Best yū yū hakusho characters

772 duels later, Kurama remains #1 in the Yu Yu Hakusho ranking with 1403 ELO points, while Yusuke holds second place at 1349.

The sharpest divide appears between ranks 2 and 3, where 74 ELO points separate Yusuke from Hiei. Kurama's dominance at the top reflects the character's strategic brilliance and elegant fighting style, traits that resonate strongly with fans. Yet the protagonist Yusuke trails by only 54 points despite winning 82% of his duels across 11 matchups, suggesting a tight race at the summit. Further down, Kuwabara sits at 1217 ELO points in fourth place, narrowly ahead of Botan at 1215. The ranking's lower reaches tell another story: Shizuru lands at the bottom with 998 ELO points and an 11% win rate, the same percentage as Keiko just above her. The community clearly favors the core fighters over supporting cast members.

This ranking draws from 772 duels submitted by 44 players, comparing all 9 contenders from Yusuke's crew and extended circle. The figures reflect the state of voting as of 12 October 2026. Whether you side with Kurama's calculated power or prefer Yusuke's raw determination, your vote shapes where each character stands. Head to the Yu Yu Hakusho TopList to cast your duels and shift the balance.

Updated on October 12, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →