Yumi Ishiyama

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Yumi is surely the most charismatic figure of the series. She also is the most completely defined; she is pretty much the embodiment of Lyoko, because she is the character that one notices first.

A fourteen-year-old girl, she is in the ninth grade (although she gives the appearance of being further on) and the oldest of the protagonists.

Yumi was born in Japan (hence her last name, Ishiyama), her family having emigrated to France when she was just a baby. Having been raised among traditional Japanese values, she shows complete respect for her parents, sometimes even to excess. She attributes a lot of importance to her origins, and even plans later to return to her roots.

First, in regard to Yumi's personality: Always dressed in black, she inspires coldness and distance at first glance. Rather abrupt, and often of a sarcastic humour, she can seem particularly stiff and ironic. But this appearance exists only to hide her generous and sensitive inner nature, because behind this mask hides a being filled with warmth and with human qualities such as kindness, helpfulness, delicacy and sincerity. Indeed Yumi prefers getting acquainted and knowing people before opening to them, but once trust is established, she assumes a limitless fidelity towards people whom she likes. A fine observer and psychologist, she is adept at understanding people. Good at sports, very smart (as seen by her responses to difficult situations), a hundred percent natural, she is the perfect opposite of Sissi (and of all empty and superficial girls so common these days) and seems, in contrast to the majority of her peers with their female "best friends", to prefer the company of boys. Intransigence remains however her most notable defect.

Yumi is also a very applied pupil, who excels particularly in the literary subjects. Considered as having a great scholastic potential, she has the respect and trust of her professors. She is also the only one of the group living off-campus, the others being dormatory residents.

Socially, her relationships do not seem to preoccupy her much; ignoring the follies of the schoolyard, she seems to pay real attention only to her inner group of friends. Some schoolmates admire her, and while others despise her, she pays no attention. Boys are interested in her, enticed by her natural and cryptic beauty. She, however, pushes them away, by turning derision upon any attempt on their part…

Yumi is undoubtedly the most mature and the most thoughtful of the group. Naturally warranting respect, her opinion is always taken into account. She always acts within the group as defending others: it is she who makes important decisions on the group's direction, and it is to her that they come for advice.

The relations of Yumi and Ulrich are complex and often very ambiguous. An important mission links them in friendship. Strong respect, mutual admiration and reciprocal feelings (although distant) join these two figures in a very strong relationship. Should not however their relationship extend to more than just friendship?

On Lyoko, Yumi is virtualized in geisha form. Equipped with formidable metallic fans with defensive properties (acting as shields) and also as offensive missiles, she proves to be be a considerable adversary against the monsters of XANA. Along with her sharp fans used like ninja stars, she also has telekinetic powers for making life difficult for the henchmen of the computer villain.

Lyokophile (april 2004),
Translation by Chauve-Souris
http://www.codelyoko.net/
© March 2006

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