With each new game in the Persona series, the franchise’s older titles begin to fade further into the abyss of forgetfulness. Such is the case with the first three mainline titles in the series. This is quite unfortunate, especially when there are such prolific and recurring characters like the star of this Yukino Persona guide. Thankfully, I will shed some necessary light on her for you.
Yukino Mayuzumi is one of the most intriguing early Persona characters because she is one of the few playable characters across multiple games. She is from the original Revelations: Persona, but she was also featured as a party member in Persona 2: Innocent Sin. And she even appeared in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, making her one of the most recurring main characters in the entire series. It’s too bad that she is also one of the most underrated party members at the same time. Hopefully, I can fix that with this Yukino Persona guide.
Bottom Line Up Front
Yukino Mayuzumi is one of the playable characters in the early Persona games. She is one of only a handful of characters who are playable in multiple titles and among the most elite group of members who have appeared in not two, not three, but a whopping four of the six mainline Persona games at this point in time.
Even still, she is one of the most underrated characters in the series, likely due to her harsh personality as a tomboy and troublemaker. If you can take the time to learn about her, she has one of the best story arcs in the first three games.
Yukino Overview
I’ve always said on our site that there isn’t enough appreciation for the original Persona titles, namely the first three mainline games. The original Persona and its duology sequels have some of the most intriguing characterizations and storylines that you’ll find in an old-school JRPG.
That said, they are generally stuck behind a wall of gameplay and exploration that is pretty much abysmal at this point in time, except for the most staunch fans. As such, I have recommended that modern Persona fans at least watch the story cutscenes on YouTube.
If you do so, you won’t miss out on some of the best characters in the series, such as Yukino Mayuzumi. When people talk about the best early Persona characters, they generally talk about Maki from Persona 1 and Maya and Tatsuya from Persona 2.
But none of those characters have the privilege of being featured in all three of these mainline games (and more) like Yukino has. She is one of the odder characters in the series, being a staunch tomboy character who is aggressive, sometimes a little rude, and yet still quite compelling.
What is fascinating about Yukino is that she is one of the only characters to have an arc that doesn’t start and end with one game. Her plot in Persona 1 is only the beginning, and you only truly see it through to its end if you play Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and even then, that isn’t all of it. But I aim to explain her story and what you should know in this guide.
Appearance
For starters, let’s take a look at the appearance of Yukino Mayuzumi. In the original Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, she is one of the characters with a striking design choice. She has a long school dress that isn’t super flattering, but she gives her own flair to the outfit with her short-cut dark blue hair. This gives her that rough, grunge 90s look.
While I’m not the biggest fan of her design in Persona 1, she truly comes into her own in Persona 2: Innocent Sin and its sequel. She has found her own fashion style in this game, especially in the PSP remake version. She wears a crop top with a thick jacket over it and some skinny jeans.
But what I appreciate is her rocking longer dark blue hair paired nicely with a gray beanie that matches her jacket. It gives her a more modern and friendly appearance without losing some of the notions she had in high school.
Key Moments in the Persona Series
Yukino has one of the most extended storylines out of the side party members in the Persona series since she is present in a whopping four mainline games (though the last one is only a short cameo appearance). That said, her story mainly boils down to a few key moments.
Usually, I would take this time to give you a significant spoiler warning here, which is still true to an extent, but I don’t mind this time around as much. As I mentioned, these games aren’t that fun to play these days until a full-blown gameplay remake happens (if it ever does), so you are better off just reading my synopsis below for her storyline.
Snow Queen Arc
It all begins in the original Persona 1. If you played the initial translation of this game in the 90s on the PS1, you would have found that Yukino’s storyline is cut short in that version. This is because most of her plot happens during the Snow Queen Arc, otherwise known as the optional main story, which was cut from that game.
Yukino is one of the classmates seen at the beginning of the game which performs the Persona ritual and unlocks her powers alongside the others. She helps the team throughout the first couple of dungeons, including the hospital, until the group returns to the high school where it all started.
At this point, this is where the Snow Queen storyline branches off from the main SEBEC story. You’ll see the rest of her story if you play Snow Queen. She splits up because she wishes to save her teacher, Saeko Takami. Takami helped Yukino to get out of her comfort zone, and embrace her tomboy nature, but still come to school and get an education.
Without her teacher, she would have a lowlife with nothing going for her. The player joins up with her to save their teacher from the Snow Queen in this arc. Though Takami dies at the end of the game, it isn’t without Yukino getting the closure she severely needs to move on with her life. As such, she can at least end the story with a changed and mature heart.
Persona 2 and Beyond
Taking place a few years later, Persona 2: Innocent Sin opens with a graduated Yukino now working for Maya Amano, one of the two protagonists in this duology. She is a photographer for Maya, which gets her tangled up in a mess surrounding the city and the Joker who is tormenting people.
At the same time as investigating Joker, Yukino is dealing with her own personal mess of helping out her friend, Anna, who is similar to her in every way. She wishes to be like her teacher was for her in inspiring Anna to be a better person and overcome her issues.
All the while, she has also found a boyfriend in Fujii, a man that she has fallen for. However, his fate is sealed for him in Innocent Sin, leading to his death partway through the main story. At this point in time, the player Tatsuya has a couple of options to decide the fate of Yukino.
If they choose to tell Yukino to stay with the dead Fujii and tend to him, she will eventually go crazy and turn into her shadow form. She will drag her friend Anna down with her and become a dual boss battle later on. This tragic ending will result in both of them dying with unresolved hatred in their hearts.
But if you go for the true ending, it will turn out differently. In this one, Tatsuya tells Yukino to move on from Fujii, and she will succeed in overcoming her trauma, just like she did with her teacher in Persona 1. She will be a valuable asset to the team again while helping Anna overcome her issues.
Eventually, she will give her Persona over to Jun Kurosu, who will take her place as a primary party member. But she does appear in the final battle to help out the team once more. In Eternal Punishment, this alternate storyline doesn’t have her as a playable character. She does still have her Persona, though, so she helps in the background toward the end of the game.
Lastly, she appeared one final time in Persona 3 as a cameo character if you watch the Trish Who’s Who show on TV during the game. This moment is brief but it seems that she is in her late 20s at this point and is a camerawoman for TV show productions and seemingly doing well.
Special Abilities
As one of the playable characters in the Persona series, you might not be surprised to learn that Yukino Mayuzumi is a Persona user. Shocker, I know! But there is more to her than meets the eye, and the real power in her heart is her ability to inspire others to action.
Inspiring Others
First and foremost, Yukino is capable of influencing others in an impressive way. I would argue that outside of Maya and Tatsuya in Persona 2, she is the cast’s most influential and effective character. She uses what she learned as a kid to help inspire others in similar situations to her.
She does this not just for Anna, who needs her desperately, but she can do the same for Fujii up until his death. Yukino is one of the most significant role models in the series, and it is likely that this didn’t stop after Eternal Punishment. It is presumed that she is still doing that during the events of Persona 3, too, even if we don’t see much of what’s happening with her then.
Persona User
In addition to being a massive role model in the series, Yukino is also an excellent Persona user and one of the most unique in the series. Vesta is her original Persona and one of the incarnations of Empress Arcana that Yukino is part of.
This powerful Persona mixes well with her general weapons of a razor blade and a shotgun. In addition, if you can unlock her true Persona, Durga, in Innocent Sin, you will find that she is even more potent than some of the other users in the group.
However, there is a secret to her powers that is rarely seen in the series. Yukino is one of only two characters in the series which is seen transferring her Persona to another person. Unlike the other example of this, though, it is without death being a necessary factor.
Yukino is so strong in her Persona abilities that she can willingly give up her powers to hand her Persona off to someone else. I won’t be surprised, honestly if this means that she could theoretically take control of another Persona conversely. This could indicate that in a different scenario, she could have very well been a wild card Persona user like the main characters in the series.
Yukino Voice Actor
Admittedly, the voice acting in the early Persona games is meager at best. You only hear the characters during the battle lines some of the time, and that’s about it. That said, she has a couple of voice actors. In the original dubbing, she was voiced by Michelle Raymond.
This was updated to Kirsten Potter in the PSP remake of the first game and Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Potter hasn’t played many video game roles in her career, but she returned to the Persona series. She most recently voiced Tae Takemi, one of the side Confidants in Persona 5.
On the other hand, the recent Japanese voice for Yukino in the PSP remake of the first three mainline games was Tomoe Hanba. She is known for a few anime and American cartoon Japanese dubbing roles like in Lilo & Stitch.
Key Relationships
Yukino is one of the more disconnected party members in the Persona series. Sure, she connects with the other characters in the group, but it feels like on an even lesser level than a similar troublemaker-turned-good person like Kanji in Persona 4.
As such, the bulk of Yukino’s relationships in the Persona series has to do with her personal story arc. First, there is her teacher, Saeko Takami. Because of her teacher, she was able to turn from her wicked ways, go to school, and try to be someone instead of a troublemaker like she was before. The events that happen with her teacher affect her deeply.
And then there is the relationship with her lover, Fujii. Their relationship isn’t dived into too deep in Innocent Sin, but it seems like they have been together for a few years at least. It is likely that they would have spent their whole lives together, which is why what happens with him affects her even more tragically than what occurred with Takami.
And then there is Anna, who is essentially like Yukino 2.0. She clearly sees much of herself in this girl and takes her under her wing. She tries to be the mentor and role model that Anna needs, which is extraordinarily successful in the end. And, honestly, horrifyingly so if you go the terrible route with Yukino’s story, showing just how close they got to one another in such a short time together.
FAQs
Question: Who is the voice of Yukino Mayuzumi Persona?Â
Answer: Yukino Mayuzumi only has a few voice lines during battle in both Persona 1 and 2: Innocent Sin. That said, the voice for her most recently in English was Kirsten Potter, while her Japanese voice was Tomoe Hanba.
Question: What is Yukino’s Persona?Â
Answer: Yukino’s initial Persona is Vesta. This is her Persona during the Snow Queen events in the first game and for a good portion of Persona 2: Innocent Sin, too. But if you make the right choices regarding her arc, her ultimate Persona, Durga, will be unlocked.
Question: How old is Yukino Persona?Â
Answer: Yukino is roughly 16 or 17 years old at the time of the first Persona game. In the second title, Innocent Sin, she is about 20 years old. When it comes to Persona 3, it is presumed and teased that she is still in her 20s, likely in her late 20s at that point.
Who to Check Out Next From Persona 2
Yukino Mayuzumi is one of the most unique Persona characters in the series and easily one of the most underrated. She has one of the best story arcs in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, and it is a shame that most fans probably don’t even know who she is. That said, you can fix that mistake right now by watching her cutscenes on YouTube or playing the first three mainline Persona games for yourself.
However, Yukino Mayuzumi is far from the only Persona 2 character you should know about. My personal favorite character from that duology is Maya Amano, the protagonist of Eternal Punishment and the secondary hero of Innocent Sin. She is one of only two female protagonists in the series to date, and the only canonical one, making her a character that you should absolutely get to know on a deeper level. Thankfully, I’ve previously broken down everything you need to know about Maya Amano on our site.
- Persona 5 Manga Guide: Where to Find All Persona 5 Manga - April 2, 2023
- Persona Tarot Cards Guide: Where and How to Buy Persona-Themed Tarot Cards - April 2, 2023
- Ishtar Persona 5 Guide: How to Unlock Ishtar in Persona 5 - March 29, 2023