Yuki Yuna Is a Hero (結城友奈は勇者である,Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru) is a Japanesemagical girlanime television series created byTakahiro, produced byStudio Gokumi and directed bySeiji Kishi as part of a media project called Takahiro IV Project. The series aired in Japan between October 17 and December 26, 2014, onMBS. The anime has been licensed byPony Canyon's North American label Ponycan USA. Multiplelight novel andmanga series have been published byASCII Media Works. APlayStation Vita video game was released in Japan in February 2015. Avisual novel forWindows was released in December 2014 with the first DVD and Blu-ray Disc volume for the anime, with a second released with the sixth volume in May 2015. A second anime season project, consisting of an adaptation of a prequel light novel and a sequel series, ran between March 2017 and January 2018. A smartphone game launched in 2017 and received a short anime series titledYuki Yuna Is a Hero: Churutto!, which aired between April and June 2021. A third anime season aired between October and December 2021.
The story takes place on the Japanese islandShikoku in the fictional city ofSanshu, based on the real-life city ofKan'onji inKagawa Prefecture,[3] in the 300th year of the Era of the Gods (神世紀,Shinseiki).[4] Yūna, Mimori, Fū, and Itsuki are all members of the Sanshu Middle School Hero Club (讃州中学勇者部,Sanshū Chūgaku Yūsha-bu), dedicating themselves to helping those in need. One day in their regular daily lives, the Hero Club members are suddenly caught in an explosion of light and transported to a strange forest, where they encounter mysterious monsters known as Vertex which seek to destroy the Shinju (神樹; "Divine Tree"), the guardian deity which protects and blesses humanity. Using a special phone application granted by Taisha, an organization dedicated to the Shinju, Yuna and her friends must transform into "heroes" with magical powers to protect their world from imminent destruction.
A second-year in middle school and member of the Hero Club. She prides herself on being a hero, helping out others in need and always remaining optimistic. She uses armored fists for powerful close-range combat during her hero form and has a cow-like familiar namedGyūki (牛鬼) who, unlike the other familiars, likes to roam freely; she later gets another, cat-like familiar namedKasha (火車). As a result of using her Mankai form, she loses her sense of taste. Later, she uses the Mankai form for a second time and loses the use of her legs. Having fallen into a coma due to her efforts, she regains consciousness after Mimori's voice reaches her, as actually her soul was out of her body in a black hole-like realm. She soon recovers and regains her sense of taste and the ability to walk.
Yūna's best friend and fellow classmate and club member who lives next door to her and often prefers to be called by her family name. Mimori takes pride in her national heritage and is always ready to defend her country and protect its people. She had lost the use of her legs, along with some of her memories, allegedly due to a car accident. In her hero form, she uses guns and sniping rifles for long-range combat and her ribbons serve as appendages for moving around. She also has three familiars,Gyōbudanuki (刑部狸),Aobōzu (青坊主), andShiranui (不知火). Later, she gets another familiar named Kawabataru (川蛍). As a result of using her Mankai form, she loses her hearing in her left ear. Like the rest of her Hero Club friends, she recovers after the events of the final episode and regains her memory and the ability to walk.
Prior to the events of the series, she was adopted under the name of Sumi Washio and fought alongside her elementary school classmates Sonoko and Gin. She originally used a bow and arrow in her hero form but later upgraded to a silver rifle. The loss of her legs and memory were actually a result of her using Mankai twice, after which she was returned to her original family and relocated next to Yūna due to her high affinity. Upon meeting Sonoko again, she learns both the truth about the Hero System and the true nature of Shinju.
A third-year in middle school and the president of the Hero Club. She is the older sister of Itsuki, who she has been looking after following the death of their parents. She is knowledgeable about Shinju and the Vertex and was the one who gave her fellow members the app needed to fight against the Vertex. She uses a large sword in her hero form and her familiar isInugami (犬神). Later she gets another familiar namedKamaitachi (鎌鼬). As a result of using her Mankai form, she loses vision in her left eye, but regains it back after the events of the final episode. It is also revealed that her parents were killed by Vertex, and as such her original motivation for fighting Vertex was for revenge. Details about the exact situation of her parents' death were not given.
A first-year in middle school and member of the Hero Club. She is Fū's younger sister and respects her dearly. She uses vines to attack her enemies in her hero form and her familiar isKodama (木霊). Later, she gets another familiar named Ungaikyō (雲外鏡). As a result of using her Mankai form, she loses her voice, but regains it after the events of the final episode.
An experienced, but somewhat stubborn hero who transfers into Yūna and Mimori's class and joins the Hero Club to supervise the other heroes. Sheuses a pair of katanas in her hero form and her familiar isYoshiteru (義輝;voiced by:Kaneta Kimotsuki). In episode 11, as a result of using Mankai four times, she loses the use of her right arm, right leg, her hearing and vision, but later regains them after the events of the final episode.
Mimori's classmate during elementary school who first appears inWashio Sumi wa Yūsha de Aru and uses a large trident in her hero form. She nicknamed Mimori "Wasshī". As a result of using Mankai twenty times, she loses the use of most of her limbs and becomes unable to move, and afterwards is put in direct supervision of Taisha as a trump card. She later appears in the anime series, where she informs Yūna and Mimori about the truth behind the Hero System. After the events of the final episode, she is shown to have regained her lost body functions and later joins the Hero Club.
Mimori and Sonoko's classmate during elementary school who appears inWashio Sumi is a Hero and uses a pair of large blades in her hero form. She dies protecting Mimori and Sonoko, prompting Taisha to change the Hero System, implementing fairies and Mankai. Her terminal is eventually passed onto Karin.
One of the first heroes who fought alongside Wakaba, using a scythe and cloning magic. Overcome with stress from public backlash against the heroes and her feelings for Yuna, she was stripped of her powers as a result of attempting to kill Wakaba, leading to her being killed by Vertex and officially disregarded as a hero by Taisha.
Yuna Takashima (高嶋 友奈,Takashima Yūna)
Voiced by: Haruka Terui
One of the first heroes who fought alongside Wakaba with her fists, possessing unknown ties to the present Yuna Yuki.
A prequellight novel titledWashio Sumi wa Yūsha de Aru (鷲尾須美は勇者である; lit.Washio Sumi is a Hero), written by Takahiro and illustrated by Bunbun, was serialized inASCII Media Works'Dengeki G's Magazine between April 30, 2014[7] and November 29, 2014.[8] The novel takes place two years before the anime's time frame, and follows the previous Hero team before Yūna's.[9] Another light novel series, titledNogi Wakaba wa Yūsha de Aru (乃木若葉は勇者である; lit.Nogi Wakaba is a Hero), written by Aoi Akashiro and illustrated by Bunbun, began serialization inDengeki G's Magazine on July 30, 2015.[10]Nogi Wakaba takes place 300 years before the anime's time frame during the first Vertex attack on the world. It follows Sonoko Nogi's ancestor, Wakaba Nogi as its protagonist and the firstShikoku hero team consisting of her, Hinata Uesato, Yūna Takashima, Chikage Kōri, Tamako Doi and Anzu Iyojima.[11] Another light novel written by Akashiro,Kusunoki Mebuki wa Yūsha de Aru, began serialization inDengeki G's Magazine on June 30, 2017.[12] It takes place after the anime's first season and beforeHero Chapter, and follows a different team of Heroes.
A manga adaptation ofWashio Sumi wa Yūsha de Aru, illustrated by Mottsun*, began serialization in ASCII Media Works'Dengeki G's Comic from June 30, 2014.[13] Amanga titledYūki Yūna wa Yūsha-bu Shozoku (結城友奈は勇者部所属; lit.Yūki Yūna is a Hero Club Member), written by Takahiro and illustrated by Kotamaru, began serialization inDengeki G's Magazine from July 30, 2014. The first volume of a third manga, titledYūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru and illustrated by Tōko Kanno, was released on November 27, 2014.[8]Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru later started serialization inDengeki G's Comic on December 26, 2014.[14][15]
The first 12-episodeanime television series was produced byStudio Gokumi and directed bySeiji Kishi.[16] Planned by Takahiro, the anime's screenplay was written by Makoto Uezu, and the character design was provided by Takahiro Sakai. The series aired in Japan onMBS from October 17 to December 26, 2014, and was simulcast byCrunchyroll. The opening theme is "Hoshi to Hana" (ホシトハナ,Star and Flower) and the ending theme is "Aurora Days"; both are performed by Sanshū Chūgaku Yūsha-bu (Haruka Terui,Suzuko Mimori,Yumi Uchiyama,Tomoyo Kurosawa, andJuri Nagatsuma). The ending theme for episode four (acoustic version) and episode nine is "Inori no Uta" (祈りの歌,Song of Prayer) by Tomoyo Kurosawa. The anime was licensed inNorth America byPony Canyon's label for the region, Ponycan USA, which released the series with an English dub onDVD andBlu-ray on April 10, 2015.[17][18][19][20]
A second anime season was released in 2017 and consists of two parts;The Washio Sumi Chapter (鷲尾須美の章,Washio Sumi no Shō), an adaptation of theWashio Sumi is a Hero light novels, andHero Chapter (勇者の章,Yūsha no Shō), which takes place after the first season.The Washio Sumi Chapter was first released as three theatrical films between March 18 and July 8, 2017, before airing as six television episodes between October 7 and November 11, 2017, followed by a recap of the first season which aired on November 18, 2017.[21]Hero Chapter, which consists of six television episodes, aired between November 25, 2017, and January 6, 2018.[22] Both parts were simulcast in North America byAnime Strike.[23] Three short films produced by W-Toon Studio, based on the spin-off manga,Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha-bu Shozoku, were screened alongside eachThe Washio Sumi Chapter film.[24]
A short anime based on theYūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru Hanayui no Kirameki smartphone game, titledYuki Yuna Is a Hero: Churutto!, was announced on May 26, 2020. The series is directed by Seiya Miyajima at DMM.futureworks and W-Toon Studio.[25] Miyajima is designing the characters, while Haruka is overseeing the scripts, and Monaca is composing the series' music. It aired from April 10 to June 26, 2021, on theSuper Animeism block onMBS andTBS.[26][27]
A third anime season titledThe Great Mankai Chapter (大満開の章,Dai-Mankai no Shō) was announced, with the main staff and cast members reprising their roles.[28] It consists of adaptations of theKusunoki Mebuki wa Yūsha de Aru andNogi Wakaba wa Yūsha de Aru light novels, followed by an expanded retelling of the ending ofHero Chapter with new scenes and a new epilogue. It aired from October 2 to December 18, 2021, on MBS, TBS, and their affiliates.[29] The opening theme is "Ashita no Hanatachi" (アシタノハナタチ,"Tomorrow's Flowers"), while the ending theme is "Chiheisen no Mukō e" (地平線の向こうへ,"Beyond the Horizon"), both performed by Sanshū Chūgaku Yūsha-bu.[30]
Twovisual novels forWindows, developed by Minato Soft and featuring scenarios written by Takahiro and Osamu Murata, are bundled with the first and sixth DVD and Blu-ray Disc volumes of the anime series released on December 17, 2014, and May 20, 2015, respectively. Each visual novel features ten different scenarios original to the game and is fully voiced by the original cast. The graphics are handled byStudio Gokumi.[31][32] Anactionvideo game developed by FuRyu titledYūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru: Jukai no Kioku (結城友奈は勇者である 樹海の記憶; lit.Yūna Yūki is a Hero: Memories of the Tree Sea) was released on February 26, 2015, for thePlayStation Vita.[33][34]
A crossovermobile game titledYuuki Yuuna is a Hero: Bouquet of Brilliance (結城友奈は勇者である 花結いのきらめき,Yūki Yūna wa Yūsha de Aru: Hanayui no Kirameki), orYuYuYui for short, was released on June 8, 2017, for iOS and Android.[35] It featured characters, including those from manga and light novels, alongside new characters in the mobile game. It also included various non-canon stories, such as stories of Yuki Yuna, Washio Sumi, Nogi Wakaba, Kusunoki Mebuki, Fuyo Yuna, Akamine Yuna; collaborations withRelease the Spyce: Secret Fragrance,Katana Maidens: Toji No Miko, one of Studio Gokumi's shows,A Certain Scientific Railgun T andSymphogear. The game ended service on iOS and Android devices on October 28, 2022.[36]
On October 8, 2022,Entergram announced thatBouquet of Brilliance was in the process of being ported to consoles.[37]
The first Japanese Blu-ray volume opened as the week's eight best selling animation Blu-ray, with 4,781 copies,[38] and remained on the sales charts for an additional four weeks, selling 10,373 copies in total.[39][40][41][42] Each volume of the series has charted highly on Oricon list.[43][44][45] Volume five charted at No. 1 on sales list, with 6,422 copies,[46] whereas the sixth and final volume placed second, with 7,626 copies.[47]Yuki Yuna Is a Hero was the 15th-best selling animation BD in Japan of 2015's half yearly sales list, having earned 58,961 copies in total.[48]
The first film ranked No. 1 on the mini-theater rankings in Japan.[49] The second film also ranked No. 1 on the mini-theater rankings when it was released, outselling the first film.[50]
^Project 2H."Story". Studio Gokumi.Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. RetrievedNovember 23, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^abcdProject 2H."Staff/Cast".Original TV animation 'YUKI YUNA wa Yusha de aru' (Yuki Yuna Is a Hero) Official Site.Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. RetrievedApril 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"電撃G'sコミック(3) 2014年8月号" [Dengeki G's Comic (3) August 2014 issue] (in Japanese). Tohan Corporation. Archived fromthe original on November 12, 2014. RetrievedNovember 11, 2014.
^"電撃G'sコミックVol.9" [Dengeki G's Comic Vol. 9].電撃G's magazine.com - ラブライブ！など人気のキャラクター専門誌 (in Japanese).ASCII Media Works.Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. RetrievedJanuary 7, 2015.
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