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Japanese Comedian Portrays Elder Toguro in Yu Yu Hakusho × Monster Strike Commercial

As part of an ongoing Yū Yū Hakusho crossover in the popular smartphone game Monster Strike, famous Japanese comedian Naoki Matayoshi appears in a short commercial as Elder Toguro. He's perched atop the vast shoulders of his younger brother, who's busy playing the game. Elder Toguro introduces himself, announces the collaboration, then admits "Elder Toguro... is not in it." At the end he sobs, "I want to be in it."

Matayoshi's portrayal has won him acclaim on Twitter, with many Yū Yū Hakusho fans claiming that he fits the role perfectly. They have also noted that this is the first live-action portrayal of Yoshihiro Togashi's shōnen classic.

Meanwhile, another comedian, Oniyakko Tsubaki, is drumming up interest in the collaboration with a cover of Yū Yū Hakusho's opening theme, "Hohoemi no Bakudan" ("Bomb of Smiles"). It's accompanied by a music video that mimics those of its era (the early 1990s).

Finally, Tsubaki joins Matayoshi in a 50-second commercial as the all-new character, Toguro's big sister. She plays Monster Strike together with her siblings, but then gets mad at her youngest brother when he remains impassive and silent. Elder Toguro reminds her that "he's always been this way."

Matayoshi is currently enjoying a high profile in Japan; his novel, Hibana ("Spark"), was the best-selling book of 2015 and has been adapted into a 10-episode Netflix series. As for Monster Strike, it was promoted with a life-size statue of Younger Toguro that people could climb on just like Matayoshi and Tsubaki do in the commercials.

Source: Netlab Enter: Mattsu