Origin
Yuriko Oyama is the daughter of Kenji Oyama, who was a former Japanese kamikaze pilot during the World War, where his face was horribly scarred during a failed suicide attempt on an American battleship. Kenji became a Japanese crime lord and the head of the Oyama Heavy Industries had sent Yuriko and her two brothers to be privately tutored by Marcy Stryker, the wife of the soldier William Stryker. Kenji felt deeply ashamed of himself for failing his country so decided to scar Yuriko and her brother’s faces in a ritual design. He eventually became the criminal scientist known as Lord Dark Wind and he developed the process of which enabled Adamantium to be bonded to human bone, in an attempt to create super-soldiers for Japan. However, his notes were stolen from him and it took him many years to rediscover the process.
Cyborg Assassin
As the samurai warrior Lady Deathstrike, Oyama attempted to kill Wolverine and take his skeleton. However, she was defeated by Wolverine’s friend Heather Hudson in her costumed identity of Vindicator. Subsequently, Lady Deathstrike was converted into a cyborg by the extradimensional being Spiral. In this new form, Lady Deathstrike’s own skeleton has been reinforced with adamantium.
Although Lady Deathstrike heads Oyama Heavy Industries, she also works as a professional assassin. For a time she was a member of the Reavers, Donald Pierce’s team of cyborgs. She severed the legs of Japanese hero Sunfire. Wolverine remains her principal adversary.
Creation
Lady Deathstrike was created by Dennis O’Neil and Larry Hama in April 1986. She made her first appearance in the comic book world in Daredevil # 197 as Yuriko Oyama and in Alpha Flight # 33 as Lady Deathstrike.
Character Evolution
Lord Dark Wind grew to despise Japanese civilization so he brought an assassin (Bullseye) to his island, which was located off the Japanese coast. Bullseye was crippled at the time, so Lord Dark Wind replaced some of his bones with adamantium in hopes that Bullseye in return would assassinate the Japanese prime minister. Travelling in Japan in hopes of capturing Bullseye, Daredevil encountered Yuriko, who sought out to set vengeance upon her father for the scarring of her face and the deaths of her brothers, who died on the battlefield under the service of her father. Also, the man she loved, Kira, served her father in his private army and she did not want her father to cause him to come to harm. Yuriko teamed up with Daredevil and together they sought out Kenji’s private island. Just as Bullseye escaped and Kenji was about to kill Daredevil, Yukio murdered her father.
Due to the death of her father, her lover decided to commit Seppuku (and honour killing) in respect of his dead master. The death of Kira altered Yuriko’s outlook on her life and she decided to embrace her father’s work and sought out everyone who had ever dishonoured him in any way.
Yuriko blamed Wolverine for the theft of her father’s research and believed that Wolverine got his Adamantium coated skeleton through the use of the research. She trained as a samurai and called herself Lady Deathstrike and lead a group of her father’s warriors to Canada to find and retrieve Wolverine’s skeleton for study. She was defeated however, when Wolverine was aided by Vindicator and the super hero team, Alpha Flight.
Major Story Arcs
Australian Outback
Angry at her failure to defeat Wolverine, Deathstrike struck a deal with Donald Pierce, the White King of the organization known as the Hellfire Club. Donald had formed his own group of cyborg mercenaries called the Reavers and Deathstrike wished to join them. Donald had the extra-dimensional being called Spiral take Yuriko to the Mojoverse where she received cybernetic implants which included a healing factor that healed her scars and gave her adamantium bones and talons. Yuriko lead three other cyborgs, Cole, Macon and Reese to attack Wolverine and the X-Men, only to be defeated yet again.Seeking only vengeance, Deathstrike joined up again with Pierce and the Reavers in ambushing Wolverine in a town in the Australian Outback. The Reavers’ captured Wolverine and crucified him on a X shape cross and left him to die. However, Wolverine is freed by the young Jubilee and the two clash with the Reavers briefly before escaping.
Muir Island Saga
Deathstrike and the Reavers believed that Wolverine had escaped to the mutant research facility on Muir Island so they located and attacked him again. They clashed with both the X-Men and the government team, Freedom Force and after suffering many casualties the Reavers decided to retreat. After the failed attempts of killing Wolverine, Yuriko decided to go on her own and with the help of Gateway, she teleported to his location. At the moment that Yuriko telelported, Wolverine had travelled back in time in 1937 to Spain, so Deathstrike was also sent in the past as well. The pair were caught in the skirmish during the Spanish Civil War and fought their way through a temporal distortion to return to the past, which left their battle unresolved.
Fatal Attractions
After Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton was forcibly removed by the villain Magneto, Deathstrike lost interest in her quest to kill Wolverine so she returned to the Reavers in search for her purpose. However the Reavers were attacked by robotic Sentinels who were summoned by the time-travelling villain, Trevor Fitzroy. Most of the original members were killed but Donald managed to rebuild the group and led them in capturing Milo Thurman who possessed powerful abilities. Donald attempted to transform Milo into a cyborg under his control, but his plan was thwarted by Milo’s former lover, Domino. Deathstrike battled Domino before the Reavers’ base was destroyed.
X-Treme X-Men
After the X2: X-Men United movie was released, Lady Deathstrike reappeared in comics as an ally of William Stryker in the X-Treme X-Men story arc entitled “God Loves, Man Kills II.” During this story arc, Deathstrike displays new abilities she has never displayed before in which she was able to connect to the computer and internet with her cybernetics. Later Deathstrike would mutilate and almost kill Sunfire, in which he had Rogue absorb his powers to battle Lady Deathstrike. She disappears after the fight was over.
Civil War
After the Civil War, Lady Deathstrike has appeared to have registered herself with the United States Government and joined one of the government teams, New Thunderbolts. She is currently working along side Venom, Bullseye, Jack O’Lantern, Songbird, and Jester. They all participated on the final battle in Times Square, New York and after the war is over they incarcerated back in The Negative Zone prison.
Messiah CompleX
She was seen in the Messiah CompleX storyline, leading the Reavers. She have allied herself with the Purifiers. She and the Reavers faced the New X-Men, where she wounded Hellion but was defeated by X-23 and Rockslide. Yuriko appeared again and is in pursuit of Cable and the mutant newborn, but faced of the new X-Force and X-23 seemingly killed the cybernetic woman by cutting one of her cybernetic arms “faster than it can repair” and slicing through the older woman’s body “faster than she can heal.” Laura then proceeds to tell her, “You were dead the moment you touched Julian Keller…”
Sisterhood of Mutants
Lady Deathstrike and Spiral were recruited by the Red Queen (Madelyne Pryor) to join her Sisterhood of Mutants. She helped steal Kwannon’s corpse and fought Domino in a Tokyo cemetery, before opposing Wolverine during an assault on Graymalkin. After the demise of the Red Queen, she escaped with Spiral and the remaining members of the Sisterhood.
Uncanny X-Force
Lady Deathstrike is currently leading the Reavers & planning an attack on Utopia. Gateway has tipped Deadpool off to this so X-Force heads to Australia to stop her. At a nearby bar, Yuriko is prepping the Reavers for battle with Wolverine. Once X-Force arrives, a suicide bomber takes out Deadpool, Wolverine and Fantomex. Lady Deathstrike waits over Wolverine’s body for him to wake up. She slices him methodically taking out his sense of smell, his eyes and throat, however she winds up being doused in kerosene. Wolverine fires a tazer at her which ignites her in flames. Yuriko is able to upload her consciousness into a computer before her body dies.
Death of Wolverine
Lady Deathstrike appears in Madripoor and fights Wolverine at the request of Viper. However, Wolverine is saved by Kitty Pryde, who defeats Deathstrike.
Powers and Abilities
Lady Deathstrike is a cyborg with superhuman strength, speed and agility. Deathstrike’s skeleton has been infused with adamantium, rendering her skeletal structure practically unbreakable.She is able to lift c. 1 ton. Her speed, agility and reflexes are above those of the finest human athletes. Her stamina is also superhuman, she can exert herself at peak capacity for several hours before feeling fatigue.
Initially, it was a mystery as to how she survived this process, as it is generally believed that without a healing factor, the process would be fatal to a human. It was later revealed how Spiral used magic to infuse the metal into Deathstrike’s body; it is unlikely that Deathstrike could have survived the process on her own. Deathstrike’s fingers have been replaced by 12-inch adamantium claws. She is an expertly trained assassin and is highly skilled in a variety of oriental martial arts. Although, Yuriko prefers stealth and subtlety in her killings, she is emotionally disturbed and this interferes with her effectiveness.
Her last visit with Donald Pierce, leader of a team of cyborg criminals known as The Reavers, resulted in an upgrade that provided her with a kind of “cybernetic healing factor” which functions in ways similar to Wolverine’s, though not as efficient. The factor heals damages to both her cybernetic and organic parts within minutes. More extensive damages are slower to be repaired.
Deathstrike is able to interact with external computer systems, processing data to her memory centers. She is a highly skilled martial artist, an expert in Kenjutsu (Japanese swordfighting) and other traditional samurai skills. She is a skilled pilot of naval ships and aircraft. She is fluent in Japanese and English.
Characteristics
Place of Birth: Osaka, Japan
Known Relatives: Kenji Oyama (Lord Dark Wind, father, deceased), two unidentified brothers (deceased).
Education: Privately tutored
Height: 5’9″
Weight: 128 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Alternate Versions
Ultimate Universe (Earth-1610)
When Yuriko was young, she met a girl named Storm. Yuri, as she would be called by Storm, taught her how to hotwire all sorts of vehicles and the two continued their lives as car thieves. Eventually Storm would continue to steal motorcycles on Yuri’s turf and the two would battle each other while on motorcycles. During the battle Yuri was hit by a truck and her entire body was destroyed and had to begin using a wheelchair, which looked like it would be for the rest of her life. She is then approached by Dr. Cornelius who offers her to join the Weapon X program to fix her body with adamantium and add accelerated healing for her to get her revenge against Storm. However, Yuri would have to kill Wolverine in the process. Yuri agrees to the conditions and she would be put through the procedures. She went right after Wolverine and Storm and begin to battle them, Yuri knocked out Storm and fought Wolverine to get rid of him first. Yuri would eventually be defeated then captured by SHIELD and imprisoned in Triskelion. While she was imprisoned there, the X-Men had broken in to search for another friend in which Angel and Dazzler encounter her. Dazzler proceeds to taunting Yuri and then the power went out. Yuri was able to escape her cell and stabs Dazzler in the stomach. Right afterward Longshot appears and snaps Yuri’s neck. Her current status is currently unknown but it is assumed she is still alive due to the healing factor.
Other Media
Television
X-Men: The Animated Series
She had a romantic past with Wolverine, likely merging her character with Wolverine’s fiancée, Mariko Yashida. She first appeared in the episode Out of the Past. Deathstrike joined the Reavers and became a cyborg in order to avenge the death of her father, Professor Oyama, during Logan’s rampage at the Weapon X headquarters. In this continuity, The Professor and Lord Dark Wind are the same man. In the comics continuity, the Professor is a man named Thorton and has no blood relation to the Oyamas. Here she is voiced by Tasha Simms.
Film
X2: X-Men United
In the film, Deathstrike is a mutant with a healing factor and super-strength who is given Adamantium bones and claws by Weapon X. Little is known of her personality as she spends the film under Stryker’s mind control. She is killed by Wolverine who injects her with liquid adamantium. She is played by Kelly Hu.
Her name is also listed on her computer in William Stryker’s files.
Hulk vs. Wolverine
Lady Deathstrike appears as a Weapon X operative alongsideOmega Red, Deadpool and Sabertooth. She tries to killWolverine on several occasions but never succeeds. During a confrontation with the Hulk both her arms are ripped off and she is left unconscious. Her fate after the facilities detonation is unknown.
Video Games
X-Men: Wolverine’s Rage
She was the main antagonist in the side scrolling Wolverine game for Gameboy Color. The story revolved around her poisoning Wolverine and wanting to remove the adamantium from his body.
X-Men: Next Dimension
Lady Deathstrike appears as a playable in this fighting gamem, voiced by Gwendoline Yeo.
X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse
She appears as a boss in this video game. If Wolverine is on your team, or your active character is an X-Man, you must fight her, but if your active character is a Brotherhood member you have the option of paying her off to leave you alone. Outside of that, she has special dialogue with Wolverine.
X2: Wolverine’s Revenge
Lady Deathstrike was the final boss in the game, voiced again by Gwendoline Yeo.
X-Men: The Official Game
Deathstrike appears as an enemy here, voiced by Vyvan Pham. In this video game it is revealed that Deathstrike had survived the overdose (though offers no explanation for her survival, or how she managed to get the hardened adamantium out of her body), and proceeds to battle Wolverine two times in the game. It is also revealed that Deathstrike was an agent of HYDRA and a student of Silver Samurai. She was sent to spy on Stryker, but instead was brainwashed into becoming his bodyguard. Deathstrike’s final battle with Wolverine once again leaves the impression of Deathstrike’s death, as she is crushed under rubble, but as seen before, she is not so easily disposed of.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 (2009)
Voiced by Jocelyn Blue, she appears in the roster of villains used by the government against Anti-Registration forces, kept in check with Control Nanites. In the Anti-Registration campaign she’ll appear twice as a boss in New York: the first instance being knocked unconscious by the Thing, and the second when she is defeated by Anti-Registration forces. One of her many appearances comes when she assists the Pro-Registration side at Geffen-Meyer Chemicals. She is also present among a small villainous group when the nanites overcome their programming and become self aware, leading to them neutralising some S.H.I.E.L.D agents, and planting their explosives, for further disruption. Similarly to most villains in the game, she is present at the Prison 42 break-in, turning against both sides, and shown (in a cutscene) ready to deliver a final blow to Iron Man, when Captain America intervenes. She fights alongside Bullseye in the Negative Zone prison on the PSP, Ps2 and Wii versions.
X-Men: Battle of the Atom
Lady Deathstrike is featured in the mobile card game “X-Men: Battle of the Atom” based on the comic book story with the same name. Her cards are:
- Lady Deathstrike
- [Apocalypse’s Chosen] Deathstrike
- [Weapon X Renegades] Lady Deathstrike
- [Death to Wolverine] Lady Deathstrike
Marvel Heroes
Lady Deathstrike is a villain in the game, she is voiced by Minae Noji.
Merchandise
- Lady Deathstrike was featured in ToyBiz’s X-Men line as part of the Battle Brigade wave.
- Lady Deathstrike was featured in a Marvel Archenemies two-pack with Wolverine from ToyBiz.
- Lady Deathstrike was featured in the Classic Marvel Figurine Collection from Eaglemoss Publications. She was also featured in Eaglemoss’ Marvel Chess line as a black rook.
- Bowen Designs created a Lady Deathstrike bust.
- Sideshow Collectibles released a diorama showing X-23 fighting Lady Deathstrike.
- Lady Deathstrike was featured in the HeroClix game.
- Diamond Select released a Minimate of Deathstrike.
- ToyBiz released a Marvel Legends Lady Deathstrike figure as part of the Onslaught Build-a-Figure wave.
- Lady Deathstrike was featured in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line as part of the Xemnu Build-a-Figure wave.