Yuzuha
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| Yuzuha | |
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| Code Name: | Spirit of the Tree of Darkness |
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| Name Translation: | 'Born of the leaf in which is her shelter' 'Leaf of the Yuzu tree' |
| Gender: | Female |
| Seiyū: | You Inoue |
| Voice actress: | Barbara Goodson |
| Hair color: | Silver (as a demon) Brownish red (as a human) Black (as a full demon) |
| Eye color: | Red (as a demon) Blue (as a human) Black (as a full demon) |
Yuzuha (由厨葉 Yuzuha?) is a fictional villain in the Tenchi Muyo! series, appearing in the 1997 movie Tenchi Muyo! Manatsu no Eve, released by Pioneer in the U.S. as Tenchi the Movie 2: The Daughter of Darkness. She is an original creation of first OVA series' co-writer Naoko Hasegawa, the movie being an adaptation of her tenth novel.
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[edit] Juraian origins
Yuzuha is the spirit of the Tree of Darkness and a devourer of souls. While she has many forms, her predominant one is that of a silver-furred and child-like demon, which she compliments by surrounding herself with a myriad of stuffed animals and toys. Yuzuha is in the middle of preying on children when she first meets the Juraian Prince Yosho, who has arrived to meet three of his friends (of whom she had just fed). Oblivious, Yosho befriends her, not frightened by her demon countenance and inviting her to join him at the Startica summer festival.
She takes him up on it, cloaking herself in the guise of young girl and happy to have, for the first time, companionship. Yuzuha brings Yosho a holographic music box with a picture of her tree as a gift, wanting the prince to come back home with her to play. Before they can go, guards from the Royal Palace arrive, segregating Yosho while savagely beating Yuzuha with their staves. Reverting to her normal self after being slashed with a sword, she seems ready to retaliate before being rebuked as a "wretched creature". Screaming, Yuzuha leaves the realm and sleeps dormant on her own.
[edit] Plot for revenge
Awakening after seven hundred years, Yuzuha finds Yosho alive and happy at a Christmas party with his grandson Tenchi Masaki and others on earth, and embittered schemes to send the boy a present of her own. Using strands of hair from Tenchi and herself, Yuzuha blends and manipulates the DNA to create their "daughter", Mayuka. She sends Mayuka to her "daddy" to amuse herself by the trouble her appearance causes, intent to bring Tenchi back to the dark world alone in the end.
However, Mayuka is accepted by everyone except Ryoko, with Sasami in particular caring for the girl. And while shocked at suddenly having a daughter (one his own age at that), Tenchi cares for her as well. Becoming increasing jealous and resentful of a "human shell" getting the acceptance she never could, Yuzuha forces her will on the girl, threatening her under pain of death if she wanders from her control. Not satisfied by her performance, Yuzuha resorts to full hypnosis when necessary to keep Mayuka in check.
Yosho and Washu discover her presence in the midst of Tenchi's abduction, and scared and confused Mayuka runs away. Tired of failures and wanting absolute loyalty, Yuzuha wipes the girl's memory clean; Mayuka then kidnaps Sasami when she rushes to her defense. Yuzuha sends them back to her world, telling Tenchi and Ryoko to ask the old man how to find her.
[edit] Battle in the dark world
Washu opens a portal to Yuzuha's domain, with Tenchi being warned that his powers may not work in the dark world. Giant teddy bears, knife spewing toys and tendrils of Christmas wrap await Tenchi and Ryoko in what amounts to a holiday themed funhouse. Captured, Yuzuha then takes the two to her laboratory floor, ordering the possessed Mayuka to tear Tenchi apart. However, Sasami is able to break through the girl as she strangles her father, as Mayuka somehow willing herself free from Yuzuha. The demon is unable to usurp control and her creation attacks her, saying she wants to spend Christmas with those she loves and not in the darkness anymore. Emotionally hurt again, Yuzuha strips Mayuka of her life and returns her to a crystal stone.
She's uncaring until Tenchi informs her that Mayuka was as much her as she was himself, and that Yuzuha only succeeded in destroying her better half. Yuzuha screams to the boy on how he doesn't know anything of what the Juraians put her through, forcibly transforming back to her original form as a demon of shadow. She asks them to look at her and think how anyone could love her when she looks this way, lamenting on how she should have killed his grandfather back then.
Before they can answer, Ayeka appears with the aid of Washu, throwing a sprig from Yosho's tree (one of light) to Tenchi, allowing his powers to manifest. He and the demon fight, with Tenchi finding an opening and going for the final blow. As his blade descends, Tenchi has a vision of Yosho and Yuzuha in happier times, and realizes Yuzuha's true feelings towards his grandfather. "Imagine... the darkness in love with the light" she cries, her tears falling as she disintegrates from within.
[edit] Trivia
- Yuzuha's dimension runs at a different rate than the natural world of Tenchi's, with time running as fast or as slow as the demon desires at any given moment. So while Yuzuha may have away from the "real" world for seven hundred years, that amount of time would not have necessarily passed in her domain.
- Though a demon, Yuzuha has a keen knowledge and interest in science and genetics, maintaining her own laboratory in the lower levels of her tree.
- Yuzuha communicates with Mayuka on Earth through a holographic device that projects her presence across dimensions.
- She suffers from an inferiority complex over her appearance and takes comments towards it quite seriously. Mayuka being her "good half", Yuzuha is also intensely envious of her experiences and takes her frustrations out on her through verbal and physical pain.
[edit] External links
| Tenchi Muyo! characters | |
|---|---|
| Main Characters | |
| Tenchi | Ryoko | Ayeka | Sasami | Mihoshi | Washu | Kiyone | Ryo-Ohki | Noike | |
| The Chousin | |
| Washu | Tsunami | Tokimi | |
| Villains | |
| Kagato | Dr. Clay | Z | Yugi | Kain | Yuzuha | Haruna | Seiryo | Tarant | Yakage | Shima Brothers | Yume | Mikamo & Yataka | Garyu | Dark Washu | |
| Masaki Family | |
| Katsuhito | Nobuyuki | Achika | Tennyo | Airi | Rea | |
| Guardians & Royalty of Jurai | |
| Azaka & Kamidake | Azusa | Funaho | Misaki | Seto | |
| Galaxy Police | |
| Seina | Minami | Misao | Sabato | |
| Pretty Sammy | |
| Sasami Kawai | Pixy Misa | Ramia | Rumiya | Chief Pretty Sammy characters | Chief Magical Project S characters | |
| Others | |
| Nagi | Sakuya | Mayuka | Zero | Minagi | Hiwa | Asahi | Kazuma | Tama | Chief GXP characters | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-ohki | Tenchi Universe | Tenchi in Tokyo | Tenchi Muyo! GXP | Pretty Sammy | Sasami: Mahou Shoujo Club |
