gender was the complete opposite of what the ice maidens allowed around them, and thus he was abandoned by his mother and left for dead. The plush reflects his look during this moment as he's completely bound by wrapping meant to keep his power in check. His mischievous smile is what added to the cuteness despite such a harsh situation.

Sold through Japan's Ensky mail-order shop (which you can find at the link here), these life-sized plushes are made to order and will run interested fans 6,500 yen (around $59 USD). The extra bit of fan-service in this plush is that although fans can't remove the baby Hiei from the bundle, it comes with a replica of the ice tear necklace his mother left with him as a child. It's this necklace that eventually lead to him coming across his sister Yukina too.

Yu Yu Hakusho was originally created by Yoshihiro Togashi for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1990. The story follows Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who loses his life when he is hit by a car trying to save a child's life. After passing a series of tests, Yusuke is allowed to return to the living world but with a few caveats. With the gained ability to see spirits and demons, Yusuke is given the title of "Underworld Detective" and must solve various cases of spirits running amok in the living world.

Yu Yu Hakusho recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary with a return OVA special featuring the returning staff of director Noriyuki Abe, and the voice cast of Nozomu Sasaki as Yusuke Urameshi, Shigeru Chiba as Kazuma Kuwabara, Megumi Ogata as Kurama, and Nobuyuki Hiyama as Hiei. Covering two different stories, the OVA adapts "Two Shots," which is a side-manga story revealing how Kurama and Hiei first met, and "All or Nothing," the second-to-last chapter of Yoshihiro Togashi's original manga which sees Yusuke and the gang try and solve a major terrorist crisis.

via Comic Natalie