yukime

One of several yōkai created in the mountains of northern Japan, Yukime (ゆきめ/Snow Maiden) is a 16-year-old yuki-onna whose life and existence were complicated by her love and emotions for Nūbē. The connection began five years earlier when Nūbē, then a college student, saved her from a hunter who sought to kill her before she could grow up and bewitch or harm his village while skiing in the mountains. After saving her life, Yukime made a promise that she would find him again so they could be together "in eternal love." This became clear when she descended upon Doumori, intending to bring Nūbē back with her, frozen in ice, where he wouldn't age, living with her "for eternity." Despite this, Yukime had a warm heart, and her love for Nūbē was genuine. She was eventually convinced by Nūbē's students not to take him to the mountains. When she tried to attack them, Nūbē, who until then was frozen, thawed himself and told Yukime to leave, which she did—for a while. She returned later and decided to stay in Domori, working as an ice skating coach at the local rink and attempting to win his heart. As a yuki-onna, Yukime possesses powers and weaknesses tied to snow, ice, and cold. Her primary ability is generating snow or ice from her body, allowing her to freeze any target within her sight. This power can be used offensively, to create roadblocks, or even to concentrate light like a magnifying glass. It's also useful for making shaved ice, which Nūbē jokingly notes is the only good use of her power. Yukime also has a slight healing ability and, due to her affinity for cold, excels at figure skating. However, being a yōkai of snow comes with its challenges: she struggles with intense heat and can only tolerate certain temperatures by freezing areas around her. Additionally, she cannot prepare hot foods or wear certain black clothing without risking melting parts of her body. To combat overheating, Yukime wraps herself into a snowman to cool down, sometimes emerging naked, much to Nūbē's frustration. While many of these issues were addressed through a revival later in the series, Yukime still occasionally faces problems with hotter temperatures. Yukime's relationship with Nūbē drives much of her character development. Initially appearing as a "yōkai of the chapter," she develops a complex love/hate dynamic with Nūbē. Her attempts to win his affection lead to acknowledgment but also frustration for both. Matters are further complicated by Ritsuko-sensei, whom Nūbē originally desired and who begins to reciprocate his feelings just as Yukime starts getting through to him. The tension reaches a breaking point when another servant of the Mountain God tricks Yukime into believing Ritsuko's sacrifice is needed to make her human and win over Nūbē. When Yukime tries to kill Ritsuko and fails, realizing it isn't fair to harm her, the youkai reveals he was testing if Yukime still possessed a cold yuki-onna's heart or had become too sympathetic to humans. Nūbē saves Ritsuko and Yukime, apologizing to her and admitting his love. However, a severely injured Yukime uses her last powers to help destroy the youkai and turns into snowflakes in Nūbē's arms. As Miki and Hiroshi cry, Kyouko asks Ritsuko if Yukime is truly dead. Ritsuko reassures her that Yukime probably isn't dead and that her snowflakes might allow her to be reborn later. Though Nūbē believed her dead, Yukime wasn't. Her snowflakes were carried back to her mountains, where the Mountain God recreated her, with the same appearance and name. This new Yukime had a cold heart and intended to kill a human. Nūbē encountered her during a winter school trip; she lured him away to kill him but hesitated, confused by fragments of the original Yukime's memories and warmth. The "new" Yukime fled without harming Nūbē or his class. Yukime later returned to Doumori to resolve her conflicting feelings. Realizing she loved Nūbē, she decided to stay and reconcile her two halves. Though she didn't remember much of her past, it's implied that Yukime eventually recovered all her memories. Her personality evolved into a balance between her childish former self and her more assertive new identity. In an alternate world created by a youkai possessing Kyouko in her dreams, Yukime had grown into a full-fledged yuki-onna and remained in Doumori. However, she was no longer with Nūbē, who was in a catatonic state after nearly being killed by another youkai. (Note: Although this chapter existed in the manga, Yukime hadn't yet returned to Dōmori at this time.)