YuYu Hakusho, Vol. 16 (Volume 16): Into The Demon Plane!!

Brilliant

The path is clear for Yusuke Urameshi and his friends to take out their most lethal opponent yet, the polite, bloodcurdling mastermind Sensui. But then the sixteenth volume of "Yu Yu Hakusho" manages to provide some truly shocking plot twists for our punky hero as he tries to save the world from a demon invasion. And Yoshihiro Togashi pretty clearly is enjoying the ride.Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei are all pulled into a sort of limbo dimension and trapped there by Itsuki, leaving Yusuke to fight Sensui alone. And he soon realizes that he's badly outmatched -- even though he's the better fighter, Sensui's spiritual power and experience make him nearly invulnerable to attack. In other words, Yusuke's getting his butt handed to him.Unfortunately, it turns out that Sensui is not only insanely powerful, but has seven separate personalities -- including an insane murderer.When Koenma shows up with a MacGuffin in hand (or mouth), Yusuke refuses to let him interfere in the duel between Spirit Detectives. But when the strongest of Sensui's personalities emerges -- and his spectacular power is revealed -- Yusuke finds himself being battered to death by an opponent he can never hope to defeat. And his loss may be the only thing that can inspire new power in his friends...The sixteenth volume of "Yu Yu Hakusho" is pretty much packed with shocking twists and revelations -- one of the characters dies, another almost destroys himself, Sensui's fragmented mind is revealed, and his Yusuke's team is maddened by what they see to the point of gaining new powers. Oh, and we finally learn why Koenma has that stupid pacifier in his mouth all the time.The majority of the plot is really just an extended punchfest between Sensui and Yusuke -- spattered blood, spirit-energy blasts and savage punches and kicks in the gut. Every time Sensui is defeated he suddenly reveals a new level to his power, and every time Yusuke is defeated he comes back swinging -- even with a broken arm. This only ends after several chapters, and the shock of it lingers for quite a while.Then suddenly everything explodes into a frenzied do-or-die four-way duel, with the survivors pursuing Sensui into the tunnel. We finally get a glimpse of the much-talked-about Demon Realm -- and even though the situation is grim (bordering on hopeless) Togashi manages to inject some humor with Kurama's "plant wings." It's all pretty bleak.And yet... the last chapter also hints that not all is lost -- and reveals something truly shocking about Yusuke Urameshi.Togashi also fleshes out the villains during the fight. Sensui is absolutely chilling with his multiple personalities and calm demeanor, and Itsuki reveals the rather amusing way that he and Sensui met (not to mention a subtle love affair). And in a brief flashback, we see how Kuwabara first got to know Yusuke and the source of all their fights.The sixteenth volume of "Yu Yu Hakusho" is a harrowing, bloodsoaked fightfest -- with some unexpected twists along the way. Not to be missed.