Hiei

Lore & Background

Hiei is a fire demon born to a race of female Ice Maidens who reproduce by parthenogenesis every 100 years. A male child is born only if a Maiden has sexual contact with a male, which was forbidden in their society. After his mother wept a single Tear of Ice before dying, Hiei was thrown from the floating glacial country to his supposed doom but survived in the wilderness, developing a thirst for killing. He found peace only while looking at his Tear of Ice jewel until he lost it as a child, and it was later found by Yukina.

To find the Ice Maidens' country, Hiei visited Shigure to have the Jagan Eye implanted, sacrificing his physical strength and speed. Although he located the Ice Maidens' home, his lust for revenge faded when he could not find his jewel; instead, he set out to find his sister. He later became one of Mukuro's soldiers in the Demon World after meeting her independently during the three-year time skip after the Chapter Black arc.

Reader's Guide

Hiei's combat style prioritizes speed, often ending fights in just a few pages, reflecting his personality as a mean-spirited child. He possesses the Evil Eye (Jagan) implanted in his forehead, granting clairvoyance and control over lesser demons and humans with a glance. He can transform into a form covered entirely in Evil Eyes to boost his powers. His signature technique is the Black Dragon Unholy Fire, which allows him to summon black flames from the Demon Plane; he eventually masters this by consuming the flames to greatly enhance his abilities. While he acts as Mukuro's assistant in the final arc, he also serves on a special squad returning humans who wander into the Demon Plane. His evolution sees him shift from acting solely for self-interest to protecting others, though he retains his aloof nature.

Origins and Design Philosophy

Yoshihiro Togashi based Hiei's design on Skunky from Mineo Maya's manga Patalliro!, reading yaoi works while creating shōnen narratives. While 'Yusuke Urameshi' is a pun and 'Kazuma Kuwabara' combines two baseball players, Togashi stated that 'Hiei' was just a name that popped into his head. Initially introduced as enemies Yusuke had to fight alongside Kurama, the author planned from the beginning to turn Kurama into a supporting character, with Hiei joining him only due to positive response. Editors at Weekly Shonen Jump suggested keeping Hiei for the rest of the series after he appeared impulsively in the Four Holy Beasts arc when humans were not strong enough. Togashi intended Hiei's fights to be fast and his personality to remain that of a mean-spirited child, initially considering him and Mukuro as a couple before making her his superior.

Narrative Arc and Character Evolution

Hiei is introduced as one of three wanted demons who stole treasures from the Underworld. He uses the Conjuring Blade to plan an army but is defeated by Yusuke, Kurama, and Botan after cutting Keiko with it. As payment for a reduced sentence, he becomes an ally, no longer acting solely for self-interest during the Four Holy Beasts arc. His backstory remains hidden until the final story arc, where his relationship with his sister Yukina and whether he seeks revenge for being abandoned is revealed. He joins the Dark Tournament on Yusuke's team, debuting the Black Dragon Unholy Fire. After Sensui kills Yusuke, Hiei's powers awaken, and he later becomes Mukuro's second-best soldier in the Demon World. At the series' end, he is assigned to a special squad returning humans from the Demon Plane.

Voice Acting and Performance

Nobuyuki Hiyama voiced Hiei in the original Japanese anime, initially giving him an intimidating aura to frighten Yusuke. Hiyama noted a massive change when Yukina was introduced, portraying how Hiei is bothered by friends mocking his weakness. In English dubs, Chuck Huber voiced Hiei in the Funimation television series and expressed surprise at the character's popularity at conventions. Kirk Thornton provided the voice for YuYu Hakusho: The Movie, while James Stanley voiced him in YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report. In the Philippine version titled Ghost Fighter, he is called Vincent. For the official play, Shohei Hashimoto portrayed Hiei, citing his tsundere archetype and cool feats as reasons for popularity. Kanata Hongō played Hiei in the Netflix live-action series, finding his battle lines fitting for a young male.

Abilities and Critical Reception

Hiei possesses the Evil Eye (Jagan) implanted in his forehead, allowing clairvoyance and control over lesser demons and humans with a glance. He can transform into a form with Evil Eyes all over his body to boost his powers. His signature technique is the Black Dragon Unholy Fire, which he masters by consuming the flames for enhanced ability. Critical response has been generally positive due to his quiet personality contrasting with other characters and his role in the final arc. Hiei was inspired by Skunky from Patalliro! and included as a lead by popular demand. He appeared in two animated movies: YuYu Hakusho: The Movie and YuYu Hakusho: Poltergeist Report. In the Philippine version, he is renamed Vincent.