I find it funny that I’m ending this review series on what is the 400th post on this hobby blog of mine. A review series that I started back in the plague ridden year of 2020 (The 6th of May of 2020, to be specific), and nearly 2 years later I’m finally finishing it up today. A series I knew of for ages, but only in recent memory did I begin to enjoy it as much as I have. As a way to conclude a month of posts for a dear friend’s birthday gift, I can think of no other way to end my series of posts for this February than with one final look at a legend. So sit back, relax, and enjoy my review for Yu Yu Hakusho season 4. Let’s begin!
Story/Setup
Taken from the box:
“The gateway between worlds lies open and past must battle present, but with Yusuke’s final death his friends rush onward. Risen once more with the blood of ages coursing through his veins, the young man sheds humanity as the war shifts realms to the land of demons. Three legendary kings seek power where only one can rule, and friends are enlisted as champions to become foes in the final struggle for control. From troubled teen to royalty, Yusuke’s final chapter unfolds.”
If Season 3 was the “Infinity War” of the series, then Season 4 is it’s “Endgame”. What I mean is that in this last season, shit has genuinely hit the fan. Thanks to the actions of Yusuke & the gang, there is now a giant turf war between some of, if not the strongest demons in Demon World, and everybody has a side to choose......whether they like it or not. More than the first 2 seasons, and maybe even season 3, the stakes are raised to a level where it does feel like it could all be lost. There’s this underlying feeling of tension from the more passive beginning episodes, all the way till the end where it explodes. It’s pretty intense, but it’s also kind of fun at the same time. Guessing when it all goes to shit is pretty neat, as everybody will have a different point where they think said shit hits the fan, leading to some fine arguments/debates.
I do want to make a special note, and it’s one of the two reasons why I enjoy season 4. There is none of the heavy & pretentious philosophy that was so prevalent in the previous season, and not at any point did I feel like I was being talked down to because of said philosophy. Though there is a little bit of the grey morality coming over from season 3 into this one, I found it considerably easier to consume, as it was better utilized throughout my viewing. They didn’t just slather it all over, but instead used it at just the right points. As you can tell by that statement, it’s the other reason why this final season is one of my favorites.
Animation
(See review of season 1 for details)
Voice Acting
(See the previous 3 reviews for details)
Characters
By this point in the series, everybody from primary to secondary characters are solidified in their.....character. Make no mistake: Yusuke & the gang still evolve & grow over the course of the final season. As you can tell by the descriptor above, our street punk is tested like he’s never been tested before, and is put into a situation that he really doesn’t want to be in. Kurama & Hiei are sort of in the same boat, as they’re shoved into the power struggle between the Demon Lords as well, and even Kuwabara has his own struggles in this last season also. I will say I do wish that certain characters had something different happen with them by the end, but that’s probably because of the optomist in me. I will say that despite some seriousness, everybody does get a happy ending of sorts, and that’s a-okay with me!
Availability & Pricing ***
As I said before on the past 2 reviews of the series, I snagged Season 4 at Katsucon 2020 alongside season 2 & 3. Currently, on Amazon it costs $22.39 for the multi-format release, $34.49 for just the Blu-Ray, and a whopping $62.34 for the standard DVD edition. As you can plainly see, the multi-format and Blu-Ray releases are the best options to go for.
Overall Impression & Rating
Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 4 ends on a damn good note. Sure, there are some things I wished would have happened instead of some other stuff, but for the most part I liked what happened. There was some great fights, great story moments, and the characters felt like they’ve finally solidified into their final forms. If you couldn’t stand how philosophical & grey the last season was, then you will find that the final season of this Shonen classic will more than make up for it.
Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 4 gets a 8.5 out of 10.
And that was my review for Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 4, and by extent my end of looking at this series. I had a lot of fun watching this franchise, and even though I may not have as much of an attachment to it as some old-schoolers do, that doesn’t mean I can’t see why it’s fans dig the hell out of it! If the OVA movie ever crosses my path, then maybe I might look at it as well. Well everybody, Elden Ring came out a few days ago, so I’m gonna explore The Lands Between as a break. See you sometime in March!
***
If you haven’t looked at my reviews for the first 3 seasons, then click on the links below:
Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 1 (Review)
Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 2 (Review)
Yu Yu Hakusho: Season 3 (Review)
Also, the prices I mentioned above were from when I first typed this out, and may have changed since I posted this review.
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