Yuki (ユキ, Yuki) was a victim of radiation poisoning from the American bombing of Hiroshima. She befriended and lived with Genji Kamogawa and Ginpachi Nekota in their youth. She died from radiation poisoning presumably within a year of meeting them.
Quick Answers
Who were the friends Yuki lived with after the bombing of Hiroshima?
How did Yuki meet Genji Kamogawa and Ginpachi Nekota?
What was the cause of Yuki's death?
Why did Genji Kamogawa and Ginpachi Nekota offer Yuki a place to stay?
What was the tragic revelation about Yuki's health?
Background[]
Post-War Arc[]
Yuki suffering from radiation poisoning.
Yuki met Genji Kamogawa and Ginpachi Nekota at a boxing match in the 1940s. Smitten, they offered to put her up at Kamogawa's house to protect her from American soldiers. It was soon revealed, however, that Yuki was a victim of radiation poisoning from the American bombing of Hiroshima, and that she had come to Tokyo in hopes of living out her last days in happiness.
During her time in Tokyo, she formed part of a love triangle between Kamogawa, Nekota and herself. While she had strong feelings for Kamogawa, he couldn't answer to them because his best friend, Nekota, had fallen for her, and Kamogawa didn't want to break his heart since he already felt responsible for causing Nekota brain damage. When Nekota left Tokyo to live in the mountains, Yuki went with him, but only because Kamogawa asked her to. Although perhaps because Yuki had fallen in love with Kamogawa, she spent the rest of her life in the mountains with Nekota as per his request, dying peacefully some time later. After learning of Yuki's ailment, Kamogawa began to admire her Japanese fighting spirit. Thus, Yuki was covertly the inspiration for his boxing philosophy.
Appearance[]
Yuki was a small, slender woman with long black hair. She wore a plain dress and heels. Occasionally she donned a straw hat with a ribbon around it. She was compared to that of a sunflower.
Personality[]
On the surface, Yuki was a jovial young woman without a care in the world, who smiled frequently and bowed more often than other Japanese women her age. Her personality suggested a good upbringing. However, under the facade is a deep sadness. She was sick, weak, and fragile (much like the delicate flowers she adores; a possible allegory), and knew she was not long for the afterlife. Yuki was helpless at defending herself, and though she tried to comfort Kamogawa and Nekota during her tenure, she was also helpless at aiding them with their various physical and mental ailments.
Simultaneously, Yuki had a resilient spirit. While her fellow Japanese countrymen groveled for food thrown at them on the ground, she stood tall and dignified, refusing to give up her Japanese pride.
Etymology[]
- The name Yuki is written in katakana (ユキ), which has no special meaning. However, when written in kanji (幸, 雪, 由貴 or 由紀), it could possibly mean:
- 幸 - "happiness, good luck".
- 雪 - "snow".
- 由貴 - "reason, case, cause" (由) (yu) and "valuable" (貴) (ki).
- 由紀 - "reason, case, cause" (由) (yu) and "chronicle" (紀) (ki).
Trivia[]
- Yuki is strongly associated with sunflowers, which are often planted in areas that have been devastated by nuclear radiation due to their ability to absorb radiation.[1]
