| “ |
...I don't want my memories to be erased...To forget everything would be like hiding from the truth! |
” |
—Yukari is the first to speak up after Ryoji reveals the truth. | ||
| Yukari Takeba | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Actor | (Japanese) - Megumi Toyoguchi (English) - Michelle Ruff |
| Gender | Female |
| Hair | Brown |
| Age | 16 (Persona 3) 17 (P3FES) 19 (P4AU) |
| Occupation | Student (Formerly) College Student Model Actress |
| Family | Father - Eiichiro Takeba (Deceased) Unnamed Mother Possible Former Boyfriend - Protagonist (Deceased) |
| First Appearance | Persona 3 |
| Last Appearance | Persona 4 Arena Ultimax |
| Status | Alive |
| Series Lifespan | Persona 3 to present. |
| Yukari Takeba Gallery | |
Yukari Takeba is a playable character from Persona 3, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax and Persona Q. She represents the Lovers Arcana.
Involvement[]
Persona 3[]
Yukari's deceased father, Eiichiro Takeba, worked for the Kirijo Group while they were conducting Shadow research. He was opposed to the idea of bringing about The Fall, a stance that caused him to be killed by Mitsuru's grandfather. These events created most of the problems that SEES is forced to overcome.
Yukari's mother dealt with the pain from the loss of her husband by dating numerous shallow boyfriends and essentially abandoned her daughter.
Yukari and her mother even had to move multiple times, just to get away from the backlash of blame and vitriol for Eiichiro being held responsible for the deaths of many Kirijo Group researchers as he was in charge of the research team, even though the details of Eiichiro's role were not entirely clear and there were all sorts of rumors. Yukari ends up alone, which, coupled with the distress of losing her father, caused her to become quite introverted, which helps her connect with the protagonist because he also knows what it's like to prematurely lose a parent, making him the only person (aside from Fuuka Yamagishi) she opens up to.
When Yukari enrolled at Gekkoukan High School, she finally received the letter her father wrote 10 years ago. Realizing her father's wishes and his love for her, Yukari decided to join SEES, and hopefully learn the truth about the events that caused her father's death. She joins SEES prior to the protagonist's arrival for the reason of cooperating with the Kirijo Group in order to find some truth and information about her father, including the reason for his death.
She is first seen in the introduction of the game holding an Evoker to her forehead, giving the impression that she is attempting suicide, but she eventually drops it. When the protagonist arrives at the dorm, Yukari guides him around the dorm and his school, becoming his classmate. Yukari is popular at Gekkoukan High School due to her cheery disposition, but she is careful not to let anyone get too close to her. Yukari's relationship with Junpei Iori was a childhood one, and her teasing of him was frequently returned, although the two seemed to be on a relatively good basis.
Yukari hides her true motives from the group, and represses her emotions and her mood swings frequently in the game. From the start, she dislikes Mitsuru Kirijo, likely due to jealousy of Mitsuru's inhuman superiority and the conflict resulting from their fathers. She's initially unhappy with Fuuka Yamagishi joining the team, largely because she believes that Fuuka had no choice in the matter, but she soon befriends Fuuka, and trusts her enough to ask for her help in investigating her father. Despite being hard on her teammates initially, she overall expresses a great deal of concern for all of their wellbeing, which likely plays into her role as a healer. At the start of the game, she has the most trouble summoning her Persona because she is distressed that the use of an Evoker requires one to mimic the act of suicide.
Yukari's zeal for investigation brings a lot of trouble, but also brings the group valuable allies and information. She often overestimates her capabilities, getting herself and others into risky situations beyond her control. She has a high aptitude for magic and her Persona excels in wind and healing spells. She is regarded as the heroine of the game, as she possesses several qualities typical to an RPG heroine, such as being a healer, and wielding a bow and arrow.
While vacationing at Yakushima Island, Yukari uncovers her father's role in the Kirijo Group's Shadow experimentation. After discovering this, she feels guilty that her father was involved, and becomes more irritable and distant from the other members of SEES. Learning about her father's supposed involvement in the creation of the Dark Hour and Tartarus causes her to have an emotional breakdown.
Yukari runs off to the beach in anger and the protagonist follows her. He finds her in disbelief and tears. It is implied that she falls in love with him when he consoles her; this is hinted at several times in Persona 3 and confirmed in The Answer. However, the discovery of these events also helped Yukari come to terms with Mitsuru, since they actually had a lot in common regarding their pasts. Eventually Yukari realizes her faults.
The day after Shuji Ikutsuki's betrayal and his failed attempt of trying to sacrifice Yukari on a cross, Fuuka helps Yukari obtain the original unedited video of her father -- the true video her father made of the Incident, not the one Ikutsuki manipulated. In the video, her father apologizes that he won't be coming home, says that he loves her, he was the happiest man on Earth when he was with her and to take care of herself. The video starts to short out, presumably when he dies. A heartbroken Yukari cries "Dad... Daddy!?" Her Persona evolves into Isis.
Social Link[]
In The Lovers S.Link, the protagonist helps Yukari mend her relationship with her mother. Since Yukari is very popular, the player must maximize their Charm statistic in order to ask her out the player must also wait until after the Yakushima event has passed, July 24th being the earliest time to initiate Yukari's Social Link. If the protagonist makes the correct choices, Yukari will fall in love with him. However, during one of the events at Iwatodai Station, the player must not hug Yukari or else the Social Link will reverse.
If the player chooses not to date any of the girls, Yukari will appear for the Summer Festival.
Persona 3 Portable[]
Just like in the previous versions of the game, Yukari is an available Social Link. However, if the player chose the female protagonist, there are no requirements to start her Social Link. The Social Link starts when the player talks to her in the classroom on or after April 28th. Her social link slightly altered compared to the male protagonist's route. Instead of falling in love like in the original, Yukari first talks to the female protagonist about the time she summoned her Persona and other events. Through the Social Link, she talks about things like friendship and boyfriends, and the female protagonist will give her advice; as the Link progresses, Yukari looks forward to having a friend who understands her.
But in Social Link 7, 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. It is then revealed that she doesn't want to lose someone she cares about. When the player maximizes her social link, she decides to hold off getting a boyfriend for a while and decides to hang out with the female protagonist to enjoy the company of her best friend. Fuuka was also involved in events with Yukari and the two seemed to get along quite well on the female route, giving a sense of unity amongst the new members of SEES, and if the protagonist does not have a boyfriend, they will spend Christmas together.
Additionally, maxing out her social link on a New Game+ as the male character will allow the player to spend time with her during the final cutscene rather than Aigis. Unlike Mitsuru and Fuuka, Yukari's ending (along with Aigis') is canon due to the events of The Answer.
There are several unchanged lines from the male protagonist's Social Link. For example, Yukari will say that since she and the female protagonist started "going-out" and that she's changed a lot—both things that Yukari said in the male protagonist's Social Link.
This also happens outside of the Link: During the hospital scene after the Magician Full-Moon boss fight, although Yukari's text says, "I've been hiding so many things from her. As soon as she wakes up, I'll tell her the truth", the voice-acting instead says "he" and "him". However, that error only occurs if you picked "I was scared, too." Choosing "It's not your fault" makes her correctly say "she" and "her".
The Answer[]
After the protagonist's death, Yukari is the only one who seems reluctant to return to the dorm. Upon being invited by Fuuka to return to one last time, she promptly declines, saying that she has cram school to attend. Yukari is haunted by the protagonist's death because she was never able to properly say goodbye, thank him or make peace with him before he died.
When SEES realizes that strange events are happening in the dorm, she is called to return, which greatly annoys her. Throughout the investigation of the Abyss of Time, Yukari appears irritated that Aigis inherited Orpheus, along with the protagonist's Wild Card ability. Despite her frequent mood-swings, the members of SEES seemingly tolerate her.
Upon defeating the manifestation of SEES' negative wills and collective desire to see the protagonist, she realizes that they have the ability to travel back to the time where the protagonist seals Nyx. Enraged by Aigis' indecisiveness about whether to return to the past, Yukari lashes out, revealing that she's jealous of Aigis for being together with the protagonist and hearing his last words during his final moments. She proclaims that she wants to go back and stop the protagonist, which is opposed by Akihiko Sanada and Ken Amada since it would be disrespecting his will, with Junpei adding that by stopping the protagonist's actions, SEES would essentially undo their efforts of stopping the Fall.
As their opinions differ, the SEES members separate to fight each other to determine which one is right. Only Mitsuru supports Yukari's decision, but it is implied Mitsuru sides with Yukari not because she actually agrees with Yukari's plan, but because of a few reasons: Mitsuru doesn't want Yukari to feel any more alone than she has to be; Mitsuru wants to repay Yukari for her kindness and support after Takeharu Kirijo's death; and to give Yukari a fair chance since a team of only one fighter would be unfair. When Aigis and Metis defeat all of the SEES members, Yukari attempts to steal the key from Aigis, but Metis reveals that it's impossible. Yukari finally admits her grief over the protagonist.
She made a promise as well, but unlike Aigis, it was to herself. She promised to try to change the world into a peaceful one to make people stop wishing for the Fall, but admits she can't be that person and doesn't care about anything but seeing the protagonist again. The party, feeling her sorrow, comforts her. With her resolution strengthened, she decides to respect Aigis' decision of leaving the past the way it was.
SEES later returns to when the protagonist sealed Nyx to learn the true cause of his death, and it is here they finally learn that he became the Great Seal to prevent the people's wish for the Fall from reaching Nyx. They encounter Erebus, the grand manifestation of humanity's grief and sorrow.
Upon defeating it, Yukari apologized to Aigis, admitting that she's jealous because she didn't inherit the Wild Card ability and realized that Aigis obtained his ability not because she was chosen, but because she had felt the strongest to protect him. She, along with the other members of SEES make a promise that they will make the most out of their own lives in order to respect the protagonist's will and ease his burden. Yukari would later offer Aigis the chance to be her roommate, which Aigis gladly accepts.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax[]
Yukari is a playable character in the sequel to Persona 4 Arena. She is now a college student working as a model, but was scouted to be the actress playing the role of Pink Argus in Phoenix Ranger Featherman Victory due to her skill with a bow.
While Yukari is shooting a scene for her role, Labrys suddenly arrives on the set via helicopter. Labrys requests for Yukari's assistance before she returns to Inaba to assist Aigis, Mitsuru, Fuuka and Akihiko after they are captured. Fearing for her friends' safety, Yukari immediately joins Labrys and boards the helicopter, not even bothering to change out of her Pink Argus costume.
Much to the two's shock, they witness Inaba shrouded by a red fog as they arrive in a helicopter. As soon General Teddie greets them with a missile (That turns out to be a practical joke), they realize that they could use their own Personas without the need of the Evoker. As they land at Inaba, they split up where Yukari looks for Junpei who she assumes he's at the station before his phone batteries dies.
In Yukari's P3 Mode Epilogue, she finally manages to spend time with Mitsuru, after not seeing each other in a while. Yukari worries about Mitsuru's well-being after the events that took fold, partly because it was caused by the Kirijo Group's negative legacy, she worries that Mitsuru will bear all the burden on her own. Yukari thinks back to the time she confronted Mitsuru emotionally in Kyoto three years prior and thinks of doing the same thing now, but this saddens her since it would be repeating what's already been done. She feels that they should be able to confess their concerns and burdens freely to each other since their best friends.
Yukari and Mitsuru's outing is then interrupted by a group of children who recognizes Yukari as Feather Pink, when a flustered Yukari manages to disperse the crowd Mitsuru teasingly asks Yukari what it's like being a hero, Yukari says that it's worth it since the kids seem really into the show. Mitsuru then recites the opening line of Featherman, revealing she herself watches the show much to Yukari's stunned surprise. When Yukari then asks why she watches the show, a confused Mitsuru responds by saying why wouldn't she when her best friend is one of the stars.
Mitsuru then mentions how the rest of S.E.E.S are trying to live their lives the best way they all can in their own way, saying that's why she can concentrate with her own duties because the trust they formed as a team won't be easily broken. Yukari feeling beaten in the conversation, makes a promise to believe in her best friend more and to watch over Mitsuru as she does to her, a sweet-talked Yukari and Mitsuru then make an agreement to meet up and contact each other more often, as Yukari takes Mitsuru for another round of shopping, she notes that whatever feelings that have been bothering her from the beginning have now disappeared.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth[]
Throughout much of the story, Yukari comes to notice that the Investigation Team is significantly closer than SEES is, and with the help of Rise Kujikawa, musters the courage to tell Mitsuru her feelings on this matter.
Killed Victims[]
- Arcana Magician (Indirectly Caused)
- Arcana Priestess (Alongside the protagonist & Junpei)
- Arcana Hierophant (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Lovers (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Chariot (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Justice (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Hermit (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Fortune (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Strength (Alongside SEES)
- Arcana Hanged Man (Alongside SEES)
- Jin Shirato (Caused, Alongside SEES)
- Takaya Sakaki (Caused, Alongside SEES)
- The Reaper (Alongside SEES, Determinant)
Allies[]
- Protagonist
- Female Protagonist
- Mitsuru Kirijo
- Akihiko Sanada
- Fuuka Yamagishi
- Junpei Iori
- Ken Amada
- Koromaru
- Aigis
- Shinjiro Aragaki
- Labrys
- Yu Narakami
- Rise Kujikawa
- Teddie
- Naoto Shirogane
- Kenji Tatsumi
- Yosuke Hanamaru
- Chie Satonaka
- Yukiko Amagi
Enemies[]
- Nyx
- Ryuji Mochizuki
- Erebus