Character Spotlight - Yuri Sakazaki

With KOF XIV around the corner, it’s best to look back on the series as a whole to see how far it’s come. Now, more often than not, plenty of people will talk about the absolutely CHEAP bosses that weren’t after your pride, but your pocket change. However, it’s definitely a good idea to look at the characters, and while some are better than others (Terry Bogard is my dude!), one character that I want to focus on is one of the ladies that’s been a mainstay from the beginning. Before you ask, no, it’s not Ms. Shiranui. As much as I love her for her fun playstyle and personality, I’d like to focus on the first female practitioner of the Kyokugenryu Karate style herself, Yuri Sakazaki.

When it comes to my history of King of Fighters, it’s spotty at best. I wasn’t into fighting games that much, and let me tell you, when I did get into them, I absolutely sucked at them. I would only learn of King of Fighters from Capcom vs. SNK 2 (which I wholeheartedly recommend to any fighting game junkie), and one character that I gravitated to the most was Ms. Sakazaki herself. She looked so fun to play with, and she reminded me of Dan Hibiki. So, who is Yuri Sakazaki? Well, let’s dive into what we know about her, shall we?

Living with her brother Ryo and her father Takuma, Yuri had a pretty rough childhood, as her dad was focused on making Ryo his heir rather than raising Yuri. With his wife killed in a car accident when Yuri was 6, Takuma believed that his family was being targeted, so he left to protect them, which unfortunately led to his disappearance. Without parents, Yuri relied on Ryo for the rest of their childhood, while also meeting up with Robert Garcia, who would eventually be her love interest. At age 17, Yuri got kidnapped by Mr. Big, the right-hand man of resident jerk-face of Fatal Fury, Geese Howard, as part of a plan to blackmail Takuma. Thankfully, Ryo and Robert saved her, while also managing to find their dear old dad, reuniting the family.

In order to make sure that she could protect herself in the future, Takuma trained her in Kyokugen Karate, but only the basics just so she could fend for herself. Being who she is, she wasn’t a fan of that, so she decided to change the whole thing in order to better suit her form and style, while also making her own versions of the Kyokugen’s high-level and signature techniques. With her newfound confidence in her skills, she decided to enter the KOF tournament, but was denied by Ryo. Going against his wishes, she enters alongside Mai Shiranui and King, and in 1996, they finally form a team to promote Kyokugenryu to the world. In addition to Team Women Fighters, she's also fought alongside Kyo and Robert in Team Art of Fighting, which is the team that she'll be a part of in her newest incarnation.

In addition, she also teamed up with Kyo and Robert to form the Art of Fighting team, which is the team that she’ll be a part of in KOFIV.
With her backstory out of the way, let’s dive into her appearance. Throughout all of her playable appearances, her regular outfit has been a white sleeveless gi fighter, a red headband, a blue shirt under the gi, blue fighting gloves, blue tights and red Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Throughout the series, she’s styled her brown hair in various ways, starting by having it down, then often having it be a long ponytail.

So, how can I properly explain Yuri’s personality? Well, a few things come to mind. Even though she had a rough childhood, she stayed optimistic and cheerful. She’s always looking out for her friends and family, and definitely shows herself off as being pretty confident. After being kidnapped, Yuri wanted to find ways to improve herself in her own way. However, she does get a bit heated with her pop and Ryo as they argue with her over her new sense of independence. Concerning her relationship with Robert, it was implied that she had feelings for him in the Art of Fighting series, though their relationship is a more downplayed in the KOF series. She’s always looking to better herself, while also being fun to be around.

Now, let’s dive into her skills. Like I said before, Yuri only learned the basics of Kyokugenryu from Takuma, so she decided to improve on it in her own way to fit her physique and style. Among her original moves are her Slipstream Handslap, where she rushes her opponent to slap them like crazy, and the Big Butt Press, where she literally lunges forward with her resplendent rear-end. However, Yuri’s move set is actually a parody of several special moves from Street Fighter. When it comes to KOF XIII, Yuri has become one of the most fun characters to learn, as she has a wide array of options on how to make her very versatile and even able do some pretty sweet combos. She has fireballs for zoning, a dive kick for pressure, plenty of anti-air attacks, special moves that are easy to cancel out of, a command grab that can get through blocks and she can even grab you in the air to pile drive you into the floor.

For a former damsel in distress, Yuri’s truly come a long way as a well-rounded character. With everything I’ve said, she’s become my main in KOF period, and I’m still learning from her. She’s fun, independent, and she can be hot while also being cute. With that being said and done, I hope that this little dive into Yuri (not like that) has taught you a little more about her, and I hope you have a spectacular day.