Looking Deeper: Yu Yu Hakusho and the Nature of Victory

So the first thing any of you who remember this series are probably thinking is, "But it's just a shonen..." I admit, this probably seems like a strange thing to start off philosophically. I have lots of reasons, but I'll give you two. I think that this series stands up under a lot more scrutiny than I tend to see people give it, and it's a shame to let all that material just lie around. Honestly, I think these segments are much better suited to series with ignored potential than to series with obvious philosophical clout. The second is that I already had the ideas for this one... so why not?

Most people who have seen this series (or, really, any long-form shonen) know that each successive arc features a new villain, with new powers who, if the writers are doing their jobs, will seem a whole lot scarier than the last guy. However, the social structure (such as it is) of the demons demands that any person who has won a lot of fights will attract new glory-hungry opponents, and therefore explains this usually arbitrary progression. With this explanation in place, we begin to see a theme. This series basically says, "Your reward for hunting down the biggest demon you can find is a bigger demon." Or, for those of us back in reality, when you excel in something, people expect you to continue being as good or even better (an expectation which conflicts with another theme of this series: coping with old age.)

To help us understand what this means to the nature of victory, let's look at the other side of the coin. What happens when you lose? (I mean, assuming you're still alive and have free will).

The first, and most generic, thing that happens is that you somehow re-think your standards and become best friends with the protagonists. This always seems a little strange, but it makes more sense when taken out of the literal context of a fight. "Wins" are very self-affirming experiences which tell you "Good job, do it again," whereas losing makes you say "Wait a minute, I must have loused up somehow." Losses, therefore, are extremely important when developing a moral code. Interestingly enough, at least one of the series' major villains actively seeks out a situation to test his own ideals, half-hoping to be proved wrong.

The second thing that can happen to you is, well... nothing. You heal up some day and no one ever bothers you again, because you just aren't interesting anymore.

The second is probably more interesting because it asks a good question. If winning makes you fight more (or creates higher expectations, for the non-combatants), and losing buys you a ticket out, why try to win? Why do people ever want to win?

The first (but not very interesting) reason Yu Yu Hakusho gives us is the tricks-for-biscuits approach. Most of the fighters in the Dark Tournament, for example, go into the fights (perform tricks) to gain prestige or the prize (biscuits). Sometimes, the motive is the entertainment value (the journey-vs-destination approach). Our protagonists, however, mostly subscribe to a third reason: the service of those they care for. Yusuke and the gang seem pretty happy whenever they've managed to attain this goal, whereas victories by other people, with different goals seem to just send them onto the next fight. So is a victory only meaningful when it serves something more important? Or is a victory anything that makes you happy?

Honestly, I'm not sure. And maybe that's the point. This series may ultimately want for you to decide what constitutes a win, but the important thing is that, by portraying satisfying "losses" and traumatizing "wins," Yu Yu Hakusho asks you (like the defeated and converted minor villains) to sit down and think about whether you know when you've won. On the whole, it seems to be saying that as soon as winning becomes your only priority, everything important to you will be lost. (Younger Toguro, in choosing strength over humanity, loses the esteem of the only people who understood him. Yusuke almost loses Keiko the same way.)

So if focusing on the win gets you into harder, more dangerous fights, and maybe even cuts you off from love and humanity, does Hakusho want us to quit trying?

Surprisingly, not at all. Throwing a fight is treated as an incredibly disgraceful act and Toguro's descent into inhumanity is described as "running away."You have to genuinely lose because the other person is stronger, because only then can you know how strong you are. (So maybe this is actually about self discovery? *Segue into the theme of "What makes you you?*)

In summary

This series believes strongly in hard work and determination, but acknowledges that victory comes in surprising shapes, asks people to examine why people pursue different goals, and advocates making sure you always fight, not for egoism, but for "what's important." (What's shonen without some cheese?)

Hope this makes as much sense as it does in my head.