Tournament arcs have always been pretty common in shonen manga and anime. They are a fantastic format for authors to do two important things simultaneously: introduce a large ensemble cast, and display as many powers and abilities as possible in a short time. Variety is the spice of life, and tournament arcs are a great way to add variety to a shonen series.

Arguably the earliest major series to capitalize on them was the wrestling-centric Kinnikuman, which came out in 1979 and is still ongoing. Dragon Ball followed suit in the mid-1980s with three of its own tournament arcs. Tournament arcs have continued to be a recurring theme more recent anime, finding their way into series such as Naruto, One Piece, My Hero Academia, as well as becoming a major recurring part of the Pokémon anime. None of these more recent entries, however, have succeeded in topping Yu Yu Hakusho's Dark Tournament arc, which Yoshihiro Togashi began writing in 1992.

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What is the Dark Tournament?

Yoshihiro Togashi is better known today for writing Hunter x Hunter (which also has a couple tournament arcs), but Yu Yu Hakusho was his first major hit. The story concerns Yusuke Urameshi, a delinquent who gets killed protecting a child and returns to life as a spirit detective, fighting demons. The supporting cast is composed primarily of his rival Kazuma Kuwabara and the demons Hiei and Kurama. The Dark Tournament Arc began in Volume 6 of the manga, spurred on by Yusuke's confrontation with the frighteningly powerful demon Toguro. Toguro, who far outclassed Yusuke in power at this point, forced him and his companions to enter the tournament under threat of death, along with everyone Yusuke knew. Thus, unlike many tournament arcs, the main characters end up fighting for their very lives.

The Dark Tournament was a competition between demons for the entertainment of wealthy and corrupt humans. Teams of 5 (with a 6th alternate) would compete in a series of battles, with the team winning the most battles moving on to the next round. These battles could be fought 1 on 1 five times or any other combination. Like in Dragon Ball, the combatants fought in a square ring and victory could be won by ring-out. Unlike Dragon Ball, however, the use of weapons and killing opponents was permitted and regular. The Dark Tournament culminated aptly in fight between Yusuke and Toguro's teams, with the former eventually winning out, resulting in the deaths of all but Toguro's diminutive elder brother (also called Toguro) on the opposing team. In the manga, Yusuke's master Genkai, who serves as their fifth fighter, loses her life over the course of the tournament, while she remains alive in the anime.

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It should be noted Yu Yu Hakusho had another, much shorter Dark Tournament which Yusuke himself organized at the end of the series. He did not win but came back alive after barely losing to the demon king Yomi, a former friend of Kurama. Yomi himself lost in his next match, and the series ends afterward. This abrupt ending has often been received negatively, and thus the second Dark Tournament is largely overshadowed by the first.

Why The Dark Tournament Stands Out 30 Years Later

With the exception of Naruto's first Chunin Exams, there simply hasn't been a tournament arc in anime where the stakes feel as high as they do with the Dark Tournament. Yusuke and his team are walking the tightrope between life and death, knowing that winning the tournament is their only way of surviving, and each time a member of the team falters, it's anxiety-inducing. Kuwabara seemingly dies in the final match between Yusuke and Toguro, and his survival seems like a happy accident. Most mangaka are pretty bad at faking deaths, but Togashi does it masterfully.

The fact that the tournament is team-based also means the introduction of a massive cast of new and interesting characters, some of whom, despite being demons, actually end up on good terms with Yusuke's team. Before the Dark Tournament arc, demons like Kurama and Hiei seemed to be exceptions to the rule that most demons are pure evil, but characters like Chu and Jin buck that trend by becoming friendly with Yusuke.

The lack of rules and permission to use weapons and kill opponents also lends an air of unpredictability that other tournament arcs don't have. It's never clear if any character is going to leave the ring alive, and more often than not, the losers don't. And of course there's the wide variety of powers and abilities that get revealed, some of which are among the most creative in anime. Examples include Karasu's ability to generate bombs, the Elder Toguro's ability to morph his body however he sees fit, and Team Uraotogi's various spiritual artifacts.

What truly makes the Dark Tournament special, however, is the drastic improvement the characters undergo while they participate. Dragon Ball's tournaments seemed more like an arena for characters to showcase the skills they'd already acquired, whereas the threat to Team Urameshi's live's necessitated that they radically improve their abilities over the course of the arc. Some of this does happen outside the fights themselves, but regardless, a sense of evolution is felt in the characters that no other tournament seems to provide.

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