With One Piece, Netflix lifted its curse of delivering disappointing live-action adaptations of popular manga series. The live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga series received a whopping 37.8 million views in less than two weeks. After consecutive failures, including Shinichirō Watanabe‘s anime classic Cowboy Bebop, the OTT giant finally redeemed itself in the eyes of anime enthusiasts. And now, the streaming platform is bringing another live-action adaptation to its streamers. 

One success among numerous failures does not guarantee the platform’s credibility in producing promising adaptations. However, if Netflix follows in the footsteps of One Piece’s making, this upcoming series could be another massive success in 2023. 

Will Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation create the same buzz as One Piece?

Recently, What’s On Netflix posted an update regarding the live-action adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi’s manga series, Yu Yu Hakusho. After announcing the making of the live-action adaptation in the year 2020, Netflix scheduled its premiere in December 2023. The upcoming supernatural action-adventure series will be directed by Shō Tsukikawa and feature Takumi Kitamura, Shuhei Uesugi, Jun Shison, and Kanata Hongō in the lead roles. It also has Kazutaka Sakamoto as the executive producer who made the mixed-opinionated sci-fi thriller, Alice In Borderland.

The filming of the upcoming adaptation of the fifteenth-best anime of all time started in July 2021. Despite having the preliminary release date, it is unsure whether the shooting of the series is still ongoing. Maintaining the suspense, Netflix did not make any further announcements or share any updates with the fans. The last update fans got was behind-the-scenes pictures from the set, including Takumi Kitamura in the role of Yusuke. 

Despite having limited information, a common angle between One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho is giving rise to fan speculations. 

One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho’s common link

Apart from being the best-selling series, both the mangas draw their inspiration from the same source. Momotaro, aka Peach Guy, is a popular hero from Japanese folklore who has been an integral part of Japanese literature. Momotaro was a young boy who left his family to fight demons in order to liberate his lands from them. In his journey, he took help from humans and talking animals to face challenging circumstances. 

Following a similar plotline, One Piece is a story about Monkey D. Luffy, who leaves everything to become the King of the Pirates. Of course, with the assistance of his crew companions. Yu Yu Hakusho, on the other hand, presents an evil version of the classic hero, Momotaro, aka Kuro Momotaro. Contradicting the kind-hearted hero of Japanese folklore, Kuro embodies all the negative traits of a highly egoistic person. Even the Matt Owens and Steven Maeda creation features a character of Black Cat Pirate, Captain Kuro.

Despite having many commonalities, the success of the upcoming live-action adaptation is on the threads. Only time will tell if it will be able to surpass the massive buzz of One Piece.

What do you think about the live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.