The latest live-action manga adaptation, Yu Yu Hakusho by Netflix has become the biggest global hit ever for a series from Japan. It has captivated audiences worldwide in the first week since its global release on 14 December 2023.
The eagerly anticipated new series debuted at number one in the Netflix weekly global top 10 non-English TV List with 7.7 million views, and secured the second spot across both English and non-English categories, establishing it as the biggest debut of a Japanese series ever. In addition, the series also made the Top 10 in 92 countries and regions around the world, including Japan, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Brazil, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
An event for the series premiere was streamed live, watched by 14,000 people simultaneously. The total views surpassed four million as of 19 December, making it the most-watched live event in Netflix Japan’s history.
Yu Yu Hakusho is based on the manga Yoshihiro Togashi by Shueisha Jump Comics. The Netflix show is directed by Sho Tsukikawa and screenplay was done by Tatsuro Mishima. The cast included Takumi Kitamura, Jun Shison, Kanata Hongo, Shuhei Uesugi, Sei Shiraishi, Kotone Furukawa, Ai Mikami, Hiroya Shimizu, Keita Machida, Meiko Kaji, Kenichi Takitoh, Goro Inagaki and Go Ayano.
Ryo Sakaguchi (Scanline VFX) served as the VFX supervisor, Kaata Sakamoto (Netflix) was the executive producer, while Akira Morii served as the producer in association with THE SEVEN. ROBOT was on board for the production of the series produced by Netflix.
