Background[]
Yuka Takaoka (高岡由佳) born January 28th 1998 is a former Japanese bar hostess who gained massive popularity after committing attempted murder out of obsession. On May 23rd, 2019, at approximately 3:50 PM local time, Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested 21-year-old Japanese citizen Yuka Takaoka for allegedly stabbing a male acquaintance in her apartment as she was upset that he was interacting with other women. The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition with two abdominal wounds made with a kitchen knife. During the police questioning, Takaoka was quoted saying “Since I loved him so much, I just couldn’t help it. After killing [him], I, too, wanted to die.
Since her release, she has been working as online influencer making cosplay and beauty-related videos.[1][2]
Online Reactions[]
Online, multiple users in Japan and the West likened Takaoka's behavior to that of a yandere, an anime character trope where a person's obsession with someone is taken to the extreme, often to the point of where they would commit murder or deal extreme harm out of love.
On May 24th, Twitter user @mombot tweeted about the event, with the post gaining over 7,300 retweets and 11,000 likes in four days. On May 25th, Twitter user @bbygemzin tweeted photographs of the crime scene and the suspect, writing "real life yandere". The tweet gained over 15,800 retweets and 13,100 likes in four days (shown below,)
Takaoka's Instagram account was also uncovered containing numerous photographs of her in cosplay, including yandere characters.
Fan art depictions of Takaoka were also made with works posted using hashtag #yuyuyunochan. However, many of the submitted drawings became the subject of public condemnation and were later deleted by the artists. Additionally, many have condemned the worryingly positive reactions from otaku and weeaboos due to the real-life impact the crime had on the victim.
A GoFundMe fundraising to bail Takaoka out of jail raised over USD3,800 in two days. The creator of the fundraising took down the donation after it was mass reported.
Some Yandere Simulator fans also want a Yuka Takaoka skin.
The Trial[]
On December 3rd, 2019, Takaoka was found guilty of attempted murder. Luna, who had recovered at that time, accepted Takaoka's apologies of ¥5,000,000 (approx USD45,000). He claimed to hold no grudge against her. He also apologized to Takaoka for cheating on her and asked the judge for a lighter punishment on Takaoka.
Takaoka was sentenced to prison for three years and six months. In October 2023, Takaoka was released from prison possibly reaching the end of their sentence and is seen active on social media once more.
Gallery[]
