fandom specific ranting
Jul. 30th, 2005 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
onemuseleftYes, I'm ranting about YYH again. You guys sick of hearing from me yet?
All right, YYH fandom. Let's chat. Generic "you" of course.
The series is more or less a straight line until you hit the end. With the exception of the three year absence at the end, there's very, very little time in which to fit world-altering events. Hell, look at The Poltergeist Reports (the movie) and how hard it is to fit that into canon. It must take place after the end of the Dark Tournament, because of the presence of the Black Dragon and Kurama's Youko form, but it also takes place before the Sensui Arc because Yuusuke is still human and Kurama cannot transform at will. However, the Sensui Arc started about five seconds after the Dark Tournament ended (actually, about a day or so). Just to top things off, Kuwabara's reiki had gone dormant following the Dark Tournament because his sixth sense had sensed the coming storm and was slowly building his strength and preparing for it – which means, basically, that there's no way Kuwabara could be running around waving his reiken in The Poltergeist Reports. A little creative thinking will get you past this – or at least let you find a loophole or two (Kuwabara purged his reiki fighting Majari in The Poltergeist Reports so you can pretend that he lost it then, but it still doesn't really fit) – but the entire series is more or less like this. Think about when your story is set. Kuwabara can't be using the Dimensional Sword during the Rescue Yukina Arc. Yuusuke can't transform into his Mazoku form during the Dark Tournament. And for god's sake people, Kurama cannot transform before the Dark Tournament at all. Ever. No matter how much you want him to. Got it? So think. Is it even possible for what you're describing to have happened at the time you've set it?
Arcs:
The Spirit Detective Arc (also known as the Spirit World Arc, the Resurrection Arc): In which Yuusuke dies, runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, learns a few lessons, decides that Kuwabara's not that bad after all, talks to dead people, kisses Kuwabara, kisses Keiko and eventually gets reborn. Yuusuke has only limited use of his reiki and has never even heard of Kurama and Hiei.
The Artifacts of Power: In which Kurama and Hiei show up. As evil, criminal, bad guys. Yuusuke's job is to kick their asses, not make out with them. They stole items of extreme power from the Spirit World, and Koenma wants them back. They are also, it should be noted, killing humans, or at least they were accessories to the fact, since their third teammate went around slaughtering children. Neither of them seemed to object much. Please note and consider for future characterization. Thank you.) Yes, Yuusuke finds out that Kurama had a good reason for doing what he did, but that doesn't change the rest of it.
Genkai Arc: (also, The New Apprentice or the Rando Arc) In which Yuusuke meets Genkai, and we find out that Kuwabara has some l337 skillz of his own. Kurama and Hiei do not appear, because they are in prison. Thank you.
The Four Beasts: In which Yuusuke gets sent to the Makai to fight four powerful demons who are making Koenma's life difficult. Kuwabara shows back up because his psychic powers let him see that things are going wacky and he wants to help. Kurama and Hiei show up because Koenma said he'd let them out of prison if they served him. Hiei bitches about this a lot. Kurama looks rueful. Features the first meeting of Hiei and Kuwabara, in which they snipe at one another. Sadly, this first meeting will serve as the only canon instance of interaction that most fangirls will ever consider when writing this relationship. (Hiei compliments Kuwabara and expresses concern for him in this arc, but no one ever notices that, oh no.) Also the first use of the Rose Whip, the girliest attack to ever kick demon ass.
Rescue Yukina: In which Hiei gets made into Koenma's messenger boy, Kuwabara falls in love with Yukina, and we find out that Shizuru Kuwabara has psychic powers. Also, the revelation that Yukina is Hiei's little sister is divulged to everyone but Kuwabara, who manages to remain ignorant of this fact pretty much forever. Toguro is introduced.
Three months pass between Rescue Yukina and Dark Tournament, but since Yuusuke's off training with Genkai for the entire time, and the other three spend a lot of time preparing, it's hard to fit an adventure in here unless A) you acknowledge that they are preparing for the tournament and B) Yuusuke is not present.
The Dark Tournament: In which the guys fight lots of demons. Toguro is revealed for what he is, The Black Dragon appears, Kurama's youko form is revealed, Genkai dies, Kuwabara dies, Yuusuke temporarily looses his mind and kills someone for the first time, and many minor characters are introduced who will later return. We learn a lot about the Makai here.
This arc is also hugely important for the group dynamic. This is the first arc where they're really a team, where they really start to be friends. They haven't known each other very long, remember. Kuwabara and Yuusuke have known each other for some time, and worked on three separate missions together, but they weren't especially close before that. Also, Kuwabara's only worked with Hiei and Kurama once, and Yuusuke's only worked with them twice. Kurama and Hiei are friends with each other, but really, I'd say they were more like teammates – and anyway, Kurama was in the doghouse for that whole "betraying Hiei to the humans and getting their butts throw in jail" thing. So this tournament is a major, major factor in what made them a team. You cannot ignore that.
This is the arc where Koenma mentions that he's thinking of making Kuwabara a part of the team. Kuwabara was not a reikai tantei before this – he just helped Yuusuke on his own. Kurama and Hiei were not reikai tantei before this, they were criminals. Okay? Okay. Technically only Yuusuke is an actual reikai tantei.
Sensui Arc: In which the boys get taken down a peg, find out the world is about to end, meet an ex-reikai tantei with split personalities, Kuwabara develops the Dimensional Sword, Kurama transforms to youko form at will and Yuusuke dies. Again.
This arc kicks so much ass for character interaction alone. The plot is gravy, but it's very, very good gravy. This is probably the darkest, most sweeping arc yet. Everyone changes by the end.
A few days/week or so pass at the end of this arc, but again, any adventure set during this gap will be sans Yuusuke, as he is off training, and sans Kuwabara as he promised Shizuru he'd behave for a while. Kurama and Hiei could, plausibly, wander off and get into trouble for a little while, as long as their were no sweeping consequences.
The Three Kingdoms (also Bandits and Kings, the Demon World Arc, the Demon Tournament Arc): Yuusuke goes to the demon world to learn more about his abilities and heritage, accompanied by Kurama and Hiei who were invited back by other demon lords. Kuwabara, being human, remains behind. The three of them end up fighting against each other as the top players in the demon realm battle it out to decide who will be the ruler.
It should be noted, that we know nothing about what Kuwabara is up to during this time, except that he studied his brains out and got into a prep school. You could have all sorts of fun with Kuwabara during this time – not that anyone but me ever writes about Kuwabara, but the possibility is there.
The last episode of the series is set three years after the beginning of the Three Kingdoms. Again, you could place adventures in here, but since Hiei and Yuusuke are in Demon world for these three years, while Kuwabara is in the human world, and Kurama goes back and forth, well, it limits your use of available characters. Kuwabara and Yuusuke do not see each other for three years. So you can't write an adventure where they both appear. Ditto for Kuwabara and Hiei (again, not that anyone ever cares about Kuwabara being there anyway…). Keiko hasn't seen Yuusuke in three years, either. Kurama and Hiei could conceivably get into trouble, as could Hiei and Yuusuke, or even the three of them. Kurama and Kuwabara could have wacky adventures in the human world.
There's a really cute scene on the beach. Then the series ends. At the end, the three demons have the ability to travel back and forth between the two worlds, so at that point, pretty much anything goes. Post-series you can do almost anything.
This is what you have to work with. Please, plan your fanfic accordingly.
On characters.
Powerful does not equal perfect, nor is it synonymous with unbeatable. All the guys are very powerful, but they all have their weaknesses, too.
Kurama is powerful, smart, cunning and experienced. But, he's not physically strong when compared to others. Kuwabara and Yuusuke are both stronger than Kurama, in terms of brute force. Kurama also tends to be susceptible to psychological manipulation. He can be blackmailed. Mind you, that'll only go so far, and it will make him more likely to kill you when he's done, but it can be done. He will place himself at risk if you threaten someone he loves, such as his mother. Also, Kurama is currently in a human body. He was reborn in a human body after his youko body was killed. What does this mean? It means that if you can seal his youki, then he will be much easier to deal with.
Hiei is very powerful and very smart. He is incredibly fast, and is a superior swordsman. He has control of a weapon that can level buildings. He also has a temper that gets him into trouble, a little more faith in his own strength than is really warranted, and a healthy does of arrogance. He cares little for humans, but it's okay, because he cares little for demons as well. Hiei cares about Hiei. Also Yukina, and eventually, his teammates. He fights for the human world because it's where Yukina lives – not because deep down inside he thinks humans are cool. Hiei could quit the human world with little to no regrets, and in fact, that's just what he did.
Kuwabara is limited by the simple fact that he's human. He is the least powerful member of the team (not to be mistaken with weakest, thank you). Pyshically I'd say he was stronger than Kurama, but not Hiei or Yuusuke. In terms of spiritual power, he's one of the most powerful humans in the world – which doesn't add up to much when you pit him against the most powerful demons of the demon world. Kuwabara is prideful, a little arrogant, and he does not like to lose. He's not a great student, but he's not stupid. Kuwabara will die to protect someone he's just met, which isn’t always the best way of going about things. Feels things strongly and reacts accordingly. Temper to rival Hiei's, but more easily calmed.
Yuusuke's a flaming psycho nutjob, okay? But we love him. He's the strongest physically, and in terms of raw power. Yuusuke, despite not being as pretty as Kurama or having as much raw sex appeal as Hiei, is more powerful than they are. All right? He is not, however, smarter than they are. Yuusuke isn't exactly the most observant guy – see the Sensui Arc, wherein Sensui gets Yuusuke with the same attack several times in a row. Yuusuke isn't much for tactics, planning or strategy. Yuusuke's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness – his friends. Toguro kills Kuwabara because he knows that the grief will force Yuusuke to fight ten times harder than he ever has before in order to protect Kurama and Hiei from the same fate. He's a punk kid who was forced to grow up very fast.
He's also a middle school dropout, so please stop writing "Yuusuke goes to college" fics without some serious explanation.
On attacks and powers
Just a few notes on this one:
Kuwabara is not a bumbling moron. Hiei trained him in swordsmanship. Kurama trained him in tactics. And he spent months fist fighting with Urameshi Yuusuke, the undisputed king of brawling. He's strong enough to knock down a tree with his bare hands and no spiritual power, and he survived having someone punch a hole through his chest. He's a psychic, and according to Genkai, he has potential in spellcasting (or the YYH equivalent). None of that screams incompetent to me. He is psychic – he has seen the future on occasion, and he can speak with his teammates telepathically. Also, in the beginning, he's the only one who can sense approaching demons or humans with reiki. Yuusuke did not develop this power for some time.
Kurama is not a wimp. He's at least a thousand years old, has survived the makai and the ningenkai, and has a reputation that leads other demons to fear even the sound of his name. You know who else is so scary that people fear the sound of his name? Voldemort. Except Kurama would kick Voldemort's ass, but I digress. Kurama also cannot attack people with his youki as Yuusuke and Kuwabara can. He can use his youki to manipulate plants and growing things, but he cannot form a ball of youki and blast someone with it.
Hiei is not a dragon. He controls a black dragon, and uses it as a weapon. The dragon is pretty unhappy about this, just for the record. Once unleashed, controlling it enough to direct it at his enemies, and the resealing it, takes most if not all of his strength, and he can't always keep it on target. His hellfire attacks are not related to the dragon – he always had those. The Jagan was surgically added to help him find Yukina – he was not born with it, and the psychic abilities it gives him are not natural.
Yuusuke is not a monster. Yuusuke can level mountains. Yuusuke can kick a hole through a steel door. Yuusuke had a lot of trouble controlling his demon powers when he first inherited them. Yuusuke is not a monster. I have nothing else to say about the subject. Just... Jesus. Watch the show.
On Relationships
I'm just going over some of the ones that most often seem to be ignored or trivialized.
Togashi says he enjoys writing about relationships more than he enjoys writing about fighting. Considering the sheer amount of butt-kicking that goes on in this series, we are left to assume that Togashi enjoys relationships a lot.
Yuusuke and Keiko: Love each other. It's a childhood friendship which gradually grew into love. Keiko is supportive and understanding. Yuusuke protects her at every opportunity. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to write them getting married and living happily ever after - you can write any damn thing you want. But please, don't turn Keiko into a screaming banshee, or have Yuusuke talking about how he never really loved her anyway. Keiko deserves better, and so does your story.
Yuusuke and Kuwabara: Talk about an interesting relationship. In the beginning, if you told Yuusuke that he and Kuwabara were going to be best friends and would die for each other, Yuusuke would have laughed in your face and possibly spit on you. Then asked for some of whatever you were smoking. They were not what we would call close. Kuwabara detested Yuusuke as a human being, but admired his skills as a fighter and wanted to prove himself by defeating Yuusuke in a fair fight. Yuusuke largely regarded Kuwabara as a really big annoyance. Despite that, when Yuusuke died, Kuwabara was upset. When Kuwabara was threatened by a crooked teacher and punks from another school, Yuusuke defended him.
Kuwabara and Hiei: They don't get along, and they probably never will. But that doesn't mean that Hiei would kill Kuwabara or vice versa. When Kuwabara falls into the lava fighting Byakko, Hiei is concerned. When Kuwabara appears to have been killed by Toguro, Hiei runs to his side. When Hiei is weakened fighting one of Yakumo's demon lords, Kuwabara carries him so that he won't be left behind. They do not hate each other. They just don't like each other very much.
Hiei and Kurama: Ah, the fine line between friendship and slash. Just remember, please. They're demons. They are not human, they're demons. Demons, people. Something tells me that demons probably have different standards of relationships than we do, be they sexual in nature or not. Please take this into account. Thank you.
Shizuru and Kuwabara: Yes, they fight, but they are siblings. I have a kid brother and I'm much meaner to him than Shizuru is to Kuwabara. But I'd still stick my head in the noose for him, and she would too. They are very close, she worries about him, and he looks up to her. Shizuru does not think her brother is worthless, and if I read one more fic where she mocks him and genuinely thinks he is a loser, I will despair. I really will.
Hiei and Yuusuke: These two are fun. Two hot-tempered show-offs who don't know when to quit. Hiei's respect for Yuusuke comes laregely – at first, anyway – from the fact that Yuusuke is stronger than he is. It's possible that if Yuusuke ever proved himself weaker than Hiei, than their relationship would change drastically. Please note that Hiei willingly followed Yuusuke before we found out that he was a mazoku. His demon blood is not the only reason that Hiei admires him.
Yuusuke and Koenma: Okay, there's a fair amount of master and servant going on, but toward the end of the series, you can genuinely call them friends. Koenma risks the wrath of his father, a God, to protect Yuusuke from assassination. Anyway, just watch the scene on the swingset. They're very cute. ^_^
Okay, I'm going to stop now, because this got ridiculously long. Just... check your facts, please?
All right, YYH fandom. Let's chat. Generic "you" of course.
The series is more or less a straight line until you hit the end. With the exception of the three year absence at the end, there's very, very little time in which to fit world-altering events. Hell, look at The Poltergeist Reports (the movie) and how hard it is to fit that into canon. It must take place after the end of the Dark Tournament, because of the presence of the Black Dragon and Kurama's Youko form, but it also takes place before the Sensui Arc because Yuusuke is still human and Kurama cannot transform at will. However, the Sensui Arc started about five seconds after the Dark Tournament ended (actually, about a day or so). Just to top things off, Kuwabara's reiki had gone dormant following the Dark Tournament because his sixth sense had sensed the coming storm and was slowly building his strength and preparing for it – which means, basically, that there's no way Kuwabara could be running around waving his reiken in The Poltergeist Reports. A little creative thinking will get you past this – or at least let you find a loophole or two (Kuwabara purged his reiki fighting Majari in The Poltergeist Reports so you can pretend that he lost it then, but it still doesn't really fit) – but the entire series is more or less like this. Think about when your story is set. Kuwabara can't be using the Dimensional Sword during the Rescue Yukina Arc. Yuusuke can't transform into his Mazoku form during the Dark Tournament. And for god's sake people, Kurama cannot transform before the Dark Tournament at all. Ever. No matter how much you want him to. Got it? So think. Is it even possible for what you're describing to have happened at the time you've set it?
Arcs:
The Spirit Detective Arc (also known as the Spirit World Arc, the Resurrection Arc): In which Yuusuke dies, runs around like a chicken with his head cut off, learns a few lessons, decides that Kuwabara's not that bad after all, talks to dead people, kisses Kuwabara, kisses Keiko and eventually gets reborn. Yuusuke has only limited use of his reiki and has never even heard of Kurama and Hiei.
The Artifacts of Power: In which Kurama and Hiei show up. As evil, criminal, bad guys. Yuusuke's job is to kick their asses, not make out with them. They stole items of extreme power from the Spirit World, and Koenma wants them back. They are also, it should be noted, killing humans, or at least they were accessories to the fact, since their third teammate went around slaughtering children. Neither of them seemed to object much. Please note and consider for future characterization. Thank you.) Yes, Yuusuke finds out that Kurama had a good reason for doing what he did, but that doesn't change the rest of it.
Genkai Arc: (also, The New Apprentice or the Rando Arc) In which Yuusuke meets Genkai, and we find out that Kuwabara has some l337 skillz of his own. Kurama and Hiei do not appear, because they are in prison. Thank you.
The Four Beasts: In which Yuusuke gets sent to the Makai to fight four powerful demons who are making Koenma's life difficult. Kuwabara shows back up because his psychic powers let him see that things are going wacky and he wants to help. Kurama and Hiei show up because Koenma said he'd let them out of prison if they served him. Hiei bitches about this a lot. Kurama looks rueful. Features the first meeting of Hiei and Kuwabara, in which they snipe at one another. Sadly, this first meeting will serve as the only canon instance of interaction that most fangirls will ever consider when writing this relationship. (Hiei compliments Kuwabara and expresses concern for him in this arc, but no one ever notices that, oh no.) Also the first use of the Rose Whip, the girliest attack to ever kick demon ass.
Rescue Yukina: In which Hiei gets made into Koenma's messenger boy, Kuwabara falls in love with Yukina, and we find out that Shizuru Kuwabara has psychic powers. Also, the revelation that Yukina is Hiei's little sister is divulged to everyone but Kuwabara, who manages to remain ignorant of this fact pretty much forever. Toguro is introduced.
Three months pass between Rescue Yukina and Dark Tournament, but since Yuusuke's off training with Genkai for the entire time, and the other three spend a lot of time preparing, it's hard to fit an adventure in here unless A) you acknowledge that they are preparing for the tournament and B) Yuusuke is not present.
The Dark Tournament: In which the guys fight lots of demons. Toguro is revealed for what he is, The Black Dragon appears, Kurama's youko form is revealed, Genkai dies, Kuwabara dies, Yuusuke temporarily looses his mind and kills someone for the first time, and many minor characters are introduced who will later return. We learn a lot about the Makai here.
This arc is also hugely important for the group dynamic. This is the first arc where they're really a team, where they really start to be friends. They haven't known each other very long, remember. Kuwabara and Yuusuke have known each other for some time, and worked on three separate missions together, but they weren't especially close before that. Also, Kuwabara's only worked with Hiei and Kurama once, and Yuusuke's only worked with them twice. Kurama and Hiei are friends with each other, but really, I'd say they were more like teammates – and anyway, Kurama was in the doghouse for that whole "betraying Hiei to the humans and getting their butts throw in jail" thing. So this tournament is a major, major factor in what made them a team. You cannot ignore that.
This is the arc where Koenma mentions that he's thinking of making Kuwabara a part of the team. Kuwabara was not a reikai tantei before this – he just helped Yuusuke on his own. Kurama and Hiei were not reikai tantei before this, they were criminals. Okay? Okay. Technically only Yuusuke is an actual reikai tantei.
Sensui Arc: In which the boys get taken down a peg, find out the world is about to end, meet an ex-reikai tantei with split personalities, Kuwabara develops the Dimensional Sword, Kurama transforms to youko form at will and Yuusuke dies. Again.
This arc kicks so much ass for character interaction alone. The plot is gravy, but it's very, very good gravy. This is probably the darkest, most sweeping arc yet. Everyone changes by the end.
A few days/week or so pass at the end of this arc, but again, any adventure set during this gap will be sans Yuusuke, as he is off training, and sans Kuwabara as he promised Shizuru he'd behave for a while. Kurama and Hiei could, plausibly, wander off and get into trouble for a little while, as long as their were no sweeping consequences.
The Three Kingdoms (also Bandits and Kings, the Demon World Arc, the Demon Tournament Arc): Yuusuke goes to the demon world to learn more about his abilities and heritage, accompanied by Kurama and Hiei who were invited back by other demon lords. Kuwabara, being human, remains behind. The three of them end up fighting against each other as the top players in the demon realm battle it out to decide who will be the ruler.
It should be noted, that we know nothing about what Kuwabara is up to during this time, except that he studied his brains out and got into a prep school. You could have all sorts of fun with Kuwabara during this time – not that anyone but me ever writes about Kuwabara, but the possibility is there.
The last episode of the series is set three years after the beginning of the Three Kingdoms. Again, you could place adventures in here, but since Hiei and Yuusuke are in Demon world for these three years, while Kuwabara is in the human world, and Kurama goes back and forth, well, it limits your use of available characters. Kuwabara and Yuusuke do not see each other for three years. So you can't write an adventure where they both appear. Ditto for Kuwabara and Hiei (again, not that anyone ever cares about Kuwabara being there anyway…). Keiko hasn't seen Yuusuke in three years, either. Kurama and Hiei could conceivably get into trouble, as could Hiei and Yuusuke, or even the three of them. Kurama and Kuwabara could have wacky adventures in the human world.
There's a really cute scene on the beach. Then the series ends. At the end, the three demons have the ability to travel back and forth between the two worlds, so at that point, pretty much anything goes. Post-series you can do almost anything.
This is what you have to work with. Please, plan your fanfic accordingly.
On characters.
Powerful does not equal perfect, nor is it synonymous with unbeatable. All the guys are very powerful, but they all have their weaknesses, too.
Kurama is powerful, smart, cunning and experienced. But, he's not physically strong when compared to others. Kuwabara and Yuusuke are both stronger than Kurama, in terms of brute force. Kurama also tends to be susceptible to psychological manipulation. He can be blackmailed. Mind you, that'll only go so far, and it will make him more likely to kill you when he's done, but it can be done. He will place himself at risk if you threaten someone he loves, such as his mother. Also, Kurama is currently in a human body. He was reborn in a human body after his youko body was killed. What does this mean? It means that if you can seal his youki, then he will be much easier to deal with.
Hiei is very powerful and very smart. He is incredibly fast, and is a superior swordsman. He has control of a weapon that can level buildings. He also has a temper that gets him into trouble, a little more faith in his own strength than is really warranted, and a healthy does of arrogance. He cares little for humans, but it's okay, because he cares little for demons as well. Hiei cares about Hiei. Also Yukina, and eventually, his teammates. He fights for the human world because it's where Yukina lives – not because deep down inside he thinks humans are cool. Hiei could quit the human world with little to no regrets, and in fact, that's just what he did.
Kuwabara is limited by the simple fact that he's human. He is the least powerful member of the team (not to be mistaken with weakest, thank you). Pyshically I'd say he was stronger than Kurama, but not Hiei or Yuusuke. In terms of spiritual power, he's one of the most powerful humans in the world – which doesn't add up to much when you pit him against the most powerful demons of the demon world. Kuwabara is prideful, a little arrogant, and he does not like to lose. He's not a great student, but he's not stupid. Kuwabara will die to protect someone he's just met, which isn’t always the best way of going about things. Feels things strongly and reacts accordingly. Temper to rival Hiei's, but more easily calmed.
Yuusuke's a flaming psycho nutjob, okay? But we love him. He's the strongest physically, and in terms of raw power. Yuusuke, despite not being as pretty as Kurama or having as much raw sex appeal as Hiei, is more powerful than they are. All right? He is not, however, smarter than they are. Yuusuke isn't exactly the most observant guy – see the Sensui Arc, wherein Sensui gets Yuusuke with the same attack several times in a row. Yuusuke isn't much for tactics, planning or strategy. Yuusuke's greatest strength is also his greatest weakness – his friends. Toguro kills Kuwabara because he knows that the grief will force Yuusuke to fight ten times harder than he ever has before in order to protect Kurama and Hiei from the same fate. He's a punk kid who was forced to grow up very fast.
He's also a middle school dropout, so please stop writing "Yuusuke goes to college" fics without some serious explanation.
On attacks and powers
Just a few notes on this one:
Kuwabara is not a bumbling moron. Hiei trained him in swordsmanship. Kurama trained him in tactics. And he spent months fist fighting with Urameshi Yuusuke, the undisputed king of brawling. He's strong enough to knock down a tree with his bare hands and no spiritual power, and he survived having someone punch a hole through his chest. He's a psychic, and according to Genkai, he has potential in spellcasting (or the YYH equivalent). None of that screams incompetent to me. He is psychic – he has seen the future on occasion, and he can speak with his teammates telepathically. Also, in the beginning, he's the only one who can sense approaching demons or humans with reiki. Yuusuke did not develop this power for some time.
Kurama is not a wimp. He's at least a thousand years old, has survived the makai and the ningenkai, and has a reputation that leads other demons to fear even the sound of his name. You know who else is so scary that people fear the sound of his name? Voldemort. Except Kurama would kick Voldemort's ass, but I digress. Kurama also cannot attack people with his youki as Yuusuke and Kuwabara can. He can use his youki to manipulate plants and growing things, but he cannot form a ball of youki and blast someone with it.
Hiei is not a dragon. He controls a black dragon, and uses it as a weapon. The dragon is pretty unhappy about this, just for the record. Once unleashed, controlling it enough to direct it at his enemies, and the resealing it, takes most if not all of his strength, and he can't always keep it on target. His hellfire attacks are not related to the dragon – he always had those. The Jagan was surgically added to help him find Yukina – he was not born with it, and the psychic abilities it gives him are not natural.
Yuusuke is not a monster. Yuusuke can level mountains. Yuusuke can kick a hole through a steel door. Yuusuke had a lot of trouble controlling his demon powers when he first inherited them. Yuusuke is not a monster. I have nothing else to say about the subject. Just... Jesus. Watch the show.
On Relationships
I'm just going over some of the ones that most often seem to be ignored or trivialized.
Togashi says he enjoys writing about relationships more than he enjoys writing about fighting. Considering the sheer amount of butt-kicking that goes on in this series, we are left to assume that Togashi enjoys relationships a lot.
Yuusuke and Keiko: Love each other. It's a childhood friendship which gradually grew into love. Keiko is supportive and understanding. Yuusuke protects her at every opportunity. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to write them getting married and living happily ever after - you can write any damn thing you want. But please, don't turn Keiko into a screaming banshee, or have Yuusuke talking about how he never really loved her anyway. Keiko deserves better, and so does your story.
Yuusuke and Kuwabara: Talk about an interesting relationship. In the beginning, if you told Yuusuke that he and Kuwabara were going to be best friends and would die for each other, Yuusuke would have laughed in your face and possibly spit on you. Then asked for some of whatever you were smoking. They were not what we would call close. Kuwabara detested Yuusuke as a human being, but admired his skills as a fighter and wanted to prove himself by defeating Yuusuke in a fair fight. Yuusuke largely regarded Kuwabara as a really big annoyance. Despite that, when Yuusuke died, Kuwabara was upset. When Kuwabara was threatened by a crooked teacher and punks from another school, Yuusuke defended him.
Kuwabara and Hiei: They don't get along, and they probably never will. But that doesn't mean that Hiei would kill Kuwabara or vice versa. When Kuwabara falls into the lava fighting Byakko, Hiei is concerned. When Kuwabara appears to have been killed by Toguro, Hiei runs to his side. When Hiei is weakened fighting one of Yakumo's demon lords, Kuwabara carries him so that he won't be left behind. They do not hate each other. They just don't like each other very much.
Hiei and Kurama: Ah, the fine line between friendship and slash. Just remember, please. They're demons. They are not human, they're demons. Demons, people. Something tells me that demons probably have different standards of relationships than we do, be they sexual in nature or not. Please take this into account. Thank you.
Shizuru and Kuwabara: Yes, they fight, but they are siblings. I have a kid brother and I'm much meaner to him than Shizuru is to Kuwabara. But I'd still stick my head in the noose for him, and she would too. They are very close, she worries about him, and he looks up to her. Shizuru does not think her brother is worthless, and if I read one more fic where she mocks him and genuinely thinks he is a loser, I will despair. I really will.
Hiei and Yuusuke: These two are fun. Two hot-tempered show-offs who don't know when to quit. Hiei's respect for Yuusuke comes laregely – at first, anyway – from the fact that Yuusuke is stronger than he is. It's possible that if Yuusuke ever proved himself weaker than Hiei, than their relationship would change drastically. Please note that Hiei willingly followed Yuusuke before we found out that he was a mazoku. His demon blood is not the only reason that Hiei admires him.
Yuusuke and Koenma: Okay, there's a fair amount of master and servant going on, but toward the end of the series, you can genuinely call them friends. Koenma risks the wrath of his father, a God, to protect Yuusuke from assassination. Anyway, just watch the scene on the swingset. They're very cute. ^_^
Okay, I'm going to stop now, because this got ridiculously long. Just... check your facts, please?
