Yuuri Asuka
| Yuuri Asuka | |
|---|---|
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| Japanese Name | 飛鳥 ユウリ (Asuka Yuuri) |
| Weapon | Giant multi-needled hypodermic needle |
Yuuri Asuka (飛鳥 ユウリ Asuka Yuuri) is a character appearing in Puella Magi Kazumi Magica: The Innocent Malice.
This section may contain major spoilers for the Kazumi Magica manga!
Please refrain from reading if you haven't read the latest chapter yet."If you want to live, then I'll save you, no matter what." - Yuuri Asuka, Chapter 5.
Yuuri appears only in flashbacks, having died before the beginning of the series. Her first appearance is in a single panel in Chapter 4 before appearing in an extended sequence in Chapter 5. The Yuuri seen in other chapters of Kazumi Magica is in fact her friend Airi, who has taken her appearance and identity.
Despite being deceased at the beginning of the series, she is important to Kazumi Magica's story. A Puella Magi, her wish was to cure the life-threatening illness of her friend Airi.
Personality
Yuuri was kindhearted and caring, trying to help other people. She seemed to enjoy both cooking and eating, and was devoted to her friend Airi. In fact, she became a Puella Magi with the sole purpose of saving her life. This devotion was reciprocated by Airi, as seen by her later actions.
History
This section may contain major spoilers for the Kazumi Magica manga!
Please refrain from reading if you haven't read the latest chapter yet.
Yuuri has so far only appeared in Kazumi Magica. She first appears in a single panel flashback in Chapter 4, although the reader is made to think she was the other Yuuri.
The truth is ultimately revealed via a flashback in Chapter 5 (that was really a vision created by the other Yuuri's witch form) and a short story called, "Puella Magi Kazumi Magica Special Edition ~ A Dream-Filled Spoon."
Yuuri and Airi, classmates, met when Yuuri tried cooking for their entire class. A student claimed to have gotten food poisoning from Yuuri's cooking, which sent her into such a state of shock that she did not return to school until Airi visited her and helped prove that the student was trying to frame Yuuri.
Two years later, Yuuri is attacked by a witch and saved by a magical girl with a black hat and cape. She asks the girl to cure Airi, but she advises Yuuri to make a contract herself.
Yuuri visits her sick friend soon after, who has been told she only has three months to live. When she asks Airi if she wants to continue living, Airi says that wants to live longer and eat delicious things with Yuuri. Yuuri then gives her a spoon, which she calls a good luck charm. She then leaves to secretly contract with Kyubey so she can wish for Yuuri to be cured - it's implied Kyubey had been in contact with her prior to this, probably due to her having been saved by another magical girl. She next see Airi when she learns that her illness has miraculously healed. Airi claims that the spoon cured her, and Yuuri doesn't try to correct her.
Once she became a Puella Magi, Yuuri fought witches and also cured the illnesses of other sick people. However, this put a strain on her Soul Gem.
Sometime later, Yuuri participates in a cooking contest for a restaurant. Airi gives her back the spoon, asking it to help Yuuri. Airi promises to take Yuuri to Bistro Tachibana if Yuuri wins. Though Yuuri makes it to the final round, she doesn't appear at the stage, prompting Airi to go look for her.
Unfortunately, Yuuri had transformed into a witch, right in front of the Pleiades Saints. As a witch, she nearly attacked Airi, but was killed by the Pleiades with a barrage of large arrows (similar to the ones Airi uses later, as Yuuri). When she dies, she drops the spoon that Airi gave back to her.
Later, Kyubey informs Airi about what happened to Yuuri, causing her to become a Puella Magi with Yuuri's appearance. Her sole purpose was to avenge Yuuri, thus setting the events of Kazumi Magica in motion.
Kazumi has a brief trauma induced vision of Yuuri and Airi happily eating parfait in Chapter 6.
She reappears in Chapter 12, in Kazumi's memories. Kazumi befriended her after Yuuri contracted and was about to intoduce her to the Pleiades. When she didn't come back, Juubey and the other six girls head out to find her and when they did, she transformed into a witch. This was how the Pleiades found out that magical girls become witches.
Witch Form
Yuuri's witch form resembles a giant hypodermic needle, similar to her weapon as a Puella Magi. Giant forks come out of her body, which probably refers to either Yuuri's cooking talents or transforming into a witch during a cooking contest. The forks also contrast with the spoon amulet she carried, acting as a sort of evil counterpart; in fact, when the witch drops Yuuri's amulet, it possesses a dark fork in the handle in the opposite direction of the spoon (which then vanishes as the last part of Yuuri's witch form). Her witch form's name is "Arzt Kochen", which is German for "cooking doctor".
In volume 2's design notes, the witch is described by the illustrator, Takashi Tensugi with, "After shoving anesthetic into the humans who enter her barrier, she cuts out their injured parts and completely cooks them. However, there are no humans who can endure this surgery. There is nothing that she can save. Her familiars are forks. Attribute: (Excessive) devotion. Weakness: Things that have no need for her. Her cries(?) of 'pssh pssh' are the sound of her syringes and forks."
Powers, Weapons & Abilities
Yuuri's magical girl form was only seen briefly. However, her weapon was a giant multi-needled hypodermic needle, likely used as a firearm. She also had healing powers, derived from her wish, which she used to heal other children with incurable diseases. However, using this power puts stress on her Soul Gem.
Her outfit is also considerably different from the one Airi later dons, though they have the same color scheme and general aesthetic.
Trivia
- Yuuri has a number of similarities to Madoka and Sayaka. Like Sayaka, she wished to heal another person, gaining healing powers as a consequence, and suffered the same tragic fate. Like Madoka, she selflessly tried to help others and drove someone that cared about her to set the events of the main story in motion.
- Yuuri's Soul Gem is located on her left upper arm, visible in artwork from volume 2. It appears to be olive-colored.
- Yuuri's spoon, which was later given to Airi, is a souvenir from her appearance on a cooking show hosted by Slice Akiyama, the chef she was supposed to face in the final round of the cooking competition.
Speculation
- In the bonus story Puella Magi Kazumi Magica Special Edition ~ A Dream-Filled Spoon it was revealed that she met Kazumi and that it was she who advised Yuuri to make a contract with Kyuubey.
- Yuuri might not actually heal the children, but merely transfer the disease to herself or to her Soul Gem, as it was said healing "was too much for her to handle".
Gallery
Manga Page
Yuuri's barrier. Notice the forks.
Yuuri after her transformation into a witch.
Airi and Yuuri in extra artwork from Kazumi Magica volume 2. Note the similarity between their costumes.
- Kazumi volume 2 bonuses.jpg
Bonus artwork from Kazumi Magica volume 2. Yuuri is pictured along with Kazumi and Airi in the top-left image.
Yuuri turns into a witch
Fan Gallery
This section contains fanart images
Everything in the following fan gallery is created, or the comments accompanying them are created, for entertainment value and should not be confused with actual canon events of the Puella Magi franchise.
Fan-made card of Yuuri's witch form.
- TwoYuurisFanart.png
