Death Analysis: The Rose Whip Wielding, Reformed Demon Bandit, the Crafty Fox Kurama!

Once the Demon World was home to a gang of bandits, a cruel group led by their brilliant leader, the cold demon fox (Yoko) known as Kurama. However even the greatest minds eventually get played, and eventually Kurama was heavily injured by a great hunter. In desperation to escape, the nigh-helpless Kurama escaped to the human world and fused himself with a human fetus, and was born again as a human known as Shuichi Minamoto. 

At first this merely acted as his disguise but his human mother cared for him, showing human emotions he had never known in the demon world and he came to love her. When his human mother fell fatally ill, Kurama took up his old role as bandit and stole the spirit world artifact The Dark Mirror, a mirror that can grant a wish at the cost of the user's life, planning to sacrifice his life of violence and cruelty to save his mother's life.

Luckily for him, the spirit detective Yusuke Urameshi had been assigned to the task of finding the stolen Dark Mirror and was so moved by Kurama's story that he voluntarily gave up some of his life energy to the Dark Mirror to help Kurama's wish, putting them both in danger but ending up saving them both. This started a great friendship between the two and Kurama would accompany Yusuke on many of his later adventures. 

Reiki/Yoki:

Within the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, all beings hold a unique aura of energy as unique to them as their own fingerprint or voice prints. Humans possess a form of spiritual energy called "Reiki" while Demons have a form of energy called "Yoki". Kurama as a demon reincarnated as a human has the ability to access both. There are other forms of energy but Kurama does not have the ability to utilize them. 

Users of Reiki and Yoki can use their spiritual energy to enhance their physical abilities, project energy and gain several other abilities. Their energy projection is so strong as they can fight without moving as Genkai showed by throwing attackers just by opening her eyes and Younger Toguro showed at 80% power as he melted weaker entities in the vicinity with just his spiritual presence. Yoki also possess the ability to turn small objects into deadly weapons by infusing them with demon energy. 

Reiki also allows for the user to interact with ghosts, which are naturally invisible and intangible. Demons in their natural state are also invisible, a normal human could not see a demon and catch them with their bare hands. Kurama exists in both over and under worlds at once which seems related. As more evidence that Reiki and Yoki users can destroy intangible entities, Hiei and Younger Toguro both casually destroyed evil spirits and it's implied Yusuke could erase the soul.

While spiritually aware entities are capable of detecting Reiki and Yoki, Kurama is proficient at hiding his Reiki to the point that at one point Kuwabara didn't even know he was there despite him being right behind him for a while.

Reiki also gives a limited ability to manipulate the elements. Koenma who is very weak was able to dissipate fire  and Kurama himself has created a smoke screen before. On a higher power level, King Enma who is A-Class in terms of Spirit Class could create an unprecedented Earthquake and cause Mt. Fuji to Erupt and a fight between two Low S-Class entities was able to create air cyclones to form as a side-effect. This is a feat of their power more so then their elemental manipulation but it does show how their power can affect the environment in ways beyond just destroying it. 

Power:

Kurama was initially much weaker in his new human life then he was as a demon, that said even at his weakest point he was stronger then Gouki who could casually snap a tree. As his natural self is a demon, he's also tougher then humans just in general. Being stabbed through with a sword doesn't bother a demon very much and he survived an attack from an opponent on his level despite being heavily injured from two one on one fights just before. 

While Kurama grows radically more powerful over the course of the series, the power of his base form at the end of the series is difficult to judge, that said it's likely he was at least A Class and possibly Low S Class, as A-Class and Low-S Class Demons were literally fodder in the Demon World and his power was strong enough to at least allow him to compete in the final tournament (in the anime he even fought Low-S Class Shigure in his base form). In fact through his power and intellect, Kurama became Yomi's second in command in just a year despite the Three Kings having a 500 year long statemate for control of the Demon World meaning he's likely above average in the Demon World Armies. 

How powerful are those? King Enma who was A-Class was able to cause Mt. Fuji to erupt which would take gigatons of energy at least and potentially teratons of energy, and A-Class Entities are considered on par with mythological gods. In fact the A-Class Threat is considered an immediate threat to an entire country like Japan.

Low S Classes are even stronger by a large degree. In the human world the low S class Shinobu Sensui could only use a fraction of his power as it put too much stress on the planet. In the battle between the two low-s class entities Chapter Black Saga Yusuke and Shinbou Sensui, the two were able to destroy demon world mountains with just the side-effects and shockwaves of their attacks, feats calced in the gigaton to teraton range. 

As such it would seem clear that Kurama in his base form would be in the island to country level range by the end of the series, likely country. 

Speed:

Even within the first arc of Yu Yu Hakusho, the character of Seiryu was able to launch hundreds of punches in a single second...right before being blitzed by Hiei, and Kurama becomes far far faster then Hiei was at that time. Just B Classes are able to flick air at speeds above mach 25. Their actual attack speed would likely be much faster and they can fight on par with those. 

The Low S-Class Yusuke's Reigan was fast enough to travel to a distant mountain by the time it took Yusuke to fall a small distance, a feat calculated at over mach 104 and the Low S Class Shinobu Sensui was able to react and move out of the way of the attack. 

Stamina:

Reiki, and likely Yomi users have far enhanced physical stamina, especially when just performing low level tasks. Even a relatively weak Reiki user is able to balance on one finger for 12 hours straight and early in the Three Kings Saga, Yusuke was able to run for 5 straight days casually. 

Yoko Kurama:

Kurama's original demonic state, more combative and belligerent then his human self. Originally he could not turn into his Yoko form at will, but by the final arc, he was having to hold back the state mentally and could transform at will.

Yoko Kurama is much stronger then his base state. His spiritual presence is described as much more fearsome and was barely injured by a bomb that would have blown his base form to bits.

Yoko Kurama back before fusing with a human was an A-Class Demon and he regained his A-Class power against Sensui Shinbou. However he became even stronger by the final arc.

He was able to defeat the low S-Class Shachi in a single blow and it was implied the power of his and Yusuke would be able to force Yomi to put in effort into defeating them despite the Three Kings being so powerful that whole armies of S-Class Demons made no virtually difference in a comparison of power between the three. Also, Yoko Kurama while only an A-Class was able to survive a serious strike from the Low S-Class Shinobu Sensui.

As mentioned above, Yoko Kurama is fast enough to blitz another S-Class Demon, Shachi. He's also implied to have shapeshifting and illusion abilities. Kurama's Yoko form gives him a limited age manipulation resistance, as if he is aged back too much he will go from being an infant in his human form into his Yoko Form, his incarnation prior.

Plant Manipulation:

Kurama's most famous mechanism of attack, Kurama will infuse a seed or a flower with Yoki turning into a deadly weapon. Merely a blade of grass of Kurama can cut steel and he can turn flower petals into a wall as sharp as blades that could cut a B-Class Demon. Kurama controls all plants, even in a Psychic's territory, the area they control. 

Kurama's most famous plant weapon is his rose whip. The Rose Whip is a whip covered in rose thorns. The thorns of the Rose Whip are naturally strong enough to cut slice through metal and defeat the Stone Demon Genbu. Kurama makes the Rose Whip stronger by infusing it with his own Yoki, making it match his own strength level.

Kurama has other options however in terms of plant weapons. He can stealthily implant a seed of his demon plant Shimaneki into his opponent which blossoms within the enemy, paralyzing and killing them. He can also implant a plant within himself to non-fatally let them attack through his wounds. Yoko Kurama was able to create the plant Makai Mimosa, a heat-seeking plant that threatened a B-Class Demon like Karasu as well as a demonic plant montrosity that can eat demons on the level of Base Kurama. Base Kurama was also able to summon Vampire Plants to drain the blood of Demon Karasu despite being nearly dead. 

Beyond such direct attacks, Kurama's plants also have a few other uses. Even when he was barred from violence in an enemy Psychic's territory, Kurama was able to take down an enemy by using a plant that puts them to sleep before eating them. He can also summon the Tree of Wicked Thoughts which traps his enemies in a series of illusions. Kurama's plants allow for both poisons and remedies. He can also use his plants to gain flight.

Enhanced Smell:

A relatively minor power, but as the Demon Fox Kurama has an enhanced sense of smell. He was able to identify the Elder Toguro by his smell. 

 

Mental:

Kurama's intellect is arguably his most dangerous weapon. It was his cunning mind that caused both Hiei and Yomi to seek him out as an ally, only bolstered by his hundreds of years of experience (he is confirmed to be over 1,000 years old) He does better at exams then the genius Psychic Yu Kaito. His sharp mind is good at noticing details and intuiting the plans of others such as realizing Genkai's plans well ahead of the others and intuiting Koenma's knowledge. He applies this in combat, fighting very strategically. He uses whatever resources are available, such as using his own blood from a wound to blind Hiei's mystic third eye or using the strategic scent of roses to identify Genbu's location when he was camouflaged. He was able to train 6 humans to be on the level of S-Class Demons, a completely unprecedented feat given that the spirit world had no way to deal with a single S Class Demon. And finally He beat the genius psychic Yu Kaito at his own game, tricking him into sealing his own soul away with his own taboo game by manipulating the rules (Chapter 116). 

Kurama like his whole team is also a skilled martial artist and even with his arms and legs bound was able to beat an opponent on his own level by using his rose whip with his hair. 

It should be noted as well that Reiki grants minor psychic abilities. It grants minor precognition such that a low level user is expected to win at rock paper scissors against a computer 2/3s the time. Reiki users can sense opponents in the dark and sense danger from demonic areas. Also possibly related though unknown exactly, Kurama has the ability to make his mind immune to mind-reading.

 

Weaknesses:

First things first....Kurama looks like a girl. He's sensitive about it. 

More seriously, Kurama relies on a finite pool of Reiki and Yoki and can run out. Running out of Yoki reverts him to his human form and keeps him from using any more of his plants. 

Also while Kurama has a relatively cool head, he can get thrown off by mentions of his mother or by sob stories. 

Personality:

Kurama is outwardly cold, logical and impersonal. Kurama has the greatest devotion to his loved ones but this causes him to be manipulative to others in order to better protect the ones he cares about. He is at once the most compassionate members of Team Urameshi and also the most ruthless in their defense. 

Kurama is a combination of the cold ruthless demon fox bandit he was for hundreds of years and the all too human Shuichi Minamoto who wants to look after his mother and his friends. The other demons may argue that the human world weakened him, but instead it has made more of a rose with sharp thorns, a danger more invisible for it's beauty. 

Summary:

Tier 12

Likely Island Level to Country Level in Base, Country Level+ as Yoko Kurama

MHS Speed

Energy Manipulation

Spiritual Energy Aura (can be hidden)

Can see Invisible Entities

Can hit Intangible Entities

Yoko Form is likely invisible and intangible to normal humans

Limited Fire, Air and Smoke Manipulation

Plant Manipulation

Sleep Inducement

Illusions

Paralysis

Poisions

Remedies

Superhuman Stamina

Shapechanging

Enhanced sense of smell

Flight with Demonic Plants

Summoning (Demon Plants)

Limited Precognition and Danger Sense

High Tier 4 Intelligence

Low A-Tier Skill

Can become immune to Mind-Reading

Limited Age Manipulation Resistance

-Can run out of Reiki and Yoki

-Spiritually aware humans and species can sense and effect his Yoko Form

-Can occasionally lose his cool head

-Looks like a girl

Recommend Opponent:

Kurama (Yu Yu Hakusho) vs Mard Geer (Fairy Tail):

Don't know much about Fairy Tail but this was a suggested opponent by one of my friends, and it seems pretty good, assuming the two are fairly even. The two are both demonic geniuses as well as pretty-boys with the ability to manipulate plants primarily, as well as having a thematic contrast based on their relation to humanity. 

Next Time:

Thank you very much to my friend Thor for making this next trailer, it's absolutely wonderful!