Yumeji Kurokouchi
Original Title:黒河内 夢路
Languages:
- Chinese: 黒河内梦路
- Japanese: 黒河内 夢路
- English: Yumeji Kurokouchi
Parent Title:
侍魂, サムライスピリッツ, Samurai Spirits
Yumeji Kurokouchi (黒河内 夢路) is a unique character in the *Samurai Shodown* series, first appearing as a sub-boss in *Samurai Shodown V*. What makes this character unique is their gender-ambiguous nature; the developers encouraged players to interpret their gender freely, making them a controversial and highly debated character within the game. Yumeji speaks in gender-neutral Japanese in both the official story and in-game text, and is voiced by Mitsuki Saiga, who is known for voicing both male and female characters. Despite the gender ambiguity, the English version of the game once described Yumeji as male, while the storyline suggests they later entered a nunnery. Yumeji is the sole successor of Sakon Kurokouchi, who is Ukyo Tachibana’s former mentor, but was expelled from the family dojo due to physical issues. Yumeji follows Gaoh and swears loyalty to him, later being defeated by Ukyo and asking for death, but Ukyo only cut off their ponytail. Yumeji later becomes a nun. One year later, Yumeji sets a trap and kills Rasetsumaru. Yumeji shares a similar fighting style with Ukyo, and can use moves from other characters. However, this ability was removed in *Samurai Shodown VI*, and their style revolves around advanced iaijutsu and projectiles.