Kurama Kurama (), also known as Shuichi Minamino ( Minamino Shichi) is one of the main four characters of the popular anime and manga series YuYu Hakusho created by Yoshihiro Togashi. His Japanese seiy are Megumi Ogata (Kurama), Shigeru Nakahara (Yoko Kurama) and his English Voice Actors are John Burgmeier (FUNimation), Sean Barker (Media Blasters), and Hideo Seaver (U.S. Manga Corps).
Kurama's Human Form a.k.a. Shuichi Minamino
Fox Demon Kurama a.k.a. Yoko Kurama
Personality In his previous life, Shuichi was an evil, cold hearted and ruthless Kitsune thief known as "Yoko Kurama", Makai's most feared bandit. After his death in Makai, he was reborn as the human child Shuichi Minamino in Ningenkai. This is the point where his personality began to change. He received so much love and care from his human mother and this turned him into a very kind, gentle and noble young boy. Although he is still able to turn into his demonic form in cases of extreme anger or other emotions, his personality doesn't change in the process. In fact, the "new" Yoko Kurama is not like the old one. His personality is changed forever. Obviously, Shuichi's appearance is not like a normal boy. His very long red hair and wonderful emerald green eyes make him extraordinarily beautiful, to the extent that oftentimes people mistake him for a girl. His amazing beauty must be the legacy of Yoko, given that he is the mix of Yoko's soul and a human child's body. Kurama is certainly wise and intelligent. Wise, because he has lived over 1,000 years and its clear in all those years experience is inevitable. Intelligent, because he is a fox. Those vulpine animals are known to have a witty intellect and have a natural cunning skill. Both things combined are truly deadly. This enables him to be "the brain" of Team Urameshi. Many have portrayed him as a vain character, yet he is utterly humble about his beauty. On one hand, the vanity he has shown in the series is only regarding power. In the Dark Tournament after the fight against Uraurashima and his transformation back to his demon form, Kurama shows a bit vanity when they are deciding who would take the next fight. He tells Hiei and Kuwabara he wants to take the fight against Shishiwakamaru, but all of them want to fight against him. So, they decide it with the traditional game Rock, Scissors, Paper. In that same scene, Hiei tells Kurama that vanity is a dangerous thing. But that's only regarding power and the genuine interest he had to unravel his Youko nature, nothing related to beauty as many think. Also in the scene when he met Karasu and Bui in the corridor, the raven demon points out that Kurama doesn't take care of his hair. It seems Kurama doesn't care for his appearance. Also, he isn't vain when the ningen (human) girls at school speak out loud about how little he cares about having the highest marks in the exams. Kurama shows himself relaxed and uninterested about it. He is praised, but he doesn't respond to it in an egotistical way. Even though Kurama is a teenager (his ningen body has around 15 years old when the series start), he does not act like one. He avoids the arcade and spends his time reading. Also, he speaks with a sophisticated language. Basically, this is because he is an ancient spirit inside a young body. Hence, his mind is the one of an adult. That also implies that he behaves different from the other teenagers. While all are in their very top of their rash to get girlfriends and such, he shows serene and calm. Again, he behaves like a calm adult surrounded by kids. That can also be a reason why he is a loner and relates between with youkai than ningens of his age. [edit] History Kurama was originally the ruthless kitsune thief, Fox Demon Kurama (as translated in the English manga) a.k.a. Youko Kurama (in the English anime) ( Yko Kurama). He was a Spirit Fox whose abilities included shape-shifting, casting illusions, and breaking seals and codes. Then, one day, he was trapped and almost killed by a member of the Spirit Defense Force. He just barely escaped, in the form of his soul, and fled to Human World, whereupon hiding in the embryo of a human baby he was born to a human woman, Shiori Minamino. Shiori then renamed him Shuichi Minamino. (There are various spellings of Shuichi used by Yu Yu Hakusho fans. These include, but are not limited to, Suuichi, Suichi, and Shuuichi. Shuichi is the official english dub spelling.) Kurama then met Hiei while he was attending Middle School. Hiei had mistaken Kurama for one of Yatsude's servants (a demon who had been terrorizing the town). The two battled, but when Kurama realized Hiei's mistake, he stopped the fight. However, Hiei was injured. Kurama took Hiei back to his home and treated him. Maya was a classmate of Kurama's during middle school. She openly admitted to being in love with him, and it's apparent that Kurama had the same feelings for her. Maya was kidnapped by the demon Yatsude and almost devoured, but Kurama and Hiei defeated Yatsude and rescued her. Later, Kurama erased her memory of the horrible events. After that, Hiei developed respect for Kurama and the two became friends for one year before teaming up with Gouki and stealing the three Spirit World artifacts. He then becomes one of the three members in Hiei's Underworld crime ring, and steals the Mirror of Forlorn Hope. Yusuke Urameshi faces Kurama on his first case, which is to recollect the stolen Spirit World artifacts. However, Kurama does not fight Yusuke, for he is trying to use The Mirror of Forlon Hope to save his human mother, Shiori Minamino, from dying. Kurama's original plan, upon becoming human, had been to leave his mother and return to Demon World after he got strong enough. However, something happened that made him change his plans. One day, Kurama was reaching up on a high shelf when he slipped. He knocked some plates off the shelf, and they crashed to the floor and broke. He fell off the stool he was standing on and would have injured himself on the broken plates had it not been for his mother. She put her arm under his head just in time to save him. However, her arms were badly cut and she got extremely sick. From then on, Kurama felt very guilty about all the pain he had caused her and vowed to protect her and stay with her. When Kurama tried to use the sprit artifact he had stolen, Yusuke interfered and told the mirror to take his life instead, so that Kurama would not die, but the mirror decided to take neither life and still heal Shiori (this is what happens in the english anime and veries slightly from the english manga). After that, Kurama along with Hiei are forced to join Yusuke and Kuwabara on Yusuke's third case and Team Urameshi is formed. During the Dark Tournament saga, Kurama first faced Roto, from Team Rokuyukai, who threatened to end the life of his human mother if Kurama attacked. To defeat this opponent Kurama planted a Death Seed on Roto's body without him noticing and killed him with it. Kurama then faced Gama and Touya, of Team Masho. Gama magically chained Kurama's arms and legs, making him unable to move and then attacked him, but at the last moment Kurama was able to use his Rose Whip to finish Gama. Before dying, Gama sealed Kurama's yoki(demon energy) within his body. Then Kurama fought Touya and because Gama's spells were still in effect, Kurama was forced to plant a Death Seed into his own body and use it to defeat his opponent. After that Kurama became completely unconscious but since he had fainted while he was still standing , he had to face a third opponent named Bakken. Bakken inflicted heavy blows on Kurama and was about to kill him, but then two things happened, Yusuke got ready to kill Bakken with a spirit gun, and his boss ordered him to stop, pointing out that if he continued Yusuke would kill him. So he knocked Kurama out of arena and prepared himself for a fight with a very infuriated Yusuke. Later in the tournament, Kurama was turned into his fox form when fighting Uraurashima with The Reverse Treasure Box (Idun Box in the English Dub).
Originally it was supposed to turn Kurama into a baby, but instead transformed him into Youko Kurama. The last person Kurama faced in this tournament was Karasu. Karasu had a strange crush on Kurama, and because of that, he wanted to kill Kurama. (He says that taking away the things he likes gives him a thrill like pondering unanswerable questions.) Kurama then becomes desperate to know what caused his transformation into Youko Kurama during his fight with Uraurashima because he knows that he cannot defeat Karasu while in his human form. Suzuki then gives Kurama a potion that he used to make the Idun Box, telling him he is unsure of its effects in this concentrated form. After testing it, Kurama finds that it will make him transform into Youko, but only for fifteen minutes. Kurama takes some of the potion before his battle with Karasu, but its effect does not take place right away, and Kurama is badly injured. Finally, just before Karasu inflicts a lethal blow on Kurama, the transformation happens. Youko is able to trap Karasu in his Ojigi Plant, and believes to have defeated him. But Karasu is still alive. Unfortunately for Kurama, the effects of the potion wear off before the fifteen minutes are up. After being almost blown to bits, Kurama decides to sacrifice himself to kill Karasu. As he releases a blood sucking plant on Karasu, he gives the last of his life energy and therefore intends to die. However, Kurama does not die. Much to his own surprise, he realizes that each time he takes the potion, the effect does not last as long because he gains some of his demon strength back, enabling him to survive. After this fight Kurama only needs to feel extreme emotions such as hatred or anger to revert back to Youko Kurama. During the Chapter Black saga, after Yusuke was kidnapped, Kurama fought against Yuu Kaito, a fellow student from the same private school that he attended in a word game. After Kurama's suspicions confirmed that Genkai was behind the kidnapping, Kaito revealed that although he agreed to Genkai's plan, he went after Kurama seriously to prove that just once he could beat Kurama at his own game. Kurama then fought against Shinobu Sensui "Dark Angel" and his six companions alongside Yusuke, Hiei, Kazuma Kuwabara, Genkai, and his other friends. First he encountered Tsukihito Amanuma "Game Master" and was forced to kill him during a video game competition, which left him angry afterwards. After that, he fought Sadao Makihara "Gourmet," cut his head off and confirmed that Elder Toguro was controlling his body. Shiori Minamino is later re-married to Hatanaka (He's the president at a company where Shiori works) after the events of the Chapter Black Saga. Kurama also gains a new stepbrother, coincidentally named Shuichi (whose name was changed to Kokota in the English Dub). During the Three Kings saga, Kurama is forced to re-live his past as he's called to Yomi's side. Yomi is Youko Kurama's old partner-in-crime. A thousand years ago, Yomi was sent on a raid, but it was a set-up. Youko had arranged for an assassin to blind Yomi. "Life is greater than the reward" was what the assassin said before slashing Yomi across the eyes, taking away his vision. After a thousand years, Yomi and Kurama face each other again. Kurama is forced to become a member of Yomi's advisory when Yomi threatens to kill Kurama's human mother and stepfather, who are on their honeymoon. Kurama suggests that all three demon lords must replace their second in commands (Mukuro and Raizen have done this already by appointing Hiei and Yusuke). Kurama then goes back to the human world and calls for a group of old friends and former opponents from the Dark Tournament; Rinku, Chu, Jin, Touya, Shishi Wakamaru and Suzuki. They train under Genkai in her temple and turn into a very strong team, even stronger than Yomi's entire army. Kurama then brings his new team to Yomi. Yomi is so impressed that he removes his second in command and appoints Kurama instead. Enraged by this, he attacks Kurama and tries to kill him but Kurama turns into Youko and kills the former general with ease. After the death of Raizen, Yusuke comes to Yomi's territory with a proposition; a new tournament which will determine the ruler of whole Makai. Yomi accepts and the tournament begins. Kurama's team qualify easily in the preliminary round but after that they face stronger opponents and are defeated one by one. Then, Kurama fights Shigure "The Demon Surgeon." During a fierce battle he manages to defeat Shigure and destroy his Ring Sword. Unable to accept this, Shigure commits suicide. Kurama is qualified to the next round but he could not fight more due to severe injuries. Kurama's internal struggles become more apparent during this part of the series. He holds three personalities: Kurama (with Yusuke and the others), Youko Kurama, and Shuichi Minamino. He is now forced to choose which one he will remain as. After his fight with Shigure, he decides to give up his Youko side and live as Shuichi Minamino from now on. With loyalty to his human mother and support of his friends, he is able to make the choice to stop living a lie. After the end of the Demon Tournament, Kurama goes back to the Human World and gets a job at his stepfather's company. He lives like a normal human being from now on alongside Yusuke, Kuwabara and his other friends. The wit and wisdom from his past 1,000+ years life (his actual age is unknown) as Youko Kurama is what got him through life. Although Kurama is a brilliant strategist he has a bad habit of playing around during a fight while devising a strategy to use against his opponent after studying their nature, and has also on a few occasions underestimated his opponent as well. Youko Kurama had reached the level of an A-class apparition in his previous life. During the battle with Sensui, his anger over the death of Yusuke propels him once again to A-class levels, transforming his body to that of his former self in the process. Kurama transforms without any external aid twice more in the series. Due to the large jump in power, it can be argued that he transforms to increase his power, or that his body automatically transforms after powering up to A-class levels. The second explanation is the more likely one, however, as Kurama's own comment during the battle with Sensui shows: "I don't seem to have actually turned back. I'm still the person I used to be. My body has probably just changed form, due to the rise of the spectral power within me." In Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report, it is revealed that during Kurama's previous life as Youko Kurama, he had an old friend and partner named Kuronue. Kuronue had sacrificed his life during a robbery when he attempted to recover a pendant that was precious to him and then ordered Yoko to flee. One of the Netherworld Gods impersonated Kuronue and accused Kurama that he had betrayed him. During their second encounter, Kurama, knowing that this Kuronue was a fake because the fake did some things that the real Kuronue never did was able to, used part of a bamboo plant to kill to kill the fake Kuronue in the same way his friend had died.
Art is a BaNg!
