Yukari Takeba

"There you have it."

^{Click here to see Yukari in her new battle outfit in Reload.}

^{Click here to see Io}

^{Click here to see Isis}

"Easy peasy!"

Arcana: The Lovers
Social Link: The Lovers
Persona: Io, Isis
Theurgy (Reload): Cyclone Arrow (Io)^note, Tranquility (Isis)^note
Weapons: Bow and Arrow
Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English; original), Heather Gonzalez (English; Reload)
Live actress: Maho Tomita

Yukari is one of the most popular second-year girls at Gekkoukan High thanks to her cheery personality and good looks. However, she proves to have hidden insecurities and can be abrasive and confrontational. She is a member of the archery club and uses a bow and arrow in battle. Her Persona is Io of the Lovers Arcana, which focuses on wind and healing magic.

Yukari is the newest member of SEES prior to the protagonist's arrival. She reveals early on that her father, a scientist, died ten years ago under mysterious circumstances involving a project run by the Kirijo Group, and that she transferred to Gekkoukan and joined SEES in hopes of discovering the truth. Thus, due to Mitsuru's aloof attitude and Yukari's own suspicions, the pair tend to not get along very well. She has a rather vitriolic friendship with Junpei, who calls her Yuka-tan despite her clear annoyance. She is estranged from her mother, who coped by taking up relationships with various men and essential abandoning her in the process, much to Yukari's disappointment and disgust.

Yukari is the Lovers Social Link for both protagonists. The male protagonist requires a maximized Charm status as well as waiting until the Yakushima event has passed in order to begin the Yukari's Social Link, July 24th being the earliest time to initiate it. In contrast, Yukari opens up much more readily to the female protagonist, finding it easier to relate to a girl her own age, particularly in contrast to Mitsuru's aloofness. Completing her Social Link ends with her giving the protagonist her cellphone strap, allowing them to fuse Cybele.

For tropes relating to her appearance in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax, click here.

open/close all folders

A-L

Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Reload adds a minor subplot about her insecurities at having to be saved by her teammates. She gets over this upon unlocking her Theurgy ability in order to save the Male Protagonist from a shadow.
Adaptational Badass: In Reload, Io/Isis gains Wind Amp, (Ma)Sukunda, Poison Mist, and Amrita Drop/Shower. She also learns Magaru and Magarula way earlier than her previous versions, who learned them at Levels 21 and 46 respectively.
Adaptational Villainy: Not Yukari, but her Persona. In the fourth movie, during a period of stress, Io turns on Yukari and attempts to strangle her. This, however, is implied to be a dream.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Yukari (or at least her English dub) is overall much nicer in Reload than she was in the original game, from her voice acting being less sassy than it was in the original to her overall demeanor. For instance, there's a new scene after the protagonist gains consciousness in the hospital where she walks with him to the dorm in fear of him fainting again, although she's practically the same as she was in the original to Junpei.
Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: A downplayed example in Portable's female protagonist route. Yukari's initial meetings with Aigis in the original game were somewhat hostile due to her Clingy Jealous Girl feelings towards the Male Protagonist. As she's Heterosexual Life-Partners with the Female Protagonist, she's more confused and exasperated by Aigis' antics.
- Downplayed in Reload. While the game still treats Yukari as having an interest in the male protagonist, her Social Link can end platonically, albeit very disappointed the protagonist doesn't feel the same way about her.
All of the Other Reindeer: After her father was blamed for the explosion that killed hundreds of scientists, Yukari and her mother were harassed by the public, which forced them to move several times. Combine this with Mrs. Takeba abandoning Yukari for other men and you have one incredibly lonely and messed up childhood. Yukari grew up to be an incredibly guarded young woman as a result.
Always Save the Girl: Gender-reversed when a grief-stricken Yukari decides in The Answer to go back in time and save the Protagonist, even if it means triggering the Fall all over again.
Amazonian Beauty: Downplayed and Zig-zagged in-universe. While it's not obvious at first glance, it is mentioned that she has pretty muscular arms (likely due to being an active member of the Archery Club) and that doesn't stop her from having many male admirers at school. However, she is rather insecure about it and tries to hide it as much as she can.
Anger Born of Worry: Exhibits mild examples throughout the game.
- Yukari is left feeling displeased and worried when Fuuka's role as support was unceremoniously thrust upon her by the senior members of S.E.E.S. Eventually she ends up at ease after seeing Fuuka working hard in helping the team, striving to do the same.
- Another mild case with her Rank 7 Social Link moment with the Female Protagonist where she protects Yukari from being run over by a car and gets injured. Yukari becomes extremely worried about the female protagonist getting hurt because of her, revealing to her that she doesn't want to lose someone she cares about.
The Atoner: After finding out her father was one of those responsible for the Dark Hour coming into existence, she decides to live to atone for his actions. Mildly subverted as it's revealed he actually tried to prevent the Fall. Though finding out the truth strengthens Yukari's resolve to eliminate the Dark Hour once and for all. Fittingly, Yukari's ultimate Persona Isis holds many titles one being "The protector of the dead".
- The Answer ends with her apologizing for her borderline Love Makes You Crazy behavior throughout.
Badass Adorable: She's pretty cute and along with her bright and cheery disposition make her one of the most popular girls in Gekkoukan High, is in the school Archery team as a main member, and one of the most athletic of the team.
Blow You Away: Her specialty is powerful wind spells, and it's the element the Lovers Arcana in 3 is associated with.
Bond Breaker: In The Answer, after the MC dies, Yukari grows adamant about reviving him by going back in time. This was so risky that it would've prevented the Big Bad from getting sealed, risking the entire world once again to another battle that the team wouldn't have won in any other way than if he hadn't died. Thankfully, it doesn't come to that, and Yukari gets better, but only after a fight with the rest of the team apart from Mitsuru.
Bottomless Magazines: She's never shown the need to replenish her supply of arrows. Downplayed in Reload, where she off-handedly mentions in Tartarus about having to spend a lot of money on them, though this does not affect her gameplay in any way.
Broken Bird: Quite a balanced example. While her awful childhood did do a number on the way Yukari feels about trust and relationships, shielding herself from getting too close with any of her peers. She's not a cynic, in fact she's a very sociable, optimistic and cheery person; and while she recognizes the struggles of her childhood she says to the protagonist after their movie date that she hasn't been in a situation that "required much willpower" implying that while her early youth was hard it wasn't unsurvivable. Unlike most characters that fall into this trope, Yukari craves normalcy and creating meaningful relationships, but the shame and guilt she feels about her past is what's stopping her from doing such things.
Broken Pedestal: Yukari's goal for joining S.E.E.S. was initially to prove her father's innocence in the destruction of the Kirijo Group facility ten years ago. Said belief gets severely tested after Yakushima when she sees a recording where he admits culpability for his actions. Once the truth is revealed, with his actions delaying the coming of the end of the world, her faith in her father is restored.
Bullying a Dragon: Displays this while investigating the back alleys of Port Island Station where the punks and delinquents hang out, calling them scum right in their faces. Had Shinjiro not shown up, the situation could've gotten a lot uglier.
Character Catchphrase: "Are you stupid or something?" Almost always spoken towards Junpei's antics. In Persona Q, because of the game's extreme Flanderization when it comes to certain character traits, this is spoken a whole lot more regarding Junpei and the other male cast members.
Character Development: At the start of the game, she was more withdrawn regarding her personal issues and openly suspicious of her seniors (particularly Mitsuru), who she believes to be using the junior members of S.E.E.S. for their own ends. As the game progresses, however, she comes to open herself up to others (particularly the protagonist and Mitsuru).
Clingy Jealous Girl:
- Shows hints of this during her Social Link with the male protagonist and some of the main story events, but it really isn't an issue until The Answer in which she's visibly resentful and jealous of Aigis for being there during his final moments and inheriting his power.
- Slightly hinted at in Dancing in Moonlight where she seems slightly jealous of the protagonist's relationship with Elizabeth depending on dialogue choices.
Closet Geek: Revealed by Aigis in one of the strolls in Persona Q that Yukari reads fanfiction, but seems to be pretty hush-hush about it.
Combat Medic:
- She learns the best healing spells and earns them at the earlier levels, making her a highly valuable party member. She also uses Garu attacks, and while she lacks Boost and Amp passives that other magic elemental specialists have, she compensates with having the highest Magic stat in the party and a very large SP pool.
- Due to overlapping with Morgana's role in Persona Q2, Yukari's skill set places greater emphasis on her Wind spells (where she learns Wind Boost and Wind Amp) at the expense of her healing skills.
- In Reload, Yukari gains the "Healing Master" and "Healing Apex" traits, drastically reducing the cost of her healing spells by up to 75%, and her Theurgy skills are charged by healing the party.
The Cutie: Her Rank 2, 6, 7, 9 and 10 Social Link moments show off her more adorable and quirky sides. Outside of her Social Link her Sunday Dates, Movie and Summer Festival moments as well as her console video recording highlight this trait too.
Daddy's Girl: Loved her father dearly and looked up to him. Yukari's love for her father became one her main driving forces. She's more distant from her mother now, but indicates that Mrs. Takeba wasn't always like that. Her belief in his innocence is what sparked her to transfer to Gekkoukan two years before joining S.E.E.S, in hopes that she might find information about his time working under the Kirijo Group.
Deadpan Snarker: She can snark quite well, toward Junpei in particular.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: Her father died when she was six, while she doesn't get along well with her mother (and her mother's stream of new and shallow boyfriends). When the public blamed and focused their backlash on her father for the accident ten years prior to the start of the game, she was forced to move several times to escape harassment. Early in the game, she tells the protagonists that she believes her father is innocent and wants to find the truth. It triggers her heroic breakdown when Ikutsuki plays a fabricated tape in which her father takes responsibility for the creation of the Dark Hour.
Demoted to Extra: In the game, Yukari is the closest thing to an Exposition Fairy to the Protagonist much like Yosuke and Morgana to theirs. In the movie, however, she has a far less prominent role since Makoto is capable of talking on his own.
Depending on the Artist:
- Yukari is generally depicted as having shoulder length hair; there are several animated cutscenes in the original game - notably the Kyoto trip and during The Answer - that instead show her hair as going past her shoulders and reaching partway down her back.
- The anime adaptations replaced Yukari's asymmetrical hair style from the game with a more straightforward bob cut, similar to her design in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax.
Determinator: One of Yukari's biggest traits, her past experiences and heartache she endures in The Journey and The Answer doesn't eliminate this trait, but actually strengthens it.
Deuteragonist: Serves this role in The Answer to Aigis' protagonist, as she gets the most focus and development apart from her.
Divergent Character Evolution: Her gameplay is pretty much identical to that of Morgana from Persona 5, both being wind-based Combat Medics. When the two fight alongside each other in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, the two are differentiated by Yukari focusing on her wind skills and Morgana focusing on his healing skills.
Does Not Like Men: Downplayed, but Yukari is shown to be extremely guarded around boys, especially when it comes to opening up about her personal issues. This is best seen when comparing her Social Link's starting dates in the Male and Female routes. In the Male route, it is only after the events of Yakushima (the end of July) and maxing out your Charm that you can even begin her Social Link. The Female route, in contrast, has no stat requirements and can begin as early as April. It's implied that her guarded attitude towards boys is a byproduct of her mother's tumultuous dating life.
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Has never received any of this when she was younger and now views it as a weakness. Almost says it word for word in Yakushima to Mitsuru, after we learn about her father's involvement in creating the Dark Hour assuming that that's why Mitsuru was so tight-lipped about its origins.
Dub Personality Change: Downplayed, but Yukari in the original release's English dub was more sassy and abrasive compared to the Japanese dub. Reload averts this by portraying her more in line with the original script.
Dude Magnet: She's really popular with the guys, so much that the Male Protagonist walking together with her on their first day caused quite a stir in the school. It's mentioned in the Persona 3 Drama CD A Certain Day of Summer by Fuuka that most of the second-year guys formed a broken hearts club after seeing Yukari and the Male Protagonist together much to Yukari's discomfort. Unfortunately, her looks also attracted the attention of the wrong crowd when she gets accosted by some punks during her Rank 5 event. Even Kenji and Kazushi have expressed attraction towards her at different points.
Exposed to the Elements: Her winter outfit shows even more skin than her normal outfit, being a sweater dress that leaves her shoulders and her legs bare.
Everygirl: She's one of the most normal members of SEES alongside Junpei, and reacts to most situations the party encounters like an ordinary teenager might. She is reluctant to endanger herself and others, she hesitates to put a gun-like object to her own head and pull the trigger, she distrusts Mitsuru for withholding critical information, she spends most of "The Answer" in a very bad Heroic BSoD due to the protagonist's death, and she has no outstanding personality quirks.
Fanservice Pack: Yukari's design in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax depicts her with noticeably larger breasts than in Persona 3; Dancing In Moonlight highlights this in a conversation between Yukari and Elizabeth, with the latter noting Yukari's growth since meeting the Protagonist, before clarifying that she doesn't just mean emotional growth and that Yukari's breasts have grown too.
The Fashionista: She's the most fashion-conscious member of S.E.E.S., with her room being filled with various shopping bags and designer brands, and Mitsuru has even borrowed one of Yukari's magazines to read for fashion advice. In Reload, she even mentions during a random conversation in Tartarus that she has a bad habit of spending money on new clothes.
Fatal Flaw:
- Pride. A lonely childhood forced Yukari to take care of herself while growing up, causing her to see people helping her out as a sign of weakness and prompting her to hide her personal issues from others, which can cause her to lash out if they reach a tipping point. One example is after being heckled by Junpei for being scared of a ghost story that's been spreading around Gekkoukan, she overcompensates by zealously investigating Port Island station's back alleys without regard for the danger she might bring to herself and her friends. This comes to a head during her Rank 5 social link event when she lashes out at the protagonist when he saves her from some punks, though she eventually realizes that she was wrong and apologizes.
- She indicates in "The Answer" that it's failing to consider others' feelings, specifically noting that she imagined that she was the only one suffering and didn't realize what Mitsuru was going through. The same can be said of her mother since Yukari admits that she initially didn't realize what it was like to lose the one you love.
Feminine Women Can Cook:
- Unlike most girls in the franchise, Yukari is not just a decent cook, she's a pretty good one though she can only do simple dishes and bentos. According to the She Goes For a Walk drama, she reveals that she hides this fact to avoid others raising questions about her home life.
- This trait of her is mentioned in Persona Q where the Investigation Team boys are shocked to see a girl who can cook normally, as the girls on their team (except Naoto) are notoriously incapable of making edible food.
- This trait is retained in Reload. In the dorm hangout events, the protagonist helps her cook as she admits to being out-of-practice. Her first attempt at making chicken sauté ends with it being dry, but her second and third attempts are much more successful after doing proper research about how to properly cook chicken breasts.
Fire-Forged Friends: She helps pull Mitsuru out of arguably her lowest moment in life, and becomes practically a sister figure to her as a result.
Five Stages of Grief: She practically goes through all five in order throughout The Answer:
- Denial: Going to cram school to forget that the Protagonist died.
- Anger: Going back to the dorm, trapped in Time Abyss, and then realizing that Aigis inherited the Wild Card made Yukari more bitter and antagonistic than usual.
- Bargaining: Attempting to go back to the battle against Nyx just to be with the Protagonist again, potentially dooming the world and ending up pitting the SEES members to a battle royale of death.
- Depression: She fails to wrestle the keys to the past from the others, getting told that she pretty much no longer had the right to use that key in the process. At that point, Yukari reveals every bit of her grief regarding losing the Protagonist, and then cries out all her depression on Mitsuru's shoulder.
- Acceptance: Once she learns the true meaning of the Protagonist's sacrifice, Yukari manages to accept the deal and move on, returning to her friendly self.
Flanderization: Gets some of it in Persona Q, though in contrast to Junpei, Akihiko, Chie and Teddie, Yukari got off light. The game made her mild case of Tsundere in the original game more of a prominent trait, though her Plucky Girl side still shines through and at the very least her depth as a character was not lost, but actually highlighted and focused on in the P3 side of the story.
Friend to All Children: She's actually really good with kids, as you'll find out if you progress through her Social Link. This is also one of the primary reasons Yukari became Feather Pink in the first place, to teach children important life lessons and give hope to them everyday. She shares this trait with her ultimate Persona Isis.
Generation Xerox: Yukari realizes what her mother felt after losing the man she loved when Yukari herself falls in love with the protagonist. And then The Answer happens, and Yukari becomes willing to undo the protagonist's death at any cost.
Girls Love Stuffed Animals: A mild case. In Persona Q, Yukari openly gushes about how cute she finds the Protective Lexy Shadows and expresses desire to have one attached on her schoolbag. Might be a reference to their blink and you'll miss it cameo in the opening of Persona 3.
Girly Bruiser: She has traditionally feminine hobbies, is also very well-versed when it comes to fashion and yet still kicks ass.
Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Although Yukari is generally portrayed with pretty feminine traits (loves the color pink, flowers, fashion, is a skilled cook, enjoys eating sweet desserts and is deathly afraid of ghost stories), she is also described as being fairly athletic, enjoys sports and military themed films as well as mountain hiking, and she is most definitely not intimated by street thugs, casual referring to them as scum. This complements the dynamic she shares with the Protagonists and Junpei.
Go-Getter Girl: Balances her duties with the Archery Club and with her duties in S.E.E.S very well. The trope is displayed in full in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax three years later, where Yukari not only juggles her time as a college student, but also as a fashion model and television actress, not to mention she still helps Mitsuru - albeit on a part-time basis - as a member of The Shadow Operatives.
Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Yukari's weapon of choice is the bow and arrow so she along with Aigis, who uses guns, fall into this trope as all the male party members use melee weapons.
Head-Turning Beauty: It's mentioned early in the game that Yukari has a lot of admirers among her male classmates.
Healer Signs On Early: She's one of the first party members to join and the game's primary medic.
Heroic BSoD:
- When she finds the doctored tape revealing her father's involvement with the Dark Hour, to say she's distraught over it is an understatement. The Protagonist brings her out of her slump with some encouragement, and when she discovers the true contents of the tape her father had recorded, she gets her Ultimate Persona.
- Sadly, she ends up with feelings for the Protagonist after Yakushima, only for him to die at the end of the game. Throughout The Answer, she becomes more abrasive and even outright caustic so as to mask what she's feeling - but once she finds an opportunity to save the Protagonist, she guns for it. Only after being defeated by Aigis does she fully break down and unload all the weight she's been carrying.
Heroic Resolve: Finding out the truth about her father's sacrifice strengthens Yukari's resolve to eliminate the Dark Hour to the point that she outright condemns Ryoji's damned if do, damned if you don't ultimatum, while the rest of the team are left confused and distraught while they ponder their own decisions on the matter.
Heterosexual Life-Partners:
- Develops such a bond with Mitsuru after the latter's father dies and Yukari breaks her out of it. The payoff isn't really seen until The Answer, though. Their bond also receives more focus in the Drama CDs, particularly the New/Full Moon series.
- She can also be one with the Female Protagonist if you max her Social Link, deciding against finding a boyfriend to instead enjoy the time she has with you instead. She also warms up to the female protagonist somewhat more easily than the male protagonist, since her Social Link becomes available earlier on the female route and cannot be reversed.
Hidden Depths: Dialogue and an action she does in her S.Link implies she has a soft spot for children, and despite reluctance to lower her guard towards people because of her harsh background, she shows her perceptive side when she explains why she gained her powers in Yakushima, and displays a mature understanding and desire to help when it comes to Ken and Mitsuru's situations; she even picked up there was more to Mitsuru's plight from just the words "for now". Yukari's definitely a character that grows a lot, not just in her Social Link but also in the game's main story.
Humanizing Tears: After finding out her father's involvement in creating the Dark Hour, Yukari explains her past to the Protagonist, her character portrait displays a pained smile with tears in her eyes.
Hypocrite:
- In the main game, she's bitter about her mother breaking down after Eiichiro Takeba's death and neglecting Yukari. In The Answer, Yukari doesn't handle losing the protagonist's death any better, and eventually is the cause of the intra-party fighting when she insists on going back in time to reverse his death.
- In Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Rise notices that while Yukari's unhappy with Mitsuru, Akihiko and Shinjiro not confiding in the younger members, Yukari largely keeps those feelings to herself, to the point that Fuuka, one of the few Yukari confides in, didn't even know about it. In the end, Yukari finding the courage to speak up is what helps the team become more open.
Hypocritical Humor: When Mitsuru misreads her suggestion to take a bath together, Yukari tells her to stop blushing, while her character portrait is doing the same.
I Just Want to Be Normal:
- Reveals to the protagonist her insecurities about not having a normal family in her Social Link. For the male protagonist, she says that her complicated past prevents her from opening up to anybody about it, before admitting that the protagonist is the only one she feels on par with. Her Social Link with the female protagonist has her admit that she felt jealous when a friend mentions being scolded by their parents when they were in trouble, coming to the conclusion that unlike Yukari, her friend has parents that actually care about their child's safety and well-being.
- In Yakushima, Yukari expresses jealously towards Mitsuru, when it comes the the latter's seemingly "normal" family, upset she tells the Protagonist her questioning why she's the one that had to lose a father and not Mitsuru, before admitting that it was a horrible and selfish thought.
Iconic Item: Yukari is almost always seen wearing her signature heart choker.
Implied Love Interest:
- Over the course of "The Journey", it's implied that Yukari falls for the Male Protagonist after he comforts her after S.E.E.S. learns that her father is responsibile for the creation of the Dark Hour, with Yukari frequently becoming frustrated with Aigis' clinginess to him. Yukari's feelings are ultimately confirmed in "The Answer". In Reload, if the protagonist chooses the platonic route with her, she visibly is holding back tears, disappointed at her love being unreciprocated.
- During the bad ending, dialogue implies that Yukari and the Male Protagonist are dating. Reload makes the implication even clearer, as the bad ending changes the dialogue if the Protagonist dated someone else over the course of the game, but retains Junpei teasing that he knows they've been sneaking around if the Protagonist dated Yukari.
  Junpei: Well, at least one of us knows what he wants... You seem to be getting along with a certain someone, if ya know what I mean...
  [An exclamation mark appears over Yukari's head]
  Yukari: ...what's that supposed to mean?
  Junpei: I dunno. You tell me.
  [A Sweat Drop appears over Yukari's head]
- Yukari is the only member of S.E.E.S. that Makoto has any flirty dialogue choices with in Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight.
Innocently Insensitive: Following the reveal about Nyx, the Fall, and Ryoji, Yukari tries to make a joke comment to lighten the mood after noticing everyone being unable to decide on what to do about Ryoji's offer. Unfortunately, this ends up coming across as making light of a serious topic to Junpei, who takes the news the hardest, and ends up setting Junpei off into yelling at both her and the Protagonist. Yukari apologizes for it once everyone calms down.
In-Series Nickname: She's frequently called Yuka-tan (Yukaricchi in the Japanese version of the game) by Junpei.
I Resemble That Remark!: A rare case that applies to praise rather than criticism. In Reload Fuuka says that Yukari is kind, and Yukari says that isn't true; she just can't stand people getting hurt or falling in battle when she's around. Fuuka simply giggles in response.
Jerkass Has a Point: She calls out Akihiko for willingly doing the Kirijo Group's dirty work as long as it satiates his Blood Knight tendencies. While it can come off as insensitive considering that Akihiko's obsession with fighting was because of his little sister's death (though Yukari was unaware of that), his stunned reaction and his later conversation with Shinjiro reveal that Yukari had a point in that Akihiko had started losing sight of his original goal.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold:
- In The Journey, Yukari treats people with varying levels of hostility if they get on her nerves (particularly Junpei) or do something she finds objectionable (Mitsuru for keeping secrets and Akihiko for going along with it), but she's a good person at heart. She's concerned about whether Fuuka was forced into joining S.E.E.S., and despite her initial friction with Mitsuru, comforts her when she is at her lowest point after losing her father and learning that she'd been manipulated by Ikutsuki all along.
- In The Answer, Yukari reveals to the team in her breakdown the silent promise she made to the protagonist, were she would find a way to make people stop wishing for "The Fall" but it hurts her to admit she can't do it alone. Mitsuru this time around is the one to pull Yukari out of her slump, reminding her that she's not alone and that if it wasn't for Yukari she herself wouldn't be here. Three years later in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Yukari is finally making strides with the promise she made to the protagonist, living her life to the fullest and giving hope to children every day as Feather Pink.
Leg Focus: Yukari's wardrobe draws a lot of attention towards her legs, thanks to her short skirts - even her summer outfit, which shows less actual skin, features a pair of jeans that emphasise her long legs. It's further emphasised with her performances in Dancing in Moonlight.
Like Parent, Like Child: For all the bad blood between them, Yukari's behavior in The Answer shows that she is in some ways no different from her mother, something that she comes to realize. Her inability to reconcile the Protagonist's sudden passing, in particular, is not so different from her mother's struggle to move on from Eichiro's death.
Lonely Among People: Although she's pretty popular and sociable in school, occasionally alluding to friends outside of S.E.E.S. in dorm conversations, she doesn't really have any close friends prior to joining S.E.E.S. due to her reluctance to open up about her personal problems. When talking to the protagonist when he wakes up in the hospital, she admits that he was the only person she feels comfortable opening up to due to their similar backgrounds.
Lonely Together: She arguably tries to invoke this in the first conversation she has with the protagonist after discovering he's an orphan by awkwardly revealing she also doesn't have parents, though she quickly backs off realizing how insensitive she's being.
The Lost Lenore: The Protagonist is this for her. Yukari's desire to save his life in The Answer stems from him playing a big part in changing hers for the better.
Love Hurts: A firm believer of this, due to having seen how losing the person you love negatively affected her mother. In Persona Q, Yukari claims she's long since decided to never fall in love. She breaks this promise to herself when she opens up to the male protagonist, concludes that being in love isn't as bad as she though it would be, and suffers from the worst of this trope when he dies, fulfilling her fear of ending up just like her mother. In Reload, she visibly holds back tears if the protagonist chooses the platonic option.
Love Makes You Crazy: Attempts to go back in time in The Answer to prevent the main character's death, even if it means having to face Nyx all over again.

M-W

Mage Marksman: Her favored weapon is the bow and arrow, but her stats are generally geared towards magical abilities like healing and wind magic.
Master of None:
- In the original game, Yukari doesn't really optimize when it comes to healing or her Wind Magic. She wastes two slots on status healing moves but never gets Amrita and a corresponding boost for her Wind Magic, despite having a high magic stat. That being said, her having the highest magic stat and SP pool mean allows her to be efficient in both combat and healing. She is also one of two characters to learn all spells of the Media-line (the other being Ken). By giving her the right accessory and weapon made from the Antique Shop, players can further boost her stats and remedy her weaknesses.
- Fully averted in Q and Q2 where more emphasis is placed on her wind skills, making her both a useful healer and an offensive mage.
- Yukari's skills are rebalanced In Reload. She retains all of the Wind and healing magic that she had previously, but replaces Charm Di with the Amrita spells, and gains a number of new abilites - the Sukunda spells to debuff enemy agility, Pulinpa to cover the early game period where Mitsuru (The character more focused inflicting status effects on opponents) isn't in the party, Poison Mist, and Wind Amp to buff her elemental attacks.
Meaningful Name:
- Yukari's given name is written in hiragana, but it sounds the same as a Japanese word for "affinity" or "connection." This ties in with her Arcana being the Lovers which focuses on balanced, connected relationships and important choices, which in turn ties into Yukari's story also revolving around her relationships.
- She reveals to the protagonist her past after his was unceremoniously revealed to her to balance their relationship. Her relationship with her father is one of her main driving forces, and the connection she creates with Mitsuru ends up saving them both.
- In her Social Link we see her struggling relationship with her mother, ultimately she is left with the hard task on whether or not to forgive her and to begin their relationship anew.
- Yukari's name can also be interpreted as "beautiful pear tree", which references her hometown Kyoto were Asian pear trees are common. During autumn the trees leaves turn brown, matching Yukari's hair color.
The Medic: Yukari shares this role with Ken, in that they both learn the Media line of spells and the Samarecarm revival spell. Although Yukari learns all the healing spells and its strongest variants the fastest. She keeps her ability to learn the Media line in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.
Minor Living Alone: It's revealed in her Rank 3 Social Link that prior to joining S.E.E.S., Yukari was living by herself. She says she decided to move to show and prove to herself and her mother that she'd be much happier living alone, rather than stay in a toxic and uncaring environment.
Mood-Swinger: When feeling particularly agitated or vulnerable Yukari tends to lash out, she feels her pride is at stake every time she is forced to open up and or ends up relying on the protagonist help in certain situations the Yakushima event and her Rank 5 Social Link being prime examples of this, no surprises that this attitude stems from her less than stellar childhood. Though she sucks up her pride and willingly opens up and apologizes when it's needed.
Ms. Fanservice: Yukari is often the subject of fanservice such as being forced to dress as a maid for the culture festival and her infamous Shower Scene on July 7th. Even her normal outfit sees her wearing a short skirt that results in a lot of Leg Focus. Many times in the movie adaptions, the camera often focuses on her chest. In Dancing in Moonlight, her default outfit is the most revealing among the girls, consisting of a semi-transparent blouse, which reveals her sports bra underneath, and is low enough to reveal much of her abdomen and miniskirt.
Mythical Motifs: Some of Yukari's traits, story, past history and future actions are subtly referenced by her Persona's Io and Isis, as well as the goddess Cybele, the unlockable Persona of her Social Link.
- Io was the priestess of Hera and as such was gifted with magic like Yukari, both then were saddled heavy burdens inadvertently caused by their fathers, unfairly persecuted, abandoned and were met with difficult choices to make in their journeys, but ultimately found it within themselves to keep marching forward and finally fix the troubles left for them. Io to a degree also has ties with Isis, as she found the answers she needed in Egypt, the birthplace of Isis' mythology.
- Isis is known by several titles, the goddess of children, patroness of magic and the protector of the dead referencing Yukari's love for children, once again with her affinity for magic and her role as the atoner for her deceased fathers sins, striving to eliminate the "Dark Hour" to fulfill his final wish. In The Answer Yukari's desire to collect all the keys to the past and revive the Protagonist, mimics Isis' own desire to collect her husband Osiris' body parts and revive him after the god Seth scattered them all over the world upon his defeat. Another reference or interpretation for her wanting to go back in time to save the Protagonist from sacrificing himself could be a gender-inverted version of the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Thankfully, unlike that story, Yukari's story ends on a more uplifting note, as she ultimately finds it within her to cope with the Protagonist's death.
- Io and Isis' appearance also foreshadows Yukari's own feelings, Io and the heifer have both their eyes closed referencing Yukari's need to ignore and forget her past but like Io is bound to the heifer, Yukari is bound to her past until she finds the answers she seeks. Isis manifests with wings, the heifer attached to her has their eyes open and Isis herself is depicted with a content smile, symbolizing Yukari's freedom and her desire to look forward to the future after learning the truth about her father's sacrifice.
- Serving the role as the unlockable Persona of the Lovers Social Link in Persona 3, the goddess Cybele's title and history as "The Great Mother" could be looked at as a loose reference for Yukari's Social Link having a good emphasis on her relationship with her mother, and like Cybele and her son Attis their relationship is considerably strained, at least in the beginning. Yukari's ultimate Persona Isis is also worshiped as the ideal mother and wife in her own mythology, like Cybele.
Never Got to Say Goodbye: Her grief over not being able to be at the Protagonist's side when he died really, really put a damper on her emotional state. It gets to the point where she tries distracting herself by burying herself in cram school and ignoring her friends in S.E.E.S. And Aigis getting his powers becomes more or less the catalyst that breaks her down.
Nobody Calls Me "Chicken"!:
- After getting teased one too many times by Junpei for being scared of his ghost story, Yukari gets offended and begins investigating it to prove him wrong. This eventually culminates in her dragging Junpei and the protagonist to investigate Port Island Station's back alleys, which nearly gets them all into trouble with the local thugs had Shinjiro not intervened.
- During the Full Moon Operation in July, she expresses reservations about going to Shirakawa Boulevard. But once Junpei teases her about being scared, she quickly changes her tune and volunteers to be in the party regardless of whether the player wants to or not.
No Guy Wants an Amazon: During a date, it's pointed out that Yukari has muscular arms (mostly likely due to her time in the archery club) and while she obviously knows it, she does not want others to notice.
Not Good with Rejection: Downplayed. In Persona 3 Reload, Yukari reacts gracefully if the Protagonist is not interested in her romantically, and is fine with remaining friends, but is still obviously disappointed to the point that she has to hold back tears.
Not So Above It All: For all of her complaints about being forced to dress up as a maid for the Culture Festival, Yukari's command room video shows that she was actually quite happy wearing the outfit to the point of considering wearing it around the dorm for the day, and even took a selfie in the outfit.
Only Sane Man: Early in the game, though she tries to hide it, Yukari is the only one who is visibly bothered about the fact that Mitsuru has been keeping secrets from the team, in contrast to Akihiko, who sees their job as "training" and Junpei, who's more worried about earning recognition. Yukari acts as the "common sense" of the group, realizing the risks they take with their lives each night and because of this, feels dissatisfied with Mitsuru keeping them out of the loop. In the movie, Yukari is the only one who acts reasonably concerned about Makoto's stoic "I don't care" attitude.
Out-of-Character Moment: Used to intentional effect in the bad ending. Yukari acts incredibly nonplussed about not having any plans for the future, putting off thinking about what to do after graduating and stating that people should focus on living in the moment. The fact that reasonable, responsible Yukari doesn't care about planning ahead shows just how much the bad ending ruins everyone's Character Development.
Parental Abandonment: Her father died ten years ago, while her mother's serial attempts to find another man alienated Yukari to the point that she realizes living by herself is a better option than staying with her. Because of all this, they rarely talk anymore, their conversations are either quick and to the point at best, or blunt and abrasive at worst.
Parental Neglect: After Yukari's father died, Yukari's mother was broken by the experience, neglecting her daughter and having many shallow relationships with other men, to the point at which she hasn't seen her daughter for almost a decade. Mrs. Takeba does eventually come to regret this, though, and Yukari somewhat hesitantly decides to take steps to reconcile with her.
Parents as People: While Yukari's mother is neglectful, it's indicated that part of the reason is that losing her husband and being blamed for his role in the disaster emotionally broke Mrs. Takeba, and she was closer to her daughter before the tragedy.
Passionate Sports Girl: Yukari's love for archery club is quite evident, to the point that she herself handles the necessary paper work needed by the school council to run the club, but since joining S.E.E.S hasn't had the time to fully commit herself to the team, she plans to spend more time with the club after S.E.E.S disbands before the big "twist" was revealed. Her diligence with her training paid off as she gained the role of Feather Pink in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax due to her exemplary skills with the bow and arrow.
Personality Powers: In a new scene in Reload, Fuuka remarks that a Persona reflects the self and Yukari's kindness is why her Persona can use healing powers. Yukari self-deprecatingly claims this is only because she doesn't want people to get hurt, but Fuuka sees that as proof that she is kind.
Pink Is Feminine: All of her outfits incorporate the color pink in some way, and she later tells the protagonist that it's her favorite color and that her favorite flowers are pink gerbera daisies. She reveals to the protagonist in one of her Sunday dates that her favorite dessert is strawberry daifuku (which can come in pink) her initial Persona, Io, even wears a pink dress.
Plucky Girl: This is the personality Yukari exhibits from the outside, though what's inside is far more complex. This trait often mixes or is shown balanced with her other major trait.
Pretty in Mink: One of her outfits is a sweater dress trimmed with white fur.
Really Moves Around: Her family had to move many times because of the backlash over her father's role in the disastrous experiment ten years before the start of the story. As a result, it turns out that she once lived in Kyoto, the site of the Class Trip.
Reluctant Fanservice Girl: Most of her fanservice moments are often involuntarily, such as her infamous Shower Scene and her begrudgingly tasked to cosplay as a maid in the school festival.
The Resenter: Towards Mitsuru in The Journey (over Mitsuru keeping secrets from the rest of the group, and her belief that she knows something about the incident in which Yukari's father died), and towards Aigis in The Answer (jealousy over her being with the protagonist in his final moments, and her getting his Wild Card ability). She grows from the experiences gets over it in both cases.
Right for the Wrong Reasons: She's initially distrustful of the senior members of S.E.E.S., believing them to be using the juniors to do the Kirijo Group's dirty work in cleaning up their mess. Turns out she's right, and she really is being played. However, Chairman Ikutski was using the group to resume Kouetsu Kirijo's plans, not cover them up, and the seniors were as much of pawns as the juniors were to Ikutski's plans.
Save the Villain: In the manga, she heals Takaya when he gets severely injured by Junpei after he awakened Trismegistus. When Jin asks why she would save the enemy, Yukari explains that it won't do well for her conscience if she doesn't, having already seen people close to her die.
Secret Art:
- Her unique skill in Persona Q is Tornado Boost, which is even stronger than Wind Boost and Wind Amp.
- Her unique skill in Q2 is Deflector Shot which can negate physical attacks to one row for 3 turns. This upgrades to Intercept Fire which has a higher activation rate.
Shower Scene: Gets one on the night of the July full moon. There are two variations of it: an animated cutscene in the PS2 release of the game, and in the second movie.
Squishy Wizard: Her stat growth is based heavily towards her Magic stat making it her highest stat, leaving her with the lowest health and defense of the party but with the highest SP pool and with Garu spells that hit like a truck.
Straight Man: Compared to the rest of S.E.E.S, she is the most grounded and sensible of the group. She especially plays this role to Junpei, Aigis, and even the Protagonist depending on your dialogue choices.
Sweet Tooth: Absolutely adores sweets as revealed in one of her Sunday dates, strawberry daifuku being her favorite. She can be seen munching on some inside the dorm from time to time.
Through His Stomach:
- Yukari offers to cook for the male Protagonist after she invites him to join her on hike to the mountains in her Rank 7 Social Link, boasting that she's not just a decent cook but a pretty good one.
- In Reload, during her cooking dorm hangout events, Yukari wants to make a dish that will get the protagonist to say "Yum!" after eating it, which he can do after the third event.
Took a Level in Jerkass: During The Answer, due to her emotional instability she acts hostile and antagonistic towards the rest of the group.
Took a Level in Kindness: After all is said and done in The Answer, Yukari offers Aigis the chance to be her roommate so that both of them can work on any more lingering issues they feel, together. Aigis gladly accepts Yukari's offer and they remain roommates until they graduate from Gekkoukan High.
Tragic Keepsake: The letter her father wrote for Yukari, which she later received ten years later. Also a cellphone strap that commemorated the opening of the Moonlight Bridge which was also a gift from Yukari's dad. It became somewhat of an emotional rock for Yukari growing up, she gives the cellphone strap to the Protagonist if you max out her Social Link, as a thank you to them for being her support.
Trauma Conga Line: Where should we start?
- Yukari's dad died when she was six in a mysterious lab explosion that killed hundreds of scientists, the public placed the blame on her father, harassing her and her mother almost immediately, forcing them to move several times.
- Her mother being unable to cope abandoned Yukari in favor of other men, this completely shattered her views on trust and relationships, not too long after Yukari leaves her mother, by time of the main story they haven't seen each other in almost ten years.
- Yukari's belief in her dad's innocence which was all she had, gets seriously tested in The Journey and for a time was convinced he was guilty after the Yakushima event she berates herself about why she never questioned her belief in him and admits to Mitsuru after learning the "truth" she almost lost all her will to fight because of it, they bond starting from there, eventually she finds out his innocence strengthening her resolve to eliminate the Dark Hour.
- Not too long after that they find out that they only have two months to live, they fight the personification of death and seemed to have won but it is revealed that they won only because the protagonist, the first person Yukari has ever connected and opened up to in a very long time, sacrificed himself, and he died before she even got to say goodbye to him. She closes up and carries the emotional turmoil for weeks, not knowing the complete reason for his deed and going through the five stages of grief in The Answer.
Tsundere:
- Downplayed at the beginning of the game as she is openly friendly towards the protagonist despite their initial meeting getting off on the wrong start, though she will become a lot snappier towards him whenever she's in embarrassing situations. It's so strong that early in her social link, if you ask to go to her room she will laugh at you.
- This becomes Played for Drama if you choose to save her from some punks who pickpocketed her in her Rank 5 event, she will get extremely pissed at you for not trusting her independence. She'll cool down right afterwards if you're not too forward with your dialogue options, and in a later conversation, apologize for getting mad and admit that she did appreciate you coming to save her, even if she hated needing help in the first place. Incidentally, that conversation is the one where her social link starts becoming romantic.
- This trait gets dialed up in PQ for laughs, especially if she and the P3 Protagonist get paired up in the wedding event at the Group Date Cafe dungeon. She oscillates between getting flustered and snappy, not helped by some of your dialogue options that can tease her. At one point when the protagonist performs a Bridal Carry on her, she says that had their hands not been stuck together, she would've slapped him for it, despite the fact that her left hand is free, heavily implying that she actually enjoyed it.
- During one of Yukari's Social events in Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, Makoto is asked about the nature of his relationship with Yukari. Choose the answer "We hit it off" and Yukari responds by chastising Makoto for acting out of character before happily smiling and blushing at the implication of his words.
Turned Against Their Masters: In the fourth movie, Io attempts to strangle Yukari after the latter becomes mentally and physically stressed after learning the truth behind the Fall.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Junpei, the two share sassy albeit mutual joking banter throughout the game.
Weight Woe: Throughout P3 and PQ Yukari mentions taking care on how she eats.
When You Coming Home, Dad?: Yukari and her mother were left alone most of the time when her father started working for the Kirijo Group (an act that her father regrets). Yukari's dad makes a promise to spend more time with her once he got back, but ithis ultimately does not happen due to the Port Island incident.
Wind Is Green: Her Garu (Wind Magic) spells manifest as giant green tornadoes.

"And that's how it's done!"

Characters / Persona 3: Yukari Takeba

Yukari Takeba

Previous

Index

Next

Characters / Persona 3: Yukari Takeba

Edit Locked

Yukari Takeba

Previous

Index

Next