Special Koromogae

Here is the Yuriko Omega feature for 1 June to celebrate Koromogae, that is to say, the changing of the uniform. This is when Japanese girls can shorten their skirts.

To mark the occasion, we’re analysing the elements of Yuriko’s outfit, as well as the Japanese anime tropes that Yuriko embodies.

Name: Let’s start with the first name Yuriko

The suffix -ko is used in Japanese to feminise a noun. For example, Archer-ko, a character from Fate/Stay Night, is actually the female version of the character Archer. Yuriko is therefore a female version of Yuri.

Omega is not Yuriko’s real name. Her real surname is Matsui. Yuriko was given this name because she was trained by the Omega programme. Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and is also used to denote the end.

Personality:

Yuriko was not given much character development in Red Alert 3.

However, her lines on the battlefield clearly show that Yuriko possesses a certain aggressiveness. Extremely proud, Yuriko already ticked all the boxes for a tsundere.

A ‘tsundere’ is a female character with a proud, haughty or even snobbish personality. In most Japanese anime or manga, this type of character eventually opens up to reveal a warmer, more loving inner self, thus becoming a ‘deredere’.

This type of character was popularised by Asuka Langley Soryu from Evangelion and Kagami Hiiragi from Lucky Star.

Yuriko’s mini-campaign will provide more information about her personality.

Background:

Yuriko’s background is similar to that of Lucy from Elphen Lied. Lucy and Yuriko are teenage girls with telekinetic powers. They both use their powers to dismember and destroy their enemies in the same way. Their childhoods are also similar; they were torn away from their families and locked away in research facilities in Japan. The experiments they underwent were intended to create super-soldiers.

Telekinesis:

Yuriko’s backstory is also similar to that of Kaneda Shotaro, the hero of the manga Akira. Kaneda was friends with Tetsuo Shima, but circumstances drove Tetsuo mad. Tetsuo became increasingly obsessed with his power, and Kaneda was forced to eliminate him. Yuriko, for her part, had to kill her sister Izumi after Izumi tried to kill her to prove she was the stronger of the two.

Hair:

Yuriko wears her hair in twin tails. Very often, this hairstyle is a sign of an explosive personality. This is certainly true of Yuriko, who is a classic tsundere.

Example of twin tails with Hatsune Miku

The little buns at the top of the plaits are called ‘odango’. This style was popularised by the character Usagi Tsukino, known as Sailor Moon, as well as Chun-Li in Street Fighter.

Examples of Odango for Sailor Moon and Chun-Li

Bust:

Yuriko has an average bust size. This prevents her from falling into an old manga cliché where the female population is clearly divided into two categories: ‘pettanko’, girls with very small breasts, and ‘oppai’, girls with large breasts. The middle ground is, in fact, very under-represented. A simple Google Images search for ‘breast size manga’ confirms this.

Another theory is that EA envisages the Red Alert saga as a long-running manga series, like Negima, One Piece or Dragon Ball. In this manga, the story spans a long enough period for the characters to age. In this case, Yuriko’s bust size will evolve gradually, much like Nami’s in One Piece.

Yuriko would therefore have been a ‘pettanko’ in Red Alert 2, is in a transitional phase in Red Alert 3, and will have ‘oppai’ by Red Alert 4.

The future?

Costume:

Yuriko’s costume is a Sailor Fuku. This type of school uniform, once popular in Japan, is gradually disappearing. However, its popularity remains undiminished within Japanese animation.

A huge number of magical girls wear Sailor Fuku, including the cast of Sailor Moon, Magical Girl Nanoha, Madoka and all the spin-off series of Pretty Cure.

It’s worth noting that Yuriko’s costume is manga-style. In other words, it is much shorter than it would be in real life, particularly the skirt.

Zettai Ryouiki:

Behind this obscure term lies one of the most significant fetishes in manga. It refers to the area of bare skin between the socks or tights and the hem of a (mini-)skirt.

The Zettai Ryouiki is subject to a very strict classification system established by the leading perverts and animation experts.

On the left, Kurumi Imari from Bible Black, with a very beautiful Type A Zettai Ryouiki. Next is Milly Ashford from Code Geass; the visible knee indicates a type similar to Yuriko’s.And finally, Misaka Mikoto from To Aru Majutsu No Index and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun, type E, which consists of a glorified pair of socks.

Natural enemy – The tentacle monster:

The natural enemy of the Japanese schoolgirl and the magical girl is the tentacle monster. Had Yuriko been present in Red Alert 2, she would have run the risk of being attacked by the Giant Squids. The player would no doubt have expected the Giant Squid to tear Yuriko’s clothes to shreds. It is for this reason that Red Alert 3 does not feature a Giant Squid.

C&CBoy article – Images by Tehnloss.

In collaboration with 4chan and rule34.

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