The reason I made Yuri...

For a long time I've made my manga focused around my first and main OC, Yuri the Innocent Murderer. She is arguably strong, a selfless fighter, a great mentor and a very strong-willed mother figure. And she came to me, at least her design in a dream. Though a lot of people always had a lot of different opinions on her. One I usually hear often is Mary-Sue. A name I hate to my very core. So it got me thinking, why did I make Yuri like this? Well strap in boys and girls cause I'm about to break it down to you.

Growing up with little money, few friends, and even fewer muscles, I know first hand what its like to be at the very bottom wanting to rise up and feeling like I just didn't belong with any group. And all the time, I hear and see people who make their way to the top by cheating, stealing, and hurting people. Mostly innocent people. Made me feel like someone had to be able to do. Then, 6 years ago, Fist of the North Star came to my life (No regrets!)



The manga of Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken) debuted in 1983. The anime itself was created in 1986 and has had a large influence in Shonen/Action/Martial Arts anime and video games. If you all have an interest in this, I highly recommend it. It's inspired as much as Jojo's Bizarre Adventures to Street Fighter, and even more. The story follows in the year 199X, the world had gone to waste. World War III killed off all of humanity. The remains pick themselves up, living in a newly hostile environment where only the strong could survive and the weak were killed and left to rot. After having his fiance, Yuria, being taken away, and betrayed by his closest friend Shun, Kenshiro, the 65th successor to the legendary fighting style of Hokuto Shinken, the ultimate assassins art, vowed to get his revenge on Shun and help the innocent by killing off the very tyrants and thugs that threatened the world. He was a force to be reckoned with. He could kill with a single touch, punch harder, dodge quicker,  and move faster than the normal man. He had killed off many powerful foes like Devil Rebirth, Amiba, Souther, Raoh, Hiyo, and Kaioh. The man was nearly unstoppable. This anime is the responsibility for me getting back into anime and even into martial arts. All through high school to present, I've been a big fan of this anime.

In my freshman year of college, I was working my way to being the first in my family to be a college graduate and make a name for myself. One night, I had a dream. A dream that would forever change my life. This dream....standing in the middle of a dark area was a beautiful young woman with red hair, covered in blood. But instead of looking like a typical yandere, she smiled at me softly. That's when I discovered MMD, the textures, the parts, the poses, and PMD editor. Lo and behold, that girl was created. However, unsure of what to do with her, I really needed time to think as to what I wanted her to become. Fearing that she'd just be seen as heartless and cruel to an audience, I needed to find a way to captivate this woman to her true personality. My solution....turn her into Kenshiro, the Fist of the North Star.



And so Yuri the Innocent Murderer was born. A woman born of gods and men, endlessly walking to protect the innocent the only way she knew how. By killing all that were deemed evil and unable to reclaim redemption. After losing her family to horrible circumstances and losing her innocence after seeking revenge, Yuri swore she would never allow anyone to fall victim to the burdens that she alone had to face. Much like Kenshiro, Yuri was trained in Hokuto Shinken (By Kenshiro himself) and was deemed the first female successor to Hokuto Shinken (however, it's pretty much non-canon with the manga/anime) Using this new art and being the sole heir to Hokuto Shinken, Yuri harnessed this new godly art as a weapon of justice. No one stood in her way. She was someone who set fear in the eyes of her peers.






However, despite many of her great attributes and amazing tale, some people have always felt like Yuri was more of an overpowered/Mary-Sue type of character. This kind of talk has usually led onto some questions about that idea. Cause in all honesty, I see nothing of it. And hey, that's just how I write things. It's not like it's intentionally my fault.


To me, OCs are more than just sketches of paper. They are pieces of us. They inspire. They show everyone the best of what we can become if we follow that path. And I say the same for Yuri's case. My whole intention of Yuri was to make her into a symbol, showing that there is no obstacle that can't be surpassed or any mission that is deemed impossible. And her universe fits that mold. In Yuri's own world, there is an obstacle and limit she can surpass and always goes around risking her own life for the saftey of others. It's not about whether she loses a fight but whether she's doing the right thing. Sure due to how I write, Yuri's exact limitations are unknown, but that is far from being the point. Yuri will always have her struggles and limitation, regardless of being a demigod, a successor to Hokuto Shinken, an angel of darkness, or a full blown goddess.

If Yuri is not trying to destroy the world, she is trying to be a mother to those who she took with her to love and care or even struggle to have a relationship with someone she holds dear to her heart. She's more than a fighter. She is a woman who has lost everything and struggles with her humanity every day. Even her smiles can always show that she's trying to be a human no matter what. All her friends, including Choroi Hebishi, Storm Ford, Proxy Vladamire, and Cross, struggle with everyday decisions and conflicts. And when their stories are about people trying to get by life, Yuri's story is about a god living among men. She is not meant to be a ruler. She is not meant to be evil. Her universe just doesn't always meet with everyone elses, because they didn't have the same struggles she did.. And yet that's what makes them all such memorable characters.

Really, Yuri is more than a sketch on paper. She is someone who I hold dear and I share with the entire world. I make her out to be a memorable character, an inspirational woman, and a way to rekindle the glory Hokuto no Ken once had. Whether you all may think it's all bullshit or not is up to you. But no matter what anyone says, the Innocent Murderer is always gonna stay around.