Yuzuru Nishimiya

Description \ Bio

Yuzuru Nishimiya is a major character in the Koe no Katachi series. She is the granddaughter of Ito Nishimiya, the youngest of the two daughters of Yaeko Nishimiya and the younger sister of Shōko Nishimiya. Yuzuru is a third-year junior high school student (9th grade), but she rarely attends and instead takes photos with her camera around town. Yuzuru is a rather short fair-skinned girl for her age with jet-black hair that she keeps cut short to which the longest part ends at the nape of her neck and then goes back up to the front locks that end on the bridge of her nose, dark-blue eyes and she possesses a small build. Her androgynous appearance causes her to be mistaken for a boy, a trait she uses to trick Shōya Ishida into believing that she is Shōko Nishimiya's boyfriend. On the surface, Yuzuru appears to be rather abrasive, brash and cold towards people she dislikes or does not trust. However, her behavior is actually a defense mechanism to both protect her older sister Shōko Nishimiya and hide the more vulnerable and uncertain parts of herself. It’s implied through several interactions that Yuzuru struggles with friendly encounters, finding it hard to open up to people she is unfamiliar with. However, after Shōya Ishida begins earning her trust, Yuzuru reveals herself to be a kind and sweet girl who cares deeply about the people close to her. When Yuzuru opens up, she shows a lot of compassion and empathy that fuels her desire to protect her loved ones. Initially, her compassionate nature was exclusive to Shōko, but appears to have extended to Shōya as their bond began to grow over time. Yuzuru struggles with understanding herself, choosing to invest her time into her sister rather than herself. However, the end of the series shows Yuzuru finally beginning to become her own person and allowing her sister to explore who she wants to be.