Kurama shows up alongside Hiei early in the series as the group's resident strategist. He's best known for his plant manipulation abilities—he weaponizes vegetation by channeling his youki into it, most famously creating a whip from a rose vine complete with thorns. Of the four main characters, he's easily the calmest and smartest, preferring to analyze his opponents' strengths and weaknesses before making a move rather than rushing in.
He's protective of the people he cares about to the point of ruthlessness toward anyone who threatens them, which contrasts sharply with his usual friendly demeanor. Friends and family mean enough to him that he's shown himself willing to sacrifice everything for their safety.
Before his human life, Kurama was Youko Kurama—a legendary A-class demon bandit feared across the entire Makai. He'd spent over a thousand years as a cold, ruthless thief. After getting wounded by a bounty hunter, he sent his spirit into the human world and embedded it in an unborn child as a way to recover his strength. The plan was simple: hide out for ten years, regain his power, then return to Makai. But his mother, Shiori, did something unexpectedly selfless that made Kurama realize the pain he'd caused her, and he ended up choosing to stay human instead.
Power-wise, Kurama can control any human world plant completely and has some control over demon realm plants—though his Youko form has full control and way more raw strength. He's got an incredible sense of smell and can read lips. While he ranks as the second weakest of the four main fighters and tops out at low S-class by series' end, he compensates entirely through cunning and tactical brilliance. He wins through smarts, not brute force.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
