"All a woman needs in life are cigarettes, a roof, and a frilly dress, right?"
- Minakami Yuki, Down the Rabbit Hole I
Minakami Yuki (水上 由岐) is the protagonist of the Down the Rabbit Hole I and Down the Rabbit Hole II chapters. Upon a mysterious encounter with Takashima Zakuro right before her suicide, Yuki becomes embroiled in the mysteries surrounding the worlds supposed end on July 20th and the mysterious event referred to as "the End Sky".
Appearance[]
Yuki has long, brown hair that she keeps tied up in a ponytail using a hair tie with two black feathers attached. She has a slim figure, and a larger bust than most.
She is often shown in the story wearing the girl's Kita High uniform, with an added on choker, leather belt, and bracelet. Her casual outfit consists of a frilly black dress, black thigh-high socks, her black choker and bracelet, and a black purse in replace of the belt she wears on her uniform.
She also wears a black swimsuit in Jabberwocky II.
Personality[]
Full of charisma, Yuki comes off as a charming and confident girl. She claims to dislike people, and refers to herself as antisocial. She also seems to have a short-term memory, often forgetting the names and faces of her own classmates. She also tends to poke fun at people, most notably Wakatsuki Kagami during Down the Rabbit Hole I, and Yuuki Tomosane in Jaberwocky II.
Despite having such a light-hearted and easy-going personality, Yuki's more serious and persistent side comes out in the later chapters, such as when she readily sacrificed her own life to save Mamiya Hasaki, as well as forcing her consciousness to stay in order to help guide Yuuki Tomosane throughout Jaberwocky I and II. Yuki is also shown to have a soft spot with children, specifically Mamiya Hasaki, encouraging her to come out of her comfort zone during her summer vacation with Tomosane in Sawaimura, and buying her an expensive branded swimsuit for their trip to the beach.
Yuki spends most of her free time on rooftops, where she usually smokes cigarettes and reads classic literature.
Plot[]
Minakami Yuki is first introduced as the protagonist of Down the Rabbit Hole I, as she stands on the rooftop smoking while musing to herself. She meets Mamiya Takuji, and pokes fun at him about his inability to talk to girls, before he seemingly vanishes into thin air.
After she runs into childhood friends Wakatsuki Kagami and Wakatsuki Tsukasa, Yuki heads off to a nearby CD store to buy a new album from her favorite band. However, she mysteriously ends up at a apartment building in Suginomiya instead, where she spots Takashima Zakuro seemingly caught up in an ensuing struggle on the rooftop of the building that ends with her falling off the rooftop. When Yuki goes to investigate further, she finds that the figure she saw falling off the rooftop was just a stuffed rabbit. Zakuro explains that she was the one throwing the rabbit off the roof, and that she was practicing a ritual related to something she called "the end sky." Although Yuki thinks Zakuro is nuts, she agrees to help her search for "the end sky."
Zakuro follows Yuki home, and begs her to let her stay at her house. In exchange, Zakuro will be Yuki's housemaid. Yuki reluctantly accepts, which angers Wakatsuki Kagami, who insists that her and Tsukasa stay over, under the excuse that Yuki's parents entrusted the twins to watch over Yuki.
The story at this point is very light-hearted, with Kagami and Zakuro competing for Yuki's affection, and Tsukasa subtly playing wingman for her sister. However, the chapter throws in cryptic hints using Otonashi Ayana, who appears to have met Yuki before, even though Yuki herself can't recall it.
Eventually, depending on the players choices, Yuki either ends up in a romantic relationships with one of the Wakatsuki sisters in the Kagami End or Tsukasa End - achieving a blissfully unaware "happy end", or she ends up finding out the truth behind the world in the Down the Rabbit Hole I End, the truth being that Zakuro wasn't dropping a rabbit doll from the roof that day, Zakuro had jumped off the roof of the apartment building and landed on Yuki, resulting in Yuki slipping inside a coma induced dream world, which is the world she had been in throughout Down the Rabbit Hole I. The chapter ends ends with Yuki exiting the dream world.
Down the Rabbit Hole II starts off in a similar way to Rabbit Hole I, except now, Yuki is approached by Zakuro before she heads off to the site of her suicide. Zakuro tells her cryptic words about how she'll save Yuki, kisses her on the lips, and leaves. This time, Yuki doesn't go near the apartment building and thus never witnesses Zakuro's suicide. The next morning, when she arrives at school, she finds out that Zakuro had committed suicide with two other girls from a different school, and that her classmates were receiving curse mail from Zakuro's email ID. With a somewhat personal stake in the situation, and curiosity, Yuki starts investigating the mysteries behind Zakuro's suicide, and the steadily spreading rumor that the world was to end of July 20th. Finding connections between the prophecy of the worlds end and Zakuro's suicide, and the connection between both of these incidents and her timid yet unstable classmate Mamiya Takuji, her entanglement in the case deepens.
Once Takuji finally seems to go off into the deep end, making a proclamation about being "the Savior" who would return the world to the sky in front of the entire class, along with three prophecies he says will come true, the world around Yuki steadily spirals into madness. Her classmates and even teachers joining Takuji's cult, and his prophecies coming true one by one, resulting in the death of Senagawa Yui. Upon the kidnapping of Kagami and Tsukasa, Yuki eventually ventures into Takuji's base herself with the help of Ayana, where she finds Kagami's "dead body". But when it turns out the body was nothing more than a rabbit doll, and the very existence of Kagami is called into question, Yuki finds herself in a deeper pit of confusion than ever before.
At the very end, Yuki goes up to Takuji on the rooftop to confront him for the final time. Here, Yuki exposes the fact that there was no supernatural phenomena present, everything from the curse mail to the prophecy was all Takuji's doing. Takuji, admitting to it with a smile, jumps off the rooftop, killing himself. As Ayana stands above Yuki with a haunting grin, Yuki's mind seems to break at the very end.
In the Kimika End of Looking-glass Insects, we are shown the outcome of what would happen if Takuji's original plan had succeeded, and Tomosane had managed to destroy himself and Takuji's personalities, only leaving a reborn Yuki with her memories wiped behind.
In Jabberwocky I, we're introduced to the original Minakami Yuki personality created by Mamiya Tomosane for the first time, and we're told the truth behind Tomosane's multiple personality disorder, and the roles each personality has been assigned. Yuki is assigned the role of the Harmonizer, who is to be reborn after Tomosane and Takuji's death. Throughout Jabberwocky I, Yuki keeps trying to thwart this fate and struggles to hold on to her consciousness. Even when she is replaced by the new Yuki created by Takuji - the Yuki of Down the Rabbit Hole I & II, she manages to hold on to her consciousness by tricking Takuji in order to help Tomosane defy his fate. Managing to hold on till the end, after Tomosane is beaten in a fight by Takuji, Yuki teaches Tomosane how to win against Takuji in a lucid dream against the backdrop of Sawaimura, the place Tomosane still can't bring himself to recognize. But in the end, Tomosane is killed by Takuji.
In Jabberwocky II, it's revealed through a flashback that Yuki was originally a real young girl that lived in a small village called Sawaimura. Being from a family of marital artists, she was a skilled martial artist as well, and her family had a close relationship with the Mamiya dojo. She met Mamiya Tomosane for the first time when he was sent away to live in Sawaimura due to an incident with his mother, Mamiya Kotomi. She meets Mamiya Hasaki when she moves to Sawaimura a while later as well, and the three of them become good friends.
On the anniversary of Hasaki and Tomosane's father's death, Yuki dies while protecting Hasaki from a sudden attack from Kotomi and Takuji, who are convinced Hasaki's existence is the hurdle preventing Takuji from gaining his powers as the Savior. As a result of this incident, and the subsequent death of Takuji, Tomosane develops Dissociative Identity Disorder due to PTSD, and manifests Yuki as one of his personalities alongside Takuji.
Due to Tomosane killing his own personality, Takuji and Yuki are the only personalities inside his body for a while, Takuji being assigned the role of the original owner of the body and the one in control, when in actuality, this isn't the case. Yuki is assigned the role of the Harmonizer, and Tomosane is assigned the role of the Destroyer, who is supposed to destroy Takuji and himself, leaving the new Yuki the only one remaining.
At the very end of Jabberwocky II, right as Takuji jumps, Yuki awakens Tomosane again by unearthing his memories and showing him this very past that he had forgotten, and gives him the final push to go save Hasaki.
Hill of Sunflowers[]
In the Hill of Sunflowers ending, Yuki comes back at the very end with the only ones being able to see her being Tomosane and Hasaki. Instead of replacing Tomosane's consciousness with hers like she used to, however, she manifests like a ghostly presence and joins Hasaki and Tomosane's new wonderful everyday. It is unclear whether this Yuki is a shared delusion between Tomosane and Hasaki, or the actual ghost of Minakami Yuki.
End Sky 2[]
In the End Sky 2 ending, the secret ending of the game, Yuki awakens on the Building A rooftop, the only person around being Otonashi Ayana. Mysteriously, the school is as calm as ever, and Yuki's body seems fine despite it being one day after July 20th. Ayana proceeds to list 7 hypothesis about the true nature of the world, telling Yuki, and by extension the player, to choose whichever explanation they like the most.
Knockin' on Heaven's Door[]
In the Knockin' on Heaven's Door after story, which is unlocked upon finishing the main story in the HD edition of the game, Yuki and Tomosane are seen leading a 'normal' life, with Hasaki off at university. Yuki follows Tomosane everywhere throughout the day, the train ride to work, at work, and at home, as Yuki repeatedly pesters him to find someone he could spend the rest of his life with, which Tomosane is vehemently against due to his feelings for Yuki. At the very end, both of them finally reconcile and accept their feelings towards each other, and they both promise to stay with each other forever.
Relationships[]
Yuuki/Mamiya Tomosane[]
Yuki had a rather close, teasing relationship with Tomosane, with him considering her a rival of sorts. She always supported and stuck by Tomosane and Hasaki during tough times, like when their father died, and hung out with them often until her death.
The Yuki that manifested inside Tomosane after her death had a similar relationship with him, she teased him and got on his nerves constantly but they cared about each other a lot, Tomosane's nonchalant attitude breaking down in Jabberwocky when he starts shedding tears at the thought that Yuki had been replaced with the new Yuki for good, and that she would never come back.
She's also the one to bring him back and give him the final push to go save Hasaki at the very end of Jabberwocky 2.
In the Knockin' on Heaven's Door after story, Yuki and Tomosane live together and end up officially becoming a couple, deciding to stay by each others side forever.
Mamiya Hasaki[]
Minakami Yuki was a good friend of Hasaki, almost like a big sister to her. Taking Hasaki and Tomosane to places, helping Tomosane make the rabbit doll for her, comforting her when her father died, and even sacrifing her life to save Hasaki, showed how much Yuki truly cared for Hasaki.
When she comes back as a personality inside Tomosane, she still deeply cares for Hasaki, and often teases her about her feelings for Tomosane. She repeatedly emphasizes to Tomosane that he needs to stick around to protect Hasaki, and is the one to encourage him to go be her hero, and save her at the end of Jabberwocky II.
They often have playful fights over Tomosane, but get along well.
Takashima Zakuro[]
Yuki meets Zakuro for the first time when she encounters her on the rooftop while Zakuro is skipping class. The two bond over books and plays, and Yuki lets her borrow multiple books, including Cyrano de Bergerac.
Although Zakuro saw these interactions as something precious due to her crush on Yuki (who she thinks is Takuji), Yuki doesn't seem to remember her during their first few meetings at all. Eventually, they have a date at an amusement park.
A while after the date, Yuki's final meeting with Zakuro is when she approaches her on the street and suddenly kisses her right before her suicide, and Yuki is left confused by her actions and words before she leaves with Ayumi Mizuo and Tsukikawa Usami.
Later on in the day, Yuki happens to pass by the building where Zakuro, Ayumi and Usami were planning to jump from. Depending on the chapter, either Yuki gets hit by Zakuro's body as she jumps and ends up in a coma within a dream world where she starts living with Zakuro, Kagami and Tsukasa, or she switches into the Mamiya Takuji personality, who witnesses the suicide.
Inside the dream world when Yuki gets hit by Zakuro's body, they have a date that is the exact re-enactment of Yuki's date with Zakuro in Takuji's body in the real world, and Zakuro seems to be aware of this fact, and of everything that's going on.
Wakatsuki Kagami[]
Even though Kagami is supposed to be a manifestation of Hasaki's younger self, represented by her rabbit doll, Yuki and Kagami's relationship is nothing like what Hasaki's relationship with Yuki used to be.
Kagami is a classic tsundere around Yuki, who constantly riles her up by teasing her and is completely oblivious to Kagami's feelings for her.
Wakatsuki Tsukasa[]
Tsukasa is supposed to represent Hasaki herself, but her relationship with Yuki is also rather different than Yuki's relationship with Hasaki due to the difference in maturity and composure between Hasaki and Tsukasa.
Tsukasa is shown to have feelings for Yuki as well, but she actively encourages Kagami and Yuki's relationship in Kagami's ending in Down the Rabbit Hole I.
Otonashi Ayana[]
Ayana and Yuki often end up having conversations with each other due to both of them having tendencies to hang out at the school rooftop, and Ayana seems to consider Yuki a friend, though Yuki realizes Ayana is more than she lets on.
Trivia[]
- In Tsui no Sora, Yuki is a guy named Minakami Yukito.