The BEST episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho season 1

Every episode of Yu Yu Hakusho season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho season 1!

Fourteen-year-old Yusuke Urameshi is having a typical day. He's cutting class, arguing with teachers, and getting into fistfights with his rival Kuwabara. But when Yusuke dives in front of a speeding car to save a little boy, things take an unexpected twist! As a result of his self-sacrifice, Yusuke is taken to the Spirit World where he meets Koenma, a 700 year-old ruler with the body of a toddler - pacifier and all! There's no room for laughs, as Koenma gives Yusuke an ordeal that could restore his life - or end all chances for revival. Yusuke has reclaimed his life, but has only one

Last Updated: 11/15/2024Network: Fuji TVStatus: Ended
Yusuke's Sacrifice
star
8.49
117 votes

#1 - Yusuke's Sacrifice

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/6/1993

Suzaku releases another lightning fist attack, but Yusuke was up to the task as he himself unleashes his full power and he blasts Suzaku with his devastating spirit shotgun! Suzaku goes down and Yusuke has finally beaten him. However he has used up his own strength and he goes down too. Keiko and Botan continue to run from the possessed people that are chasing them when suddenly Botan gets whacked hard from a sneak attack and she passes out. Keiko goes to her aid, but now they are trapped and have nowhere to go. Yusuke sees this from Suzaku's wide screen and decides to grab the flute and destroy it. He doesn't have much strength so he crawls towards the flute when suddenly Suzaku's bird (the one that flies with Suzaku all the time and taunting Yusuke) knocks the flute far off. Yusuke threatens the bird with a rei gun pose, scaring it, and he goes again to grab the flute when suddenly Suzaku steps on his hand.. he's still alive! Suzaku grabs the spirit of the other Suzaku clones he earl

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Surprised to be Dead
star
8.45
289 votes

#2 - Surprised to be Dead

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/10/1992

Yusuke Urameshi is having a typical day. He's cutting class, arguing with teachers and getting into fights with his rival Kuwabara. But then Yusuke does something that betrays his killer rep. He dives in front of a speeding car to push a little boy out of harm's way! Yusuke has sacrificed his life for the sake of another, but is this really the end of this brash young man?

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Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks
star
8.45
136 votes

#3 - Yusuke vs. Rando: 99 Attacks

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/9/1993

Kuwabara's body lays broken. Shorin is nowhere to be found. And with Yusuke's energy dwindling every minute, the evil Rando reveals his true and monstrous form. Now, can the injured Yusuke battle the human-hunting demon and close the case? How can he, when Rando has ninety-nine deadly techniques in his arsenal.

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Yusuke's Back
star
8.38
195 votes

#4 - Yusuke's Back

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/7/1992

Yusuke has reclaimed his life, but has only one day to be revived by someone's kiss -— And that someone might be Kuwabara! Back in the flesh, Yusuke finds he can see supernatural creatures hiding in the living world, and quickly hunts down a demon criminal. With this move, he learns his adventure is only beginning. Yusuke is a Spirit Detective.

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The Toguro Brothers Gang
star
8.33
109 votes

#5 - The Toguro Brothers Gang

Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/20/1993

Yusuke's Spirit Detective team continues toward Tarukane's mountain stronghold, facing a small army of grotesque demon guards. It seems an alliance has formed between human criminals and demon mercenaries, with money as the bottom line. Yet Kuwabara plows fearlessly ahead declaring he's in love with Yukina!

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Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts
star
8.33
120 votes

#6 - Suzaku, Leader of the Beasts

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/20/1993

Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei rush into the next part of the castle as they reach the final chamber where Suzaku awaits. Unknown to them Suzaku's master plan is being made - to capture Keiko. Meanwhile at the human world Keiko runs for her life as she is being chased by humans possessed by the mind-controlling insects. She runs into a corner and someone pulls him beneath.. It's Botan! Botan calls Yusuke and tells him the situation and Suzaku's plan to capture Keiko.. but their conversation is rudely interrupted by the possessed people and together they run to an exit. On the other hand Yusuke and the gang are stopped by hundreds of zombies, but then Hiei thinks of a plan, and Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei worked together and formed a bridge for Yusuke to jump into the nearby entrance to the final chamber. They successfully accomplish the job, and Yusuke runs off to face Suzaku one-on-one as the three finish off the zombies. Yusuke confronts the leader of the sacred demons - Suzaku, who

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Kuwabara's Fight of Love
star
8.29
145 votes

#7 - Kuwabara's Fight of Love

Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 4/10/1993

One giant battle stands in the way of rescuing Yukina. Yusuke and Kuwabara versus the leaders of the demon mercenaries, the immensely powerful and bizarre - Toguro Brothers! What will it take to defeat the freakish duo in a fight where anything goes? Elsewhere, Kurama races to stop Hiei, who is entering Tarukane's stronghold with his own violent agenda!

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Byakko, the White Tiger
star
8.27
127 votes

#8 - Byakko, the White Tiger

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/30/1993

One of Yusuke's teammates has been badly injured, and Kuwabara insists on fighting the next enemy all by himself -— revealing his amazingly improved Spirit Sword! Before the bickering group can disagree, a ferocious roar slices through the castle. Byakko, the second Saint Beast, is waiting!

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Seiryu, the Blue Dragon
star
8.27
120 votes

#9 - Seiryu, the Blue Dragon

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/13/1993

Two of the four Saint Beasts are dead -- or so Yusuke and his team believe! But in the chamber of Seiryu, a Beast who can trap his enemies in ice, an unexpected guest arrives. How can two Beasts in one room be stopped? And why is Hiei, a cold-hearted rogue, suddenly beset with emotion?

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Requirements for Lovers
star
8.26
195 votes

#10 - Requirements for Lovers

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/31/1992

The Spirit World forgot an important question -- does anyone want Yusuke back? Koenma sends an Investigator to find out, and Yusuke's friends answer quickly when a fire threatens to char his earthly body. But will Yusuke give up the Spirit Beast, his one chance for revival, to rescue his friends?

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Lamenting Beauty
star
8.19
108 votes

#11 - Lamenting Beauty

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/13/1993

Yukina is a beautiful ice apparition whose tears transform into priceless jewels. Now a filthy human crime lord named Tarukane has kidnapped Yukina, planning to extract her tears through torture and make a fortune! Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan must quickly mount a rescue mission. But why is Hiei not allowed to know?

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Seven Ways to Die
star
8.18
120 votes

#12 - Seven Ways to Die

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/27/1993

Suzaku goes down off Yusuke's sneak attack, but remains unharmed. Again Yusuke charges, this time with more intensity, but Suzaku still blocks all of his attacks, however Yusuke manages to sneak in and nails a punch, and Suzaku loses possession of the flute. Yusuke rushes to the flute but Suzaku uses his teleportation and gets the flute back. Now he is definitely furious. Botan and Keiko meanwhile continue to run from the possessed people that chases them, and they are forced to fight when cornered. On the other hand Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei continue to fight off the zombies, but it seems like they are totally outnumbered as more and more of them continue to appear.. Kuwabara decides to use his spirit sword to jump up the entrance Yusuke went in earlier.. but fell short and smashes his face into the stone wall (ouch).. guess he didn't realize that there's an easier way by simply entering the main entrance from beneath as Hiei and Kurama did.. :) Suzaku then uses another one of his tec

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The Deadly Triad
star
8.15
114 votes

#13 - The Deadly Triad

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/27/1993

Struggling their way to the front gates of Tarukane's stronghold, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Botan now face a much greater challenge: three notorious demon fighters known throughout Spirit World as the Triad! Can the Spirit Detective team fight three outlandish opponents on after another, and save the tortured Yukina?

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Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men
star
8.14
203 votes

#14 - Kuwabara: A Promise Between Men

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/24/1992

Kuwabara was tormented by his rival's death. The loser in all 156 of his brawls against Yusuke , he's now lost any chance he ever had of evening the score! But with Yusuke out of the way, Kuwabara is the new kid to beat... which means he's making plenty of enemies. Yusuke isn't fond of this classmate, but if he wants to win back his life, he will need to give him a ghostly hand.

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Three Monsters
star
8.10
221 votes

#15 - Three Monsters

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/14/1992

Yusuke receives his first real case as Spirit Detective. Three demon thieves have muscled their way into King Yama's sacred vault, stealing the three Artifacts of Darkness. Yusuke must recover the artifacts and bring the thieves to justice before they unleash dark and deadly powers on the people of Earth.

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Byakko's Lair
star
8.08
156 votes

#16 - Byakko's Lair

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/6/1993

After a harrowing fight on a collapsing bridge, Byakko is seemingly defeated. But as soon as the Spirit Detective team enters the castle's next wing, a fearsome tiger roar bids Kuwabara to round two -- in Byakko's secret lair. Can this Beast be beaten once and for all, in a room of molten lava?

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Kuwabara's Spirit Sword
star
8.07
168 votes

#17 - Kuwabara's Spirit Sword

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/12/1992

The candidates for Genkai's apprenticeship have been narrowed to eight. Among them: Yusuke, Kuwabara, and the disguised demon Rando! Genkai announces the final test will be a tournament, fought in total darkness. And Kuwabara's first opponent is swinging a supernatural sword!

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Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls
star
8.05
165 votes

#18 - Rando Rises, Kuwabara Falls

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/26/1992

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and young Shorin are the only fighters still standing in the Genkai Tournament. Yet Rando has not been found. Could this mean that Shorin is actually Rando? Or is the demon lurking somewhere in the shadows? The truth will soon be known, as Kuwabara faces Shorin on the haunted field of battle.

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The Search Begins
star
8.05
172 votes

#19 - The Search Begins

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/5/1992

Yusuke's three-day weekend is cut short when Botan delivers his next big case. Genkai, an aging psychic, will hold a contest to find a worthy apprentice to her powerful technique: the Spirit Wave. But an evil demon, Rando, plans to steal the technique and use it for mass destruction! Yusuke must go undercover and infiltrate Genkai's compound!

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Genbu, the Stone Beast
star
8.02
159 votes

#20 - Genbu, the Stone Beast

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/23/1993

Kurama and Hiei, two demons Yusuke beat in his first case, join Yusuke and Kuwabara to battle the Saint Beasts. This awkward alliance must learn to trust each other quickly, as they struggle through the Gate of Betrayal. And waiting just beyond this trap is the first Beast —- a giant made of solid stone!

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Koenma Appears
star
8.01
254 votes

#21 - Koenma Appears

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/17/1992

Pulled by the sprightly, pink-robed Botan, Yusuke enters a realm that is not quite normal -- the Spirit World. There, Yusuke meets Koenma, a 700 year-old ruler with the body of a toddler, pacifier and all! But there's no room for laughs as Koenma gives Yusuke an ordeal to restore his life. Hatching a Spirit Beast!

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The Beasts of Maze Castle
star
7.99
154 votes

#22 - The Beasts of Maze Castle

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/16/1993

Yusuke returns from training with the great psychic Genkai, and not a moment too soon! Dreadful Makai Insects are invading his own city, part of a sinister scheme to flood the earth with demons! With Kuwabara at his side, Yusuke dives into a forbidden demon city. His target: four deadly creatures known as the Saint Beasts!

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Gouki and Kurama
star
7.97
188 votes

#23 - Gouki and Kurama

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/21/1992

The oafish demon Gouki is using the stolen Orb of Baast to capture children's souls. If Yusuke doesn't track down and defeat this monster quickly, those souls will become the monster's next meal. But Gouki isn't the only one Yusuke has to worry about when the second thief suddenly appears. His name is Kurama, and to great surprise, he asks Yusuke for a favor...

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The Three Eyes of Hiei
star
7.97
179 votes

#24 - The Three Eyes of Hiei

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/28/1992

With two artifacts under his belt, Yusuke heads for his most dangerous challenge yet – the ruthless demon Hiei. But unbeknownst to Yusuke, Hiei is chasing him, and kidnaps his girlfriend Kayko! Unless Yusuke can retrieve the antidote inside Hiei's Shadow Sword, Keiko will become a brainless, monster slave! Can Yusuke close the case?

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Hard Fights for Yusuke
star
7.91
164 votes

#25 - Hard Fights for Yusuke

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/19/1992

In his first match of the tournament, Yusuke faces an impossible disadvantage. He can't see a thing in the pitch-black arena, but a hi-tech helmet allows Kibano to follow Yusuke's every move. Even if the battle-worn detective can survive Kibano, he'll have to fight his second match immediately -— against a lethal ninja!

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