Kurama was the definition of "F**k around and find out..." when that Yoko side emerged (even without the physical transformation) like it did against Elder Toguro; he was VICIOUS! Kinda like how Future Trunks wouldn't waste anytime (unlike the other Z-Fighters), he put in the work to end fights in a quick and brutal way!
Anyone else realize also realizes K subverts the pretty boy tropes as well. In a lot of show handsome guys are either idiots, jerks, boring, or are defined by trauma. But K is able to be funny, smart, and serious without his tragic bsckstory defining his character. I also like how he is not focus on the attention he gets from women and he is not fixated on his looks.
Yusuke is my favorite character but Kurama is the coldest out of the main group. He’s feminine but somehow it’s really cool like the musician Prince. And he’s ruthless when necessary.
Kurama definitely has a subversion of the trope of humanity and demonic nature clashing from within. Yoko Kurama was originally a cold and calculating demon fox who wouldn't hesitate to have an ally assassinated if he was a threat to Yoko Kurama's goals. However, after being critically injured by an enemy in the spirit world and being forced to merge with an unborn baby, Kurama slowly gained more humanity. Kurama's initial struggle was his humanity holding back his dormant power, which comes to a head when he regains the ability to become Yoko Kurama during the dark tournament. While Kurama ultimately had to kill Karasu in his human form, he still required the power of Yoko Kurama to survive that fight. Not to mention the incident when Kurama had to kill the game master to stop Sensui's plans which visibly angered Kurama due to his humanity. Plus, when Sensui killed Yusuke, Kurama powered up to the A class level, causing him to temporarily take on the appearance of Yoko Kurama but still keep his humanity. At the time of the three kings arc, Kurama has to deal with the consequences of his past mistake with Yomi while also dealing with the internal struggle of deciding between his previous identity of Yoko Kurama and his current identity. I honestly think that Kurama's character arc was done well, and he didn't need to fight Yomi to complete his character development.
It's interesting that Kurama is always aware of his true nature. He's a demon masquerading as human because of learned compassion and has great difficulty to separate the two. To me there is no difference between Yoko and Shuiichi. Shuuichi is who he wants to be, but Yoko is both who he is and was.
I love Kurama from Yu Yu Hakusho! Another anime red head I like is George De Sand from Mobile Fighter G Gundam who also has rose themed attacks like his Rose Bits & Rose Hurricane!
My favorite is either Kurama or Kuwabara. Kurama bears a lot of similarities to Kenshin Himura imho. I'm not sure who influenced who but they are both characters that have two personas and struggle to move forward with redemption and who they want to be in the present vs the monster they were in the past.
Kurama really is a template for what Kurapika becomes, with how mellow and calm they perceive to the potential vicious side they have lurking inside them (albeit Kuramas Demon form also shows great elegance in his kills) I always enjoy these analytical videos, great job!
I was just pondering this inversion of the Inner Demon trope. The idea of how to make something Holy or a Blessing function like a curse for a villainous lead character. You mentioned Griffith, or other villains like Chimera Ants who have the morals essentially interfering with their evil agendas, but how might one optimize this concept? Maybe like an anti-hero story where they are on a journey the audience can root for, but is not a good person, by any stretch, but when their inner angel comes out with righteous fury (picturing the Fierce Deity from LoZ). I am thinking along the lines of a Chatoic Good Crusader that gums up the meticulously planned works and go after the Anti-Hero's evil aligned allies. We can see the Anti-Hero character being tempted by his inner best impulses that the after math might invoke, but taking the high road compromises his journey of carnage and vengeance. I didn't even consider Kurama and how his Youko form acts as a regression but the possibility to make it more dangerous to his current lifestyle by having the Devil on his shoulder be his literal past temptations, makes it go full circle in Inner Demon trope closer to Rurouni Kenshin territory. In other words, it's being played straight rather than continuing following the inversion.
Kurama has always been my fav character from YUYU, my 2nd favorite anime of all time and my favorite cast overall of any anime. His intelligence, empathy, graceful aesthetic and style always appealed to me. Even when it seems like he’s in over his head we, the audience, his allies and his opponent, are always humbled and reminded that he’s always thinking, planning, strategizing, and apprehending reality and the situations of it to a degree everyone else just isn’t capable of. His back story, his struggles with the dichotomy between his human and demon selves, and the development we get to see when a greater focus is placed on these aspects in instances like the dark tournament as Yoko begins to return, in chapter black where he has to employ yoko’s more utilitarian way of thinking and doing things, and finally all that we get in the three kings arc to expand these elements, mirror the bigger themes in the series. He blurs the lines between demons and humans (right and wrong/light and dark/ etc) the way sensui attributes yusukes presentation does so… Togashi is one of if not THE best story tellers/character designers of all time and he was absolutely flexin the way he wove kurama’s character design and story into the greater narrative of YuYu. Absolutely brilliant. 🤌🏻 Great video and please keep the yu yu content coming as much as you can 🙏🏼👊🏼
