Yukio

Little is known about the life of the adventurous Yukio before she became an assassin for the Japanese crimelord Lord Shingen, leader of Clan Yashida. As part of Shingen’s campaign against the mutant hero Wolverine, Yukio drugged Wolverine and brought him before Shingen who proceeded to shame him in battle. Later, Yukio manipulated Wolverine into helping her kill Shingen’s rival Katsuyori. Attracted to Wolverine, Yukio chafed at his love for Shingen’s daughter Mariko, but nevertheless saved Mariko’s life when her abusive husband threatened her.

Following Shingen’s death, Yukio aided Mariko and Wolverine against attempts by the criminal Viper and her bodyguard the Silver Samurai to take over Clan Yashida. During this time, Yukio struck up a lasting friendship with one of Wolverine’s teammates in the X-Men, the weather-manipulating Storm. Yukio then teamed up with Wolverine when he sought to rescue his teammate Kitty Pryde from his former teacher, the demon ninja Ogun. Yukio saved Mariko’s life once more, this time from an assassin in the employ of Ogun’s ally Shigematsu.

Yukio later joined the Mutant Underground, a covert mutant rights activist organization. Her activities led her to be targeted by the techno-organic alien collective the Phalanx. Fleeing to New York, Yukio allied with the X-Men and helped defeat the aliens.

Wolverine ultimately entrusted the care of his foster daughter Amiko to Yukio, who promised to raise her as if she were her own. Soon after, Yukio and Amiko were captured by a faction of the ninja clan the Hand but were rescued by Wolverine. The pair were later abducted again by the criminal Gom Kaishek to force Wolverine to assist against Gom’s brother Haan, who had taken over Clan Yashida. When both Kaisheks were betrayed by their sister Kia, Yukio managed to escape with Amiko, while Wolverine and the Silver Samurai dealt with the remaining Kaishek forces.

Yukio and Amiko were next targeted by the cyborg Lady Deathstrike and the Russian super-soldier Omega Red, two old foes of Wolverine’s who had been hired by his nemesis, the feral mutant Sabretooth. Yukio was crippled by Deathstrike who then carved a message to Wolverine into her back. When Wolverine visited her in the hospital, Yukio asked Wolverine to kill her as she was unwilling to live as a paraplegic, but he chose not to do so.

Yukio eventually recovered in time to aid Storm during her investigation of an underground mutant fighting arena in Tokyo.