The announcement comes via a Tweet on the Netflix Japan Twitter account. The tweet not only announced the actor but also gave us our first look at Hiei of the Evil Eye in the upcoming Yu Yu Hakusho live-action series. Check it out here: Kanata Hongo is a Japanese actor who is known for playing Ryoma Echizen in the live-action Prince of Tennis film. Hong also played Armin Arlert in the Attack on Titan film adaptation, as well as Seikyou in the Kingdom film. Speaking with IGN, Hongo said “Yu Yu Hakusho is one of Japan’s most popular manga. I believe that we will create a powerful, visually stunning series using the latest modern technology, while respecting the popular original work.” Based on the initial teaser, the initial cast of the upcoming live-action series will be revealed over the coming days. Given that the actors for Yusuke and Kurama were revealed over the weekend, we can expect the reveal of Kuwabara tomorrow. The live-action adaptation was announced by Netflix back in 2020, and it is based on the iconic manga of the same name by Yoshihiro Togashi. The manga was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from December 1990 to July 1994. It also received an anime series adaptation from studio Pierrot which ran from October 1992 to December 1994. Yu Yu Hakusho follows Yusuke Urameshi, a high school delinquent who dies in an accident after saving a young boy from an oncoming car. His ghost meets Botan, a spirit guide who tells him that no one expected a delinquent to save a child. Because of this, Yusuke has no place in heaven or hell, so Botan is given a trial which he passes, after which he is revived as an Underworld Detective whose job is to investigate supernatural activity in the human world. The Yu Yu Hakusho live-action series launches on Netflix in December 2023.
