Yu Yu Hakusho chronicled the story of a high schooler, Yusuke Urameshi (Takumi Kitamura), who sacrificed his own life to save a child being run over by a speeding bus. For this selfless act, Koenma, the one in charge of sending people to hell and heaven, resurrected him and made him a protector of the human world, aka a spirit detective. As we reach Episode 2 of Yu Yu Hakusho, we are introduced to the concept of three Yokai objects that got swiped or, let’s say, borrowed in some cases for different reasons. These objects weren’t the everyday things you’d find at a pawn shop. If these objects were to fall into the wrong hands, they could bring devastation to the human world. In simple terms, they had the power to disrupt the balance of both the spirit and demon worlds. Since Yusuke has taken on the role of protecting the human world, it was up to him to track down and recover these dangerous objects before they could wreak havoc. These objects included a conjuring sword, taken by Hiei (Kanata Hongô), a mirror of darkness, stolen by Kurama (Jun Shison), and a rapacious orb, taken by Goki.
Spoilers Ahead
The Rapacious Orb
One of the first objects to be stolen was the rapacious orb, which was stolen by Goki. He was one of the most dangerous demons who had crossed into the human world. In layman’s terms, Goki’s mere existence was harmful to humanity. Goki loved feeding on children’s souls, and the black orb had the power to hold and trap such souls. So, if you’d ask me, the orb couldn’t possibly have ended up in the worse hands. Thanks to his spiritual energy, Goki could easily take on the appearance of a human and blend in. This was why it was so challenging for Yusuke and Botan to track him. As expected, Goki used the black orb to steal the children’s souls so he could munch on them later. Yusuke caught up to him and forced him to reveal his real form. In terms of looks, Goki was a massive red giant with horns, and he had the kind of strength that could easily knock over a speeding train or take down a skyscraper. Goki even mocked Yusuke by stealing the soul of a little boy who came to help him. Fortunately, after a long brawl, Yusuke defeated the giant with his spirit gun and returned the souls to the children’s bodies.
The Mirror Of Darkness
Kurama stole this Yokai object, but he had no intention to use it to bring destruction. This object had the power to grant any wishes, whether it be riches or an army, to rule the world. The mirror of darkness reveals its full power under the full moon, meaning Yusuke had to take it away before then. Kurama wasn’t evil and had planned to return the mirror once his job was done. For the uninitiated, Kurama was a Yokai in human skin and had managed to evade the eyes of Koenma and other Spirit Detectives (yes, there were others) before Yusuke. Decades ago, a battle left Kurama seriously injured, and he entered a fertilized egg to save himself. His plan was to slowly recover his strength, and thus, he allowed the woman to raise him as a son. Unfortunately, Kurama had taken a liking to her and thus couldn’t bring himself leave.
Sometime later, the woman fell ill and was soon to die. This was why Kurama stole the mirror of darkness, so he could ask it to heal his mother. Unfortunately, in order for a wish to be complete, one has to sacrifice something of equal value. This meant Kurama had to sacrifice his own life to save his mother. The latter had no problem with it, but Yusuke couldn’t allow it. Thus, he followed Kurama to the mirror world and gave half of his own life to save his mother. The woman was saved, and Yusuke’s selflessness earned him both the respect and the life-long friendship of Kurama. Once his mother was sound, Kurama had no use for the mirror and thus returned it to Yusuke. A few episodes later, we also see Kurama trying to convince Hiei to give the conjuring blade to Yusuke. He even joined Yusuke’s mission to rescue Keniko and Yukina. Kurama had sworn never to return to his original Yokai form, but he had to break his oath when faced with Bui, one of Sakyo’s demons, who shot explosions from his hands. As for Kurama, his appearance was that of a fox, with sharp and somewhat botanic tentacles.
The Conjuring Blade
Last but definitely not least, the conjuring blade could become the one’s greatest strength or a devastating weapon. As suggested by the name, the conjuring blade was a Yokai object with which one could conjure anything. Hiei had stolen it so he could open a Jagan Eye to find his sister, Yukina. Hiei was also a Yokai who moved faster than a speeding bullet. Yusuke couldn’t counter any of his moves when he fought Hiei head-on. Hiei beat him without even drawing his sword. Hiei was also a Yokai donning a human disguise, and like Kurama, he too didn’t want to harm anyone, but rescue his estranged sister, who was kidnapped by Sakyo.
Hiei liked to work alone, and that was why he refused Kurama’s help. Kurama told Hiei that he could help find his sister if he handed over the conjuring blade, but due to his inability to trust anyone, Hiei refused. However, Hiei had to join forces with Yusuke and others when he was called to Sakyo’s island to fight other Yokai. In the competition, Hiei was pitted against Bui, a demon with a giant axe. However, Hiei was much more swift and strong compared to Bui and thus became the champion. However, Hiei badly lost when he faced the bulky form of the younger Toguro. Toguro was eventually defeated when Yusuke used his newfound power on him.
