IGN can exclusively reveal that Netflix has announced its casting of Kurama in the upcoming live action Yu Yu Hakusho series. The beloved fox demon will be played by Japanese actor and voice artist Jun Shison.
Kurama's character in the original manga and anime is one of the most popular and beloved among fans. He's a fox demon that, after being wounded, put his spirit into a newborn human to recover and, over time, became fond of his human mother.
He first meets protagonist Yusuke after Kurama steals a mirror that can grant wishes with the intent of using it to save his ill mother. Later, he joins up with Yusuke to battle against his former comrade Hiei, and fights alongside him in multiple arcs after that including the rescue of ice apparition Yukina and the Dark Tournament. He's known for his ability to transform into his silver-haired fox demon form, as well as his signature Rose Whip attack.
“The original work has been popular for more than 30 years now and I am sure that many people think very highly- and have their own interpretation of it. We are all working together to create the best series we can, with everything that we can express in this day and age here in Japan. I hope you will enjoy it!" Kurama says.
Jun Shison is a part of the D2 Japanese actor group, and has played a number of voice and acting roles over the years in numerous anime and adaptations going back to 2011. He's known for portraying Kōmei Sakakibara in 2017's Battle of Supreme High, and more recently he played Masa in The Way of the Househusband (both the TV series and the 2022 film), and Hibiki in Bubble.
Netflix first announced its live action adaptation of the popular manga late last year alongside a number of other anime investments. Yu Yu Hakusho currently isn't slated for release until December 2023, so we've got a while to wait, but the original anime is still available on the streaming service to tide us over until then.
Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.