ooc ☼ CHARACTER INFORMATION
character survey
everything to know about yako katsuragi
body and appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
According to canon information, Yako is 159cm tall (roughly 5'2"), and despite the fact that she eats enough to feed an army, she only weighs 43kg (nearly 95 lbs). Although she usually wears her baggy school sweater, which prevents you from seeing the shape of her figure at all, she's pretty thin; in fact, she looks like she hasn't got an ounce of fat on her. Her arms and legs are thin and bony, her stomach is flat and her chest is pretty small. She's definitely quite skinny, but in a natural way that doesn't look unhealthy. In fact, thanks to Neuro, she's probably gradually building up some lean muscle.
2. How old is she?
Sixteen as of the beginning of the series. Her birthday is March 10.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Her posture usually reflects how she's feeling quite clearly to anyone who just glances at her. Normally, she doesn't really have a perfect posture, but it's not terrible; she mightn't have her shoulders pulled back properly, or she might be a little hunched, not standing straight because she's leaning on one hip - simple things like that, things that are typical of a teenage girl. She's very relaxed almost all of the time.
When she's determined or when she's confident, her posture is strong and straight. She'll start slouching tremendously if she's tired or upset. Usually, the way she carries herself and the appearance she gives off is something friendly and easy-going. (It jumps all over the place when she's with Neuro; she can't decide if she should hold herself tall and proud to try and give off a fake air of confidence, or if she should just give up and crumple entirely so that he can drag her around where he wants to.)
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
She's a very healthy girl, actually, and she always has been. She's not out of shape, and even though she doesn't seem like she would be particularly fit or strong, she's proven herself to be quite athletic at times. Even though she would have started off as a pretty average teenage girl, her fitness level is changing because of the time she spends with Neuro; his daily torture and trials are really strengthening her body, and she's getting used to sprinting all over the place to try and meet his insane demands, too.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She's usually relaxed, bouncy and energetic, but she's also very clumsy and about as far from graceful as you can get. She'll drag her feet, she stumbles a lot, her footsteps are rather heavy and she tends to fumble with things - nothing extremely clumsy to the point that it's a ridiculous character trait, just in a normal way. When she's determined or confident, she comes off as a bit more graceful - she gets this sort of strong, determined stride - but she can't keep it up for that long.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Yako is attractive in a way that is more cute and delicately pretty than beautiful or eye-catching. She looks very young, kindly described once by Neuro as having a baby face and the figure of a child, so most of the time with her baggy school sweater and her loose socks she's on the "adorable" side of the scale. If she dresses up, however, it gives her a more mature look and she can be quite pretty. A lot of her fans often remark on how cute she is throughout the series, once she gets a following as a detective.
She's not particularly vain, so her appearance isn't a large source of concern, but she does consider it from time to time. She doesn't think she's unattractive, and she's confident in what she wears when it comes to clothing of her choice (she tends to wear very short things and low-cut tops), but she does get jealous of extremely beautiful girls sometimes. One of her wishes is to have long, beautiful hair, since she thinks hers is nothing to be proud of; unfortunately, she can't grow it out because it goes awful and curly.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
She has a fairly light skin tone, something close to a creamy apricot colour. Her skin is completely clear not a single scar or blemish on her; it's half because she looks after her skin and half natural.
8. Describe her hair: colour, texture, style.
She's a blondie! Her hair has a rather soft texture, but it's more on the dry end than she'd like it to be. It's a short, choppy and convenient style, cut in layers. As was said just above, she's not overly fond of her hair and has always dreamed of having nicer hair, but she does take care of it as it is, washing it frequently with the proper products and putting accessories in it. Her strange little mouth-shaped clips are something she's never seen without.
9. What colour are her eyes?
A dull, light brown. They're pretty boring, actually, and she doesn't like them much.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Nope. She's not really a very remarkable person when it comes to appearance.
11. What are her chief tension centres?
Her back and her neck.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
She has a huge variety of clothes and shoes, so she's obviously a bit fond of dressing up. Most of her wardrobe is on the dressy end of casual - a number of pretty shirts and matching skirts, cute dresses, fancy jackets - but she does have some gorgeous formal wear for important events, and some really casual stuff like baggy t-shirts and shorts for when she's lounging around the house. When it comes to shoes, she seems to have an affinity for boots, usually covered with needless buckles and other accessories, but she has a few pairs of high-heels and pretty sandals, too.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Absolutely! Most of what she wears is very flattering to her slim frame and long legs, and she always seems very confident and happy with what she's wearing.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
Neuro is her boss, and he honestly wouldn't care if she came in wearing a garbage bag. (Actually, he'd probably prefer that and encourage it.) She usually just shows up in whatever she was already wearing when he called her to the office, which is her school uniform most of the time. Other days, she'll just dress as she would normally plan to for that day and go to work.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Whatever goes best under what she's wearing! Her default is briefs, but sometimes she'll consider what she's going to be doing in advance. Lately she's been wearing biker shorts under her school skirt because she doesn't want to flash everyone when Neuro throws her around. She owns a few pairs of cute panties that she likes to wear sometimes, though, and Kanae gave her a lingerie set on her 16th birthday that she's sort of mortified by.
speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Her voice is quite high-pitched, and it's really cute. She sounds a bit childish most of the time because of it.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She's not a fast speaker, but she is very energetic and she can get very loud. Her voice jumps up and down a lot most of the time because she's a lively, excited and bubbly person, but when it comes to things like explaining a criminal's motives, her voice usually becomes more soft and even, sometimes even tremulous. In normal situations, she talks extremely easily, but she hesitates and stammers as she gets nervous or unsure.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Nope! She's a standard Japanese speaker with an unremarkable accent, standard dialect and pronunciation, and she has no signature verbal tics (nano desu) or bizarre speech patterns. Obviously, any other language she tried to speak would come with a clear Japanese accent, though; it'd be very noticeable in her English, since she's not very good at it and she doesn't practise it enough.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
Her first language is Japanese, and she speaks that with absolute fluency. She's learning English in school, but her pronunciation isn't all that good and since she's not exactly a diligent student, she's a little lower than the standard she should be at - however, since her school is on the "highly intelligent and gifted" side, she's probably speaking English at a normal 10th grade level.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
No, she'll always speak Japanese with no distinct dialects or speech differences. She doesn't know English well enough to speak it around Westerners; if she did, she definitely would, but as it is she'd only use it as a desperate measure if the communication barrier urgently needed to be torn down.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She's a very good impromptu speaker, and she usually just straight-out says what's on her mind. While her sudden speeches are often analytical and touching, they piss off the criminal more often than not, so it's a talent that doesn't always work in her favour.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
She's not really either; she's certainly not eloquent, but she's nowhere near inarticulate. She expresses herself well, it's just that she normally speaks quite bluntly and casually. She tries to be polite and a little more eloquent around strangers if a friendly vibe doesn't immediately spark between them, especially when it comes to her elders. It's very difficult to render her inarticulate short of strangling her; even with a gun pointed to her head, or tied to a chair in the home of a violent and insane serial killer, she speaks just the same as always.
mental and emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Although Yako doesn't seem it, she's really very intelligent when it comes down to it. While she doesn't study as often as she should, and she usually complains about being at the bottom of her class, Yako is in a top-notch high school (and she only wanted to get into it because they have good food, in all honestly), and she seems to be doing just fine. She can catch up on a month's worth of studying in a week if she has the right motivation - that is, if she has a test coming up at the end of that week - so she's obviously not stupid or anything.
She might not be exceptionally street-smart because she's had a fairly easy and sheltered life, but when it comes to humans in any aspect, Yako is a genius. That's how she's able to be a brilliant detective; she doesn't need to look at the facts and evidence of a case, or even at the crime scene. She can solve a case just from speaking to the culprit and finding out a bit about them, as is shown brilliantly in the Aya Asia mystery. She's also extremely observant of smaller details, and she can make a startlingly accurate analysis using those basic observations.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
She's not the fastest thinker, but she's certainly capable of making snap decisions when she needs to. When she has time to deliberate she can reach amazing conclusions, but she's not bad at improvisation since she's had to learn how to handle things like that. Even if she can't think fast enough, Neuro will usually make the decision or reach the conclusion for her, so there's not normally a problem.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Her thought process is almost entirely intuition, and it's spot-on the majority of the time. She is the human feelings and intuition to Neuro's cold logic and indifference. She does her best to be practical in all situations, but she can't stop the occasional idealistic thoughts that emerge. She's learning to break those down into something more sensible now that her original views are being utterly destroyed by the things she sees as a detective.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Standard school education. She's in 10th Grade and she's never missed a year, nor did she start school late. Her high school right now is a high-class selective school that only takes high-ranking students, so she's getting a pretty good education there.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
People, for both questions. She's just brilliant when it comes to understanding humans, but they're so complex and fascinating that she wants to learn and understand as much about them as she can. People astound her with both their positive and negative aspects, and Neuro has also made her interested in watching them evolve and develop beyond their limits. She wants to grasp both ends of the spectrum, those with the kindest intentions and those with the most criminal. She wants to know what drives them and leads them and why they can swerve in such drastically opposite directions under the same situations. She wants to learn more about being a good detective, and she wants to know all of this so she can evolve and be stronger.
On a smaller, more personal scale, she's interested in learning more about Neuro, just because she wants to be able to understand him so that she can be closer to him and more reliable for him.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
She's extremely extroverted! She speaks her mind, she's very openly emotional and social, she'll happily initiate contact with anyone and make the steps forward in most situations, and she'll even display her most negative emotions quite clearly, which can make her vulnerable at times. She rarely holds back anything - short of being tactful and polite, that is.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
She's generally even-tempered, relaxed and cheerful, even when she doesn't feel the best; she'll smile and laugh regardless, and it tends to work in her favour because spending time like that with her friends makes her feel better quickly. It's not often that she loses her temper, or cries, or snaps at anyone - the first time she ever lashes out is when Neuro teases her for crying after she's forced to delete the Electronic Person HAL, at which point she slaps him away and screams at him. That's one of the most emotional moments she's ever had, and one of the boldest and most rash reactions she's displayed. In everyday situations, she's laid-back, but at the slightest push she becomes extremely driven and determined.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
As an extrovert and a bit of a social butterfly, she reacts to new people with friendliness, whole-hearted acceptance and enthusiasm. As long as they aren't unfavourable, she'll respond well to new situations too, being that she is very open, curious and naturally energetic when it comes to most things.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
She'll almost always react. Even if she does act first, she's probably reacting to something Neuro told her to do. She feels like she's very out of her element in most situations she ends up in, so she waits for something to react to, whether it be the criminal's actions or Neuro's lead.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Flight. Unfortunately, Neuro won't usually allow that, so she ends up being stuck in a bad spot while he provokes everyone and uses her as a shield. Even under attack, she'll flinch and shrink back, at which point she knows Neuro will protect her. (She's not too proud of that, but it's an instinctive reaction.) If a person other than herself is in danger, though, she'll always switch to fight in an attempt to protect them.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She's an open person and can appreciate most jokes, even when they're starting to end up on the dirty end of the spectrum, and she's mischievous enough that she loves some good pranks, even at her own expense. Puns might make her giggle in more of an "oh god that was awful" way. Things like slapstick humour are starting to become less funny to her since she knows what it's like to be the victim of most of those situations - so she'll see a comedy where someone has their head slammed into a table, and all she'll be able to do is wince and remember how that feels.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
Nope, she's mentally sound and healthy. She's actually so stable and calm-minded that she doesn't even panic when she's threatened or kidnapped. She might have some sort of masochism, though, or at least she's very jaded, because she barely sees anything wrong with the sadomasochistic relationship she has with Neuro. She thinks he's sort of a childish bully, but she almost finds it endearing (after he stops hanging her out windows and she stops screaming...) and his cruel actions don't affect her perception of him at all. She still refuses to ever think of him as a bad person, and she admires him more than anyone. So there might be something a little bit messed-up there.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Throughout the series, almost everything that happened contributed to Yako's development as a person. All of the time she spent with Neuro defined her in ways that I can't even explain, as well as her encounters with various criminals and her work as a detective. I'll summarise the biggest points in her history, but really, everything has affected her in some way.
Losing people who are important or close to her. It started because of her father's murder, and she becomes a witness to so many deaths that she realises how easily the people around her could be hurt or lost. The idea of someone being hurt or dying for her sake terrifies her, as does being completely alone. She also fears being useless or a hindrance to Neuro to some extent.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
Prior to Neuro, she had no hopes or aspirations; her goals were to get through school and have a decent life. Now, with him being the motivation for every move she makes, she aspires to evolve and be both a strong person and a brilliant detective. She hopes to one day have a better understanding of the world and the complex creatures that humans are.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
That she thinks she is truly useless and low-tier compared to the people around her.
relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Before her father's murder, she had a very close and loving relationship with both her parents. They never fought or got upset with each other, and despite that they were both slight workaholics, she spent a lot of time with them and they were a very close family. She doesn't see her mother a whole lot any more, because she's a detective and she also responds to Neuro's every beck and call, and her mother is a freelance journalist who isn't at home often, but they still love each other very much and spend time together when they can. Her mother doesn't know everything that goes on between Yako and Neuro, but she understands enough to see how close they are, and she can really motivate Yako at times. It cheers Yako up a lot to hang around with her mother.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
She has none! She's an only child.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
She only has her parents, and she loves them both.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Sasazuka is something of a self-imposed older brother figure to her, because he sees Yako as very similar to his deceased younger sister, and hence he's sort of half-adopted her and become extremely protective of her. She almost considers any close friends a sort of extended family; Kanae, Aya and Akane are all a little like sisters to her, and Godai... can be her weird uncle who yells and gets drunk all the time. Neuro is the only friend she doesn't treat as family, and that's because he's special to her in a different way that gets its own label. Above being friend or family, he's her partner.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Kanae. It's not explained how they met, but it was probably in some mundane fashion, like being paired up in a class activity or bumping into each other at school. Three years prior to the series, Kanae was some kind of delinquent, too, so she would have been rather eye-catching and memorable.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Yes! She makes a lot of very close friends throughout canon; Sasazuka, Godai, Akane, Aya, Honjou and Higuchi are some of the most memorable she's become attached to. As I said before, Neuro is just on a completely different level altogether, but he still counts as a close friend, too.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She makes friends and gets along with people very easily without even putting an effort in. Aya says at one point that Yako just seems to be the kind of girl that people come to love quickly and easily, and it's true that she captures the hearts of most people with ease and without meaning to.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Neither. She could never prioritise one over the other, because her family is her friends and her friends are her family. She loves them all, and she'd never consider one of them more important.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single, thank you very much. She's not even sure whether she wants to get married or not - not to say she doesn't want a significant other, she's just not sure that she would bother getting married, especially since she'd have to keep her last name (as a famous detective and a household name, it'd be troublesome for it to ever change) and there wouldn't be a lot of benefits she sees in getting married instead of just being together without the need for it.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Definitely not. Even if she did have a spouse, she'd never ever cheat on them.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Some boy when she was in 4th Grade was probably her first crush, and she probably hasn't seen him in years. She's a very ordinary girl; she's probably had a few crushes now and then that have died away to nothing, especially in later years when school became a bigger thing, and now that she has a life-long career it's the furthest thing from her mind. She doesn't have any crushes lately because she has no time for boys at school, and she's also not all that centred on romance or sex.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
She's not the type to actively look for romance; her stance on it is more "if it happens, it happens". But trust and loyalty would be the biggest things to her, as well as strong characteristics like determination and drive. Having a meek or weak partner would really wear her out after a while, and she'd never really be able to treat them the way she would like to treat her partner; it'd be more like looking after a friend or family member. She'd like someone who can challenge her and push her on, someone she can believe in and who believes in her, someone she can really see as an equal and a true partner.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
She wouldn't mind having children one day when she's not so involved in her career (if that ever happens, that is), but it's not a dream or a goal or even a plan of hers. She's fine with not having any, but she's not vehemently opposed to the idea or anything.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Not really. Neuro tries to keep Yako uninvolved in anything that would get her enemies, and most criminals she's spoken to more than once have ended up as helpful allies, if not friends, to her. The closest you can get is any enemies that Neuro makes, such as Sai or "Sicks"; personally, she doesn't have any, but when it comes down to it, Neuro's enemies are her enemies.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Gender isn't all that important to her, because she doesn't hold physical aspects in the highest regard when it comes to a relationship, but she does definitely prefer boys; girls usually end up just as sister figures or close friends. She's about a 1 on the Kinsey scale, and the highest I can imagine her ever reaching is a 2.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
She's a sixteen year-old girl, so of course she's a little curious, but she's very mature when it comes to talking about it, so she doesn't blush and giggle madly or anything. Kanae dates five different guys per month, she's a little jaded, in all honesty. It's not all that important to her; she doesn't think it's an important part of a relationship, and whether she ends up ever having sex will depend on the decision her spouse makes. She thinks it's possible to have a strong and solid relationship without ever needing sex, but she also acknowledges that it's a step of intimacy (and she's also aware of the fact that it's supposed to be fun, but she has no experience to make a judgement with).
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
She has no idea at this point in time, but she could definitely roll with some BDSM stuff, as well as a playful sort of dominance battle. Right now, she does those kinds of things in a platonic and almost friendly way with Neuro and the idea of it in a sexual light has never even crossed her mind (even when she uses terms like "abandonment play"), but if it was obviously being done in a sexual way with her romantic partner, things like that could probably be a turn-on for her. It's a show of trust, and power play is a fun challenge.
beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
The year that the series is set in is unknown, so it's not possible to do the Chinese zodiac, but in Western astrology, she's a Pisces. Reading here, a number of the traits fit her quite well, although she's not nearly as dreamy or weak-willed as it's making Pisces out to be.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
She's not particularly either, and they're not important elements in her life at all. She's more agnostic than anything, leaning a little more towards the belief that there's some higher power and some sort of afterlife. She's met a demon from Hell itself, so she finds it hard to believe that there aren't other things like that, actually. It's just not something that she devotes a lot of time or thought to.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
She does her best not to pass judgement without knowing details, she tries not to be prejudiced, and she also believes that no one deserves to suffer. It begun just because she was raised well, and it's stronger now that she knows how it feels personally to suffer because of something. She might not wish happiness on everyone, but she won't wish suffering or death on anyone either. She thinks everyone should pay rightly for their actions, regardless of what led to those actions, which is a good mindset for a detective to have. It could be compromised, I imagine, if you killed someone very close to her, such as Neuro. She'd never forgive someone for that, and depending on the circumstances, she might go so far as to wish suffering on that person.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She accepts them completely! Yako is a very tolerant, open and welcoming person. She's a little curious about other beliefs, too, because she'd like to understand the different views that people have.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
She honestly doesn't have any. You would think she'd have even a slight prejudice against criminals or murderers, but some of her best friends are criminals. She doesn't even hold anything against Phantom Thief Sai. She tries her best not to judge anyone without proper justification.
daily life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Currently, she's comfortable. She should be rich, really, because her detective business earns a fortune, but Neuro steals all of that money and buys whatever he wants. Which means a helicopter, later. She ends up in debt because of him a number of times, actually, and one time she ends up in serious debt with him. But, as it is now, she's in a good financial situation - her mother still earns money, and they have her father's life insurance money, which is pretty much the "Yako's Food Fund".
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
It used to be that she was just an ordinary girl with no social status to speak of and nothing remarkable about her, but now she's... internationally famous and a highly renowned detective. She has fanclubs. Yako Katsuragi is becoming a household name, especially in Japan, but it's spreading over to places like America too.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
She lives in a moderately-sized apartment with her mother, and it's pretty empty and neat, considering neither of them spend much time there. It's a place to crash for Yako, and sometimes not even that; if Neuro works her until 3AM, she'll just sleep in the office instead. But she's almost never there during the day - at most, she'll go there after she goes home from work, and she'll wake up there before she heads off to school.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
... More food. That's really all, aside from indulging herself with things like pretty clothes and shoes. She needs a lot of money for food.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
She's a detective, and she's very good at it. She was dragged into it completely unwillingly at first and had to be threatened to make her stay, but now she enjoys it a lot, and she'd never want to do anything else. It's pretty much her life now, and as the end of the series shows, she does keep at it even after Neuro leaves; she becomes an extremely talented and even more famous detective while she waits for him to come back to her.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
She barely has any free time, what with school, work, Neuro and managing her social life, but she loves to cook and eat. During her free time at home, she experiments with cooking. Another hobby that she enjoys but doesn't have time to manage is collecting and learning about gemstones; even though it's been a while since she actively had that interest, she's retained a lot of the information from when she first learnt about it all, so it might be something she'd pick up again if something inspired her.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She eats all the things. Not even kidding. She eats about fifty times the amount a grown man should per day. In a day, she'll usually eat out at least three different restaurants and cook her own things at home, and the cafeteria at her high school is the whole reason she goes to that school. It cannot be expressed how much this girl eats. She's not at all picky about her food, either, and she has the ability to eat anything without problems; when she was a kid, she ate her father's glass marble collection because she thought they were candy and had no side effects (and she would probably have no objections with eating them again today).
associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character:
1. Colour? Earthy or autumn colours. Browns, darker reds and maroon, deep oranges and golden-yellow.
2. Smell? Any kind of hot food cooking.
3. Time of day? Sunset.
4. Season? Autumn.
5. Book? Mystery novels.
6. Music? Pop.
7. Place? Her detective office.
8. Substance? F...food...
9. Plant? Sunflower.
10. Animal? Fox.
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everything to know about yako katsuragi
body and appearance
1. Describe the character's height and build. Is she heavyset, thin, short, rangy?
According to canon information, Yako is 159cm tall (roughly 5'2"), and despite the fact that she eats enough to feed an army, she only weighs 43kg (nearly 95 lbs). Although she usually wears her baggy school sweater, which prevents you from seeing the shape of her figure at all, she's pretty thin; in fact, she looks like she hasn't got an ounce of fat on her. Her arms and legs are thin and bony, her stomach is flat and her chest is pretty small. She's definitely quite skinny, but in a natural way that doesn't look unhealthy. In fact, thanks to Neuro, she's probably gradually building up some lean muscle.
2. How old is she?
Sixteen as of the beginning of the series. Her birthday is March 10.
3. Describe her posture. Does she carry herself well or does she slouch?
Her posture usually reflects how she's feeling quite clearly to anyone who just glances at her. Normally, she doesn't really have a perfect posture, but it's not terrible; she mightn't have her shoulders pulled back properly, or she might be a little hunched, not standing straight because she's leaning on one hip - simple things like that, things that are typical of a teenage girl. She's very relaxed almost all of the time.
When she's determined or when she's confident, her posture is strong and straight. She'll start slouching tremendously if she's tired or upset. Usually, the way she carries herself and the appearance she gives off is something friendly and easy-going. (It jumps all over the place when she's with Neuro; she can't decide if she should hold herself tall and proud to try and give off a fake air of confidence, or if she should just give up and crumple entirely so that he can drag her around where he wants to.)
4. How is her health? Is she fit or out of shape? Any illnesses or conditions? Any physical disabilities?
She's a very healthy girl, actually, and she always has been. She's not out of shape, and even though she doesn't seem like she would be particularly fit or strong, she's proven herself to be quite athletic at times. Even though she would have started off as a pretty average teenage girl, her fitness level is changing because of the time she spends with Neuro; his daily torture and trials are really strengthening her body, and she's getting used to sprinting all over the place to try and meet his insane demands, too.
5. How does she move? Is she clumsy, graceful, tense, fluid?
She's usually relaxed, bouncy and energetic, but she's also very clumsy and about as far from graceful as you can get. She'll drag her feet, she stumbles a lot, her footsteps are rather heavy and she tends to fumble with things - nothing extremely clumsy to the point that it's a ridiculous character trait, just in a normal way. When she's determined or confident, she comes off as a bit more graceful - she gets this sort of strong, determined stride - but she can't keep it up for that long.
6. How attractive is this character physically? How does she perceive herself in the mirror?
Yako is attractive in a way that is more cute and delicately pretty than beautiful or eye-catching. She looks very young, kindly described once by Neuro as having a baby face and the figure of a child, so most of the time with her baggy school sweater and her loose socks she's on the "adorable" side of the scale. If she dresses up, however, it gives her a more mature look and she can be quite pretty. A lot of her fans often remark on how cute she is throughout the series, once she gets a following as a detective.
She's not particularly vain, so her appearance isn't a large source of concern, but she does consider it from time to time. She doesn't think she's unattractive, and she's confident in what she wears when it comes to clothing of her choice (she tends to wear very short things and low-cut tops), but she does get jealous of extremely beautiful girls sometimes. One of her wishes is to have long, beautiful hair, since she thinks hers is nothing to be proud of; unfortunately, she can't grow it out because it goes awful and curly.
7. Describe her complexion. Dark, light, clear, scarred?
She has a fairly light skin tone, something close to a creamy apricot colour. Her skin is completely clear not a single scar or blemish on her; it's half because she looks after her skin and half natural.
8. Describe her hair: colour, texture, style.
She's a blondie! Her hair has a rather soft texture, but it's more on the dry end than she'd like it to be. It's a short, choppy and convenient style, cut in layers. As was said just above, she's not overly fond of her hair and has always dreamed of having nicer hair, but she does take care of it as it is, washing it frequently with the proper products and putting accessories in it. Her strange little mouth-shaped clips are something she's never seen without.
9. What colour are her eyes?
A dull, light brown. They're pretty boring, actually, and she doesn't like them much.
10. Does the character have any other noteworthy features?
Nope. She's not really a very remarkable person when it comes to appearance.
11. What are her chief tension centres?
Her back and her neck.
12. What is the character's wardrobe like? Casual, dressy, utilitarian? Bright colors, pastels, neutrals? Is it varied, or does she have six of the same suit?
She has a huge variety of clothes and shoes, so she's obviously a bit fond of dressing up. Most of her wardrobe is on the dressy end of casual - a number of pretty shirts and matching skirts, cute dresses, fancy jackets - but she does have some gorgeous formal wear for important events, and some really casual stuff like baggy t-shirts and shorts for when she's lounging around the house. When it comes to shoes, she seems to have an affinity for boots, usually covered with needless buckles and other accessories, but she has a few pairs of high-heels and pretty sandals, too.
13. Do her clothes fit well? Does she seem comfortable in them?
Absolutely! Most of what she wears is very flattering to her slim frame and long legs, and she always seems very confident and happy with what she's wearing.
14. Does she dress the same on the job as she does in her free time? If not, what are the differences?
Neuro is her boss, and he honestly wouldn't care if she came in wearing a garbage bag. (Actually, he'd probably prefer that and encourage it.) She usually just shows up in whatever she was already wearing when he called her to the office, which is her school uniform most of the time. Other days, she'll just dress as she would normally plan to for that day and go to work.
15. You knew it was coming: Boxers, briefs or commando?
Whatever goes best under what she's wearing! Her default is briefs, but sometimes she'll consider what she's going to be doing in advance. Lately she's been wearing biker shorts under her school skirt because she doesn't want to flash everyone when Neuro throws her around. She owns a few pairs of cute panties that she likes to wear sometimes, though, and Kanae gave her a lingerie set on her 16th birthday that she's sort of mortified by.
speech
1. What does this character's voice sound like? High-pitched, deep, hoarse?
Her voice is quite high-pitched, and it's really cute. She sounds a bit childish most of the time because of it.
2. How does she normally speak? Loud, soft, fast, evenly? Does she talk easily, or does she hesitate?
She's not a fast speaker, but she is very energetic and she can get very loud. Her voice jumps up and down a lot most of the time because she's a lively, excited and bubbly person, but when it comes to things like explaining a criminal's motives, her voice usually becomes more soft and even, sometimes even tremulous. In normal situations, she talks extremely easily, but she hesitates and stammers as she gets nervous or unsure.
3. Does the character have a distinct accent or dialect? Any individual quirks of pronunciation? Any, like, you know, verbal tics?
Nope! She's a standard Japanese speaker with an unremarkable accent, standard dialect and pronunciation, and she has no signature verbal tics (nano desu) or bizarre speech patterns. Obviously, any other language she tried to speak would come with a clear Japanese accent, though; it'd be very noticeable in her English, since she's not very good at it and she doesn't practise it enough.
4. What language/s does she speak, and with how much fluency?
Her first language is Japanese, and she speaks that with absolute fluency. She's learning English in school, but her pronunciation isn't all that good and since she's not exactly a diligent student, she's a little lower than the standard she should be at - however, since her school is on the "highly intelligent and gifted" side, she's probably speaking English at a normal 10th grade level.
5. Does she switch languages or dialects in certain situations?
No, she'll always speak Japanese with no distinct dialects or speech differences. She doesn't know English well enough to speak it around Westerners; if she did, she definitely would, but as it is she'd only use it as a desperate measure if the communication barrier urgently needed to be torn down.
6. Is she a good impromptu speaker, or does she have to think about her words?
She's a very good impromptu speaker, and she usually just straight-out says what's on her mind. While her sudden speeches are often analytical and touching, they piss off the criminal more often than not, so it's a talent that doesn't always work in her favour.
7. Is she eloquent or inarticulate? Under what circumstances might this change?
She's not really either; she's certainly not eloquent, but she's nowhere near inarticulate. She expresses herself well, it's just that she normally speaks quite bluntly and casually. She tries to be polite and a little more eloquent around strangers if a friendly vibe doesn't immediately spark between them, especially when it comes to her elders. It's very difficult to render her inarticulate short of strangling her; even with a gun pointed to her head, or tied to a chair in the home of a violent and insane serial killer, she speaks just the same as always.
mental and emotional
1. How intelligent is this character? Is she book-smart or street-smart?
Although Yako doesn't seem it, she's really very intelligent when it comes down to it. While she doesn't study as often as she should, and she usually complains about being at the bottom of her class, Yako is in a top-notch high school (and she only wanted to get into it because they have good food, in all honestly), and she seems to be doing just fine. She can catch up on a month's worth of studying in a week if she has the right motivation - that is, if she has a test coming up at the end of that week - so she's obviously not stupid or anything.
She might not be exceptionally street-smart because she's had a fairly easy and sheltered life, but when it comes to humans in any aspect, Yako is a genius. That's how she's able to be a brilliant detective; she doesn't need to look at the facts and evidence of a case, or even at the crime scene. She can solve a case just from speaking to the culprit and finding out a bit about them, as is shown brilliantly in the Aya Asia mystery. She's also extremely observant of smaller details, and she can make a startlingly accurate analysis using those basic observations.
2. Does she think on her feet, or does she need time to deliberate?
She's not the fastest thinker, but she's certainly capable of making snap decisions when she needs to. When she has time to deliberate she can reach amazing conclusions, but she's not bad at improvisation since she's had to learn how to handle things like that. Even if she can't think fast enough, Neuro will usually make the decision or reach the conclusion for her, so there's not normally a problem.
3. Describe the character's thought process. Is she more logical, or more intuitive? Idealistic or practical?
Her thought process is almost entirely intuition, and it's spot-on the majority of the time. She is the human feelings and intuition to Neuro's cold logic and indifference. She does her best to be practical in all situations, but she can't stop the occasional idealistic thoughts that emerge. She's learning to break those down into something more sensible now that her original views are being utterly destroyed by the things she sees as a detective.
4. What kind of education has the character had?
Standard school education. She's in 10th Grade and she's never missed a year, nor did she start school late. Her high school right now is a high-class selective school that only takes high-ranking students, so she's getting a pretty good education there.
5. What are her areas of expertise? What, if anything, is she interested in learning more about?
People, for both questions. She's just brilliant when it comes to understanding humans, but they're so complex and fascinating that she wants to learn and understand as much about them as she can. People astound her with both their positive and negative aspects, and Neuro has also made her interested in watching them evolve and develop beyond their limits. She wants to grasp both ends of the spectrum, those with the kindest intentions and those with the most criminal. She wants to know what drives them and leads them and why they can swerve in such drastically opposite directions under the same situations. She wants to learn more about being a good detective, and she wants to know all of this so she can evolve and be stronger.
On a smaller, more personal scale, she's interested in learning more about Neuro, just because she wants to be able to understand him so that she can be closer to him and more reliable for him.
6. Is she an introvert or an extrovert?
She's extremely extroverted! She speaks her mind, she's very openly emotional and social, she'll happily initiate contact with anyone and make the steps forward in most situations, and she'll even display her most negative emotions quite clearly, which can make her vulnerable at times. She rarely holds back anything - short of being tactful and polite, that is.
7. Describe the character's temperament. Is she even-tempered or does she have mood swings? Cheerful or melancholy? Laid-back or driven?
She's generally even-tempered, relaxed and cheerful, even when she doesn't feel the best; she'll smile and laugh regardless, and it tends to work in her favour because spending time like that with her friends makes her feel better quickly. It's not often that she loses her temper, or cries, or snaps at anyone - the first time she ever lashes out is when Neuro teases her for crying after she's forced to delete the Electronic Person HAL, at which point she slaps him away and screams at him. That's one of the most emotional moments she's ever had, and one of the boldest and most rash reactions she's displayed. In everyday situations, she's laid-back, but at the slightest push she becomes extremely driven and determined.
8. How does she respond to new people or situations? Is she suspicious, relaxed, timid, enthusiastic?
As an extrovert and a bit of a social butterfly, she reacts to new people with friendliness, whole-hearted acceptance and enthusiasm. As long as they aren't unfavourable, she'll respond well to new situations too, being that she is very open, curious and naturally energetic when it comes to most things.
9. Is she more likely to act, or to react?
She'll almost always react. Even if she does act first, she's probably reacting to something Neuro told her to do. She feels like she's very out of her element in most situations she ends up in, so she waits for something to react to, whether it be the criminal's actions or Neuro's lead.
10. Which is her default: fight or flight?
Flight. Unfortunately, Neuro won't usually allow that, so she ends up being stuck in a bad spot while he provokes everyone and uses her as a shield. Even under attack, she'll flinch and shrink back, at which point she knows Neuro will protect her. (She's not too proud of that, but it's an instinctive reaction.) If a person other than herself is in danger, though, she'll always switch to fight in an attempt to protect them.
11. Describe the character's sense of humor. Does she appreciate jokes? Puns? Gallows humor? Bathroom humor? Pranks?
She's an open person and can appreciate most jokes, even when they're starting to end up on the dirty end of the spectrum, and she's mischievous enough that she loves some good pranks, even at her own expense. Puns might make her giggle in more of an "oh god that was awful" way. Things like slapstick humour are starting to become less funny to her since she knows what it's like to be the victim of most of those situations - so she'll see a comedy where someone has their head slammed into a table, and all she'll be able to do is wince and remember how that feels.
12. Does the character have any diagnosable mental disorders? If yes, how does she deal with them?
Nope, she's mentally sound and healthy. She's actually so stable and calm-minded that she doesn't even panic when she's threatened or kidnapped. She might have some sort of masochism, though, or at least she's very jaded, because she barely sees anything wrong with the sadomasochistic relationship she has with Neuro. She thinks he's sort of a childish bully, but she almost finds it endearing (after he stops hanging her out windows and she stops screaming...) and his cruel actions don't affect her perception of him at all. She still refuses to ever think of him as a bad person, and she admires him more than anyone. So there might be something a little bit messed-up there.
13. What moments in this character's life have defined her as a person?
Throughout the series, almost everything that happened contributed to Yako's development as a person. All of the time she spent with Neuro defined her in ways that I can't even explain, as well as her encounters with various criminals and her work as a detective. I'll summarise the biggest points in her history, but really, everything has affected her in some way.
- Her father's murder and the subsequent unravelling of that mystery, which was the first time she ever became directly exposed to the criminal side of the world.
- Meeting Neuro, which set the scene for the rest of her life. He became the closest and most important person to her, and he also led her right into her career as a detective.
- The Aya Asia case. It was the first mystery she ever solved without Neuro's help, and the first time she truly connected with a criminal and reached their heart.
- All of the HAL case. She spent most of it fearing uselessness and finally proved herself extraordinarily on two occasions, first managing to out Higuchi as faking his criminal desires, and then solving the seemingly impossible password that was protecting Electronic Person HAL from deletion. She was also forced to essentially "kill" him after that, and she stood up to Neuro fiercely for the first time.
- ... Strangely enough, being kidnapped and brainwashed into a killing machine by Phantom Thief Sai had little lasting impact on her, and she got over the trauma of it quickly. After that, however, she met "Sicks", and experienced the sensation of overpowering evil intent for the first time, which really put her view of criminals into perspective.
- Their long fight with "Sicks" and his subordinates taught her a lot about determination and perseverance, and it really strengthened her endurance and ability to deal with painful or stifling situations.
- The deaths of Sasazuka and Honjou impacted her extremely strongly, to the point that she screamed at Neuro and abandoned him when he didn't understand her mourning. They were the first violent deaths of people close to her she'd seen in person, and the fact that they were people who were very close to her and protective of her really struck her.
- Her time away from and return to Neuro. Aya Asia made her realise how much Neuro means to her and that her place is always by his side, and also that he needs her just as much as she needs him. When she went back to him, she honestly knelt down in front of him and offered herself as an absolute slave if he would take her back, and Neuro slapped her across the face. It brought them a lot closer.
- Her confrontation with the "new" Sai.
- Neuro's state of near-death, at which point she calls him a stupid demon and demands he go home, and his subsequent return to Hell. For the next three years, she stood on her own and strived to shine so brightly that Neuro would be able to find her no matter when or where he came back to Earth.
Losing people who are important or close to her. It started because of her father's murder, and she becomes a witness to so many deaths that she realises how easily the people around her could be hurt or lost. The idea of someone being hurt or dying for her sake terrifies her, as does being completely alone. She also fears being useless or a hindrance to Neuro to some extent.
15. What are her hopes or aspirations?
Prior to Neuro, she had no hopes or aspirations; her goals were to get through school and have a decent life. Now, with him being the motivation for every move she makes, she aspires to evolve and be both a strong person and a brilliant detective. She hopes to one day have a better understanding of the world and the complex creatures that humans are.
16. What is something she doesn't want anyone to find out about her?
That she thinks she is truly useless and low-tier compared to the people around her.
relationships
1. Describe this character's relationship with her parents.
Before her father's murder, she had a very close and loving relationship with both her parents. They never fought or got upset with each other, and despite that they were both slight workaholics, she spent a lot of time with them and they were a very close family. She doesn't see her mother a whole lot any more, because she's a detective and she also responds to Neuro's every beck and call, and her mother is a freelance journalist who isn't at home often, but they still love each other very much and spend time together when they can. Her mother doesn't know everything that goes on between Yako and Neuro, but she understands enough to see how close they are, and she can really motivate Yako at times. It cheers Yako up a lot to hang around with her mother.
2. Does the character have any siblings? What is/was their relationship like?
She has none! She's an only child.
3. Are there other blood relatives to whom she is close? Are there ones she can't stand?
She only has her parents, and she loves them both.
4. Are there other, unrelated people whom she considers part of her family? What are her relationships with them?
Sasazuka is something of a self-imposed older brother figure to her, because he sees Yako as very similar to his deceased younger sister, and hence he's sort of half-adopted her and become extremely protective of her. She almost considers any close friends a sort of extended family; Kanae, Aya and Akane are all a little like sisters to her, and Godai... can be her weird uncle who yells and gets drunk all the time. Neuro is the only friend she doesn't treat as family, and that's because he's special to her in a different way that gets its own label. Above being friend or family, he's her partner.
5. Who is/was the character's best friend? How did they meet?
Kanae. It's not explained how they met, but it was probably in some mundane fashion, like being paired up in a class activity or bumping into each other at school. Three years prior to the series, Kanae was some kind of delinquent, too, so she would have been rather eye-catching and memorable.
6. Does she have other close friends?
Yes! She makes a lot of very close friends throughout canon; Sasazuka, Godai, Akane, Aya, Honjou and Higuchi are some of the most memorable she's become attached to. As I said before, Neuro is just on a completely different level altogether, but he still counts as a close friend, too.
7. Does she make friends easily, or does she have trouble getting along with people?
She makes friends and gets along with people very easily without even putting an effort in. Aya says at one point that Yako just seems to be the kind of girl that people come to love quickly and easily, and it's true that she captures the hearts of most people with ease and without meaning to.
8. Which does she consider more important: family or friends?
Neither. She could never prioritise one over the other, because her family is her friends and her friends are her family. She loves them all, and she'd never consider one of them more important.
9. Is the character single, married, divorced, widowed? Has she been married more than once?
Single, thank you very much. She's not even sure whether she wants to get married or not - not to say she doesn't want a significant other, she's just not sure that she would bother getting married, especially since she'd have to keep her last name (as a famous detective and a household name, it'd be troublesome for it to ever change) and there wouldn't be a lot of benefits she sees in getting married instead of just being together without the need for it.
10. Is she currently in a romantic relationship with someone other than a spouse?
Definitely not. Even if she did have a spouse, she'd never ever cheat on them.
11. Who was her first crush? Who is her latest?
Some boy when she was in 4th Grade was probably her first crush, and she probably hasn't seen him in years. She's a very ordinary girl; she's probably had a few crushes now and then that have died away to nothing, especially in later years when school became a bigger thing, and now that she has a life-long career it's the furthest thing from her mind. She doesn't have any crushes lately because she has no time for boys at school, and she's also not all that centred on romance or sex.
12. What does she look for in a romantic partner?
She's not the type to actively look for romance; her stance on it is more "if it happens, it happens". But trust and loyalty would be the biggest things to her, as well as strong characteristics like determination and drive. Having a meek or weak partner would really wear her out after a while, and she'd never really be able to treat them the way she would like to treat her partner; it'd be more like looking after a friend or family member. She'd like someone who can challenge her and push her on, someone she can believe in and who believes in her, someone she can really see as an equal and a true partner.
13. Does the character have children? Grandchildren? If yes, how does she relate to them? If no, does she want any?
She wouldn't mind having children one day when she's not so involved in her career (if that ever happens, that is), but it's not a dream or a goal or even a plan of hers. She's fine with not having any, but she's not vehemently opposed to the idea or anything.
14. Does she have any rivals or enemies?
Not really. Neuro tries to keep Yako uninvolved in anything that would get her enemies, and most criminals she's spoken to more than once have ended up as helpful allies, if not friends, to her. The closest you can get is any enemies that Neuro makes, such as Sai or "Sicks"; personally, she doesn't have any, but when it comes down to it, Neuro's enemies are her enemies.
15. What is the character's sexual orientation? Where does she fall on the Kinsey scale?
Gender isn't all that important to her, because she doesn't hold physical aspects in the highest regard when it comes to a relationship, but she does definitely prefer boys; girls usually end up just as sister figures or close friends. She's about a 1 on the Kinsey scale, and the highest I can imagine her ever reaching is a 2.
16. How does she feel about sex? How important is it to her?
She's a sixteen year-old girl, so of course she's a little curious, but she's very mature when it comes to talking about it, so she doesn't blush and giggle madly or anything. Kanae dates five different guys per month, she's a little jaded, in all honesty. It's not all that important to her; she doesn't think it's an important part of a relationship, and whether she ends up ever having sex will depend on the decision her spouse makes. She thinks it's possible to have a strong and solid relationship without ever needing sex, but she also acknowledges that it's a step of intimacy (and she's also aware of the fact that it's supposed to be fun, but she has no experience to make a judgement with).
17. What are her turn-ons? Turn-offs? Weird bedroom habits?
She has no idea at this point in time, but she could definitely roll with some BDSM stuff, as well as a playful sort of dominance battle. Right now, she does those kinds of things in a platonic and almost friendly way with Neuro and the idea of it in a sexual light has never even crossed her mind (even when she uses terms like "abandonment play"), but if it was obviously being done in a sexual way with her romantic partner, things like that could probably be a turn-on for her. It's a show of trust, and power play is a fun challenge.
beliefs
1. Do you know your character's astrological (zodiac of choice) sign? How well does she fit type?
The year that the series is set in is unknown, so it's not possible to do the Chinese zodiac, but in Western astrology, she's a Pisces. Reading here, a number of the traits fit her quite well, although she's not nearly as dreamy or weak-willed as it's making Pisces out to be.
2. Is this character religious, spiritual, both, or neither? How important are these elements in her life?
She's not particularly either, and they're not important elements in her life at all. She's more agnostic than anything, leaning a little more towards the belief that there's some higher power and some sort of afterlife. She's met a demon from Hell itself, so she finds it hard to believe that there aren't other things like that, actually. It's just not something that she devotes a lot of time or thought to.
3. Does this character have a personal code of morals or ethics? If so, how did that begin? What would it take to compromise it?
She does her best not to pass judgement without knowing details, she tries not to be prejudiced, and she also believes that no one deserves to suffer. It begun just because she was raised well, and it's stronger now that she knows how it feels personally to suffer because of something. She might not wish happiness on everyone, but she won't wish suffering or death on anyone either. She thinks everyone should pay rightly for their actions, regardless of what led to those actions, which is a good mindset for a detective to have. It could be compromised, I imagine, if you killed someone very close to her, such as Neuro. She'd never forgive someone for that, and depending on the circumstances, she might go so far as to wish suffering on that person.
4. How does she regard beliefs that differ from hers? Is she tolerant, intolerant, curious, indifferent?
She accepts them completely! Yako is a very tolerant, open and welcoming person. She's a little curious about other beliefs, too, because she'd like to understand the different views that people have.
5. What prejudices does she hold? Are they irrational or does she have a good reason for them?
She honestly doesn't have any. You would think she'd have even a slight prejudice against criminals or murderers, but some of her best friends are criminals. She doesn't even hold anything against Phantom Thief Sai. She tries her best not to judge anyone without proper justification.
daily life
1. What is the character's financial situation? Is she rich, poor, comfortable, in debt?
Currently, she's comfortable. She should be rich, really, because her detective business earns a fortune, but Neuro steals all of that money and buys whatever he wants. Which means a helicopter, later. She ends up in debt because of him a number of times, actually, and one time she ends up in serious debt with him. But, as it is now, she's in a good financial situation - her mother still earns money, and they have her father's life insurance money, which is pretty much the "Yako's Food Fund".
2. What is her social status? Has this changed over time, and if so, how has the change affected her?
It used to be that she was just an ordinary girl with no social status to speak of and nothing remarkable about her, but now she's... internationally famous and a highly renowned detective. She has fanclubs. Yako Katsuragi is becoming a household name, especially in Japan, but it's spreading over to places like America too.
3. Where does she live? House, apartment, trailer? Is her home her castle or just a place to crash? What condition is it in? Does she share it with others?
She lives in a moderately-sized apartment with her mother, and it's pretty empty and neat, considering neither of them spend much time there. It's a place to crash for Yako, and sometimes not even that; if Neuro works her until 3AM, she'll just sleep in the office instead. But she's almost never there during the day - at most, she'll go there after she goes home from work, and she'll wake up there before she heads off to school.
4. Besides the basic necessities, what does she spend her money on?
... More food. That's really all, aside from indulging herself with things like pretty clothes and shoes. She needs a lot of money for food.
5. What does she do for a living? Is she good at it? Does she enjoy it, or would she rather be doing something else?
She's a detective, and she's very good at it. She was dragged into it completely unwillingly at first and had to be threatened to make her stay, but now she enjoys it a lot, and she'd never want to do anything else. It's pretty much her life now, and as the end of the series shows, she does keep at it even after Neuro leaves; she becomes an extremely talented and even more famous detective while she waits for him to come back to her.
6. What are her interests or hobbies? How does she spend her free time?
She barely has any free time, what with school, work, Neuro and managing her social life, but she loves to cook and eat. During her free time at home, she experiments with cooking. Another hobby that she enjoys but doesn't have time to manage is collecting and learning about gemstones; even though it's been a while since she actively had that interest, she's retained a lot of the information from when she first learnt about it all, so it might be something she'd pick up again if something inspired her.
7. What are her eating habits? Does she skip meals, eat out, drink alcohol, avoid certain foods?
She eats all the things. Not even kidding. She eats about fifty times the amount a grown man should per day. In a day, she'll usually eat out at least three different restaurants and cook her own things at home, and the cafeteria at her high school is the whole reason she goes to that school. It cannot be expressed how much this girl eats. She's not at all picky about her food, either, and she has the ability to eat anything without problems; when she was a kid, she ate her father's glass marble collection because she thought they were candy and had no side effects (and she would probably have no objections with eating them again today).
associations
Which of the following do you associate with the character:
1. Colour? Earthy or autumn colours. Browns, darker reds and maroon, deep oranges and golden-yellow.
2. Smell? Any kind of hot food cooking.
3. Time of day? Sunset.
4. Season? Autumn.
5. Book? Mystery novels.
6. Music? Pop.
7. Place? Her detective office.
8. Substance? F...food...
9. Plant? Sunflower.
10. Animal? Fox.
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