Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Then this can\'t stay either because it\'s more or less JUSTIFYING eating innocent people. And I\'ll keep deleting it, unless someone wants to change it.
Deleted line(s) 60 (click to see context) :
* CarnivoreConfusion: [[spoiler: After Yusuke becomes a demon, he doesn't see a problem with demons eating humans, and now can hold open conversations with man-eating-demons about their dietary habits. It's an interesting meditation on meat eating - Raizen, who is designed to eat humans, has spent 500 years slowly dying of hunger. There's no right answer to the ethical practice of Raizen's dietary needs, and Yusuke's offering to kidnap humans for Raizen just makes the whole dilemma even murkier.]]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
It can\'t stay because a) it\'s a YMMV trope (I\'ll C+P it to there) and b) tropes aren\'t arguable.
Deleted line(s) 117 (click to see context) :
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this in the original when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen, though not so much in the dub, as he offers to feed only bad people to him. Then again, it can also qualify as an OutOfCharacterMoment.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 117 (click to see context) from:
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen, though not so much in the dub, as he offers to feed only bad people to him.
to:
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this in the original when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen, though not so much in the dub, as he offers to feed only bad people to him.him. Then again, it can also qualify as an OutOfCharacterMoment.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 117 (click to see context) from:
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen.
to:
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen.Raizen, though not so much in the dub, as he offers to feed only bad people to him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
This STAYS. It is very debatable, but I think he DID cross the Moral Event Horizon from hero to Complete Monster, and since you won\'t let me keep that, then I am adding this.
Added DiffLines:
* MoralEventHorizon: Arguably crosses this when he offers to go out and hunt down innocent people to feed to Raizen.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Complete Monster does not go on character pages \'\'\'period.\'\'\'
Deleted line(s) 65 (click to see context) :
* CompleteMonster: Becomes this to some in the Three Kings Saga when he offers to feed Raizen innocent people and condones demons taking innocent lives just to eat.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* CompleteMonster: Becomes this to some in the Three Kings Saga when he offers to feed Raizen innocent people and condones demons taking innocent lives just to eat.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 159,160 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: ShigeruChiba (JP), ChristopherSabat (EN)
to:
->Voiced by: ShigeruChiba (JP), ChristopherSabat Creator/ChristopherSabat (EN)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 14 (click to see context) from:
** TheSixthRanger: Genkai and/or Koenma.
to:
** TheSixthRanger: SixthRanger: Genkai and/or Koenma.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Badass Longhair is not a trope. See the index.
Deleted line(s) 242,243 (click to see context) :
** BadassLongHair: [[spoiler:He kills an enemy with his Rose Whip which he wrapped around his hair.]] He just moves his hair.
--> "Only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory."
--> "Only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 311 (click to see context) from:
'''Main Power:''' Superspeed / Jagan Eye]
to:
'''Main Power:''' Superspeed / Jagan Eye]Eye / Flame Manipulation]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The team consists of a {{delinquent}} [[OccultDetective Spirit Detective]], his [[TheRival rival]], a reincarnated [[{{Kitsune}} Fox Demon]], and a ReformedCriminal with an [[EvilEye extra eye]].
to:
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The team consists of a {{delinquent}} [[OccultDetective Spirit Detective]], his [[TheRival rival]], a reincarnated [[{{Kitsune}} Fox Demon]], and a ReformedCriminal with an [[EvilEye extra eye]].{{extra eye|s}}.
Deleted line(s) 347 (click to see context) :
* EvilEye: His Jagan, which ''literally'' means "evil eye," allows him to see great distances and allows him some minor clairvoyance.
Added DiffLines:
* MagicalEye: His Jagan, which ''literally'' means "evil eye," allows him to see great distances and allows him some minor clairvoyance.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** MightyGlacier: His Trial Sword, given to him by [[spoiler:Suzuki]] is powerful enough to nearly one-shot [[spoiler:Elder Toguro]], and also seems to enhance his durability. [[spoiler:His Jigen Tou is the ''only'' unblockable attack in the series, being the only attack Sensui refused to meet head on aside from Yusuke's Spirit Gun, despite their vast difference in power]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 315,316 (click to see context) from:
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), ChuckHuber (EN)
to:
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama Creator/NobuyukiHiyama (JP), ChuckHuber Creator/ChuckHuber (EN)
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Also has this in spades his mentor Genkai. Yet for all of their outright hostile banter, they grow to love each other like family.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* OrgasmicCombat: Versus [[spoiler: Mukuro]]. Justified, in that it was their own way [[spoiler: to have a heart-to-heart]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* HiddenHeartOfGold: Very, ''very'' deeply hidden, but Hiei truly loves his twin sister [[MoralityPet Yukina]], and cares for (or at the very least respects) his allies, to the point where he was most visibly seething with rage after [[spoiler:Sensui kills Yusuke]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 240 (click to see context) from:
* BadassLongHair: [[spoiler:He kills an enemy with his Rose Whip which he wrapped around his hair.]] He just moves his hair.
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 240 (click to see context) from:
* BaddasLonghair: [[spoiler:He kills an enemy with his Rose Whip which he wrapped around his hair.]] He just moves his hair.
to:
* BaddasLonghair: BadassLongHair: [[spoiler:He kills an enemy with his Rose Whip which he wrapped around his hair.]] He just moves his hair.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* BaddasLonghair: [[spoiler:He kills an enemy with his Rose Whip which he wrapped around his hair.]] He just moves his hair.
--> "Only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory."
--> "Only an amateur depends on arms and legs for victory."
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 296 (click to see context) from:
* TheStoic: The guy has a pokerface that is simply unbreakable in a fight, to the point of almost coming across as a sociopath at times. He DOES have emotions, he's just able to look past them an analyze a situation with a cold rational mind, then switch back to being pleasant and upbeat when he has to be.
to:
* TheStoic: The guy has a pokerface that is simply unbreakable in a fight, to the point of almost coming across as a sociopath at times. He DOES have emotions, he's just able to look past them an and analyze a situation with a cold rational mind, then switch back to being pleasant and upbeat when he has to be.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 113 (click to see context) from:
* MarkedChange
to:
* MarkedChangeMarkedChange: After being possessed by [[spoiler: his demon ancestor Raizen]], Yusuke is literally covered from head to foot in demon runes. Anytime he makes use of his demon energy afterwards the runes briefly appear.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 108 (click to see context) from:
* KiAttacks
to:
* KiAttacksKiAttacks: Capable of using spirit energy, demon energy, [[spoiler: [[YinYangBomb and a mixture of spirit and demon energy]]]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 344 (click to see context) from:
* Expy: Of [[Franchise/DragonBall Vegeta]]. Both are ProudWarriorRaceGuys [[{{Pride}} with emphasis on the pride part]] that start out opposing TheHero but later make a HeelFaceTurn to become one of the good guys strongest fighters. Also, they both [[TheNapoleon are short]], have long, upright black hair [[spoiler: and are revealed to be of the same type of being as the protagonist]].
to:
* Expy: {{Expy}}: Of [[Franchise/DragonBall Vegeta]]. Both are ProudWarriorRaceGuys [[{{Pride}} with emphasis on the pride "pride" part]] that start out opposing TheHero but later make a HeelFaceTurn to become one of the good guys strongest fighters. Also, they both [[TheNapoleon are short]], have long, upright black hair [[spoiler: and are revealed to be of the same type of being as the protagonist]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
* {{Otaku}}: Of Combat Sports. That's how Botan baited him to going on the case of tracking down Rando with front row seat tickets in the Tokyo Dome.
Deleted line(s) 121 (click to see context) :
* {{Otaku}}: Of Combat Sports. That's how Botan baited him to going on the case of tracking down Rando with front row seat tickets in the Tokyo Dome.
Added DiffLines:
** LongHairedPrettyBoy
Added DiffLines:
* Expy: Of [[Franchise/DragonBall Vegeta]]. Both are ProudWarriorRaceGuys [[{{Pride}} with emphasis on the pride part]] that start out opposing TheHero but later make a HeelFaceTurn to become one of the good guys strongest fighters. Also, they both [[TheNapoleon are short]], have long, upright black hair [[spoiler: and are revealed to be of the same type of being as the protagonist]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
** Is deeply unnerved by Karasu, and panics over the prospect of being killed by him.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 45 (click to see context) from:
* BattleAura: Has three different energy types: Spirit Energy, Demon Energy, and a mix of Spirit Energy, and [[spoiler: Demon Energy]]. Yusuke doesn't have the unique qualities mentioned by Sensui to produce Sacred Energy.
to:
* BattleAura: Has three different energy types: Spirit Energy, Demon Energy, [[spoiler:Demon Energy]], and a mix of Spirit Energy, and [[spoiler: Demon Energy]]. Yusuke doesn't have the unique qualities mentioned by Sensui to produce Sacred Energy.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 312 (click to see context) from:
An aloof and elusive swordsman from the Demon World. Hiei possesses a surgically implanted third eye that endows him with several abilities such as mind control, telepathy, and telekinesis. Hiei is a fire demon, and is capable of manipulating the human world's crimson flames as well as the demon world's dark flames. He is taciturn and misanthropic, and the only being he cares about seems to be [[spoiler: his twin sister, Yukina]]. Hiei was the ringleader of the theft that led to Yusuke meeting him, Kurama and Gouki. Unlike Kurama, Hiei had no good intentions, but like Kurama, part of his sentence to assist Yusuke and Koenma. Eventually, he does come to respect Yusuke as a friend and warrior, although he usually won't help without a good pretense.
to:
An aloof and elusive swordsman from the Demon World. Hiei possesses a surgically implanted third eye that endows him with several abilities such as mind control, telepathy, and telekinesis. Hiei is a fire demon, and is capable of manipulating the human world's crimson flames as well as the demon world's dark flames. He is taciturn and misanthropic, and the only being he cares about seems to be [[spoiler: his twin sister, Yukina]]. Hiei was the ringleader of the theft that led to Yusuke meeting him, Kurama and Gouki. Unlike Kurama, Hiei had no good intentions, but like Kurama, part of his sentence to assist Yusuke and Koenma. Eventually, he does come to respect Yusuke as a friend and warrior, although he usually won't help without a good pretense.pretext.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
Fixed up a few things lost in the shuffle, added header and footer
Due to being TropeOverdosed, the four main heroes now have their own character sheet. Tropes related to Team Urameshi as a whole, or to the members thereof should go on this page.
! Tropes Related to Team Urameshi as a whole:
! Tropes Related to Team Urameshi as a whole:
Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
to:
----
Changed line(s) 375 (click to see context) from:
[[/folder]]
to:
[-Return to the main work page [[Manga/YuYuHakusho HERE]] or to the main character page [[Characters/YuYuHakusho HERE]]-]
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* AlmightyJanitor: The Spirit Detective title when compared to the Spirit Defense Force who are all at least A Class fighters. In fact the SDF is only called in where there's a GodzillaThreshold. [[spoiler: And by the end of the series, the whole group with the possible exceptions of Genkai and Kuwabara, greatly surpass the SDF]].
** [[spoiler:Specifically, Kuwabara surpasses them in the manga, but not the anime]].
* BadassCrew: Prevented EndOfTheWorld more than once and the current Dark Tournament Champions.
* FireForgedFriends: They had a rocky start during the Saint Beasts arc, but grew to respect each other.
* FiveManBand
** TheLeader: Yusuke. He's the spirit detective; they're his back up.
** TheLancer: Kuwabara, like Yusuke, is a deliquent with a heart of gold but he uses a sword instead of a gun.
** TheSmartGuy: Kurama is cunning like a fox.
** TheBigGuy: Hiei has a FantasticNuke.
** TheChick: Botan.
** TheSixthRanger: Genkai and/or Koenma.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:When Yusuke let's Sensui kill him to empower the rest of his team to A Class.]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:After Yusuke was killed by Sensui; Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei were all hell bent on killing Sensui even if it means sacrificing their lives. Kurama even comments how this is the first time Hiei was willing to die for someone other than himself.]]
* OddlySmallOrganization: The Spirit World's cleanup squad for when things go wrong consists of one detective and any friends he might make along the way. [[spoiler: Though this is rendered a bit moot by the manga's ending, where it was revealed that Yusuke might not have been needed as badly as we originally thought.]]
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The team consists of a {{delinquent}} [[OccultDetective Spirit Detective]], his [[TheRival rival]], a reincarnated [[{{Kitsune}} Fox Demon]], and a ReformedCriminal with an [[EvilEye extra eye]].
* TrueCompanions
[[WMG: Yusuke Urameshi]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Spirit Gun[[spoiler:, Demon Energy]]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yusuke01_7057.png
-->''You shouldn't talk. It makes you sound stupid.''
->Voiced by: NozomuSasaki (JP), JustinCook (EN)
Delinquent jerk who dies in a tragically ironic manner, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished saving a child from being hit by a car.]] It gets even more tragically ironic when he is informed that not only did The Powers That Be ''never'' expect such an act of goodness from him, the kid would have survived anyway, ''without a scratch.'' Yusuke pushing him out of the way just gave him a few extra scrapes.
Since there's no place for him in heaven ''or'' hell, Yusuke is given the opportunity to return to life, but once he does--Koenma owns him, and he becomes the Spirit Detective, taking care of supernatural problems that might threaten ordinary humans. Of course, as we gradually learn, Yusuke isn't all that ordinary, himself...
----
* AccidentalAimingSkills: During his first fight with Hiei, Yusuke knew he wouldn't be able to hit Hiei in the front because of his speed. So he fired his Spirit Gun at the Forlorn Hope and the mirror bounces his Spirit Gun onto Hiei's back. He himself wasn't sure if it would work or not.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Justified, after Yusuke dies saving a kid life he still sticks as part of his trials for coming back to life. As ghost he helps many people in need like Kuwabara, linger ghosts, and a friend from elementary school.
* AllGenesAreCoDominant: [[spoiler: Subverted, When Yusuke Urameshi had died for the first time, he was not strong enough to receive the Atavism of the Mazoku. Ironically, through his employment as Spirit Detective, he became strong enough for this demonic trait to 'accept' him and express itself after he died in his second battle against Shinobu Sensui.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Often uses this strategy first to test his opponent's strength before switching up his strategy.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBoast: In is debut match during Team Urameshi's first round in the Dark Tournment.
---> ''"Hey all you stupid demons! I've been trying to sleep through you clever trash-talk long enough and I'm ready to kick some asses!"''
** BarbarianLonghair: [[spoiler: When he becomes a demon.]]
* BattleAura: Has three different energy types: Spirit Energy, Demon Energy, and a mix of Spirit Energy, and [[spoiler: Demon Energy]]. Yusuke doesn't have the unique qualities mentioned by Sensui to produce Sacred Energy.
* BelligerentSexualTension: He and Keiko can't go five minutes without some form of argument.
* BerserkButton: Killing or hurting any of his friends is not a good idea. Toguro even deliberately invoked this trope by [[spoiler:pretending to kill Kuwabara in order to bring Yusuke's PowerLevel to his own level becoming a WorthyOpponent.]]
** Yusuke took absolute [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge delight]] in beating the ever-loving shit out of Bakken for what he did to [[spoiler: Kurama]].
* {{BFG}}: Yusuke's Rei/Spirit Gun during the Dark Tournament final round.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Shows up BackFromTheDead a second time as a S Class demon with a Phoenix Puu and Koenma in the Demon World.]]
* {{Bishonen}}: When his hair is not slicked back with hair gel. He looks like a completely different person.
* BloodKnight: Likely his most defining trope. Yusuke loves a good brawl and was so into his fight with Sensui that he couldn't have cared less that a storm of demons were going to swarm the Earth. He just didn't want to get cheated out of his fight.
** And when [[spoiler: his [[DemonicPossession ancestor takes over his body]] and ultimately deals fatal blows to Sensui,]] when Yusuke regains control, to say he was upset their fight was interrupted is putting it lightly.
* BookDumb
* BornLucky: Some of his earlier Spirit Detective arc fights that he won was because he was just lucky.
* BrilliantButLazy: A major reason for his BookDumb and IdiotHero. When he actually can be bothered thinking though, he has shown himself to be a strategic genius.
* BroughtDowntoBadass: During Team Urameshi's fight with Dr. Ichigaki's team.
* ByronicHero: At fourteen, no less.
* CallingYourAttacks: Spirit Gun, Shotgun, Spirit Wave, etc.
* CarnivoreConfusion: [[spoiler: After Yusuke becomes a demon, he doesn't see a problem with demons eating humans, and now can hold open conversations with man-eating-demons about their dietary habits. It's an interesting meditation on meat eating - Raizen, who is designed to eat humans, has spent 500 years slowly dying of hunger. There's no right answer to the ethical practice of Raizen's dietary needs, and Yusuke's offering to kidnap humans for Raizen just makes the whole dilemma even murkier.]]
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: With Keiko.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: He's [[FriendtoAllChildren rather protective of kids]], and one of the best ways to [[BerserkButton piss him off]] is to threaten children or [[LoveInterest Keiko]].
* ChivalrousPervert: Gropes and teases Keiko, but if she needs his help there's nothing he won't do for her.
** He also doesn't mind feeling up his female opponents in the middle of a fight either.
* TheCynic: Life was never nice to Yusuke to begin with, and as it has given him '''no''' evidence to justify the opposite throughout his adventures, he sees no point in being nice back to it either.
* DeadpanSnarker: ''Especially'' in the dub.
* DeadToBeginWith: The series actually starts with his death.
* {{Delinquents}}: Yusuke has an entire city full of teen delinquents out to send him to the hospital. [[spoiler: They all fail.]]
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Being a neglected bastard child who only found peace in anger and violence really did a number on Yusuke: when he lost his hate for the world, he was left so hollow that [[spoiler: he could not find joy and meaning in being ''The King of An Entire Demon Empire.'']]
* {{Determinator}}: Will to use [[CastFromHitPoints Life Energy]] or use a HeroicSacrifice if all else fails.
* DisguisedInDrag: In the manga, [[http://www.mangarush.com/manga/yu-yu-hakusho/171/p-8 Yusuke pulled this off pretty well and look like quite a convincing girl believe it or not.]]
* DisappearedDad: We never hear from or ever see Yusuke's biological father. [[spoiler: Except in the manga. He is in one scene, talking to Atsuko in one of the wrap-up chapters, though he and Yusuke never meet.]]
* DivingSave: To rescue the little child in the first episode.
* [[DudeShesLikeInAComa Dude, He's Like, In A Coma]]: Justified, during the time in which Yuusuke was technically dead (although his inert body was given pseudo-life in order to preserve it), Keiko has to kiss him in order to revive him in a kind of spiritual CPR.
** Before that, Keiko almost kisses his unconscious body while he invisibly and fervently protests, but is interrupted by an announcement from the Neighborhood Watch Committee that kicks her back to her senses.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He was on the verge of rearranging the face of a SadistTeacher who mocked his mother for "pathetically begging" to let him back into school.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: He is neck-deep in Foe Yay with every one of his male enemies.
* FingerGun: Yusuke's Rei/Spirit Gun.
* FriendToAllChildren
* GenerationXerox: With Raizen. It's subtle, but it's there.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: He's pulled this off a couple times.
* GoldenSuperMode: Was able to channel his version of Sacred Energy during his fight with Yomi.
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler: His second death.]]
* GoodIsNotNice
* HairTriggerTemper
* HalfBreedDiscrimination: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. In the Three Kings arc he [[spoiler: becomes leader of his own country and garners full respect from his subordinates. In the Demon World Tournament, there were even demon spectators cheering him on during his fight with Yomi despite being the underdog and a HalfHumanHybrid.]]
* [[spoiler: HalfHumanHybrid]]: [[spoiler: Sort of. Both of his parents, and a good number of his ancestors are human, but way way back along the line is Raizen, the Makai's most powerful demon and one of the Three Kings. However, his demon side never manifests until he is killed in battle by Sensui.]]
* HealingFactor: Was able to heal from his wounds suffered from Sensui's energy gun and also able to quickly heal a broken arm that Sensui snapped like a twig.
* HeirToTheDojo: Chosen as Genkai's successor after defeating Rando and winning her tournament.
* TheHero
** HeroWithAnFInGood
* HeroicBastard: 14 year old Urameshi Atsuko was definitely ''not'' married when she had that bout of morning sickness...
* HeroicBSOD [[spoiler: During his fight with Yomi, Yusuke realizes that for the first time in the series he is fighting on his own terms, and promptly lapses into one, since he never had his own reasons for fighting other than his anger, which he's since dealt with. Raizen quickly snaps him out of it, though.]]
* HeroicBystander: His introduction in the first episode.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Twice, and subverted both times.]]
** BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Again, twice.]]
* HoldingYourShoulderMeansInjury: Does this quite often in his earlier fights.
* HotBlooded
* [[spoiler: [[HumanMomNonhumanDad Human Female Ancestor, Non-Human Male Ancestor]]: Lady Doctor and Raizen]]
* IdiotHero: A darker variant than most. He has a lot of common sense, especially for a shonen hero, and tends to even point it out when he or someone else is doing something stupid.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: A GoodIsNotNice version as shown by his Spirit Beast which is a reflection of his true inner self. Also resisted both Toguro and Sensui's attempt to corrupt him.
* InNameOnly: For his Spirit Detective title since he never really does any real detective work.
* InstantRunes [=/=] TattooedCrook: After [[spoiler: being possessed by his demon ancestor]] Yusuke is literally tattooed from head to foot in demon runes.
* ItAmusedMe: Well, he ''is'' a delinquent.
* ItsPersonal: His final fight with Toguro after [[spoiler: Genkai dies]]. There's also the end of the Chapter Black saga, when he doesn't give a damn if the world is destroyed as long as he gets to settle his fight with Sensui.
* JerkassFacade: His Spirit Beast Puu turned out to be a very cute stuffed animal which reflects his true personality as Koenma pointed out before the egg hatched.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated,]] since he's a massive jerk with a massive heart of gold. It's true that he's a juvenile delinquent who prioritizes fighting over the safety of the world more than once, but it's remarked upon several times that he's not as bad as he seems, and seeing his friends in danger is the fastest way to make him stronger. Not to mention that the whole series started because he saved a toddler from being run over.
* KiAttacks
* KnightInSourArmor: Sensui tries to deconstruct this giving a BreakingSpeech during their second fight in the demon tunnel cave.
* KubrickStare: His ''default'' expression towards everybody, ''including his own mother.'' And it becomes mixed with disturbingly gleeful bloodlust whenever he is about to this dish out a can of asswhooping. Kuwabara still hasn't gotten the hint during the first episode.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: His Knife-Edged Death Match with Chu.
* MagneticHero
* MarkedChange
* [[spoiler: MayflyDecemberRomance: The last couple episodes imply that his lifespan is that of a demon, not a human. Poor Keiko.]]
* MeaningfulName: His name means Ghost Helper.
* MegatonPunch: One of his specialties.
* MoreDakka: His Spirit Shotgun. Also spammed a bunch of weaker Spirit Guns at Yomi to break his DeflectorShields while mix his [[YinYangBomb Spirit and Demon Energy together.]]
* OfficialCouple: Him and Keiko.
* PowerLimiter: The Spirit Cuffs Genkai gave him. It forces him remain in full Spirit Power and full physical strength 24/7 if he even wants to move. This is similar to how athletes who train in aerobics for extensive periods of time experience heightened states of rest: heart and respiratory rate are much lower than that of a normal person.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: When Yusuke temporarily gets possessed by his ancestor awakening his Mazoku form, he gets long unkempt hair down below his waist, among other cosmetic changes and then proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle curp-stomp]] Sensui.
* {{Otaku}}: Of Combat Sports. That's how Botan baited him to going on the case of tracking down Rando with front row seat tickets in the Tokyo Dome.
* PsychicStatic: He was able to beat Murota's "Wiretap" ability by repeating the way he planned on punching him over and over in his head, and then knocking him out just through the reverberations from his fist in the air.
* RapidFireFisticuffs
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue to Kuwabara's Red, Red to Hiei's Blue.
* TeensAreMonsters: An anti-heroic version. It's suggested near the end of the series that he could be a genuinely good person once he outgrows his adolescent rage problems.
* SchoolIsForLosers: He doesn't even finish ''junior high'' in the anime, but averted in the manga in that his mother helped him get his diploma by asking her {{Yakuza}} friends to pulling some strings that allowed him to finish his schooling in spite of spending 3 years absent.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: As the English dub so cheerfully puts it, "Fearless protector of the good stuff, with a healthy kickin-ass-ness and a general hate for authority!"
* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: Form 3, when Yusuke was fighting Yomi in the Demon World Tournament. Yusuke himself stated that his PowerLevel was only around Shura's range. Yomi and Shura's fight was a complete CurbStompBattle in the former's favor. Yusuke however was almost able to end the fight with a CrossCounter DoubleKnockout, but in the end he injured Yomi so bad that he immediately lost the next round.
* SecondYearProtagonist: Junior High, 8th grade.
** Middle Schools/Junior High in Japan go up to 9th grade.
* OffModel: The intricacy and style of Yusuke's [[spoiler: Mazoku]] tattoos is inconsistent in the manga. In the anime he has far fewer tattoos and are both far simpler and more consistant than those in the manga.
* SensitiveGuyandManlyMan: Kuwabara is the sensitive guy (also literally) to Yusuke's Manly Man.
* ShirtlessScene: Usually during his most intensive fights.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Spirit Energy/Reiki Shotgun that is.
* ShutUpHannibal: His second fight with Sensui after he finishes giving his BreakingSpeech. Yusuke rebuttals with a right hook to the face.
--> ''"Maybe there have been times when I've been pissed and hated things, but it wasn't from this work. [[DisappearedDad My dad's a no-show]], [[AlcoholicParent my mom's a lush]], and [[SchoolIsForLosers school sucks]]. But this job is the one damn thing I've ever been good at. [[ShutUpHannibal And if all the crap in my life hasn't screwed me up yet, then neither will this. And neither will you."]]''
* SirSwearsALot: Especially in the English dub, which was as potty-mouthed as shonen came in the early 2000s.
* SphereOfDestruction: His Spirit Gun becomes this after inheriting Genkai's Spirit Wave Orb. It just keeps getting more powerful from there on.
* SpiritedCompetitor
* TameHisAnger: Yusuke started out as [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority an angry teen who rebels against authority]]. By the end of the series he's matured and happy with his life.
* TheRunnerUpTakesItAll: Although Yusuke didn't win the Demon World Tournament nor did he get to the semi-finals, he did succeed in preventing both Yomi and Mukuro (with Hiei's Help) from winning allowing [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Enki]] to win the tournament.
* TroubledButCute: Subverted: the ''only'' girl who likes him romantically is Keiko. Botan is more of a CoolBigSis, and the human girls are terrified of him.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Kuwabara. Botan even lampshades this at school.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: His solution to any problem is hitting it with his fists or firing the Spirit Gun.
* WouldHitAGirl: One that can fight him, that is.
* YinYangBomb
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's ''fourteen''.
[[WMG: Kazuma Kuwabara]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Spirit Sword]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kazuma01_9355.png
-->''When men do what they're supposed to do, it's not always about what they want.''
->Voiced by: ShigeruChiba (JP), ChristopherSabat (EN)
Yusukes rival-turned-best-friend, Kuwabara is slightly jerk-y himself, but still easily the nicest of the four main characters. Kuwabara has a very powerful sixth sense, which he doesn't seem to enjoy, and is able to manifest his reiki as a sword. Definitely something of a comic relief character, he falls in love with the ice demon, Yukina, and is utterly devoted to her. [[spoiler:Kuwabara is the only full-blooded human in the main four.]] Sometimes called "Kuwa-chan." Punk antagonists use it to get on his nerves, but Botan uses it affectionately.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: Is the key player during Chapter Black [[spoiler:and the gang's trip to Spirit World in the manga]].
* AlliterativeName
* BadassLongcoat: Has a white longcoat he usually wears during a serious fight.
* BadassInDistress: In the third quarter of the Chapter Black arc.
* BigBrotherMentor: To young Seaman.
* BoisterousBruiser
* BookDumb: Still less than Yusuke. [[spoiler: And he subverts it by the end of the series]].
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's a little gruff, but a massive softie underneath.
* BuffySpeak: "SWORD, GET LONG!"
* CourtlyLove: While his jaw will drop and ogle at the sight of any attractive female (cut him some slack, he IS a 14 year old boy after all), he is the ''picture'' of a polite and considerate gentleman towards the one girl he truly loves, Yukina.
* {{Delinquents}}: Second only to Yusuke.
* {{Determinator}}: [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] could learn a thing or two from him.
* DoggedNiceGuy: To Yukina. [[spoiler: Averted at the end of the manga, as Yukina ends up living with him and is openly showing affection to him as well.]]
* DumbassNoMore: Gets into a prestigious university through sheer study and hard work, although the manga implies that he barely made it into his prestigious high school and must work hard to stay there.
* [[spoiler: FakingTheDead: At the climax of the Dark Tournament arc.]]
* FieryRedhead
* HonourBeforeReason: Kuwabara embodies this trope, and it almost kills him several times.
* HotBlooded
* HowDoIShotWeb: Has trouble summoning his dimensional sword after his first use of it, and only manages it twice; [[spoiler: when Yusuke's about to be killed by Sensui, and when the Dimensional Cannon is threatening Sarayashiki and thus, Yukina]].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Yukina.
* IdiotHero: Again like Yusuke, has a lot of common sense, but he can be dense at times.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]GentleGiant: Has a warm, tender, sensitive and kind heart that is almost ''never'' found in boys his age, let alone a violent delinquent.
** And he adores ''[[KindHeartedCatLover kittens.]]''
* KindheartedCatLover
* KnightInSourArmor
* TheHeart: Will always be the first to (angrily) interject his idealism and kindness into a situation whenever anyone (ESPECIALLY Hiei) gets too heartless and cynical.
* LargeHam:
** IncomingHam: When he summons his Spirit Sword.
* LaserBlade: His main weapon.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Only one that doesn't know that [[spoiler: Hiei and Yukina are siblings]].
** Also he was the one of the last to learn that [[spoiler: Genkai had been killed]].
* LuminescentBlush: Whenever Yukina touches him or reacts positively to his [[LargeHam hammy]] displays of affection. The more positive the response, the more likely Kazuma is to catch a severe case of HighPressureEmotion.
* ManInWhite: In later episodes.
* ManlyTears: As is befitting for a true {{Badass}}.
* MaybeEverAfter: The big guy and Yukina. [[spoiler: Though if they do, he is going to have a son with a personality as rotten as Hiei's, as ''all'' Ice-Maidens '''will''' bear when they consumate with a man. Poor fella...AS well as a daughter just as sweet and gentle as her mother.]]
* TheMcCoy
* NiceGuy: Kuwabara mellows throughout the series, crossing out the "Jerk" and underlining the "Heart of Gold".
* [[spoiler:OutOfFocus: He's barely in the Three Kings arc because of his studies. He makes it for it with a triumphant return in the manga.]]
* OvershadowedByAwesome: A subversion; despite being tremendously overshadowed by his three fighting partners, Kuwabara manages to stay in the game through his bullheadedness, psychic powers, and Spirit Sword in all its varieties. Particularly blatant in the Chapter Black arc, where his power is a major factor in Sensui's plan.
* ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove: Both make him do ''amazing'' things.
** In his second solo fight in the Dark Tournament Arc, he is getting knocked around by Risho due to having almost no spirit energy left and possibly a broken spine. Yukina shows up, and he suddenly throws Risho aside and runs up to Yukina as if he isn't even injured. When Risho tries to attack him again, Kuwabara suddenly gains his spirit energy back and [[OneHitKill one shots]] him across the arena.
*** Even better in the manga, when he [[OneHitKO defeats Risho with a single punch]] [[OffhandBackhand without even looking]].
** After the match, Yukina tried to cure his wounds, only to discover they were already half healed on their own.
* RealMenWearPink: Has quite the soft spot for cats, and especially Eikichi, his very own pet kitten.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]
* RedStringOfFate: With Yukina.
* RescueRomance: Upon falling for Yukina, he joins Yusuke and Botan to rescue her.
* SpiritedCompetitor
* StoneWall: His speed and offense might not be anywhere as good as the rest of his team (can't blame him, spirit guns, dragons and all). But watch how much he can endure. Rinku even lampshades this in his fight with Kuwabara.
* TookALevelInBadass: Losing to a kid in the first round in the tournament, [[spoiler: then in the final round [[CurbStompBattle beating Elder Toguro in less then three moves]] while it takes even Hiei to go all out to defeat the other members. Even more so, after [[BroughtDownToNormal losing his powers]], he awakens the powers to cut dimensions to [[CurbStompBattle beat two psychics in one blow]] and become the strongest full human after Sensui's death.]]
* TheWatson: He's the guy who asks the questions the audience wants to know so that [[MrExposition Hiei and Kurama]] don't have to resort to AsYouKnow exposition.
* WhatTheHellHero: "I thought we were a team, but I guess I'm just one big joke to you. ''Well this joke has feelings!''"
* WifeBasherBasher: His dialogue to Younger Toguro after he (psychically) sees how the brute's boss tortured Yukina with fire and abused her for her valuable tears.
--> "Stand aside, you are not the man I'm here to kill... I'm here for that monster up there!!"
* TheWorfEffect: Often loses fights to show how powerful certain opponents are, but partly due to stupidity rather than weakness. Lampshaded by Yusuke in one preview. Played with hilariously during his fights against Shishiwakamaru and Onji.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Has trouble fighting Miyuki the VillainousCrossdresser.
[[WMG: Kurama / Shuiichi Minamino]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Demon / Partially Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Flora Manipulation]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kurama01_2964.png
-->''You should know better than to corner an animal like a fox... We have a tendency to show our teeth.''
->Voiced by: MegumiOgata (Shūichi) and [[spoiler:ShigeruNakahara (Yoko)]] (JP), John Burgmeier (EN)
Kurama is over a thousand years old, a fox demon and former thief killed by a hunter. Unwilling to die peacefully, his soul passed into the human world and entered the womb of a pregnant woman, Shiori Minamino. Reborn as her son, Shuuichi Minamino, Kurama planned to return to his life as a rogue thief as soon as he could, but his mother's unconditional love convinced him to stay for her sake, and even risk his life to save hers when [[IllGirl she gravely got sick]]. After he's caught by Yusuke, he is paroled. Part of his sentence is to help Yusuke, and basically do Koenma's bidding.
Personality-wise, Kurama is outwardly kind, cryptic, intelligent, and not above teasing Yusuke or Hiei mercilessly (sometimes with Kuwabara's help). That is if you are on his good side. If you are on his ''bad'' side... then it's probably time to start praying that he'll at least be merciful enough to make your death quick.
----
* AloofAlly: Though he is nice, he does not often hang out with the group outside of battle.
* AloofBigBrother: Despite not being related to any of the main characters. Although this has been subverted towards his little stepbrother; he acts annoyed that his stepbrother followed him to his school, but it's implied he knew all along that he was being possessed by one of Yomi's minions.
* AnimalMotifs / AnimalStereotypes: The guy is really a kitsune.
* TheAtoner: Becoming a genuinely good-hearted, if still vengeful, person for his beloved human mother.
** Until the end of the series, Kurama struggles with his identity and self-worth. Initially, Kurama seems all too eager to leave the shameful carnage of his life as Yoko behind, but at the same time he is bothered by the newfound weakness of his human form. These mixed feelings about who he really is very obviously ''torture'' him.
* BadAss: A premier example within the story.
** BadassBookworm: He can outsmart a genius who's written several best selling literature and an ability to steal your soul if you accidentally say a word or use the the first letters of that word in the right order.
** HandicappedBadass: Downplayed. He doesn't ''remain'' handicapped (if you don't consider getting turned from an all-powerful fox demon into a human schoolboy a handicap like Hiei does), but during the Dark Tournament, Kurama's [[spoiler: arms and legs are bound]]. What does he do? [[spoiler: He kills his opponent '''with his hair''']]. '''Then''' [[spoiler: the blood of his opponent seals his spirit energy, and he has to fight ''another'' match without his arms, legs, or spirit energy. Guess who wins again.]]
* BatmanGambit: VERY important in his strategies.
* BecomingTheMask: He intended to leave Shiori's side when his injuries got better. Found out he had grown genuinely fond of her and decided to stay with her anyway.
* BerserkButton: Only two things seem to piss him off: threatening his human mother and family, and [[spoiler:being forced to take an innocent life.]]
** He does have a third: [[DudeLooksLikeALady Being mistaken for a girl]]. He nearly ''snapped'' on Yusuke and Keiko when they pushed this button as lil too far...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's a sweetheart, and he is a ''lot'' more polite than Yusuke and Hiei (to be fair everybody has a friendlier demeanor then Hiei). That doesn't mean he is above killing someone in a particularly brutal and bloody manner should they piss him off.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He does ''not'' react well to Yomi threatening his human stepbrother, who does not know about Kurama's true identity for his own protection.
* {{Bishonen}}: To the extent that [[spoiler: [[DudeLooksLikeALady he's mistaken for Kuwabara's girlfriend in the last episode]]]].
* TheChessmaster: Generally during his fights in the series he wins in the first minute or so, even if his foes don't know it yet, and it's repeatedly shown that the longer you take to beat him the ''only'' thing you're actually accomplishing is his giving him more time to come up with a cruel and unusual death for you, regardless of how screwed he might look. Of his foes, only Toya manages to think at his level (and even then Kurama had a massive handicap) [[spoiler: and only [[EvilGenius Karasu]], [[ManipulativeBastard Itsuki]] and Yomi can actually outplay him.]]
* CrazyPrepared: In the English dub, his fight in the Demon World Tournament arc reveals he seeded the area thousands of years previous just on the off chance he'd have to fight in that area in the future. (In the Japanese version, he instead grafted a living cherry tree into the dead giant tree, creating a revitalised hybrid.)
* CrossdressingVoices: Japanese version only. Actually, this was Megumi Ogata's ''debut'' role.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: This is the typical fate of most of the people who piss the guy off or try to screw him over when they're fighting him, with heavy emphasis on ''cruel''. Worse if you happen to receive one of them and are ''[[AndIMustScream immortal]]''.
* CunningLikeAFox: Literally, as he is a demon humanoid fox with a thousand years of experience.
* DeadpanSnarker: While soft spoken, just listen closely and you'll notice that his speech reeks of sarcasm.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: More then a few first time viewers of the show have mistook him for a girl. Oh yeah, so did the ''Filipino dub studio!''
** As mentioned before, this trope is touched on in universe. Kuwabara's college peers end up mistaking Kurama for his girlfriend in both the manga in anime. In the manga, Kurama gets noticeably [[BewareTheNiceOnes pissed]] at this, and later, when Yusuke has to infiltrate a girl's boarding school, he goes to Kurama for help. Kurama testily demands if he has to "wear a disguise?" to be of any use to them.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: If not for Shiori, he'd still be a ruthless Youkai. He's also very fond of his stepfather and little stepbrother. Threatening them is the quickest BerserkButton you can press.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Karasu really ''really'' likes him.
* FieryRedhead: He doesn't classically fit the trope, but Karasu invokes it with regards to his persistance.
* FusionDance: In the sub, he's the same person in whatever form even though his true form is more ruthless.
* GentlemanSnarker
* GreenThumb: And he makes it ''awesome''...and ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath terrifying]]''.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Kurama is an amicable person, genuinely kindhearted and willing to lend a helping hand. That still doesn't mean he's any less intimidating when [[BewareTheNiceOnes angry]], or that he would hesitate in the slightest to kill you.
* GuileHero: While he's an excellent fighter, his most dangerous weapon is his ''tremendously'' sharp mind. And then he combines the two...
* HonestAdvisor
* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Mother]]: Roto tries this to prevent him from fighting back, but Kurama prevents him from pressing the button that signals her execution. [[spoiler:Yomi uses the threat of killing his human mother, stepfather and stepbrother to force him to serve him. Shachi tries to use his brother as a hostage, but fails because his minion had pulled a MookFaceTurn]].
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: A Bishonen whose very soft spoken, girly-looking, elegant as well as being the most sensitive to others emotions and able to 'read the atmosphere.'
* JackOfAllStats: In his human form.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Happens ''to'' him during the Dark Tournament. After fighting the two matches consecutively, with the latter match draining him of his energy, Kurama passes out while still standing on his feet. Enter [[DumbMuscle Bakken]], who's too cowardly to hold his own against a fit fighter, and who is angry at Kurama's prior winnings. He [[spoiler: mercilessly attacks Kurama while he is unconscious, stopping only when Yusuke threatens to throw away the entire tournament and save Kurama by launching his Spirit Gun attack at him.]]
** Bakken's treatment of him is especially jarring when you take into account that Kurama had absolutely no desire to kill Gamma at all, urging him to stop moving because he was losing too much blood, and even spared Touya's life once the ice demon begged him to kill him.
* TheKirk: He's perfectly level-headed until his [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] are pushed, and often works to keep the group working smoothly together.
* {{Kitsune}}: He is a Japanese fox demon.
* LittleBitBeastly: His demonic form-in addition to changing his hair and [[SupernaturalGoldEyes eye]] color-gives him fox ears and a tail.
* LoveRedeems: His human mother's love mellowed him from a sociopathic theif into a BewareTheNiceOnes NiceGuy.
* ManInWhite: As Yoko Kurama.
* ManlyTears / {{Not So Stoic}}: In the Japanese version, after [[spoiler: Kuwabara's]] death, his voice breaks and he's shown trembling, as if crying.
* TheMedic: His knowledge of plants is useful for this as well.
* NervesOfSteel
* NobleDemon: Well, he IS a demon, and is genuinely noble.
* NotSoAboveItAll: He ''usually'' likes to play the part of the cool-headed, rational demon. As the series goes on, it's revealed he isn't exactly above teasing Yusuke (with Kuwabara even!), spending countless hours on video games (even MORE than Kuwabara or Yusuke!), and actually cheats the hell out of card games.
* NotSoStoic: Becomes visibly enraged for the first and only time during the Chapter Black arc, when [[spoiler: he has to kill a 12-year-old opponent like Amanuma, and later fights Elder Toguro.]]
* OneOfUs: Chapter Black comes with the ''stunning'' revelation that Kurama is a huge video game nerd.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. Shares the same human name with his little stepbrother, Shuuichi.
* PrincelyYoungMan: By virtue of his attitude and how he's treated in this case, rather than status. He's a PrinceCharming type.
* RealMenWearPink: He doesn't look impressive, being a [[{{Bishonen}} pretty boy]] that often wears a pink school uniform and [[SomethingAboutARose has this thing for roses]]. Guess who is one of the series' biggest [[BadAss Badasses]] and the only person that ''Hiei'' admits being afraid of?
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Looks like a teenager, is thousands of years old.
** [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Yoko Kurama]] looks like a 20-to-early 30s man, [[spoiler: yet he was [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Yomi]]'s superior and possibly elder authority a thousand years ago.]]
* RedHeadedHero
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: In a manga bonus story, his classmates note that he wears the uniform even when he doesn't have to.
* ShesAManInJapan: In the Philippines actually. They {{Hand Wave}}d this after they got to the point where his chest is visible.
* ShoutOut: "Just call me [[Manga/SailorMoon Tuxedo Mask]]" in Chapter 44 of the manga. The authors of ''YuYuHakusho'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'' (who later married) were dating at this time.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Probably used to play into the old tale about green-eyed redheads can be expected to have magical powers. Note Kurama's eyes [[SupernaturalGoldEyes turn golden]] and his hair turns white when he switches into his demonic form.
* TheSmartGuy: An anime poster boy for this trope.
* SomethingAboutARose: Rose Whip.
* TheStoic: The guy has a pokerface that is simply unbreakable in a fight, to the point of almost coming across as a sociopath at times. He DOES have emotions, he's just able to look past them an analyze a situation with a cold rational mind, then switch back to being pleasant and upbeat when he has to be.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: For the most part, he is extremely kind and self-sacrificing to others. He works very hard to please his mother, and has a limitless love of the world around him, but he can switch to cruel, cold, and calculating in a matter of seconds.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To Hiei and Gouki, wanting the mirror so that he can save his mother, knowing it will cost him his life. He even makes arrangements for Yusuke to recover the mirror after he's dead, not expecting to survive.
* TrainingFromHell: Gives Kuwabara some fairly harsh training to prepare him for the Dark Tournament, and later [[spoiler: gives it to some of his team's former rivals to prepare some elite fighters for Yomi]].
* TranquilFury: This makes him absolutely ''frightening''. During Chapter Black, when he's forced to [[spoiler: kill Amanuma]], he is completely utterly ''enraged''. Fortunately, [[spoiler:Elder Toguro]] was there for him to [[FateWorseThanDeath take his fury out on]].
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Played with. His demonic form has the long, flowing white hair and pretty face accociated with this character type, and in that form he is more distanct and cold. While his demon form is not evil, it is what he looked like before he was re-encarnated into a human body, when he was as bad as any other demon.
* WhipItGood: Main weapon. [[spoiler: Although he has even worse plants at his disposal. A lot of those cases, he uses the Rose Whip to set said plants]].
[[WMG: Hiei]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Demon\\
'''Main Power:''' Superspeed / Jagan Eye]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiei01_4855.png
-->''I know as much of games as I do of hugs and puppies, and care for them even less. Wake me for the end of the world.''
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), ChuckHuber (EN)
An aloof and elusive swordsman from the Demon World. Hiei possesses a surgically implanted third eye that endows him with several abilities such as mind control, telepathy, and telekinesis. Hiei is a fire demon, and is capable of manipulating the human world's crimson flames as well as the demon world's dark flames. He is taciturn and misanthropic, and the only being he cares about seems to be [[spoiler: his twin sister, Yukina]]. Hiei was the ringleader of the theft that led to Yusuke meeting him, Kurama and Gouki. Unlike Kurama, Hiei had no good intentions, but like Kurama, part of his sentence to assist Yusuke and Koenma. Eventually, he does come to respect Yusuke as a friend and warrior, although he usually won't help without a good pretense.
----
* AloofAlly: A trope poster boy.
* AloofBigBrother: To [[spoiler: Yukina]].
* [[spoiler:AmazonChaser]]: Hiei likes [[spoiler: Mukuro]] because of her being strong enough to stand against him as well as their NotSoDifferent background even though [[spoiler: her mutation ''and'' the horrors she put herself through to escape her abusive father have disfigured her]].
* AscendedExtra: He was never supposed to show up after Yusuke beat him, but people kept asking about him, so he came back when Kurama did.
* {{Badass}}
** {{Badass}} [[BadassLongRobe Robe]][[BadassLongcoat coat]]
* BandageBabe: His bandaged arm and his [[EvilIsSexy good looks]] fulfill this trope, though if you wanted to give him a hug he'd rip your spine out.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With [[spoiler: Mukuro]], in a much more literal way that Yusuke and Keiko.
* BerserkButton:
** Hiei does not take too kindly to YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness especially coming from the enemy. Seiryu found out the [[CurbStompBattle HARD]] way.
** Not to mention if you ever [[spoiler: threaten his twin sister Yukina]]...
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Arrives just in the nick of time, and rescues Yusuke from Sniper's onslaught.]]
* BloodKnight: Although he's too [[SmugSuper arrogant to acknowledge his opponent]], he clearly likes fighting because he was literally born in a dog-eat-dog world.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Hiei reached A-Class levels of power just a few years after birth, but lost most of his power during his surgery for the Jagan.
* ByronicHero: Think Yusuke, but dipped in liquid nitrogen, and you'll have a good idea of how cold this guy is.
* CardCarryingVillain: In his initial appearance--he is quite insistent on how arrogantly insidious he is, [[JustBetweenYouAndMe never at any point stops gloating or posturing at length about how superior he is]]--usually at the top of his lungs in the most hammy way possible, with as much [[EvilLaugh evil laughter]] as he can muster for good measure - holds the VillainBall very closely and as a result makes a lot of a arrogance fueled mistakes. In his next appearance he shifts into the personality he keeps for the rest of the series - calm, calculating, and a man of few words and decisive action. See CharacterizationMarchesOn and ContinuityDrift below.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: When he was a villain, he was outright psychotic, with NobuyukiHiyama [[LargeHam hamming it up]] in voicing him. When he makes his HeelFaceTurn, he's a DeadpanSnarker PerpetualFrowner AloofAlly, and the way he's voiced naturally changes along with the characterization.
* ContinuityDrift: Togashi, apparently, was not always sure if Hiei was going to become recurring character--certainly not that he would rank #1 in both Character Popularity polls--and it shows. When he first appears, he transforms into his "full/true demon form," but this is, oddly, never seen again. Except for a NonSerialMovie, okay, but still. This demon form is apparently derived from and based on his Jagan, which we later find out [[spoiler:is an implant, courtesy of [[TheMedic Shigure]]]]. In an early episode, he also tells Yusuke that [[spoiler: he and Yukina are half-siblings with different mothers]], but his WholeEpisodeFlashback clearly shows that [[spoiler:they ''do'' have the same mother, Hina]]. Of course, that one can be written off easily; it wouldn't be out of character for Hiei to lie.
** Or he could be using this as a cover. He doesn't really hold the fondest of regards for the Ice Maidens, after all.
* CruelMercy: He did it twice. First with Tarukane, whose life he spared before giving him the final push into madness, and then we find out he never went through his promise to kill [[spoiler: all the Ice Maidens]] because they were already dead inside and sparing their lives was crueler.
* CurbStompBattle: Hiei's... quite good at unleashing unholy amounts of badass to ''crush'' his opponents with sheer anticlimactic force. See Zeru, who spent half an episode being built up as The Guy To Watch Out For, and Hiei reduced him to an ashy impression on a wall in ''seconds.''
** At least his attack on Zeru left him effectively crippled for nearly the entire tournament, which he thought was a necessary sacrifice against someone so strong...except that several of his other opponents were still killed in a single move. Then he fought Bui, one of the strongest fighters in the tournament, and celebrated by smacking his body all the way up and down the arena.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[spoiler:DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Which causes a [[HeroicBSOD BSOD]] and turned him into a DeathSeeker after he fufilled what he thought was his final mission, helping his sister.]]
* EasilyForgiven: Yusuke is ''immediately'' OK with working alongside the guy who kidnapped his girlfriend and tried to turn her into a demon.
* EnfantTerrible: When he was kid. Though it can possibly be blamed on the prejudice he faced seconds after being born.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he was a BoxedCrook in Saint Beast arc he remarked that Kurama is "Even more cuthroat than I am."
* EvilEye: His Jagan, which ''literally'' means "evil eye," allows him to see great distances and allows him some minor clairvoyance.
* ExtraEyes: Also, this.
* EyepatchOfPower: Technically, it's a headband. It covers his Jagan so it still counts.
* FlawlessVictory: Hiei was the only character in the Dark Tournament Arc to win every battle he participated in, and only one of his opponents survived.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: Hiei's Jaganshi form, only used in his first appearance and one of the movies, where he sprouts extra Jagans all over his body which greatly increase his speed, strength, and demonic power. Possibly justified in that it leaves him with a WeaksauceWeakness to any attack that can blind him (since he has eyes all over his body), and it's implied his Dragon of the Darkness Flame is a stronger ability overall.
* GlassCannon -> LightningBruiser: At least initially, since a single Spirit Gun from Yusuke was able to knock him out (back when it was only around twice as strong as his punch). Subverted in later seasons, as despite his small size, he is shown to be surprisingly hardy and resistant to damage. By absorbing his dragon, his defense increases to the point that most attacks don't even phase him.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: Had a major make over after Togashi decided he'll be good, or at least an anti hero, one of which was considerably widening his eyes.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[DefeatMeansFriendship After being defeated...]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Kurama.
* HiddenDepths: More complex than you'd think.
* [[spoiler:HotGuyUglyWife: While not married nor officially involved with Mukuro, the {{BST}} is clearly there. The horrible scars on her body due to her mutation make for a partial straight example of this trope, since he is more attractive than her.]]
* KatanasAreJustBetter: To wit, he usually starts the battle with his katana even after finding out that his bare hands and Ki Attacks are much more effective. Guess what appears in his part of the opening credits.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: In the anime, is willing to kill Tarukane for abducting Yukina.
* [[spoiler: MaybeEverAfter: With Mukuro, whom he has grown very close to by the end of the series to the point of going out of his way to see her on a regular basis and, for a guy like Hiei, this speaks louder than words.]]
* MoralityPet: His sister, [[spoiler: Yukina.]]
* NobleDemon: Going by his flashbacks and his own narration, Hiei was an incredibly sadistic and brutal killer as a child. However, he doesn't take kindly at all to people betraying their allies, and he always keeps his word.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: Unlike other fighters who frequently warm up with lesser offenses and have fun with the fight (Yusuke) or gauge their foes until they counterattack (Kurama), Hiei's favored tactic seems to be to start out with overwhelming force and end his fights as quickly as possible, partially because he likes showing off what a badass he is. On occasion this has actually worked against him as much as it helps: since he tries to solve all his problems with swift application of brute force, cleverer fighters with more unique abilities can remove him from the fight early on.
* NotSoDifferent: In his battle with [[spoiler: Mukuro]], both find out that they are much more similar than what they first thought.
* OneHitKill: Absolutely loves these. Among his numerous one-hit KO's, his icons ones are Zeru and [[spoiler:Sniper]]. The former was hyped up to be an immensely powerful flame-user (he was), and ended up a stain on the wall. The latter was toying with Yusuke for the better part of two whole episodes, and even blew him up, yet Hiei took him down with practically zero effort.
* OutOfFocus: Takes off for quite a bit during the Sensui arc, and even after he returns he's noticeably regulated to the background more than usual. The Three Kingdoms arc makes up for it though.
* PerpetualFrowner
* PetTheDog: Is really, genuinely angry with the way Seiryuu betrays Byakko, and displays it by finishing off Seiryuu like it was nothing. But before he does so, he throws his coat aside in a way that it falls over Byakko's head, respectfully covering it after death.
* PintSizedPowerhouse
* PlayingAgainstType: For NobuyukiHiyama. And he's not THAT HotBlooded, considering he's a fire demon.
* PlayingWithFire: ''Demonic'' fire.
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue oni to Yusuke and Kuwabara, Red oni to Kurama, and Yukina.
* ShirtlessScene: It would be easier to count the number of fights in which he's wearing it for the whole time. Usually is ripped/exploded/tossed aside within the first few seconds.
* SmugSuper: A heroic, sort of, version.
* TheSouthpaw: He is NOT left-handed but when the Dragon of the Darkness flame paralyzes his right arm he needs to learn to hold his sword with his left, temporarily.
* TheSpock: When not playing the SmugSuper.
* StarterVillain: Along with Gouki, he was set up as this before his unexpected popularity.
* [[spoiler: TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Mukuro who is somewhat taller than him.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: He's a murderer and his teammates are two deliquents and a mamma's boy.
* TooManyBelts: Justified as it held back the Dragon of the Darkness Flame from devouring him.
* TrainingFromHell: Trains Kuwabara for the Dark Tournament. Because of Hiei's honour system, his training is ''less'' hellish than Kurama's.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The two episodes detailing his past.
* TheWorfBarrage: His Dragon of the Darkness Flame incinerates Zeru, but afterward (not counting the second movie), can't kill anything stronger than a Mook (though it can quickly obliterate an entire army of A-class demons).
[[/folder]]
** [[spoiler:Specifically, Kuwabara surpasses them in the manga, but not the anime]].
* BadassCrew: Prevented EndOfTheWorld more than once and the current Dark Tournament Champions.
* FireForgedFriends: They had a rocky start during the Saint Beasts arc, but grew to respect each other.
* FiveManBand
** TheLeader: Yusuke. He's the spirit detective; they're his back up.
** TheLancer: Kuwabara, like Yusuke, is a deliquent with a heart of gold but he uses a sword instead of a gun.
** TheSmartGuy: Kurama is cunning like a fox.
** TheBigGuy: Hiei has a FantasticNuke.
** TheChick: Botan.
** TheSixthRanger: Genkai and/or Koenma.
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:When Yusuke let's Sensui kill him to empower the rest of his team to A Class.]]
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:After Yusuke was killed by Sensui; Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei were all hell bent on killing Sensui even if it means sacrificing their lives. Kurama even comments how this is the first time Hiei was willing to die for someone other than himself.]]
* OddlySmallOrganization: The Spirit World's cleanup squad for when things go wrong consists of one detective and any friends he might make along the way. [[spoiler: Though this is rendered a bit moot by the manga's ending, where it was revealed that Yusuke might not have been needed as badly as we originally thought.]]
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: The team consists of a {{delinquent}} [[OccultDetective Spirit Detective]], his [[TheRival rival]], a reincarnated [[{{Kitsune}} Fox Demon]], and a ReformedCriminal with an [[EvilEye extra eye]].
* TrueCompanions
[[WMG: Yusuke Urameshi]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Spirit Gun[[spoiler:, Demon Energy]]]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yusuke01_7057.png
-->''You shouldn't talk. It makes you sound stupid.''
->Voiced by: NozomuSasaki (JP), JustinCook (EN)
Delinquent jerk who dies in a tragically ironic manner, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished saving a child from being hit by a car.]] It gets even more tragically ironic when he is informed that not only did The Powers That Be ''never'' expect such an act of goodness from him, the kid would have survived anyway, ''without a scratch.'' Yusuke pushing him out of the way just gave him a few extra scrapes.
Since there's no place for him in heaven ''or'' hell, Yusuke is given the opportunity to return to life, but once he does--Koenma owns him, and he becomes the Spirit Detective, taking care of supernatural problems that might threaten ordinary humans. Of course, as we gradually learn, Yusuke isn't all that ordinary, himself...
----
* AccidentalAimingSkills: During his first fight with Hiei, Yusuke knew he wouldn't be able to hit Hiei in the front because of his speed. So he fired his Spirit Gun at the Forlorn Hope and the mirror bounces his Spirit Gun onto Hiei's back. He himself wasn't sure if it would work or not.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Justified, after Yusuke dies saving a kid life he still sticks as part of his trials for coming back to life. As ghost he helps many people in need like Kuwabara, linger ghosts, and a friend from elementary school.
* AllGenesAreCoDominant: [[spoiler: Subverted, When Yusuke Urameshi had died for the first time, he was not strong enough to receive the Atavism of the Mazoku. Ironically, through his employment as Spirit Detective, he became strong enough for this demonic trait to 'accept' him and express itself after he died in his second battle against Shinobu Sensui.]]
* AttackAttackAttack: Often uses this strategy first to test his opponent's strength before switching up his strategy.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBoast: In is debut match during Team Urameshi's first round in the Dark Tournment.
---> ''"Hey all you stupid demons! I've been trying to sleep through you clever trash-talk long enough and I'm ready to kick some asses!"''
** BarbarianLonghair: [[spoiler: When he becomes a demon.]]
* BattleAura: Has three different energy types: Spirit Energy, Demon Energy, and a mix of Spirit Energy, and [[spoiler: Demon Energy]]. Yusuke doesn't have the unique qualities mentioned by Sensui to produce Sacred Energy.
* BelligerentSexualTension: He and Keiko can't go five minutes without some form of argument.
* BerserkButton: Killing or hurting any of his friends is not a good idea. Toguro even deliberately invoked this trope by [[spoiler:pretending to kill Kuwabara in order to bring Yusuke's PowerLevel to his own level becoming a WorthyOpponent.]]
** Yusuke took absolute [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge delight]] in beating the ever-loving shit out of Bakken for what he did to [[spoiler: Kurama]].
* {{BFG}}: Yusuke's Rei/Spirit Gun during the Dark Tournament final round.
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Shows up BackFromTheDead a second time as a S Class demon with a Phoenix Puu and Koenma in the Demon World.]]
* {{Bishonen}}: When his hair is not slicked back with hair gel. He looks like a completely different person.
* BloodKnight: Likely his most defining trope. Yusuke loves a good brawl and was so into his fight with Sensui that he couldn't have cared less that a storm of demons were going to swarm the Earth. He just didn't want to get cheated out of his fight.
** And when [[spoiler: his [[DemonicPossession ancestor takes over his body]] and ultimately deals fatal blows to Sensui,]] when Yusuke regains control, to say he was upset their fight was interrupted is putting it lightly.
* BookDumb
* BornLucky: Some of his earlier Spirit Detective arc fights that he won was because he was just lucky.
* BrilliantButLazy: A major reason for his BookDumb and IdiotHero. When he actually can be bothered thinking though, he has shown himself to be a strategic genius.
* BroughtDowntoBadass: During Team Urameshi's fight with Dr. Ichigaki's team.
* ByronicHero: At fourteen, no less.
* CallingYourAttacks: Spirit Gun, Shotgun, Spirit Wave, etc.
* CarnivoreConfusion: [[spoiler: After Yusuke becomes a demon, he doesn't see a problem with demons eating humans, and now can hold open conversations with man-eating-demons about their dietary habits. It's an interesting meditation on meat eating - Raizen, who is designed to eat humans, has spent 500 years slowly dying of hunger. There's no right answer to the ethical practice of Raizen's dietary needs, and Yusuke's offering to kidnap humans for Raizen just makes the whole dilemma even murkier.]]
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: With Keiko.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: He's [[FriendtoAllChildren rather protective of kids]], and one of the best ways to [[BerserkButton piss him off]] is to threaten children or [[LoveInterest Keiko]].
* ChivalrousPervert: Gropes and teases Keiko, but if she needs his help there's nothing he won't do for her.
** He also doesn't mind feeling up his female opponents in the middle of a fight either.
* TheCynic: Life was never nice to Yusuke to begin with, and as it has given him '''no''' evidence to justify the opposite throughout his adventures, he sees no point in being nice back to it either.
* DeadpanSnarker: ''Especially'' in the dub.
* DeadToBeginWith: The series actually starts with his death.
* {{Delinquents}}: Yusuke has an entire city full of teen delinquents out to send him to the hospital. [[spoiler: They all fail.]]
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Being a neglected bastard child who only found peace in anger and violence really did a number on Yusuke: when he lost his hate for the world, he was left so hollow that [[spoiler: he could not find joy and meaning in being ''The King of An Entire Demon Empire.'']]
* {{Determinator}}: Will to use [[CastFromHitPoints Life Energy]] or use a HeroicSacrifice if all else fails.
* DisguisedInDrag: In the manga, [[http://www.mangarush.com/manga/yu-yu-hakusho/171/p-8 Yusuke pulled this off pretty well and look like quite a convincing girl believe it or not.]]
* DisappearedDad: We never hear from or ever see Yusuke's biological father. [[spoiler: Except in the manga. He is in one scene, talking to Atsuko in one of the wrap-up chapters, though he and Yusuke never meet.]]
* DivingSave: To rescue the little child in the first episode.
* [[DudeShesLikeInAComa Dude, He's Like, In A Coma]]: Justified, during the time in which Yuusuke was technically dead (although his inert body was given pseudo-life in order to preserve it), Keiko has to kiss him in order to revive him in a kind of spiritual CPR.
** Before that, Keiko almost kisses his unconscious body while he invisibly and fervently protests, but is interrupted by an announcement from the Neighborhood Watch Committee that kicks her back to her senses.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: He was on the verge of rearranging the face of a SadistTeacher who mocked his mother for "pathetically begging" to let him back into school.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: He is neck-deep in Foe Yay with every one of his male enemies.
* FingerGun: Yusuke's Rei/Spirit Gun.
* FriendToAllChildren
* GenerationXerox: With Raizen. It's subtle, but it's there.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: He's pulled this off a couple times.
* GoldenSuperMode: Was able to channel his version of Sacred Energy during his fight with Yomi.
* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler: His second death.]]
* GoodIsNotNice
* HairTriggerTemper
* HalfBreedDiscrimination: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. In the Three Kings arc he [[spoiler: becomes leader of his own country and garners full respect from his subordinates. In the Demon World Tournament, there were even demon spectators cheering him on during his fight with Yomi despite being the underdog and a HalfHumanHybrid.]]
* [[spoiler: HalfHumanHybrid]]: [[spoiler: Sort of. Both of his parents, and a good number of his ancestors are human, but way way back along the line is Raizen, the Makai's most powerful demon and one of the Three Kings. However, his demon side never manifests until he is killed in battle by Sensui.]]
* HealingFactor: Was able to heal from his wounds suffered from Sensui's energy gun and also able to quickly heal a broken arm that Sensui snapped like a twig.
* HeirToTheDojo: Chosen as Genkai's successor after defeating Rando and winning her tournament.
* TheHero
** HeroWithAnFInGood
* HeroicBastard: 14 year old Urameshi Atsuko was definitely ''not'' married when she had that bout of morning sickness...
* HeroicBSOD [[spoiler: During his fight with Yomi, Yusuke realizes that for the first time in the series he is fighting on his own terms, and promptly lapses into one, since he never had his own reasons for fighting other than his anger, which he's since dealt with. Raizen quickly snaps him out of it, though.]]
* HeroicBystander: His introduction in the first episode.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Twice, and subverted both times.]]
** BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Again, twice.]]
* HoldingYourShoulderMeansInjury: Does this quite often in his earlier fights.
* HotBlooded
* [[spoiler: [[HumanMomNonhumanDad Human Female Ancestor, Non-Human Male Ancestor]]: Lady Doctor and Raizen]]
* IdiotHero: A darker variant than most. He has a lot of common sense, especially for a shonen hero, and tends to even point it out when he or someone else is doing something stupid.
* IncorruptiblePurePureness: A GoodIsNotNice version as shown by his Spirit Beast which is a reflection of his true inner self. Also resisted both Toguro and Sensui's attempt to corrupt him.
* InNameOnly: For his Spirit Detective title since he never really does any real detective work.
* InstantRunes [=/=] TattooedCrook: After [[spoiler: being possessed by his demon ancestor]] Yusuke is literally tattooed from head to foot in demon runes.
* ItAmusedMe: Well, he ''is'' a delinquent.
* ItsPersonal: His final fight with Toguro after [[spoiler: Genkai dies]]. There's also the end of the Chapter Black saga, when he doesn't give a damn if the world is destroyed as long as he gets to settle his fight with Sensui.
* JerkassFacade: His Spirit Beast Puu turned out to be a very cute stuffed animal which reflects his true personality as Koenma pointed out before the egg hatched.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated,]] since he's a massive jerk with a massive heart of gold. It's true that he's a juvenile delinquent who prioritizes fighting over the safety of the world more than once, but it's remarked upon several times that he's not as bad as he seems, and seeing his friends in danger is the fastest way to make him stronger. Not to mention that the whole series started because he saved a toddler from being run over.
* KiAttacks
* KnightInSourArmor: Sensui tries to deconstruct this giving a BreakingSpeech during their second fight in the demon tunnel cave.
* KubrickStare: His ''default'' expression towards everybody, ''including his own mother.'' And it becomes mixed with disturbingly gleeful bloodlust whenever he is about to this dish out a can of asswhooping. Kuwabara still hasn't gotten the hint during the first episode.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: His Knife-Edged Death Match with Chu.
* MagneticHero
* MarkedChange
* [[spoiler: MayflyDecemberRomance: The last couple episodes imply that his lifespan is that of a demon, not a human. Poor Keiko.]]
* MeaningfulName: His name means Ghost Helper.
* MegatonPunch: One of his specialties.
* MoreDakka: His Spirit Shotgun. Also spammed a bunch of weaker Spirit Guns at Yomi to break his DeflectorShields while mix his [[YinYangBomb Spirit and Demon Energy together.]]
* OfficialCouple: Him and Keiko.
* PowerLimiter: The Spirit Cuffs Genkai gave him. It forces him remain in full Spirit Power and full physical strength 24/7 if he even wants to move. This is similar to how athletes who train in aerobics for extensive periods of time experience heightened states of rest: heart and respiratory rate are much lower than that of a normal person.
* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: When Yusuke temporarily gets possessed by his ancestor awakening his Mazoku form, he gets long unkempt hair down below his waist, among other cosmetic changes and then proceeds to [[CurbStompBattle curp-stomp]] Sensui.
* {{Otaku}}: Of Combat Sports. That's how Botan baited him to going on the case of tracking down Rando with front row seat tickets in the Tokyo Dome.
* PsychicStatic: He was able to beat Murota's "Wiretap" ability by repeating the way he planned on punching him over and over in his head, and then knocking him out just through the reverberations from his fist in the air.
* RapidFireFisticuffs
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue to Kuwabara's Red, Red to Hiei's Blue.
* TeensAreMonsters: An anti-heroic version. It's suggested near the end of the series that he could be a genuinely good person once he outgrows his adolescent rage problems.
* SchoolIsForLosers: He doesn't even finish ''junior high'' in the anime, but averted in the manga in that his mother helped him get his diploma by asking her {{Yakuza}} friends to pulling some strings that allowed him to finish his schooling in spite of spending 3 years absent.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: As the English dub so cheerfully puts it, "Fearless protector of the good stuff, with a healthy kickin-ass-ness and a general hate for authority!"
* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: Form 3, when Yusuke was fighting Yomi in the Demon World Tournament. Yusuke himself stated that his PowerLevel was only around Shura's range. Yomi and Shura's fight was a complete CurbStompBattle in the former's favor. Yusuke however was almost able to end the fight with a CrossCounter DoubleKnockout, but in the end he injured Yomi so bad that he immediately lost the next round.
* SecondYearProtagonist: Junior High, 8th grade.
** Middle Schools/Junior High in Japan go up to 9th grade.
* OffModel: The intricacy and style of Yusuke's [[spoiler: Mazoku]] tattoos is inconsistent in the manga. In the anime he has far fewer tattoos and are both far simpler and more consistant than those in the manga.
* SensitiveGuyandManlyMan: Kuwabara is the sensitive guy (also literally) to Yusuke's Manly Man.
* ShirtlessScene: Usually during his most intensive fights.
* ShotgunsAreJustBetter: Spirit Energy/Reiki Shotgun that is.
* ShutUpHannibal: His second fight with Sensui after he finishes giving his BreakingSpeech. Yusuke rebuttals with a right hook to the face.
--> ''"Maybe there have been times when I've been pissed and hated things, but it wasn't from this work. [[DisappearedDad My dad's a no-show]], [[AlcoholicParent my mom's a lush]], and [[SchoolIsForLosers school sucks]]. But this job is the one damn thing I've ever been good at. [[ShutUpHannibal And if all the crap in my life hasn't screwed me up yet, then neither will this. And neither will you."]]''
* SirSwearsALot: Especially in the English dub, which was as potty-mouthed as shonen came in the early 2000s.
* SphereOfDestruction: His Spirit Gun becomes this after inheriting Genkai's Spirit Wave Orb. It just keeps getting more powerful from there on.
* SpiritedCompetitor
* TameHisAnger: Yusuke started out as [[CoolPeopleRebelAgainstAuthority an angry teen who rebels against authority]]. By the end of the series he's matured and happy with his life.
* TheRunnerUpTakesItAll: Although Yusuke didn't win the Demon World Tournament nor did he get to the semi-finals, he did succeed in preventing both Yomi and Mukuro (with Hiei's Help) from winning allowing [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure Enki]] to win the tournament.
* TroubledButCute: Subverted: the ''only'' girl who likes him romantically is Keiko. Botan is more of a CoolBigSis, and the human girls are terrified of him.
* VitriolicBestBuds: With Kuwabara. Botan even lampshades this at school.
* WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: His solution to any problem is hitting it with his fists or firing the Spirit Gun.
* WouldHitAGirl: One that can fight him, that is.
* YinYangBomb
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's ''fourteen''.
[[WMG: Kazuma Kuwabara]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Spirit Sword]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kazuma01_9355.png
-->''When men do what they're supposed to do, it's not always about what they want.''
->Voiced by: ShigeruChiba (JP), ChristopherSabat (EN)
Yusukes rival-turned-best-friend, Kuwabara is slightly jerk-y himself, but still easily the nicest of the four main characters. Kuwabara has a very powerful sixth sense, which he doesn't seem to enjoy, and is able to manifest his reiki as a sword. Definitely something of a comic relief character, he falls in love with the ice demon, Yukina, and is utterly devoted to her. [[spoiler:Kuwabara is the only full-blooded human in the main four.]] Sometimes called "Kuwa-chan." Punk antagonists use it to get on his nerves, but Botan uses it affectionately.
----
* ADayInTheLimelight: Is the key player during Chapter Black [[spoiler:and the gang's trip to Spirit World in the manga]].
* AlliterativeName
* BadassLongcoat: Has a white longcoat he usually wears during a serious fight.
* BadassInDistress: In the third quarter of the Chapter Black arc.
* BigBrotherMentor: To young Seaman.
* BoisterousBruiser
* BookDumb: Still less than Yusuke. [[spoiler: And he subverts it by the end of the series]].
* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's a little gruff, but a massive softie underneath.
* BuffySpeak: "SWORD, GET LONG!"
* CourtlyLove: While his jaw will drop and ogle at the sight of any attractive female (cut him some slack, he IS a 14 year old boy after all), he is the ''picture'' of a polite and considerate gentleman towards the one girl he truly loves, Yukina.
* {{Delinquents}}: Second only to Yusuke.
* {{Determinator}}: [[TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina]] could learn a thing or two from him.
* DoggedNiceGuy: To Yukina. [[spoiler: Averted at the end of the manga, as Yukina ends up living with him and is openly showing affection to him as well.]]
* DumbassNoMore: Gets into a prestigious university through sheer study and hard work, although the manga implies that he barely made it into his prestigious high school and must work hard to stay there.
* [[spoiler: FakingTheDead: At the climax of the Dark Tournament arc.]]
* FieryRedhead
* HonourBeforeReason: Kuwabara embodies this trope, and it almost kills him several times.
* HotBlooded
* HowDoIShotWeb: Has trouble summoning his dimensional sword after his first use of it, and only manages it twice; [[spoiler: when Yusuke's about to be killed by Sensui, and when the Dimensional Cannon is threatening Sarayashiki and thus, Yukina]].
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: With Yukina.
* IdiotHero: Again like Yusuke, has a lot of common sense, but he can be dense at times.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold[=/=]GentleGiant: Has a warm, tender, sensitive and kind heart that is almost ''never'' found in boys his age, let alone a violent delinquent.
** And he adores ''[[KindHeartedCatLover kittens.]]''
* KindheartedCatLover
* KnightInSourArmor
* TheHeart: Will always be the first to (angrily) interject his idealism and kindness into a situation whenever anyone (ESPECIALLY Hiei) gets too heartless and cynical.
* LargeHam:
** IncomingHam: When he summons his Spirit Sword.
* LaserBlade: His main weapon.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Only one that doesn't know that [[spoiler: Hiei and Yukina are siblings]].
** Also he was the one of the last to learn that [[spoiler: Genkai had been killed]].
* LuminescentBlush: Whenever Yukina touches him or reacts positively to his [[LargeHam hammy]] displays of affection. The more positive the response, the more likely Kazuma is to catch a severe case of HighPressureEmotion.
* ManInWhite: In later episodes.
* ManlyTears: As is befitting for a true {{Badass}}.
* MaybeEverAfter: The big guy and Yukina. [[spoiler: Though if they do, he is going to have a son with a personality as rotten as Hiei's, as ''all'' Ice-Maidens '''will''' bear when they consumate with a man. Poor fella...AS well as a daughter just as sweet and gentle as her mother.]]
* TheMcCoy
* NiceGuy: Kuwabara mellows throughout the series, crossing out the "Jerk" and underlining the "Heart of Gold".
* [[spoiler:OutOfFocus: He's barely in the Three Kings arc because of his studies. He makes it for it with a triumphant return in the manga.]]
* OvershadowedByAwesome: A subversion; despite being tremendously overshadowed by his three fighting partners, Kuwabara manages to stay in the game through his bullheadedness, psychic powers, and Spirit Sword in all its varieties. Particularly blatant in the Chapter Black arc, where his power is a major factor in Sensui's plan.
* ThePowerOfFriendship and ThePowerOfLove: Both make him do ''amazing'' things.
** In his second solo fight in the Dark Tournament Arc, he is getting knocked around by Risho due to having almost no spirit energy left and possibly a broken spine. Yukina shows up, and he suddenly throws Risho aside and runs up to Yukina as if he isn't even injured. When Risho tries to attack him again, Kuwabara suddenly gains his spirit energy back and [[OneHitKill one shots]] him across the arena.
*** Even better in the manga, when he [[OneHitKO defeats Risho with a single punch]] [[OffhandBackhand without even looking]].
** After the match, Yukina tried to cure his wounds, only to discover they were already half healed on their own.
* RealMenWearPink: Has quite the soft spot for cats, and especially Eikichi, his very own pet kitten.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Red Oni]]
* RedStringOfFate: With Yukina.
* RescueRomance: Upon falling for Yukina, he joins Yusuke and Botan to rescue her.
* SpiritedCompetitor
* StoneWall: His speed and offense might not be anywhere as good as the rest of his team (can't blame him, spirit guns, dragons and all). But watch how much he can endure. Rinku even lampshades this in his fight with Kuwabara.
* TookALevelInBadass: Losing to a kid in the first round in the tournament, [[spoiler: then in the final round [[CurbStompBattle beating Elder Toguro in less then three moves]] while it takes even Hiei to go all out to defeat the other members. Even more so, after [[BroughtDownToNormal losing his powers]], he awakens the powers to cut dimensions to [[CurbStompBattle beat two psychics in one blow]] and become the strongest full human after Sensui's death.]]
* TheWatson: He's the guy who asks the questions the audience wants to know so that [[MrExposition Hiei and Kurama]] don't have to resort to AsYouKnow exposition.
* WhatTheHellHero: "I thought we were a team, but I guess I'm just one big joke to you. ''Well this joke has feelings!''"
* WifeBasherBasher: His dialogue to Younger Toguro after he (psychically) sees how the brute's boss tortured Yukina with fire and abused her for her valuable tears.
--> "Stand aside, you are not the man I'm here to kill... I'm here for that monster up there!!"
* TheWorfEffect: Often loses fights to show how powerful certain opponents are, but partly due to stupidity rather than weakness. Lampshaded by Yusuke in one preview. Played with hilariously during his fights against Shishiwakamaru and Onji.
* WouldntHitAGirl: Has trouble fighting Miyuki the VillainousCrossdresser.
[[WMG: Kurama / Shuiichi Minamino]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Demon / Partially Human\\
'''Main Power:''' Flora Manipulation]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kurama01_2964.png
-->''You should know better than to corner an animal like a fox... We have a tendency to show our teeth.''
->Voiced by: MegumiOgata (Shūichi) and [[spoiler:ShigeruNakahara (Yoko)]] (JP), John Burgmeier (EN)
Kurama is over a thousand years old, a fox demon and former thief killed by a hunter. Unwilling to die peacefully, his soul passed into the human world and entered the womb of a pregnant woman, Shiori Minamino. Reborn as her son, Shuuichi Minamino, Kurama planned to return to his life as a rogue thief as soon as he could, but his mother's unconditional love convinced him to stay for her sake, and even risk his life to save hers when [[IllGirl she gravely got sick]]. After he's caught by Yusuke, he is paroled. Part of his sentence is to help Yusuke, and basically do Koenma's bidding.
Personality-wise, Kurama is outwardly kind, cryptic, intelligent, and not above teasing Yusuke or Hiei mercilessly (sometimes with Kuwabara's help). That is if you are on his good side. If you are on his ''bad'' side... then it's probably time to start praying that he'll at least be merciful enough to make your death quick.
----
* AloofAlly: Though he is nice, he does not often hang out with the group outside of battle.
* AloofBigBrother: Despite not being related to any of the main characters. Although this has been subverted towards his little stepbrother; he acts annoyed that his stepbrother followed him to his school, but it's implied he knew all along that he was being possessed by one of Yomi's minions.
* AnimalMotifs / AnimalStereotypes: The guy is really a kitsune.
* TheAtoner: Becoming a genuinely good-hearted, if still vengeful, person for his beloved human mother.
** Until the end of the series, Kurama struggles with his identity and self-worth. Initially, Kurama seems all too eager to leave the shameful carnage of his life as Yoko behind, but at the same time he is bothered by the newfound weakness of his human form. These mixed feelings about who he really is very obviously ''torture'' him.
* BadAss: A premier example within the story.
** BadassBookworm: He can outsmart a genius who's written several best selling literature and an ability to steal your soul if you accidentally say a word or use the the first letters of that word in the right order.
** HandicappedBadass: Downplayed. He doesn't ''remain'' handicapped (if you don't consider getting turned from an all-powerful fox demon into a human schoolboy a handicap like Hiei does), but during the Dark Tournament, Kurama's [[spoiler: arms and legs are bound]]. What does he do? [[spoiler: He kills his opponent '''with his hair''']]. '''Then''' [[spoiler: the blood of his opponent seals his spirit energy, and he has to fight ''another'' match without his arms, legs, or spirit energy. Guess who wins again.]]
* BatmanGambit: VERY important in his strategies.
* BecomingTheMask: He intended to leave Shiori's side when his injuries got better. Found out he had grown genuinely fond of her and decided to stay with her anyway.
* BerserkButton: Only two things seem to piss him off: threatening his human mother and family, and [[spoiler:being forced to take an innocent life.]]
** He does have a third: [[DudeLooksLikeALady Being mistaken for a girl]]. He nearly ''snapped'' on Yusuke and Keiko when they pushed this button as lil too far...
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's a sweetheart, and he is a ''lot'' more polite than Yusuke and Hiei (to be fair everybody has a friendlier demeanor then Hiei). That doesn't mean he is above killing someone in a particularly brutal and bloody manner should they piss him off.
* BigBrotherInstinct: He does ''not'' react well to Yomi threatening his human stepbrother, who does not know about Kurama's true identity for his own protection.
* {{Bishonen}}: To the extent that [[spoiler: [[DudeLooksLikeALady he's mistaken for Kuwabara's girlfriend in the last episode]]]].
* TheChessmaster: Generally during his fights in the series he wins in the first minute or so, even if his foes don't know it yet, and it's repeatedly shown that the longer you take to beat him the ''only'' thing you're actually accomplishing is his giving him more time to come up with a cruel and unusual death for you, regardless of how screwed he might look. Of his foes, only Toya manages to think at his level (and even then Kurama had a massive handicap) [[spoiler: and only [[EvilGenius Karasu]], [[ManipulativeBastard Itsuki]] and Yomi can actually outplay him.]]
* CrazyPrepared: In the English dub, his fight in the Demon World Tournament arc reveals he seeded the area thousands of years previous just on the off chance he'd have to fight in that area in the future. (In the Japanese version, he instead grafted a living cherry tree into the dead giant tree, creating a revitalised hybrid.)
* CrossdressingVoices: Japanese version only. Actually, this was Megumi Ogata's ''debut'' role.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: This is the typical fate of most of the people who piss the guy off or try to screw him over when they're fighting him, with heavy emphasis on ''cruel''. Worse if you happen to receive one of them and are ''[[AndIMustScream immortal]]''.
* CunningLikeAFox: Literally, as he is a demon humanoid fox with a thousand years of experience.
* DeadpanSnarker: While soft spoken, just listen closely and you'll notice that his speech reeks of sarcasm.
* DudeLooksLikeALady: More then a few first time viewers of the show have mistook him for a girl. Oh yeah, so did the ''Filipino dub studio!''
** As mentioned before, this trope is touched on in universe. Kuwabara's college peers end up mistaking Kurama for his girlfriend in both the manga in anime. In the manga, Kurama gets noticeably [[BewareTheNiceOnes pissed]] at this, and later, when Yusuke has to infiltrate a girl's boarding school, he goes to Kurama for help. Kurama testily demands if he has to "wear a disguise?" to be of any use to them.
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: If not for Shiori, he'd still be a ruthless Youkai. He's also very fond of his stepfather and little stepbrother. Threatening them is the quickest BerserkButton you can press.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Karasu really ''really'' likes him.
* FieryRedhead: He doesn't classically fit the trope, but Karasu invokes it with regards to his persistance.
* FusionDance: In the sub, he's the same person in whatever form even though his true form is more ruthless.
* GentlemanSnarker
* GreenThumb: And he makes it ''awesome''...and ''[[CruelAndUnusualDeath terrifying]]''.
* GoodIsNotSoft: Kurama is an amicable person, genuinely kindhearted and willing to lend a helping hand. That still doesn't mean he's any less intimidating when [[BewareTheNiceOnes angry]], or that he would hesitate in the slightest to kill you.
* GuileHero: While he's an excellent fighter, his most dangerous weapon is his ''tremendously'' sharp mind. And then he combines the two...
* HonestAdvisor
* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Mother]]: Roto tries this to prevent him from fighting back, but Kurama prevents him from pressing the button that signals her execution. [[spoiler:Yomi uses the threat of killing his human mother, stepfather and stepbrother to force him to serve him. Shachi tries to use his brother as a hostage, but fails because his minion had pulled a MookFaceTurn]].
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: A Bishonen whose very soft spoken, girly-looking, elegant as well as being the most sensitive to others emotions and able to 'read the atmosphere.'
* JackOfAllStats: In his human form.
* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: Happens ''to'' him during the Dark Tournament. After fighting the two matches consecutively, with the latter match draining him of his energy, Kurama passes out while still standing on his feet. Enter [[DumbMuscle Bakken]], who's too cowardly to hold his own against a fit fighter, and who is angry at Kurama's prior winnings. He [[spoiler: mercilessly attacks Kurama while he is unconscious, stopping only when Yusuke threatens to throw away the entire tournament and save Kurama by launching his Spirit Gun attack at him.]]
** Bakken's treatment of him is especially jarring when you take into account that Kurama had absolutely no desire to kill Gamma at all, urging him to stop moving because he was losing too much blood, and even spared Touya's life once the ice demon begged him to kill him.
* TheKirk: He's perfectly level-headed until his [[BerserkButton Berserk Buttons]] are pushed, and often works to keep the group working smoothly together.
* {{Kitsune}}: He is a Japanese fox demon.
* LittleBitBeastly: His demonic form-in addition to changing his hair and [[SupernaturalGoldEyes eye]] color-gives him fox ears and a tail.
* LoveRedeems: His human mother's love mellowed him from a sociopathic theif into a BewareTheNiceOnes NiceGuy.
* ManInWhite: As Yoko Kurama.
* ManlyTears / {{Not So Stoic}}: In the Japanese version, after [[spoiler: Kuwabara's]] death, his voice breaks and he's shown trembling, as if crying.
* TheMedic: His knowledge of plants is useful for this as well.
* NervesOfSteel
* NobleDemon: Well, he IS a demon, and is genuinely noble.
* NotSoAboveItAll: He ''usually'' likes to play the part of the cool-headed, rational demon. As the series goes on, it's revealed he isn't exactly above teasing Yusuke (with Kuwabara even!), spending countless hours on video games (even MORE than Kuwabara or Yusuke!), and actually cheats the hell out of card games.
* NotSoStoic: Becomes visibly enraged for the first and only time during the Chapter Black arc, when [[spoiler: he has to kill a 12-year-old opponent like Amanuma, and later fights Elder Toguro.]]
* OneOfUs: Chapter Black comes with the ''stunning'' revelation that Kurama is a huge video game nerd.
* OneSteveLimit: Averted. Shares the same human name with his little stepbrother, Shuuichi.
* PrincelyYoungMan: By virtue of his attitude and how he's treated in this case, rather than status. He's a PrinceCharming type.
* RealMenWearPink: He doesn't look impressive, being a [[{{Bishonen}} pretty boy]] that often wears a pink school uniform and [[SomethingAboutARose has this thing for roses]]. Guess who is one of the series' biggest [[BadAss Badasses]] and the only person that ''Hiei'' admits being afraid of?
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Looks like a teenager, is thousands of years old.
** [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Yoko Kurama]] looks like a 20-to-early 30s man, [[spoiler: yet he was [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking Yomi]]'s superior and possibly elder authority a thousand years ago.]]
* RedHeadedHero
* SchoolUniformsAreTheNewBlack: In a manga bonus story, his classmates note that he wears the uniform even when he doesn't have to.
* ShesAManInJapan: In the Philippines actually. They {{Hand Wave}}d this after they got to the point where his chest is visible.
* ShoutOut: "Just call me [[Manga/SailorMoon Tuxedo Mask]]" in Chapter 44 of the manga. The authors of ''YuYuHakusho'' and ''Manga/SailorMoon'' (who later married) were dating at this time.
* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: Probably used to play into the old tale about green-eyed redheads can be expected to have magical powers. Note Kurama's eyes [[SupernaturalGoldEyes turn golden]] and his hair turns white when he switches into his demonic form.
* TheSmartGuy: An anime poster boy for this trope.
* SomethingAboutARose: Rose Whip.
* TheStoic: The guy has a pokerface that is simply unbreakable in a fight, to the point of almost coming across as a sociopath at times. He DOES have emotions, he's just able to look past them an analyze a situation with a cold rational mind, then switch back to being pleasant and upbeat when he has to be.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: For the most part, he is extremely kind and self-sacrificing to others. He works very hard to please his mother, and has a limitless love of the world around him, but he can switch to cruel, cold, and calculating in a matter of seconds.
* TokenGoodTeammate: To Hiei and Gouki, wanting the mirror so that he can save his mother, knowing it will cost him his life. He even makes arrangements for Yusuke to recover the mirror after he's dead, not expecting to survive.
* TrainingFromHell: Gives Kuwabara some fairly harsh training to prepare him for the Dark Tournament, and later [[spoiler: gives it to some of his team's former rivals to prepare some elite fighters for Yomi]].
* TranquilFury: This makes him absolutely ''frightening''. During Chapter Black, when he's forced to [[spoiler: kill Amanuma]], he is completely utterly ''enraged''. Fortunately, [[spoiler:Elder Toguro]] was there for him to [[FateWorseThanDeath take his fury out on]].
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: Played with. His demonic form has the long, flowing white hair and pretty face accociated with this character type, and in that form he is more distanct and cold. While his demon form is not evil, it is what he looked like before he was re-encarnated into a human body, when he was as bad as any other demon.
* WhipItGood: Main weapon. [[spoiler: Although he has even worse plants at his disposal. A lot of those cases, he uses the Rose Whip to set said plants]].
[[WMG: Hiei]]
[floatboxright:
'''Species:''' Demon\\
'''Main Power:''' Superspeed / Jagan Eye]
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hiei01_4855.png
-->''I know as much of games as I do of hugs and puppies, and care for them even less. Wake me for the end of the world.''
->Voiced by: NobuyukiHiyama (JP), ChuckHuber (EN)
An aloof and elusive swordsman from the Demon World. Hiei possesses a surgically implanted third eye that endows him with several abilities such as mind control, telepathy, and telekinesis. Hiei is a fire demon, and is capable of manipulating the human world's crimson flames as well as the demon world's dark flames. He is taciturn and misanthropic, and the only being he cares about seems to be [[spoiler: his twin sister, Yukina]]. Hiei was the ringleader of the theft that led to Yusuke meeting him, Kurama and Gouki. Unlike Kurama, Hiei had no good intentions, but like Kurama, part of his sentence to assist Yusuke and Koenma. Eventually, he does come to respect Yusuke as a friend and warrior, although he usually won't help without a good pretense.
----
* AloofAlly: A trope poster boy.
* AloofBigBrother: To [[spoiler: Yukina]].
* [[spoiler:AmazonChaser]]: Hiei likes [[spoiler: Mukuro]] because of her being strong enough to stand against him as well as their NotSoDifferent background even though [[spoiler: her mutation ''and'' the horrors she put herself through to escape her abusive father have disfigured her]].
* AscendedExtra: He was never supposed to show up after Yusuke beat him, but people kept asking about him, so he came back when Kurama did.
* {{Badass}}
** {{Badass}} [[BadassLongRobe Robe]][[BadassLongcoat coat]]
* BandageBabe: His bandaged arm and his [[EvilIsSexy good looks]] fulfill this trope, though if you wanted to give him a hug he'd rip your spine out.
* BelligerentSexualTension: With [[spoiler: Mukuro]], in a much more literal way that Yusuke and Keiko.
* BerserkButton:
** Hiei does not take too kindly to YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness especially coming from the enemy. Seiryu found out the [[CurbStompBattle HARD]] way.
** Not to mention if you ever [[spoiler: threaten his twin sister Yukina]]...
* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler:Arrives just in the nick of time, and rescues Yusuke from Sniper's onslaught.]]
* BloodKnight: Although he's too [[SmugSuper arrogant to acknowledge his opponent]], he clearly likes fighting because he was literally born in a dog-eat-dog world.
* BroughtDownToBadass: Hiei reached A-Class levels of power just a few years after birth, but lost most of his power during his surgery for the Jagan.
* ByronicHero: Think Yusuke, but dipped in liquid nitrogen, and you'll have a good idea of how cold this guy is.
* CardCarryingVillain: In his initial appearance--he is quite insistent on how arrogantly insidious he is, [[JustBetweenYouAndMe never at any point stops gloating or posturing at length about how superior he is]]--usually at the top of his lungs in the most hammy way possible, with as much [[EvilLaugh evil laughter]] as he can muster for good measure - holds the VillainBall very closely and as a result makes a lot of a arrogance fueled mistakes. In his next appearance he shifts into the personality he keeps for the rest of the series - calm, calculating, and a man of few words and decisive action. See CharacterizationMarchesOn and ContinuityDrift below.
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: When he was a villain, he was outright psychotic, with NobuyukiHiyama [[LargeHam hamming it up]] in voicing him. When he makes his HeelFaceTurn, he's a DeadpanSnarker PerpetualFrowner AloofAlly, and the way he's voiced naturally changes along with the characterization.
* ContinuityDrift: Togashi, apparently, was not always sure if Hiei was going to become recurring character--certainly not that he would rank #1 in both Character Popularity polls--and it shows. When he first appears, he transforms into his "full/true demon form," but this is, oddly, never seen again. Except for a NonSerialMovie, okay, but still. This demon form is apparently derived from and based on his Jagan, which we later find out [[spoiler:is an implant, courtesy of [[TheMedic Shigure]]]]. In an early episode, he also tells Yusuke that [[spoiler: he and Yukina are half-siblings with different mothers]], but his WholeEpisodeFlashback clearly shows that [[spoiler:they ''do'' have the same mother, Hina]]. Of course, that one can be written off easily; it wouldn't be out of character for Hiei to lie.
** Or he could be using this as a cover. He doesn't really hold the fondest of regards for the Ice Maidens, after all.
* CruelMercy: He did it twice. First with Tarukane, whose life he spared before giving him the final push into madness, and then we find out he never went through his promise to kill [[spoiler: all the Ice Maidens]] because they were already dead inside and sparing their lives was crueler.
* CurbStompBattle: Hiei's... quite good at unleashing unholy amounts of badass to ''crush'' his opponents with sheer anticlimactic force. See Zeru, who spent half an episode being built up as The Guy To Watch Out For, and Hiei reduced him to an ashy impression on a wall in ''seconds.''
** At least his attack on Zeru left him effectively crippled for nearly the entire tournament, which he thought was a necessary sacrifice against someone so strong...except that several of his other opponents were still killed in a single move. Then he fought Bui, one of the strongest fighters in the tournament, and celebrated by smacking his body all the way up and down the arena.
* DeadpanSnarker
* [[spoiler:DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Which causes a [[HeroicBSOD BSOD]] and turned him into a DeathSeeker after he fufilled what he thought was his final mission, helping his sister.]]
* EasilyForgiven: Yusuke is ''immediately'' OK with working alongside the guy who kidnapped his girlfriend and tried to turn her into a demon.
* EnfantTerrible: When he was kid. Though it can possibly be blamed on the prejudice he faced seconds after being born.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: When he was a BoxedCrook in Saint Beast arc he remarked that Kurama is "Even more cuthroat than I am."
* EvilEye: His Jagan, which ''literally'' means "evil eye," allows him to see great distances and allows him some minor clairvoyance.
* ExtraEyes: Also, this.
* EyepatchOfPower: Technically, it's a headband. It covers his Jagan so it still counts.
* FlawlessVictory: Hiei was the only character in the Dark Tournament Arc to win every battle he participated in, and only one of his opponents survived.
* ForgottenPhlebotinum: Hiei's Jaganshi form, only used in his first appearance and one of the movies, where he sprouts extra Jagans all over his body which greatly increase his speed, strength, and demonic power. Possibly justified in that it leaves him with a WeaksauceWeakness to any attack that can blind him (since he has eyes all over his body), and it's implied his Dragon of the Darkness Flame is a stronger ability overall.
* GlassCannon -> LightningBruiser: At least initially, since a single Spirit Gun from Yusuke was able to knock him out (back when it was only around twice as strong as his punch). Subverted in later seasons, as despite his small size, he is shown to be surprisingly hardy and resistant to damage. By absorbing his dragon, his defense increases to the point that most attacks don't even phase him.
* GoodEyesEvilEyes: Had a major make over after Togashi decided he'll be good, or at least an anti hero, one of which was considerably widening his eyes.
* HeelFaceTurn: [[DefeatMeansFriendship After being defeated...]]
* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Kurama.
* HiddenDepths: More complex than you'd think.
* [[spoiler:HotGuyUglyWife: While not married nor officially involved with Mukuro, the {{BST}} is clearly there. The horrible scars on her body due to her mutation make for a partial straight example of this trope, since he is more attractive than her.]]
* KatanasAreJustBetter: To wit, he usually starts the battle with his katana even after finding out that his bare hands and Ki Attacks are much more effective. Guess what appears in his part of the opening credits.
* KnightTemplarBigBrother: In the anime, is willing to kill Tarukane for abducting Yukina.
* [[spoiler: MaybeEverAfter: With Mukuro, whom he has grown very close to by the end of the series to the point of going out of his way to see her on a regular basis and, for a guy like Hiei, this speaks louder than words.]]
* MoralityPet: His sister, [[spoiler: Yukina.]]
* NobleDemon: Going by his flashbacks and his own narration, Hiei was an incredibly sadistic and brutal killer as a child. However, he doesn't take kindly at all to people betraying their allies, and he always keeps his word.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: Unlike other fighters who frequently warm up with lesser offenses and have fun with the fight (Yusuke) or gauge their foes until they counterattack (Kurama), Hiei's favored tactic seems to be to start out with overwhelming force and end his fights as quickly as possible, partially because he likes showing off what a badass he is. On occasion this has actually worked against him as much as it helps: since he tries to solve all his problems with swift application of brute force, cleverer fighters with more unique abilities can remove him from the fight early on.
* NotSoDifferent: In his battle with [[spoiler: Mukuro]], both find out that they are much more similar than what they first thought.
* OneHitKill: Absolutely loves these. Among his numerous one-hit KO's, his icons ones are Zeru and [[spoiler:Sniper]]. The former was hyped up to be an immensely powerful flame-user (he was), and ended up a stain on the wall. The latter was toying with Yusuke for the better part of two whole episodes, and even blew him up, yet Hiei took him down with practically zero effort.
* OutOfFocus: Takes off for quite a bit during the Sensui arc, and even after he returns he's noticeably regulated to the background more than usual. The Three Kingdoms arc makes up for it though.
* PerpetualFrowner
* PetTheDog: Is really, genuinely angry with the way Seiryuu betrays Byakko, and displays it by finishing off Seiryuu like it was nothing. But before he does so, he throws his coat aside in a way that it falls over Byakko's head, respectfully covering it after death.
* PintSizedPowerhouse
* PlayingAgainstType: For NobuyukiHiyama. And he's not THAT HotBlooded, considering he's a fire demon.
* PlayingWithFire: ''Demonic'' fire.
* RedEyesTakeWarning
* RedOniBlueOni: Blue oni to Yusuke and Kuwabara, Red oni to Kurama, and Yukina.
* ShirtlessScene: It would be easier to count the number of fights in which he's wearing it for the whole time. Usually is ripped/exploded/tossed aside within the first few seconds.
* SmugSuper: A heroic, sort of, version.
* TheSouthpaw: He is NOT left-handed but when the Dragon of the Darkness flame paralyzes his right arm he needs to learn to hold his sword with his left, temporarily.
* TheSpock: When not playing the SmugSuper.
* StarterVillain: Along with Gouki, he was set up as this before his unexpected popularity.
* [[spoiler: TinyGuyHugeGirl: With Mukuro who is somewhat taller than him.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate: He's a murderer and his teammates are two deliquents and a mamma's boy.
* TooManyBelts: Justified as it held back the Dragon of the Darkness Flame from devouring him.
* TrainingFromHell: Trains Kuwabara for the Dark Tournament. Because of Hiei's honour system, his training is ''less'' hellish than Kurama's.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The two episodes detailing his past.
* TheWorfBarrage: His Dragon of the Darkness Flame incinerates Zeru, but afterward (not counting the second movie), can't kill anything stronger than a Mook (though it can quickly obliterate an entire army of A-class demons).
[[/folder]]
