Kara Dennison
May 9, 2024 
The weather’s getting warmer in our part of the world, and right now we’d do anything for a friend who could summon a blizzard. Fortunately for the characters of our favorite shows, there are lots of anime girls who just happen to be yuki-onna! The stories of these yokai vary from region to region, but are generally considered to be sad (and sometimes threatening) figures who either appear in snow or bring snow with them.
Despite the harrowing legends, we wouldn’t mind hanging out with these three yuki-onna. Get to know these icy heroines from series old and new!
Oyuki
Oyuki, the snow queen of Neptune, holds seniority on this list of anime girls. She first appeared in the Urusei Yatsura manga and its 1981 adaptation. She’s back in action in the show’s modern adaptation, and she’s just as frosty as ever. Like other characters from the series, she’s technically an alien—even if she’s inspired by a classic yokai. Unable to handle her home planet’s massive amounts of snow, she opens a portal to series protagonist Ataru’s bedroom.
While Oyuki may be frigid both literally and in personality, she treasures her long-standing friendship with Lum and even seems to have a soft spot for Ataru. Though you still wouldn’t want to get on her bad side: she’s terrifyingly powerful, even by this show’s standards.
Yuki Kusakabe
Anime girls aren’t quite what they seem in Interviews with Monster Girls, as Takahashi Tetsuo learns. Several students in his school (as well as a fellow teacher) are Demis: demi-human beings like vampires, dullahans, and succubi. This includes Yuki Kusakabe, who—as her name suggests—is a yuki-onna.
As with the other Demis in the show, Yuki’s physical condition requires certain accessibility options. She can’t handle heat well, and may even faint if overheated. Fortunately for herself and her friends, the legends aren’t true: her snow powers are relatively limited and pose no harm to anyone else.
Noel Izumi
This season’s Studio Apartment, Good Lighting, Angel Included is full of anime girls who are more than human. The angelic Towa is just the start—there’s also Noel Izumi, a yuki-onna who works at the same restaurant as series protagonist Shintaro Tokumitsu. Because she “blizzards” when her emotions get out of hand, she worries about causing trouble for the people around her. Therefore, she’s become deliberately frigid, holing up at home with anime and manga; but Shintaro’s acceptance warms her right up.
Now, she’s trying to live out all the friendship tropes she’s only ever read about. From sharing ice cream to writing in a shared diary, she wants to try it all—no matter how childish or unrealistic. And with Towa and the rest of the cast nearby, she may well find herself building a truly solid friend group!
Want more paranormal fun? Find out why Dandadan belongs on your reading list!
