Thoughts on Yoko Shiraki?

[Pocket-Gog~]

Personally, I really liked her. Her expressions were refined and subtly changed, meaning you rarely if ever got a good look inside of her head. However I do say that Ashita no Joe at the start of the Riikishi Saga didn't get this nailed down, considering at the start her expressions were bordering on unemotional. As Joe says she's an extremely arrogant and cunning individual, often times compared to the devil.

However, despite her cunning, and arrogance she never really became unlikeable to me. That does have to do with the fact that she more than regularly gets treated like shit by Joe himself, who calls her out multiple times. And most importantly what do you think of her arc with Joe himself? I thought it was pretty great, seeing her grow from slowly try to destroy Joe, to eventually reigniting his flame for battle, and confessing her love to him at the end.

 

[Captain Cadaver]

Not really much to add there. In the Rikishi Arc, she didn't really stand out too much. This changes in the "Fall of Yabuki Joe" segment where we get to see her rouse Joe back into action was a great moment that helped shed a new light on her character. Even before that, it was nice to see how beneath her cold exterior, she had some compassion for Rikishi such as when she's flustered about the debilitating effects his weight loss training has. Her slowly growing close to Joe through their interactions and falling in love with him by the end was some well placed character development. Not as well developed a character as Joe, Rikishi or Nishi, but still good nonetheless.

Some criticise her as presenting the author's "misogyny", though such criticism tend to be Grade A cuckoldry from those who think a woman has to reject all traditional values to be interesting.