One of the cornerstones of shōnen anime, Yu Yu Hakusho remains a popular and well-received series decades after its initial run in the ’90s. Although most of the character arcs were brought to a close by the conclusion, there were still some story threads left unresolved by the end. This was mainly due to Yoshihiro Togashi ending the series for the sake of his physical and mental well-being.

The biggest conflict that fans never resolved openly was Hiei’s secret identity as Yukina’s brother. Although Hiei hid this truth from his sister, much to the dismay of some fans, it is unclear if this decision was the best. As a naturally reticent and grumpy character, it even goes against Hiei’s personality to reveal his true identity to Yukina, let alone express his love for his sister.

Updated on September 30, 2024 by Ajay Aravind: The 2023 live-action adaptation of Yu Yu Hakusho was a welcome addition to the franchise, although the TV show was criticized for compressing 68 episodes of animated content into just five episodes. The live-action version of Hiei took a different approach to the character, as Yukina played a much larger role than in the original series. However, given the complexity of their relationship, we have updated this article with more relevant information.

Where do Hiei and Yukina come from?

Hiei and Yukina debuted in episodes 6 and 22 respectively.

Deep within the Makai, or demonic world of Yu Yu Hakushois the floating glacial village populated exclusively by women and girls. Known as Ice Apparitions or Koorime, these women are unlike the ravenous demons that roam the surface. below. As a result, Koorime are prohibited from mating with males and reproducing by other unknown means. One of them, Hina, became pregnant by a male demon and gave birth to fraternal twins, Hiei and Yukina.

• The Glacial Village is closed to males, even if they are newborns.
• Hina’s decision to copulate with a male fire demon gave birth to Hiei.

Yukina was accepted by the Glacial Village, but the elders considered Hiei a curse that needed to be eradicated. Hina begged them to reconsider, but ultimately it was her friend Rui who threw baby Hiei into the Makai. Hina then committed suicide out of anguish, leaving her daughter to be raised by the other Koorime. Yukina was then kidnapped by the toxic human Gonzo Tarukane, who planned to extract Koorime’s tears from her – as they would turn into excessively expensive jewelry known as Hiruiseki Stones.

When did Hiei learn about Yukina?

Jagan’s eye helped him in this regard.

For a long time, Hiei had no idea who he was or where he came from, much less that he had a sister who needed rescuing. He spent much of his life as Imiko, which translates to “Cursed Child”. After being banished from the glacial village, a group of unknown bandits discovered and raised him. Unfortunately, even they started using Hiei for evil purposes. He abandoned them and set out to discover more power, eventually becoming a Class A yokai when he was only five years old.

The Spirit World later classified Hiei as a D-class yokai due to Jagan’s implant surgery, which removed the vast majority of his power. All the time, Hiei clung to his mother’s Hiruiseki stone, using it as a personal charm that made him feel safe. After losing it, he attempted to search for the Tear Stone using the Eye of Jagan, leading him directly to the Glacial Village. He considered killing the Koorime in revenge, but then learned of Yukina. From then on, Hiei would keep an eye on his sister using the Jagan Eye.

Why didn’t Hiei tell Yukina that he was her brother?

He had sworn an oath to Shigure, but he didn’t want to either.

Given the circumstances of his birth and early childhood, Hiei has always struggled to connect with others. In fact, Hiei fans love that he is so sarcastic and mocking. While these are not his only defining traits, he takes a lot of time and effort to bond with Yusuke and Kuruma, while refusing to interact politely with Kuwabara. As such, it can be argued that Hiei’s feelings for his unknown sister only grew stronger after he established a close bond with his new friends.

• Hiei mistakenly believed that he and Yukina shared the same father, not the same mother.
• The ice apparition race apparently only reached puberty after passing the age of 100.
• Hiei can’t cry tears that turn into extremely rare Hiruiseki Stones.

All things considered, however, why he refused to tell Yukina that he was her brother, even after saving her from Tarukane, involves several factors. Shigure, the demon surgeon in charge of the Jagan Eye, demanded that Hiei keep his relationship with Yukina a secret. Demons are notoriously tricky, so fans can only guess why Shigure makes Hiei take this oath. In any case, Hiei didn’t intend to confide in Yukina from the start.

What happened to Hiei and Yukina after the anime ended?

Live-action Hiei and Yukina are played by Kanata Hongo and Ai Mikami.

After Hiei, Kuwabara and Yusuke saved Yukina from Guro Tarukane, Hiei only admitted to being a half-brother to her rather than the twin she was looking for – claiming that they had different mothers. While Hiei’s story is further explored towards the end of the series, Yukina never learns the truth. At least, not openly. There are hints that she suspects Hiei of being her brother in the OVA. Eizou Hakushoespecially when Hiei tries to return his mother’s tears to Yukinabut she insists that he keep it.

The OVA was never released in the West along with the rest of the series, so unless fans know about it, they won’t get the conclusion it offers regarding this important plot point. Still, it makes one wonder why Hiei never just admitted to being his brother in the first place, and if it was for the best. He had the chance to tell her after he helped save her, but he chose to lie about it instead. His attitude changes when he is with her, becoming more protective and sincere, but only towards her.

As valiant as Hiei’s intentions are, his plan completely neglects Yukina’s feelings. Even if he had found her before she was captured, how would he have approached the situation? Yukina is quite relentless in her mission to find her brother – it’s unlikely she would have stopped lookingso she would put herself in greater danger. And yet, the idea of ​​Yukina fighting dangerous demons doesn’t seem to bother Hiei much.

Hiei’s main motivation for keeping his secret is that he doesn’t want to tarnish Yukina’s image of her brother, or rather the one he thinks she has. However, Yukina has never made it clear what she thinks her brother is like, so Hiei shared his insecurities and fears about the truth with her without thinking about how it made her feel.. Even though he would have protected her physically, his feelings mattered just as much as hers. Everyone else in the group except Kuwabara knows about it anyway, so it doesn’t seem nice to hide the truth from Yukina. In the end, the only person Hiei protected was himself.