Kazuma Kuwabara
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| Kazuma Kuwabara | |
|---|---|
| YuYu Hakusho character | |
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| First appearance | Chapter 1 Episode 1 |
| Created by | Yoshihiro Togashi |
| Voiced by | Shigeru Chiba (Japanese) Christopher Sabat (Funimation dub) Lex Lang (Media Blasters dub) Cliff Lazenby (US Manga Corps dub) Russell Wait (Animax dub) |
| Profile | |
| Aliases | Alfred (Filipino dub)[1] |
| Age | 14-18 |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Human |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Student |
| Known relatives | Shizuru Kuwabara (sister) |
Kazuma Kuwabara (桑原和真 Kuwabara Kazuma?) is a fictional character in the popular anime and manga series YuYu Hakusho created by Yoshihiro Togashi in 1990.
Kuwabara's seiyū is Shigeru Chiba. His English voice actors are Christopher Sabat in the Funimation dub, Lex Lang in the Media Blasters dub, Cliff Lazenby in the US Manga Corps dub and Russell Wait in the Animax dub. He is called Alfred in the Philippine version of the anime.[1]
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[edit] Background
Kuwabara is the second-toughest kid in Sarayashiki Junior High School and is always trying to usurp Yusuke Urameshi's position as the toughest. He claims to have never lost a fight until he met Yusuke. [2]He leads a gang consisting of himself, Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura (In the English dub, Komada). He has a soft spot for kittens (including his own, Eikichi) and an iron code of honor. He develops a minor crush on Botan when he first meets her, but later harbors intense feelings on the ice apparition Yukina, but is unaware that she is Hiei's sister.
Kuwabara has a tough older sister named Shizuru Kuwabara. She and Yukina are the only characters known to call him by his given name. In the anime, Kazuma and Shizuru's parents never appear and are rarely, if ever, even acknowledged. His father does makes a brief appearance in the final volume of the manga to reveal that Yukina is going to be living with them and appears to be aware of the Reikai, etc. As the show progress, Kuwabara's and Yusuke's relationship evolves from rivals to best friends, although the two still disagree constantly. Kuwabara and Kurama are quite cordial with each other, but Kuwabara shares no love for Hiei, and both will readily mention their hatred of the other, although in truth deep down they are friends.
Kuwabara's most unusual ability is his sensitivity to Reiki, or Spirit Awareness. He and his band of friends call this "the Tickle."[2] Kuwabara has the ability to sense when ghosts and the paranormal are around, can see spirits and other demons, and can predict motives of others. Kuwabara can also create a blade out of his own spirit energy known as the Rei Ken, or Spirit Sword. Although he first needed a piece of wood as a physical entity to create it, Kuwabara was able to practice and be able to create his own after one month (six months in the English anime). During his training, Kuwabara's sword is able to extend and shrink to his whim, and he can even create two, one in each hand.
Kuwabara is not as strong as the rest of his teammates, but can be quite crafty in battle when he needs to be, and he is widely considered as the nicest of the four.
[edit] Spirit Detective Saga
Kuwabara appears when Yusuke goes to Genkai's tournament to track down the demon Rando. He was largely unaware of what was going on, having only went to find a way to deal with his increased spiritual awareness. After entering in the selection process and making it through the first rounds, Kuwabara battles against an enemy known as Musashi in the dark, where he gains his Spirit Sword for the first time. Following this, he is defeated by Rando.
Afterwards, he accompanied Yusuke on Koenma's latest mission: to defeat the four Saint Beasts and prevent their invasion of the human world. To allow Yusuke to reach Suzaku in time, Kuwabara faced Byakko, a brutal demon with the power to create "Spirit Beasts" from his own energy; these were vanquished when Kuwabara used his Spirit Sword as a skewer, trapping them around a pillar. He then defeated Byakko by first overfilling him with spirit energy, then knocking him into the lava pits in Byakko's lair. After Yusuke defeated Suzaku, Kuwabara channeled a portion of his life energy into Yusuke to save him.
When Yukina was kidnapped, although he initially refused to join Yusuke on this mission, after being smitten by Yukina's beauty, Kuwabara changed his mind and led Yusuke to the captor's compound and helped to defeat the demons around the compound. Yusuke used his Reigun to fire Kuwabara at the Toguros which defeated them.
[edit] Dark Tournament Saga
During the Ankoku Būtsukai (Dark Tournament), Kuwabara fights more full matches than the rest of his teammates, but had the biggest losing streak, although most were due to ring outs. Near the end of the Tournament, Kuwabara and Kurama are approached by Suzuki, the former leader of Team Uratogi. Suzuki gives Kuwabara an item to help him in the finals against Team Toguro. This item was the Tameshi no Ken, or Trial Sword, which allowed him to defeat Elder Toguro. During the battle with the Younger Toguro, Kuwabara faked his own death with Toguro's aid to draw out Yusuke's potential.
[edit] Chapter Black Saga
During the first half of the Chapter Black Storyline, Kuwabara is unable to use his powers. He suspects that, like Suzuki told him, it was a side effect from using the Trial Sword. However, Genkai knows the truth: that Kuwabara was so spiritually aware, his own body was aware of Sensui's plan months before it happened, and underwent a transformation to prepare for it. Kuwabara accesses his power during the battle with Sea Man, Kiyoshi Mitarai, a human teenager who was gifted with the ability to create indestrucible monsters made of water. Kuwabara's powers awaken and he gains the power to slice through dimensional barriers with a new type of energy sword, the Jigen Tou, or Dimensional Blade. He slices through the monster and wounds Sea Man, saving his friends and his life.
This powerful sword, however, is what Sensui needs to destroy the barrier blocking Demon World's strongest denizens from entering the Human World. Sensui attacks, captures Kuwabara, and plans to have another human psychic, Gourmet, eat Kuwabara and gain his power, as Kuwabara would never slice the barrier willingly. However, Yusuke and team rescue him, and when Yusuke dies, Kuwabara follows Sensui into Demon World and slices the barrier open to pursue him. But the three are no match for Sensui until a newly resurrected Yusuke showed up.
[edit] Three Kings Saga
After his battle against Sensui is over, Kuwabara originally wishes to accompany Yusuke to Demon World when he finds out that he is going. His older sister Shizuru convinces him to stay in Human World so he can have a future. With this coaxing, Kuwabara decides to retire from fighting permanently and focus on his schoolwork, so he can live the type of life he was meant to, after realizing that he cannot keep fighting yōkai for the rest of his life. He did however make a brief appearance in a spiritual form in Kurama's mind where he gave a cheer towards Yusuke.
At the end of the series, Kuwabara is a second year high school student at the University's prep school, called Gaikou Fuzoku High School (or Gai Tech). He has numerous female admirers, although he remains faithful to Yukina. He is also studying for his college entrance exams. His power being at A-class level, it is verified by Koenma that Kuwabara is the strongest full human fighter on earth.
[edit] Attacks
- Rei Ken (霊剣 Spirit Sword in the English Dub, Aura Sword in the Viz translation) is Kuwabara's signature attack, where he creates a sword made of his Reiki. Its strength depends on how much Reiki Kuwabara uses. It is first used in the Genkai Tournament when Kuwabara holds a piece of a broken sword from a special spiritual sword used by Musashi, the opponent he is fighting. It causes this weapon to emerge. After the tournament is over, Kuwabara does some training and learns how to control it at will without needing the broken sword piece. Since Kuwabara is not trained as a swordsman, he lacks the grace of Hiei's sword strikes, and swings rather clumsily. Later on, Kurama teaches Kuwabara how he can manipulate his Rei Ken with his mind, a technique which comes in handy during the Dark Tournament.
- Nobiyo Rei Ken (伸びよ霊剣 Spirit Sword Extend "Aura Sword Extend" in the Viz translation) - When Kuwabara learned how to control his sword, he developed this move as well. It allows Kuwabara to extend his Rei Ken and be able to attack enemies from a distance or increase his jumping distance by using it as a pole vault. In the English Dub Kuwabara activates it by saying "Sword get longer."
- Rei Ken Ni Tōkai Ryū (霊剣二刀流 Spirit Sword Twin Blade) is known as Double Spirit Sword in the English dub and "Double Aura Sword" in the Viz translation. During his training before the Dark Tournament under Kurama and Hiei, Kuwabara develops this technique, where he can materialize two Rei Ken at once, one for each hand. It is used only during the first match of the first round against Rinku, a fighting child of Team Rokuyukai (English anime).
* Tameshi No Ken (試しの剣 Sword of Trials) is known as The Trial Sword in the English Dub. Before the finals of the Dark Tournament, Suzuki, (Suzuka in the English Dub) the former leader of Team Uraotogi, gives Kuwabara a sword hilt which once belonged to his teammate Shishiwakamaru (Shishi Wakamaru in the English Dub). Kuwabara uses it during his match against Elder Toguro. It creates a tremendous drain on Kuwabara's energy, but allows him to produce a sword that is two to three times stronger than normal. It also allows Kuwabara to shift the energy into whatever shape he desired. He uses this ability against Elder Toguro, who could not be harmed because he could shift his vital organs around his body. Kuwabara turned his sword into a paddle-like weapon and smashed him all at once. This attack was named Kyodai Reikibou (巨大霊気棒, Giant Spirit Energy Staff) or Spirit Flyswatter.
* Rei Shuriken (霊手裏剣, Spirit Shuriken) is a technique where Kuwabara produces small bolts of energy from his hands, similar to shuriken. It is used only against Elder Toguro in the Tournament Finals. After Toguro notices that Kuwabara doesn't know about Genkai's death, he uses molding capabilities to replay the event, but with the facts altered a bit for his personal amusement. This angers both Yusuke and Younger Toguro. In the end, Kuwabara uses this attack against Elder Toguro because he made fun of Genkai's death.
- Jigen Tō (次元刀 Dimensional Blade) is called Dimension Sword in the English Dub. For the first half of the Chapter Black Storyline, Kuwabara does not have any of his powers. When he regains his powers, he gains this technique, although he is not able to summon it willingly. Not only is it more powerful than his normal sword, but it also allows him to slice through dimensional walls. He is able to dispel psychic territories (such as that of Sea Man), powerful and ancient entities (like the Ura-Otoko, a dimensional being tamed by Itsuki), or the barrier sealing off the Demon World, as well as open up direct portals to specific places (as seen in the final chapters of the manga).
[edit] Cultural references
- His family name, Kuwabara, means "mulberry field." According to Chinese legend, mulberry trees cannot be struck by lightning. Saying "kuwabara" twice is supposed to ward off lightning bolts. It is also sometimes spoken as a means of warding off ghosts in Japan.
- In both the Japanese and English dub versions of the animated series, Kuwabara's Rei Ken, when activated, has a similar sound effect to the lightsaber weapon in the Star Wars franchise.
[edit] English version production details
- As the movies are produced by different English companies for a U.S. release, there are a couple slight edits to Kuwabara in those versions.
- In the English Dub of the YuYu Hakusho movies, Kuwabara's family name was changed to Kuwahara.
- In the original Japanese and English dub, Kuwabara prefers to address Yusuke as Urameshi. However, in the English Dubs of the movies, he always addresses Yusuke by his given name.
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.geocities.com/prisea.geo/sounds.html
- ^ a b Togashi, Yoshihiro (1991). Yu Yu Hakusho Vol. 1. Shueisha. ISBN 4088712730.
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