In Yu Yu Hakusho, Yusuke Urameshi’s loyal ally, Kurama, never fails to bring a unique sense of style and flair to the battlefield. Recently, a major Japanese cosmetics brand made Kurama the ambassador for a new product lineup featuring never-before-seen artwork of the character’s elusive fox demon form.
Per Oricon, La Sana has partnered with Yu Yu Hakusho to create a special promotional campaign for Premior, one of the company’s leading hair care brands. Presenting Kurama as a character with a self-care routine worth envying, La Sana has released a new web commercial titled “Kurama’s Hair Care Guidance School.”
This 30-second video presents Kurama alongside Yoko Kurama, who represents the former demon as he appeared before he was reborn as a human. In addition to the video commercial, a gallery of promotional images featuring Premior’s new lineup can be viewed below.
Yu Yu Hakusho Turns Kurama’s ’90s Anime Hair-Care Moment Into an Official Beauty Campaign
Alongside premium shampoos, conditioners and rinses, La Sana is also releasing a new hairbrush, the back of which is adorned with both new Kurama designs. Starting Sept. 15, these products became available to purchase as what La Sana playfully calls “luxury bonus sets that even the Demon World would envy.”
In sharp contrast to Yusuke, Kurama is portrayed as a character who is conscientious of his appearance. The campaign concept was inspired by a famous moment from the Yu Yu Hakusho anime series, where Kurama briefly inspects several damaged locks of his hair during a fight. Somewhat humorously, his opponent Karasu asks him if he “uses hair treatments” to mitigate the abuse his hair takes during battles.
According to Oricon, the idea to adopt Kurama as Premior’s representative was born “as a playful response” to this sequence. However, La Sana was also deeply inspired by Kurama’s relationship with his mother — a particularly moving aspect of the series. Living in the human world as ‘Shuichi,’ Kurama devotedly cares for his human mother while she is hospitalized with a terminal illness.
Despite having vivid memories of his 300+ years as a ruthless fox demon, Kurama’s powerful bond with his mother motivates him to empathize with and protect human beings. In an official statement released alongside the materials, La Sana highlights this element of the series. “Kurama, who lives with feelings for his mother in his heart, is a character who resonates with our brand’s philosophy.”
Yoshihiro Togashi created the original Yu Yu Hakusho manga,also known for his other Weekly Shonen Jump bestseller, Hunter x Hunter. A supernatural fantasy, the series follows Yusuke, a delinquent teenager known for skipping school and brawling in the streets with his rival, Kuwabara. One day, Yusuke sacrifices his own life to save a child from being hit by a truck.
This unexpected act of kindness prompts King Enma, the ruler of the underworld, to give Yusuke a second chance at life as a “Spirit Detective” — a warrior who harnesses spiritual energy as a weapon to quash the plots of demons and other creatures that cause trouble in the human world. The original manga was serialized from December 1990 to July 1994. Pierrot (Naruto, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations) produced the popular anime adaptation, which aired from October 1992 to January 1995.
VIZ Media publishes the Yu Yu Hakusho manga in English. The 112-episode anime adaptation is streaming on Crunchyroll.
- Release Date
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1992 – 1995-00-00
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Nozomu Sasaki
Yusuke Urameshi
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Shigeru Chiba
Kazuma Kuwabara
