Akiko Yano

Akiko Yano
Japanese Name	矢野暁子
Romaji	Yano Akiko
First Appearance	Shin Megami Tensei: if...

Akiko Yano is a minor character in Shin Megami Tensei: if....

Appearances

• Shin Megami Tensei: if...: Minor character

Design

Akiko wears the Karukozaka High School uniform and has long black hair, which she wears in a high ponytail.

Personality

Little is known about Akiko, but according to Hazama's flashback at the end of Reiko's route, she seems to be a stereotypical "mean girl".

Profile

Akiko recieved a love letter from Hazama prior to the beginning of the game, but tore it up without reading it because she didn't want to become a "weirdo" like him. At the beginning of the game, she can be found inside the school's storage room with her boyfriend Ryuichi Sakamoto, where they are hiding from demons. After the protagonist has defeated either Faunus or Melusine, Akiko is kidnapped by Hazama.

In Yumi and Reiko's routes, she and Ryuichi are found in the World of Sloth after having been turned to stone by Hazama. In Charlie's route, she is held captive by Hazama in the World of Wrath, where he gives the protagonist a series of trials in order to return Akiko. At the end, Ryuichi loses his patience and tries to attack Hazama, who teleports both him and Akiko away. The protagonist and Charlie later find them turned into stone. Hazama says that the couple might be able to return to normal if the stone is smashed, and the player is given the choice of doing it or not. Even if the player refuses, Charlie will do it himself, accidentaly killing both of them.

Etymology

Akiko is named after the Japanese musician Akiko Yano. Her boyfriend is likewise named after the musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, who was her namesake's husband. The two of them were already separated by the time of if...'s release and they finally divorced in 2006.

• The name Akiko means "dawn, daybreak" (暁) (aki) and "child" (子) (ko).
• Akiko's surname Yano means "arrow" (矢) (ya) and "field, wilderness" (野) (no).