Yukiko Amagi

Overview

Yukiko Amagi is one of the first characters in Persona 4 who Yu Narukami can recruit to their party in the game. A somewhat shy and reserved girl by nature, the heiress to Inaba's Amagi Inn nonetheless gains the interest of a number of males who long to date her, but typically fail to ask her out. She is also Chie Satanoka's best friend and closest confidant, although she does open up to the other members of the party over the course of the game. Similar to the other girls in the party, Yukiko's cooking skills are often abysmal, although she actively works to change that. Furthermore, Yu can opt to date her or become good friends through the Social Link events.

Combat

In combat, Yukiko is primarily a caster of fire and healing magic. Her exceptionally high magic statistic connotes her use as a healer. Over the course of her skill gain, she learns a number of various healing spells, being able to heal single target and the entire party. Unlike Chie, she learns the entire spectrum of fire magic. As mentioned, her primary strength is in the diversity of her healing magic, learning "Salvation" which fully heals the entire party, and removes any negative status effect. There is discussion on who is the more competent healer between her and Teddie, however he is more centred towards a support character. In combat, Yukiko uses fans, and her followup attack is "Fan assault" which knocks down an enemy and dizzies it.

Midnight Channel

Yukiko's dungeon is the first to be explored fully by the Investigation team. As the team makes their way up the castle, it's clear Yukiko's problem is with her inheritance of the Amagi Inn. When the party encounter Yukiko's shadow, she has the internal struggle of not being able to choose her own path in life. After the party saves Yukiko, she gains the power of the Persona Konohana Sakuya, and joins the party. After this, Yukiko becomes a more active and lively character.

Social Link

After her ordeal inside the Midnight Channel in which she gains her Persona and has her inner feelings revealed, Yukiko struggles with figuring out how to take control of her future. Initially, believing that being the one bound to inherit the Amagi Inn was a status she unwillingly had, she chooses to move out of Yasoinaba, despite knowing that there is a great potential to cause a rift between herself and her family in doing so. In order to prepare herself, she starts consulting various career books in order to determine which occupation would be best for her. Eventually, though, she realizes that the people who live and work at the inn, including the staff, are all very dear to her. Wishing to not turn her back on those who love her, Yukiko ultimately, if reluctantly, decides to remain in Inaba and become the manager of the inn when that time comes.

After Yukiko completes her Social Link, Konohana Sakuya evolves into Amaterasu. Yukiko is notable as one of the few characters who has an evolved Persona which retains an elemental weakness. In addition, Yu receives the "Shrine charm", allowing the fusion of Scathach of the Priestess Arcana.

Persona 3 Portable

Yukiko makes a cameo appearance in Persona 3 Portable, an enhanced version of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 for the PSP. Taking place two years before the events of Persona 4, Yukiko is noticeably younger, as she is a middle school student. She only appears if the player is playing as the female main character, when she visits Inaba and Yasogami High School for the sports festival and stays at the Amagi Inn. Chie is also mentioned in passing, but she does not appear.

Persona 4 Arena

In Persona 4 Arena, set two months after the end of Persona 4, it is revealed that Yukiko has been practicing her cooking in an effort to improve her abysmal culinary skills, which were played up for comedic effect in the original game. She retains the use of Konohana Sakuya as her Persona, and in battle can use a variety of fire-based Persona skills to defeat her opponent. She also continues to fight using a folding fan, which she can throw as a projectile.

On the night before Yu's return to Inaba for Golden Week, she is at the Inn practicing her cooking and preparing a special boxed lunch for the next day's special reunion when she receives a phone call from Inoue, Rise Kujikawa's manager. He tells Yukiko that Rise has gone missing and asks if she knows anything, but Yukiko tells him she doesn't. A little bit later, she receives word from Chie that the Midnight Channel may have returned, and chooses to watch the TV that night in order to find out for herself. She is shocked to learn that the broadcast is now an advertisement for a fighting tournament, and that she and the others are somehow part of it.

The next day, Yukiko meets everyone at June and brings the boxed lunch, but since no one gets a chance to eat it during their meet-up, she takes it with her into the TV world, where it unfortunately becomes trashed upon entry. Hoping that it might still be edible, Yukiko salvages what she can before being forced to participate in the P-1 Gran Prix.

Joke Ending

Yukiko is one of three characters in Persona 4 Arena whose story mode can branch into a joke ending path. After fighting and defeating Teddie, whom she's confused for the General Teddie figure that appears occasionally on the school TVs, the player is given the choice of forcing Teddie to try some of Yukiko's lunch as a taste test, or to trust in her cooking abilities and refrain.

If Yukiko forces Teddie to eat, the food quickly incapacitates him from illness. Yukiko, however, comes to the mistaken conclusion that her food has miraculous healing powers (due to the fact that Teddie is too ill to struggle or otherwise show signs of distress). After being found by Yu, Yukiko offers him some of the food, which Yu immediately recognizes as toxic. Mistaking her attempts at feeding him for a sign that she is under the control of the tournament, Yu fights Yukiko hoping to bring her to her senses.

When Yukiko wins, she "helps" Yu by feeding him some of her lunch, which causes him to become just as ill as Teddie. Shortly thereafter, the others all arrive; with the mystery resolved, they're ready to leave, but Yukiko, emboldened by her mistaken belief in the power of her cooking, forces the others to all try some as well. The resulting food poisoning suffered by everyone but Yukiko (who doesn't actually eat any of her own food) makes everyone too ill to properly celebrate Golden Week as they had hoped they could.

Move List

Furious Action

• Dia (B + D) [P]: Allows Yukiko to heal HP as long as the buttons are held, and also absorbs projectiles. When used at first, it pushes back the opponent if they are close to her.

Skills

• Agi (236A or B) [SB / P / AIR]: Yukiko summons her Persona to perform an instantaneous fire ball. The distance of this fireball depends on which button is pressed to execute it. It can result in two hits if the opponent is too close to Konohana Sakuya when the move is performed.
• Maragi (236C or D) [SB / P]: Yukiko summons her Persona to perform a wave of fire that travels at the bottom of the screen. Once it hits the opponent, the wave becomes a vertical column of fire.
• Fire Boost (214C) [P]: Increases the strength of Yukiko's fire attacks and it is stackable. Its level can be seen via Yukiko's fire gauge.
• Fire Break (214D) [P]: Makes Yukiko's next fire attack an unblockable move. It is visible by a red aura that surrounds Yukiko.
• Fire Amp (214C + D) [only SB / P]: Skill Boost variation of Fire Boost, Fire Amp will increase the effectiveness of Fire Boost by two.

SP Skills

• Agidyne (236236C or D) [CH / P]: A delayable strong fire attack where Konohana Sakuya wraps herself around the opponent and launches them across the screen.

Awakening Move

• Maragidyne (214214C or D) [P]: Yukiko summons her Persona to send a large and powerful wave of fire on both sides of Yukiko.

Instant Kill

• Full Bloom (222C +D) [P]: Yukiko murders her opponent with cherry blossom petals.