A lot of people grew up with classic shonen anime like Dragon Ball, Naruto and One Piece, but there’s one legendary anime that’s not mentioned as often (though it’s just as iconic); Yu Yu Hakusho. Created by the same mangaka behind Hunter x Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi, the Yu Yu Hakusho anime originally aired from 1992 to 1994, and have made it onto many lists of top anime ever since.

Yu Yu Hakusho follows the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who dies in an act of sacrifice and is reborn as a Spirit Detective, tasked to investigate and solve matters involving the paranormal and supernatural. There are over 112 episodes, split across four seasons on Netflix.

Just like Dragon Ball or Naruto, you should expect a lot of fights and the typical tournament arcs that shonen anime are always so fond of. However, it’s not as conventional as you’d think, containing many surprises just like Hunter X Hunter. Togashi is more of a writer than he is an artist, and it shows in his works, with great characters that are now considered iconic.

Even in video games, Yu Yu Hakusho was recently represented in Bandai Namco’s Jump Force, featuring Yusuke Urameshi, Toguro and another as-of-yet unrevealed DLC fighter as playable characters.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF4CvTMNEeM&w=560&h=315]

Personally, it’s still one of my favourite anime of all time, alongside that of other anime like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Fate/Zero. If you’ve never watched it, now’s the best time to catch up on one of the best and most influential shonen anime.

Head on over here to start watching Yu Yu Hakusho on Netflix.