Don’t judge a manga, by its cover!

Yoshi, minna-san! I'm here to talk about one of my favorite characters, both in the series Yû Yû Hakusho and just anime in general -- Kuwabara Kazuma.

Yep, you read that right. Now I know there are people out there going, "Huh!?" or "Eew!" because I've seen it myself. (And for those of you who aren't -- well, stick around and see if you agree with my points ^_^) And let me be honest -- it gets me pretty ticked off.

Don't worry; I'm not out to get anyone and everyone who doesn't like Kuwabara as much as I do -- no one can ever get mad at someone just because they don't agree. My problem is that this less-than-phenomenal fan following for Kuwa-chan seems to be the result of two things -- both of which are, IMO, incorrect assumptions.

First off, he may seem stupid. He is loud-mouthed, falls down, and often provides comic relief. Compared to Kurama's suave youko-ness, Hiei's impassiveness, and Yuusuke's battle prowess, Kuwabara doesn't look too good. But if you take a look, you'll notice that Kuwabara's the best fighter in his school, second only to Yuusuke, as well as powerful reiki-wise. And there is something to be said about brute strength, too. ^_^ He was, after all, the only one to beat his opponent initially in the second movie. And he helped Yuusuke during his fight with Yakumo, while Kurama and Hiei were knocked out (and doing something other than being unconscious, I think… but that's a whole other Soapbox ^.~). And just who defeated Toguro Ani, co-leader of the undefeated Toguro team (and one of the more powerful members of the team, besides)?

And he's never really done anything stupid, I don't think. He may have gotten a little overeager and acted without thinking -- but I think that's all he is, over-enthusiastic. Yuusuke has certainly done his fair of bullheaded deeds. -_-;; Kuwabara is more entertaining than imbecilic. And anyway, why would Togashi-sensei keep a stupid, weak, or otherwise useless member on the team? So… nyah. ^.~

The other thing is, he isn't a bishônen. I don't think anyone will say he's feminine looking; but there's also the other definition of bishônen, which refers to any good-looking guy. And a lot of people don't think Kuwabara's good-looking, either. I, personally, don't find him as handsome as, say, Kurama or Yuusuke, but I certainly don't think he's ugly. He has his moments -- he definitely has his moments. ^_^ And there are also some people for whom he is quite attractive.

Now, I don't want to make assumptions, but from what I've seen, it looks like some people don't like Kuwabara because of this. I'm guessing that these YYH fans got into it through seeing webpages, and, subsequently, pictures, and based their decision on who they liked largely on looks. (Not just good looks vs. bad looks, but "cool-looking" vs. boring, too.) Nothing against getting into a series that way -- I did myself -- and nothing against liking someone's looks. But of course, a favorite character is often one whom a person finds attractive (among other things), and since Kurama, Yuusuke, and Hiei are all, well, pretty darn attractive, Kuwabara got left by the wayside. I certainly don't think everyone who doesn't like Kuwabara judges him on this, and I certainly hope I'm wrong about the few I do think do that. This is just a possibility that I came up with.

So some of you out there may be thinking, "Well, yeah, I know Kuwabara's not so bad, but why do you like him so much?"

*grins* Lots of reasons. At the risk of falling into the typical starry-eyed cutesy chick stereotype, I think Kuwabara is one of the most romantic guys out there. He dotes on Yukina, and is so committed to her it's nothing short of heartwarming. His chivalry isn't patronizing, like he looks down on women as weaker; just courteous. If every one out there had their own personal Kuwabara to love them like that, we'd all be a lot happier. ^_^

He's also a great friend. One of the things that really got me was when I was over at WhiteCat's house watching the first few episodes. He is so loyal to his three friends, Ookubo, Sawamura, and Kirishima, as well as his little kitty Eikichi. ^_^ And his reaction to Yuusuke's first death, when they had really done nothing other than fight… so much for being ultimate rivals. He's a lot like Tasuki, there. And he cares just as much about his fellow Reikai Tantei. Yes, even Hiei. Remember when he carried the drained and unconscious Hiei in movie 2? Mm-hm, and ignore the time he first found out about Hiei's hibernation and that "Are you a frog?" bit. ^_^;

And courage! Kuwabara has tons o' that. Becoming a Reikai Tantei at all -- he had no debt to Koenma, and he's just a human, really nothing more than a street fighter. He volunteered to face otherworldly hordes, probable-to-certain death, and other such unpleasantries for really no reason other than a sense of duty.

Okay, okay, enough for now. ^_^ Now I really don't expect the lot of you to go around proclaiming the wonders of Kuwabara now. I don't think you'll change your mind after reading this little spiel. But I hope you've at least decided that he's okay, and, if maybe you were biased against him for the not-so-right reasons, that you've taken a second look at where you stand. Read a fic starring him; see what you think.

Hm, I guess that's it. Okay, then, I'll see ya around.