Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)

Hiei
YuYu Hakusho character
Hiei illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi
First appearanceYuYu Hakusho manga chapter 20: "The Deadly Trio!!"
Created byYoshihiro Togashi
Portrayed byShohei Hashimoto (play), Kanata Hongo (Netflix series)
Voiced by
In-universe information
AliasVincent (Filipino dub)

Hiei (Japanese: 飛影) is a fictional character in the manga series YuYu Hakusho by Yoshihiro Togashi. The sword-wielding fire demon Hiei is introduced as one of three wanted demons, alongside Kurama and Goki, who stole three treasures from the Underworld. Following his defeat by the forces Yusuke Urameshi and Kurama, Hiei becomes their ally as a payment to the superior Koenma. While Hiei remains as a supporting character across the series, it is not until the final story arc that his backstory is revealed, involving his relationship with his sister Yukina and whether or not he seeks revenge for being abandoned. The character also appeared in the manga's two animated movies that feature him facing new enemies.

Togashi was inspired by Skunky from Patalliro! when designing Hiei while his inclusion as a lead in the manga was done by popular demand. Hiei's Japanese voice provided by Nobuyuki Hiyama in the original anime. Hiei's English voice actors are Chuck Huber in the Funimation dub of the television series, Kirk Thornton, in the dub of YuYu Hakusho: The Movie, and James Stanley in the second movie, YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report. Critical response to Hiei's character was generally positive due to his quiet personality and contrast with the other characters as well as his role in the final arc.

Creation

YuYu Hakusho manga author Yoshihiro Togashi based Hiei and Killua Zoldyck from Hunter × Hunter from the manga Patalliro! by Mineo Maya; Patalliro! was an influence on Togashi's work, as he read it and other yaoi works while working to write shōnen manga.[1] Togashi based Hiei's design off of the character Skunky from such series.[2] He contiguously developed the names of the main characters by skimming through a dictionary and taking out kanji characters he found appealing. "Yusuke Urameshi" is a pun, "Kazuma Kuwabara" is a combination of two professional baseball players, and "Hiei" and "Kurama" are "just names that popped into [Togashi's] head."[3] Although Kurama and Hiei were introduced as enemies that Yusuke Urameshi had to fight, Togashi planned from the beginning to turn Kurama into a supporting character afterward with Hiei also joining him due to positive response to the cast. Though Kurama and Hiei would go improve the series' popularity, the editors from Weekly Shonen Jump still saw Yusuke as another reason for the series' success.[4]

When he introduced Hiei and Kurama, the author had early plans to make Kurama a main character but was not certain about Hiei.[5][3] For the Four Holy Beasts story arc, Togashi made four enemies on impulse, but the only humans were Yusuke and Kuwabara. When it became clear that they were not strong enough to take on two demons each, Hiei and Kurama appeared on the scene, making their introductions as protagonists.[6] Togashi's editor was the one who suggested the manga author to keep using Hiei in the rest of the series.[7] When fighting, Togashi wanted Hiei's fights to be always fast to the point some end in a few pages. He also wanted his personality to remain that of a meansprited child.[8]

Casting

Chuck Huber (left) has voiced him in the English dub while Kanata Hongo portrayed Hiei in the live-action.

The anime staff liked the contrasting colors the protagonists have, linking them to popular tokusatsu series. When animating the manga series, there was talk of casting either Hiei or Kurama as a female cast member, and the station producer said, it would be Kurama due to his Kurama androgynous, naive-looking looks. As a result, Hiei was voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama.[9] He is called Vincent in the Philippine version of the anime.[10] Hiyama initially gave Hiei an inimitating aura in order to give Yusuke fear. As a result, he was surprised when he the character became supporting. When talking about the character, Hiyama says he is constantly moody and is balanced with the notable power he exposes. Due to this cold portrayal the character has, Hiyama noticed there was a massive change when his sister Yukine was introduced and Hiei was bothered by how Yusuke and Kurama casually mocked this state of weakness. In response to positive response to the handling of the leads, Hiyama said that Hiei and Kurama might also become enemies in future episodes.[11]

Chuck Huber voiced Hiei in the Funimation dub of the series, talking a liking to the techniques Hiei uses in battles and had no idea there was a major fandom behind it. When going to a convention, Huber was surprised by Hiei's popularity as he could not believe several people wanted to sign him autographs related to the series enough to request breaks.[12] Kirk Thornton also voices him in the dub of YuYu Hakusho: The Movie, and James Stanley in the second movie, YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report.

For the official play of the series, Shohei Hashimoto plays the Hiei. The actor was a fan of the anime as a child and was surprised that he would portray Hiei; he considers the reason for the character's popularity is being a tsundere archetype and being always performing cool feats. He further enjoyed performing Hiei's techniques which he considers help expanding more the cool aura the character presents.[13] Kanata Hongō portrays Hiei in the live-action Netflix series. He mentions taking a liking to his skills in battle calling his lines fitting for a young male. However, he considered his character would not be able to defeat Young Toguro.[14]

Appearances

In YuYu Hakusho

Hiei is introduced in YuYu Hakusho as one of three wanted demons, alongside Kurama and Goki, who stole three treasures from the Underworld. With the Conjuring Blade (降魔の剣, Kōma no Ken), a sword that turns anyone cut by it into a demon, he plans to create an army.[ch. 22] As the last of his partners on the run, Hiei kidnaps Keiko in an exchange with Yusuke for the other two treasures. However, he also cuts her with the Conjuring Blade, forcing Yusuke to defeat him to save her, which he does with help from Kurama and Botan.[ch. 23] Hiei possesses the Evil Eye (邪眼, Jagan; referred to as the "Jagan Eye" in the English anime) implanted in his forehead, which gives him clairvoyance and allows him to control lesser demons and humans with only a glance.[ch. 22] He can transform into a form with Evil Eyes all over his body, boosting his powers. While assisting Yusuke in defeating The Four Beasts in exchange for a reduced sentence, Hiei changes and no longer acts solely for his own interest.[ch. 38] For associating with humans, Hiei and Kurama are invited to take part in the Dark Tournament on Yusuke and Kuwabara's team.[ch. 51] During the Dark Tournament, he debuts the technique known as the Black Dragon Unholy Fire (邪王炎殺黒龍波, Jaō Ensatsu Kokuryūha; lit. "Tyrant King's Blaze-Murdering Black Dragon Wave", "Dragon of the Darkness Flame" in the English anime), which allows him to summon and control black flames from the Demon Plane.[ch. 57] He eventually masters the technique by consuming the flames, which greatly enhances the user's abilities.[ch. 100] Although he initially refrains from helping Yusuke and company stop Shinobu Sensui from opening the portal to the Demon Plane because he wants to return himself, Hiei later joins them when Yusuke offers to let him have The Black Chapter videotape.[ch. 133] After watching Yusuke's death by Sensui, Hiei's old demon powers awaken.[ch. 147]

Following Sensui's death, Hiei goes to the Demon World where his backstory is explored when meeting Mukuro's while meeting the man who gave him his third eye to become Mukuro's 2nd best soldier.[ch. 158] Hiei is later revealed that he is a fire demon born to a race of female Ice Maidens, who reproduce by parthenogenesis every 100 years, always giving birth to a female. However, a male child is born only if the Maiden has had sexual contact with a male, which is forbidden in their society. As her children were born, their mother wept two Tears of Ice before dying, tears that crystallize into jewels and are given to the babies.[ch. 160] Hiei was thrown from the floating glacial country to his supposed doom, but managed to survive and grew up in the wilderness, where he developed a thirst for killing. The only times he found peace were while looking at his Tear of Ice jewel, later deciding to find the glacial country to take revenge on the women who cast him out.[ch. 161] Having lost his jewel during a battle, Hiei went to Shigure and had an Evil Eye implanted so he could find it and the glacial country, at the cost of losing his powers. Though he easily found the Ice Maidens' home, his lust for revenge fades; he can not find his jewel and sets out to find his sister instead.[ch. 161] He takes part in the Demon Plane Unification Tournament, losing to Mukuro in the third round. At the end of the series, he is assigned to the special squad in charge of safely returning humans who wander into the Demon Plane.[ch. 173]

In other media

Hiei also appears in Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie (1993) on a mission to rescue Koenma who was taken by the demons Koashura and Garuga. The second film, Yu Yu Hakusho the Movie: Poltergeist Report (1994), he battles the Netherworld's forces. The OVAs Eizoken feature very short clips that take place after the end of the series. They also contain video montages from the anime and satirical animated shorts focusing on the four protagonists.[15] Two other OVAs detailing his first meeting with Kurama as well as his return to the Human World after the finale were also released.[16][17]

Hiei is also playable in multiple video games based on the series such asYū Yū Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen and Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament.[18][19][20] Yu Yu Hakusho characters were also featured in the Weekly Shōnen Jump crossover fighting games J-Stars Victory VS and Jump Force.[21][22][23]

Reception

Hiei is a popular character with fans, coming in first place in the series' first two popularity polls.[24][25] He also came in first in the American Shonen Jump poll.[24] He was ranked as the first, then second, then third most popular male anime character in Animage's Anime Grand Prix for the consecutive years of 1993, 1994, and 1995.[26][27][28] The Japanese publication Newtype ranked him as the fifth best male anime character of the 1990s.[29]

The character was often the subject of analisys by scholars. In "A diversidade homoafetiva nos quadrinhos japoneses: educação sexual, pornografia ou mercado erótico?" Hiei and Kurama are described as popular characters within dojinshi despite there being a relationship between these two in the original work.[30] Time agreeed, seeing both Hiei and Kurama as the most attractive characters from the series within the female readers.[31] In "No Boundaries? Girls’ Interactive, Online Learning About Femininities" Hiei is depcited as a deep character within gaming, claiming several female characters in similar works are not that given that level of depth.[32] In analyzing the series, Pablo Rodrigo Santoni said in "Animês e mangás : a identidade dos adolescentes" that Hiei and the rest of the YuYu Hakusho leads are common subjects who are involve in violence to appeal to the young demography from the Weekly Shonen Jump and thus are portrayed as young teenagers continuously involve not fighting monsters but also each other. This case of violence was noted by Santoni that might concern parents in regards to how their children are entertained by the series' violence.[33] Masashi Kishimoto regarded him as a cool villain who still remains a strong aura when appearing in the series. He also said that he used Hiei as a reference when creating Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto and his Sharingan technique.[7]

When it comes to critical response, THEM Anime Reviews saw Hiei as the series' best character to the point of overshadowing Yusuke whom he saw less likable; "Hiei is revealed to be much more complex and warm an individual than his humble beginnings in this series imply". He also found his constant batnering with Kuwabara hilarious in general.[34] Animerica's Justin Kovalsky in general saw Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara as strong supporting characters that help the series make cooler×.[35] In "Yu Yu Hakusho: Does it Hold Up?", Anime News Network saw the final arc an important story arc to explore Hiei's backtory alongside Yusuke's and Kurama's despite fans dislking the way it ended.[36] In retrospect, DVD Talk agreed with the comments about the final arc which allows to see Hiei's character more properly.[37] Fandom Post liked the balance that both Kurama and Hiei's sidestories bring to Yusuke's in the final arc but felt they were overshadowed by Hiei's side as the series had not properly explored his backstory before.[38] FOr Netflix's live-action series, Anime News Network saw Hiei as one of the worst treated characters being adapted due to his lack of screentime as well as fight scenes.[39] IGN's Juan Barquin said the live-action falters when it comes to the supporting characters due to the pacing required of a five-episode series in contrast to Yusuke and Kuwabara.[40] AnimeFeminist had mixed feelings about Hiei and Mukuro's fight in the last episodes as the apparent romantic relationship the two appear to start sharing rob most of the latter's power when defeating the former, a common issue the writer found in the series involving female characters.[41]

References

General

Entire manga

  • Togashi, Yoshihiro. 幽☆遊☆白書 [YuYu Hakusho] (in Japanese). 19 vols. Tokyo: Shueisha, 1991–1994.
  • Togashi, Yoshihiro. YuYu Hakusho. 19 vols. San Francisco: Viz Media, 2003–2010.

Individual volumes

  • Vol. 1 (ch. 1–8): Goodbye, Material World!. May 2003. ISBN 1-56931-904-9. and さよなら現世！！ (in Japanese). April 1991. ISBN 4-08-871273-0.
  • Vol. 2 (ch. 9–17): Lonesome Ghosts. November 2003. ISBN 1-59116-082-0. and 黄金色のめざめ!! (in Japanese). June 1991. ISBN 4-08-871274-9.
  • Vol. 3 (ch. 18–26): Spirit Detective. February 2004. ISBN 1-59116-183-5. and 魔性の森!! (in Japanese). September 1991. ISBN 4-08-871275-7.
  • Vol. 4 (ch. 27–35): Training Day. June 2004. ISBN 1-59116-325-0. and 妖魔街からの兆戦状!! (in Japanese). November 1991. ISBN 4-08-871276-5.
  • Vol. 5 (ch. 36–45): Focus Your Mind As One!. October 2004. ISBN 978-1-59116-521-7. and 心をひとつに！！ (in Japanese). March 1992. ISBN 4-08-871277-3.
  • Vol. 6 (ch. 46–55): The Dark Tournament. February 2005. ISBN 1-59116-668-3. and 暗黒武術会開幕！！ (in Japanese). June 1992. ISBN 4-08-871278-1.
  • Vol. 7 (ch. 56–Two Shot): Knife-Edge Death Match. June 2005. ISBN 1-59116-812-0. and ナイフエッジ・デスマッチ (in Japanese). June 1992. ISBN 4-08-871279-X.
  • Vol. 8 (ch. 64–72): Open Your Eyes!!. October 2005. ISBN 978-1-4215-0026-3. and 霊丸を越えろ！！ (in Japanese). October 1992. ISBN 4-08-871280-3.
  • Vol. 9 (ch. 73–81): The Huge Ordeal!!. April 2006. ISBN 978-1-4215-0278-6. and 最大の試練！！ (in Japanese). December 1992. ISBN 4-08-871515-2.
  • Vol. 10 (ch. 82–91): Unforgivable!!. August 2006. ISBN 978-1-4215-0695-1. and 許せない！！ (in Japanese). February 1993. ISBN 4-08-871516-0.
  • Vol. 11 (ch. 92–100): Eat or Be Eaten!!. December 2006. ISBN 978-1-4215-0696-8. and 喰うか喰われるか！！ (in Japanese). April 1993. ISBN 4-08-871517-9.
  • Vol. 12 (ch. 101–109): The Championship Match Begins!!. May 2007. ISBN 1-4215-1118-5. and 決定戦開始!! (in Japanese). June 1993. ISBN 4-08-871518-7.
  • Vol. 13 (ch. 110–118): The Executors of a Dying Wish!. October 2007. ISBN 1-4215-1119-3. and 遺志を継ぐ奴等！！ (in Japanese). August 1993. ISBN 4-08-871519-5.
  • Vol. 14 (ch. 119–128): A Bloody Past!!. February 2008. ISBN 1-4215-1120-7. and 血塗られた過去！！ (in Japanese). October 1993. ISBN 4-08-871520-9.
  • Vol. 15 (ch. 129–138): Standoff at the Eleventh Hour!!. July 2008. ISBN 1-4215-1516-4. and 瀬戸際の対峙！！ (in Japanese). December 1993. ISBN 4-08-871521-7.
  • Vol. 16 (ch. 139–148): Breaking Into Makai. December 2008. ISBN 978-1-4215-1517-5. and 魔界への突入！！ (in Japanese). March 1994. ISBN 4-08-871522-5.
  • Vol. 17 (ch. 149–158): Separate Choices. May 2009. ISBN 978-1-4215-2448-1. and それぞれの決心！！ (in Japanese). June 1994. ISBN 4-08-871523-3.
  • Vol. 18 (ch. 159–167): The Makai Tournament. October 2009. ISBN 978-1-4215-2449-8. and 魔界統一トーナメント (in Japanese). September 1994. ISBN 4-08-871524-1.
  • Vol. 19 (ch. 168–175): And So.... March 2010. ISBN 978-1-4215-2450-4. and それから・・・ (in Japanese). December 1994. ISBN 4-08-871525-X.

Specific

  1. ^ Jump Ryu (DVD). Vol. 24. Shueisha. December 2024.
  2. ^ Togashi, Yoshihiro (1994). Yoshihiro Togashi Speaks. ヨシりんでポン！[Yoshirin de Pon!] (in Japanese). p. 17.
  3. ^ a b "Interview: Yoshihiro Togashi". Shonen Jump. Vol. 1, no. 5. San Francisco, CA: Viz Media. May 2003. ISSN 1545-7818.
  4. ^ "Interview: Yoshihiro Togashi". Shonen Jump. 1 (5). San Francisco, CA: Viz Media. May 2003.
  5. ^ Shueisha staff (November 2017). "Special Interview: JUMP 90's Star Road of Glory!!". Weekly Shonen Jump. Weekly Shonen Jump 50th Anniversary Exhibition (in Japanese). 2. Shueisha: 284–285.
  6. ^ "Togashi-sensei talks about YuYu". V-Jump. No. December. Shueisha. 1992.
  7. ^ a b Kishimoto, Masashi (December 4, 2009). NARUTO―ナルト―[秘伝·皆の書]オフィシャルプレミアムファンBOOK (in Japanese). Japan: Shueisha. pp. 74–81. ISBN 978-4-08-874834-4.
  8. ^ Togashi, Yoshihiro (2005). "Main Characters Comment Section from Yoshihiro Togashi". Yu Yu Hakusho Official Characters Book Reikai Shinshiroku. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4088737324.
  9. ^ "【幽☆遊☆白書 霊界通信】スペシャル対談 阿部記之（監督）×北山真理（キャラクターデザイン）". V Storage (in Japanese). Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  10. ^ Yu Yu Hakusho Sounds
  11. ^ Yu Yu Hakusho Anime Comics, Meikai Shito Hen - Honoo no Kizuna. Vol. 2. Shueisha. 1994.
  12. ^ "Why Hiei is @Chuck_Huber favorite role". Youtube. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  13. ^ "2月27日『舞台「幽☆遊☆白書」』Blu-ray & DVD発売記念！ 舞台飛影役・橋本祥平×アニメ飛影役・檜山修之 対談 [舞台「幽☆遊☆白書」BD&DVD特集サイト]". V Storage (in Japanese). Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "The Hongo Chronicle Interview Yu Yu Hakusho Netflix Japan". Youtube. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  15. ^ Oppliger, John (June 30, 2010). "Ask John: Where are the Yu Yu Hakusho OVAs?". AnimeNation. Archived from the original on March 20, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  16. ^ "'Yu Yu Hakusho' Anniversary BD to Include New Animation". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  17. ^ Pineda, Rafael. "Yu Yu Hakusho New Anime Episode Previewed in Screenshots Before Screening". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  18. ^ "Mega Drive :: Jogos" (in Portuguese). Tectoy. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  19. ^ "Yu Yu Hakusho: Sunset Fighters". Retro Gamer. No. 66. Imagine Publishing. pp. 46–47. ISSN 1742-3155.
  20. ^ "Yu Yu Hakusho: Dark Tournament Released". Gamers Hell. September 28, 2004. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
  21. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 6, 2015). "Shonen Jump's J-Stars Victory VS+ Game's English Bleach Trailer Streamed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 1, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  22. ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (September 20, 2018). "Jump Force Game Videos Reveal 2 Yu Yu Hakusho Characters, Original Characters by Akira Toriyama, February Debut". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  23. ^ Mateo, Alex (September 15, 2020). "Jump Force Game Adds Yu Yu Hakusho's Hiei". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Togashi, Yoshihiro (2005). Yu Yu Hakusho, Volume 7. Viz Media. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-5911-6812-6.
  25. ^ Togashi, Yoshihiro (2007). Yu Yu Hakusho, Volume 12. Viz Media. pp. 148–149. ISBN 978-1-4215-1118-4.
  26. ^ 第15回アニメグランプリ [1993年5月号] [15th Anime Grand Prix since (1993 May issue)]. Animage (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  27. ^ 第16回アニメグランプリ [1994年5月号] [16th Anime Grand Prix since (1994 May issue)]. Animage (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
  28. ^ 第17回アニメグランプリ [1995年5月号] [17th Anime Grand Prix since (1995 May issue)]. Animage (in Japanese). Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  29. ^ "Newtype's Top 30 Male and Female Characters of Each Decade". Newtype (in Japanese). Kadokawa Shoten. March 2010. p. 24.
  30. ^ Braga Júnior; A.X. (2013). "A diversidade homoafetiva nos quadrinhos japoneses: educação sexual, pornografia ou mercado erótico?". Latitude.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ Guzman, Chaz De (December 24, 2023). "How Netflix's Yu Yu Hakusho Adaptation Pays Homage to One of the Most Influential Shōnen Manga Stories". Time. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  32. ^ Kelly, D. M., Pomerantz, S., & Currie, D. H. (2006). "No Boundaries? Girls' Interactive, Online Learning About Femininities". Youth & Society.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Santoni, Pablo Rodrigo (2017). "Animês e mangás: a identidade dos adolescentes". Universidade de Brasília, Brasília. . Dissertação (Mestrado em Artes). p. 33. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  34. ^ "Yu Yu Hakusho". THEM Anime. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  35. ^ Kovalsky, Justin (November 2001). "Animerica Feature: Yû Yû Hakusho". Animerica. 9 (10/11). Viz Media: 38–43. ISSN 1067-0831. Archived from the original on April 7, 2004.
  36. ^ "Yu Yu Hakusho: Does it Hold Up?". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  37. ^ Douglass Jr., Todd (May 9, 2006). "Yu Yu Hakusho - The Saga of the Three Kings". DVD Talk. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  38. ^ "Yu Yu Hakusho Season 4 Complete Collection Blu-ray Anime Review". FandomPost. December 5, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  39. ^ Beckett, James (January 4, 2024). "Yu-Yu Hakusho Live-Action Series Review". Time. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  40. ^ Barquin, Juan (December 12, 2023). "YuYu Hakusho Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 29, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  41. ^ Justice, Jessica (May 7, 2021). "My Fave is Problematic: Yu Yu Hakusho". AnimeFeminst. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
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