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Overview

Yuko Tani (ユウコ・タニ?) was the tritagonist in the 2017 Godzilla film, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, and subsequently reappeared in the 2018 sequels, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle as the deuteragonist, and in Godzilla: The Planet Eater as a minor yet pivotal character.

Yuko was both raised and schooled alongside Haruo Sakaki, however, in school she performed under Haruo's standard.

Appearance[]

Yuko held a much slimmer appearance in comparison to the rest of the film's cast. Her complexion was similarly pale to Haruo Sakaki, and her hair and eyes were both brown in coloration.

Personality[]

It's stated that Yuko has a complex about her body, mainly centering around her physical strength. The extent of this is not yet known. She's also apparently fond of weapon design and modification.

In the film, Yuko's presented as curious, but also as someone who won't overstep boundaries, as shown while she speaks to Haruo for the first time. In addition, she's shown to be more lowkey in nature, and maintains a rather cool, calm, and collected demeanor, only breaking it when Haruo puts himself in harm's way.

Relationships[]

Haruo Sakaki[]

Yuko and Haruo share a basic relationship in Planet of the Monsters, with the two rarely interacting. Their first major interaction began shortly after Eliott Leland gave her the role of handler, for Haruo, where it was shown that Yuko had difficulties referring to Haruo by his actual name, over a military title.

Later, Yuko would speak about how she wished to meet him to speak with him in person, following his actions on the Aratrum. Indirectly, she accused Haruo of being the reason the elderly ended up perishing on the way to Tau-e's surface, due to the explosives present, which were presumed removed in spite of what occurred. She would instead backtrack to asking Haruo if he thought it was an accident, with the matter ending when he stated he thought it was.

Yuko would show great concern for Haruo's wellbeing as the operation against Godzilla was underway. This began with his reckless attack on Godzilla following his first arrival, which was followed by his attack on Filius in the power suit. This would be reciprocated as Haruo, shortly before his final attack on Godzilla, would question Yuko's presence in a dangerous, potentially suicidal situation.

During City on the Edge of Battle, Yuko expressed how Haruo's determination and lack of a will to give up drew her to him, as it wasn't the norm compared to everyone else while in space. Later, after Haruo stated he wasn't lost and was focused on killing Godzilla, while promising to win the fight to show Yuko the planet as it once was, Yuko kissed him.

History[]

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters[]

Yuko was seen briefly in the film's intro as Haruo Sakaki threatened to detonate bombs due to the Committee's seeming recklessness in sending elderly to the surface in what he deemed as pure suicide, due to the planet's uninhabitable nature.

Later on, she's introduced as Haruo's "handler" as he was released on bail, albeit remaining cuffed. Yuko and Haruo speak for the first time shortly after, where she questions him on whether or not he thought the landing craft explosion was an accident. Becoming slightly agitated, Haruo speaks up about how living in a confined space on minimal supplies makes everyone seem mistrustful, while saying he didn't believe the Committee was actually corrupt enough to coerce volunteers into the accident that occurred.

She later witnesses the fossilized ruins of prior Human civilizations and is shocked that people seemingly used to live there. She and the group later run back to base as the returning population has their first run in with the Servum, and was around to see Martin Lazzari's acquisition of a Servum fang for study.

Once the attack's over and the study on both the Servum and the surrounding flora is over, Yuko was one of the few to witness Haruo and Eliott's argument over what to do with their remaining forces. In spite of Yuko's want to seemingly stop Haruo, Metphies stopped her, first.

She was one of the pilots of the few salvageable landing crafts, attempting to cross through Godzilla-dominated territory, when Godzilla suddenly arrived. Despite attempting to evade the monster, the craft crash landed, suffering from a stall. As the ship's crew and population evacuated, Yuko witnessed Haruo mounting a hovercraft and questioned what he was doing. Martin informed her of the plan to figure out how Godzilla activates its shield by attacking it. She bears witness to Leland's sacrifice as well, and watches Godzilla walk away from the fight.

Yuko would later question Metphies' choice in giving his military command powers to Haruo, insisting the choice was insane. However, no one else spoke up, and she in turn listened to Haruo's speech as he accepted the mantle, and ended up saluting first once he finished speaking.

Haruo would then ask Yuko about Godzilla's position, to which she'd acknowledge and elaborate on it, stating he was about eighty kilometers north east, but moving south west at 40 kilometers an hour. Haruo would then order her to set up transmission balloons every 3,000 meters in order to ensure optimal reception.

She's later seen in the final fight against Godzilla, where Haruo's surprised to see her, despite her having always been a part of the power suit team. Haruo insists the mission was suicidal, but Yuko expresses that she just wants to be stronger, something she thought when her grandpa died. She later assists Haruo in planting EMP probes in Filius' spine, leading to his destruction.

Yuko was present when Godzilla Earth awoke, and in turn evacuated with most of the others before Godzilla Earth began its attack.

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle[]

Yuko later was seen with Rilu-elu Belu-be and Adam Bindewald, taking cover in a crashed Artillery tank as they were under attack by an unknown assailant. Yuko would manage to land a shot by their attacker, resulting in the latter being briefly incapacitated. After realizing they looked human, this attacker then got up and dashed off. Another girl looking identical to the former would then appear, with Haruo Sakaki screaming to stop running up behind her. Yuko and her allies would then surrender as they were surrounded by an indigenous tribe.

She and the remnants of her group would then end up meeting with Martin Lazzari, Mulu-elu Galu-gu and their squad of survivors as they were taken in by the Houtua. There, the intentions of the Houtua would be brought up, and shortly after, they were taken to a large chamber, where a brief conversation takes place, telepathically. Following this, the group would be given their weapons back and would be free to go, but not before the twins, Miana and Maina offered to come with them.

As the group began a trek to search for a way to kill Godzilla, Miana and Maina in tow, Yuko would show a brief sign of jealousy as the former twin spoke Haruo's name, which prompted a comment about how the two took a liking to Haruo. She would leave the group briefly, and find her way to a swamp Haruo had ventured into earlier, seeing a heat source on the opposing side. However, a bunch of tentacles would restrain Yuko as multiple Servum would suddenly charge her. The group, hearing her screams would run to her aid, with bullets doing nothing to the Servum, while the twin's nanometal tipped arrows slew them with ease.

Adam and Haruo would assist her out of the swamp, but not before scavenging Servum flew in from above to capitalize on the recent bloodshed. Before they could attack the group, Metphies arrived and killed the attackers, or forced them to retreat. Later, as the full group of survivors was rounded up, Haruo would speak up. He offered survivors the choice to stay on Earth, to continue the fight, as the Bilusaludo had reason to believe nanometal was still able to be utilized against it, or go back to the Aratrum, and live to fight another day. Yuko chose to stay, as she'd rather fight than live with the regret of leaving the fight unfinished for those who gave their lives, already.

With Miana and Maina acting as guides, Yuko, along with her allies would venture into a winding cave system in an effort to find the harvesting grounds for the Houtua's nanometal. Eventually, having found a way out of the cave, the group would be attacked by more Servum, and Yuko would use her Exosuit in an attempt to defend her friends. However, nanometal would suddenly skewer the flying beasts and begin assimilating them into its mass, much to her and other's shock. Shortly after, it was revealed the group had stumbled upon a quickly dubbed "Mechagodzilla City", ripe with nanometal and the means to defeat Godzilla.

The two twins refused to enter, deeming the location poison, while the rest would venture in, with Yuko openly stating that entering felt like going inside a monster. She, along with Haruo and Adam would discover the assimilated bodies of humans deep inside the structures, and the two Bilusaludo would reassure them that nanometal wouldn't harm humans while it was active.

Following this, and the rebuilding of a central command post near the head of Mechagodzilla, Yuko and Belu-be would be seen working together on a newly commissioned vehicle, the Vulture. While Yuko would gush over the potentially groundbreaking boosts to the suit's mobility and power consumption, she'd be offset by the fact a human body couldn't necessarily survive the extremes present. Belu-be would speak up about how mechanizing everything would result in not having to worry about the body's burden, and told her not to worry about the situation.

Later, she would have a test-run of the newly developed Vulture, being delighted in its performance, while Belu-be would comment on how much of a compatible unit she and the vehicle were. She would then be seen working on the Vulture alone, with Haruo entering the area and speaking up on her lack of sleep. The two would then talk, with Haruo expressing a moral doubt about bringing others with him into this fight, to which Yuko would state that Haruo was her hope. More specifically, Haruo's grudges and determination therein resulted in Yuko taking a liking to Haruo, as he wouldn't just give up everything, as per the norm while in space.

Yuko would then meet Haruo outside, where the two would walk along a bridge. After a brief conversation, running over the Bilusaludo's thoughts on religion, to Metphies' personal discussion with Haruo, Yuko would ask if Haruo was okay. The latter would respond, saying that he wouldn't be lost anymore, and knew they should focus on killing Godzilla in the now, before promising to win the fight, to show her how Earth used to be. Yuko would then kiss Haruo.

After this, Yuko would be seen interjecting on the Bilusaludo's behalf as the two opposing groups debated on the merits of nanometal integration, along with the risks. Yuko's support of the Bilusaludo would break the tension present, and as Godzilla awoke and began to move on the City, preparations began for the coming assault.

With the plan against Godzilla underway, Yuko, Haruo, and Belu-be would mount up in the Vultures, using them to distract Godzilla and bring him to the trap point. However, in spite of the plan's success, Godzilla would be merely stopped in his tracks, unable to respond, but alive as he healed. Taking drastic actions, the Bilusaludo would force nanometal assimilation on Yuko, Haruo and Belu-be. While Belu-be suffered no ill effects and Haruo was immune, Yuko began to succumb from the nanometal's effects.

Yuko would attempt to auto eject from the vehicle, but would have her exit locked by Galu-gu, with the lack of control resulting in her Vulture going into a tailspin. Haruo would catch her Vulture, and eventually make the ultimate decision to destroy Mechagodzilla City's command post, where the nanometal was being controlled from, killing Galu-gu outright, and Belu-be by proxy, as he was assimilated by the nanometal.

With Mechagodzilla City destroyed, Godzilla free, and their allies dead, Haruo would land his and Yuko's Vultures, before catching Yuko's body as she fell from her Vulture. Believing her dead, Haruo let out a scream of anguish into the night.

Godzilla: The Planet Eater[]

Following the fall of Mechagodzilla City, Yuko was taken into the safety of a Houtua cave, where she was tended to, but later pronounced braindead by Martin. She remained in this cave until Ghidorah was summoned and eventually defeated.

Once Ghidorah was defeated, and humanity began to settle in with the Houtua, Haruo took the lifeless Yuko with him in the last remaining Vulture, which Martin had rebooted successfully. Piloting the mecha to Godzilla's position, Haruo noted he was the last one carrying the burden of the hopes, dreams, and lives lost to Godzilla, referring to Yuko, and everyone else. As Godzilla subsequently shot the Vulture out of the sky, Haruo and Yuko perished together.

List of appearances[]

Films[]

Novels[]

Trivia[]

  • Yuko was the first character to kiss Haruo in the Godzilla franchise.


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