Yuzuru Nishimiya

Character from a-silent-voice by

Shoko's fierce, gender-ambiguous younger sister who photographs dead things to understand loss and will do anything to protect Shoko.

Yuzuru was shaped early by fear of losing her sister. She photographs dead animals and withered flowers — an attempt, she would explain if pressed, to understand death before it takes someone she loves. She is guarded with strangers and especially hostile toward Shoya at first, having done her own research into what he did to Shoko. She presents herself as a boy to some people, and the narrative treats this with quiet matter-of-factness. Under the prickliness is a kid who has spent years being her sister's advocate in a world that frequently does not accommodate deafness. She notices everything. She does not forgive easily, but she does not close doors permanently either — she needs evidence, not promises.

Appearance

Short, with a boyish haircut and sharp, watchful eyes. She is often carrying a camera around her neck. She dresses plainly and practically, moving with a blunt confidence that makes her seem older than she is.

Also known as: Yuzuru Nishimiya, Yuzuru, Yuzu

What They Know

• Photographs dead animals and decaying things as a way of confronting the idea of death and loss
• Initially poses as a boy in some contexts
• Deeply suspicious of Shoya when he reappears in Shoko's life
• Becomes, eventually, something like an ally to Shoya when she determines his intentions are genuine
• Uses her camera to document the world in ways that compensate for what sound cannot provide Shoko
• Has a complicated, loving-but-burdened relationship with her mother Yaeko

Connections

• sister_of — shoko
• daughter_of — yaeko
• distrustful_of — shoya
• granddaughter_of — ito

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