#Mieko Toriyama

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Yakuza 5 / Ryu Ga Gotoku 5

[mukoda]

[record scratch] [freeze frame] you're probably wondering how i got in this situation

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Another rooftop moment

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They be eye-fucking (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)

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Yakuza games kanji info 22

Saeko Mukoda (向田 紗栄子, Mukōda Saeko)

The quick-witted beauty who really packs a punch.

向 muko (mukou, mukō) = yonder, facing, beyond, confront, defy, tend toward, approach

田 da = rice field, rice paddy

紗 sa = gauze, gossamer

栄 e = flourish, prosperity, honor, glory, splendor

子 ko = child

- About her family name: The kanji 向 has many meanings that apply to Saeko's circumstances or personality quite well. 'Yonder, facing, beyond' could be related to her relationship with her estranged family. She longs to be with them again, but she is fully aware that they haven't forgiven her, so she does her best to protect them afar. 'Confront, defy' certainly relate to her fiery, blunt and intimidating demeanor when she's dealing with her enemies (and sometimes her friends). 'Tend toward, approach' relate to her wish to return to her family, but also to her need for companionship. There is a massive change in her attitude once she feels the rest of the party genuinely welcomes and values her.

- About her given name: The kanji 紗 refers to 'silk gauze,' which is a delicate-looking fabric that is actually quite strong. We can say this certainly applies to a beautiful woman who can use her charms to fool the enemy into thinking she is weak and harmless and then deliver a vicious beat down like any of the male fighters she encounters.

Saeko's overbearing personality is what caused her father and twin sister to distance themselves from her. She felt the need to protect them both in place of her late mother. All she really wanted was for her family to 'prosper,' but they both felt she was trying to control all aspects of their lives. After she left home, Saeko successfully adapted to the hostess and bar management work, learning skills and meeting people that would eventually prove to be huge assets to her. Forming bonds with her new friends and finding a new place where she belongs will definitely bring Saeko herself the chance to 'flourish' and be happy.

Saeko is prone to use dirty tactics during battle, but she displays the 'honor' aspects of her name in two particular instances. First, when she decides to join the party to discover who killed Nonomiya. Moments before that, she considered him just her sleazy boss. Once she realizes that he really cared about Nanoha and was worried about their father, she decides to repay him by bringing his killer to justice. The other instance is when she convinces the rest of the party to accept Seong-hui's request to buy time for the Geomijul to destroy the evidence of the counterfeiting scheme. Saeko, who was initially suspicious and wary of Seong-hui, acknowledges that the other proud woman would only bow her head for help in a genuine and desperate situation.

Extra - Here are some character names that have the same kanji with the same pronunciation:

(田 da) 品田 辰雄, Shinada Tatsuo

(田 da) 石尾田 礼二, Ishioda Reiji

(子 ko) 冴島 靖子, Saejima Yasuko

(子 ko) 鳥山 美恵子, Toriyama Mieko

Extra 2 - Here are some character names that have the same kanji but with a different pronunciation:

(田 ta) 荻田 冠, Ogita Kan

(田 ta) 田中 シンジ, Tanaka Shinji

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Yakuza 5 / Ryu Ga Gotoku 5

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Writer, Photographer and smut Author Tatsuo Shinada.

Yakuza 5 / Ryu Ga Gotoku 5

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leftover gifs because precious 

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Yakuza games kanji info 19

Yumi Sawamura (澤村 由美, Sawamura Yumi)

The lovely flower made of steel.

...also known as:

Mizuki Sawamura (澤村 美月, Sawamura Mizuki)

澤 sawa = swamp

村 mura = village, town

由 yu = wherefore, a reason

美 mi = beauty, beautiful

- About her given name: Yumi is the one who kickstarts more than one significant series of events, whether willingly or unwillingly.

Nishiki kills Dojima to save her. Kiryu takes the fall to protect Nishiki. The lonely and underestimated Nishikiyama becomes a ruthless man while Kiryu is in jail for 10 years.

She works with Kazama and Sera to steal Jingu’s money. Nishiki found out and revealed it to the Tojo Clan, prompting a massive hunt for the money and the girl who is the key to get to it.

Her disappearance brings Kiryu and Haruka together to look for her, eventually forming a deep bond of mutual love and trust between them.

She dies taking a bullet to protect both her beloved daughter and the man she had always loved, ensuring their survival and giving Kiryu a powerful reason to retire from the criminal underworld.

Of course the protagonist’s love interest has a kanji in her name that means ‘beauty.‘ In fact, if you find a woman in the series who has the syllable ‘mi‘ in her name, then her name is most likely written with this same kanji.

美 mi = beauty, beautiful

月 zuki = month, moon

She kept the kanji 美 for her other name/her sister’s name. It’s not uncommon to see siblings with similar names that have the same kanji. Now the ‘moon’ part is interesting: the japanese name of her symbolic tattoo, the Queen of the Night, is 月下美人, read as ‘gekkabijin’ - literally “moonlight beauty.” As you can see, the plant’s name has the same kanji as Mizuki.

What about the meaning of the moon itself? From greenshinto.com: “For Buddhism, the full moon is a symbol of enlightenment, and the phases of the moon indicative of the ever-changing nature of life. Nothing is constant except change itself. For Shinto the moon is a symbol of the wonder, beauty and awe of natural phenomenon, compelling realisation of mankind’s place within Daishizen (Greater Nature), a true creature of the environment.“ We can see Yumi changing ‘phases‘ like the moon as the story develops: the innocent childhood friend and first love, the amnesiac new mother fighting for survival and the determined, courageous woman who works against her enemies and makes sacrifices for the sake of the ones she loves.

Extra - Here are some characters with the same kanji in their names:

(澤 sawa) 澤田 有希, Sawada Yūki

(村 mura) 谷村 正義, Tanimura Masayoshi

(美 mi) 宇佐美 勇太, Usami Yūta

Extra 2 - Here are other ladies who also have the kanji 美 (mi) in their names, as mentioned above:

笠原 清美, Kasahara Kiyomi

鳥山 美恵子, Toriyama Mieko

朴 美麗, Paku Mirei