Episode 43

The Masked Fighter Revealed
Kanji	覆面戦士の厳しき素顔
Rōmaji	Fukumen Senshi no Kubishiki Sugao (The Masked Warrior's Stern Face)
Japan Air Date	August 14, 1993
English Air Date	May 1, 2003
Episode	43
Manga	Chapters 75 (second half)-76
Saga	Dark Tournament Saga
Opening Song	Smile Bomb
Ending Song	Sayonara Bye Bye
Previous Episode	←A Matter of Love and Death
Next Episode	Yusuke's Final Test→

The Masked Fighter Revealed is the eighteenth episode of season 2 of YuYu Hakusho. It aired on August 14, 1993 in Japan and May 1, 2003 in the United States.

Short Summary

After talking to Keiko, Yusuke is confronted by Botan. She tells him his Spirit Beast will hatch soon. Koenma startles the two and show Yusuke his big egg. Koenma reminds him that the egg will consume every part of him if he was evil. The egg hatches and no one sees where the beast is. They look at Yusuke and they see the beast. It is a small blue bird with big floppy ears. Everyone mocks him.

The next day, the team tries to scope out the competition. Team Uraotogi takes care of Team Gokai Six in two minutes. Only the badly injured Hiei and Kurama watch the fight. Kuwabara tells them to go to Yukina for healing, not knowing she is Hiei's sister. He mentions her quest and Yusuke and Kurama start mocking Hiei.

Then, Team Toguro shows up. Younger Toguro and his older brother are there, as well as two other men, one in black with a mask and the other clad in armor. The crowd gives them praise.

Then Yusuke and the Masked Fighter get into a fight. She says she would be a better leader than Yusuke. She leads him to a secluded place and reveals herself to be Genkai. She asks him to shoot a rock. He does. Then she shoots a mountain. As she does, she turns into her younger self. She says this is the effect of the Spirit Wave. She tells Yusuke he has one last test.

Detailed Summary

Yusuke and Keiko start out in the forest, having a little chat. Keiko walks off and Botan, who is watching from a nearby bush, crashes loudly, and Yusuke hears her. Botan does her cat face and Yusuke tells her about curiosity and cats. Anyway, Botan tells Yusuke that his Spirit Egg is about to hatch, and that Koenma should show up any minute, which he does in his teenage form, and gives Yusuke his Egg.

After a chat, lightning shoots down and the egg hatches. They look around for the beast, and find it sitting on Yusuke's head. It's name is Pu, a short blue penguin-looking creature with Yusuke's hair. After a few cracks about Pu and a smash on the head, Yusuke and Botan go back to the hotel, where Kuwabara, Shizuru, Yukina and Keiko make fun of him. Kuwabara and Yusuke talk about the semifinals for a bit, then everyone leaves. The next morning, Kurama and Hiei watch the match between Team Uraotogi and Team Gokai Six. A tall blond man by the name of Kuro Momotaro, a large black demon with an axe-blade fist called Makintaro, and an old man named Onji crush the other team in less than two minutes. The other two members are Ura Urashima, a small fisherman with a pole, and Shishiwakamaru, a guy with a sword and a thirst for fame.

Hiei comments on how Kurama's injury isn't as bad as they had thought. Kuwabara tells them to get Yukina to help find her lost brother. Hiei remains quiet but with wider eyes while Yusuke and Kurama laugh about the situation. Meanwhile, Kuwabara looks on, confused. Everyone appears to be in good humorous spirits until Yusuke catches the Masked Fighter glaring at him. Looking across the stadium, Team Toguro is revealed, the audience reacting to the standoff. This is the first time all four members of Team Toguro are seen together. A large man with samurai armor is named Bui, the character with the long black trench coat and complimenting jet black hair is Karasu, and the remaining two are the Toguro brothers.

Kuwabara is stunned by the amount of power that the Toguro brothers are giving off. Yusuke tells him not to worry about it but Kuwabara is still shaken. Team Uraotogi shows up and requests a good match, with Shishiwakamaru saying that they need more than two minutes of fighting to be famous. Yusuke and company reply with a few witty comebacks and Team Uraotogi takes off. The Masked Fighter just keeps staring at Yusuke and says that if he's the team leader, he should be able to beat Toguro on his own. Yusuke yells at the Masked Fighter and they take off into the forest to settle their feud. Yusuke discovers that the true identity of the Masked Fighter is Genkai. Genkai provides a few choice words and follows by instructing Yusuke to fire his Spirit Gun at full power at a large boulder. He does so successfully and lets his ego run rampant. Genkai insults him and Yusuke is promptly enraged by her insults and challenges her back, more or less stating for her to show him how it is done. Genkai turns to a massive boulder, numerous times the size of the one Yusuke had just destroyed, and charges an extremely powerful Spirit Gun. At this moment her cells shift altering her appearance, the youthful and prime Genkai appears. Releasing the blast, she completely obliterates the massive obstacle and mows down hundreds of meters of trees before the blast curves upwards and goes into the sky. Yusuke is in complete shock at this point. Genkai tells him that his one purpose for being at the tournament is to discover his full potential.

Anime Notes

• The spectator who says "I think [Toguro] pointed at the human!" has his voice pitched down in the Blu-ray English dub, likely to make him sound less like Jorge Saotome, as they were both voiced by Kent Williams. Also, Shishiwakamaru has a filter applied to his voice when he threatens Yusuke and partially transforms, whereas the original had no filter.

Gallery

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