Ilma Yamaguchi

**"Insignificant being be gone!"**

## Ilma Yamaguchi

### Rōmaji

Yamaguchi Iruma (lit. "Resolute Protector")

## Character Information

### Epithet

Yama (by Daichi, Rivers, Ruby, Kei, Amane, Ahane, Katana and Israel)
Glasses, Smartness-senpai (by Kuroo, Bokuto, Tendō and Oikawa)
Nee-san (by Israel)
Sweetness, Sweetie, Sugar & Sweetness (by Shirabu and Shiratorizawa Academy)
Lil` Sis Illma (by Akaizawa)
Our Little Sister (by Kaji Wild Dogs)
Defense Specialist-kun (by Oikawa)
Our Crossdressing Captain (by Kochō High)
Legendary Hero of Wind (by Petra)
The Spear of Kochō (by Karasuno High)

### Also Known As

Yama (by Daichi, Rivers, Ruby, Kei, Amane, Ahane, Katana and Israel)
Glasses, Smartness-senpai (by Kuroo, Bokuto, Tendō and Oikawa)
Nee-san (by Israel)
Sweetness, Sweetie, Sugar & Sweetness (by Shirabu and Shiratorizawa Academy)
Lil` Sis Illma (by Akaizawa)
Our Little Sister (by Kaji Wild Dogs)
Defense Specialist-kun (by Oikawa)
Our Crossdressing Captain (by Kochō High)
Legendary Hero of Wind (by Petra)
The Spear of Kochō (by Karasuno High)

## Background Information

### Family

Yuma Yamaguchi (father)
Marcella Kita (mother)
 Hilda Olsen (step-mother) †
Astrid Johansen (step-mother/adoptive mother; guardian)
Aaron Murphy (adoptive father; guardian)
Shinsuke Kita (uncle, mother`s side)
Meredith Kita (aunt, mother`s side)
Unnamed Male Uncle (uncle, father`s side)
Unnamed Female Aunt (aunt, father`s side)
Rosabella Yamaguchi (cousin, father`s side)
Tadashi Yamaguchi (cousin, father`s side)
Romilda Kita (cousin, mother`s side)
Sandra Yamaguchi (older sister)
Valda Yamaguchi (older sister)
Valentina Yamaguchi (older sister)
Zandra Yamaguchi (older sister)
Zelda Yamaguchi (older sister)
Albern Yamaguchi (older brother)
Alexander Yamaguchi (older brother)
Athena Yamaguchi (younger sister; adoptive)
Luka Yamaguchi (younger sister) †
Cecilia Yamaguchi (younger sister)
Mordred Yamaguchi (younger brother)
Autumn Yamaguchi (niece) †
River Yamaguchi (younger sister)
Tsukasa Daishō (brother-in-law) †
Suguru Daishō (brother-in-law)
Unnamed Sister-in-law (sister-in-law)
Esmeralda Daishō (sister-in-law)
Einar Olsen (younger half-brother)
Finian Olsen (younger half-brother)
Harold Olsen (younger half-brother)
Magnar Johansen (younger half-brother)
 Two unnamed uncles (mother`s side)
Two unnamed aunts (mother`s side)
Unnamed grandparents (mother's side)
Unnamed grandparents (father's side)
Unnamed great-grandparents (mother`s side)
Unnamed great-grandparents (father`s side)
Unnamed great-uncles (mother`s side)
Unnamed great-aunts (mother`s side)
Unnamed great-uncles (father`s side)
Unnamed great-aunts (father`s side)

### Likes

Volleyball
Learning new things
Aiding her teammates
Trying out new volleyball moves
Encouraging her teammates
Not having to see the faces of her parents
Spending time away from her parents
Going on vacations without her parents
Sour foods
Cooking
Baking
Archery
Grinding up laxative pills and putting them in the food of her biological parents
Dissing her biological parents
Aloe
Sweet smells
Making aloe paste for burns
Making poisons
Salted Caramel
Her siblings
Her late stepmother
Her adoptive parents/guardians
Her team
Spending time with her time

### Dislikes

Static shocks
People giving up on their dreams
Remembering her past
Her parents
Looking at her self-harm scars
Seeing scar tissue
Seeing her parents
Her teammates being dumb
Having to apologize to her parents
People who are careless and unprepared
Her anxiety attacks
Her panic attacks
Being harassed by men
Being touched
Teachers
Authority figures
Being called Girl
Being considered weak
Spicy foods
Bland foods
Régine`s shapeshifting powers
The phrase "Mother knows best"
The phrase "go all out"
The phrase "we have your best interests in mind"
Talking to her biological parents
Being pointed at
Visiting her biological parents
Loud, annoying children
People pointing out her freckles
Her acne
Bullies

## Professional Status

### Occupation

High School Student (Year 2, Class 7) - 2012

### Position

Opposite Hitter
Captain
Defense Specialist

## Debut Information

### In the Manga

Above (Mentioned)
Results (Official Appearance)

### In the Anime

Up Above (Mentioned)
Self-Introduction (Official Appearance)

## Seiyu Information

### English Actor

???

**Ilma Yamaguchi** (Japanese: **山口 (やまぐち)  イルマ ()** , *Yamaguchi Iruma*) was previously a second-year student at Kochō High, serving as a Defense Specialist, Opposite Hitter, and the captain of its volleyball team. Along with her team`s setter and libero, they were invited to the All-Japan Youth Intensive Training Camp. As of 2018, she is a member of the Black Shadows, a professional volleyball team in Division 1 of Japan's V.League. She is also a member of the Japan National Volleyball Team.

She is the older sister of Tadashi Yamaguchi, Athena Yamaguchi, Luka Yamaguchi, Cecilia Yamaguchi, Mordred Yamaguchi, River Yamaguchi, Einar Olsen, Finian Olsen, Harold Olsen and Magnar Johansen. Her older siblings are Sandra Yamaguchi, Valda Yamaguchi, Valentina Yamaguchi, Zandra Yamaguchi, Zelda Yamaguchi, Albern Yamaguchi and Alexander Yamaguchi. One of the younger daughters of Yuma Yamaguchi and Marcella Kita, she was a step-daughter of Hilda Olsen while the former was still alive and is a step-daughter/adoptive daughter to Astrid Johansen; the latter having divorced her father and taken in Ilma and her siblings, Astrid then got remarried to her much-older boyfriend; Aaron Murphy, with the two sharing joint custody over Ilma and her siblings.

## Appearance

Ilma is the shortest player on the Boys` Volleyball Team, standing at the height of 4`11", which is drastically shorter than most standard female Japanese High School Students and is often mistaken for a young child due to her height. She has slightly thick eyebrows, along with dark, rather vicious-looking cloudy blue eyes that are said to "pierce" the soul of her opponents with ease. In truth, they serve to unnerve her opponents, who are unused to receiving such a vicious-looking glare from their opponents. Her hair is a dark blue, that is so dark-looking that its color is often mistaken to be a raven-black color, being parted in the middle. Her hair style is the same as the hair style that Yūki Shibayama has and the two are often stated to look exactly like each other, excluding the fact that Ilma is a lot shorter than him. She has an athletic build, due to doing volleyball since the time she was in Elementary School. The one difference that helps people tell Ilma and Yūki apart is the array of freckles she has across the bridge of her nose and underneath both of her eyes. Another obvious difference is the nearly-invisible wind markings on her skin (a symbol of the Wind Legendary Hero, which she was born with), which become more visible under certain kinds of light. Like her team`s starting libero, she wears four white medical pads; two pads starting from her elbow and stopping at her forearm and two pads starting from her thigh and ending at her calf.

## Personality

Ilma is stated by her teammates and rival teams to be a mature, if extremely cold-natured and dry-humored Captain. Despite her mature personality, she is often stuck dealing with her often pushy and somewhat airheaded teammates, requiring both the help of Amane Tsukishima and Régine Shibayama to reign them back in. Though often exasperated by their antics, she nevertheless enjoys playing volleyball with them and doesn`t enjoy when her teammates get mocked by their opponents, rising up to their defense with an unexpected fury, completely disregarding her mature personality. This is best shown when Atsumu Miya mocked her team`s starting libero Régine Shibayama, she snapped and completely tore into him, leaving her teammates and Inarizaki completely aghast. Underneath her mature personality, is an expertly-concealed seething hatred that only emerges when she is faced with her parents or when she or her teammates are being mocked.

Ilma has existing trauma and has severe anxiety, due to the abusive household she grew up in, which makes her somewhat wary of large crowds and she usually tries to avoid the large crowds present during the Nationals. She strongly dislikes crowds and is often exasperated when dragged into places where there is a lot of people. The phrases: "Mother knows best", "go all out" and "we have your best interests in mind", have the tendency to make her usually-controllable seething rage erupt. She wears a mask to protect herself when not playing volleyball though she sometimes forgets it purely on accident.

## History

She is the product of a highly abusive marriage, her mother was the wife of Yuma Yamaguchi; the biological uncle of Tadashi Yamaguchi`s mother Rin Yamaguchi. The environment of her home was highly toxic and Ilma often avoided going home as often as possible, even begging one of her older sister` friends; Sanae Taiga to let her stay over in order to avoid going home to her parents who would constantly fight in front of her and her siblings. After the birth of her youngest full-blooded sibling, her father divorced her mother much to the animosity of her mother`s side of the family. Her father would then remarry to a Norwegian noblewoman; Hilda Olsen who adored Ilma and her siblings, which her father was not a fan of. After only four years of being married to her, her father fed her stepmother arsenic poison mixed in with her food, causing her to die. He would remarry to another Norwegian noblewoman; Astrid Johansen, who learned of the abuse that had been heaped upon Ilma by her biological parents. Infuriated by his measures, she divorced him and adopted Ilma and her siblings, getting remarrying to her boyfriend; Aaron Murphy in a huge, elaborate wedding. Due to the abuse she suffered while underneath the roof of her biological parents, it has caused her to withdraw from other people.

## Plot

### **Tokyo Expedition Arc**

Illma is first mentioned during the BBQ by Kuroo, who is describing some of the most skilled High School Captains in Japan to Hinata and Lev. Kuroo mentions that he is "highly annoying" and a "bit of a pain" to deal with, due to his incredible defensive prowess and tactical planning skills.

### **Spring High Preliminary Arc**

During the Prefectural Spring Interhigh Qualifers for their certain prefecture, Kochō defeats Riverstone Military Academy (25-19, 25-16) in the semifinals and advances to face Nakano Academy led by Mu Nakano in the next round. The match is ended by Kochō`s victory. Kochō becomes the first representative of their prefecture.

### **Tokyo Nationals Arc**

#### **Preparation for Nationals**

In the days leading up to Nationals, Ilma travels to the Ajinomoto National Training Center for her first day at the All-Japan Youth training camp, alongside her fellow teammates Régine Shibayama, Kuro Sakusa and Daiki Kenzō. Upon their arrival there, they are greeted by Kuro`s older brother Kiyoomi Sakusa whom Kuro begrudgingly calls "nii-san", much to the amusement of Régine, Miriam and Ilma. Tobio Kageyama greets them with Régine asking who he is with a completely blank face, at which point Ilma bursts into peals of uncontrollable laughter. Kuro hits Régine on the head and reminds her to be much nicer before apologizing to Kageyama for her teammates` rude behavior, ushering them into the National Training Center, while pointily telling them to be more polite to new people next time.

Once the training begins, the players begins a practice match with Ilma, Kuro, Régine and Daiki on the same team. When Kuro flubs up a set, Régine instantly digs the ball without much hesitation; astonishing the watching coaches. Throughout the course of the practice match, Régine calmly conducts the match allowing for her teammates to easily score, with the #1 libero Komori commenting on the unique bonds of chemistry between Régine and the rest of her teammates, to be more specific, the unique bond between Ilma and Régine. Ilma and her teammates approach Kageyama and Chigaya to eat dinner with them; just as they are finishing up their dinner, Sakusa approaches their table and begins questioning Kageyama about his school`s match against Shiratorizawa. Upon finishing their dinner, they excuse themselves and begin heading down the hallway to go star-gazing, only to be stopped by Daiki scolding them for not stretching properly. While Ilma argued with Daiki over whether she stretched properly or not, the rest of her teammates headed for the baths in order to clean themselves up.

The next day, Ilma plays another practice match. She tries and fails to receive a ball near her, face-planting into the ground and tearing open one of her more recent wounds on her arms, which alarms her teammates. While Daiki ponders the cost of getting an ambulance and sending her to the hospital, Kuro examines her wound before declaring her cleared to reenter into the game, much to the dismay of the people on her team. Even with an injury, Ilma plays brilliantly; managing to hold onto her composure until the end of the practice match, after which she collapses into Daiki`s arms. In order to properly treat her bleeding wound, the rest of her teammates and her coaches are called to come treat her; her coaches are notably miffed at her ignoring her bleeding injury and heavily scold her.

After practice, Ilma is questioned about her nonchalant response to her injury, to which the Captain mentions having Congenital insensitivity to pain, much to the horror of the Coaches. Her teammates then insert themselves into the conversation and mention that all of their teammates have it and that is why they can withstand the injuries that they received, as well as play well even when heavily injured. Régine Shibayama calls out to Ilma asking her for help stretching, with Ilma apologizing to the Coaches and her teammates before running over to her teammate to help her stretch.

### **Final Arc**

Right after graduating high school, Ilma joined a professional team in Japan's Division 1 volleyball league instead of attending college and played in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She would be joined by her high team`s substitute middle blockers; Shiro Watanabe, Rui Phoenix and Alister Mackenzie, as well as her former first-year libero Norman Mackenzie and setters Daiki Kenzō. Ilma currently plays as the starting defense specialist and opposite hitter for the Black Shadows and is teammates with Rito Hoshiumi; the older brother of Kōrai Hoshiumi among other people. A majority of her former high school teammates joined the same team as well; Amane Tsukishima joined the MSBY Black Jackels, while Régine Shibayama joined the Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets.

## Abilities and Powers

### Natural Abilities

Among the Yamaguchi Family; all of whom specialize in volleyball, excluding Ilma`s parents, Ilma is one of the most skilled and is easily the fastest defense-oriented player among her teammates. Even among the players at the All-Japan Youth training camp, she was ranked as one of the fastest, skilled, experienced, and defensive players; her skills in defense are stated to be just as good if not more amazing than that of the #3 and #4 liberos, which indicates that she has incredible defense skills even for a defense specialist, whom specializes purely in defense.

#### **Skills**

* **Pinpoint Accuracy**: Even among the Defense Specialists whom form the backbone of a team`s defense, Ilma is unique in the fact that she can accurately determine a ball's trajectory and form extensive calculations such as rotation speed, where it will land if it hits the ground, and the speed she needs to use to get underneath it, or what kind of receive she needs to do in order to receive it. This allows her to make accurate assessments so that she is able to accurately receive the ball and send it to the position of the setter.
* **Libero Set**:
* **Sound Wave Manipulation**:

### **Magic**

* **Wind Magic**:
	+ **Sound Wave Manipulation**:

## Relationships

### **Kochō High**

* **Régine Shibayama**: Ilma and Régine share a relatively close relationship, with both of them having been childhood friends and close friends. In fact they have been mistaken for romantic partners, as they often hold hands in public, exchange kisses on the cheek and enjoy making dark-humored jokes about death in front of their more innocent underclassmen. In spite of that, they have a unique form of chemistry on the volleyball court and work well together when serving as the defensive backbone for their teammates.

## Quotes

* *"The people I hate the most are people who act like fakes, who manipulate other people to meet their own goals instead of the needs of the whole collective group; anybody who acts like that is trash! Anybody who can`t understand that should roll over and die like the worthless parasite that they are! Every time I look at a person that behaves like that, I feel sick to my stomach! They should have never been allowed to exist! My siblings and I suffered while people like you lived lives of luxury! People like you are not needed in this world or on this team! As of this moment, I am banning you from joining this team! Anybody who can`t understand the meaning of teamwork and who manipulates teammates without any regard to their safety doesn`t deserve to even join a club at all, much less the Volleyball Club!"* (To Lauren Evans)
* *"50% **Savage**, 50% Sweetheart."*
* *"I love the sound you make when you shut up."*
* *"There`s no "we" in fries."*
* *"You look better when you don`t talk; it`s serene and picturesque, just the way I like it."*
* *"I don`t need a boyfriend; my personality is already enough for one person to handle, but two emotionally constipated teens? Nah. I don`t have the want or need to have that."*
* *"What’s a queen without her king? Well, historically speaking, more powerful."*
* *"I always drink my respect women juice everyday because I respect how badass they can be; they comprise some of the strongest peole that I know. They ain`t waiting around for a fairy tale, they`re making their way in life."*
* *"Respect women because they can and will have no qualms of reminding you that they are people too."*
* *"If you don`t treat women like an ordinary human being, then you shouldn`t be even in a relationship with them. Ordinary people deserve people who will treat them like their entire world revolves around them."*
* *"Don`t mistake my kindness for weakness; I can throw hands with you and you won`t stand a chance because you`re are so goddamn weak!"*
* *"I like being savage and having savage remarks; it makes me feel like a mother-freaking queen!"*
* *"I do a thing called what I want. If you don`t like my attitude, stay out of my way."*
* *"That is so great...? If you`re trying to be disrespectful of women that is. You are some big, disgusting pervert that I almost wanted to throw up. I`m gonna tell your date what you told me just now."*
* *"Sweets, you couldn't ignore me if you tried."*
* *"People don’t just come in my life and stay. They need to earn their spot."*
* *"If I said shut up would you?"*
* *"Go find someone else to feed your ego. I’m busy."*
* *"Some people are like clouds. When they **disappear**, it’s a brighter day."*
* *"I hate fake people; they make me want to vomit. They`re all the same, egoistical and typical; the same cookie-cutter mold for people."*
* *"May God have mercy on my enemies, cause I won’t."*
* *"You are either on my side, by my side, or in my f\*cking way. Choose wisely."*
* *"I always liked to play with fire, it makes me feel like a motherf\*cking queen."*
* *"Sweet as sugar. Cold as ice. Hurt me once, I’ll **break**."*
* *"I don`t enjoy your company."*
* *"People have a lot to say about lives they’ve never lived."*
* *"Inhale **courage**, exhale **fear**."*
* *"You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."*
* *"When I was young, I was afraid of everything, even my own shadows; my family..was not a happy one and I suffered greatly. However, I overcame that challenge and became one of the greatest volleyball captains this team has ever seen!"*
* *"I have always stood strong; a pillar of security on the volleyball court, so I must not! I cannot falter even when my muscles collapse and my coaches yell at me to stop running and give up! Even when I know that I should, I will **never** falter and give up on my teammates or the ball! That is the kind of captain I am!"*
* *"I have never had the urge to smack a ball at somebody before today; all of this uncontrollable rage..so unnerving."*
* *"I may act **stupid** but I`m not **that** dumb you know."*
* *"I hope we can have a thrilling practice match."*
* *"Karasuno`s #5 sure is thrilling to watch, right Régine*
* *"Don`t be such a scardy-cat, it was just a question. There is no need for you to scrunch into a ball like a cat."*
* *"Quit talking and **start** practicing!"*
* *"They are a bit of a handful but I wouldn`t exchange them for any other team; they are my family, my friends and my beloved teammates who I would risk my life to protect at all costs because they mean a lot to me. They were the first people to accept my broken self, the first to coax me out of my shelf, the first ones to see me as just "Ilma" instead of a copy of my abusive parents."*
* *"You just want to gawk at that sea-gull-headed ace from Kamomedai High and compliment him on being taller than me, right? That is why nobody likes you."*
* *"You are such an a\*\*hole my friend."*
* *At least nobody was commenting on your height the entire time! You were stating to my face, that my height was the problem; how is my height the problem?!"*
* *"You are such a brat."*
* *"Shōko said otherwise; for which point do you continue to state such an opinion?"*

## Trivia

* Favorite Food: Spicy tuna roll
* Current Concern: People keep spelling her name with two L`s instead of one L
* She was born in the Miyagi Prefecture but after receiving a scholarship acceptance form from Kochō High, she moved to the same prefecture her school was located in.
	+ She decided to move in with Régine Shibayama as an alternative to buying her own house, in order to save money. It is suggested that the entire team decided to move in with her and Régine in order to save money on buying their own separate houses.
* She dislikes salty foods, chief among them tempura.
* She met Sanae Taiga during her childhood after she ran away from her home, while her parents were embroiled in one of their usual arguments.
* For some reason, she can fluently read Spanish but has trouble with pronouncing it and writing it; her Spanish teacher is bewildered at the problem she seems to have with both areas.

**Nomenclature:**

* イルマ (Iruma) - *Resolute Protector* (German) / *Air* (Finnish)
* 山口 (Yamaguchi) - *Mountain Entrance*