# 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](https://www.edgepedia.org/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](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/) • [2](https://pierrot.jp/archive/movie_b2000/mov_13.html) • [3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db) In English-language release it is known as *Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - The Golden Seal*.[4](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/yu-yu-hakusho-the-movie-the-golden-seal-1993)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese release | July 10, 1993, distributed by Toei[1](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/) |
| Runtime | 25 minutes[1](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/) |
| Screening context | One of the features of the '93 Summer Toei Anime Fair[2](https://pierrot.jp/archive/movie_b2000/mov_13.html) |
| Director / script | Noriyuki Abe (director), Yukiyoshi Ohashi (script)[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db) |
| Studio / music | Studio Pierrot (animation), Yusuke Honma (music), produced by Yuji Nunokawa[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db) |
| Original story | Yoshihiro Togashi's *Yu Yu Hakusho* (Shueisha, Jump Comics)[2](https://pierrot.jp/archive/movie_b2000/mov_13.html) |
| Follow-up | A second theatrical film, *Meikai Shito Hen - Honoo no Kizuna* (93 minutes), followed in 1994[5](https://eiga.com/movie/74195/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The film is an original story set during the television anime's run. [Yusuke Urameshi](https://www.edgepedia.org/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](https://tv.apple.com/jp/movie/%E5%B9%BD%E9%81%8A%E7%99%BD%E6%9B%B8/umc.cmc.2mw02uksu2gqnz43vhuqt8rep) 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](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/)
The film introduces original characters and centers its relationships on Koenma, giving the short feature a story that exists only in this production.[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db)
## Cast and production
The film uses the television anime's voice cast: [Nozomu Sasaki](https://www.edgepedia.org/nozomu-sasaki) as Yusuke Urameshi, Shigeru Chiba as Kazuma Kuwabara, Megumi Ogata as Kurama, and Mayumi Tanaka as Koenma.[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db) Takeshi Aono voiced Garuga.[6](https://tv.apple.com/jp/movie/%E5%B9%BD%E9%81%8A%E7%99%BD%E6%9B%B8/umc.cmc.2mw02uksu2gqnz43vhuqt8rep) Animation was by Studio Pierrot, with music by Yusuke Honma and production by Yuji Nunokawa.[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db)
## 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](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/) A regional exhibition record for Obihiro, Hokkaido lists it among the Toei-distributed shorts shown there in July 1993.[7](https://www.tokachi.co.jp/tcf/dl/pdf/1993_all.pdf)
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](https://www.edgepedia.org/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](https://www.edgepedia.org/laserdisc) and VHS.[8](https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/cgi-bin/releases/index.cgi/press/8893?entry_id=6230) The film has also been made available on Japanese streaming services such as U-NEXT.[3](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db)
## 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](https://eiga.com/movie/74195/) • [9](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/yu-yu-hakusho-the-movie-poltergeist-report) 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](https://time.com/6485553/yu-yu-hakusho-netflix/)
## References
1. [幽遊白書 : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/74080/)
2. [株式会社スタジオぴえろ 公式サイト, 劇場版 幽☆遊☆白書](https://pierrot.jp/archive/movie_b2000/mov_13.html)
3. [劇場版 『幽☆遊☆白書』(アニメ / 1993), U-NEXT](https://www.video.unext.jp/title/SID0014719/c_txt%3Db)
4. [Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - The Golden Seal (1993), Cinnamon DB](https://www.cinnamondb.com/movie/yu-yu-hakusho-the-movie-the-golden-seal-1993)
5. [幽遊白書 冥界死闘篇 炎の絆 : 作品情報, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/74195/)
6. [幽☆遊☆白書, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/jp/movie/%E5%B9%BD%E9%81%8A%E7%99%BD%E6%9B%B8/umc.cmc.2mw02uksu2gqnz43vhuqt8rep)
7. [帯広映画上映記録1993（平成5年）年, 十勝毎日新聞](https://www.tokachi.co.jp/tcf/dl/pdf/1993_all.pdf)
8. [「幽☆遊☆白書 25th Anniversary Blu-ray BOX 霊界探偵編」発売, Bandai Namco Arts press release (2018)](https://www.bandainamco.co.jp/cgi-bin/releases/index.cgi/press/8893?entry_id=6230)
9. [Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - Poltergeist Report, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/yu-yu-hakusho-the-movie-poltergeist-report)
10. [How Netflix's Yu Yu Hakusho Adaptation Pays Homage to One of the Most Influential Shōnen Manga Stories, TIME](https://time.com/6485553/yu-yu-hakusho-netflix/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1932 to 1998*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license