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Japanese actor and voice artist Jun Shison will portray Kurama in the live-action Netflix adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho. This news comes a day after the initial reveal of live-action Yusuke, whom Takumi Kitamura of Tokyo Revengers will portray. An image released alongside the announcement gives us a look at what Kurama will look like in the show. We can see his signature red hair and Chinese-inspired outfit. [Thanks, Comic Natalie!]
Previous live-action roles from Shison include Masa in The Way of the Househusband and Atsumu “Yukiatsu” Matsuyuki in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. He also voiced protagonist Hibiki in Bubble, starring alongside voice actor veterans such as Mamoru Miyano and Yuki Kaji.
Shison states that he’s been a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho since his student years and was surprised he got the part. While he is happy, he also feels immense pressure because of how many Kurama fans there are. He also states that he thinks the reason Yu Yu Hakusho remains so popular is because of the character dynamics. While everyone fights for their own reasons, they hold respect for each other and fight for each other, which is something everyone in any country or generation can relate to.
Kurama is an immensely popular character from Yu Yu Hakusho, often appearing in the top 3 of popularity polls. In the show, Kurama is a demonic fox thief who escapes to the human world after a grievous injury. He then fuses with human Shuichi Minamino in the womb. He meets Yusuke on one of Yusuke’s earlier jobs as a Spirit Detective and becomes friends after Yusuke helps him save his mother.
The live-action Yu Yu Hakusho adaptation is in development and will air on Netflix worldwide in December 2023.
