#koalatysleep meta

[koalatysleep]

Kuwameshi: the 'undercover' love story in Yu Yu Hakusho

This Christmas season, I binged watched the entire Yu Yu Hakusho anime series on Netflix (I was hit with a strong yearning for more content after binge watching the live action), and Kuwameshi became my OTP even though I started off shipping Yusuke with Keiko.

I must say the anime is a remarkably progressive work of art given that it was created as a Shonen manga in the 90's. I love love love love the entire series!! Right off the bat, the series subverts gender tropes, heteronormative romance stereotypes, and the sleeping beauty fairytale with Yusuke in the position of sleeping beauty, Keiko in the role of Prince Charming who literally brings him back to life with a kiss, and Kuwabara as the real love interest and knight in shining armor who continually saves and inspires Yusuke throughout the series.

Instead of a sleeping beauty that passively waits to be saved, Yusuke is actively making choices that ultimately helps to save himself, by first deciding to return to life, then by taking on the emotional work of helping Kuwabara study for the test, and saving Keiko by sacrificing his spirit realm egg and his chance to return to life.

The fact that Keiko was saving Yusuke, while Yusuke was saving both Keiko (from the fire) and Kuwabara (from the evil machinations of that despicable teacher), and Kuwabara was also saving Keiko (from thugs and then the fire) and Yusuke (by being one of the reasons Yusuke was moved to choose life over death and then from the fire) was an extremely refreshing change from the stereotypical heteronormative romance where the male character is doing all the saving, while the female love interest is just a passive character without much agency or ability to contribute, and no other character seems to have much of an impact on the romantic pair. Here we have 3 fiercely independent characters who are all actively helping themselves while saving each other in a holy trifecta of character development goodness.

When Yusuke's body was in danger in the burning house, I love the scene where Keiko shook off the bystanders holding her back with a fierce determination that we come to associate with Yusuke in life-or-death fights, sprang into quick-thinking action by dumping a bucket of water over herself, and ran headlong into the fire and mortal peril, all to save Yusuke.

Yusuke and Keiko would have been my ride or die OTP if the series had continued developing her character and the story along these lines, but even during this arc of reviving Yusuke where the main focus was on Yusuke and Keiko as a romantic pair, the seeds for Kuwabara as Yusuke's 'undercover' love interest are already being planted.

In fact, Togashi's authorial intent for Yusuke and Kuwabara as the central love story in the entire YYH series can be seen in their name designs itself!

Yusuke is written in 2 characters - the 1st character means Spirit/Soul, and the 2nd character means Assistance/Help.

Kazuma means True Harmony. So put together, Yusuke and Kazuma means Souls in True Harmony who help each other. And isn't that the very essence of our heroes right there? ❤️🌈

It's only after Yusuke possesses Kuwabara's body in Episode 2 that he got the help he needed to clearly communicate to Keiko to save his body from cremation. When you watch the episode, Yusuke and Kuwabara literally spoke with their 2 voices overlapping as one in multiple scenes! It's especially obvious in the sunset scene when they finally get to tell Keiko to save Yusuke. Yusuke and Kuwabara are literally Two Souls in One Body!

This symbolizes how Kuwabara truly desires for Yusuke to return to life, as much as Yusuke himself, and foreshadows how Kuwabara goes on to stand with Yusuke as One Soul in Two Bodies throughout the rest of the series. I haven't even meta-screamed about the homoerotic subtext of Yusuke possessing Kuwabara's body! 🤣🤣🤣

We further see how Kuwabara is in True Harmony with Yusuke when Kuwa takes it upon himself to look out for Keiko on Yusuke's behalf when he thought Yusuke was permanently dead! Kuwa literally stepped in on spirit Yusuke's behalf to beat off the thugs bothering Keiko, and then puts his own life at risk to save Keiko from the house fire!

No one asked or expected Kuwa to do this, he looks out for Keiko simply because he knows how important Keiko was to Yusuke, and taking care of the people Yusuke loved is how Kuwa keeps a piece of Yusuke alive! Like, it boggles my mind how deeply Kuwa loves & values Yusuke to the extent that people important to Yusuke is by default important to Kuwa even after Yusuke's death! 🥹🥹🥹 If this isn't True Love (True Harmony), what is? Like, I know real-life married couples who do less for each other! I've meta-ed screamed a bit more about how truly, madly, deeply Kuwa is in love with Yusuke even before canon began, link to that other meta is at the end of this one!

And then of course we have the all-important Episode 3 where Botan literally tells us Yusuke and Kuwabara are so emotionally in sync (True Harmony) with each other that Kuwabara can sense Yusuke's feelings even though Yusuke is a spirit! Their connection even this early on literally transcends the boundaries between life and death! And it's only when spirit Yusuke started following Kuwabara around that Yusuke grew as a person, by learning about Okubo's family situation and deciding to help. This is a large reason why Puu's egg absorbed good energy to develop into lovable goofy Puu!

Yusuke is so moved by Kuwabara's honorable character and determination to help Okubo, that we see Yusuke doing the stereotypically 'female' emotional work of helping Kuwabara study for the test even though Yusuke himself hates studying. It's actually such a huge thing that Yusuke not only does this on his own free will without anyone nagging him into it, he actually looks like he's enjoying helping Kuwabara study! Yusuke has such massive character growth just by helping Kuwa! Look at how happy Yusuke looks! I just love how Kuwa is such a positive influence on Yusuke, because Kuwa inspires and emotionally resonates with Yusuke so deeply! Compare this to how Keiko wasn't able to get Yusuke to study despite all her nagging (which actually inadvertently makes Yusuke feel worse about himself, link to another meta post about this at the end of this one), and you see how Kuwa is Yusuke's True Love Interest who's in True Harmony with Yusuke!

And of coz, Their entire study dream-date is so romantic!! The way Yusuke's hand lingers on Kuwabara's shoulder when he first finds Kuwabara asleep over his desk, and the way this shot (Yusuke's gaze) lingers on Kuwabara's bruised and exhausted face clue us into Yusuke's burgeoning romantic feelings for Kuwabara!

The romantic coding of this scene is further confirmed through the soft lighting, the tender background music, Kuwabara's romantic candy colored galaxy in his dreamscape, and how soft and tender Yusuke's voice is when he whispers to Kuwabara back in Kuwa's bedroom. When morning dawns, the romantic background music segues into a scene of two lovebirds on a branch accompanied by birdsong, and this becomes our visual & audio analogy for Kuwameshi romance later throughout the series!

I personally think it's not a coincidence that Yusuke was carrying Puu's egg on him when he possessed Kuwabara's body and when he followed Kuwabara around as a spirit, and that the egg developed into a bird creature Puu who later becomes a majestic phoenix, but you'll have to read my fic The Good Fight to see what I mean! 😜

Then we get the laugh-out-loud hilarity of Yusuke possessing the body of the knocked-out-girl to beat off the thugs who were about to waylay Kuwabara on his way to the test 🤣🤣🤣! i roll on the floor with laughter every time! Apart from the sheer comedic genius, we also see that Yusuke did not hesitate to literally 'become' a girl to help Kuwabara! We see how emotionally invested Yusuke is in Kuwabara's success, because Yusuke is moved by Kuwabara's heart and grit!

I mean honestly this whole episode of Yusuke doing the 'female emotional work' of supporting Kuwabara is really amazing. I would have loved more episodes like this throughout the series where we get to see more of Yusuke developing his emotional muscle without any life-or-death fights!

Immediately after the revival arc is done, the story goes on to subvert heteronormative expectations even further - one of the first things Yusuke does after coming back to life is to save Kuwabara's cat in a really really sweet gesture. Yusuke punching the lights out of the thug holding the cat hostage, and then turning around in slow motion to reveal his identity is a typical hero's entrance when they save their love interest. The way that Yusuke cradles Kuwabara's cat with such gentleness and care while kicking the living shit out of the thug who had grabbed Kuwabara around the waist, and then returning the cat to Kuwabara in the midst of fighting is seriously swoon worthy !

I mean, if Yusuke had done this for a female character or even a 'good-looking' male character, it would have been universally interpreted as a clear romantic narrative, but because Kuwabara is not female and also not conventionally 'good looking', this flies under the radar, which is how the story can clearly depict Kuwabara as Yusuke's romantic love interest from here on out without anyone being the wiser.

I mean!! Throughout the rest of the series, Kuwa-chan literally spurs Yusuke on to greater heights than Yusuke would have attained himself, because Yusuke cares so deeply about what Kuwabara thinks about him, and living up to Kuwabara's faith in him! This is Yusuke we're talking about, he doesn't give a shit what others think if he doesn't respect them, so the fact that he wants Kuwabara to think highly of him speaks volumes about how highly he admires, values and respects Kuwabara in return!

During Genkai's succession arc, our heroes were literally on an Arcade Date!! Look at our boys putting their best selves forward to impress each other! 🤩😆 The way they're drawn so beautifully in such heroic frames tells us just how much they want to impress each other! If this isn't courting behavior, what is?

Look at how impressed Yusuke is at Kuwabara's high score in the punching game, and how he pretends otherwise! 😆

OMG they way they totally ignored all the onlookers as they gleefully try to outdo each other and show off for each other is SO CUTE!!!!!

I personally think Yusuke was in such a bad mood with the bat demon coz Yusuke was in a hurry to get back to Kuwabara! When he finally made it there and explained what took so long, his eyes were on Kuwabara the entire time!!! And look at how Yusuke is peacocking in front of Kuwabara when he explains how he's faster than the bat demon! 🤣

It's also because Kuwabara asked Genkai to wait that Yusuke was selected despite exceeding the time. Kuwa had zero doubt that Yusuke would make it! His belief in Yusuke is absolute! The scene where the boys forgot themselves and hugged each other in their excitement is chef's kiss! Look at Yusuke throwing himself bodily at Kuwabara! OMG I just love how Kuwabara makes Yusuke forget all about pretending not to care or appearing aloof (which is part of Yusuke's emotional armor) and brings out Yusuke's True Self!

Yusuke had so much fun with Kuwabara, he literally forgot all about his mission to find Rando, to the extent that even Koenma remarked on this! 🤣

Seriously the anime puts so much effort into the little details like these unconscious body language tells and non-verbal cues, it's really amazing!!! When Yusuke later tried to get Kuwabara to retire the fight against Rando to protect Kuwabara, Yusuke (who was still shocky from his fights) literally pulled Kuwabara close with a hand on Kuwabara's chest and another nearly on Kuwabara's neck! These are not platonic personal space boundaries, it's Yusuke's unconscious body language cluing us into his romantic feelings for Kuwabara! Look at how close Yusuke is to Kuwabara!

During the fight with Rando, it's also because Yusuke was so emotionally impacted by Kuwabara's serious injuries that Yusuke was able to tap into a new level of power! I was honestly surprised by this when I first watched the anime before I clued into the Kuwameshi subtext, given how cool and collected Yusuke was when Hiei almost turned Keiko into a demon!

And the unconscious Kuwabara was still cheering Yusuke on! When Yusuke was on the verge of being eaten alive by the demonic fish, Kuwabara's spirit even left his body to go save Yusuke, and Kuwabara knew just the right words to say to Yusuke to spur him on! Souls in True Harmony who help each other!

Cheering on the male character in spirit is literally what female love interests do in anime, and it's usually a one-sided depiction of the female shouting the male character's name in a paroxysm of emotion without the male character actually hearing or interacting with her, so this trope is again nicely subverted here coz Kuwabara is literally a spirit who can have two-way dialogue with Yusuke, and he's obviously a badass himself, which is why he can reach Yusuke as a spirit to begin with. Genkai approves!

As the series progress, we see more of Yusuke and Kuwabara's body language cluing us into their romantic feelings for each other. During their chocolate shake date, they were mirror images of each other when Keiko crashed their conversation and Yusuke covers up what they're really talking about with the movie excuse. When Yusuke was making his excuses to run out on Keiko, he again places his hand on Kuwabara's chest when he asks Kuwabara to come with him, then Yusuke pulls him along by the wrist 😍😍❤️❤️.

You can see in all these interactions that Kuwabara's attention is on Yusuke almost all the time, especially when Botan's explaining the 4 saints beast situation to them! Kuwa literally did not take his eyes off Yusuke even though Botan's the one speaking! This is despite Kuwabara supposedly having a 'crush' on Botan, but we will have to leave the explanation for this for another meta! ;P

I digress! To me, Yusuke running out on Keiko with Kuwabara and forgetting he left Keiko at the movie theatre clearly signals authorial intent to focus on Kuwabara and Yusuke's relationship, rather than Keiko and Yusuke's. At the end of the 4 saint beasts arc when Yusuke exhausted his lifeforce to defeat Suzaku, it was Kuwabara who brought Yusuke back to life by transferring his remaining life-force to Yusuke despite knowing this is akin to suicide, similar to how Keiko saved Yusuke from the fire despite mortal peril to herself at the start of the series. This time, Yusuke wakes up in Kuwabara's bed after Kuwabara has taken care of Yusuke for 3 days, to the sound of birdsong!!!! And from here on out, Keiko is relegated to a side character without further character development of her own or much contribution to Yusuke's personal growth.

When Toguro wanted to devastate Yusuke into unlocking his true power by killing someone Yusuke loves, he chose Kuwabara above all others, even though Keiko was in the audience. It's very telling that Toguro tried to kill Yusuke's metaphorical heart by ripping out Kuwabara's actual heart!! Kuwabara is Yusuke's heart! The subtext is main text!

Kuwabara chose to meet his death courageously even though he knew he had no chance of surviving, showing Yusuke once again the difference between true strength vs just power. The intensity of Yusuke's resulting grief and utter devastation at Kuwabara's death changed the very essence of Yusuke's reiki. The intensity of Yusuke's emotions is the reason why Yusuke rejected Toguro's "power above all else" motto, it's the reason why Yusuke understood the difference between true strength vs just power.

Some things can only be learnt through experience, and Genkai knew this was a hard lesson Yusuke needed to experience for himself before he could learn the difference. (She also knew Toguro still had some shreds of goodness deep down and wouldn't kill Kuwabara straight out).

Yusuke himself said he used to secretly admire and aspire to Toguro's power even as he was scared shitless, before Yusuke's eyes were opened to the immeasurable worth and value of love and friendship, the things that Toguro gave up in his blind pursuit of power. Yusuke lost his fear of Toguro after that, he stopped admiring Toguro after that, he pitied Toguro instead. Yusuke was able to gain this emotional maturity through the grief & devastation of losing Kuwabara. And because of that, he was able to defeat Toguro. Talk about the Power of Love! Kuwabara really is the Warrior of Love! Even when he's not physically fighting, he inspires Yusuke to new levels of both emotional maturity and physical strength through Love.

I mean honestly, at this point in the story, Kuwabara had clearly taken center stage as the love interest for Yusuke, one who actively plays a role in Yusuke's personal growth and emotional motivation, one who is strong enough that Yusuke can be honest about his spirit realm duties and his full self with.

It's a bit of a shame that the story didn't develop Keiko into a more interesting kickass female character like Botan, who's independent and capable of taking care of herself, and whose contributions to the story is not just restricted to that of a romantic love interest. It would have been nice to see Keiko realizing that she and Yusuke are better suited to be found family and lifelong friends rather than romantic partners. It's a pity especially since Keiko got off to such a strong start by saving Yusuke so courageously from the fire. After this point however, the story relegated Keiko to the stereotypical female 'love interest' who's just passively waiting on the sidelines for Yusuke to return.

But given that Yukina is also a similar stereotypical female 'love interest' for Kuwabara, one who's written out of the narrative almost as soon as she's introduced, and thus I also don't find Kuwabara and Yukina convincing as a romantic couple, I wonder whether the author deliberately chose to under-develop Keiko and Yukina's characters and to protray them as rather helpless, one-note and bland, in order to highlight the real love story he's trying to tell between Yusuke and Kuwabara. (Togashi even said in a Q+A that his least favorite character is Keiko, coz she's a typical manga character.)

If I were trying to tell a non-heteronormative love story aimed at teens in conservative 90's Japan, hiding Kuwabara and Yusuke's love story in plain sight, under the cover of them both having female 'love interests' is probably one of the ways to do it while still getting published in Shonen Jump.

It's clearly contrasting Kuwabara and Yusuke's extremely compelling romantic subtext with the very bland and unconvincing heteronormative pairings. It leaves it up to the audience to notice for themselves which pairings they find more compelling to root for, and perhaps in so doing, the story subverts a conservative audience into unknowingly supporting a non-heteronormative couple of Yusuke and Kuwabara 🤣

Togashi also said in his letter to fans that he ended the manga for three reasons, one of which is that he has exhausted the character directions he can explore within the publication bounds of Shonen Jump.

I wonder whether a sexual romantic relationship between Yusuke and Kuwabara (the sex is hinted at in this bonus canon content) is one of the directions Togashi couldn't explore within the publication bounds of Shonen Jump 🤣. (But that's okay Togashi, thank you so much for giving us the rich Kuwameshi subtext in canon, we'll take it from here to explore these directions for you 🤣🤣).

When I first read part of the manga casually as a kid, all the subtext flew right over my head of coz, but now when I watch it as an adult who understands just how much queer love stories were not allowed any expressions in the 90's, I really love Kuwabara and Yusuke as each other's true love interest.

The development of their relationship can also be read as a natural progression of their characters growing closer together than Yusuke and Keiko can, due to Yusuke having to keep Keiko in the dark about spirit realm activities to protect her from it, and Keiko just being so different from Yusuke that she inadvertently makes Yusuke feel worse about himself. This is apparent in Episode 1 itself, when Keiko inadvertently triggers Yusuke's self-worth issues when she berated Yusuke quite thoroughly to apply himself to school - she immediately assumed he must have done something wrong for Takenaka-sensei to be looking for him (when actually Takenaka just wanted to proactively counsel Yusuke!) and she outright says if he doesn't go soon he'll drag her down and she'll get a scolding as the class monitor as well. This is when Yusuke flips her skirt, not because he is romantically interested in her or is pervy, but because he just wants to stop her words which were quite hurtful for him coz it confirms all his worst fears about himself!

Keiko also can't understand why Yusuke enjoys challenging good fights, whereas Kuwabara can and in fact enjoys those fights himself. So perhaps Keiko and Yusuke drifting apart as a romantic pairing once the revival arc is done is also a natural state of things.

In any case, by the time the dark tournament is over in episode 67, it's Kuwabara that Yusuke seeks out for an early lunch at school, it's Kuwabara who Yusuke riles up by poking him in the ass 🤣🤣, similar to how Yusuke used to flip Keiko's skirt, except Yusuke's jabbing Kuwabara in the ass when he's in a good mood and wants an excuse to be close to Kuwabara! I haven't even screamed about the HILARIOUS homoerotic subtext of Yusuke jabbing Kuwabara in the ass just as Kuwabara's thinking about becoming "a real man" for Yukina! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Look at our boys taking the opportunity to physically be as close as they secretly want to be with each other, under the guise of rough-housing and bickering! Yusuke's full-on hugging Kuwabara in the second frame, and he's got his leg over Kuwabara's shoulder in the third!! 😍😍❤️❤️Once again they totally ignore their audience and focus just on each other, to the extent they didn't even realize the class bell had run and Takenaka-sensei and the entire class is looking at them! 🤣

This scene of Yusuke seeking out Kuwabara for lunch in a good mood and needling him for food is SO CUTE and so sweet! Coz it's Yusuke's way of asking for Kuwabara's attention. It's Yusuke's way of saying he wants to spend time with Kuwabara, he wants Kuwabara to be the one to take care of him (by feeding him), and when Kuwabara reacts with outrage instead (coz he is still in denial about his feelings for Yusuke at this point), Yusuke immediately reacts with hurt defensiveness. Even so, they still have such a great time with each other! It's very relatable and very sweet! Haven't you ever just riled up your crush and teased them mercilessly coz you wanted the excuse to be close to them? I also love that Yusuke is actively seeking out Kuwabara to do normal mundane things like eat lunch together, he must have realized at some subconcious level that Kuwa-chan is his OTP!

We even get Kuwabara's friends and Botan wondering whether Kuwabara and Yusuke were a bickering married couple in a previous life, so the subtext is more or less already the main text by this point.

Then we see Kuwabara catching up with Yusuke after school and Yusuke sharing his feelings of ennui with Kuwabara, who brought Yusuke right out of it with ease 🤣🤣 it's these seemingly little things like Yusuke opening up about his feelings to Kuwabara, Kuwabara keeping Yusuke grounded, and Kuwabara talking about his loss of reiki with total ease with Yusuke and being worried that Yusuke was going through the same that shows the deep emotional connection and deep trust between these two.

Of course, then Yusuke gets abducted and we see Puu flying straight to Kuwabara for help, so again the story subverts the typical heteronormative romance by having both Kuwabara and Yusuke continually inspire, save and rely on each other as true equals in their partnership. No one is the wilting flower, no one is just passively waiting to be saved, and both are simultaneously both the protector and the protectee. Just as Genkai told Yusuke to never forget why he became strong and who he became strong for, they are truly the main reason why the other became so strong!

Speaking of abduction, the tables gets turned later on when Kuwabara is the one who gets abducted and Yusuke goes after Sensui on a bicycle(🤣🤣!) like a man possessed. I mean seriously, even before I clued into Kuwameshi, I thought Yusuke looks like a man who's singlemindedly saving the love of his life! And then of course, Kuwabara experiences the devastation of Yusuke's death, similar to how Yusuke experienced the devastation of Kuwabara's death during the dark tournament, and we get that precious glimpse into Kuwabara's feelings for Yusuke all along! It was never about winning Yusuke in fights, all his challenges were just an excuse to be with Yusuke! His heart gets so excited when he's with Yusuke! He was over the moon when Yusuke called him by name the first time! He did it all - Genkai's succession trials, Rando fight, Byakko fight, yukina rescue mission, Dark Tournament, facing down Toguro - all of it, for Yusuke!!!! Screams! Can it get more romantic than that?!? This not only reveals Kuwabara's heart, it also reveals authorial intent for the Kuwameshi love story from the beginning!

And then of course Kuwabara chooses to avenge Yusuke even if it means his own death and the destruction of the entire human realm! Kuwabara, the warrier for love, truth and justice, protector of the weak, literally chose to burn down the whole world to avenge Yusuke, and follow Yusuke into death! That's how much Yusuke means to Kuwabara! The entire world literally means nothing to Kuwabara if Yusuke isn't there! So for me, I fully believe Yusuke and Kuwabara are the real love story here!

If you love the delicious Kuwameshi subtext as much as me, come scream about it with me in my Kuwameshi meta series on AO3, and my Kuwameshi Alternate Canon Fic The Good Fight on AO3! Most chapters have End Notes with more meta about canon that inspired that chapter! There's just way too much meta to put all into one post here!

If you'd like to read more meta on when Kuwabara fell in love with Yusuke, here's one you may enjoy!

If you'd like to read meta on when Yusuke fell in love with Kuwabara, here's one!

[koalatysleep]

YYH is actually a LGBTQ romantic tragic comedy masterfully told through subtext

In a nutshell, Canon uses very sophisticated show-don't-tell techniques to SHOW us Yusuke and Kuwabara are in love with each other, while outright TELLING us the narrative misdirection that they're supposedly in love with Keiko & Yukina (almost every canon character mistakenly thinks this & tells us this deliberate misdirection), so much so that even Yusuke and Kuwabara themselves believed the other really is in love with their supposed female love interests!

Canon had to use such show-don't-tell techniques + misdirection in order to sneak in the Kuwameshi Love Story in 90's Japanese mainstream media where there's no tolerance for outright LGBTQ representation, especially in its heroes, but it's been more than 30 years after YYH was first created, so it's a frigging tragedy if people still think the love story is between the two heroes and their supposed female love interests who are barely in the story other than as narrative misdirections, so LET'S PEEL BACK THE LAYERS AND DIVE INTO THE HEART OF THINGS!

As always, proper meta with proof points, screencaps & larger canon context at this Kuwameshi meta series on AO3!

The latest addition to the series Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Kuwabara's Retreat from Love is now up!

Now on to the post that sums up the romantic tragi-comedy of YYH!

In the above heartbreaking scene where Yusuke silently says goodbye to Kuwabara, Yusuke is wearing the same green jacket that he had on during Genkai's succession trials, when Yusuke and Kuwabara had their Arcade Date as per the Kuwameshi undercover love story meta, and both realized they're falling in love with each other 😭😭😭😭

Yusuke's sartorial choices had gradually matured throughout the series until we saw him wearing more grown up clothes such as this dashing ensemble just before the heartbreaking goodbye scene:

So the sudden reversion to the green jacket is a deliberate choice by Anime Studio Pierrot to tell us that this heartbreaking scene is Yusuke saying a romantic farewell to Kuwabara 😭😭😭😭.

In fact, Yusuke is wearing the exact same ensemble he had on after he first came back to life post car accident (green jacket with yellow vest over red flannel), when the first thing he did was to save Kuwabara's cat in a really sweet romantic gesture as per the Kuwameshi undercover love story meta. This symbolizes how Yusuke is now at the start of another journey just like he was after his first revival post car accident, and foreshadows how he'll promise Kuwabara to check in on him first thing after Yusuke comes back from the Makai, to see whether Kuwa got into the school he's aiming for, as a way to tell us Kuwa'll still be Yusuke's romantic interest even after the Makai separation. But I digress!!

To recap, when we last saw this green jacket, it was when Yusuke and Kuwabara first went all out to show off for each other in peak courting behavior :

This was when Yusuke initiated their first hug!!! Look at Yusuke throwing himself bodily at Kuwabara!!!

This was when Yusuke outright tried to kill Rando for hurting Kuwabara!! It's worthwhile to note Yusuke doesn't actually outright want to kill anyone else, apart from Toguro, because that was the only way to stop him! Both times are because Kuwa's hurt!! (Yusuke didn't want to kill that territory arc Dr Kamiya either, until he was forced to do so to save the entire hospital who were on verge of dying). This tells us that Kuwa is so important to Yusuke that Yusuke would actually break his own moral code (to avoid killing), if it was for Kuwa!!! This is canon literally showing us Yusuke would do anything for Kuwa!

As per play-by-play proof points in The Chocolate Shake Date meta, after Genkai's succession trials when Yusuke started to realize his romantic feelings for Kuwabara, it's implied that he phoned Kuwabara for what he hoped was a 1-1 date, and Yusuke was actually trying to get Kuwabara alone all throughout that hilarious fiasco after Keiko unknowingly became the third wheel by crashing Yusuke's hoped-for date with Kuwabara after she bumped into Yusuke by pure chance!

Coupled with the fact that Yusuke was seriously creeped out by Keiko trying to kiss his unconscious body when he was still a spirit + the fact that Yusuke has never shown any romantic interest in any girl + many more canon proof points that I will add to the meta series in the future + the fact that my canon may have vastly different dialogue/meaning from your canon, I read Yusuke as gay (but feel free to interpret Yusuke as whatever orientation floats your boat, I just personally read him as gay as per the canon versions I got & reasons stated in meta).

Yusuke was always in love with Kuwabara from the start, which is why Yusuke was actually romantically pursuing Kuwabara in The Chocolate Shake Date!

Unfortunately Keiko's romantic interest in Yusuke (which was not reciprocated by Yusuke) threw a spanner into the works and prevented Yusuke from getting together with Kuwabara all throughout canon, as symbolized & foreshadowed by Keiko crashing The Chocolate Shake Date! (sorry Keiko, but I have faith you eventually figured it out & moved on happier!)

Thus, even though Kuwabara got an inkling that Yusuke may not be romantically interested in Keiko during The Chocolate Shake Date and Kuwabara started romantically pursuing Yusuke all throughout the 4 beasts arc as per proof points in Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Kuwabara's Retreat from Love, Kuwabara mistakenly thought Yusuke was in love with Keiko after Yusuke gave his life to save the girls from Suzaku. That's right, Kuwa's 'prank' on Yusuke about the girls not making it post-Suzaku-fight was actually Kuwa testing Yusuke to see his unfiltered reactions so Kuwa could ascertain one last time how Yusuke really feels about Keiko! Unfortunately Kuwa mistook Yusuke's panic for the girls as romantic love for Keiko,

And so Kuwa Retreated from Love with Yusuke so he doesn't get in the way of what he thought was reciprocal romantic love between Yusuke and Keiko (just like he offered to let them be alone during The Chocolate Shake Date), because that's how nobly and selflessly Kuwa loves Yusuke - he wants him to be happy even if it breaks his own heart,

And thereafter Kuwa throws himself at Yukina as a way to try to get over his heartbreak and to process/express his emotions for Yusuke which he thinks he cannot show Yusuke (Denial & Transference are hallmarks of Kuwa's psyche),

Which prompted Yusuke to think Kuwabara really was in love with Yukina, and so Yusuke Retreated from Love with Kuwa because Yusuke is also a noble idiot in love who wants Kuwa to be happy even if it breaks his heart,

And even though they each got an inkling after the events of the Dark Tournament that the other might be in love with them, and they're almost on the verge of stopping their Retreat from Love with each other, especially Yusuke,

Sensui hit them with his shit and Yusuke sacrificed himself nobly so he can save Kuwa, all his friends and the entire human realm, and even though this is when Kuwa finally breaks through his Denial and his Transference which are hallmarks of Kuwa's psyche and outright admits that Yusuke's the one he's been in love with from the beginning as per proof points in It's All in the Eyes + Denial is a river that runs long and deep meta,

Yusuke was reborn as a Mazoku who is so much stronger than Kuwa felt he could ever become as a human (Kuwa has felt inadequate since 4 beasts arc), that Kuwa felt he could no longer protect Yusuke against the S-class opponents he'd face, and since fighting to protect Yusuke was one of the reasons (in Kuwa's mind) that Kuwa could 'legitimately' be with Yusuke even though he's supposed to give Yusuke space with Keiko (because fighting to protect Yusuke is something that Kuwa could do for Yusuke that Keiko can't), and so Kuwa Retreated from Love again, this time into studying,

While Yusuke knows he cannot afford to lose Kuwa after having lost Kuwa in the Dark Tournament and nearly a second time to Sensui, and at this point in time Yusuke just felt that he's Bad News for the one he loves (Kuwa), he only puts Kuwa in danger and stress, and he can't keep Kuwa safe from an unknown S-class ancestor demon who could take over Yusuke's mind at any time, just like he felt he failed to protect Kuwa against Toguro and Sensui,

And so Yusuke Retreats from Love yet again and goes alone to the Makai in this heartbreaking goodbye scene, even though his yearning and longing for Kuwabara to be with him is SO FUCKING PALPABLE I FELT IT IN MY HEART WHILE WATCHING THIS EVEN BEFORE I CLUED INTO KUWAMESHI!!!!

FUCKING HELL!!!! WHY ARE THESE TWO IDIOTS SO FUCKING NOBLE IN LOVE?!??!??!

And that in a nutshell is how our two idiots in love are in a romantic tragi-comedy all throughout canon!!!!!!

WHAT I WOULDN"T GIVE TO SEE YUSUKE AND KUWABARA GET TOGETHER I TELL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the Kuwameshi Meta Series if you wanna, because I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO SCREAM ENOUGH ABOUT THESE TWO!!!!!!

If you'd like to see them fulfill their romantic potential with each other in fic, check out The Good Fight which guarantees a much more satisfying narrative than the bittersweet one we got in canon!

Not that I'm complaining about canon, because IT IS FUCKING MASTERFUL I TELL YOU! So much so that it managed to sneak in one of the greatest love story of all time under the radar in uber conservative 90's Japan mainstream media where LGBTQ love stories were not allowed any representation, and it did it in such a rich subtextual way that holds up to the most stringent literary analysis and character analysis, that most heteronormative audiences over the past 30+ years since YYH was created still doesn't realize the real love story is between Yusuke and Kuwabara!!!

Now, THAT is Great ART! 😭😭

❤️❤️🌈🌈🐦🐦❤️❤️🌈🌈🐦🐦

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Kuwameshi Meta: Kuwabara's headspace pre-revival will break your heart, but Togashi's storytelling will make you laugh

MAN, I did not expect to be hit with the angsty feels when reading the YYH manga but Kuwabara has come swinging out of left field and stabbed me right through the heart.

If you've ever wondered:

What pre-revival Manga subtext was left out from the Anime, and how that changes things,

Why Denial runs so long and deep in Kuwa,

What first prompted Kuwa to study and whether this could overturn the conventional interpretation that Kuwa studying post-Sensui arc is for self-actualization,

What Togashi's HILARIOUS drawing of Kuwa's heart condition in manga chapter 8 actually means (that's the picture in this post 🤣),

What're some of the ways our 4 main characters parallel each other, and what that tells us about what Yusuke means to Kuwabara,

Whether OP is just a crazy fan or does OP actually have manga/anime proof points, screencaps and actual character analysis to back up the points, supplemented with actual lived experience & understanding of the human condition (I assure you I'm 100% human and not an alien from Togashi's Level E 🤣🤣),

GIRD YOUR HEARTS AND READ ON IN AO3!

I honestly thought I had "filled in the blanks" for my fic The Good Fight based off the subtext of the hilarious tragic-comedy scenes in the anime when it comes to Kuwa's grief after Yusuke's first death,

but NOPE, now that I've started on the manga, the depth of Kuwa's grief-induced depression, half-formed death wish and struggle after Yusuke's death is all right there in Togashi canon in the fricking manga subtext, and it's even more hard-hitting and blatantly Kuwameshi than my shipper brain came up with!!

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Kuwameshi meta: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back - Kuwabara's Retreat from Love!

Anyone else noticed that Kuwa was trying to avoid Yusuke in the above scene, and Kuwa had a split-second of hurt expression when Yusuke was enthusiastically seeking him out to watch the Yukina mission tape together?

Ever wondered why?

For that matter, what does canon's show-don't-tell techniques, fourth wall dialogue, the timing of Yukina’s introduction, and Kurama as a mirror character for Kuwabara tell us about what’s really going on with Kuwa when he pulled that unfunny 'prank' on Yusuke about Keiko and Botan not making it post-Suzaku fight?

What does this destroyed tower post Suzaku fight possibly have to do with it??

How is Yukina actually Kuwabara's Wintertime of Love, instead of his Springtime of Love? And how does the scene below foreshadow what will happen later on in the Kuwameshi love story?

How is the Dark Tournament itself Kuwa's Retreat from Love with Yusuke, and how did that affect Kuwa throughout?

Is it possible to be too noble in Love and are our boys the world’s noblest Idiots in Love who are willing to die for each other even when they're Retreating from Love?

Dive into the delicious subtext and the wild wild world of Denial, Transference, and Mirror characters to find out! As always, there're plenty of screencaps and proof points! Let's go!

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Expanded Kuwameshi Undercover Love Story Meta!

I've massively expanded my Kuwameshi undercover love story meta to include more Kuwameshi scenes from the anime, and added so many screencaps that I maxed out the 30 image per post limit in Tumblr and have to spill over some images here! 🤣

Included meta of body language tells, non-verbal cues & even shot framing that clue us into the Kuwameshi romantic coding!

As well as a key subtle but significant difference between why Yusuke flipped Keiko's skirt in Episode 1 vs why he jabbed Kuwa in the ass in Episode 67! 🤣

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Kuwameshi: Yusuke's Firsts ;P and his 'Identity' vs his 'Essence'

I like to think Kuwabara is the first person Yusuke has ever enjoyed fighting against, because all of Yusuke's fights beforehand were about beating off bullies & thugs who fought without honor.

Anime canon clues us into this when Yusuke tells Botan in Episode 3 that of all the people he's fought, Kuwabara is the one with the most back-bone.

Yusuke has always struck me as the kind of person who learns through experiences that emotionally resonate with him. Brawling Kuwabara in fair-&-square 1-on-1's motivates Yusuke to pitch his skills against challenges he enjoys, which gives him something positive to apply himself to other than self-destructive anger.

Winning against an honorable person like Kuwabara also makes Yusuke feel proud and good about himself for a change, which helps his low self esteem.

In other words, brawling with Kuwabara pre-canon is good for Yusuke, and no amount of nagging from Keiko or his mom to apply himself to something could have taught Yusuke this, coz their nagging inadvertently confirms Yusuke's internalised distorted view of himself as a "good-for-nothing fuck-up" and makes him feel worse about himself!

That's why their words stung him so badly that he fell into a foul mood in anime Episode 1, and then we see how just one quick brawl with Kuwabara was enough to lift Yusuke out of this black mood ! 🤣🤣🤣

I also think Yusuke trashing Kuwabara in their pre-canon challenges was a form of subconscious 'acid test' on Yusuke's part to see whether Kuwabara will give up on Yusuke as a "violent good-for-nothing" like the rest of the population.

Yusuke grew up with an alcoholic neglectful single parent who he had to take care of more than he was taken care of, so he never received much emotional care or parental love from his mom. He's had to fend for himself since he was a child, and to make matters worse, Yusuke was ostracized by most of his peers who seem to have it so much better than him in their family lives. All these have made him bitter, angry, resentful and distrusting of his peers / people in general, and he's internalised the external world's view of him as a fuck-up, which makes him even less likely to reach out to befriend others. I think all these made him feel at some level that people need to prove they are as tough as him before he gives them the time of day, at the same time he's terribly lonely and longs for friends and acceptance, but doesn't feel worthy of anyone's care and attention. My poor Yusuke😭😭😭😭!! This would have continued in a vicious cycle if Kuwabara hadn't come along with his tenacity and persistence!

When Kuwabara challenged him repeatedly, Yusuke's Emotional Armour (aka the 'Identity' we build based on our deep-seated emotional wounds & fears) tried to push Kuwabara away by trashing Kuwabara in every fight - the 'Identity' was trying to prove that everyone will abandon Yusuke eventually coz he's a "violent good-for-nothing", which fits the Identity's jaded world view of others and its internalized distorted view of Yusuke himself.

At the same time, Yusuke's Essence (his true self underneath the fear-based Identity) desperately wanted Kuwabara to stick around no matter how much of a "violent good-for-nothing" Yusuke acted like. Yusuke's Essence desperately wanted to be seen, loved, and accepted for who he really is, which is why he warned Kuwabara he was in a black mood in Episode 1 to give Kuwabara the chance to back out of the challenge. (This part of Yusuke is worried about scaring Kuwabara off).

Warning or not, Kuwabara is Yusuke's first friend who sticks around no matter how violently Yusuke pushed him away in their challenges pre-canon. Kuwabara also sees so clearly into Yusuke's Essence and innate goodness that he's the first person who voluntarily joins Yusuke on his Spirit Realm duties and sticks with Yusuke through thick and thin no matter how dangerous it got, repeatedly breaking through Yusuke's fear-based Identity to reach Yusuke's Essence, repeatedly showing Yusuke how much Kuwabara believes in him and his innate goodness. Screams! Do you see how important Kuwabara is in saving Yusuke from darker paths? How absolutely essential and vital Kuwabara is to Yusuke's character and emotional arc? Screaming, crying, flailing!!! Go go Kuwabara! Save Yusuke from self-destructing from his Identity’s distorted view of himself! 😍😍😍🤩🤩🤩

It's very telling that after Yusuke first sees into the heart of Kuwabara in Episode 3 (when Kuwabara showed Yusuke what The Good Fight off the battleground is all about, through the lengths he went to for the sake of his friend Okubo), Yusuke from then on tries to break free from his Identity's distorted view of himself as a "good-for-nothing", and tries instead to live more courageously and let his Essence shine through to "do a little good for the world". (Yusuke's words to Koenma when tasked to retrieve the 3 stolen artefacts from Goki, Kurama and Hiei).

This is massive character and emotional progress!!! And it also shows just how brave and strong Yusuke really is! Do you know how much courage it takes to discard your emotional armour and live more vulnerably as your Essence and True Self after a lifetime of the external world treating you like you're worthless? 😭😭😭😭😭It’s actually fucking scary for people with trauma. And Kuwabara's the one who moved and inspired Yusuke to take this giant leap!

So really, Kuwabara has been saving Yusuke even before the start of the anime series, simply by being Kuwabara! My Warrior of Love Kuwabara, literally getting beat up coz he's in love and that was the only way he thought he could spend time with Yusuke🤣!

It's also EXTREMELY telling that Yusuke in Kuwabara's dream in Episode 3 turned down Kuwabara's challenge to a fight, and from then on, Yusuke NEVER again raises his fists against Kuwabara throughout the rest of canon!!! Kuwabara has already earned a place in Yusuke's heart & Essence back in Episode 3, and is already someone Yusuke wants to protect! And protect Kuwabara Yusuke did, when he possesses the body of the knocked-out girl to beat off the thugs tailing Kuwabara to school 🤣🤣🤣. Yusuke went from pushing Kuwabara away in their pre-canon brawls, to cherishing Kuwabara and protecting him and keeping him close! Ahhh how romantic!!! 

We see this again and again after Yusuke returns to life, when he tries to protect Kuwabara by telling him to retire the fight against Shorin, when he decimates Rando to avenge Kuwabara, when Yusuke and Kuwabara meet up after Yusuke returns from Genkai's training, and Yusuke again turns down Kuwabara's half-hearted invitation to a fight, saying Kuwabara needs to take care of himself after healing from the serious injuries Rando inflicted. Yusuke straight out tells Kuwa the real reason he doesn't wanna fight him! And Kuwa straight out says he really wants to see Yusuke's new fighting techniques (which is the real reason he half-kiddingly challenges Yusuke to a fight to begin with)! Our boys are revealing more of their Essence to each other, rather than hiding behind their Identities' emotional armour!

I truly believe Yusuke first started falling in love with Kuwabara in Episode 3*, and has been falling deeper in love with Kuwabara ever since. (*But of course, Yusuke doesn't explicitly realize this until much later).

In short, Kuwabara is the perfect match for Yusuke coz he's the one who breaks through Yusuke's fear-based Identity to emotionally resonate deeply with Yusuke's Essence over and over again, showing Yusuke repeatedly that not only is Kuwabara going to choose Yusuke every time, Yusuke himself is more than just the "violent good-for-nothing" that he's internalized as part of his Identity over the years. He moves and inspires Yusuke to be more of Yusuke's True Self, and he spurs Yusuke to greater heights while he's being his True Self. Is it any wonder that they're so compelling together? Screams!! I just love their love story so much!!!

I could go on and on coz canon is deliciously full of Yusuke falling deeper in love with Kuwabara (and vice versus), and the two of them breaking through their fear-based Identities to live more courageously as their True Self and Essence with each other, but then this post will be even longer than it is LOL.

If you'd like to read an exploration of their Identities and Essence in an alternate canon Fic, check out The Good Fight on AO3!

If you'd like to read more about 'Identity' vs 'Essence' and how they make romance compelling, here's a good resource!

If you'd like to read why Kuwameshi is the undercover love story in YYH and how it subverts gender tropes, heteronormative romance stereotypes, and fairy tale archetypes, check this other meta out!

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Kuwameshi: it's all in the eyes

Ok did anyone else notice that Kuwabara drew eyes on the dummy he'd dressed up as Yusuke in Episode 4, back when Kuwabara thought Yusuke was permanently dead?

I laugh every time I watch this scene coz it's great comic relief 🤣, but the eyes are actually such an important detail!

Why bother drawing on eyes? For that matter why bother drawing on Yusuke's hair? Or going to the trouble of getting near-identical clothes to dress up a life-sized dummy?

It wasn't about trashing the dummy or defeating Yusuke. It was about wanting to feel like Yusuke was still alive so Kuwabara could look in his eyes one more time.

Even as he's trashing the dummy, he's asking why Yusuke had to die (anger part of grief), and wishing Yusuke can come back so he can defeat him just once (bargaining part of grief, and denial of the depth of his feelings for Yusuke).

Episode 1 itself showed us how deeply Kuwabara grieved Yusuke's death. Literally nothing could keep Kuwabara from reaching Yusuke's side - not social norms, embarrassment to be seen openly crying by his schoolmates, the judgmental looks from others at the wake, or his close friends' pleas and combined strength weighing Kuwabara down. Kuwabara openly cried in front of all his schoolmates and straight out pleaded with Yusuke to come back! No 14 year old boy would do that unless their hearts were broken and they were devastated out of their minds.

In other words, Episodes 1 & 4 are not the actions of someone just grieving the loss of a rival, a casual friend, or even a close friend. It's the grief from losing a special someone you're secretly in love with, so secretly in fact, that you haven't even fully admitted it to yourself.

Poor Kuwabara was so in denial of the depth of his feelings for Yusuke, that he had to qualify all his pleas for Yusuke to come back, by pretending even to himself that it's coz he wants to defeat Yusuke 😭😭😭.

It took until Yusuke's second death at Sensui's hands for Kuwabara to break through his denial, to admit to himself (and outloud) that it was never about defeating Yusuke. His challenges were just an excuse to be with Yusuke in whatever way he could! He was over the moon when Yusuke first called him by name! His heart gets so excited when he's with Yusuke! He'd do anything to be with Yusuke, even if it involves getting repeatedly beat up, and then repeatedly put in life-or-death danger! He'd rip through dimensions with his mind, burn down the whole world to follow Yusuke into death! 😭

If that's not the actions of someone in love, I don't know what is 😭😭😭

In other words, Kuwabara fell head-over-heels in love with Yusuke even before the anime started, and he's been falling deeper ever since. You simply do not follow someone to hell and back so many times, or lay down your life for them so many times, unless you were irrevocably, truly, madly, deeply in love. You cannot convince me otherwise. 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Come scream about them with me in my fic The Good Fight which makes the subtext the main text with canon expanding additions! Most chapter's end notes has more meta about the canon subtext that inspired the fic!

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That time Togashi sneaked in a same-sex Soul Bond romance in Shonen Jump, in 90's uber-conservative Japan 😆❤️❤️

Somebody give Togashi a friggin' award for the Sneakiest Genius to ever Sneak, coz I'm not even kidding, he straight out created Kuwameshi as a Soul Bond romance in the subtext of YYH, where he tells us the real story is hidden! 🤩🤣😍

Full meta's on AO3 with proof points & screenshots, but here's the teaser!

When put together, Yusuke 幽助 and Kazuma 和真 means Souls (幽) in True Harmony (和真) who Help (助) each other which our heroes continually do throughout canon!

Kuwabara's last name is drawn from the Japanese phrase "kuwabara kuwabara" くわばら くわばら to ward off lightning aka Bad Things like death, danger and bad luck, but written with the characters for Mulberry Field 桑原 instead, and GUESS WHAT - Mulberry has Divine significance in Japanese culture, is associated with the Sun God (Kuwa’s Reiki is Gold, like the sun), and items made from Mulberry wood are traditionally gifted to Japanese royalty, which Yusuke turns out to be!

I know Togashi claims he came up with the Mulberry Field 桑原 characters for Kuwa's last name by combining characters from baseball players' names, and he very well may have done so, but considering the depth of Mulberry references throughout canon that we'll see in the full meta, you be the judge whether Togashi was also thinking of Mulberry's connotations when he picked these characters!

Especially since at the end of the manga, there's a lot of seemingly throwaway lines about how both the Sky and the Sea are the same blue color, and how Yusuke told a half-truth about his real reason for picking the blue button in the 3-buttons mission! (This deserves its own meta another time!)

I read this as 4th wall hint that Togashi was drawing from both Mulberry's divine symbolism and baseball players' names when he picked the characters for Kuwa's name, but he told a half-truth that he was only thinking of the baseball players! 🤣

Given the double Divine Protector symbolism in Kuwa's last name (from lightning ward and Mulberry) and the True Harmony meaning of his first name, Kuwa's literally made by his creator to be Yusuke's Divine Patron Saint who protects Yusuke from Bad Things coz Kuwa's in True Harmony (True Love) with Yusuke!

I read Yusuke's Good Luck in his fights throughout Genkai's succession trials as Kuwa's High Reiki unconsciously or semi-consciously increasing Yusuke’s Good Luck to save Yusuke from death or serious injury, as per the mini meta in the End Notes of The Good Fight Chapter 7!

Even if you choose not to take this read, who can forget Kuwa's SOUL literally left his body to save Yusuke from the demon fish in Rando fight? 🤯

Seriously, I L❤️‍🔥ve Togashi's audacious True Harmony soul bond subtext! 🤣

Yusuke literally gets struck by Suzaku's lightning, tortured and nearly killed the minute he's separated from Kuwa in 4 beasts arc - more signs that Kuwa really is Yusuke’s Divine Protector who's been warding off lightning (Bad Things) from Yusuke just by being there, and their separation has immediate catastrophic impact on Yusuke coz Yusuke's not yet strong enough to fend off these threats on his own!

There’re SO MANY times when Yusuke's opponents are outright surprised that Yusuke somehow has Reiki reserves when he shouldn't have any left, or they straight out say Yusuke's protected by stronger Reiki than expected (e.g. Rando fight, Suzaku fight, Toguro fight) - I read this as canon BOTH foreshadowing Yusuke's Mazoku heritage AND hinting that Kuwa's protecting Yusuke as his Divine Patron Saint by contributing his Reiki to Yusuke through their True Harmony Soul Bond connection! 

Of course, this can be read as just Yusuke's Mazoku heritage giving him deep Reiki reserves & protection, but consider this! Yusuke's Mazoku Reiki is Red! In all these instances when Yusuke has unexpected Reiki reserves, his Reiki is BLUE!

Guess what else is the exact same blue? Kuwa's SOUL is literally blue when he saved Yusuke from the demon fish in Rando fight, and immediately afterwards, Yusuke escapes the demon fish in a spectacular explosion of Blue Reiki, the same color as Kuwa's SOUL! We only see Kuwa's Soul return to his body after Yusuke escapes!

In final Toguro fight in the Dark Tournament, after anime Yusuke fires his last Rei Gun and has no Reiki left, Hiei tells us Rei Gun's power is still going after leaving Yusuke's finger! There's a mysterious background music when this happens, and key characters look surprised! I read this as Kuwa (who was playing dead 🤣) contributing his Reiki to Rei Gun!

Their Reiki literally becomes ONE after Kuwa gives his lifeforce to save Yusuke post Suzaku fight as per the pics at start of this post! and it's Gold, Green, and Blue to represent Kuwa, Yusuke, and their Soul Bond respectively!

Reiki is basically the energy of your heart, spirit and SOUL, so this is canon visually showing us they have a True Harmony Soul Bond!

Just look at how epic our heroes are with their ONE Reiki!

Greek culture even has a star-crossed lovers story associated with Mulberry trees (which inspired Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet), where the lovers are thwarted by family circumstances, life-threatening danger, bad timing, and one party jumping prematurely to the wrong conclusion, which then leads the other party to follow suit -- all these elements appear in the Kuwameshi Love Story! Proof points in full meta!

The COUNTLESS times Yusuke and Kuwabara are in sync and mirror images of each other, and how they’re literally Two Souls in One Body when Yusuke possesses Kuwa’s body pre-revival, and then One Soul in Two Bodies for the rest of canon when Kuwa stands with Yusuke through thick-&-thin, and Yusuke follows Kuwa's moral code right back, eventually setting up the Makai Unification Tournament with Kuwa's 1-1 fight code, which prevents an all-out war, all its unnecessary bloodshed, and brings about Peace!

Preventing a war that's hundreds of years in the making is as good as Divine Intervention warding off catastrophe, just like saying "Kuwabara Kuwabara" wards off death and lightning strikes!

Even birds as symbol for Kuwameshi romance has Divine connotations in real-world Japan!

Given the massive weight of evidence that we see in the full meta, what else is Togashi showing us, other than two lovers forging a Soul Bond and becoming ONE?

Sacred Mulberry wood symbolically expels evil in real-world Japanese rituals, same as how Kuwabara (literally Mulberry Field) expels the "evil" of Yusuke's inner demons from Yusuke's heart, the inner demons being Yusuke's distorted view of himself as a "bad, violent, good-for-nothing fuck-up unworthy of love", deep emotional pain, anger, and self-loathing.

There's even a manga pre-revival story (the 2 female best friends) that parallels this! Not to mention Kuwa literally manifests his Gold Rei Ken for first time using a broken piece of Musashi's wooden sword made from sacred wood!

And in the manga pre-revival story of the Old Man & the Raccoon, a wooden branch prevented the trap from closing fully around the raccon, thus preventing death or serious injury, foreshadowing how Kuwa likewise prevents the trap of the Dark Tournament from closing fully around Yusuke, preventing death of Yusuke's SOUL and True Self! Sacred wood, divine providence, and soul references abound throughout canon! Deets in full meta!

What is True Harmony, other than another way to say Soul Bond?🤣

If you'd like to read how our heroes forged their Soul Bond in an Alternate Canon fic which has no constraints on what we can show in the main text, try The Good Fight on AO3! Most chapters have End Notes that gush about the canon subtext that inspired it!

If you're as intrigued by canon subtext as me, read the full meta for the mind-blowing depth and details! As always, meta is based on the canon versions that hew as close to original Japanese canon as a non-Japanese speaker can get!

Now on to the mind-blowing symbolism of Mulberry (kuwa 桑) in Kuwabara's last name!