Yu Yu Hakusho Is Everything Jujutsu Kaisen Failed to Do

Jujutsu Kaisen’s True Replacement Does What the Hit Anime Failed to Do By  Evan D. Mullicane Published 22 minutes ago Evan Mullicane is the senior editor and founder of Screen Rant's anime section. Having started as a writer for the Comics Team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical. Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history. In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest. You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Jujutsu Kaisen season 3 makes its grand debut on January 8th 2026, meaning anime fans across the globe are eagerly awaiting the fallout of the massive Shibuya Incident Arc. While everyone waits, however, there is another classic anime that feels like a spiritual predecessor to MAPPA's hit anime.

Produced by Studio Pierrot in 1992 and based on the hit manga by Yoshihiro Togashi, Yu Yu Hakusho shares many traits with Jujutsu Kaisen. Togashi's series also focuses on a corrupt spirit world mingling with (then) modern-day Japan.

With an emphasis on average protagonists who are frequently out of their elements, incredible battle sequences, and undeniably cool senses of fashion, it's easy to see how Jujutsu Kaisen creator Gege Akutami might have been inspired by Togashi's seminal series.

While Jujutsu Kaisen is spectacular for many reasons, the anime's upcoming Culling Game arc highlights one major way that Yu Yu Hakusho doesn't just hold up 33 years after premier, it's still outpacing newer series.

Yu Yu Hakusho Perfected The Tournament Arc More Than Three Decades Ago

Yu Yu Hakusho begins as a detective story with a twist. The series stars a delinquent named Yusuke who, after sacrificing his life to protect a child from getting hit by a car, is turned into a spirit investigator. While investigations do take place during the series' first arc, Yu Yu Hakusho quickly evolves into something shonen fans will be more than familiar with.

Eventually, Yusukue is dragged into the Dark Tournament, and what follows still holds up among the best tournament arcs in anime and manga history. Despite spanning 41 episodes, the Dark Tournament never wears out its welcome, with each fight feeling significant by advancing the story, characters, or both.

There is a reason that, even more than three decades after it aired, the Dark Tournament arc is still so fondly remembered by fans. Unfortunately, all the reasons it works are the exact reasons why fans are so worried about Jujutsu Kaisen season 3.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Big Upcoming Tournament Arc Is Facing An Uphill Battle

Yuji Itadori's breakdown in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2, episode #17

Jujutsu Kaisen's Culling Game arc is incredibly controversial among fans of the manga, especially coming after the epic heights of the Shibuya Incident arc. Unlike Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament arc, the Culling Game is much less efficient in moving the plot and characters forward.

Additionally, there are concerns about cast bloat. The Culling Game introduces a handful of new sorcerers that all participate in the eponymous tournament, and while some of them are memorable, they can often end up distracting from main characters like Yuji, Megumi, and Maki.

At this time, it's unclear what approach MAPPA will take to adapting the Culling Game. Unfortunately, the arc's issues are structural and would require major revisions to fix, meaning it's unlikely MAPPA will address fan concerns.

Jujutsu Kaisen's Culling Game is still good, despite its problems, and fans will almost certainly lose their mind over the anime's third season. Still, when looking at Jujutsu Kaisen's spiritual predecessor, Yu Yu Hakusho, and how it handled the tournament arc, it becomes clear that newer doesn't always equal better.

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  Like Follow Followed Jujutsu Kaisen TV-14 Animation Sci-Fi & Fantasy Action Adventure 149 9.2/10 Release Date October 3, 2020 Network TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC

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  • Junya Enoki Yuji Itadori
  • Yuichi Nakamura Satoru Gojo
  Genres Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action, Adventure Powered by Expand Collapse
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  Like Follow Followed Yu Yu Hakusho TV-14 Animation Action Adventure Fantasy 15 9.0/10 Release Date 1992 - 1994-00-00

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  • Nozomu Sasaki Yusuke Urameshi
  • Shigeru Chiba Kazuma Kuwabara
  Genres Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy Powered by Expand Collapse

• Anime
• Yu Yu Hakusho
• Jujutsu Kaisen

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