Vesta

Yukino Mayuzumi is a student at St. Hermelin High School in Persona and an assistant photographer in Persona 2.

Appearances

 * Megami Ibunroku Persona / Persona: Playable Character
 * Megami Ibunroku Persona (Manga): Major Character
 * Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection: Host
 * Persona 2: Innocent Sin: Playable Character
 * Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: Minor Character

Design
In Megami Ibunroku Persona, Yukino wears the female St. Hermelin uniform, though she has a longer skirt than the other students. She wears her hair short, a carry over from her days as a delinquent.

In the Persona 2 duology, Yukino wears a gray jacket which features ornaments of "armor" motif over a black shirt, and yellow sweatpants. Her hair has grown out, becoming somewhat curly, and she wears a gray hat branded "Ostrich" (as a reflection of this, her default headwear is called "Ostrich Beret").

Personality
She was an ex- who was reformed thanks to the efforts of her teacher Saeko Takami. Though she hasn't shed her yankī looks just yet, Yukino is well-recognized and trusted by the student body, acting as a mother figure of sorts to her friends. She is oftentimes the straight man during sillier moments, often pointing out the absurdity of some of the fantasy-like aspects of the events in the first game, sometimes getting close to fourth-wall breaking. Even though she is one of the more mature and level headed members of the party, Yukino can still be quick to anger and a little vulgar when people or things she cares about are threatened.

In Persona 2: Innocent Sin she is still dearly holding the memory of her former teacher Ms. Saeko, who rescued her from a life of crime, and due to that Yukino is compelled to do the same for another student who seems like she is about to embark down the same path, Anna Yoshizaka. She harbors a deep-seated crush for Fujii, and tries to disguise her tomboy traits in his presence.

Megami Ibunroku Persona
In the beginning, Yukino was one of the students present while her classmates played the Persona game, and thus ended up unconscious at the conclusion of the game. As a result she follows the party to the Mikage Hospital for an examination. While there, demons attack, and she fights her way out of the hospital with her classmates. Upon reaching the school, Yukino leaves the party, and does not return in the SEBEC quest.

However, in the Snow Queen Quest, she is a mandatory character. Yukino is there when Saeko Takami is possessed by the Snow Queen, and feels it is her duty to rescue her teacher.

In Revelations: Persona, her name was changed to Yuki, and she was only in the party during the first part of the game, as the Snow Queen Quest was removed. She was also the only character not Americanized like the rest of the cast.

Personas used in the Manga
A list of Personas used by Yukino in the manga.


 * Vesta: Yukino's Initial Persona, gained while trying to defend herself from demons at the Mikage Hospital.
 * Brigid: Used to defend Naoya, Maki, Brown, Nanjo and Elly against a projection of the Snow Queen by using her Azure Cessation spell.
 * Durga: Awakened during the fight against Queen Ashura. Durga was the one who dealt the killing blow with her Wolf Fang attack.

Innocent Sin
Yukino is Maya's photographer and partner at "Coolest" magazine. Yukino is currently the apprentice of Shunsuke Fujii, a seasoned photographer who acts as her mentor. She is investigating the Joker incident with her partner, Maya Amano.

Tatsuya's group first meets with Maya and Yukino in the principal's office at Seven Sisters High School. After discovering that Tatsuya's group knows about the rumors, the two join their party and chase after Joker with them. While at Club Zodiac, Yukino meets Anna Yoshizaka and is concerned that she has dropped out. After receiving King Leo's enigmatic hint of the next bombing target from the Aoba Park concert hall, Yukino contacts her alumnus as well as an occult expert, Eriko Kirishima, for help.

There will be two different outcomes of her fate at Caracol; if the player lets her stay with Fujii after his death, Shadow Yukino will appear in the central bridge of Caracol with Anna and the couple defeats three units of Order of the Holy Lance. Anna at this point is seemingly brainwashed by Shadow Yukino and encouraged to live an irresponsible life when Tatsuya's group approaches. After the two are defeated, Shadow Yukino curses Tatsuya for making the wrong choice and leaps off the edge of the bridge with Anna to the abyss of unconsciousness and their own deaths. The real Yukino's ego is taken into the abyss as well by Nyarlathotep and will not respond to anything. Philemon then informs the team that Yukino has made a wish to transfer her Persona ability to Jun Kurosu, an ability he lost when he ceased to be Joker.

If the player encourages Yukino to move on after facing Fujii's death, Philemon will grant her her ultimate Persona, Durga. Instead of fighting Shadow Yukino and Anna, the player will defeat three units of Order of the Holy Lance to save Anna. Even after Shadow Yukino shows up, Yukino bravely confronts the shadow and tells the team to leave first to Kurosu's rescue. Yukino will later return with Anna and rejoin the group for one last fight against Angel Joker. After this battle, she voluntarily sacrifices her ability to use a Persona to allow Jun to wield a Persona. She is last seen heading off into the city with Anna to find the Last Battalion.

Eternal Punishment
Yukino is still working as a photographer at Coolest Magazine. Shortly before the beginning of the game, Yukino is separated from Maya by her boss, and is not her partner anymore. As the events of Innocent Sin do not occur in Eternal Punishment, she still retains her Persona. Presumably after the outbreak of Tenchu armies of the New World Order, she re-awakens her Persona ability to fight, protecting the citizens.

Persona 3
She is a guest on Trish's Who's Who, described by her 20-year-old sister as a very dependable looking camera woman looking to be in her twenties who got her camera from her master.

Revelations: Persona

 * "Haa!" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Do it" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Personaaa! (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Aaah!" (when throwing razorblades)
 * "Here!" (when using shotgun)
 * "Oh No!" (dying)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

 * "Persona!" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Uoooah!" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Do it!" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Huh!" (when summoning a Persona)
 * "Here goes!" (when using melee weapon)

Megami Ibunroku Persona

 * Bully: Yukino bullies the enemy.
 * Persuade: Yukino attempts to persuade the enemy.
 * Scold: Yukino scolds the enemy.
 * Ignore: Yukino ignores the enemy.

Solo Contacts

 * Reason: Yukino reasons with the enemy.
 * Reprimand: Yukino scolds the enemy.
 * Speak w/ Fists: Yukino beats up the enemy.
 * Take Photo: Yukino takes a photo of the enemy.

Group Contacts

 * Yukino + Tatsuya: Tatsuya and Yukino beat up the opponent. (Can be gained if Tatsuya tells Yukino that he is good with his fists during the Club Zodiac dungeon)
 * Yukino + Eikichi: Yukino takes a photo of Eikichi. (Gained automatically after the Club Zodiac dungeon.)
 * Yukino + Maya: Maya and Yukino perform a comedy routine. (Available from start.)
 * Yukino + Tatsuya + Eikichi: Yukino, Tatsuya, and Eikichi beat up the enemy. (Can be gained if Tatsuya tells Yukino he is good with his fists during the Club Zodiac dungeon.)
 * Yukino + Lisa + Maya: Yukino, Lisa, and Maya seduce the enemy. (Available from start.)

Music
Yukino receives her own musical themes in Megami Ibunroku Persona and Persona 2: Innocent Sin.

Her theme in Megami Ibunroku Persona plays only during the Snow Queen Quest. It was never heard in the North American version of the game, Revelations: Persona, due to the Snow Queen Quest being removed. It reappears in the PSP remake for the Japanese, North American and European versions of the game.

Her theme in Innocent Sin plays when she introduces the party to her alumna Eriko Kirishima. It is also used in the news casting in the Eternal Punishment Sumaru TV preview fan disc. The second one subtitled "sad" version plays when she faces Fujii's death.

Before the release of the Japanese PSP remake of Innocent Sin, Shoji Meguro rearranged Yukino's theme as the Christmas special version and was only available for download for a limited time.

Etymology

 * Yukino's surname Mayuzumi means "blackened eyebrows" (黛).

Trivia

 * Yukino is possibly the least edited character in the Revelations version of Persona, with only the last 2 letters of her name removed which implies that she is still Japanese in this version.
 * In the remake of Megami Ibunroku Persona, if the player takes the SEBEC quest, there are still a few Snow Queen Quest references from some NPCs. It can be assumed that Yukino is taking the leader/protagonist's role for this part.
 * Yukino is currently the tallest female party member in the Persona series at 170 cm, with Maya Amano being second at 168 cm.
 * Yukino has a younger brother, as stated when the player chooses to pair her and Lisa for a contact in Persona 2: Innocent Sin.
 * It's revealed in the Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection that Yukino has another younger brother, two younger sisters and that they all lived with their mother.
 * In an interview with character designer, Kazuma Kaneko, it is revealed that Yukino's design is based off of former actress, Junko Mihara. Her short hair is based on a look a model Kaneko had a celebrity crush on wore in a commercial. He states that Yukino is his favorite character and the type of girl he liked in high school.
 * When speaking to Yukino in the ballet club room of St. Hermelin in Persona, she reveals that she's a fan of ballet; The Nutcracker being a particular favorite of hers.
 * In Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Yukino says she is interested in a partner who has ambitions, and doesn't seem to understand the current fad with men obsessing over their appearance.
 * Yukino's favorite sport is softball and her strength rivals that of a man.
 * Yukino prefers taking pictures of people as opposed to landscapes.
 * Yukino's favorite foods are and, and she is often invited to eat together with coworkers.