Netflix’s Yu Yu Hakusho: What finally made a live-action adaptation possible? 

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho is set to premiere on December 14. The series has taken 5 years to produce, and fans of the original manga are both excited and nervous about the outcome. The executive producer of the adaptation, Kazutaka Sakamoto, revealed that the advancement of technology is what finally made a live-action Yu Yu Hakusho possible, but exactly what kind of technology went into Netflix’s series? 

Netflix had previously mentioned that an “international dream team” was assembled to work on the CG and VFX for the series, including the Hollywood-famous Scanline VFX. Although the core production team is Japanese, they have been collaborating with a total of 18 companies from 8 different countries to recreate the dynamic battles and unique characters of the original Yu Yu Hakusho manga. 

In a statement for Business Insider Japan, the adaptation’s executive producer Kazutaka Sakamoto comments, “Technology has evolved far enough for a live-action recreation of Yu Yu Hakusho to finally be possible,” and goes on to mention an element of the adaptation that could not have been faithfully recreated using Japanese VFX studios alone – the Toguro brothers. 

Elder Toguro and Younger Toguro are the main antagonists of the Dark Tournament arc of Yu Yu Hakusho. The elder Toguro is almost two times smaller than his brother and appears perched on top of his shoulder in a portion of the manga – which is understandably hard to reproduce in live-action. However, the peculiar duo made an appearance in the trailer for the Yu Yu Hakusho live action adaptation, earning impressed reactions from viewers. 

To make sure the key villains look convincing in the adaptation, the production created isolated 3D data of only the actors’ facial acting, using advanced volumetric capture technology that is able to record the finest lines and changes in expression. This 3D data was then combined with separately created body data. Go Ayano, interpreting the role of Younger Toguro, commented on the “luxury” of being able to fully concentrate only on his face while acting. The VFX and CG for the Toguro brothers were created at the Los Angeles-based Eyeline Studios, as a studio with such technology “unfortunately doesn’t exist in Japan,” as Sakamoto mentioned. 

With live-action adaptations of classic and well-loved anime, there’s always the fear that the new version might not do the original justice or may even tarnish it, and Yu Yu Hakusho has a large and devoted fan base that’s anxiously awaiting the premiere. At the same time, it seems the production has gone above and beyond to recreate the unique world and characters as believably as possible, taking 5 years and sourcing studios worldwide to achieve exactly what they envisioned. 

Yu Yu Hakusho is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on December 14.