Yuki (KOF)

Yuki (ユキ Yuki) is a secondary character in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; she was first introduced in the The King of Fighters '97 and The King of Fighters: Kyo games. She is a normal school girl as well as Kyo Kusanagi's love interest.

Yuki's voice actress is Tomoko Kojima. She was chosen for the CD, radio dramas and the spin-off, King of Fighters: Kyo RPG. She only had a single line in the King of Fighters '97 game: "Matteru kara ne, Kyo!" ("I'll wait for you, Kyo!").

Creation Process
Originally, Yuki was not meant to be conceptualized, since her first mention ever in the King of Fighters story was in Kyo's profile as one of his most cherished possessions. Her addition to his profile was added by one of the programmers mostly as a joke since Kyo was more popular with female gamers (some of them being yaoi fans) than male ones. By 1996 and 1997, Yuki began to have cameos in several official illustrations alongside Kyo and his teammates, drawn by the series's main illustrator at the time, Shinkiro. Her character persona became more fleshed out in the spin-off manga, The King of Fighters: Kyo, illustrated by mangaka Masato Natsumoto. A video game based on the manga was also created during the comic's publication, revealing another shade to her character. Since then, she began to appear as a recognizable character in officially sponsored fan dōjinshi.

On June 15, 1997, SNK held an open audition for Yuki's seiyū for her cameo in King of Fighters '97, hoping to also use her in future drama CDs and other merchandise. A total of 1,534 young women participated, 400 of them being fans of the series and 16 of them also named Yuki. Ladies were asked to improvise their lines in front of the development team for the game and the series's voice director. Seiyū from the series were also there to open the ceremonies and to announce the progression of the event, with Kunihiko Yasui, Monster Maezuka, Yukina Kurisu (Athena's seiyū at the time), and Masahiro Nonaka there to inspire participants. Yuki's seiyū, Tomoko Kojima, was chosen out of the four finalists. Following her voice debut in The King of Fighters '97, Yuki went on to appear on the now defunct radio programs, Neo Chupi and Neo Geo DJ Station, and continues to be mentioned in Kyo's back story in select games. By this point, what started as a joke on Kyo's popularity had, in SNK's words, grown "from a one-dimensional filler to a full-fledged character".

Her namesake is Japanese actress, Yuki Uchida, who was popular at the time of her conception.

Main Game Story
On her way to the last date she'd have with Kyo prior to King of Fighters '97, Yashiro and his teammates Chris and Shermie (whom she briefly met some time ago in a TV station) kidnapped her with intentions of using her as a sacrifice for Orochi's resurrection. Her heritage as the last sacrificial maiden of their lord was a necessity for his physical body to come into being. The Three Sacred Treasures Team (Kyo, Iori, and Chizuru) foil this plan by interrupting the process early, forcing Orochi to possess the body of Chris. Yuki is left unaware of her involvement and is still ignorant of the history of her family line.

Despite fan theories of her death at the end of King of Fighters '97, Yuki survived the ordeal and continues her normal life in Japan. During the NESTS saga, she remains unaware of NESTS involvement with Kyo or the reasons for his disappearance. She was ironically saved by Iori from being kidnapped by NESTS's minions. Kyo's teammate and friend Benimaru often chides Kyo for his negligence in contacting Yuki, though they both understand that it was needed to protect her. In the alternate universe title to the series, KOF: Maximum Impact 2, Kyo tries to keep in touch with her through phone booths scattered around South Town.

The King of Fighters: Kyo
According to the manga, Yuki didn't even know about the existence of the King of Fighters tournament until she, Kyo, Athena and Sie Kensou are approached by Iori Yagami near their school. Tired of Iori's attitude and fearing that other people may get hurt, Yuki stops the rivals' impending fight and tells Iori to leave Kyo alone. When Iori leaves, Yuki is left shaken by the ordeal.

Later Goro Daimon introduces Yuki to Maeta, who has had a crush on her. When Maeta defeats Kyo in a judo match organized by Daimon, he wins the chance to date her. During their date she's kidnapped by a masked man on a motorcycle. The man ties Yuki up the top of a lamp post and challenges Kyo. During the fight, Kyo realizes the importance of his powers as a tool to protect his loved ones. His father, satisfied with his son's revelation, releases Yuki.

From then on, Yuki remains as a constant but secondary character in both the manga and game. In the game, Yuki is kidnapped by Chris while waiting to meet up with Kyo for a date. She's eventually rescued by Kyo when he enters the tournament. In the epilogue, the recently-rescued Yuki tends to Kyo once he wakes up along with Shingo Yabuki and Chizuru.

Personality
Personality-wise, Yuki is pretty much the 'girl next door' type. She is a calm and patient lady who sees the best in her boyfriend, even if he gets embarrassed by what she sees. Though she can get slightly annoyed by his reluctance to study for classes, she genuinely worries for his safety and faithfully waits for his return when he disappears from Japan. In the series drama CDs, they went on a date before the '97 tournament and she buys him an amulet, which Kyo continues to treasure when they're apart from one another.

In the King of Fighters: Kyo, she's quite a smartass and has very little patience regarding Kyo, who in return treats her more as a sister than a proper girlfriend. They squabble over petty things but are still extremely loyal to each other if need arises. When Athena Asamiya transfers to their school to see Kyo's powers, Yuki does show some degree of jealousy. She initially treats Athena as a child, but the two eventually become fast friends.

Skills

 * Jumping: Yuki is very proficient with high-jumping.

Fighting Style
Yuki does not fight. Although she appears on SNK Gals' Fighters as a hidden character, this is not considered canon. In this game, she fights with her bag and uses her jumping skills as well. Her fighting style resembles that of Kisarah Westfield, but Yuki's appearance was several years before Neo Geo Battle Coliseum, where Kisarah first used a bag to fight.

Game Appearances

 * SNK Gals' Fighters

Cameo Appearances

 * The King of Fighters '94 - in the Japan Team's stage
 * The King of Fighters '95 - in the one-coin clear staff roll
 * The King of Fighters '97 - in the Sacred Treasure team's ending
 * The King of Fighters '98 - during the ending sequence
 * The King of Fighters 2000 - in Kyo and Iori's ending
 * The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match - background cameo
 * The King of Fighters: Kyo - as a NPC
 * The King of Fighters (pachinko) - as an event character
 * The King of Fighters 2
 * Neo Geo Battle Coliseum - mentioned in Kyo's ending
 * Days of Memories - ninth title