Yukio (Marvel)

Yukio is a female comic character who features in Marvel Comics.

Biography

Yukio

Some time after this, Yukio returned to Japan and entered the employ of Lord Shingen, the powerful head of Clan Yashida. Her skill and daring soon made her Shingen's top assassin. It was while serving Shingen that Yukio first encountered the X-Man Wolverine. Logan had come to reclaim the love of Shingen's daughter, Mariko who he had forced into an arranged marriage with a petty man named Noburu-Hideki. When Wolverine infiltrated the Yashida estate to confront Mariko, he was taken down from the shadows by Yukio, who used poisoned shuriken with the intention of killing him. Thanks to his mutant healing factor, Logan survived. Shingen challenged Logan to a trial by combat and defeated him, thanks in part to the poison in his system. Wolverine was left in a severely battered state and was dumped in Tokyo by Shingen's men. Nearly helpless, Wolverine was attacked by a gang of thugs where he was saved by Yukio. However, tthis was all part of Lord Shingen's plans and shortly after she 'rescued' Logan, they were attacked by a cadre of Hand ninjas working for Shingen. To Yukio's surprise, they attacked in full force and she was injured. She marveled at Logan's ferocity and coveted his adamantium claws. She had found someone whose wild nature matched her own and she was instantly drawn to him. As she tended to his wounds following the battle, she tried to seduce Logan. He also felt an undeniable chemistry between them but resisted due to his love for Mariko. (Wolverine v1 #2)

Later, Yukio and Amiko were captured by a faction of the Hand but were rescued by Wolverine; however, Amiko remained partially within the Hand's thrall. When Yukio aided the ninja Elektra against the Hand, accompanying her to the Valley of Mercy and Wrath, Amiko warned the assassins of her activities. Yukio and Elektra nevertheless escaped their encounter unharmed, although it remains unclear if the Hand maintained any hold over Amiko's mind. (Elektra v2 #15)

Despite her setbacks, she remained a life-loving adventurer, eager to face any challenge. After Hellverine was banished and Wolverine reclaimed his body, he traveled to Japan to pay his respects to the late Silver Samurai killed by the army of the Red Right Hand, and to investigate the return of Sabretooth. Once he arrived he met Yukio, now in a wheelchair, and told her he was sorry for what happened, but Yukio only asked him if the ones responsible, The Red Right Hand, were dead. After Logan told her that they were, Yukio replied that there was nothing to whine about and it was time to get back to work. After explaining the fragile situation in Japan after the death of the Silver Samurai, the duo was attacked by several ninjas, but despite being in a wheelchair, Yukio made quick work of them. She then revealed to Logan that Amiko was now dating the illegitimate son of the Silver Samurai, Shingen Harada II. (Wolverine v2 #300) The duo then discovered that Amiko had been kidnapped by Sabretooth and the leader of a dissident part of the Hand, Azuma Gōda, and decided to free her. Logan was able to save her, but Amiko's boyfriend, Shingen Harada II who was now calling himself the "Silver Samurai," also tried to save her, and was captured by the Hand. Logan, Yukio, and Amiko decided to investigate the Hand's whereabouts in order to free him. After speaking with Mamoru Tsuruoka, they discovered that the Hand was hiding in the Yoshimi Hyakuana Tombs where Shingen was tortured. With this new information, Logan and Yukio headed to the Hand's location with Amiko secretly following them. (Wolverine v2 #301)

But unknown to them, the tomb was occupied by Sabretooth, Mystique, and the Mind Ninja, who were waiting for them and who could use their powers to make anyone relive their worst nightmares. Logan was temporarily taken down by the Mind Ninja while Yukio was able to defeat most of them. Amiko was then found by her boyfriend and together they escaped. Still caught in the hallucinations of the Mind Ninja, Logan saw no other choice but to unleash his berserker persona, but Mystique then used this confusion to assume Yukio's form and trick Logan into having an affair with her while the real Yukio escaped. Amiko then discovered that Shingen was now working with the Hand and decided to break up with him. (Wolverine v2 #302) Afterwards, while Yukio was helping Amiko against the Silver Samurai, Logan took down Azuma Gōda which allowed Sabretooth to become the new invisible King of Asia while Mystique sent the pictures of her affair with Wolverine to Melita to make her break up with him. Back at Yukio's apartment, Yukio and Logan were about to say goodbye to each other until Amiko asked Logan if he wanted to stop a robbery with her. Logan smiled and agreed to team up with his daughter. (Wolverine v2 #303) Afterwards Amiko became a vigilante and Yukio gave her advice about how to handle the criminals she was going to fight. (Wolverine v2 #304)

Notes

• Yukio was created by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller where she made her first appearance in Wolverine v1 #1 (September, 1982).

Alternate Versions

• In X-Men: The End v1 #5 (2004), an alternate version of Yukio appeared in the reality that was designated as Earth-41001 in the Multiverse. This version was a Warksrull subversive who had assumed her identity on Earth. He was sent by the Shi'ars in Australia to terminate both Wolverine and Storm, shape-shifting into X-Men's old friend Yukio where he was killed by Storm's icing powers.
• In Ultimate X-Men v2 #8 (2024), an alternate version of Yukio appeared in the new Ultimate Marvel reality that was designated as Earth-6160 in the Multiverse.

In other media

Television

• In Marvel Anime: Wolverine, Yukio appeared in the animated series where she was voiced by actor Romi Park in the Japanese version and by actor Kate Higgins in the English dub. She was a skilled assassin whose mother served the crimelord Shingen Yashida with her never failing a task. However, Shingen tasked her with killing her Yukio's father who was the man she loved with her failing on this mission. Shingen did not tolerate failure and ended up killing Yukio's mother with the girl herself vowing revenge against Yashida. She was shown not to make use of knives but rather circular blades that she used skilfully to dispatch her foes.

Films

• In The Wolverine, Yukio appeared in the live-actin 2013 film where she was portrayed by actress Rila Fukushima. Yukio was a Japanese mutant with a limited precognitive ability to see the nature of a person's death. As a child, she foresaw her parents' deaths, then suffered in watching them die from the back seat of their car. She became something of a street urchin, until she was found and taken in by the head of Clan Yashida to fill the role of a friend to his granddaughter Mariko. The girls grew up together as sisters, with Yukio also being trained in the martial arts as an additional protection measure for Mariko. This version was shown as being a Mutant with the power to foresee future deaths. Yukio as a young girl was adopted by the Yashida family to serve as a companion to Mariko Yashida with the two considering each other sisters. Years later, Yukio was dispatched to find the Wolverine and bring him before Mariko's dying grandfather. This mission was successful in the primary objective, although Logan's meeting with the old man proved to be a brief one when Yashida succumbed to his ailing health later that same night which she told Logan that she did not foresee that. The funeral was a traditional affair, with no expense too great for such a powerful figure. It was a surprise then when Yakuza thugs interrupted the proceedings in a bid to capture Mariko, to whom the entire wealth of the house of Yashida had been left. Yukio fought bravely against the intruders, but was unsuccessful in protecting her ward. She did however take comfort in knowing that Logan had managed to succeed where she had failed. Yukio was later surprised and elated when Mariko, now a fugitive, contacted her. She resolved to meet with Mariko and Logan in southern Japan, but by the time she reached them, Mariko had already been found by the Yakuza and captured. Yukio reluctantly agreed to help Logan confront Mariko's father Shingen, worried that she was taking Logan to his death which she had recently foreseen. Her vision proved somewhat true when Logan almost killed himself trying to tear a parasite from his heart while Yukio fought Shingen. She was within a split second of losing her head to Shingen's blade when Logan, fully recovered, intervened. The pair traveled together to the heart of Yashida's business empire, a location where they knew Mariko was being held, and that adamantium had been stockpiled for an unknown purpose. Yukio let Logan go on alone, but when the situation deteriorated, she secretly followed. Eventually Yukio was confronted by another mutant who had been working as a nurse and had neutralized Logan's power the night he had first visited the Yashida estate. The two women were evenly matched in combat, and although Yukio prevailed, she had failed to realize that her adversary had survived and would soon press another attack on Yukio's friends. Ultimately, it was the efforts of Logan, with a little help from Yukio and Harada, that defeated the criminal plot to steal the Wolverine's power. Mariko, having risen to great financial power with the death of her grandfather, said her goodbyes to Logan, but charged Yukio with a new purpose: to act as bodyguard to Logan and take him wherever he needed to go. Yukio boarded a private jet with him and the pair set out to wherever Logan's purpose would lead them.

On the role, Fukushima said in an interview, "My character's very physical. Yukio and Wolverine have a lot in common. She really takes care of him and he also cares about her." Director James Mangold described Yukio as a lethal fighter who was "both sexy and almost kind of sprung from the anime world.//

• In Deadpool 2, Yukio appeared in the setting of the live-action film where she was portrayed by actress Shioli Kutsuna. This version was shown as being a member of the X-Men and the girlfriend of teammate Negasonic Teenage Warhead with technical prowess and electrokinesis.

Video games

• In Marvel Heroes, Yukio appeared in the setting of the MMORPG video game with an artefact available to players being Yukio's Charm. She was on Madripoor searching for the shards of the Muramasa Blade and tasked the heroes with helping her find the pieces.

Appearances

• Wolverine v1: (1982)
• Uncanny X-Men v1:
• Elektra v2:

External Links

• Marvel Database Entry
• Comicvine Entry
• Wikipedia Entry

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