Q: In Chapter 34, one more fighter comes into play: Amagi Yukiko, the sweet young proprietess of the Amagi Inn. Yukiko steps in for a little bit of two-on-two with Kanji, Yousuke, and Chie, and to make the fight interesting, the others suggest a girls v. guys fight. So a couple of reviewers asked: Who won in the Yukiko v. Kanji bout?
A: Kanji (probably)
There's a little bit of author conceit going on here, as there tends to be in every contrived sequence. So, I'll explain that first.
The purpose of Yukiko stepping in to fight is mostly there to give Chie a friend to fight alongside, and to showcase that Yukiko's not just the straight-edged damsel that she may have appeared to be up until this point in the story. It also gives the author (me) the opportunity to create a fun pairing for a fight. We already know that Naoto is well-versed in CQC (close quarters combat - thanks, Kojima-san), and Rise doesn't really have much fighting experience (though she will by the time everything's all over, for certain). And Kuma's not there, so she's out. So, that left Yukiko.
I also wanted Yukiko to step out a little bit more from her self-imposed shell that's been building since way back in Chapter 23 (if not earlier). So I gave her a knowledge of Tai Chi, which I thought would make sense given that the art form has become much more about poise and technique over time, rather than its original martial roots.
But just because Yukiko has some martial arts experience doesn't mean that she's proficient enough - or just plain mean enough - to be able to take down Kanji in a one-on-one fight. Kanji's style is a mixture of classic gendai budo like judo and straight-up boxing techniques. (Sharp-eyed readers will notice that Kanji almost always punches or grapples and hardly ever kicks, with the exception of a couple of stomps. He's a tsuki [punch] fighter, for certain.)
One of the reasons that the fight is not described is because I didn't want to take away from the Chie/Yousuke fight...but also because the story is told essentially from Chie's point of view, and she wouldn't be able to focus on the Yukiko/Kanji fight without being distracted in her own fight. And to be perfectly honest, a fight between two characters who are not my principal protagonists would have slowed down the story unnecessarily. But perhaps I'll write a little fight between Yukiko and Kanji down the line. Certainly, the story will go that way....
If you would like to see the Kanji/Yukiko bout in a later chapter - or perhaps another fan fiction, if I can stomach another one after finishing this one - let me know! I'm always open to new ideas.
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Well, in theory, Kanji's going to win. Most people would assume this.
ReplyDeleteBut in my honest (though not necessarily humble) opinion, Kanji probably has a kind of mental block about Yukiko.
She is, after all, his Onee-chan. She walked him home from school when they were little, and we all know that Yukiko is that one person could (and would, given the chance) win any fight amongst the Investigation Team.
She'd just need the motivation.
Kanji's got the experience and the intimidation factor; he's a straight-up bruiser. And in terms of brute physical power, he's got pretty much everyone else in the Investigation Team beat, with the possible exception of Kuma, whose fluid nature does allow for some surprises.
ReplyDeleteHowever...
There's definitely a fighter's streak to Yukiko that we haven't seen yet in the story, but it will come out in glorious full force when the Shadows and Personas come into play.