YuYu Hakusho Manga: 025 Operation: Infiltrate!!

Aren't operation names supposed to be a bit more subtle than that? So if someone on the other side of it hears the name they don't IMMEDIATELY know what you're up to? Especially with infiltration, the whole point is to be stealthy so that you can gain entry to an in-group and get information or wreak havoc from the inside. What's the point if you're advertising what you're doing right from the start with an operation name that sounds like an SNL skit?

Steve here didn't exactly NEED the stupid operation name in order to give himself away, of course...

... I would. 

Yusuke consults a map in his hand, mumbling that it says that whatever he's hiking toward should be close by. He sees something through the trees ahead, and sighs his hopes that it's what he's looking for, looking pretty sweaty. Honestly, I would have thought a fit fighting lad like himself wouldn't be so winded by a little walk through the woods. To be fair, throwing hands is quite a different skill that works a different group of muscles. 

He's come up to a high fence with a placard next to the gate announcing Master Genkai's disciple selection trials. Yusuke exclaims that this isn't the Olympics, but he mutters that this rustic-looking place better have basic plumbing. Thoughts of toilets and sinks are driven from his mind when he pushes open the creaky gate and is amazed at the view inside the fence. 

And how is RHUBARB involved, of all things?

Yusuke observes men with long fair wavy hair and cleft chins, men with great bushy beards and lumpy bald heads, and men with swirling glasses and a mass of hair standing as if electrified, and labels them all as weirdos with clear disgust. He wonders what kind of freak Master Genkai is, and overhears a couple of conversations regarding this mysterious master. Someone is astounded that half the country has shown up the moment Genkai has announced taking on a pupil, and another responds that they say her techniques are unparalleled. Another anticipates that the training must be incredibly intense. 

With a mildly puzzled expression, Yusuke thinks that Genkai is going to have quite a time narrowing down this massive crowd to just ONE pupil. He wonders just what he's doing here, ultimately blaming Botan for sweet-talking him into it. 

Cut to a few days in the past, when Yusuke is first asking for clarification that his new mission is an infiltration, and into what/where. He jokes that she shouldn't tell him if he's going to Hell, literally. 

I hope your resume is polished and current, Yusuke. 

Yusuke asks who the Genkai dude is, and Botan corrects him, saying Genkai is a woman, and a human. She tells Yusuke that Koenma has communicated Genkai's impressive credentials - one of the top five reiki masters, having spent a good portion of her life in solitary pursuit of excellence. However, Genkai is getting older, and Botan says she wants to pass on her skills and knowledge to a new generation. Sounds normal so far.

But Koenma had told her that there are a lot of demons who would stop at nothing to learn Genkai's techniques, with which they could wreak untold havoc. There's also legions of them, represented in a shadow with countless eyes and gnashing teeth in the background of the panel, who only behave themselves out of fear of Genkai's exorcisms. No doubt there would be more ability to strategize against them if the demons had access to the source material.

After Botan finishes relaying this story, Yusuke asks if it's his job to make sure no demon grabs a hold of the grand prize of learning under Genkai, and Botan confirms that it's a simple prevention case. She decides he DOESN'T need to hear the part where Koenma said that this would also serve as Yusuke's training, since the chances of getting him to undergo formal training was basically zero. However, Botan DOES warn Yusuke to keep an eye out for a "Rando", which is actually the guy's NAME, unfortunately. Rando specializes in defeating martial arts masters and stealing their secrets, having done so with 99 so far, looking to make Genkai a nice round 100. In the background of the panel, per Botan's ominous lack of description, is a silhouette of a person standing atop a mountain of slain monks and masters. 

This better be what he looks like, or else how is Yusuke supposed to watch out for him?

Botan says they fear the victims to at least DOUBLE if Rando gets a hold of Genkai's techniques, and with a hum, Yusuke mumbles about how many people that is and how it's not good. When Botan agrees, Yusuke does a heel-turn on that point and says that on the OTHER hand, he'd REALLY like to enjoy his one day off. In addition to Botan's pitch forward and groan in exasperation, I would just like to point out that YUSUKE IS BARELY EVER IN CLASS, DAMN NEAR EVERY DAY IS A DAY OFF FOR HIM. 

Calling him out on actually COMPARING those two things, Botan is incensed, but Yusuke complains that he can't be on the job ALL THE TIME. Is this not why there should be MORE Underworld detectives? Why JUST Yusuke? Instead of wondering about this very good question, Botan sits fuming for a moment, and then tells Yusuke that he's actually been slated for a bonus after this mission if he completes it successfully. Yusuke looks barely interested, until...

Did his tongue turn into a grasping hand?? Creepy, but I kind of love it?

Anyway, after this, Yusuke pretends to give a shit about defeating the Rando for the good of mankind and whatnot, Botan cheering him on. Recalling this from the crowd at the remote forest dojo, Yusuke bitterly thinks that he was suckered into this errand. He wonders how she figured out he was a martial arts fan, as if it's not the safest bet in history that a guy who thrills at the sight of even street fights wouldn't be super into professional matches too. 

Yusuke gives a mental shrug, thinking that his chances of being chosen are pretty slim, so he'll likely be splitting pretty soon. My guy, are you forgetting your main directive of making sure the bad guy doesn't get chosen either? Whether he recalls this or not, he turns in surprise at the sound of his name, to see that Kuwabara is here, and giving him an utterly bewildered look. They ask each other simultaneously what the other is doing there, and Kuwabara is the first to answer, claiming that his sixth sense is getting a bit out of hand. He's seeing and hearing things all the time, and he's got a bad case of recurring sleep paralysis. His sister had suggested he come here for advice on easing it up a bit, but Kuwabara is a bit turned off by the massive crowd. 

Instead of answering for why HE'S here, Yusuke takes the opportunity to ask Kuwabara who this Genkai is anyway. Kuwabara is miffed that Yusuke is here and doesn't know, but explains what his sister did to him, that Genkai is a top-notch reiki master. With a backdrop of masters performing a variety of energy feats behind him, Kuwabara lectures Yusuke on how reiki is the flow of aura around the human body, and if you can control it, you can get all kinds of abilities. He lists pulverizing rocks with concentrated energy in the fists, healing the sick and injured with one's own life force, and blowing people away without even touching them as you get to Genkai's level of the skill. All pretty impressive feats, no doubt.

There's a sudden call over the sea of heads in the courtyard for silence, announcing that Genkai is approaching. One of the sliding doors on the dojo slides aside. 

I guess Yusuke forgot that he'd been told she's getting up there in years too. 

Yusuke is confused as to how she could become the master of ANYTHING. Meanwhile, Genkai glares out at the crowd and acknowledges the impressive turn-out she's drawn, suggesting that they whittle the mass of people down a bit. A couple of guys near Yusuke are expecting, with glee it seems, that what comes next is gonna be rough, but they're convinced they can take anything the old hag throws at them. Yusuke just gulps in nervousness. 

With the crowd waiting in suspense for her command, she announces the first test. 

... I've never seen Beast Games, but I imagine it's a little like this.

Yusuke is even more mired in alarmed confusion, a lottery making ZERO sense to him. And he's not the only one - nearby guys are muttering to each other again, asking what a lottery is supposed to prove  Genkai is unbothered by the widespread questioning of this strategy, placidly nodding toward a large jar next to her and telling everyone to come up and grab an envelope from it. Yusuke wears a sour grimace, thinking he's wasting his time with this senile old woman. Regardless, he falls into the flow of bodies making its way toward the stairs, his assumption that there's nothing he can do about the luck of the draw, so it'll be a perfect excuse to ditch this scene when he pulls a dud lot. Kuwabara is shown digging in the jar, looking miffed as well, because HE just came here for some advice. Now he's found himself in some sort of weird competition. 

The others are shown examining their envelopes, some still drawing them, and looking generally nervous about them as they hold them. I count just ONE female participant here, and another that looks to be in some sort of Shakespearean costume??? The latter proves Yusuke right: it's a real weird crowd. Once it looks like everyone has gotten a lot, Genkai instructs them to all open their little envelopes, and they've passed onto the real trials if the paper inside is red. There's scattered cries throughout the mass of people of both white and red, mostly happy ones when it's the red result, but when Yusuke and Kuwabara see THEIR red papers, they are both less than thrilled about it. Yusuke had DEFINITELY been rooting for the white paper. He has to stay, much to his chagrin. Then he and Kuwabara point at one another to express their disbelief at the other's red ticket much in the manner that they questioned their mutual presence in this place to begin with. 

Meanwhile, Genkai is smugly regarding the crowd, mentally congratulating herself on her clever trick of making them think the lottery was random, but knowing that she had rigged the papers to TURN red in the hands of people who had a baseline of spiritual acumen. A literal spiritual litmus test. Aloud, she invites those with the red tickets to follow her, dismissing those with the white papers. 

Oxen tend to loom out of nowhere when you don't bother to draw them before that moment, YT. I don't know what else to tell you, man. 

The other participants are shocked about the massive men towering over Genkai, wary about unhappy they look, not that a number of them can blame these guys because of how much of a rip-off this lottery was. The giants ask Genkai what she has to say for herself, warning her that she'll pay if whatever it is isn't good. She doesn't look the least bit intimidated, even calling them pipsqueaks when she tells them that they are blowing the chance she gave them to leave quietly and save face. She mocks them for calling themselves spiritualists when they don't even know why they lost her little game, because they're phonies, wasting her time. Genkai advises them more explicitly to go home, have a few beers, and get themselves a life. 

The one with the fuller beard growls in rage over her insults, which he's had enough of. Both men pull back their fists, which are almost HALF AS LARGE AS GENKAI IS, declaring that they won't be mocked. Yusuke cries in alarm that they've lost it and are going to beat the old woman to a pulp, insisting there's no way she can beat the brutes no matter WHAT skills she has. But with just one flashing glare:

What a pretty little demonstration. 

Yusuke watches the arc of the men, turning to see one of them falling into the crowd far behind him with a wide gape of astonishment. Nearby guys express their shock that Genkai blew them back without even touching them, living up to that hefty reputation. Having seen clearly what the old woman can do, Yusuke mouth and eyes couldn't be more open. 

Genkai complains that once upon a time, she could make guys like that wet themselves just by looking at them, and spits that getting old really sucks. She starts walking along the wide porch, talking to herself more than anyone else when she says that at least her applicants can now see that size isn't everything and those who have passed her first little test are at least somewhat gifted. She then tells the silent in awe crowd to stop GAWKING at her and follow. 

They can surely do both. And in fact, they do. Yusuke and Kuwabara in particular keep staring as those around them mutter to one another about how they'd heard the rumors, but that was pretty incredible. At last, Yusuke smiles in satisfaction, thinking that powers like those Genkai has would be worth having, with the ability to strike fear into the hearts of demons. He's done a 180 - now determined to stick around and WIN the competition. 

This must have reminded him to strap on his wrist-demon-compass to check for Rando. He's JUST thinking that it should be able to pinpoint where the guy is when the thing beeps like crazy and gives off a small explosion right on his hand, to his alarm. He gripes that it blew up, glaring at the smoking remains still attached to his arm, the curious Kuwabara at his side questioning what that was about. 

If only you knew ANYTHING else about this guy. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I want to be Genkai when I grow up, always have. She's one of those characters that is fun to watch because she's capable of so much impressive shit, but you just know she would be very frustrating to interact with. I don't envy a single person who showed up at her place, for the trials or otherwise, because hers is the attitude of all the most brutal of drill sergeants - an abundance of skill and experience, but zero patience and a razor tongue. No doubt whoever wins this chance to be her apprentice is set up for a whole range of physical and mental pain, getting broken down emotionally to boot. Who knows? If Rando were to win this grand prize, he might find it a fitting punishment for his crimes regardless. 

By the way, I find it a little difficult to believe that Genkai wouldn't be able to tell that there were a demon among her hopefuls. If she's a friend of Koenma like Botan says, surely the two have communicated on this point, and she's keeping an eye out herself for anyone who sets off her internal alarm bells, which are surely WAY more sophisticated than even Yusuke's little wrist compass. If Yusuke were meant to act as extra security, it seems like a job he would, yet again, be WILDLY underqualified for, given that Rando has killed 99 masters far more skilled than this teenage boy is. 

So the notion that the "aside" Koenma gave Botan about Yusuke getting the apprenticeship ahead of ANYONE (using Rando as an excuse) being the only way Yusuke would agree to any kind of formal spiritual training looks more to me like the primary reason for this than the bonus it's made out to be. I don't believe for one second that Yusuke alone would make much of a difference here, but I COULD see the cranky Genkai refusing to take on Yusuke's training before having him and anyone else who wanted to try out prove themselves worthy of inheriting her skills. It would be fitting for her not to accept someone as her successor unless they worked their ass off to impress her. 

Of course, none of this is indicated in the text - just a little exercise in suggesting how I'D write it if I wanted it to make some level of sense given the personalities involved. But I'm sure you know how I feel about having to insert headcanaon where canon is inadequate by now.

If it can be believed, I'm even LESS of a fan of characters in flashbacks having their own flashbacks about information given them that the initial flashbacker would not know. Granted, it could be argued that the first cut isn't NECESSARILY Yusuke's flashback, but it WAS triggered by him thinking that it was Botan's fault he was here. Either way, in these nested memories of the past, it can get a little confusing figuring out who's supposed to know what.

Makes me glad that Kuwabara's reason for being here is simple, clean, without nonsensical implications. Unless his sister, in her own psychic awareness, was encouraged to send her brother to Genkai through grand spiritual manipulation. But that's silly.