A Dash of Silly, a Splash of Genius - The Story Of Yuri Sakazaki - KOF Lore

Yuri's journey began as the quintessential damsel in distress In the first Art of Fighting game. But With each subsequent installment in the King of Fighters series, Yuri blossomed from a mere plot device to a fully playable character, carving her path as an enduring presence in every single entry. Is she a comic relief, playfully upending the norm? A reverse parody, defying expectations with her prowess? Or perhaps, a secret genius, wielding hidden depths beneath her vibrant exterior?
Want to help the channel out?
Patreon : / shoryugame
References:
---------------------------------------
snk.wikia.com/wiki/The_King_of...
Timestamps:
---------------------------------------
0:00 : Intro
1:13 : AoF Continuity
5:44 : KOF Continuity
12:00 : Yuri's personal attributes
18:12 : Like & Subscribe
Music:
---------------------------------------
"Diet" from KOF XI
"Art of Fight" from KOF 2002 UM
"Kamikirimushi" from KOF 96
"Ne! (Arranged)" from KOF 94
"Who is Queen" from KOF XIII
"Like a Queen" from KOF XV
"Who Likes To Party" by Kevin MacLeod
• Royalty Free Music - W...
"Aurea Carmina" by Kevin MacLeod
• Kevin MacLeod ~ Aurea ...

[@Cyando]

Finally you make a video about her. I think not many people realise that Yuri is actually a genius as she can copy her brother and father's moves by just looking. She can rival her brother and Robert who have trained much longer than her. And that's one of the reason why she's in my top 5 KOF waifu

[@elgatofelix8917]

Her dialogue is also genius. She is one of the funniest and most witty characters ever!

[@joseurbina3835]

Yuri Sakazaki is the Living Embodiment of a walking "Street Fighter" Parody Character in both the AOF and KOF series.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

But done with loads more charm

[@joseurbina3835]

​@@mugsofmirth8101But the Bicycle Rapid Kick seems to be the most Original Technique one that was 1st Introduced in AOF2, Weird thing about it is that a strange Coincidence because Liu Kang also had the Bicycle Rapid Kick Move and was 1st Introduced in MK2, Maybe it's possibly due to how AOF2 and MK2 came out the same Year.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

@@joseurbina3835 not a bad observation!

[@DouglasStewart99]

Yuri Sakazaki. Woman got kidnapped *once* by some bad people, and then said: *"NEVER. AGAIN."* Even learned the Raging Demon to tell folks to step off!

[@meganinten0078]

You can say all about Ryo but the dude is a really good brother. Basically he raised Yuri, after Takuma left them. The little 10 year old Ryo was Yuri's father figure, he had to work to earn money and take care of his sister 🥲 Thanks to Ryo, Yuri became a good woman. No wonder why she respects and loves him 😊 When it is Father's Day, I always say that my favorite fathers in SNK are Heidern and Ryo 😊 Edit: I forgot to mention that in Ryo's Ending in Art of Fighting 3 when Robert was leaving and saying goodbye to his friends Ryo noticed Yuri's feelings so he gave her permission to go with Robert 😄👍

[@mugsofmirth8101]

I agree that Ryo is a good brother. And I love how she is so competitive with him even to the point of being mean to him sometimes (but I think in a playful way) But are you saying Takuma a bad father? lol

[@TheLuconic]

@@mugsofmirth8101 Unlike Gokus who is always the butt of everyones jokes, Takuma really was never there and sure he loves her, But Ryo was the one who saved her and did everything for her. and if it was in a dragon ball universe, Ryo would die for her. twice.

[@TheLuconic]

Dont forget Terry. He adopted Geese's kid after killing him, which was actually better for him overall.

[@meganinten0078]

Ah yes. *YURI'S REVENGE !* 😁 I love that video xD Fun fact. The song that plays in the credits of SNK Heroines (Calling Heart) was sang by Yuri's seiyuu ☺️

[@MikeDeeJackson]

The end of the video is hilarious! FAT YURI from SF6 needs to be a meme

[@jaysonlikes]

Y’all can’t lie her theme “Diet” is one of the best SNK tracks ever made

[@juanca2567]

I know Ryo is portrayed by a dragon and for Robert it’s a Tiger, but I didn’t know Yuri was portrayed by a Swallow bird. Also, what prevents Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting characters from getting any character growth in KOF is the fact that they didn’t want to make two different versions of any character, so only Yamazaki and Kim got something because they already have finished character arcs in Fatal Fury, but the rest had to wait until the next Fatal Fury game to potentially add more in the KOF universe.

[@usvidragonslayer3091]

Yuri takes her fights seriously with her silliness

[@vonVile]

Yuri had Iori's move first in AOF2. It's called the Yuri Snapper. I'm actually in the process of trying to do a MUGEN version of Yuri titled "GMSI* Yuri Sakazaki" where she has everything from every game. The challenge will be putting them all in, because the list is huge. *GMSI = Get My Shit In is a term from pro wrestling where a wrestler in a match shows off every movie he can do instead of trying to win.

[@HeartAino193]

My reason on why Yuri has Street Fighter inspired moves is that she was created by Nishiyama Takashi who also worked on the Street Fighter series even especially prior to working on KOF.

[@elgatofelix8917]

Yes!! Shoryu is back to making more SNK related content! And about one of the most beloved characters in the fighting game genre! This calls for a celebration! 👍😃🍺

[@ShoryuGame]

Thanks, hope you enjoyed it!

[@marvinlopez1334]

@@ShoryuGame so do you mean technically that Yuri also learned Ansatsu Ken??

[@elgatofelix8917]

@@ShoryuGame oh yes indeed! Not only did I enjoy it, but I'm planning to watch it AGAIN later today! I've already watched your videos on Athena and Duck King multiple times and I keep coming back because not only do I love the characters themselves but I also appreciate your passion for the topic and your commentary. Looking forward to seeing more videos like this from you on other popular characters like B Jenet, Mai, and Angel and maybe even some more underrated characters like Momoko, Gato, and Hotaru. Cheers! ✌

[@gam5093]

i absolutely adore yuri! one of my top mains and favorite characters in KoF! i find her shun goku sotsu super in 2001 to be one of the most hilarious interpretations of that move 😂

[@foxmind2490]

The love and respect you show for the characters from these games you cover is why this is my favorite channel for fighting game lore. You genuinely hope for character progression and lament when there is none. You also know how to satirize the source material when it deserves it. Keep up the great work!

[@ShoryuGame]

Thank you! Glad you think that!

[@GeorgesStuff-]

Yuri is actually really strong if she keeps up with her training

[@IrishKyokushin]

To complete the parody circle she tends to think that she doesnt have to train hard.

[@mugsofmirth8101]

@@IrishKyokushin that's part of her charm. She's kind of a slacker who's "too cool for school" but at the end of the day she can really pull out a can of whoop-@$$!

[@em.4774]

I always knew there was a reason why I love playing as Yuri!!!!! She plays like other fighting characters from other games! Which makes her more comfortable to me due to the various and unique fighting mechanics of most King of Fighters Characters!

[@DaPhenomAce]

The laugh I let out when he showed Yuri in World Tour mode!!! Lol another great video

[@Jeffmetal42]

She's a character I wasn't keen on at first but the more I tried her out in various KoF games I became a fan. KoF in general has a lot of characters I've had similar experiences with.

[@ragenstorm6464]

Yuri is like the Taskmaster of the SNK lore, except a bit less so. I love that she can mimic so many moves but then sometimes not perfect them. If she ever decided to concentrate on her strongest movies, she would be a force to be reckoned with! Great video Shoryu!

[@ShoryuGame]

Thanks!

[@nintendolife25]

It’s been a while since you have covered a SNK lore video! This is awesome! Thank you so much, man! Gotta love how Yuri chooses to be more creative with her traditional fighting style!

[@ShoryuGame]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Salty-Josh]

Another KOF lore video? Time to grab the snacks

[@elgatofelix8917]

Quirky or brilliant? If you asked me.... Both! 😃

[@MythicalPhoenixHeart]

I have a wild theory about why in-universe she can learn almost all fighters characters moves, what if fighting games have a shared world like how Tekken 8 has Akuma be connected to the universe of that world, I maybe reaching but it could explain her being able to learn the moves and how they travel often because of the tournament.

[@adnansaleh7508]

Yuri is a well balanced fighter, she got the best from the 3 men around her, stable moves just brother and father, plus changes some other moves like Robert. She is one of the best.

[@TheLuconic]

What I like about Yuri is that she and Marin from RCG2, they were damsels and then they trained to be main characters, refusing to let themselves be that weak ever again. They literally flip the scripts and became legends.

[@neonthunder3261]

NGL, Kyo-2 and Yuri would be an interesting interaction if the clones ever returned. Both are skilled at mimicry!

[@Trygon]

Man, I always thought she was a take on Ryu's journey, but I never realized she was a direct response to Dan! I hope she shows up in the next game, too. It'd be really funny to see her successfully holding down a homelife while maintaining the same skill Ryu needs to leave all else behind for.

[@koffamily3191]

Yuri is definitely an underrated fighter!

[@royshaheer]

It's been a while since you have done a lore video, Yuri is one of my favorites so it's nice to get some love. NOW IF ONLY FEW GOOD TEKKEN MOVES ARE TO MIMICED😉

[@rsin207]

Oh my god. I missed these lore videos sooo much ! Thank you !

[@ShoryuGame]

Glad you like them!

[@user-lm9gz2kv2j]

Thanks for covering my fave AoF/KoF female character. You're the best man.

[@ShoryuGame]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@koffamily3191]

Which is your favorite women's team in KOF? I have made a video about it, you will definitely enjoy!

[@hip9x329]

Thank you for making this video. The best girl deserves more love and attention.

[@bananabike279]

Great video! It's always a blast when Yuri's on screen, she's such a bundle of joy and energy

[@silentman99]

Found it weird that she & Kasumi were in a team together given the history.

[@IrishKyokushin]

Kasumi's rivalry with Ryo ended in AOF 3. They've had a friendly rivalry since. They even hinted at a possible relationship with Ryo in her AOF 3 ending where she gives him her headband to remember her.

[@silentman99]

@@IrishKyokushin Glad that didn’t happen. Would of been one of if not the weirdest relationship in all of FG’s.

[@royasturias1784]

​@@IrishKyokushinKasumi's quest to search her dad Ryuhaku (also the former South Town Police Chief) continues, but he keeps slipping away as though he's five steps ahead of his unica hija.

[@robertdanker6193]

Great video!! I definitely want old Yuri to be official now!!😂😂👍👍

[@SlyHikari03]

My favorite character in the game and my main in KOF. Love that you are doing a video on this character.

[@mushfiqurrahman2515]

Quirky and brilliant can be put in one category. Silly or Genius would've make more sense in the thumbnail

[@WickedParanoid]

Ah yes, the finest bottom in all of KOF, the gold standard of adorableness, unexpected badass (considering her demeanor), and also my personal favorite character, second only to a different -Zaki. Dig that gal big time.

[@kenshin6836]

Finally you're back

[@bigkc4263]

Welcome Back Shoryu.💯😉😎👊🏾👍🏾🔥

[@ShoryuGame]

Thanks!

[@ThePsychoguy]

One thing a lot of people don’t know about Yuri is that she’s inspired by a ST character, same as her brother (sort of). She was made by Takeshi Nishiyama, the creator of the original Street Fighter. The original SF lore centered around Ryu, Ken, and Gouken’s daughter, who was caught between being either a potential love interest or little sister type character to Ryu. If you go back and look at artwork of her in the SF1 era, she’s a dead ringer for Yuri, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. When I say dead ringer, I mean you can definitely mistake one for the other, and Gouken’s daughter is from the 80s. In fact, Robert and the Sakazaki family are largely a mirror reflection of the main original SF1 cast (as in, Ryu, Ken, Gouken, and his daughter, who together made up the main cast in SF1 manga and lore materials from that era), before the SF2 world warriors came into the picture. I believe Nishiyama wanted to continue with his ideas for the SF series but had to do it in a lawyer-friendly way, so created the AOF series.

[@obedcordero1964]

Yuri also has Liu Kang’s bicycle kicks from mortal kombat

[@Enkronidus]

Need moar KOF lore! Love these videos 😃

[@stormtrippn3402]

Finally more kof lore Maxima lore when?

[@meganinten0078]

Yuri Sakazaki, the pioneer of the hip attack in fighting games🍑 That Yuri's artwork from KOF XIII in the thumbnail is one of my favorites. KOF XIII has the cutest Yuri ever 😊❤ To be honest, I don't want to see an old Yuri 😅 I am not a fan of that modern trend of aging characters in fighting games, especially for the female cast. I blame SF6 for starting that trend 😐

[@elgatofelix8917]

Her hip / booty attack is the stuff of legends!

[@elgatofelix8917]

I agree about SF6. Unfortunately it looks like SF6 has started a lot of sucky trends. Capcom is certainly not what they once were.

[@rawrdino7046]

​@@elgatofelix8917didn't tekken do that first?

[@wolfgangkrauser9735]

I like Yuri story and she got me in Kof 98 in which the creators did a great job with her in the AOF team; though Ryo and Robert are badasses, with Yuri the team was very well balanced.

[@lnlonelyness2801]

I haven't started watching the video yet but I already wanna say that Yuri doing the Raging Demon (like perfect copy) in KOF 2001 will remain as one of the best moments in fighting game history for me

[@kellykellz5287]

Would you ever consider making a story video about Angel? She's my favorite character, but I've only played KOF XV so I don't really know as much as I'd like to about her.

[@warrenbradford2597]

I have faith that Yuri own donkey kick will come back one day and, somehow, sillier than ever.

[@leoalcaraz6153]

I use to use the KOF team as my proto SF team because of the similar game play; Robert was my ken Yuri was my Akuma since she has a air fireball and demon flip and Ryo as my dan of course for his weak hurricane kick and wannabe fireball

[@masimangemongo3235]

Long time bro❤❤❤

[@elvisp116]

All these great snk lore videos dating back year’s , and not one Mr. Karate video? Can we get it to commemorate kof 13 on the switch… and how fire Mr. karate is in the game and all the fire dialogue exchanged between him and everyone else in the game? They all pay respect and they all know he is not to be played with. Except Iori, he a lil Ed lol

[@Flashshadow]

May the legendary Pirate’s Dream continue to evolve! 🤘🏾😎

[@nemoisnobody]

Been a while since we got a lore video! Love these! Tell me you got a Duo Lon and Hinako one ready for when the characters drop in XV! It's a great way to ride the algorithm. Not that you need to....

[@gustyko8668]

I love her

[@devingiles6597]

Hey, ShoryuGame! You should definitely do the story of Mai Shiranui in a future video.

[@axelhunter321]

duo lon's trailer is dropped from KOF XV, l cannot wait for ur KOF XV trailer analysis video, shoryu?

[@Jesus-hu4lq]

I can see that but i remember reading a bukai one manga where robert was fat af when ryo later mr.karate 2 appraoched him to see if he can still fight he literally burned all that fat in seconds. I can imagine yuri being able to pull what robert can do or be like chun li can keep her appearance by self care and training

[@NorwingMartinez-or6ut]

Great 😃👍👍 love yuri great job

[@r_dribble]

My waifu in KOF❤ tq for making this video

[@winterice2022]

It's been a while since you last post about the characters we want to see in SF6. I think is a cool character. Probably one of my 5th's. It would be cool for her and hotaru to interact with each other. Btw I'm sure you saw the last snk news from evo yes? If so I'm interested to hear your feedback about it

[@Ticketman99]

1:43 - 1:48 lol why are we still blaming Geese for this? He was only 14 years old at the time. Still like the video though. Would be interesting to see Yuri in City Of The Wolves.

[@kodiakbear9794]

Ah, yes, the best Kof girl.

[@royasturias1784]

and/or Art of Fighting since 2

[@ElBandito]

Is she the first character in a fighting game to do double uppers?

[@Wrekkshoppe]

It's utterly hilarious how for all of Yuri's talent and accomplishments, all we men wanna do is plow her. 😅

[@KenMasters.]

The only Queen of Fighters I want to plow is Shermie.

[@jeremyhall2727]

One of my favorite character & she's as cute as an button

[@Teh69thSpartan]

My favorite KOF Girl!

[@gerglastname6037]

You Love to see it.

[@WhatIsMatter101]

Ryu: decides he's an Anzatsuken master despite never killing anyone by wearing a kasaya like Gouken. Finally learns a 4th special move: the Donkey Kick! (Akuma: You and Gouken are posers!) Yuri: masters super moves that match Ryu's SF III super arts (Denjin Hadouken, Messatsu Hadouken, and Shin Shoryuken) at a young age. Shows mastery of Kyokugen art by diversifying moves every year.

[@edgelord8337]

Aka KOF's best girl. If you disagree you're just wrong.

[@Zz-_-]

"Giggle giggle"

[@Wrekkshoppe]

What's the music playing during 18:12?

[@axelhunter321]

"Aurea Carmina" by Kevin MacLeod, l think.

[@Wrekkshoppe]

@@axelhunter321 It is. Thank you🙂

[@alexjaimes2250]

Do one of sports team

[@jeankuo1763]

psycho soldiers lore please

[@PeterSolerom]

she is my waifu since I saw her in KOF when I was a kid

[@meganinten0078]

11:24 Ah yes. Team Yuri and Friends 😁 Only men of culture will get the reference ;)

[@BLKBRDSR71]

I ❤ YURI 😘

[@JamalGardner1]

Yuri, an unconventional genius. Just like me.

[@pachicore]

We should be glad that Yuri finds Genocide Cutter too lame to bother copying

[@tribulacion]

I appreciate the fact that she was among the first female characters in gaming who actually got a development arc from damsel in distress to capable fighter, but it's been far too long since and she's become stagnant as a comic relief. I would love to see Yuri do away with the sloppy moves and embrace the "genius" trait of her character SNK has been hinting at for so long.

[@dabos90]

Is Yuri copying a raging demon or has Akuma been doing a(animationless) ryuuko ranbu. Also, Yuri wasn't a response to dan. AOF 2 was out before SFA.

[@tylerferguson3193]

Hope you'll have a good day

[@ShoryuGame]

Thank you so much!

[@tylerferguson3193]

@@ShoryuGame welcome!

[@GageBurt-bo2vq]

Robert Garcia

[@ThatResidentEvilfan]

Yuri would dress as her teenaged self even when pushing 50. I can see it.

[@YonCyclops3965]

Dude this vid caught me completely off guard, why don't you do a siluette first, like in past. Not saying wasn't genius, that izuna drop is sick

[@ShoryuGame]

I guess I forgot about the silhouette.

[@martadipratomo9660]

Mai shirarnui story please

[@liliencalvel6151]

What is the game at 0:14?

[@ShoryuGame]

KOF 02 UM

[@eldepavas]

The second besto girl after Athena.

[@JuanGomez-ke5py]

We are not lazy

[@gjfwang]

Genius kept down by her father’s sexist views despite inheriting most the fighting talent in her family.

[@Zz-_-]

I'm surprised the running gags and tropes didn't kill the franchise before the bankruptcy

[@mugsofmirth8101]

Could she be best girl? 😉

[@John-nl2hz]

Bro why don't you play tekken!

[@megabear8905]

She's boring. Everyone got some sorta niche except her. Ryo's the face of AOF alongside Garcia. Takuma is Mr. Karate. And Yuri is Yuri, Besides Being cute and having Air Fireballs she's as deep as a Puddle.

[@ElBandito]

She slaps though, literally.

[@maninredhelm]

Yuri was the original cutesy fighter. All fighting game characters before her were grown men and women (or monsters). Well, all except Nakoruru, but Nako was more of a serious character who just happened to be cute, whereas Yuri was an intentionally cutesy, comical character. And there simply weren't any of those before Yuri, she was the trailblazer. Now there are entire fighting games of only cute anime girls.

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

I just hate this character so much mostly because of the unoriginality of it all

[@mugsofmirth8101]

You don't know what unoriginality means

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

@@mugsofmirth8101 You sound pretty damn young judging by that comment When street fighter two super first came out, there was a lot of rumors that there was going to be a girl version of ryu I don't expect you to know that. And that's fine that you didn't. But that was the buzz around the arcades. That wouldn't come till much years later Obviously this lame parody joke character, Only comes out later as a character in artifiting two. Unfortunately, she didn't come with any original moves, and she doesn't even come with an original look looking like a girl version of ryu So yeah on original

[@mugsofmirth8101]

@@mascadadelpantion8018 Kind of a ridiculous criticism considering A) Takashi Nishiyama who literally invented Street Fighter (before he left Capcom to work at SNK) was also responsible for developing Art of Fighting - the game in which Yuri first appeared, and B) the fact that Capcom also created a their own Yuri clone in Sakura.

[@mascadadelpantion8018]

@@mugsofmirth8101 Dan hibiki and sakura are deliberately made to make fun of art of Fighting...........🤦‍♂️🤷‍♂️ If you're gonna talk nerd to someone on the internet you better come correct It's a little silly and embarrassing to think that. You rarely proved a really good point. Right there. Just because you mentioned Sakura. You just said the equivalent of did you know? There were characters that broke the fourth wall in comic books before deadpool. Or worse yet What you said is the equivalent of saying.... You know captain kirk never actually said beat me up scotty

[@MattDeRac]

@@mascadadelpantion8018 Yuri came out way before Dan and Sakura dude