| “ | Unlike you, I love my family. I love my sister. And I will do whatever it takes to protect this country that she lives in. | ” |
— Yuri to Jim Hayward about his ideology[1]
| ||
Yuri Briar (ユーリ・ブライア, Yūri Buraia?) is one of the recurring characters of the SPY x FAMILY series. He is Yor Forger's younger brother and a twenty-year-old man who works in the State Security Service. He keeps his job at the SSS a secret from his sister and instead pretends to be a normal civil servant and diplomat at the foreign ministry.
Appearance
Yuri is a very handsome, elegant, and fairly tall man in his early twenties, with a slender, straight frame. He has a very small cowlick on top of his straight black hair with uneven bangs. Like his sister, he has upturned red eyes.
When at work, Yuri wears the SSS's standard uniform. When going outside for undercover missions, he wears a bomber jacket, cap, and black pants. Outside of work, he wears a light brown trench coat over an all-black suit and dark blue tie, along with black gloves and shoes.
Yuri's casual attire when helping Anya study consisted of a black long-sleeved pocket shirt, the pocket being gray with a black and white eye at the top reminiscent of the SSS's symbol, and blue jeans.
As a child and up to college, Yuri had slightly shorter hair.
Personality
Yuri's fear of hurting Yor by arresting Loid
Yuri has a sister complex, and even at an early age, he would be doing everything he could to get Yor to praise him with affection. Though this could be due to his mother dying at a very early stage in his life, causing him to get very attached to Yor as a mother figure. Just the thought of Yor hating him or in despair brings him great distress. When Yuri was young, he hated himself for not being able to help her as she provided for them, which is why he began studying everything as much as he could so that he could be of help. Due to his smarts, he eventually landed a job at the foreign ministry and, shortly after, the Secret Police, which gave him the power to protect his sister.
When on the job, Yuri is shown to have a very appealing demeanor, even when extracting suspects for information. Yuri truly believes he is protecting his country, though he mostly does it for Yor's benefit, not wanting traitors and scumbags breathing the same air as her. Just as he is passionate for his sister, Yuri is very patriotic, as, when discussing enemies like "Twilight," he swiftly drops his cheery façade and becomes colder, irritable, and quick-tempered. Yuri also values the importance of family, immediately resorting to violence when he learns of a suspect's excuse for his affair. Idiosyncratically, Yuri loses all his intelligence when it comes to his sister, completely believing Yor's excuses of "forgetting" to tell him about her marriage with Loid for a year and gives in to almost any request she asks for.
Despite his harsh and cruel job, Yuri is shown to have a level of empathy. He quickly got angry towards the way Franklin Perkin bullied a group of children, but after understanding the conditions of him and his family, he assured the journalist that his father will receive financial assistance while arresting him. Franklin posed the question about who the true disgrace is after Yuri stated that he "saw no reason for Franklin's family to witness his disgrace." Yuri responded by stating how he would never "cause his sister pain," implying that his sister complex overrides his morals.[3]
Yuri happily enjoys a deadly meal made for him by his beloved sister
Because of his near-inhuman endurance, Yuri has a tendency to disregard his own well-being, even when he is sick or seriously injured. He would even eat Yor's awful cooking and continue doing so until he was forcibly stopped. Yuri also tends to overestimate the limitations of his current capabilities when enduring lethal injuries, believing that he will always get through. For this, he is scolded by his co-worker Chloe, who reminds Yuri that he can still die and that he needs to take care of himself better. However, Yuri misinterpreted her advice and has begun working to improve his endurance instead.
Abilities and Skills
Keen Intellect: Despite how he may act, Yuri is extremely smart, able to work as a diplomat at a very young age. Having been a very studious person growing up for the sake of his sister, he has become far more intelligent than her, even having taught her many things while they were growing up. However, his intel is that of an amateur compared to Loid, as he followed the cover story in the Ostanian Intelligence manual word-for-word when he visited the Forgers, which allowed Loid to quickly deduce his affiliation with the SSS. It is also seen that within the SSS, he managed to locate, surveil, and capture a journalist in a matter of days.
Yuri tortures Jim
Interrogation: Yuri is said to be very talented for his age, allowing his boss to let Yuri tag in for his captain for interrogations and counterintelligence. While interrogating Jim Hayward, an informant working with WISE, Yuri easily caught his bluff and immediately exposed the informant with photos of him handing confidential documents to someone. He is also skilled in interrogation tactics, being able to beat down suspects with no remorse, especially if he snaps at them.[1]
Surveillance Expert: Yuri's talent as a Secret Police officer despite his age is shown again in his surveillance and investigation skills. He is capable of accurately discerning the body types of people and if they are professionals by observing the way they move, even if he has never seen them before. He can even tell if someone is injured just by noticing a sudden twitch in movement.[4] He has proven to be an expert of witnessing and surveying people from afar and gathering intel. This is demonstrated during his assignment in investigating Franklin Perkin, where he carefully logs his every single move and was able to comprehend the motives behind his slandered journalism.[3]
Yuri's endurance when fighting Twilight
Immense Durability and Endurance: Yuri is very durable, most likely due to his sister inadvertently harming him in his youth. As an adult, he is durable enough to take two of Yor's drunken hits, albeit sustaining heavy injuries, enough for people to tell him to go to the hospital. He has also been hit by a truck after pulling four all-nighters in a row, sustaining little to no injuries[5]. Having grown up eating Yor's cooking, Yuri is the only person able to eat it without immediately collapsing, though he quickly vomits it the moment he eats it. This has brought about not only physical, but psychological changes within him. Tempered by Yor's cooking, Yuri's organs have grown more resilient than the average person. He also recovers from illnesses quickly.[6] During his fight with Twilight, Yuri persisted in his attempt to capture the spy and continued to get back up after being knocked down several times until he finally collapsed.[7]
Teaching: Yuri has decent teaching skills. When he was a child, he used to help Yor with her studies, and when Anya needed to study for her midterm exams, Yor asked Yuri to help Anya. Unlike his sister, Yuri is an expert with grammatical and logistic problems, making him more reliable when it comes to intellectual subjects.[8]
Marksmanship: As a trained SSS agent, Yuri is a proficient marksman, able to land a sustaining injury on Loid's arm while in a compromised position during their confrontation.
Yuri quickly disables Conrad
Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Yuri is likely well-trained in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to swiftly disable Conrad's gun and pin him down quite easily.[3] However, he falls short against far skilled opponents like Loid, who, for a majority of their fight, had the upper hand. However, as their fight progressed longer than Loid originally expected, Yuri was able to land a few good hits on him.
Weaknesses
Alcohol: Just like his older sister, Yuri is a lightweight. He is prone to drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short amount of time, pouring wine into his glass eagerly, and drinking wine straight out of the bottle. Intoxication renders him temperamental and unable to think properly, as shown when he forced Yor and Loid to kiss in front of him, a decision he quickly regretted.[9]
Yuri getting slapped by Yor
Yor: Yuri's biggest weakness is likely his love for his big sister, as whenever she is involved, it derails his otherwise intelligent mind. He becomes prone to extreme overreactions to otherwise minor matters, willing to lie and endure almost anything, primarily Yor's lethal cooking just to make her happy. He also becomes heavily biased when it comes to matters pertaining to her and bases his abilities on how he can protect her.
Chapter Appearances
| Mission 1 | Absent |
| Mission 2 | Voice |
| Mission 7 | Mentioned |
| Mission 8 | Absent |
| Mission 9 | Absent |
| Mission 10 | Debut |
| Mission 11 | Appears |
| Mission 12 | Appears |
| Mission 13 | Appears |
| Mission 14 | Appears |
| Mission 18 | Absent |
| Mission 19 | Absent |
| Mission 20 | Absent |
| Mission 21 | Appears |
| Mission 22 | Absent |
| Mission 23 | Absent |
| Mission 24 | Appears |
| Mission 25 | Absent |
| Mission 26 | Appears |
| Mission 27 | Absent |
| Mission 28 | Absent |
| Mission 29 | Mentioned |
| Mission 30 | Mentioned |
| Mission 31 | Absent |
| Mission 32 | Mentioned |
| Mission 33 | Absent |
| Mission 34 | Absent |
| Mission 35 | Fantasy |
| Mission 36 | Absent |
| Mission 37 | Absent |
| Mission 38 | Absent |
| Mission 39 | Absent |
| Mission 40 | Absent |
| Mission 41 | Appears |
| Mission 42 | Absent |
| Mission 43 | Absent |
| Mission 44 | Appears |
| Mission 45 | Absent |
| Mission 46 | Absent |
| Mission 47 | Absent |
| Mission 48 | Absent |
| Mission 49 | Flashback |
| Mission 50 | Absent |
| Mission 51 | Absent |
| Mission 52 | Absent |
| Mission 53 | Flashback |
| Mission 54 | Absent |
| Mission 55 | Absent |
| Mission 56 | Absent |
| Mission 57 | Appears |
| Mission 64 | Absent |
| Mission 65 | Absent |
| Mission 66 | Absent |
| Mission 67 | Absent |
| Mission 68 | Appears |
| Mission 69 | Absent |
| Mission 70 | Absent |
| Mission 71 | Appears |
| Mission 72 | Appears |
| Mission 73 | Appears |
| Mission 74 | Absent |
| Mission 75 | Mentioned |
| Mission 76 | Absent |
| Mission 77 | Absent |
| Mission 78 | Absent |
| Mission 79 | Absent |
| Mission 80 | Appears |
| Mission 81 | Appears |
| Mission 82 | Appears |
| Mission 83 | Appears |
| Mission 84 | Pictured |
| Mission 85 | Appears |
| Mission 86 | Appears |
| Mission 87 | Absent |
| Mission 88 | Absent |
| Mission 89 | Appears |
| Mission 90 | Absent |
| Mission 91 | Flashback |
| Mission 92 | Mentioned |
| Mission 93 | Absent |
| Mission 94 | Absent |
| Mission 95 | Absent |
| Mission 96 | Absent |
| Extra Mission 1 | Absent |
| Extra Mission 2 | Mentioned |
| Short Mission 1 | Absent |
| Short Mission 2 | Absent |
| Short Mission 3 | Absent |
| Short Mission 4 | Absent |
| Short Mission 5 | Absent |
| Short Mission 6 | Appears |
| Short Mission 7 | Absent |
| Short Mission 8 | Absent |
| Short Mission 9 | Absent |
| Short Mission 10 | Absent |
| Short Mission 11 | Absent |
| Short Mission 12 | Absent |
| Short Mission 13 | Absent |
Anime Appearances
| 26. FOLLOW PAPA AND MAMA | Mentioned |
| 27. BOND'S STRATEGY TO STAY ALIVE / DAMIAN'S FIELD RESEARCH TRIP | Absent |
| 28. MISSION AND FAMILY / THE ELEGANT BONDMAN / THE HEART OF A CHILD / WAKING UP | Appears |
| 29. THE PASTRY OF KNOWLEDGE / THE INFORMANT'S GREAT ROMANCE PLAN Ⅱ | Absent |
| 30. PLAN TO CROSS THE BORDER | Appears |
| 31. THE FEARSOME LUXURY CRUISE SHIP | Absent |
| 32. WHO IS THIS MISSION FOR? | Flashback |
| 33. THE SYMPHONY UPON THE SHIP / SIS'S HERB TEA | Appears |
| 34. THE HAND THAT CONNECTS TO THE FUTURE | Absent |
| 35. ENJOY THE RESORT TO THE FULLEST / BRAGGING ABOUT VACATION | Appears |
| 36. BERLINT IN LOVE / NIGHTFALL'S DAILY LIFE | Absent |
| 37. PART OF THE FAMILY | Appears |
Etymology
- The name "Yuri" is an alternate spelling of the name Yury, which is a Slavic form of the name "George."
Trivia
Early design concepts for Yuri
- In early design concepts, Yuri was originally just Yor's brother. He was not intended to be in the SSS, as the aspect of a Secret Police officer pursuing Twilight was a separate character. However, due to not wanting to introduce too many characters, Tatsuya Endo combined the two characters when working on Chapter 10.[10]
- Yuri's design was based on the editorial group's concept for "a pleasant young man." Several character traits were made for his design, with some of them carrying over to his current one, such as being a "first-year ace" and "swamped since enlisting a year ago," as well as for his approach towards Yor, like "him and her understanding each other" and him "pining for her whenever his ribs ached." Other traits included him being "a stalker type" (likely referencing his secret police job) and "in physical prime" (likely referencing his immense durability).[11]
- Visually, Yuri's design is that of a male Yor. Endo considered giving him short hair but could not find a design he liked.[12]
- Yuri's chair, featured on the cover of the fifth volume, is a Barcelona Chair designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich.[13]
- Yuri is popular with girls due to his face, but they leave when they discover his personality.[2]
- As a government employee, Yuri is officially only supposed to work 8 or 9 hours a day, plus the occasional stakeout. But when he is on a mission, Yuri sometimes does not take time off at all. It is noted that because Yuri occasionally have time to visit the Forgers, he does not appear to be as overworked as Loid.[2]
- In terms of combat ability, Yuri has tougher defense than Loid, but his overall combat ability is probably on par with Nightfall.[2]
- Yuri shares his Japanese and English voice actors with other characters:
- Yuri's younger self shares his Japanese voice actress with Sharon and Miss Bennett.
- He shares his English voice actor with the real estate agent.
Quotes
- (To himself): "Loid Forger. The day you make my sister cry... It'll be a different story."[14]
- (To himself): "Now I see... I'm the one who needs to be studying here. I have nowhere near enough power. If I'd had more knowledge myself, I would've captured Twilight that day! I could've put an end to the Western threat right and there! I'm still powerless to protect my sister... to protect my country."[8]
- (To Franklin Perkin): "Unlike you, I would never do anything to cause my sister pain. Ever."[15]
- (To himself): "I can't let my sweet sister be unhappy. I can't die and leave her all by herself! I'll improve my eating habits. Take better care of myself."[16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 11, and Episode 8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 76).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 41, and Episode 28.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 86.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Anime: Episode 17, Vol. 5, Confidential Files Bonus
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 83.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 26, and Episode 18.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 13.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 190).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Volume 5, Bonus Sketches
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Official Fanbook: EYES ONLY (p. 201).
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Volume 5.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 14 (p. 11), and Episode 9.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga and Anime: Chapter 41 (p. 23), and Episode 28.
- ↑ SPY x FAMILY Manga: Chapter 89.