KMC Forums - The Princess of Kyokugenryu, Yuri Sakazaki

With this respect thread, Yuri completes the Sakazaki clan.

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Yuri's Background

Full Name: Yuri Sakazaki
Title: The Fabulous Karate Babe
Nationality: Japanese American
Date of Birth: December 7, 1961 in Art of Fighting storyline (would have been 45 years old), retconned to December 7, 1976 for King of Fighters storyline (30 years old)
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 130
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Brown
Blood Type: A
Measurements: 33-23-34
Family: Takuma Sakazaki, father; Ronnet Sakazaki, mother (deceased), Ryo Sakazaki, brother
Romantic Interest: Robert Garcia
Favorite Food: Sweet curry rice
Hobbies: Karaoke, studying cusine
Likes: Her friends and her earrings, which belonged to her late mother
Dislikes: Spineless men and octopuses
Fighting Style: Kyokugenryu Karate - Raiou Variant and her own personal instincts

Yuri is the daughter of Takuma Sakazaki and Ronnet Sakazaki and the younger sister of Ryo Sakazaki, who is four years her senior. When she was an infant, her mother Ronnet died of natural causes, leaving Takuma to raise her and her big brother Ryo alone. Takuma dedicated more time to Ryo than to Yuri, as Ryo is to be the heir to the throne of Kyokugenryu Karate. However, he did not turn his back on Yuri. Yuri later befriended a new boy who had just arrived from Italy, who is Robert Garcia. She enjoyed having conversations with Robert and developed a special relationship with him, but her father and brother insist on breaking up the relationship. However, she considers Robert one of her most valuable friends and enjoys being with him.

When she was 17 years old, Yuri was living in her father's Kyokugenryu dojo when crime began to infest the city of Southtown. Geese Howard blackmailed Takuma into working for him and became the de facto boss of Southtown, and ordered Takuma to kill Jeff Bogard, the adoptive father of Terry and Andy Bogard. Takuma refused to do so, but in order to force Takuma to cooperate, when Geese was out on business, Geese ordered Mr. Big, a local criminal mastermind, and Mr. Big's henchmen to break into the Kyokugenryu dojo. Mr. Big and his henchmen refused to answer Yuri's questions. Yuri then realized that they were up to no good. She initially managed to escape, but she could not run fast enough to keep the henchmen from catching up to her and was abducted in order to get Takuma firmly under Mr. Big's control and supervision so that Takuma would not disobey Geese. Takuma was forced to do things against his will through repeated threats to kill Yuri, which includes fighting Ryo and Robert. Yuri was worried about her father, Ryo, and Robert. Unfortunately, her abduction caused her brother Ryo and her love interest Robert to tear up Southtown in search of her, and in the process, they fought the toughest criminals, bouncers, and martial artists. A hidden door to the dark room was suddenly opened, and she narrowly escaped. Her brother Ryo was prepared to finish off Mr. Karate using a Haoushoukouken on him, believing he was behind the kidnapping. However, in order to rescue her father, she came unscathed and appeared before the eyes of Ryo and Robert and told Ryo not to hurt Mr. Karate, saying that he was really their father. Takuma removed his mask to reveal his true identity, revealing that he was deceived by Geese through Mr. Big to fight his own son Ryo. Immediately thereafter, they had a joyous reunion.

After the reunion, the Sakazakis and Robert returned to the Kyokugenryu dojo and plotted revenge against Geese for disgracing the honor of Kyokugenryu Karate. After Yuri rescued her father Takuma, and as a vehicle for revenge, she asked him to train her in the art of Kyokugenryu Karate about the same way he trained Ryo, much to Ryo's opposition and Robert's favor. Takuma accepted the offer, eager to make his daughter into a powerful fighter in her own right and prevent her from being abducted again. He trained Yuri behind Ryo's back, and she made exceptional progress in quite a few days. Yuri uses the lowest-grade Kyokugenryu Movelist in the discipline, called the Raiou principle, which taught only the basic and low-level moves and encouraged personal instinct to be used in conjunction with the tutelage. Among Yuri's personally-crafted moves are the Slipstream Handslap and the Butt Press. Yuri chose to remain in the Raiou principle of Kyokugenryu Karate. Takuma offered her the incentive to advance to the higher principles of the discipline. However, she rejected that offer, believing that the higher principles of the discipline focused more on offense rather than on defense. Kyokugenryu Karate had never been taught to females until the Yuri Sakazaki Incident; therefore, Yuri received the honor of being the first female student of the discipline.

The Sakazakis' revenge against Geese was successful to an extent, but the victory lasted for a short time. Geese managed to escape the Sakazakis and ordered the murder of Jeff Bogard. The ending of Art of Fighting 2 effectively closed out the storyline of the Art of Fighting series, and brought forth the beginning of the storyline of the Fatal Fury series.

The Yuri Sakazaki Incident occurred both in the Art of Fighting timeline and the King of Fighters timeline (two years before the events of King of Fighters '94). By the Art of Fighting timeline, it happened in 1978. By the King of Fighters timeline, it probably happened in 1992 (the year the original Art of Fighting was released). Yuri was 17 years old at the time of the incident.

In 1994, Yuri considered herself ready to fight in the King of Fighters tournament. She attempted to join Ryo's team in the first tournament. However, she was informed that her brother Ryo decided that only Robert and Takuma would be allowed on his team. Ryo was even opposed to Yuri's entry to the King of Fighters tournament, believing that she would misrepresent Kyokugenryu Karate, but Robert had the opposite point of view on the entry. Therefore, she witnesses an invitation to the first King of Fighters tournament, held by King. She then rushes to urge King to join her and establish a team, alongside her friend Mai Shiranui. They both disputed with King, and King had no choice but to accept them both. Then the team of England would enter the tournament.

After the second King of Fighters tournament in 1995, Yuri was called back to the Kyokugenryu dojo by her father Takuma. One year later, Takuma decided to retire from competitive fighting. He suggested to Ryo that Yuri be a part of his team. Since Yuri thought she already had someone to team up with, Takuma made the decision to persuade her to join the AOF team by threatening to freeze her assets. She agreed to join Ryo and Robert in place of her father Takuma, much to Ryo's opposition and Robert's favor. To honor her father, Yuri vowed to fight on the AOF team, although she wishes that he quits being a pushover near the end of the tournament, and she is also ready to assist any way she can. In 1997, she lived as a carefree woman after the Orochi saga, but only for a short time. Once again, she was called back to training when the 1997 King of Fighters tournament is about to begin. She did not turn her back on her family or friends, and she trained harder than ever. Despite being the only female of the AOF team, she can well represent Kyokugenryu Karate.

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Chuck Norris learned his trademark move, along with his sense of duty and justice, from Jesus after watching Him roundhouse kick a money changer out of the temple.