Yu Yu Hakusho starts by killing its main character in a car crash, but don’t worry – he gets better. The iconic Shonen manga follows the adventures of Yusuke Urameshi as he takes on the role of Spirit Detective. As the protector of the living world from all manner of demons, ghosts, and monsters, he’s got his work cut out for him.

Before he created Hunter x Hunter, Yoshihiro Togashi was best known for Yu Yu Hakusho. Not only was the manga hugely successful, but it spawned one of the most popular anime series of its time. With over 100 episodes, two movies, and two OVAs, it can be tough to know exactly where to start with the series. That’s why we’ve put together this guide on how to watch Yu Yu Hakusho in both chronological and release order.

How to watch Yu Yu Hakusho in chronological order

The Yu Yu Hakusho series doesn’t have a huge number of flashbacks or episodes that take place out of order. It is largely a very straightforward series to follow. However, the movies can make things complicated. Like most Dragon Ball movies, they don’t take place at a specific point in the anime’s timeline. Instead, they exist in a kind of nebulous state, not quite canon but not worth completely ignoring.

We’ve slotted the two films into the series in the best place we could, making this the best Yu Yu Hakusho chronological watch order you’ll find.

• Two Shots OVA (2018)
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 1-25
• Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie (1993)
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 26-66
• Eizou Hakusho – Dark Tournament Chapter (1994) – Note that these episodes consist of recaps of the Dark Tournament arc that covers episodes 26-66 of the anime.
• Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report (1994)
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 67-112
• All or Nothing OVA (2018)
• Eizou Hakusho Opening and Ending Encyclopedia OVA (1995) – Note that this is a recap of the epilogue of the anime.

How to watch Yu Yu Hakusho in release order

It is much easier to watch Yu Yu Hakusho in release order, though it does require stopping in the middle of the story to watch the movies. However, because the films don’t impact the plot of the show in any significant way, you can always choose to disregard them and focus on the anime episodes.

As usual, we recommend watching Yu Yu Hakusho in release order to maintain dramatic tension and avoid spoiling some of the best reveals in the show.

• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 1-38
• Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie (1993)
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 39-76
• Yu Yu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report (1994)
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 77-101
• Eizou Hakusho – Dark Tournament Chapter (1994) – Note that these episodes consist of recaps of the Dark Tournament arc that covers episodes 26-66 of the anime.
• Yu Yu Hakusho episodes 102-112
• Eizou Hakusho Opening and Ending Encyclopedia OVA (1995) – Note that this is a recap of the epilogue of the anime.
• Two Shots OVA (2018)
• All or Nothing OVA (2018)

Where to watch Yu Yu Hakusho

For the most part, you can stream Yu Yu Hakusho with a Crunchyroll subscription. All 112 episodes are on the site along with the Eizou Hakusho OVA episodes. The difficulty comes when you want to watch the films or the All or Nothing and Two Shots OVAs, which aren’t available through the streaming service.

You can occasionally find a DVD of the two films for sale, but the 2018 OVAs are only available when you purchase the Yu Yu Hakusho 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray, which comes with a hefty price tag at the moment.

What’s next for Yu Yu Hakusho?

Just because it has been almost 30 years since the show last aired in Japan doesn’t mean we aren’t getting more Yu Yu Hakusho to watch. Netflix's lie-action live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho came out in December 2023. In adapted roughly the first 25 episodes of the anime, which is generally referred to as the Spirit Detective Saga, though the appearance of Bui in a brief appearance in the trailer suggests it might go even further into the Dark Tournament Saga.

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