Kira Yukimura

Kira Yukimura is a Thunder Kitsune who first appeared during the second half of Season 3 of MTV’s Teen Wolf.

Derek Hale says she is a "young" Kitsune and unable to mask her nature from the enhanced werewolf vision and flash photography.

The character is portrayed by Arden Cho.

Biography

Kira and her family moved from New York to Beacon Hills a few weeks before the arrival of the Nogitsune.

Kira's mother, Noshiko Yukimura, is Japanese while her father is Korean. Her mother's family has a connection to Beacon Hills going back generations.

Her father, Ken Yukimura, who is the new History teacher, claims Kira hasn't made any friends during her first three weeks in school but she is not shy and boldly inserts herself into a private conversation with Scott McCall and his friends. Kira and Scott quickly start a romantic relationship.

She was unaware of her true nature until her supernatural abilities were forced to manifest during an attack by mass murderer William Barrow. Kira first manifest a supernatural ability by absorbing dozens of megawatts (estimate) of electricity into her hands. Flash photography and Scott's enhanced werewolf vision reveal the glowing outline of a fox surrounding Kira's entire body.

She also found that having a sword in her hand gives her balance and agility she lacks in her everyday life.

She gradually begins to accept her power and helps her friends fight off The Benefactor's Dead Pool and Kate Argent. However, the Dread Doctors amplify her powers for their own purposes. This causes her fox spirit to take control over her, and Noshiko take her to Skinwalkers to help her regain control.

She returns to Beacon Hills to help stop a newly resurrected Beast of Gevaudan, but she still lacks control. Eventually, after defeating The Beast and Theo, she decides to remain with the Skinwalkers to learn control.

Kira's Sword

In Season 5, Kira uses her own sword with unique design. She wore it like a belt but when danger appeared she would whip it and it clipped into a katana-like weapon. (Creatures of the Night)

The hilt of the sword can be used as a shuriken as well as seen in Condition Terminal.

It is held together by mystical means. After Kira loses control of her fox spirit, Ken decides to detach the sword until Kira learnt control. (The Sword and the Spirit)

However, in order to stop Theo, she goes to the Skinwalkers to repair the sword. Their power gave it the ability to open a rift to an unknown dimension where Theo was dragged into by his dead sister. (Apotheosis)

The sword was entrusted to Noshiko after Kira leaves with the Skinwalkers who reluctantly gave it to Liam to release Theo. However, Liam detached her sword again to get further answers out of Theo. (Ghosted, Blitzkrieg)

Season 3

Kira and her family arrive in Beacon Hills where she meets Scott and his friends and helps fight a Nogitsune possessing Stiles Stilinski. (Read More...)

Season 4

She continues to develop her relationship with Scott and her kitsune abilities while fighting assassins out to kill her and her friends. (Read More...)

Season 5

Her fox spirit starts to fight for control and she eventually leaves to regain control.

She returns to save Lydia Martin only to struggle once more with the fox spirit. (Read More...)

Season 6

Kira appears in Peter Hale's flashback of how he escaped Eichen House when she caused a brown out in Amplification. (Radio Silence)

Gallery

Development

Teen Wolf Executive Producer Jeff Davis announced during a panel at San Diego Comic Con 2013 that Season 3(b) would focus on Japanese folklore.

"We're heading into a new mythology based on the Kitsune myth, which some people might know a little bit about," he shared. "It is a very, very fascinating Japanese shapeshifter myth about the were-fox and the trickster spirit."

Arden Cho was cast in the part of Kira in August 2013 and began filming immediately.

Initially, Kira was meant only for the second half of Season 3, but, because of the chemistry between Arden Cho and Tyler Posey, Jeff Davis decided to keep her around.

Davis had mentioned in an interview that he wanted to do a spinoff involving Kira and kitsune lore, but the idea never came to fruition.

Quotes

“I can set myself on fire and be noticed.” — Kira to her father about being noticed in Anchors.
“Hi, I'm Kira. You knew that. I knew you knew that. I don't know why I just told you that again.” — Kira to Scott in More Bad Than Good.
“That was awesome! I mean terrifying, completely terrifying, but kind of awesome. I've never done anything like that before, have you?” — Kira to Scott and Stiles about breaking and entering a police station in Illuminated.
“Okay, I might have slightly Mommed you.” — Kira to Scott when getting paint off his face in Illuminated.
“I just found out you're 900 years old. I don't think I'm ever going to trust you again.” — Kira to her mother when asked by her mom if she trusts her in The Fox and the Wolf.
“But I don't know how much space or how much time I'm supposed to give them. I know I'm still just the new girl at school.” — Kira to Lydia about being the "new girl" at school in The Divine Move.