Whenever a show revolves around a group of heroes, it’s inevitable that one or two of the characters will be chosen by the fans as being the best in the group. Be it Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Power Rangers or, in this case, Yu Yu Hakusho, someone is going to be placed on a pedestal, and someone else is going to be given the shaft. Here, the person is Kuwabara Kazuma. Of all the Yu Yu Hakusho fans in the world, Kuwabara is easily the least liked of the heroic squad of Kuwabara, Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei. Many even feel that he’s not worth his weight in the series. Seeing that the blue-wearing loudmouth is my favorite character in the whole show, I think that it would do us all some good for me to explain why he’s such a vital aspect to the show.

Most people agree on the fact that Kuwabara has the best morals of the four, and is best able to distinguish what is right and wrong. Most people also believe that he’s the dumbest of the team, and that his idiocy is solely to build up the mental powers of the other three. This is where I find it necessary to disagree. Yes, Kuwabara is quite lacking in the ways of intellectual capacity. But Kuwabara at least has the common sense to try harder and better himself. He’s also very mentally agile in fights and is able to analyze enemies’ attacks and powers. If he was as dumb as everyone says, there’s no way he would have been able to defeat Byakko, Reyshio or Ani. In short, he’s smart enough to know that he’s not very smart.

Another common criticism stems from the fact that Kuwabara’s sole power - Being able to create a sword made of energy - isn’t that interesting, and the powers of the other three are many times more powerful. I will agree with that fact, and I will also admit that Kuwabara’s the least powerful of the four. But that’s one of the reasons I like him, actually. You see, by the end of the story, the audience realizes that Yusuke, Kurama and Hiei all have ties to the demonic world, and they’re either part or all demon. That leaves Kuwabara as the sole human in the bunch. We know that Kurama and Hiei are demons from the start, and it becomes obvious fairly early on that there’s more to Yusuke that meets the eye. It’s almost as if Kuwabara is the surrogate “normal” member of the team, the character the audience is supposed to relate to since, minus the soul sword, he’s just another normal human. At the end of the story, he’s attending a university just like any other 18-year old, and he’s gotten on with his normal human life. Thus, I’m perfectly fine with him being the least powerful of the bunch, as I feel it actually enhances his character.

Yet another reason people have for disliking Kuwabara is his infatuation with Yukina, Hiei’s sister. Many Hiei fanatics are furious with the fact that their love becomes solidified by the end of the show, and that it might not be long before Kuwabara and Hiei become brothers-in-law. Kuwabara’s love with Yukina is just another facet to his illustrious personality. He obviously has the easiest time showing other people his true emotions, and unlike Yusuke, he does not feel like he must hide behind a wall of coldness towards other people (To be fair, Yusuke’s wall does dissipate by the end of the show). To me, Kuwabara’s show of feelings makes him the most realistic of the four major characters.

Two final reasons I have for liking Kuwabara above the others is his resiliency and his undying loyalty to his friends. This is evident in the very first episode, when Kuwabara loses yet again to Yusuke. It becomes obvious fairly early on that Kuwabara, much as he wants to, will never be able to defeat Yusuke in a fight. Like a true hero, however, he never gives up, and when his friends are in danger, he will fight to the death to help them. In the third episode, he took several beatings every day because he knew that by doing so his friends wouldn’t be expelled from school. In addition, twice during the Dark Martial Arts Tournament he was willing to take a beating for the good of those he cared about. The first was against Doctor Ichigaki’s team, and Kuwabara let En, Ryou and Kai all beat him into the ground while he hoped that they would awaken from the doctor’s spell. In the finale of the tournament, when Otouto Toguro decided to kill him in order to awaken Yusuke’s anger, Kuwabara stood by and let himself be slaughtered, knowing that it was the only way Yusuke could win the fight.

It’s true that Kuwabara is the weakest character in the team of heroes. It’s also true that he’s the ugliest, the dumbest and the loudest. While it may seem that someone with those deficiencies could not possibly be liked, think again. For what Kuwabara lacks in physical and mental strength, he makes up with an incredibly high moral standing. As is evident with his love for Yukina and his cat, he cares deeply for his family and friends, and his heart is in the right place each and every time he fights. For all those reasons, I have no problem saying that Kuwabara is my favorite character on the entire show. Even if I haven’t convinced you to buy Kuwabara’s action figure, hopefully I’ve shown you why there’s more to him that meets the eye.