#kirishima okubo and sawamura

[polmcarts]

Friends!

[fighting-these-demons]

I know I'm a Kazuma-centric multishipping piece of garbage but like

While I'm on a Kuwahi kick, here's some other Kazuma-centric rare pairs that I wish got more love from the YYH fandom:

Kazuma/Kiyoshi (Mitarai) - there's only a few fic and one of the only ones that was on FF.net went MISSING.

Seriously Kazuma did for him what Yusuke did for Hiei and people aren't shipping this????? THERE'S CUTE SENPAI KOUHAI SHENANIGANS!!!!! This ship is DROWNING in Appeal!!!!!! 😭

Kazuma/Okubo - they were friends either in elementary or in middle school before Keiko got Yusuke to start attending regularly. Either way they have an established bond before Yusuke hits the scene and he's got a similar look to Yusuke. I LOVE Kuwameshi! Don't get me wrong! But isn't another fun way to look at it: Kazuma had a big stupid crush on Okubo and dealt with it by trying to beat the similar looking pretty boy into the dirt? And focusing on it pretty hard to keep from dealing with his feelings? And maybe he ends up accidentally transferring those feelings onto Yusuke for a while and genuinely falling for him too, before he has to fuck off for 3 whole years leaving Kazuma in Ningenkai with nothing else to really distract him now.

And Oh Thank God Okubo dropped out to start working! That's good for him and his family and for Kazuma's fragile neeves. He won't be so distracted by him in class at least; but Just His Luck Okubo's shop is on the way to school so of course Sawamura and Kirishima want to stop by on the way to and from school. They always end up spending a while there in the mornings and evenings talking about school and customers. They hang out of Okubos days off but they make sure to keep him out of fights because he can't lose his job like that. They mostly do stuff like batting cages or hiking.

Eventually they work out a plan to help okubo study for the test that's sort of the Japanese equivalent of a GED. (It's a long name and it is real) and it takes a couple of years after they graduate but they get it accomplished and then he has better opportunities and lands a better job with better pay!

By that point he's able to keep his siblings from dropping out which means the world to him.

Ok the Kuwakubo bit went from general ship appeal to my personal headcanon but still.

[nephrastar]

DT and Chapter Black are damn near tied for me, but I give the edge to the Dark Tournament mainly because it's the first anime tournament arc I've watched where the consequences for losing were extremely grim and there were bits when I watched the first time where I thought for sure Team Urameshi wasn't going to make it out of there alive.

Like, if they lost, not only would they die, their families and loved ones would die too. Yusuke would lose his mom and Keiko, Kurama would lose his human mother, Hiei would lose Yukina, Kuwabara would lose Shizuru, his dad, and very likely his pals Okubo, Sawamura and Kirishima. The only person that wouldn't lose anyone (other than the team ofc) would be Genkai, and even so, she came into that tournament knowing Toguro would kill her before the final round.

The Dark Tournament is dark for a reason, lol.

[yyh4ever]

Yu Yu Hakusho GENKAI Battle Spirit

Part 3

Spirit Detective Saga

Master Genkai & The Genkai Tournament

[mugiwara-lucy]

Okay random shower thought!

Imagine if Hiei ever met Kuwabara’s gang:

Hiei already thinks Kuwabara is a pain in the ass (that he doesn’t wanna admit he loves 🤣) BUT imagine if he met Okubo, Sawamura and Kirishima!

I imagine Hiei would have a “Squidward meeting Stanley SpongeBob” moment and heart have a panic attack.

He would make THIS face:

And would exclaim “THERE’S FOUR OF THEM?!?!”

😂

[genkais-arcade]

"We're gonna be okay, right Kuwabara? What did you get?"

"I got a..."

"A seven!"

[mojutmnt]

[thekazumakuwabara]

Seriously show... I hope this is in the manga because you can’t just leave me with Kuwabara’s backstory when it comes to having a heightened psychic awareness when he talks about the old lady that haunts him! I need to know more! Who is she? How long has she (and others) been haunting him?? I NEED ANSWERS?

Also, on part two of “the yyh dub is very gay”, you have this line after Yusuke takes temporary possession of Kuwabara’s body as a ghost: "Hey, cool, I'm inside Kuwabara! Feelin' smooth!"

Without visual context...it’s just... oh my goodness.

[intobarbarians]

Hiei x Kuwabara Week Day 7: Getting Together (part one, as is my usual MO)

***

It’s so goddamn hard to be left behind.

Yusuke jumps through the portal to Makai first. “Don’t let the earth get destroyed while I’m gone, alright?” he says. It’s a genuine concern, knowing their luck.

Kuwabara manages a grin and a nod. He’s so fucking sick of crying. “Don’t get eaten by any big, scary monsters. Or anything, really,” he replies, and that’s goodbye to Yusuke. He’s off to chase a grand destiny, because he’s the main character and Kuwabara’s just a member of the supporting cast. The play is hurtling on to the next act without him.

Kurama squeezes his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few weeks.” That’s right, Kurama actually likes his family. He’s not as eager to cut his ties to the human realm as some other demons Kuwabara could name. “Don’t forget about my mother’s wedding. I’ve already told her all about you! She’s expecting you as my date.”

Kuwabara blushes. Kurama likes to tease him too much. “I’ve already got my tuxedo reserved.”

Kurama searches for something in Kuwabara’s face. He seems disappointed to not find what he’s looking for. “Be well, my friend.” He steps through the portal with an air of reluctance.

“See you soon,” Kuwabara says. That just leaves--

Hiei doesn’t even look his way. This might really be goodbye forever with him, so Kuwabara might as well be the metaphorical bigger man and say something.

He waits too long. Hiei darts through the portal without giving him a chance. At least Yukina got to ask him to look for her brother.

Shizuru presses their shoulders together. “You’ll see them again,” she says. She’s always had a better sense of the future than him.

“Yeah.” But it won’t be the same.

***

Okubo applauds him for his new dedication to his studies.

“An 83 percent on Kishimoto’s pop quiz?” Kirishima and Sawamura look at him in awe. “That’s a long way from the single digits you used to score.”

“Well, I’m actually studying now.” It’s weird, but biology might be his favorite subject, right after lunch.

Sawamura clasps his hands together. “Can you help me study for the genetics test next Thursday? Please?”

Kuwabara preens under their praise. “Yeah, of course!” No one has ever asked him to help them study before. They make plans to meet at the library later that afternoon.

Kuwabara practically skips to his next class. The rest of Team Urameshi can suck it; he has other friends who actually want him around.

***

Shizuru always insists on cutting Keiko’s hair for free.

Keiko still tries to pay her. “I make money working at my parents’ restaurant.”

“Don’t worry about it. Just keep looking after my little bro, okay?”

Kuwabara lifts a brow. “You make me pay you for haircuts,” he grumbles. Him, her literal flesh and blood.

Shizuru starts parting Keiko’s hair. “Get all As this semester and we’ll talk.”

Keiko smiles at him in the mirror. She’s seen his report card and knows he already has.

***

He and Keiko each get into their high school of choice.

He’s too happy to think. He calls Urameshi’s house because he wants to invite his best friend out to celebrate.

Atsuko picks up. “Hello, Kuwabara. How are you?”

His heart drops, because he suddenly remembers why this was a fucking stupid idea.

He makes up a reason for calling and chats with her until it feels like it was worthwhile for her to pick up the phone. It’s not like Yusuke is around to look after his mom.

He’s not around at all, is the problem.

***

Some things come easily to him and some don’t. He’s glad for the harder material. If he’s thinking about atomic structure, he’s not thinking about how lonely he feels.

Which is dumb. He has friends. Most people don’t even look at him like he’s garbage off the side of the street anymore. He’s grown another two inches! He hasn’t almost died in months.

So why, why can’t he be happy?

***

Gai Tech’s star midfielder shyly approaches Kuwabara after class.

Nishimori smiles. “I like your hair.” Kuwabara can see why all of the girls in their class swoon whenever he walks by. “Wanna grab a coffee this weekend?”

“Thanks,” he says, but he’s got a study group all day Saturday, and he promised Keiko and Botan he’d go to the movies with them on Sunday, so he politely declines.

He’s two blocks away from his house when he realizes that guy was probably asking him out on a date.

***

Botan leans across the table right into his space. “And if you had known it was a date, would you have accepted?”

Kuwabara sips his latte to buy time. He doesn’t really have an answer for her.

***

Shiori looks like she stepped out of a fairy tale in her wedding dress. She and her new husband waltz around the ballroom, unable to part from one another for even a moment.

Kurama’s eyes beam with love and pride. “Thank you for being here,” he tells Kuwabara sincerely. “I’m glad I could share this day with a friend.”

Hiei and Yusuke aren’t here. The only demon Kuwabara senses is the one standing right beside him.

“Your mom looks really happy.” Her husband whispers something in Shiori’s ear. She laughs into his shoulder.

Will anyone ever love me like that? Kuwabara wonders. Will I ever have what they have?

He wants to kick himself for being so maudlin. Today is not about him.

Stories rarely are.

***

Kuwabara walks right into a tree branch. “Ow.” Fine, that’s on him. He should have been watching where he was going instead of reading his textbook.

Shizuru tsks as she bandages his forehead. He forgot how much head wounds bleed. “Just because you’re not getting beat up by demons doesn’t mean you should go out and do their work for them.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He looks into the mirror. The bandage is right in the middle of his forehead.

He hasn’t thought about Hiei in awhile.

***

The tree branch leaves a scar.

He sighs. Of course it does.

***

Keiko decides to let her hair grow out.

“I’m trying something new,” she says. “What do you think, Kuwabara?” She seems especially interested in his opinion.

He tries to think of what Yusuke might say, and then chooses the opposite. “You always look beautiful, no matter what.”

She starts looking at him differently, after that.

***

He runs into Principal Takenaka after he starts his second year of high school.

Takenaka assesses him quietly before smiling. “You’ve grown into a fine, young man, Mr. Kuwabara.”

It means more to him to hear Takenaka say that than it would to hear it from his own father. “Thank you, sir.”

“I hope Urameshi follows your example, wherever he is.” His soft spot for Yusuke is half the reason Kuwabara likes him.

“Don’t worry, sir,” he assures Takenaka. “Keiko and I are looking after him.” As much as he lets them, being on a whole different plane of existence and all.

“You kids are lucky to have each other,” Takenaka says fiercely. Kuwabara is surprised by the tears in his eyes. “Don’t ever forget that.”

He hasn’t. He won’t.

***

Kurama transfers to Gai Tech. Now Kuwabara gets to see him every day, except for the weeks on end he disappears to Makai for.

“You wanna go to Gai University, too?” They could go to college together! Maybe they could get an apartment off campus-

Kurama looks away. “I don’t think I’m the college type,” he says cryptically. That’s weird, because Kurama is the most college type of anyone Kuwabara knows, except maybe Keiko and Mitarai.

“Then why’d you transfer to a university prep school?” Kuwabara is pretty sure there’s a good high school closer to where Kurama lives.

Kurama stares and stares.

***

He groans. “Another fucking tournament?”

Botan steals his controller. She’s tired of watching him lose to Yukina in Mario Kart. “It was Yusuke’s idea.”

That unfortunately tracks.

“Whoever wins is the ruler of Makai until the next tournament, huh?”

He hopes someone knocks Hiei out in the first round.

***

Kuwabara sprawls across the bench. He’s pretty sure he’s dying.

Keiko lovingly offers him a popsicle. “Stop being so dramatic.”

Kuwabara takes a big bite. Mm, pineapple. “It’s so hot,” he complains.

Keiko shoves his leg off the bench to make room for herself. She smooths out her blue dress as she sits. “Do you think Yusuke thinks of me often?”

“Absolutely,” Kuwabara lies. Yusuke has a pretty one track mind. If he’s thinking about fighting, then he’s not thinking of much else. It doesn’t mean Keiko isn’t his whole heart.

She leans against his shoulder. “Promise?”

“He loves you, Keiko. No matter what happens or how much time passes.”

That’s how stories work.

***

Kurama joins biology club.

“I thought for sure you’d join the gardening club.”

Kurama fusses with a microscope. “I get enough of gardening at home.”

Does he mean his house or Makai? “We at biology club welcome everyone! Even people who don’t care about biology.”

Kurama smiles. It looks a little sad. “Well, I care about you, and so I care about biology, in a roundabout way.”

He’s one of the best friends Kuwabara could have ever asked for.

***

Nishimori makes heart hands at Kuwabara after he scores a goal. He has a boyfriend, so he’s just teasing. They’re good friends now.

Kuwabara cheers for him as loud as he can. He’ll have other chances, won’t he? There will be other people who look at him twice like that, right?

Right?

***

Kuwabara helps Kurama mulch his flower beds. “Who’s Mukuro?”

“A powerful demon,” Kurama explains. He replants the lavender bush in looser soil. “She’s ruled Alaric for hundreds of years now.”

“And Hiei’s living with her?” Glad to know that little punk is making friends.

Kurama hesitates. “They’re very close.”

Well, Kuwabara can guess what that means. “Oh.”

He changes the subject, and doesn’t bring Hiei up again at all.

***

Keiko asks him to take her to the park. He clears his schedule because he aced all of his finals, and because Keiko should have everything she wants.

He wins her a giant stuffed teddy bear and doesn’t throw up after any of the roller coasters.

She buys him a funnel cake for his bravery. “I’m very impressed.”

Kuwabara grins with his mouth full just to make her laugh.

They stay out late to catch the fireworks show. The night is calm and almost perfect.

Kuwabara carries the teddy bear to her house. Yusuke is going to be so jealous.

She makes him set the teddy bear down on the front steps, then looks at him expectantly.

It takes him awhile to realize today was a date--Keiko’s waiting for a kiss.

This can’t be the chance he’s waiting for, is it?

He leans down, slowly and carefully, and brushes their lips together. The kiss is chaste and sweet. Kuwabara waits for--something, he doesn’t know what.

Keiko bursts into tears. She clutches his shoulders and says, “I’m never going to get over him, am I?”

“I’m sorry.” He doesn’t know how to comfort her. Everything he could say would only betray Yusuke. “He’s coming back.”

Keiko opens the door. She picks up the teddy bear and says, “I tell myself that every day. Sometimes I almost believe it.”

Kuwabara walks home after staring at the closed door for a moment. He pulls up the collar on his jacket; it’s gotten cold all of a sudden.

Does Yusuke ever wonder if Keiko will still be here--waiting for him?

Kuwabara is going to punch his lights out.

***

Kurama forfeits the tournament.

“You totally could have won!” There’s something about him that seems ethereal, like he’s only half here. Kuwabara guesses the other half of him will always be on Makai. There’s some part of all his demon friends that will live only on Makai.

“Your faith is gratifying but misplaced. My last battle took its toll. It will be some time before I fully recover.” His spirit energy doesn’t seem at all diminished to Kuwabara, but maybe that’s not what he means.

“And Yusuke?”

Kurama smiles brightly. “He lost.”

“What!” That cocky bastard. How dare he make this whole thing up and still lose?

“Don’t worry. He was magnificent. You would have been very proud. Yomi was so exhausted from their fight he lost the next round.” Which had been the goal, it sounds like.

Kuwabara’s got to ask. “Tell me Hiei didn’t win.”

“Not the tournament, no, but perhaps he won something much greater.”

He’s talking about Mukuro again, isn’t he. Kuwabara looks away. “Sounds good.”

Secondary characters like him aren’t always guaranteed a second chance, not when the story keeps being written without him.

***

Shizuru blows a horn in his face at seven in the morning. “Wake up, little brother!” she says calmly over his screams. “You’re graduating high school today!”

Oh, yeah. So that’s happening.

Eikichi places a comforting paw on his cheek. “Meow.”

Yusuke still isn’t back.

And Hiei-

“Did you make me pancakes?”

Shizuru presents a tray with flourish. “Of course I did.”

Pancakes make everything better.

***

The sunset looks beautiful on the ocean waves.

“I wanted to tell you something, Kuwabara,” Kurama says, “but I think I’ve lost my chance.”

“What? No, come on! Tell me.” Sometimes Kuwabara looks at him and sees Yoko, but the vision mostly fades. “I’m right here.”

Keiko throws herself in Yusuke’s arms. They topple over into the sand and she kisses him for the whole world to see.

“No, I’ve definitely lost my chance,” Kurama decides. He gives Kuwabara a little push. “Let’s welcome back our friend, shall we?”

Kuwabara forgets he ever brought it up.

***

He knows he’s got no hoping of winning.

Kuwabara signs up for the Second Makai Tournament anyway. “Just try and stop me!”

Yusuke grins at him. His teeth look almost human. “Wouldn’t dream of it! I’ll just kick your ass in the finals if you make it that far!”

Kuwabara pulls him into a headlock. “Big talk coming from the guy who lost his first match last time!”

“That’s rich, coming from you.”

His heart skips a beat. He tells his whole stupid fucking body to calm down. “I’ll beat you, too, shrimp! Just you wait and see.”

Hiei’s teeth are infinitely sharper than Kuwabara remembers them. “I look forward to seeing you try.”

***

He makes it past the preliminaries. Oh, thank fuck, he thinks. He would have died then and there if he couldn’t at least make it to the actual tournament.

A woman almost as tall as Kuwabara smiles at him from the stands. Half of her face is pretty scarred over.

Yusuke knocks his elbow against Kuwabara’s side. “Looks like Mukuro wants a piece of you, too.”

Kuwabara flushes bright red. So that’s Mukuro, huh?

***

Hiei unleashes the Dragon of the Darkness Flame in the first round. It’s just as scary as the last time Kuwabara saw it.

His opponent survives. Barely.

The first round isn’t over yet, but judging from the bracket, his next match should be with--

Kuwabara turns to Kurama. “Please kick his ass.” All Kuwabara has is his sword, but Kurama has tricks. He could survive getting eaten by a dragon and then some.

Kurama takes Kuwabara’s request seriously, unusually so. He looks at Hiei like he wants to tear him apart.

“I’ll do my best,” he says. Did something happen between those two?

Maybe Kuwabara shouldn’t have said anything.

***

Kuwabara is matched against a big, green kangaroo looking motherfucker.

“Gonda,” he introduces himself. “Please to meet you.”

Kuwabara shakes his hand. If he’s going to die, at least it will be to a gentleman.

***

Gonda leaps all over the ring with his fucking flippers for feet. His whole shtick appears to be waiting until Kuwabara tires himself out chasing him.

There’s got to be a better way to do this.

Kuwabara watches Gonda jump, the way his feet point where he’s going to land.

Kuwabara waits. The next time Gonda bounces into the air there’s going to be a rip in space-time waiting to catch him.

***

Kurama and Yusuke rush to congratulate him on his win. “Nice one, Kuwabara!”

“An excellent use of your abilities,” Kurama praises. He looks like he was holding his breath the whole match.

Gonda wakes up with only a mild concussion. “I’d like to fight you again,” he says.

Kuwabara flashes him a thumbs up. “It’s a date.” He waves as they wheel Gonda off to the infirmary.

Yusuke nods at the stands. “Looks like we’re not your only admirers.”

Mukuro waggles her fingers hello. By her side is Hiei, who’s boring holes into Kuwabara with his eyes--all three of them.

He scratches the scar he got from the tree branch. “At least someone found that entertaining.”

He feels Hiei’s eyes on his back the entire walk back to the locker room.

[luckystarchild]

What career path do you think the boys ( Urameshi Teams ) would have follow and become if they were living a normal life without demons distraction ? Let’s pretend that Hiei was a human and they were living a new alternative world .

Well THIS is an interesting head-canon Ask! And one I’ve never really thought about before, at all. Let’s see… I get the feeling most of what I might say here will sound cliche? Or perhaps just really literal and on-the-nose for their characters, but hey. Let’s see what happens.

KURAMA

His profession sort of depends on if, in this new, alternative world, there’s any element of Youko in the mix. If you wanted to get REALLY literal about it, he could be a botanist and/or florist by day, then moonlight as a master thief after hours. The Fox would be his name, of course, and he weaponizes plants to pull off his heists. But that’s a very literal reimagining of Kurama in a mundane setting, as opposed to just “what would his career be if he wasn’t a demon.” But I mean, botanist and/or florist works… unless his mother got remarried in this AU like she did in the show and he still worked for his stepfather’s company. TOO MANY AU IDEAS, NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DEFINE THEM ALL. I think his love of plants would carry over into whatever he does, no matter the AU. 

(Super Out-There Head-Canon: A tattoo artist. IDK why. But I can see him tying back his hair, putting on the black gloves, and inking a beautifully rendered flower on someone’s arm. He leans over and a lock of red hair falls over his shoulder, green eyes narrow in concentration. It’s a nice image.)

KUWABARA

Canonically, he says he wants to be a scientist of some sort. Can’t you just see him in a lab coat and glasses, peering into test tubes and making discoveries that benefit mankind? I sure can. I can also see him becoming a teacher, oddly enough, or transitioning to a professorship after he retires from being an active research scientist. He’d want to encourage kids/young adults to do well in school, becoming the kind of teacher he wishes he’d had more of growing up. He’d reconnect with his lovely teacher Takenaka, of course, and ask for advice from him as he navigates his teaching career. Takenaka is happy to help, and he’s immensely proud that this former delinquent has taken such an interest in inspiring the younger generation.

(Super Out-There Head-Canon: Inspired by Megallica, he learns to play the drums and starts a bad with his friends Okubo, Sawamura, and Kirishima. They go on a world tour and are famous as hell. It’s his autograph, as well as Kuwabara’s celebrity friends, Yusuke sells out of his ramen stand.)

YUSUKE

Dude, I think the anime has it down pat so I won’t mess with the classic: Running a ramen stand, getting celebrity autographs on the side, solving local mysteries and being a PI. “Private I Ramen” he might call his ramen stand. Very Jessica-Jones-ish. He could set his own hours, make good food, and take whatever cases most pique his interest. Yusuke isn’t the type for structured jobs in offices or whatever, and he’d probably be too prideful to fall in with the Yakuza (he’s not exactly keen on taking orders, after all). Some of his jobs would be… not necessarily legal, all the time, but he wouldn’t hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it. Frankly? He’s a bit like Wade Wilson before Wade became Deadpool, only with a ramen stand as a base of operations. Jessica Jones meets Wade Wilson. With a ramen stand. IDK just let me dream.

(Super Out-There Head-Canon: A pro-wrestler. Yusuke likes pro wrestling, per anime canon, and he’s discovered on the street by a recruiter when they see him beating someone up. Definitely plays a “heel” character but never ever misses a trip to the local hospital to visit the kids stuck in the long term care ward. Lets the kids “beat him up” and dramatically overacts being vanquished by the sick little heroes. Yusuke loves kids, after all. His wrestling name would be an homage to OG!YYH, obvs. Something like “The Demon King” or whatever’s cheesiest.)

HIEI

Fuckin’ Yakuza hitman all the way, baby. Or hired muscle/bodyguard/mob enforcer if the pay is good enough. I’ve seen that played out in a dozen AU fics and I think it works pretty well given his personality. But again, it really depends on the AU’s setting and whatnot. Putting him in an illegal profession means he could more easily team up with the Fox, that notorious plant-loving thief… ;) If you want to go with something less explored by the fandom, I could also see him as a fake psychic and/or mentalist. No Jagans here, but maybe he has Jagan-esque, almost mindreading levels of perception and can cold-read people a la BBC Sherlock, scaring and intimidating them since they think he can actually read their minds. Ends up running some sort of gang-like-thing using this talent of his, though of course he’d still prefer to be on his own. 

(Super Out-There Head-Canon: Riffing off the mentalist idea, he moves to Vegas and cons people out of their money and has an illusionist act. His shtick is being grumpy as hell and insulting the audience members whilst dazzling them with feats of magic. Sits on a pile of gold like the dragon he is, gloating about all the people he’s fleeced. ALSO he either supports Yukina’s bakery (and/or preschool) with anonymous donations, or hires her to be his stage hand/assistant in his magic act. Doesn’t tell her he’s her brother, obvs.)

And… yeah. All pretty on-the-nose considering canon, but I ain’t messin’ with the classics. ;) 

[yyh4ever]

Persons Concerned

Kazuma Kuwabara

He's actually popular...maybe!?

Mistreated by his family (T/N: Shizuru? lol), beaten up by Yusuke...Kuwabara is not having a very good time. However, the trio Sawamura, Kirishima and Okubo seem to strongly admire and respect Kuwabara, addressing him by the suffix "san" even though they are classmates.

T/N: Kuwabara's friends call him "Kuwabara-san" (桑原さん). The honorific suffix "san" (Mr/Ms) is a polite way to address one another and also shows a sense of respect. It's more common among young boys, specially classmates, to use the honorific suffix "kun". We can notice how his friends truly respect him. Kuwabara is kind of a leader for them.

【Fellows】

Yusuke (eternal rival)

A rival that he must overcome someday. No matter what kind of opponents appear, he believes that he is Yusuke's greatest opponent.

Kurama (teammate) and Hiei (makes him nervous, but he also trusts)

Comrades who he has grown to trust through battles. In particular, he seems to have built a good relationship with Kurama, as they study together at the library and such.

【Sweetheart】

Yukina (adoration)

Kuwabara's loved one. He is completely ignorant of the fact that she is Hiei's younger sister.

【Family】

Shizuru (they're probably on good terms?)

The older sister, an aspiring hairdresser who has a higher psychic ability than her younger brother.

Father

Kuwabara's father, nonchalantly, is very familiar with the situation. Occupation unknown. Cheerful.

T/N: Kuwabara's father is aware about the existence of the Spirit and Demon Worlds.

Eikichi

A domestic cat that Kuwabara, an unparalleled cat lover, is literally petting (dotes on it).

T/N: the Japanese expression "neko kawaigari" literally means "to pet a cat", but it's an expression used to say you dote on someone.

【Classmates】 (trusted friends)

Sawamura

Kuwabara's tsukkomi. He has the most lines out of the three.

T/N: In owarai (Japanese comedy), the tsukkomi is generally the smarter and more reasonable of the comedy duo. In America, tsukkomi is known as the "straight man". When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the "straight man" is expected to maintain composure.

Kirishima

One of Kuwabara's friends whose grades and appearance are not so bad, like those of a delinquent.

T/N: Kirishima scored 52 points (out of 100) in the science test, while Sawamura scored 45 points, Okubo 39 points, Kuwabara 7 points, and Yusuke 12 points.

Ōkubo

A hard-working man who works part-time to help support his family with many siblings.

T/N: Although he's still in the 2nd year of middle school, Okubo has a special permit from the Sarayashiki Junior High to work part-time.

Source: Yu Yu Hakusho Official Characters Book Reikai Shinshiroku. Spirit World Record Part 1 - Kazuma Kuwabara. p.37, 2005.

🇯🇵 桑原和真

関係者 PERSONS CONCERNED

実は人望がある･･･のかも!?

家族からは虐げられ、幽助にはボコられて・・・。 あまりいい思いをしていない桑原。しかし沢村・桐島・大久保の三人は、同級生にもかかわらず桑原を"さん"付けで呼ぶ など、彼に心酔しきっている様子。

【仲間】

幽助 (永遠のライバル)

いつか乗り越えるべきであり、ライバル｡どんな敵が現れても、幽助の最大の敵は自分だと信じている。

蔵馬 (チームメイト)

戦いを経て信頼を増していった戦友たち。特に蔵馬とは一緒に図書館で勉強するなど、いい関係を築いているようだ。

飛影 (ビビりながらも信頼)

【想い人】

雪菜 (憧れ)

桑原の最愛の人。飛影の妹だとは知る由もない。

【家族】

静流 (仲はいいかも?)

弟よりも高い霊感能力を持つ、美容師志望の姉。

父

ナニゲに事情通な桑原の父。職業は不明。陽気。

永吉

無類のネコ好きの桑原が､文字通���ネコかわいがりしている飼いネコ。

【同級生】 (心許せる 友人)

沢村

桑原のツッコミ役。三人の中では一番セリフが多い。

桐島

成績も見た目もあまり不良らしくない桑原の仲間のひとり。

大久保

バイトをしながら兄弟の多い家計を助ける苦労人。

出典 幽遊白書 公式キャラクターズブック霊界紳士録｡霊界調書 その1 桑原和真Ｐ.37

[thekazumakuwabara]

Do you think that Kuwabara had a lot of friends in elementary school?

Wow, this is a very heavy question, anon! But I do like thinking about these things, so.

You know, a part of me wants to say yes, that he had friends in elementary school (and perhaps even his trio of friends before he met Yusuke could have been friends he had in elementary school) but then again, another half of me thinks maybe no. Or that maybe he had friends but then something happened and he lost them. I dunno.

It’s obvious though when we see him in the beginning of the series, he’s sorta lost in a lot of ways. In terms of thinking about what kind of future he has and not really having a lot of support from his teachers (except Takenaka). They probably just have given up on him -- which doesn’t help much until he does get some support, from Yusuke, from backing up Okubo, from Takenaka and then later he keeps that train up by studying with Keiko (she lends him notes and it’s obvious if he doesn’t understand her notes he asks he questions about things he doesn’t understand -- and since she wants to become a teacher, it counts as practice but also maybe one of those reasons why she wants to be a teacher, to help people).

And then of course, there’s the whole psychic thing he and Shizuru have. Or as the english dub calls it “the tingle”.

In the beginning of the series, we find out he’s had so many encounters as a kid. I mean it’s played for hilarity but he’s lost sleep because of ghosts haunting him and chasing after him and other stuff. And like, Kazuma has a nice, open personality, that once he was comfortable in his environment he ends up making lots of friends. So of course, as a kid, he probably did have friends.

But can you imagine dealing and seeing with these kinds of things as a child? Maybe at first he didn’t realize there wasn’t anything wrong with talking about “oh hey, do you see that ghost over there?” but then maybe over time he gets picked on, or if he ends up getting "the tingle”, other kids might make fun of him or if they were too superstitious, stop being friends in case something might happen to them.

Part of the reason Okubo, Sawamura, and Kirishima are Kazuma’s friends is because they know he has this strong psychic sense and that it’s pretty accurate. They just trust him to know how to handle and deal about it. They don’t judge him because he has it, they just accept it as a part of who he is. Like “yeah, ok, cool”. (Though I don’t envy the conversation that must have happened afterwards when Kazuma had the fight with Mitarai. That’s harder to explain than his random psychic moments.)

It isn’t until Kazuma feels more confident in his abilities and knowing he has friends who know the truth and doesn’t give 50 shits about it (Yusuke and co + his trio of friends) that the whole letting people know he has those kinds of abilities doesn’t bother him anymore. He knows enough now how to use those powers and use them for good and not let it control him anymore, and as a result, when he warned about the earthquake to his classmates in high school, he became sorta a popular boy overnight.

So, I guess my answer is, yes, and also no. XDDD

Thank you for this anon, no matter how heavy it is! Also, give me a chance and I could write a million things about he and Shizuru being psychic and how taht influenced them all day and night lolol.