Yuzu Hīragi

Yuzu Hīragi ( Hīragi Yuzu) is Yūya Sakaki's childhood friend in the Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V anime. She gives powerful pep talks. Her father owns You Show Duel School, the Duel school that she and Yūya attend.

Appearance
Yuzu is a fourteen year-old girl. She has pink hair which she keeps in two pigtails, and blue eyes. Her outfit is the You Show Duel School uniform, which consists a of white and blue sleevless dress and a pink colored tie. Her collar button consists of an green eighth note with a red skirt, black stockings, and pink shoes. However, Zuzu's most noticeable feature is her bracelet, which she wears on her right wrist. It contains two silver, slender bands bigger than the circumference of her hand connected by a rose shape with a pink jewel.

Personality
Yuzu is shown to have an extremely short temper, often resulting in her actions causing huge consequences. An example of this would be when she smashed her fists down on the Solid Vision technology computer at You Show Duel School out of annoyance of how Yūya was Duelling, which ended up destroying the machine. Yuzu also has a tendency of whacking a paper fan on other people's heads, primarily Yuya and Shuzo, whenever they do something foolish. She is also shown to be quite argumentative, wanting to argue with a spectator who insulted Yūya and his father before his Duel with Strong Ishijima, showing that she can be just as defensive and caring of Yūya and his belief in his father.

Her perception and judgement begin to falter after her successive encounters with Yūto, due to Yūto's resemblance with Yūya, and her lack of knowledge of the subject frustrates her. These worries are put at ease after the encouragement from Yūto and Yūya, returning her resolve to become stronger so she can protect You Show Duel School and her friends.

She harbors feelings for Yūya, as shown that she was blushing when Sora mistook her as his girlfriend and whenever Mieru makes advances towards Yūya. The strongest example so far included when she started to cry when she was worried that Yūya would never awake while he was unconscious for a few days after his encounter with Yūto and Yūgo.

Etymology
The character's name, "Yuzu", means Pomelo, and her surname, "Hīragi" , means Osmanthus heterophyllus. Both names are related to plants and fruits. However, her Deck nor anything about her is based on or is about plants and fruits.

Beginning Arc
Yuzu monitored the Duel between Yūya and Gongenzaka in You Show Duel School. Angered at Yūya for not focusing on the Duel, she pounded on the Solid Vision machine's keyboard, causing it to malfunction. As Yuzu panicked, the machine exploded right in front of her face. After the incident, Yuzu was still upset at Yūya for goofing off. As her father, Shuzo, was excited at Nico Smiley's offer for the newest Solid Vision technology, Yuzu smacked him on the head with a paper fan and criticized him for going against his word for not letting Yūya Duel against Strong Ishijima. When Yūya disappeared, Yuzu wondered where he went. Later, she, Gongenzaka and Shūzō went to the Dueling arena to watch Yūya's Duel against Ishijima. She was shocked when Yūya performed a Pendulum Summon, and even more so when he actually defeated Ishijima.

Afterwards, the You Show Duel School was flooded by applicants, which proved difficult for Yuzu to keep up with, alongside the fact that she was scheduled to Duel Yūya in an exhibition match. Before the Action Duel started, Yūya began acting foolishly, earning him a smack from Yuzu's fan, prompting the ire of Yūya's newfound fans. Realizing that she would be portrayed as the villain, she urged Yūya to exchange insults with her, and Yūya came up with the concept that she was looking for revenge for Ishijima. However, Yūya failed to Pendulum Summon during his turn, so he instead urged Yuzu to attack him, under the impression that the pinch would allow him to Pendulum Summon. Instead, Yuzu's attack went through, winning her the Duel. She examined Yūya's Pendulum Cards afterwards to try and figure out how the Summon worked, but they were unable to do so, and all the applicants save Tatsuya left, despite Yuzu's protests. She introduced Tatsuya to Yūya, and the boy was accepted into the Duel School.

At school the next day, Yuzu frantically tried to wake Yūya (who had been up all night trying to Pendulum Summon again), before their teacher could notice; unfortunately, her efforts were unsuccessful, resulting in Yūya embarrassing himself by trying to claim the answer to the problem he'd been asked was "the right one." Yuzu whacked him over the head with her fan, pointing out that that was never the right answer. After school, Futoshi, Ayu, and Tatsuya all asked to see a Pendulum Summon, but they were interrupted by Shingo, who threw sucker-tipped darts at Yūya (to Yuzu's disapproval.) When Shingo, claiming to be a fan of Yūya, offered the use of the Center Duel Field at LDS, Yuzu was somewhat insulted that the school owned by her family was being passed over, but she went along to LDS regardless. Shingo then asked to see Yūya's Pendulum Cards, and swiped them when they were offered, then he offered to return them to Yūya if he won against him in a Duel, holding Yuzu and the other children hostage on top of a suspension bridge in "Dark Town's Prison Tower." When Yūya picked up Action Trap Cards that were set in the area, the place where Yuzu and the children were standing was damaged, and Futoshi almost toppled off were it not for Yuzu's intervention. Scared by the heights, Futoshi began crying, prompting Yuzu to try and reassure him, stating that boys shouldn't cry. After Shingo Pendulum Summoned, the Duel began to go badly for Yūya until he was able to reclaim his stolen Pendulum Monsters with "Empty Fishing." At that point, the tower crumbled beneath Yuzu and the others, but she and Ayu were saved by "Stargazer Magician," and she cheered Yūya on as he won the Duel with his own Pendulum Summon. Afterwards, Shingo tried to take the Pendulum Cards by force until he was knocked out by Sora Shiun'in, who proceeded to declare himself Yūya's apprentice. Yuzu was more shocked about the state of Shingo and his friends, until Sora reassured her that he'd simply knocked them unconscious.

As she walked to school with Yūya the next day, Yūya explained that Sora had followed him home and continued to follow him around, Sora proving so by popping up behind them a few seconds later. After Yūya's continual refusal to show Sora a Pendulum Summon, Sora asked Yuzu, whom he thought was Yūya's girlfriend, to help him ask. Yūya and Yuzu denied that they were dating, Yūya claiming he'd never date a "strong, crude girl" like Yuzu. Though somewhat uncomfortable after Sora's statement, Yūya's remarked earned him a swat from Yuzu's fan, and she angrily walked off, muttering furiously that Yūya didn't have to describe it like that. Nevertheless, her anger eventually faded, though Sora continued to interrupt them over the course of the day, putting Yūya in a bad mood. Yuzu managed to snap him out of it, pointing out that he was an entertainer, but Sora was waiting for them at You Show Duel School. His begging Yūya to Duel him and his reaction after being turned down yet again by Yūya earned Yuzu's sympathies. Eventually, Yūya agreed to Duel Sora. During the Duel, Yuzu appreciated Sora's cute-looking monsters, though she was surprised when he Fusion Summoned and she comforted a scared Ayu. After Yūya's "Odd-Eyes" was destroyed, Yuzu sympathized with him, knowing that the card represented both Yūya's courage and his Pendulum Summoning. She was relieved for him when he won the Duel.

One day, Yuzu and Ayu, on their way back to the You Show Duel School with ice cream for everyone, overheard two of Shingo's friends commenting that Shingo was planning on getting revenge on Yūya for humiliating him. She decided to go after him, intent on repaying Yūya for saving her in his Duel with Shingo. When she got to their hangout, she told Ayu to go and tell Yūya what was happening before entering the warehouse. Her interruption caused Shingo to choke on his food, and she angrily yelled at him, shooting various insults and not letting Shingo get a single word in in response. She demanded to Duel Shingo, and he accepted, locking them inside the warehouse.

Before they could begin, the warehouse door was thrown open by a mysterious Duelist, who raised his Duel Disk, indicating that he intended to take Yuzu's place in the Duel. She protested, but the Duelist told her that he didn't want to see her hurt anymore. The Duelist Set his entire hand on the first turn, only to have it destroyed by Shingo's new "Monarch" cards. Yuzu realized in shock that she could feel the wind from "Mobius the Mega Monarch" when it used its effect and attacked despite the fact that they weren't in an Action Field. The Duelist used the effects of the Spell Cards in his Graveyard to block the direct attack and then performed an Xyz Summon on the next turn, calling out "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon," then using it to reduce Shingo to 100 Life Points, violently damaging the warehouse with its attack. The Duelist questioned Shingo, then turned to leave, but Shingo attempted to win the Duel, only to be countered by another card from the Duelist's Graveyard, "Phantom Des Spear," which pierced Shingo's jacket. The Duelist removed his mask and revealed himself to be a boy with a face that resembled Yūya so much that Yuzu, Shingo and his gang mistook him for Yūya. She attempted to ask him what he had been doing, but her bracelet suddenly glowed with a harsh magenta light, blinding her. After the glow faded, she found that the Duelist vanished. As Yuzu tried to locate the mysterious Duelist, Yūya ran into the warehouse and asked her what had happened, commenting on the smell of smoke.

The next day, Yuzu attended class at the Duel School with Yūya and her friends, but her thoughts remained preoccupied by what she'd seen the previous night. She asked her father whether their school taught Xyz Summoning, only to get a negative response. Yuzu was somewhat relieved until everyone heard Gongenzaka shouting. Shingo's friends had showed up, claiming that Yūya had hospitalized Shingo. They pointed out that Yuzu had seen it too; she remained silent, unsure of what she'd seen. Himika Akaba, Chairwoman of the Leo Corporation, then arrived, also accusing Yūya. Eventually, she stated that regardless of whether Yūya had attacked Shingo or not, the loss would damage the reputation of LDS and could not go unanswered. Himika then made a bet that the two schools would Duel; if LDS won, they would acquire the You Show Duel School and add Pendulum Summoning to its curriculum. Yūya refused to give into their ideals, though Yuzu still wasn't sure about what she'd seen. She asked Yūya if he'd attacked Shingo and Yūya denied it. Convinced that he was telling the truth, Yuzu agreed to fight with him, and Sora joined them as the three representatives to fight the three elite students from LDS, with Yūya going first against Hokuto Shijima.

After Yūya won his match against Hokuto, Yuzu offered to Duel against Masumi Kōtsu next. Yuzu went in with confidence, knowing that a win would protect the You Show Duel School and Yūya. Masumi pointed out that Yuzu's eyes were clouded and she was hesitating. During the course of the Duel, Yuzu kept seeing Yūya as Yūto, affecting her actions. Even though she got an advantage after her first turn, Masumi rebounded and used the effect of "Gem-Knight Master Diamond" to finish Yuzu off. Yuzu jumped at the opportunity to grab an Action Card, only to find that she was looking at a reflection of it, proving Masumi's analysis of Yuzu's current state of mind. Yuzu was blasted back by "Master Diamond" and lost her Duel. As Yūya tried to wake her up, she saw him as a vague silhouette of Yūto at first. With the score tied at 1-1, Gongenzaka Dueled with with Yaiba Tōdō to determine the You Show Duel School's fate. After the Duel ended in a draw, she watched the tiebreaker Duel between Yūya and Reiji.

After Yūya's win against Reiji, she tried to console Yūya after he realized he was not the only one who could Pendulum Summon. Throughout Shuzo's Duel with Yūya, she was extremely irritated by her father's antics, and after her father lost his Duel to Yūya and pretended to die dramatically (with an equally dramatic response from Yūya), she slapped him with her fan.

While eating lunch at school with Yūya, she was approached by Shingo, who offered her a handkerchief, but she turned his gesture down. She later learned from him that Reiji left the Duel due to an attack on an LDS professor. After school, when Yūya pleaded with her to help him qualify for the Junior Youth Championship, Yuzu reminded him that she had already qualified and thus can't Duel him. After hearing of Yūya's goal to become stronger, she also decided that she should do that as well. She went in search of Sora, whom she found at LDS, and led him to the hangar where Shingo was attacked. Yuzu asked him to train her in Fusion Summoning, troubled over her loss to Masumi. Sora gave her a "Polymerization" card and explained the basics of Fusion Summoning. Sora detected the presence of another person then; Yuzu watched as Sora chased down the person and fought with his Duel Disk, then recognized the third party to be the masked Duelist that Dueled Shingo. Masumi then showed up, believing that the Duelist had attacked Marco, and attempted to Duel him herself, but as Yuzu desperately tried to calm the group down, her bracelet glowed again, transporting the Duelist away. As before, Yūya came running in soon after looking for Yuzu, and explained that he'd got the four Duels he needed to enter the Championship.

Rather than go with Yūya to watch his Duels, Yuzu instead went with Sora, who was seeking to qualify himself. Sora made sure to Fusion Summon in his Duels to demonstrate some of the basics to Yuzu. The two later had a practice Duel, but Yuzu's Fusion Summon failed as she'd forgotten to put her "Schuberta the Melodious Maestra" in her Extra Deck. Sora chided her for not remembering that Fusion Monsters went in the Extra Deck instead of the Main Deck. He noted that she was still thinking about the masked Duelist, and that it was throwing her concentration off. Yuzu confided with Sora of the Duelist's ability to cause physical impacts outside of an Action Duel, and was surprised when her bracelet suddenly began to glow. Unbeknownst to her, this warped the eavesdropping masked Duelist away. Yūya showed up afterwards, as Shuzo had sent him to find her.

Yuzu later returned home and asked her father about her bracelet. Shūzō told her that she'd had it since she was born, an answer that didn't satisfy Yuzu. She left for her room, slumped on her bed and removed the bracelet, telling herself to get her act together. She continued watching Sora's qualification Duels, making sure to pay more attention. She improved to the point of being able to correctly discern his winning move and chant along with his Summon.

As they walked towards the warehouses later, she noted that he could have won earlier, but he replied that he'd held back to show her Fusion Summoning again. Yuzu thought she had Fusion Summoning down, and she was ready to practice her skills in a real match, and Sora accepted. Masumi then showed up again before them, asking where the masked Duelist was, believing Yuzu to be hiding him. Masumi explained that several LDS members had vanished, and blamed Yuzu for letting the Duelist escape. She challenged Yuzu to a Duel, but Sora commented that Yuzu should be able to defeat Masumi easily, as LDS Fusion Summons weren't much of a threat. Masumi took this as an insult and challenged him instead, but her claims of LDS being the strongest attracted the attention of Shun, who ran up and knocked Yuzu aside, scattering her cards. He held out his Duel Disk, challenging Masumi himself; however, before they could Duel, the masked Duelist jumped in to stop Shun, who addressed him as "Yūto". When Shun finally noticed Yuzu, he mistook her for someone called Ruri. Yuzu was taken aback, but before he could go on, Shun was punched in the gut by Yūto, who told him that she wasn't Ruri, before Shun fell unconscious. Yūto picked up "Polymerization" from Yuzu's scattered cards and remarked that Fusion Summoning didn't suit Yuzu. Yūya came running to Yuzu with Hokuto and Yaiba soon after; her bracelet glowed as it did in past incidents, teleporting both Yūto and Shun away. When Yūya asked if she was alright, she expressed confusion over being called "Ruri" and the recurring events that had been happening around her, and started to cry. Yūya helped her gather her Deck and returned it to her, but later picked up her "Polymerization" card, thinking he had overlooked it earlier.

Yuzu returned to the warehouses the next day to search for her missing card, but was disrupted by Sora's call to watch his final qualifying Duel. They made it to Yūya's Duel against Mieru right as he used her "Polymerization" to Fusion Summon; when the Duel ended, Yūya thanked Yuzu for her card as he returned it to her, since it had been an important factor in helping him clinch the match. However, they were interrupted as Mieru jumped onto Yūya, thinking that he was her "fated person", causing her to become angry and chase Yūya with her fan, somehow thinking that it was his fault.

After they left Mieru's Duel School, Yuzu looked at her returned "Fusion" Spell Card and remembered Yūto's comments regarding it. She then saw Masumi up ahead in the streets, heading down an alleyway, and giving her friends the excuse that he was doing something that she'd just remembered, she pursued Masumi, but quickly lost her and instead ran into Yūto, who prevented her from going any further, as Shun was currently Dueling Masumi. Yūto didn't want Yuzu involved, nor to get hurt, but she called him out on letting Shun hurt Masumi regardless, and angrily asked who Yūto and Shun were. Yūto explained the situation: He and Shun were fighting to get back their captured comrades, one of which was Ruri. And while he had indeed initially mistaken Yuzu for Ruri, Yūto explained that Yuzu was not Ruri, as their enemy used Fusion Summoning, which Yuzu had learned happily. Yuzu explained that she had done so to try and protect You Show Duel School. Yūto was quite surprised, and he ended up encouraging her to keep trying to protect her friends, saying that it wasn't wrong, before smiling, causing Yuzu to compare him to Yūya. Before leaving, her told her his name, and explained that Ruri was in fact Shun's younger sister. Yuzu eventually arrived at the place where Masumi and Shun had been Dueling, but by then, only the crows remained.