Weapons
Muramasa
A deadly katana whose edge has been sharpened so that it can cut stone. The blade reflects Yuri’s composure and its swift strikes and keen edge allows for deadly counterattacks. The blade’s hilt is wrapped in a purple cloth that hangs loosely, it is said that Muramasa himself tied it there, as a reminder of the first that he cut down with the blade.
Bio
Yuri is a samurai. She was always meant to be one. Growing up in a village where the women were not trained for combat, Yuri decided to rebel and steal one of her father’s swords to train in the bamboo forests. Here she learnt that she was an exceptionally good fighter but her father had found out her secret and reprimanded her one day as she was training near the river. Whilst this argument occurred, the village was attacked and her father, the village leader, was not there for his people. The people were slain and Yuri was forced to go into hiding. Her father cut down many of the men who had attacked that day but he did not survive. Yuri then held vengeance in her heart, even as a teenager and swore to kill the man who had taken her father’s life. She found Baron who trained her and then she went on an excursion and found the gang that raided her village. With a quick flash of Muramasa’s blade they were dead and her mission seemingly over. That was when she decided to dedicate her life to protecting Aria so that others would not suffer as she did.
Insights & Inspirations
Growing up with many Japanese hack and slash games it was only natural that one of my characters would follow suit. Onimusha, Samurai Warriors and even the Shinobi from Ninja Gaiden formed an impression of Yuri Nakama in my head. Even now her features aren’t perfectly clear to me except that she is a Japanese swordswoman, with long dark hair, a small frame and a serious look on her face. In her backstory I didn’t mention her mother but in my mind she died from childbirth, I just knew she wasn’t in the picture. Yuri, who only fought for vengeance, now fights for peace, let’s hope she can achieve it.