Yu Yu Hakusho Creator Nearly Quit the Series Halfway Through
The creator of Yu Yu Hakusho nearly said goodbye to the Spirit Detectives Before The End.
Yoshihiro Togashi might be best known recently for his work on Hunter x Hunter, but the mangaka was also responsible for creating the spirit detectives of Yu Yu Hakusho fame. To cap off 2023, Netflix had released a live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho, seeing Yusuke Urameshi and his allies fight against Toguro and his team of villains. While a second season has yet to be confirmed, a blurb from creator Yoshihiro Togashi hinted at the idea that the artist almost left the spirit detectives early on.
Togashi's health problems have been no secret in recent years, as the manga artist created new chapters for Hunter x Hunter but was forced to relinquish a weekly release schedule when it came to the story of Gon and his fellow hunters. With Yu Yu Hakusho, that series ended in 1994, seeing Yusuke and company participate in a "Dark Tournament" that was being held in the demon dimension. When it came to the manga's take on this storyline, Togashi needed to cut some corners due to health issues and had the events described by Kurama who was having a discussion with Kurabara. Should these events be adapted into a live-action series, it would be interesting to see how Netflix would handle them.
Yu Yu Hakusho's Original Finale
In an interview with creator Yoshihiro Togashi, the manga artist said that he felt "relief" when the series had come to an end. The mangaka also detailed the pain that he was going through during the creation of the series, stating that there were two instances where his physical condition became a massive hindrance.
"The first was when I was drawing color pages during Yusuke's fight with Chu in the Dark Tournament, and my physical condition was really bad. The second time was around the time Yusuke was fighting Sensui, when I didn't want to draw manga anymore and I felt nauseous just sitting down to draw. I asked the editorial office if I couldn't quit Yu Yu Hakusho already for the first time at this point."
What is your favorite manga work from creator Yoshihiro Togashi? Do you think the live-action series will receive a second season from Netflix like One Piece? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the spirit detectives.