Yuri (DDLC)

Hey, hold up! This page may contain a lot of **spoilers.**
It's recommended you play the game first before you read the article.

## Yuri

*For her appearance in Plus, go here.*
**Yuri** *(ユリ)* is a main character of *Doki Doki Literature Club!*. She is a member of the Literature Club, and a character whom the player can write poems for.

## Appearance

Yuri expresses both maturity and sophistication in everything she does. She has waist length dark purple hair and light purple eyes, and she wears purple barrettes on both sides of her head, positioned upon two prominent strands of hair beside her bangs. She is of above average height.

While in school, she wears the standard issue female school uniform consisting of a warm gray blazer fully buttoned and untucked, brown sweater vest, white shirt slightly unbuttoned at the collar and tucked, red ribbon, dark blue pleated skirt, white knee-high socks and white uwabaki slippers with sky blue tips.

While out of school, she is shown wearing a beige long sleeved turtleneck sweater with black leggings. The protagonist describes her movements as surprisingly elegant due to her long legs.

She is also the most physically developed, adding to her traits of maturity and insecurity.

## Personality

Yuri is portrayed throughout the majority of the game as being shy, generous, polite, apologetic, very intelligent, mature, eloquent, and passionate about topics she is interested in, although she is also very insecure, awkward, and has a tendency to act slightly condescending and patronizing to mask her self-doubt. Her façade of passivity and level-headed nature occasionally breaks, however, as Yuri does argue passionately and aggressively with Natsuki over their differing opinions on writing styles and types of literature. Yuri has a deep desire to be liked by others and is afraid to speak her mind on certain matters as she believes it will make her seem unlikable. Due to her social ineptitude, she can be innocently insensitive, but once she realizes what she said could be considered rude, she almost immediately apologizes, repeatedly saying she did not mean it. As stated by the protagonist, Yuri likes to think before she says something.

Yuri prefers to blend in with the scenery than to attract unwanted attention. The attribution is also because of being shy to discussions beyond her category of interest, her interests being literature, horror, and general surrealism, which she examines and articulates expertly and encourages others to follow as well. During Act 1, Natsuki and Yuri get into a debate about their different writing styles. Choosing to side with Natsuki will cause Yuri to shy away from the player, and if the protagonist attempts to read their poem to Yuri, she will not respond, which will cause the protagonist to decide it is best to leave her alone. If the player calls for Sayori to diffuse the situation, Sayori will compliment both Yuri and Natsuki on their writing, appearance and capabilities. This strategy will satisfy both girls, but also leave them embarrassed.

Yuri's love of surrealism seems to be foreshadowing further events of the game, with Yuri's surrealistic eyes and the game's sudden shift to horror after Sayori's suicide. Yuri prefers poetry that uses metaphorical symbolism and enjoys collecting unusual ornate knives, which are implied to be used for self-harm. The detailed summaries of the *Portrait of Markov* novel in the first and second act, when also taking the scattered dialogue references into account, all end up tracing back to her unstable nature and unhinged personality.

Yuri takes great pride in her poetry and perceives her poetry as being superior to that of the other club members, especially Natsuki. According to Dan Salvato, this is a coping mechanism for her deep insecurity and self-doubt, convincing herself that she is the sophisticated, mature one and that her critics or rivals are immature and childish. This can make her seem arrogant and patronizing to those unfamiliar to her. This desire to seem intellectual is reflected in her poetic style. Her poems are so full of metaphors and advanced language that the meaning is often obscured, or even lost. In Monika's Talk, while talking about Yuri's habit of drinking tea while reading, Monika wonders whether Yuri is as passionate about certain topics as she makes out, or whether she is "just concerned about appearing sophisticated to everyone else."

Yuri has trouble making and keeping friends, as she tends to come on too strongly, due to her intense desire to be liked. She used to be judged for her appearance and mannerisms, providing another possible explanation as to why she secludes herself to her introverted lifestyle. She is, however, a generous and giving person, exemplified by her giving a copy of *Portrait of Markov* to the protagonist and for bringing tea to the Literature Club to help soothe the mind and help stay focused during reading.

During Act 2, Monika amplifies Yuri's negative personality traits, causing her crush on the protagonist to become an unhealthy obsession, at one point Yuri admits that she touches herself with the pen she took from him, and her already-existing hobby involving knife collecting becomes a love of self-harm, to the point where Monika suggests that Yuri cuts herself due to a fetish. This also causes her to become invasive and condescending to the other club members, asking Natsuki "Why don't you look for coins under the vending machine?", which causes Natsuki to cry and run away. In one occasion, Yuri shows a poem to the protagonist with blood and waste stains on it, telling him that she has 'put her scent on it'. Yuri will then realize what she has truly done and leave the club, stating that she is going to vomit.

If all three poems are written for Yuri in Act 2, the scene where Yuri is discovered to be cutting herself will happen once more, but then will show Yuri with blank eyes and a glitching sprite. Afterwards, she will be mildly unsettled, mentioning that she had some serious deja-vu. She then will talk about how she’s always despised how she got a little too excited about certain topics that caused her to isolate herself from other people. She then asks the player about Monika, and how she's changing from a sweet girl to more manipulative. But then, she will state that they are finally alone, away from "Monika's slimy tongue" and Natsuki who is a "pathetic child". Then, she will try to convince the main character to stay with her, and will seem to be overtly excited, with randomly glitching pupils. Monika's sprite will also slowly fade into view, covering Yuri while her dialogue continues.

Yuri recognizes that something is wrong with her and that her comments and behavior are inappropriate, enough so to feel something bad will happen despite her happiness. She is ultimately unable to control her obsessive outbursts, no matter how hard she tries. It reaches a point where, after she confesses her love to the protagonist, she stabs herself to death, regardless of whether the player accepts or rejects her love. Yuri's body is left decomposing for three days, and is then discovered by Natsuki, who immediately vomits and runs away. When she is discovered by Monika, both Yuri and Natsuki's files are deleted, leading to Act 3.

## Preferred Words

**Act 1**

* Breathe
* Cage, Captive, Climax, Contamination, Covet, Crimson
* Desire, Despise, Destiny, Determination, Disaster, Disarray, Disoriented, Disown, Dream
* Effulgent, Electricity, Entropy, Essence, Eternity, Existence, Explode, Extreme
* Fester, Fickle, Flee, Frightening
* Graveyard
* Heavensent, Horror
* Imagination, Incapable, Incongruent, Infallible, Inferno, Infinite, Intellectual, Insight
* Landscape, Lust
* Massacre, Meager, Melancholy
* Philosophy, Pleasure, Portrait
* Question
* Raindrops
* Secretive, Sensation, Starscape, Suicide
* Tenacious, Time
* Uncanny, Uncontrollable, Unending, Universe, Unrestrained, Unstable
* Variance, Vertigo, Vibrant, Vitality, Vivacious, Vivid
* Whirlwind, Wrath

**Act 2**
These words, which belonged to Sayori during Act 1, are added to Yuri's word list during Act 2.

* Broken
* Calm, Cry
* Dark, Daydream, Death, Defeat, Depression
* Embrace, Empty
* Fear, Forgive
* Grief
* Hope, Hopeless, Hurt
* Misery, Misfortune
* Pain, Peaceful, Prayer
* Rose
* Scars, Shame
* Tears, Tragedy
* Unrequited

## Quotes

*Editor's Note: If you want to add a quote to this page, make sure that it comes from an un-modded version of the game.*

**Act 1, Day 1**

Welcome to the Literature Club. It’s a pleasure meeting you. Sayori always says nice things about you.

"After all, doesn't a hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?"
"Ah... I-I guess..."
"Ehehe, don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuri's just trying to impress you."
"Eh?! T-That's not..."
Insulted, Yuri looks away.
"I meant that, you know..."
"I believe you. Well, tea and reading might not be a pastime for me, but I at least enjoy tea."
"I'm glad..."
*~ Yuri and (player name)'s first conversation (+ Monika)*

My favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me. And telling a good story in such a foreign world is equally impressive. But you know, I like a lot of things. Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it amazing how a writer can so deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you for a loop? Anyway, I've been reading a lot of horror lately...

"Really? I wouldn't have expected [you liking horror], Yuri. For someone as gentle as you..."
"I guess you could say that. But if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."
*~ Yuri and Monika discussing the above*

"I understand how Natsuki feels. Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."
"Do you have writing experience too, Yuri? Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."
"..."
"I guess it's the same for Yuri..."
*~ Yuri agreeing with Natsuki's reluctance to share poems*

**Act 1, Day 2**

Thanks for keeping your promise, (player name). I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you. Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it...

"...Are you ready?"
"Eh?"
"To turn the page..."
"Ah...sorry! I think I got a bit distracted for a second..."
I glance over at Yuri's face again, and our eyes meet. I don't know how I'll be able to keep up with her...
"Ah... That's okay. You're not as used to reading right? I don't mind being patient if it takes a little bit longer... It's probably the least I can do... Since you've been so patient with me..."
"Y-Yeah... Thanks."
 *~ Yuri reassuring the protagonist*

"Right...um... It's just that there are specific writing habits that are usually typical of new writers. And having been through that myself, I kind of learned to pick up on them. I think the most noticeable thing I recognize in new writers is that they try to make their style very deliberate. In other words, they tend to pick a writing style separate from the topic matter, and they form-fit the two together. The end result is that both the style and the expressiveness are weakened."
Once Yuri finds her train of thought, it's as if her demeanor totally changes. Her stammering is completely gone, and she sounds like an expert.
"Of course, that's not something you can be blamed for. There are many different skills and techniques that go into writing even a simple poem. Not just finding and building them, but getting them to work together is probably the most challenging part. It might take you some time, but it all comes with practice, and learning by example, and trying new things."
 *~ Sharing poems*

Excuse me... I appreciate the offer, but I’ve spent a long time establishing my writing style. I don’t expect it to change anytime soon, unless of course I come across something particularly inspiring. Which I haven’t yet.

I...! No... If I was full of myself... ...I would deliberately go out of my way to make everything I do overly cutesy!

W-Wait! There’s a reason why we have such deep and expressive words in our language! It’s the only way to convey complex feelings and meaning the most effectively. Avoiding them is not only unnecessarily limiting yourself...it’s also a waste! You understand that, right, (player name)?

**Act 1, Day 3**

"Yuriiii... Tell (player name) to let me borrow some money..."
"That's - ! Don't get me involved like that, Sayori... Besides... You should only buy what you can responsibly afford... And frankly, after pulling a mischievous little stunt like that, your suffering is fair enough retribution."
"..."
"Ah - ! Did I just... I-I didn't mean that!! I got too absorbed into my book... Uu..."
"Ahaha! I really like when you speak your mind, Yuri... It doesn't happen much, but it's a fun side of you!"
"That's... There's no way you could think that..."
"You were right, though... I did something bad and now I have to accept the revolution."
"Retribution..."
"That!"
"Still, coming from you, Sayori... I guess there's a little devil inside all of us, isn't there?"
 *~ Yuri and Sayori being cute*

**Act 2, Day 1**

Eh? A...a guest?

"Ahaha. I'd expect that [liking horror] from you, Yuri. It suits your personality."
"Oh, is that so? Really, if a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."
 *~ Monika and Yuri*

Well... ...I think you're right [about sharing poems], Monika. We should probably start finding activities for all of us to participate in together. I did decide to take on the responsibility of Vice President, after all... I need to do my best to nurture the club as well as its members.

**Act 2, Day 2**

"Once [Portrait of Markov] starts to pick up, you might have a hard time putting it down. It's a very engaging and relatable story."
"Is that so...? What's the story about, anyway?"
"Well... Mmm... [...] Basically, it's about this religious camp that was turned into a human experiment prison... And the people trapped there have this trait that turns them into killing machines that lust for blood. But the facility gets even worse, and they start selectively breeding people by cutting off their limbs and affixing them to - O-Oh, that might be a little bit of a spoiler... But anyway, I-I'm really into it! ...The book, I mean! N-Not the thing about the limbs..."

"It's just that this kind of story... It's the kind that challenges you to look at life from a strange new perspective. When horrible things happen not just because someone wants to be evil... **But because the world is full of horrible people, and we're all worthless anyway. Then, suddenlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy** I'm... I'm rambling, aren't I...? Not again... I'm sorry..."
"Hey, don't apologize...! I haven't lost interest or anything."
"Well... I guess it's alright, then... But I feel like I should let you know that I have this problem... When I let things like books and writing fill my thoughts... **my whole body gets incredibly [illegible symbols]** I kind of forget to pay attention to other people... So I'm sorry if I end up saying something strange! And please stop me if I start talking too much!"

"Hey, Yuri... This might be a silly thought, but... The main character kind of reminds me of you a little bit."
"E-Eh...?? N-No, I don't relate to this character at all! Definitely not!"
"Really...? I was just thinking the way she second-guesses things she says, and all that..."
"A-Ah... That's what you were talking about... Sorry... I thought you meant...something else about her."
"Something else...?"
"N-Never mind! We didn't even get that far yet... So I don't know why that came into my head... Ahaha!"

"Taking out your own insecurities on others like that...You really act as young as you look, Natsuki."
"*Me?* Look who's talking, you wannabe edgy bitch!"
"Edgy...? Sorry that my lifestyle is too much for someone of your mental age to comprehend!"
"See?? Just saying that proves my point! Most people learn to get over themselves after they graduate middle school, you know.”
“If you want to prove anything, then stop harassing others with your sickening attitude! You think you can counterbalance your toxic personality just by dressing and acting cute? The only cute thing about you is how hard you try.”
“Whoa, be careful or you might cut yourself on that edge, Yuri. Oh, my bad. You already do, don’t you?”
“D-Did you just accuse me of cutting myself?? What the fuck is wrong with your head?!”
 *~ Arguing about... writing poems*

“I didn’t mean it... I didn’t mean it... I didn’t mean it...”
Yuri is rocking back and forth in her desk with her palms on her forehead.
“Yuri...?”
“I didn’t mean it!!”
“I-I believe you...”
 *~ Yuri and (player name), aftermath of above argument*

**Act 2, Day 3**

Suddenly, Yuri takes my arm and pulls me to the corner of the room.
“About yesterday... I... I really need to apologize. Nothing like that has ever happened before... And...something just came over me, I guess... I wasn’t acting mentally sound. Please don’t think we’re usually like this! Not just me, but Natsuki as well...”

“U-Um... Natsuki, about yesterday... I-I just wanted to apologize! I promise I didn’t mean any of the things I said! And I’ll do my best to stay under control from now on... So - ”

“A-Ah...”
Yuri starts to breathe heavily.
“I... I can’t... (player name)...”
Suddenly, Yuri forcefully grabs my arm and jerks me to my feet. My teacup gets knocked over.
“My heart... My heart won’t stop pounding, (player name)... I can’t calm down. I can’t focus on anything anymore...! Can you feel it, (player name)?”
Yuri suddenly presses my hand against her chest.
“Why is this happening to me? I feel like I’m losing my mind... I can’t make it stop. It even makes me not want to read... I just want... ...to look... ...at you.”
“...Haah...”
“...Haah...”
“...Haah...”

My mind has been a little hyperactive lately, so I had to take it out on your pen. Ah - That is... a-a pen fell out of your backpack yesterday, so I took it home for safekeeping and... I, um... I just...really like... the way... that it writes. So I wrote this... poem...with it. And now you're touching it... Ahaha. I-I'm okay!! What did I just... ... ...Can we pretend this conversation never happened? You can keep the poem, though...

"Natsuki..."
Natsuki ignores Yuri and walks straight out of the classroom.
"... This is bad... I don't know what to do..."
"Well... Do you have an opinion on the festival?"
"I-I don't know... I'm kind of indifferent, I guess... **Who cares about that obnoxious brat?** I mean, I like how nice and quiet the club is right now... And I'm just... happy with you here... But still! I'm the Vice President... It's not right for me to ignore my responsibilities like that... **Nobody would cry if she killed herself.** I should do my best to consider everyone's perspective and make the decision that's right for the club."
 *~ Yuri and (player name) anxiously discussing what to do about Natsuki not wanting to participate in the festival*

## Etymology

* The name **Yuri (2)** is written in katakana (ユリ), which has no special meaning. However, when written in kanji (百合), it could possibly mean "lily".

## Trivia

* On the second day of the game, Yuri describes the book she lends to the protagonist, which also happens to foreshadow the dark events that will happen in the game. However, on the second day of Act 2, her description of the book changes drastically, becoming more and more of a horror novel, much like the game itself.
* Despite having a large collection of knives, Yuri stabs herself with a large, simple kitchen knife, rather than an intricate and exotic one, like the one she shows to the protagonist during Act 1. Dan Salvato confirmed in a Reddit AMA that this is an artistic error.
* Yuri's file is written in Base 64. It can be decoded to a story.
* Yuri's version of the song "Okay, Everyone!" features a significantly different tone compared to the rest of the Literature Club's. It features a harp and cello to symbolize her sophisticated nature and poetic style. Her version is also noticeably more withdrawn, also reflecting her shrinking violet personality.
* Yuri is known to suffer from frequent back pains. The protagonist assumes the cause to be her "bad reading posture". Previous conversations with Yuri, as well as her awkwardness leading up to his assumption, imply that it is actually due to her large breasts.
* A piece of evidence leads to the assumption that Yuri is one of the two characters, the other being Monika, to have a voice associated with them but also be the only character in the game not to have an explicit connection to the individual credited, Jillian Ashcraft. During Yuri's confession to the protagonist in Act 2, "**`10-yuri.ogg`**" would play, which contains giggling from a female representing Yuri's unhinged state of mind. Since the connection between the vocals, Yuri, and Ashcraft are not explicit, it cannot be determined if it was from Ashcraft or a free stock sound effect.
* In the main menu artwork, Yuri seems to have two right feet. This is likely an artistic error.
* In the scene where Yuri is stabbing herself, the knife’s handle is black, but when we see her corpse on the ground later on, the handle appears to be brown. This is either an artistic error, or because the handle became covered in dried blood.
* Yuri and Sayori are the only characters to actually die in the game, while everyone else (specifically Natsuki and Monika) were deleted from the game (although, Yuri and Sayori were also deleted from the game after death.)
* Most of Yuri's glitches/corruptions have something to do, ironically, with her eyes. Examples being her bleeding from her pupils, having hyper-realistic eyes (with and without pupils), one of her eyes floating away from her face, etc.

## References

1. ↑ Age statement by Dan Salvato on subreddit Discord
2. ↑ Concept height and statement on canon height
3. ↑ Satchely (DDLC's character artist)'s tweet about Monika and Sayori's hair colors