General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20263 min read

Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie (幽☆遊☆白書)

Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie (幽☆遊☆白書, Yū Yū Hakusho) is a 25-minute Japanese animated film released on July 10, 1993, the first theatrical adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi's manga Yu Yu Hakusho. It was produced by Studio Pierrot, directed by Noriyuki Abe, written by Yukiyoshi Ohashi, and distributed by Toei as one of the features of the '93 Summer Toei Anime Fair.¹^•²^•³ In English-language release it is known as Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - The Golden Seal.⁴

Key fact	Detail
Japanese release	July 10, 1993, distributed by Toei¹
Runtime	25 minutes¹
Screening context	One of the features of the '93 Summer Toei Anime Fair²
Director / script	Noriyuki Abe (director), Yukiyoshi Ohashi (script)³
Studio / music	Studio Pierrot (animation), Yusuke Honma (music), produced by Yuji Nunokawa³
Original story	Yoshihiro Togashi's Yu Yu Hakusho (Shueisha, Jump Comics)²
Follow-up	A second theatrical film, Meikai Shito Hen - Honoo no Kizuna (93 minutes), followed in 1994⁵

Spoilers

Story

The film is an original story set during the television anime's run. Yusuke Urameshi and Kazuma Kuwabara are enjoying summer vacation when Botan appears in a panic and tells them that Koenma, their commanding officer in the Spirit World, has been kidnapped.⁶ The kidnapper, Koashura, demands the Golden Seal, the symbol of dominion over the Spirit World, which cannot simply be handed over. With Kurama and Hiei joining them, Yusuke's team sets out to rescue Koenma, defeating the demons that attack along the way. Yusuke delivers the seal in exchange for Koenma, but at that moment Koashura's subordinate Garuga suddenly seizes the seal.¹

The film introduces original characters and centers its relationships on Koenma, giving the short feature a story that exists only in this production.³

Cast and production

The film uses the television anime's voice cast: Nozomu Sasaki as Yusuke Urameshi, Shigeru Chiba as Kazuma Kuwabara, Megumi Ogata as Kurama, and Mayumi Tanaka as Koenma.³ Takeshi Aono voiced Garuga.⁶ Animation was by Studio Pierrot, with music by Yusuke Honma and production by Yuji Nunokawa.³

Release and home video

The film opened in Japanese theaters on July 10, 1993, as a 25-minute feature on a Toei Anime Fair bill, where it screened alongside other shorts including Penguin Village kara Ai o Komete.¹ A regional exhibition record for Obihiro, Hokkaido lists it among the Toei-distributed shorts shown there in July 1993.⁷

In 2018, Bandai Namco Arts included both theatrical films as video extras on the first volume of the Yu Yu Hakusho 25th Anniversary Blu-ray BOX (Spirit Detective arc), released July 27, 2018; the 1993 film appeared there alongside the 1994 Meikai Shito Hen - Honoo no Kizuna, which until then had existed only on LaserDisc and VHS.⁸ The film has also been made available on Japanese streaming services such as U-NEXT.³

Relation to the franchise

The 1993 film was the first of two theatrical adaptations of the franchise during the original anime's run, followed by the 93-minute Meikai Shito Hen - Honoo no Kizuna in 1994.⁵^•⁹ The manga itself began in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990 and, as of 2022, had more than 78 million copies in global circulation across 175 chapters and 19 collected volumes; the franchise later grew to include video games, a 2019 stage play, and a Netflix live-action series debuting December 14, 2023.¹⁰

References

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026