Yuki Nagato

Yuki Nagato is a main character in the Haruhi Suzumiya franchise (original light novel series, TV anime, and manga). Previously a member of the Literary Club, Yuki is the third person to join the SOS Brigade. At first glance, she appears to be an introverted, taciturn bibliophile. She later reveals herself to Kyon as an alien created by the Data Overmind, and possesses supernatural powers as a result. She was sent to North High to watch over Haruhi Suzumiya, and over the course of her time there she comes to develop insights into being a person, as well as emotions (according to Kyon). Yuki is commonly known by her surname Nagato without any honorific (which is not unusual). For example, Kyon calls her "Nagato", as opposed to how he calls Haruhi Suzumiya by her given name (Haruhi) and Mikuru Asahina by her surname with honorific (Asahina-san). Yuki is voiced by Minori Chihara in the sub and Michelle Ruff in the dub. Yuki Nagato is very short for her "age" compared to the rest of her friends. She has short jagged purple hair which never grows and golden brown eyes. She used to wear glasses but stopped after Kyon told her she looked better without them. Nagato rarely wears anything beyond her school uniform unless instructed to, even on weekends, though she's been known to wear more casual clothes during vacations (e.g. Remote Island Syndrome, Endless Eight). When Kyon met Nagato in year -3, she looked exactly the same as "now", except for some qualities of facial expression. Yuki Nagato is a humanoid interface with the appearance of an ordinary North High student. It is not clear which faction of the Data Overmind she serves, though she has confirmed that she belongs to the "majority" faction and is not a member of a radical one. Nagato was created with limited social abilities, something she claims will affect her until she ceases functioning. She rarely speaks, often either ignoring attempts to communicate (in Editor in Chief★Straight Ahead!, Itsuki Koizumi feared she would ignore a demand from the Student Council President to visit and so delivered the message himself), or using gestures like nods, staring or pointing, or giving one word replies. Her responsiveness has increased over time, at least when dealing with those she is familiar with. For instance, she ignored Tsuruya's attempts to communicate with her in year 0, but recited poetry with Tsuruya when prompted in The Surprise. Nagato's voice is always in monotone. Her facial expressions rarely change, and any such changes are minor. Careful observation is required to discern any emotional responses; Kyon is not necessarily correct in his observations. He believes the expressions of her face have changed since their first meeting (from her perspective) in Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody. As a result, Nagato frequently acts "shy". For instance, she appeared unable to obtain a library card without Kyon's help. When interacting with people outside of the SOS Brigade, she frequently stares at the floor and either gives very short responses or says nothing at all, even if angry. For instance, when asked questions by Tsuruya, she first said nothing, but later responded; she reacted the same way in Live A Live when asked Haruhi's location by schoolmates. Her silent trait extends to interactions with members of the SOS Brigade; when Kyon wanted to throw out her books from the SOS Brigade headquarters in "Love at First Sight", Nagato only stared at him sadly. Nagato has frequently communicated with Koizumi, but only on paranormal or scientific matters. Even when communicating to Mikuru Asahina about a mission in the prologue to The Intrigues, Kyon did most of the talking, and Nagato contributed "footnotes" when explaining something that Kyon forgot or could not understand. Nagato has shown a strong understanding of human emotions, but has difficulty expressing them due to the limitations of human communication as compared to the straightforward data transfer normal to her kind. She usually says nothing or gives an understated answer, such as "relatively" enjoying books and being "a little bit" disappointed at being rejected. She rarely expresses opinions. She was able to determine why "Michuru" thought her behavior was disturbing when Michiru stayed over at her apartment overnight, also commenting that Michiru's analysis was wrong. Nagato maintains a surface calm in all situations, however dire. She also behaves in a manner which would please Haruhi (such as telling her that her cooking was "delicious" or setting up a mystery in Mystérique Sign). Unlike Koizumi and Asahina, who at least express discomfort with or polite questioning of Haruhi Suzumiya's demands at times, Nagato unwaveringly follows Haruhi's instructions and only participates in events dictated by her. She otherwise demonstrates minimal initiative, extending to her method of decorating her apartment (she didn't before The Disappearance) and her lack of engagement in Literature Club activities, at least in her first year at North High. (In her second year, her attempts at recruiting students involved her describing deficiencies in verbal communication.) This is in spite of her often demonstrated interest in human activities. Nagato is very fond of reading and later developed computer programming as a hobby. Nagato has a stoic devotion to her mission. She was willing to endure prolonged isolation when watching over Kyon and Mikuru Asahina for three years in Bamboo Leaf Rhapsody and made no effort to break free from the time loop of Endless Eight, as her purpose was only to observe. In The Dissociation she stated that she would protect the rest of the SOS Brigade, but Kyon said "having no concern for yourself is behavior I absolutely will not allow." Nagato poorly conceals her inhuman nature although her normal appearance helps her avoid suspicion. For instance, when referring to someone by name, she always uses their full name. When speaking to someone, she does not use their name, simply referring to them as "you". (This serves to explain, from a literary standpoint at least, why Nagato rarely speaks to anyone other than Kyon when he is present; doing so would often present the need for her to refer to Kyon in the third person, using his thus-far unrevealed full name.) Other humanoid interfaces have not demonstrated this behavior. Kyon even noted that she doesn't blink often (in The Sigh) or simply stares into space. According to Ryoko Asakura, Nagato taught her to act according to her own will, which she believed had something to do with evolution, and that she and Nagato are more alike than Kimidori. In The Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya, Nagato is depicted as a closet otaku, shamelessly playing eroge games, cosplaying (even getting into a brief cosplay war with Mikuru), getting "excited" about anime and manga, staying up late playing video games, and even showing emotion, such as laughing at Ryoko's misfortune and being utterly crushed when Ryoko destroys her laptop.