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Yukio (comics)
Encyclopedia
Yukio is a fictional character
in the Marvel Universe
. She is a female ninja
of Japanese
origin and is a supporting character of the X-Men
. She first appeared in Wolverine #2 (September 1982) and was created by Chris Claremont
and Frank Miller
. Yukio also appears in the Wolverine anime
series from the Marvel Anime
line.
, a masterless samurai
. Yukio has been portrayed as a free spirit with an almost careless disregard for personal danger. While she is highly skilled in the martial arts, Yukio is not a mutant and possesses no super powers. Her specialty weapons are scalpel-like shuriken
, of which she can hurl several at a time with deadly accuracy.
It has been hinted upon by Wolverine that Yukio's real first name could be "Yukiko". However, since Logan joked about it and the fact has since then never again been touched upon, its unclear if Yukiko is Yukio's actual real name or not.
had his struggle with Shingen Yashida
, father of Wolverine's girlfriend Mariko Yashida
. At that time Yukio worked for Shingen, and one of her tasks was to kill Wolverine. Instead she developed a crush on him and subsequently aided him in bringing about Shingen's downfall.
Later, Wolverine invited his team to Japan for his wedding to Mariko, which Yukio joined subsequently. Viper and the Silver Samurai
poisoned the X-Men during a dinner that Logan hosted for them. Logan, tasting the poison, warned Ororo and knocked the cup from her hand before she could drink it. While the others were recuperating from the attack, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue
(who had been unaffected), and Yukio went after Viper and the Silver Samurai to stop the Samurai's plot to assassinate Mariko, who was his half-sister. Yukio posed as a decoy, disguising herself as Mariko to lead them away from her. During their altercation with Viper and Silver Samurai, Storm blasted the Silver Samurai with her lightning, finding to her horror that her powers were out of control. Storm drew the lightning back into herself, nearly electrocuting herself in the process. Yukio knocked Storm out of the path of her lightning bolts and dove with her into the nearby bay, enabling them to escape from the Silver Samurai. (Actually, these events had been brought about and influenced by the mutant villain Mastermind
, who was conducting a revenge campaign against the X-Men at the time. He was also responsible for the subsequent halting of Wolverine's and Mariko's wedding.)
. She has a rivalry with the X-Man Gambit
. Both being thieves, they often tried to steal the same object. Yukio framed Gambit for a crime she committed. Yukio is also part of Professor X
's secret information network of humans and mutants, known as the Mutant Underground (not to be confused with Cable's Underground
).
, to a foster family. He later discovered that her new foster parents were abusive and only interested in the money. Wolverine took Amiko away from them and asked Yukio to raise her. This unofficial adoption was under the protection of the Silver Samurai, now an ally of Wolverine. Yukio trained Amiko in the martial arts and to her own surprise she enjoyed her new role as a mother. When Sabretooth
targeted Wolverine's friends and family, he hired Omega Red
and Lady Deathstrike
to kidnap Amiko. Yukio fought the two, but was overpowered and seriously injured. She asked Wolverine to kill her, but Wolverine refused and saved Amiko shortly afterwards. Yukio reappeared and seemed fully recovered from her previous injuries. She teamed up with Storm again to enter the Arena, a fight club for mutants. In the end Yukio, Storm, and Callisto
took over the Arena.
Later, Yukio and Amiko were attacked by a demonic being who had taken over Wolverine's body in order to kill his loved ones, on the behest of the Devil. Her confusion over the fake Wolverine's behavior earned Yukio serious injuries, but Amiko returned from school just in time to save them both from the malevolent entity.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. She is a female ninja
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
of Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
origin and is a supporting character of the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
. She first appeared in Wolverine #2 (September 1982) and was created by Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont
Chris Claremont is an award-winning American comic book writer and novelist, known for his 17-year stint on Uncanny X-Men, far longer than any other writer, during which he is credited with developing strong female characters, and with introducing complex literary themes into superhero...
and Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
. Yukio also appears in the Wolverine anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series from the Marvel Anime
Marvel Anime
Marvel Anime is a four-part anime project with collaborations from both Marvel Entertainment and Madhouse. The project took famous Marvel characters and reintroduced them for a Japanese audience in a 12-part series. The announcement was confirmed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con...
line.
Fictional character biography
Yukio is an occasional thief by profession, as well as a rōninRonin
A or rounin was a Bushi with no lord or master during the feudal period of Japan. A samurai became masterless from the death or fall of his master, or after the loss of his master's favor or privilege....
, a masterless samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
. Yukio has been portrayed as a free spirit with an almost careless disregard for personal danger. While she is highly skilled in the martial arts, Yukio is not a mutant and possesses no super powers. Her specialty weapons are scalpel-like shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
, of which she can hurl several at a time with deadly accuracy.
It has been hinted upon by Wolverine that Yukio's real first name could be "Yukiko". However, since Logan joked about it and the fact has since then never again been touched upon, its unclear if Yukiko is Yukio's actual real name or not.
Association with X-Men
The X-Men's first encounter with Yukio occurred when WolverineWolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
had his struggle with Shingen Yashida
Shingen Yashida
, usually called Lord Shingen, was a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe who was once a foe of Wolverine. The character was created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller and first appeared in Wolverine #1 ....
, father of Wolverine's girlfriend Mariko Yashida
Mariko Yashida
is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #118 .-Fictional character biography:...
. At that time Yukio worked for Shingen, and one of her tasks was to kill Wolverine. Instead she developed a crush on him and subsequently aided him in bringing about Shingen's downfall.
Later, Wolverine invited his team to Japan for his wedding to Mariko, which Yukio joined subsequently. Viper and the Silver Samurai
Silver Samurai
The Silver Samurai is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' universe, occasionally a superhero and more often a supervillain. His first appearance was in Daredevil #111...
poisoned the X-Men during a dinner that Logan hosted for them. Logan, tasting the poison, warned Ororo and knocked the cup from her hand before she could drink it. While the others were recuperating from the attack, Storm, Wolverine, Rogue
Rogue (comics)
Rogue was first slated to appear in Ms. Marvel #25 , but the book's abrupt cancellation left her original introduction story unpublished for over a decade, before seeing print in Marvel Super Heroes #11 in 1992. Rogue's first published appearance was in Avengers Annual #10...
(who had been unaffected), and Yukio went after Viper and the Silver Samurai to stop the Samurai's plot to assassinate Mariko, who was his half-sister. Yukio posed as a decoy, disguising herself as Mariko to lead them away from her. During their altercation with Viper and Silver Samurai, Storm blasted the Silver Samurai with her lightning, finding to her horror that her powers were out of control. Storm drew the lightning back into herself, nearly electrocuting herself in the process. Yukio knocked Storm out of the path of her lightning bolts and dove with her into the nearby bay, enabling them to escape from the Silver Samurai. (Actually, these events had been brought about and influenced by the mutant villain Mastermind
Mastermind (Jason Wyngarde)
Mastermind is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an adversary of the X-Men. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-writer Jack Kirby, he first appeared in X-Men #4 . He was given his "real name", Jason Wyngarde, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne.The original Mastermind was a mutant with the power to...
, who was conducting a revenge campaign against the X-Men at the time. He was also responsible for the subsequent halting of Wolverine's and Mariko's wedding.)
Impact and future appearances
Storm, inspired by what she called Yukio's "madness" and lust for life, changed her image dramatically and adopted a new look: a mohawk haircut, studded collar, and black leather clothing. Yukio later met up, once again, with Wolverine to help him fight the ninja master OgunOgun (comics)
Ogun is a fictional character, a Japanese supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe and a foe of Wolverine. His first appearance was in Kitty Pryde & Wolverine #1 . The issue was scripted by Chris Claremont and drawn by Allen Milgrom....
. She has a rivalry with the X-Man Gambit
Gambit (comics)
Gambit is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero that has been a member of the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Jim Lee, the character first appeared briefly in Uncanny X-Men Annual #14 , weeks before a more comprehensive appearance in Uncanny X-Men #266...
. Both being thieves, they often tried to steal the same object. Yukio framed Gambit for a crime she committed. Yukio is also part of Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
's secret information network of humans and mutants, known as the Mutant Underground (not to be confused with Cable's Underground
Underground (comics)
The Underground was a short-lived team of superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. They appeared in the comic-series Weapon X.-Fictional team biography:...
).
Yukio and Amiko
After the death of Mariko Yashida, Wolverine sent his adopted daughter, Amiko KobayashiAmiko Kobayashi
Amiko Kobayashi is a fictional character in the Marvel universe. She is of Japanese origin. Amiko is a supporting character of the X-Men but most often allied with Wolverine.-Fictional character biography:...
, to a foster family. He later discovered that her new foster parents were abusive and only interested in the money. Wolverine took Amiko away from them and asked Yukio to raise her. This unofficial adoption was under the protection of the Silver Samurai, now an ally of Wolverine. Yukio trained Amiko in the martial arts and to her own surprise she enjoyed her new role as a mother. When Sabretooth
Sabretooth (comics)
Sabretooth is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics supervillain created by writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer John Byrne. The character first appeared in Iron Fist #14...
targeted Wolverine's friends and family, he hired Omega Red
Omega Red
Omega Red is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in X-Men #4 , and was created by Jim Lee...
and Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike
Lady Deathstrike , occasionally spelled "Deathstryke", is a Marvel Comics supervillain, a foe of the X-Men, especially Wolverine.Her father Lord Dark Wind created the adamantium-bonding process that was forced on Wolverine...
to kidnap Amiko. Yukio fought the two, but was overpowered and seriously injured. She asked Wolverine to kill her, but Wolverine refused and saved Amiko shortly afterwards. Yukio reappeared and seemed fully recovered from her previous injuries. She teamed up with Storm again to enter the Arena, a fight club for mutants. In the end Yukio, Storm, and Callisto
Callisto (comics)
Callisto is a Marvel Comics fictional character, associated with the X-Men. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith, she first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #169 ....
took over the Arena.
Later, Yukio and Amiko were attacked by a demonic being who had taken over Wolverine's body in order to kill his loved ones, on the behest of the Devil. Her confusion over the fake Wolverine's behavior earned Yukio serious injuries, but Amiko returned from school just in time to save them both from the malevolent entity.
Television
- Yukio appears in Marvel Anime: WolverineMarvel AnimeMarvel Anime is a four-part anime project with collaborations from both Marvel Entertainment and Madhouse. The project took famous Marvel characters and reintroduced them for a Japanese audience in a 12-part series. The announcement was confirmed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con...
, voiced by Romi Park in the Japanese version and by Kate HigginsKate HigginsCatherine Davis "Kate" Higgins is an American voice actress, singer, and jazz pianist. She was born in Charlottesville, Virginia grew up in Auburn, Alabama, and currently lives in Los Angeles. She is best known as the English voice of Sakura Haruno on the hit anime series Naruto, Talho Yūki from...
(who previously voice Scarlet WitchScarlet WitchThe Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
in Wolverine and the X-Men) in the English dub. In this series which is not continuous with the Marvel franchises, Yukio assists Wolverine in his quest to free Mariko YashidaMariko Yashidais a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, the character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #118 .-Fictional character biography:...
from her engagement to the current leader of Madripoor, part of her quest to seek revenge against Mariko's father Shingen for killing her parents, who formerly worked for him. In the series, instead of using throwing knives and shurikens, she uses retractable circular throwing blades. She dies in the final episode after confessing to killing Logan's friend Asano, in a scheme to be her ally in killing Shingen Yashida.