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Yuri Volte Hyuga is the main character and primary protagonist of Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant.

First introduced to the player as the "Rude Hero", he is a Harmonixer, one who possesses the ability to fuse with the souls of monsters he has defeated.

The first game finds him following the directions of a strange voice, which leads him to Manchuria, China where a train is escorting a vulnerable woman whom he has been instructed to protect.

The second game yields a distraught Yuri following the events of the first. With a World War blazing across Europe, he takes it upon himself to protect the sleepy town of Domremy from the German military. But his true adventure begins after an agent from the Vatican curses him with a sacred artifact, and he becomes embroiled with a sinister organisation who wish to use the war for their own ends.

Library Entry[]

Shadow Hearts[]

Born to a Japanese father and a Russian mother. Due to his father's work, he travelled across mainland China, but his parents died when he was ten years old. Since then, he continues to rely on himself while fighting monsters. He has the ability of fusion to transform into a monster.[1]

Shadow Hearts: Covenant[]

Called "Godslayer" by the secret society, this anti-hero has the power of soul fusion. Defeated in Domremy and cursed by the Mistletoe, he has sworn revenge.

Rededicated to fighting for his beliefs and no longer affected by the curse of the Holy Mistletoe, Yuri stands triumphant with all his old enemies defeated.

Biography[]

Shadow Hearts[]

Pre-Game[]

Little-yuri-and-his-family

Little Yuri and his family

Born in 1889 to Japanese soldier Jinpachiro Hyuga and Anne, a mysterious Russian woman. Yuri was raised in Katsuragi, Japan until he was three years old, whereupon his family moved to China.

He had a happy childhood, loved his mother, and deeply admired his father, often playfighting with him.

When Yuri was ten, his father was ordered to go to Shanghai to fight a warlock, Dehuai. Yuri promised his father that he'd protect his mother until he came back. Not long after he left, on the night of a terrible storm, monsters sent by Dehuai attacked the homestead, intent on killing all inside.

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Anne protects Yuri

Wearing the skins of their friends and neighbors, they sought to devour the pair. Tragically, Anne was killed by the monsters while attempting to shield Yuri from them. Seeing the life fade from her eyes distraught and enraged him, awakening his latent Harmonixer powers and transforming him into a beast.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself naked and covered in blood, surrounded by the bodies of the monsters he'd slain. He clung to his mother's corpse for a full night, sobbing and apologizing, feeling that he'd broken his promise. Horrified, he eventually fled.

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After the bloodbath

Yuri spent the following years wandering the land aimlessly, using his Harmonixer abilities to fight monsters. While he relished the opportunity to fight, he nursed a deep fear that one day the souls of the monsters he killed would overwhelm him. At some point, he defeated the souls that would later manifest themselves as the Four Masks.

He sought revenge for his mother's brutal murder and information on the whereabouts of his father - whom he desperately wished to still be alive. Some unspecified time after that, he began hearing a mysterious voice which ordered him to go to various places, kill monsters, and help the people. Unable to ignore the voice and wishing to learn what happened to his father, he went as the voice directed him.

While in Central Asia, it eventually led him to a certain train, which would change his life forever...

Meeting Alice[]

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Yuri saves Alice

Aboard a separate carriage, and under heavy guard sat Alice Elliot - a woman with unusual mystical powers. A sinister Englishman, calling himself "Roger Bacon", attacked the train with his familiars in an attempt to capture her. Yuri intervened, and the pair managed to escape his clutches.

Coming into close contact with her, her spiritual powers inadvertently enhanced his ability to fuse, allowing him to fuse with other creatures. However, it also brought into being the embodiment of Yuri's greatest fear; the enigmatic Fox Face - the Grim Reaper in the form of his father and wearing a fox mask that Yuri wore in his childhood.

After fighting Fox Face, he awoke in the Graveyard only to be confronted by the Four Masks, who explained to him the nature of the Graveyard and malice. He awoke with new fusion and the now continuous burden of the malice meter.

He and Alice made their way across the plains, eventually coming to a small village, which had a somewhat sinister aura. Trapped in the village, they met the Li Zhuzhen, who helped them to exorcise the demons from the place, allowing them to leave.

Across Asia[]

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After Yuri and Alice had parted ways from the Quack Oracle, they headed to the city of Fengtian, where, following an escapade with the renowned superspy, Margarete Gertrude Zelle, the three "borrowed" an airplane to elude the Japanese Army, who were determined to recapture Alice.

After crash-landing in the port town of Dalian, they met up once again with Zhuzhen and helped the town put an end to its terrible curse. Stranded in Dalian, they were offered a trip to Shanghai via boat by a very suspicious smuggler and her first mate. Realizing that they had no alternative, they agreed and set sail for Shanghai.

Drifting at sea and lost in an endless fog, the party took a brief moment to relax, with the exception of Yuri, who was ill because of his severe sea-sickness. Yuri wandered the deck in a befuddled daze until the boat was attacked by monsters sent by the Warlock, Dehuai, in his bid to capture Alice for his own nefarious schemes. Managing to defeat the monsters, the fog vanished, and the party was once again on their way to Shanghai.

Here, it didn't take long for the agents of Dehuai to catch up with them. During their stay at the local hotel, Zhuzhen revealed to Yuri that, not only was he friends with his father, but he was forced to kill him after the events of their battle with Dehuai, fifteen years prior when Dehuai attempted the Demon's Gate Invocation.

Dehuai

Yuri and Co face Dehuai

Although angry at first, he forgave Zhuzhen when it became apparent that Dehuai was planning to break the final seal that was halting his plan. Followed by Lt. Col Kawashima and her aide Kato, who previously disguise themselves as smugglers, Yuri and the others completed the trials and managed to make their way to Master Xifa, Zhuzhen's teacher and keeper of the seal. Dehuai, however, possessed Xifa's familiar and managed to capture Alice and break the final seal.

The temple crumbling around them, Master Xifa used the last of his power to teleport Yuri and the others to safety, where they were accosted by more of Dehuai's henchmen.

Desperate to get Alice back, and with the threat of Dehuai's plan looming, Yuri and the party decided to storm Dehuai's fortress.

With the aid of the Japanese military, they managed to infiltrate the building and fight their way to the warlock, who waited at the top of his fortress. Freeing Alice, the party did battle with Dehuai, only to learn that it was not the "Demon's Gate Invocation" he was attempting, but the Reverse Demon's Gate Invocation - to incarnate a God from the Earth itself.

He was soundly defeated by Yuri and company, his plan seemingly foiled. However, "Roger Bacon" appeared and revealed that he had other plans. Drawing upon his own power, he completed the ritual and summoned the Seraphic Radiance. Yuri ran towards the monster and attempted to fuse with it, trying to stop it. Unfortunately, the beast's will was too strong, and Yuri vanished completely, leaving the Seraphic Radiance to destroy Shanghai in a blaze of fire.

Six Months Later[]

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Feral Yuri

Surviving the fusion attempt physically, but not mentally, Yuri managed to make his way to the tallest tower in Blue Castle, Transylvania, having flown via one of his fusions. Now completely mindless and feral, he was a danger to everyone and everything that came near.

Alice and Zhuzhen, meanwhile, had been searching for him in the intervening months and, with the help of the castle's resident Vampire, came across him in the tower. Unable to recognize them, Yuri attacked - but both he and Alice blacked out.

Awakening in the graveyard, Alice met the Four Masks within Yuri's soul, and, learning of his struggle, struck a deal so that she would take on the burden of his soul, and the malice in his heart, to their mocking delight.

She soon found Yuri digging his own grave and being taunted by Fox Face, mocking him for his failures and weakness. Alice argued with Fox Face, that Yuri hadn't given up and wasn't weak, only to be struck by him. This act snapped Yuri out of his reverie.

The Sunset

Yuri and Alice - together again

Brought back to his senses, Yuri finally defeated Fox Face, whose mask fell to reveal Yuri's own face staring back at him; Fox Face was a personification of Yuri's own doubts and fears. Rather than reject them, he embraced them as a part of himself.

His mind now restored, Yuri and the others set off together again to deal with the still lingering threat of "Roger Bacon".

Across Europe[]

Following a lead from Margarete, Yuri, and co. headed off to Rouen, where they encountered the extremely paranoid Father Doyle, a friend and former associate of Alice's father. Breaking into his church, they managed to get him to reveal information on a "Cardinal Albert Simon" who could assist them, and that the man lived in London. Unfortunately, he was killed by Arcane Olga before he could reveal any more information. Yuri and the others set off to London to track down this "Albert Simon".

Arriving in London, they were assisted by a group of young street thieves, and their head-strong leader, Halley, who took them to Albert Simon's mansion, which had since been converted into a suspicious Orphanage, run by a man named Jack.

Koudelka the Dark Witch

The Mysterious Koudelka

The group was unable to gain entrance and returned to London. Upon arrival, however, the group learned that the orphans had been taken to the Orphanage, prompting them to investigate.

They discovered that Jack had been attempting the Emigre Ritual - to raise his mother from the dead. After stopping both Jack's and his monstrously reanimated dead mother, the voice in Yuri's head, which had been quiet for so long, spoke again and asked for aid.

Halley, recognized the voice as his mother's, directing Yuri to Calios Mental Hospital, where, after another encounter with Arcane Olga, they managed to free Halley's long-imprisoned mother, Koudelka Iasant.

Bacon once again appeared and kidnapped Koudelka, though not before she told Yuri that the man called "Roger Bacon" was really the Cardinal Albert Simon they had been looking for, and that he was to head to Nemeton Monastery in Wales and search for the real Roger Bacon.

Traveling to the ruined abbey, they encountered a strange-looking and wizened old man who claimed that he was the great magician, Roger Bacon, and that Albert Simon was one of his disciples, who had long ago turned to dark arts.

Troubled by the machinations of his former pupil, Roger allowed Yuri access to the abbey depths, where the ruins from an ancient civilization lay. At the heart of the complex, Yuri found Albert, who revealed his true plan to summon a "God from beyond the stars", so that he may cleanse the world of all its hatred and wickedness, and create a new paradise; a "new Eden".

Confronting Albert

Confronting Albert

Initially using Koudelka as an energy source, she fought back, and would have killed him were it not for his Soul Pact with the God of Wrath, Amon. Even with this power, Albert looked as though he had been bested - Yuri even managed to acquire Amon's soul as a fusion.

However, using the energy released from their fight, Albert was successful in raising the Neameto Float which would act as a beacon to the god and guide it to Earth. Powerless to stop him, Yuri and the others watched as the Float rose up through the earth and ascend into space.

Fortunately, Roger had devised a teleportation device, which could take them all to the Float to stop Albert and try to prevent "God" from destroying the world. Alice, bearing the full burden of the Four Mask's curse, began to weaken drastically, as her soul was being devoured by Atman, the leader of the Four Masks. Though Yuri noticed, Alice refused to tell him and confided in Margarete that she was slowly dying, begging her to not tell the others. Despite this, the party made their way through the "Mad God's Castle" where they came across Albert who awaited them in the "Generator room".

Metagoddescends

God descends

After a rather amiable exchange between the two, Yuri acknowledged the good behind Albert's intentions and Albert praised Yuri's determination, they fought, finally defeating Albert.

As he lay dying, Albert, confident that Yuri and the others might indeed be able to change their fates and save the world, used the last of his energy to send them into space, to do battle with "God" itself.

Hovering many, many miles above the Earth, with even the gigantic Float a mere blip in the distance, the Meta God arrived, having traveled over fifty thousand light-years from a distant nebula. Using all their strength, Yuri and his friends managed to defeat the creature and save the world from complete destruction. As it died the Float began to crumble and sink back into the sea, though not before Yuri and the others were teleported back to Earth.

Post-Game[]

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The Train Ride

Returning to Earth triumphant, Yuri and Roger hid the Three Ancient Tomes inside the Neam Ruins, which had been unearthed by the rise of the Neam Float, so that people would not be able to find them and abuse their power.

Having saved the planet, Alice and Yuri boarded a train to Zurich to visit Alice's mother and to start living the rest of their lives with one another. Tragically though, on the way to Zurich, the curse of the Four Masks became too much for Alice to bear and she died, resting against Yuri.

YuriAliceSH Bad End

With tears in his eyes, Yuri cradled her in his arms until the train arrived at Zurich. Once there, he met up with Alice's uncle Gepetto, and then he dug her grave with his own hands and buried her in his overcoat. As a final gift, he left Anne's Cross, a memento from his mother, on her gravestone.

As if to match his turmoil and grief, World War One began.

Yuri Buries Alice

Yuri buries Alice

Traveling to the sleepy village of Domremy with his new companion, Yuri befriended the locals, including a young girl, Jeanne, and her pet wolf Blanca. He protected it from invading forces taking on the form of Amon. Without direction or purpose in his life, Yuri had become apathetic and considered spending his remaining days in Domremy, until he passed on peacefully or was killed trying to defend the village.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant[]

The Demon of Domremy[]

Amon SH2 Early Trailer

Having settled in the town of Domremy, Yuri used his Fusion powers to scare away the invading German soldiers and protect the villagers from the ever-advancing German army.

A squad lead by Lieutenant Karin Koenig, attempting to capture the village, encountered Yuri - in the guise of Amon - in the village church, and a firefight broke out. During the confusion, he managed to save her from an errant grenade, before leaving her and nine other survivors of her squad.

Karin, intrigued by her experience with the "Demon of Domremy", returned to the village with Cardinal Nicolas "Nicolai" Conrad - an emissary from the Vatican, having first procured the Holy Mistletoe, a sacred artifact with the purpose of "combating evil".

Yuri Saves Karin

Saving Karin

They met Yuri inside the church, where Nicolai revealed his true intentions. He was a member of Sapientes Gladio, a secret society bent on establishing a new world order, and they had deemed the power of Amon he gained from defeating Albert Simon was too much of a threat to be left unchecked.

After engaging in a fight with Nicolai, Yuri was stabbed with the mistletoe, which cursed him, sealing away his fusion powers, before he passed out.

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Yuri stabbed with the Holy Mistletoe

Awakening in the Graveyard, he discovered a large "tree" with his form embedded in the trunk, had mysteriously taken root.

The shade of Jeanne, who had been killed by Nicolai's henchmen, appeared and promised that she'd attempt to find a way to halt the curse of the mistletoe.

Awaking in the Ardennes Forest, after being dragged to safety by Gepetto and Blanca, with Karin following, Yuri confirmed with Gepetto that the curse had sealed his Fusion powers, forcing him to begin anew.

On the run from Sapientes Gladio, the group fled to Paris to consider their next course of action, eventually deciding to consult Roger Bacon on both the secretive organization, and if there was a method to reverse Mistletoe's curse.

All Across Europe[]

Yuri Meets Kato SH2

Meeting Kato

On his travels to Wales, Yuri encountered both Joachim Valentine, the older brother of his friend Keith, and Yoshiko Kawashima's former aide, Masaji Kato, who had since been promoted to an ambassador.

They spoke about the deaths of their loved ones; during their earlier adventures in Europe, Kawashima had been assassinated by her father's political rivals. Kato feigned ignorance of Sapientes Gladio, but wished him well.

Arriving at Wales, it was discovered that Roger had been kidnapped. Lenny Curtis, leader of the Sapientes Gladio Iron Claws, who had tracked Yuri from Paris, was tricked into blurting out Roger's location: Florence, Italy.

Yuri Karin Emigre Manuscript SH2

The Émigré Manuscript

During Yuri's investigations in Italy, he encountered the fortune-teller Lucia, and her mistress, Carla, who was an ex-member of the secret society that had left due to its brutal methods.

After a misunderstanding where she believed they were Sapientes Gladio assassins sent to kill her, and trying to feed Yuri and his friends to a giant cat, she directed them to Sapientes Gladio Italian Headquarters.

Roger, however had already been moved, and instead they encountered Nicolai, who demanded the Émigré Manuscript in exchange for Roger.

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Assisting Roger

With no alternative, Yuri retrieved the forbidden tome from the monster-infested ruins and was directed to go to St Marguerite Island; a prison island where Roger was being held.

Although the group was successful in rescuing Roger, the Émigré Manuscript wound up in the hands of Nicolai, who passed it on to Kato, with whom he had been secretly negotiating.

Returning to Wales, Roger told Yuri of Sapientes Gladio's history, and that its leader, Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin, was planning to appoint himself as the of the new ruler of the Russian Empire, and depose the ruling Romanov dynasty.

Yuri Meeting Rasputin

Squaring up Rasputin.

Onboard Roger's latest invention, the Bacon Jet, he flew Yuri and his allies to Russia; Rasputin's base of operations.

Arriving in the City of Petrograd, Yuri was able to save the life of Princess Anastasia Romanov, who had uncovered Rasputin's scheming, and foiling her would-be assassin. After some persuading, they accompanied her to the Winter Palace as her "bodyguards".

Despite a frosty audience with Empress Alexandra, Rasputin, amused at Yuri's presence, convinced her to allow them to stay. He and Yuri sized the other up, before Rasputin casually made his way to the palace shrine.

Yuri Rasputin Shield SH2

Yuri's fists prove ineffectual.

Using his magics to cover the palace in a magic fog, Rasputin goaded Yuri into attacking him. A move that proved fruitless for Yuri, as Rasputin was protected by the power of his soul pact with Asmodeus.

Rasptuin called upon the power of the Mistletoe, debilitating Yuri, before effortlessly dispatching his allies, and framing them as assassins, who had placed Anastasia under their spell, and wanted to kill the Tsesarevich, young Prince Alexei.

Realizing that Rasputin was far too powerful to deal with, Yuri and his companions fled, and regrouped with Roger to plan. In the meantime, Roger had tracked down Bishop Jovis Abraham, the former head of Sapientes Gladio, who had helped train, but was then usurped by Rasputin.

Yuri Meets Jovis SH2

They met with Jovis in Turkey, where he explained to them that the only way to defeat Rasputin was to use a similar power against him - the power of the God of Wrath, Amon. The power that lay dormant within Yuri. A power that Jovis' old friend, and Yuri's old foe, Albert Simon had intended to aid him in stopping Rasputin, before he was defeated by Yuri.

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Entering the Graveyard

He explained that there was a way to regain the power of Amon, and a ritual to enter Yuri's soul but the price for failure was insanity. Though Jovis initially planned to go with Yuri, Karin begged to go instead.

In the Graveyard, the pair met again with Jeanne, and the way was opened to the "Door of the God of Wrath". Inside, the place appeared as strange mirrored castle, where he and Karin had to traverse through mirrors to eventually reach a grand chamber.

Yuri Karin Amon in Mirror Palace

Facing Amon.

At its end, a great sigil of Amon was carved, and a large mirror dominated the wall. Rather than Yuri's reflection, however, it was replaced with Amon. The demon-god stepped through the mirror, and charged its power.

Yuri and Karin defeated Amon, but were surprised when, after stepping into the mirror, the strange castle had been replaced with an exposed hill, with a familiar man seated upon a bench, gesturing Yuri to come.

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Old Enemies

Yuri sat with Albert, whose soul now resided within a nearly forgotten part of Yuri's memories. They talked, with Yuri feeling a pang of guilt, that by stopping Albert, he had let a greater evil manifest. Albert reassured Yuri of his convictions, and gave him his blessing - Yuri had, after all, not only defeated him, but also a god, and that only he believed that only a man like Yuri could stop Rasputin.

They bid farewell, and Yuri and Karin returned to the real world.

Yuri Karin Death of Jovis

Despite his assistance, Jovis was frail and nearing the end of his life. Still struggling with doubts, Yuri came to Jovis one final time. Jovis warned he sensed another power had been awakened in a soul pact - the fallen Angel Astaroth, although he did not know with whom it was.

Jovis told Yuri that there was no shame in fear, or doubt. Good and evil were a choice. Yuri pledged to the man that he would defeat Rasputin - the world's safety was now in his hands, before sprinting off in a mix of purposefulness in his resolve, and sorrow for the death of Jovis.

Yuri returned to Russia, determined to stop Rasputin. Creeping through the catacombs beneath the city, he and his allies managed to make their way to the palace ballroom, and stop an assassination attempt on the Tzar.

Yuri Smug SH2

Yuri, about to kick ass.

Anastasia presented her father with proof of Rasputin's treachery, causing Rasputin to flee to the roof, as his forces began to bomb the city from an airship. Yuri followed, cornering him.

Rasputin theatrically threw himself from the roof, only to land on the airship. With a smug grin, Yuri fused into Amon, taking chase, and tearing apart the airship guns. Rasputin's puzzlement grew to horror, when he saw Yuri had regained the power of Amon, and tried to blast him off the ship, which Yuri shrugged off.

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Clash

With all his might, Amon punched through Rasputin's shield, blowing him away and annihilating the airship.

Remarkably, Rasputin survived, but severely weakened, called upon Asmodeus to fufill his soul pact, fully possessing him, becoming Asmodeus-Rasputin.

Yuri and his allies confronted him in his newly summoned fortress, the Idar Flamme, where once again he tried to call upon the curse of the Mistletoe, although this time, Yuri brushed it off, barely affected.

They fought, finally putting a stop to Rasputin. As he lay dying, he told Yuri of the true horror of his curse - that it'll kill his soul, robbing him of his memories and will, leaving him an empty husk, and that there was no way to stop it. He also told them that Nicolai was at the Vatican planning to unleash a flood of malice upon the world.

With Rasputin dead, Yuri and his companions made their way to Apoina Tower in a bid to stop Nicolai. At its summit, Nicolai told him that his grievance with Yuri was personal, a matter of pride, before unleashing the pent-up malice into the world.

Despite revealing that he had acquired the power of Astaroth, he was no match for Yuri and his allies. As Yuri stepped forward to finish Nicolai, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of Kato who stepped between them, and took Nicolai under his protection.

Kato explained that Nicolai was next in line to the Russian Tzardom, and as a representative of Japan, a Russian ally, he could not allow Yuri to kill him.

Angered, Yuri rushed towards him, only for Kato to blast him aside. He told Yuri to seek another way to live, before announcing his return to the Japanese capital, and teleporting away.

Three Months Later[]

After the events in Apoina Tower, Yuri and his allies flew on the Bacon Jet to Japan in pursuit of Kato and Nicolai.

Making it to Hokkaido, the Bacon Jet crashed after Anastasia made an impromptu stop to photograph some bears, leaving them to board a ship to the mainland, leaving Yuri incapacitated with terrible sea-sickness.

After he recovered, he witnessed the drive-by-kidnap of a young girl, from her bodyguard, a young samurai named Kurando Inugami. They offered to help the girl's "Father" and Kurando's master, find the girl.

Blanca tracked down her scent and led them to the Battleship Mikasa, where she was being held captive by Lieutenant Colonel Terada, and his platoon of Iron Soldiers, on orders from Foreign Minister Kantaro Ishimura. After a brief struggle, he fled and they rescued the girl, who revealed her name to be "Yoshiko Kawashima" - the same name as the woman who helped Yuri in his last adventure.

His suprise was shortlived when the captain of the ship captured them at gunpoint and put them in the brig.

Three days later, they were all released due to Anastasia carrying ambassadorial papers, and Naniwa Kawashima's good word. Due to the ongoing war and Karin's status as a German officer, she was documented as a Russian named "Anne", which caused Yuri to think about his late mother.

They accompanied Naniwa to the Foreigner's Cemetery to visit his late daughter's grave.

However, Minister Ishimura's sorcerer, Garan the Oracle, dragged them into the Otherworld. Kurando briefly lost control of himself and, using the powers of Fusion (to Yuri's suprise), transformed into a monster and and attacked.

He soon recovered, and they tracked down the pint-sized warlock to deal with him; Yuri grossed out by his appearance, and calling him "Baby-head", managed to defeat him and return to the real world.

Standing at the foot of Yoshiko Kawashima's grave, Yuri told Naniwa that he had met her, and described her fondly to both him and his adopted daughter of the same name.

With some downtime, he and Karin headed to to a park in Nihonbashi where they sat and talked about their lives. He told her about his childhood in China, his father, the Japanese soldier, stopping the warlock Dehuai, and his mother's death.

He reflected on the fact that he thought he was working to stop everything his father died for by standing against the Imperial army. Karin told him to consider that his father might not have done things he did for Japan, but for the sake of Yuri and Anne, telling him of her own family history.

Yuri thanked her, and they began to speak about his mother; how she seemed lonely, but was happy as long as she could be with Yuri and Jinpachiro. He used to get angry with his father for not being there for her, and it was she who named him "Yuri". He didn't know why, but thought it might have been the name of her first love.

Their bonding was cut short when she asked him if he still loved Alice. Trying to avoid answering the question, he faked a stomach ache and tried to run off. Karin chased after him, but the pair were stopped when they heard the sound of explosions and people screaming.

They were confronted by a looming monster, in whom Yuri could detect something of Nicolai and Astaroth. Despite chasing the creature off, its spilt blood spawned yet more monsters.

The Japanese army sent in Iron soldiers to contain the creatures, but they were all killed. Kato suddenly appeared out of nowhere with his Mutant Apes - his trio of enhanced supersoldiers - to assist Yuri, and clear a path to the main creature. He took note of Ouka, the woman of the trio, feeling that she reminded him of someone he knew.

After defeating the beast, Yuri demanded answers from Kato; he had sensed Nicolai, and he knew Kato had the Émigré Manuscript, and had Nicolai hidden away; he demanded to know who was pulling the strings, and was determined to put a stop to them.

Kato tried to gently dissuade him, but impressed with his resolve, told him where to find Nicolai, warning him that he would face fierce resistance if he tried to attack. Yuri let him walk away, and returned to Naniwa for more information.

Naniwa told him that the man who had been manipulating everything was Foreign Minister Kantaro Ishimura. He was in charge of the Iron Soldiers, and Naniwa thought he might have planned to use Nicolai as a puppet ruler to further Japanese Imperial interests in the West, possibly even opening up another front in the war.

Yuri question Kato's involvement, before thinking about the strange Ouka woman; she had been the spitting image of Yoshiko Kawashima. He had not been present for her death, only told by Kato that she had been assassinated, so was unsure if it was the same person, but resolved to ask her when they met.

Sneaking in to the Hojo Research Lab disguised as guards, they found Nicolai being experimented on in an attempt to harness the power of Astaroth.

They could only watch as the experiment failed, and Nicolai's ego was swallowed up, leaving him possessed by Astaroth.

The demon broke free of his bonds, and vapourised his captors. Astaroth sensed Yuri and told him to stop hiding. Yuri cockily greeted him, while Astaroth just sneered, before vanishing.

Fleeing the lab, they were ambushed by the irate Dr Hojo, who attacked them in a mecha. He was swiftly dealt with, and they returned once again to Naniwa's, unsure of where to go next.

Yuri was fearful of the power that Astaroth held, and how devastating it could be now it was freed from any kind of constraints Nicolai could have imposed on it. He briefly thought of his failed attempt to fuse with the Seraphic Radiance, and how it destroyed Shanghai.

Though he felt hopeless, Naniwa told him that there was a person waiting for him in Katsuragi - The Forest of Wind - who could help.

All Across Japan[]

While treking through Katsuragi, Yuri and friends were pulled into another world by the magics of the pint-sized Oracle, Garan. They encountered Garan, and paid little attention to his grandiose threats of death, far more interested in the floating cushion he rode. Their indifference made Garan furious, transforming him into a monster, although he was swiftly defeated.

Free of the Oracle's magic, the Forest returned to normal, and Yuri continued on his way to the Inugami Village. He discovered it was Kurando's hometown, and he was taking them to the leader of the village - his mother, the seeress Saki Inugami.

She met with them at the fountain of Sukune, using it as a medium to project a vision of where Astaroth lurked - and not just him, but Kato and the Mutant Apes - hidden away in the depths of Mount Fuji. However, the vision was cut short when Astaroth detected Saki's presence and reached out to her through the vision, possessing her. In this crazed state she attacked them, but was able to be subdued and return to normal. She met with Yuri when she recovered and told him that he resembled his father. He was taken aback as she revealed that she was infact his aunt, and, by extension, Kurando his cousin.

Although she wished to learn more about him, time was pressing, so she briefly told him of the history of the Harmonixers - their family were decendents from a long lineage of guardians of Japan. While there were other branches that became soothsayers and monks, each family was possessed of its own power; the power afforded to the Hyuga and Inugami line being Fusion.

Saki was somewhat suprised by Yuri's ability to fuse into more than one creature, as Harmonixers were typically limited to a single form, but speculated that his powers were awakened through his unique experiences and traumas.

Back on track she came to the realisation that Astaroth was intending to use his powers to make Mount Fuji erupt, using his dark powers to spread it across spiritual ley lines that criss-crossed the site, an action that would obliterate Japan off the face of the map.

They travelled to the depths of the mountain to stop Astaroth, encountering Kato and the Mutant Apes wounded from a confrontation with Astaroth. While bloodied, Kato and the others were not otherwise fatally injured, but warned Yuri to watch out for Astaroth's malice imbued claws.

Gloating, Astaroth told him that the destruction of the world was about to begin, ushering in what he saw as a glorious new future. Calmly, Yuri asked him a favour. Astaroth dismissively asked him what he wished, to be met with, "I'd wish you'd shove it! You know where".

In the silence that followed, Astaroth gathered his powers and attacked. Despite his strength, Astaroth was defeated and exorcised from Nicolai's body, leaving him collapsed on the ground.

As Karin went over to check him, Nicolai lurched up aggressively. Yuri pushed her out of harm's way, as Nicolai lept up and plunged his hand into Yuri's chest, activating the Mistletoe's Curse. Kato managed to punch Nicolai away, leaving Yuri to fall down, unconscious.

He awoke in his Graveyard, hearing Alice's muffled voice from behind one of the locked doors of his soul. Desperately he tried to force it open, to no avail, screaming out a frustrated "bite me!", as he suddenly awoke in the real world, at the fountain of Sukune surrounded by his friends.

He had been unconscious for three days, so they had taken him to the fountain in the hope that its mystical powers would help him recover. He questioned what happened, only to learn that Nicolai had been defeated, and that Kato has asked that he come to the Foreigner's Cemetary in Yokohama if he should live.

He briefly spoke with Saki to learn that, even though the threat of Astaroth had been defeated, she had felt the threat of an "empty destruction" brought on by a man whose heart was filled with sorrow and anguish. Though Yuri sympathised, he knew who she was referring to and promised to put an end to it.

Yuri met Kato alone in the cemetary, as he was tending to the graves of Yoshiko and Ouka. Yuri listened as Kato talked about how it felt losing the same woman he loved, not once, but twice, leaving him on an empty path without an future.

He told Yuri that he would find in Azabu Kamiyashiki, and encouraged him to confront him. He then handed Yuri the Émigré Manuscript, and prompted him to use it, with Roger's help, to bring back Alice.

He then told Yuri that from this moment on they were enemies, that Kato would end the world by his own hands, and that Yuri should hold nothing back if he wanted to stop him. Yuri was in disbelief as Kato told him that the Émigré Manuscript held the key to his plans, before solemnly departing.

Spurred on, Yuri and his friends made their way to Azabu Kamiyashiki, so that Yuri could put an end to Minister Ishimura, reasoning that so long as the man lived, the war, lies, and schemes would never end.

Fighting through a battalion of soldiers, Yuri finally met face-to-face with a tuberculosis-ravaged Ishimura. The Minister had been expecting him, and chosen not to flee. He recognised Yuri as the son of Jinpachiro Hyuga, his old friend, and questioned which government had sent Yuri to assassinate him.

Yuri replied that it was no government, just himself, seeking to stop the Minister. He demanded to know why the Minister had been planning to start a new war in Russia, only to be disgusted when the Minister proclaimed that all his actions and schemes had been to protect Japan from the Western powers, and setting the seeds for a future where Japan was the supreme ruler of Eurasia.

Russia would be both a buffer to the West, as well as a beleagured ally which Japan would offered aid, and set up Nicolai as a puppet ruler, ensuring Japanese dominance. Yuri became even more furious when the Minister said that the deaths that had, and would have, occurred were an "unfortunate necessity".

As Yuri strode towards the man, a young boy, Kosuke Ishimura, the Minister's grandson, ran between him and the Minister. For the first time the Minister's cool broke, and he yelled at his grandson to run away. Yuri faltered, fists raised, as the boy yelled at Yuri to leave his grandfather alone. He shoved the boy aside, as the Minister fell to his knees and begged Yuri not to kill his grandson.

Raging, Yuri snapped that he shouldn't dare beg for his grandson's life. How many people had been killed in the Minister's name and on his orders? How many children? How many parents and grandparents had begged?
He viciously beat the Minister, angrily castigating him while kicking him, before falling to his knees and collapsing into uncontrollable sobbing.

The Émigré Manuscript[]

Unable to bring himself to kill the man who had directly, and indirectly, made his life a misery, he returned to the Forest of Wind and pondered. The threat of the Minister was gone; Yuri had thwarted his schemes, scattered his Iron Soldiers, and lost him his scientist. He was now just a broken, dying man.

Roger sat by him and began a heart-to-heart about Yuri's feelings and the events that had transpired. When Yuri had looked into the Minister's grandson's eye, he realised he was unsure what he had been fighting for. Roger told him that he was fighting for Alice and her dreams of the future; the world and people she had loved so dearly.

Seeing that Yuri would need something more concrete to grasp onto, Roger suprised him when he said he would attempt the forbidden Émigré ritual and bring Alice back to him. It would be dangerous - one or both of them could turn into a monster - but they both decided it would be worth the risk, and would also shed some light on Kato's plan to end the world.

They set off for Scotland, and acquired the Moon Crystal - a mystical item that would bypass the normal requirement of Human sacrifice for the ritual - before Yuri passed out and recieved a vision of Jeanne entering one of the locked doors of his soul.

They returned to Roger's house and, installing the Moon Crystal, began preparations for the ritual. Roger prepared a body for Alice to revive into and explained that, although Kato had performed something similar, Ouka was a time-accelerated clone of Kawashima; her own person, with none of the memories or personality of the original - and that Kato had simply used time-altering properties to speed up the development of the clone. Whereas Alice would be fully revived, memories and emotions intact. To her it would feel as though she had just been alseep for a while.

Roger warned Yuri of the possible dangers of the ritual once again, and if they started they couldn't turn back. Yuri agreed, and the ritual began.

Despite an optimistic start, the crystal shattered, and the ritual faltered. A dark essence spread from Alice's tank, but was driven away by Yuri's fury. But, for the first time in history, the correct soul had been returned to life, and Alice opened her eyes, told Yuri that she loved him. A despairing Yuri told her he loved her too, as Alice's incomplete body disintigrated, terminating the resurrection process, leaving him and Roger alone to mourn in the dark.

Even though the ritual had failed, though without any of them turning into monsters, Roger had realised that Kato's plan would involve part of the ritual that altered time, and that he was probably planning to use it on a key ley line to travel back and shape past events into a different outcome - erasing the current world as they knew it.

As they headed to Japan to see if Saki had any insights, Yuri found himself again in the Graveyard. He spoke to the "him" bound to the tree in his soul, and wondered aloud that when that "him" woke up, maybe that was when he could be free of his past and suffering.

He was relieved to encounter Jeanne as he thought her in danger. She gleefully told him that she was safe in his hear where nothing could hurt her. She had found some of his memories and understood that the only way to truely defeat the curse was to find out what happiness meant to him.

His happiness had died the moment Alice had, as he buried her with his own hands. As he tried to find purpose in life. Jeanne told him that his time was running out and the curse would kill him sooner than later, so he had to find out soon.

He then had visions of his friends walking silently past him, ignoring him as though he wasn't there, before having a sudden sense of fading into nothingness. He fought against the sensation, and a locked door opened in the graveyard.

Walking through it, he found himself on the train to Zurich; his last journey with Alice.

Alice sat in the seat resting, awakening and greeting him as Yuri drew closer to her. He sat next to her and they talked about Yuri's predicament. She had loved him and the journey they had taken, and whatever the nature of the curse he bore she wouldn't mind.

Yuri again told her how much he loved her, and how if he could be granted one wish, it would to go back to the day they met, and journey together once again. Alice joyfully agreed, and said that if he needed her, she would be here, waiting for him in his heart. He got up to leave, but not before telling her that he had one thing to take care of, and once that was done, he'd come back to her and never leave again. With a gentle wave he departed, setting off to find Kato.

Faith or Fate[]

Back in Inugami village, Saki told him that Kato was at the Asuka Stone Platform - an altar to the God of Destruction - and use it as a focal point. They rested the night, but before heading to confront Kato, Yuri met with Karen at the Fountain of Sukune.

Karen was somewhat apprehensive as Yuri approached. He told her that he wasn't concerned about the curse - he would live inside the memories of his friends, but before that he had to settle things with Kato. Karen blurted out that she loved him, though she knew she couldn't compare to Alice. Yuri remained silent, as she said that that was why she had risked her life for him, and she was glad that he now knew, and didn't have to say anything.

At the Stone Platform, Yuri and his friends met Kato. He asked if he had been able to meet with Alice. Yuri confirmed he had, before asking him if he was still planning to destroy the world.

Kato revealed that his plan was to send the world one hundred years back in time, before the people that warped the world had even been born, and from there he would direct it towards a new future. Yuri countered that although he too didn't like how the world had turned out, the future he wanted is the one he would create for himself, improving this world, even if it cost him his soul. Not just for his beliefs, but his destiny.

Kato smiled in respect, and summoned the Vessel, Yoriwara, telling him that he would meet him at its summit, and that at one-hundred-and-eight tolls of its bell, space and time would be torn asunder.

Yuri entered the Vessel, and as he made his way to its peak he encountered Jeanne, who asked him if he had found his happiness. He confidently responded that he had and told her. Delighted, Jeanne was able to pass on to the otherside, gratified that she was able to help him.

With no more regrets, he carried on upwards through the Vessel until he and his friends encountered Kato's subordinates, Hien and, Raiden.

Barring their path to their master, they assumed new forms calling upon the powers of the Vessel. But even with this power they were unable to stop the party.

Finally, on the Field of Takamagahara, Yuri met with Kato for their final showdown. Kato called upon the powers of the Vessel and assumed the form of Susano-o, summoning forth the souls of Ouka, Hien, and Raiden to aid him.

Despite their struggle, Yuri and his friends were able to defeat Kato. He lay dying as Yuri went over to him. Kato was pleased, but told Yuri that now the Vessel would fade from the time warp, and he and his friends would be unable to return to the present, so must pray for the world they wanted, and only then would they be able to return. With a final "thank you", Kato faded away, leaving Yuri to tell his friends that they had to pray for the world they wished for.

As the Vessel began to disintegrate, Yuri's friends began to float away and depart to the times and places they had prayed for. Only Karen and Yuri remained, as the Mistletoe's Curse finally took effect: Yuri's time was up. He told Karen that he wasn't afraid; his memories would live on. And as she began to float away, he grabbed her hand and thanked her, one final time. She smiled at him, and disappeared, leaving him alone.

Yuri's Fate[]

At the end of the game the player is allowed to choose what Yuri values most: the desire for a peaceful life, or the desire to retain his memories and identity.

In the good ending, Yuri chooses to avoid the Mistletoe's curse by ending his life before the curse destroys his soul. Yuri's is impaled by the upheaval phenomena in Takamagahara, killing him but preserving his memories. His soul is raised from the Mistletoe tree in his mind by Alice, and the two embrace.

Unexpectedly, this also sends him back to the time and place he remembers most fondly: the Manchurian railway in 1913, the fateful day before he met Alice. It is suggested that he retains his memories of what happened in Shadow Hearts: Covenant. In a developer's interview within the Japanese Shadow Hearts: Covenant guidebook, its revealed that this is the 'canon' conclusion to the game, and Yuri would go on to relive the events of the first game and save Alice's soul in the process, thus making both endings of Shadow Hearts canon.

In the bad ending, Yuri opts to sacrifice his soul in exchange for a peaceful, untroubled life. He fades away in Takamagahara, as does the soul in his mind. Yuri ends up in 1918, the year when World War I finished and found by Roger Bacon who had been searching for him ever since. Deeply saddened that Yuri has lost his soul and memories, Roger refers to Yuri as his "son" and brings him home where Yuri lives out the rest of his days.

Appearance[]

In the original Shadow Hearts, Yuri wears a long brown trenchcoat with a red shirt and brown leather pants. He wears a waist satchel tied around his waist with a series of intricately tied buckles.

Personality[]

When first seen in Shadow Hearts, he seems rather stand-offish, facetious, cold, and somewhat lecherous. However, despite his gruff demeanor, he proves to be very loyal to those that do put up with him and has a certain admiration towards individuals whose intentions are genuine. This attitude even extends to his adversaries such as Albert Simon and Masaji Kato. Throughout the course of his adventures with his newfound companions and after finally accepting the tribulations and adversity that his nature as a Harmonixer has caused him, Yuri eventually falls in love with Alice and resolves to protect the world instead of running away from his problems.

In Shadow Hearts: Covenant, his personality changes a bit, probably because of his beloved Alice's death at the conclusion of the first game. Yuri retains his wittiness, but his willingness to show it isn't as persistent.

Skill & Ability[]

Basic[]

Yuri fights with his hands, utilizing various gauntlets made from a variety of metals. He utilizes martial arts training that was taught to him by his father Ben Hyuga, as both of their stances and attacks are the same. Although he is unable to use magic normally, his fusion forms allow him to use elemental magic based on what creatures he merges with.

In Shadow Hearts: Covenant, Yuri is one of the characters able to have up to five Hit Areas, alongside with Joachim and Kurando. He is capable of becoming the second strongest damage dealer in the whole game, after Joachim.

Yuri also has the highest Sanity Points in the party in both games, so as to allow him to stay in a fusion form for a reasonable amount of time.

Shadow Hearts[]

Yuri-standard-attack-sh

Yuri's Standard Attack

Shadow Hearts: Covenant[]

Yuri-high-angle-attack-shc

Yuri's High Angle Attack

Yuri-hard-hit-attack-shc

Yuri's Hard Hit Attack

Fusion[]

Main article: Yuri Hyuga/Fusions
Harmonixer Fusion
Name Description Image
Fusion Allows Yuri to become one of many fusion beasts. Fusion

Quotes[]

Main article: Yuri Hyuga/Quotes

Appearances outside Shadow Hearts[]

Yuri has also appeared in Chaos Wars as one of the many cross-over characters from the Shadow Hearts series.

His ultimate skill is to transform into Dark Seraphim and use "For the Child...", the same as in Shadow Hearts: Covenant.

His broken pendant serves as a representation of the Dark Seraphim's power.

Trivia[]

  • Despite being so gruff and rude, Yuri has shown that he is not only afraid of ghosts in the second game but proves to be easily susceptible to sea-sickness in the first after leaving Dalian.
  • Out of all the characters in the series with Fusion abilities it is notable that Yuri has the most forms.
  • Despite being officially romanized as "Volte", it's possible his name is intended to be Yuri Borte Hyuga: Borte is a Mongolian/Turkic name, which someone from central or eastern Russia is likely to have. Either way, he is never shown using his Russian -vich patronymic (Jinpachirovich in his case) but patronymics are never used in Japan, nor in China. It's later revealed that Yuri isn't half Russian, but half German as his mother, who turned out to be Karin, only took on a Russian name due the conflicts involving the Germans in the First World War.
  • According to Matsuzo Machida, Yuri's character and abilities are largely inspired by Akira Fudo, the main protagonist of the popular anime/manga series Devilman.
  1. Biographical information from a Japanese promotional flyer: 日本人の父とロシア人の母とのあいだに生まれる。父の仕事の関係で,中国大陸を転々とするが,10戚のとき両親が死亡。それからは,ひとりモンスターと戦いながら依を続けている.モンスターの姿に変身するフュージョンという能力を持つ.
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