The Strange Case of Yuka Takaoka "Real-Life Yandere"

Known as a “real-life Yandere”, Yuka became famous for her jealousy that led to the near death of her boyfriend, Phoenix Luna. In a nutshell, Yuka discovered a photo of another woman on Phoenix’s phone and snapped, grabbing a kitchen knife and plunging it deep into her boyfriend’s liver. But the story gets a little stranger than that.

Yuka Takaoka, the real-life yandere poses in school girl outfit.

The stabbing happening on May 23, 2019, in a fifth-floor apartment in Shinjuku, Japan. Photos online depict Shinjuku as a modern, but populated city that claims to run the busiest railway station in the world.

The victim, Phoenix Luna, worked in a “girl’s bar”, which is like a regular bar, except a patron could ‘rent out’ a specific bartender for extended periods of time.

Yuka had rented Phoenix out for an entire month, which helped Phoenix bring in more sales and become ranked higher as a host.

The Other Girl

Yuka Takaoka and Phoenix Luna wanted to push their relationship to the next level. They moved in to an apartment together on May 20, 2019. Things seemed to go well in the relationship, at least for the first few days.

Phoenix had promised Yuka that he would help clean up their new apartment on the 23rd, which he arrived three hours late. Despite Luna’s tardiness, he went straight to the bathroom and ran himself a bath. Yuka looked through his cell phone.

Phoenix Luna and Yuka Takaoka had been dating for several months, but had just moved in together for 3 days when she stabbed him in the liver.

Being a bartender at the Fusion By Youth nightclub, there were bound to be photos of other women on Luna’s phone. Women he privately served; patrons.

However, the photo Yuka found in his photo app was different. Perhaps the girl was posing too seductively with Yuka’s boyfriend. Was Luna cheating on her after they just moved in together?

Real-Life Yandere

Police arrived outside of the couple’s apartment at 3:50 pm. Phoenix Luna had somehow made it down five floors into the lobby. He was unconscious when the police arrived.

Yuka Takaoka had let her jealously get the best of her after seeing the other girl’s photo in his phone. She grabbed the sharpest kitchen knife and pushed it into Phoenix’s liver deep as it could go.

As the warm blood covered the bed sheets, Luna pushed Yuka out of his way. It was a miracle he still kept enough strength after waking up with the knife sticking out of his stomach.

The bloody scene turned into a spectacle and people starting coming in off the streets to get a glimpse of the blood-soaked, nude, 20-year-old. One spectator snapped a few photos, which, to the media’s delight, quickly made it on the Internet.

The sensational photo taken of Yuka sitting next to dying boyfriend. She is smoking a cigarette and talking on her cell phone.

As police tend to Phoenix Luna’s bleeding body, Yuka Takaoka sits calmly beside him. She is smoking a cigarette in her left hand and talking to a friend on her cellphone in her right.

Almost instantly anime fans across the nation dub her as a “real-life yandere”.

A “yandere” is a female character in anime that usually takes the form of a schoolgirl who “eventually becomes aggressive and homicidal.” Often yandere’s are deranged, and they outlet their emotions through aggression and extreme violence.

The term yandere (ヤンデレ) originates from yanderu (病んでる), a mental or emotional illness, and deredere (でれでれ) to display affection.

“I like you. I wanted to kill you,” - Yuka

To make this case even more strange, while waiting on police to arrive, Yuka had written in a diary using Phoenix’s blood. In Japanese script she wrote over and over “I like you” and “I like you so much, I wanted to kill you.”

In Japanese script she wrote over and over “I like you” and “I like you so much, I wanted to kill you.”

Yuka quickly gained international fame as a yandere, even gathering a large online fanbase. There was a GoFundMe account set up to pay for her legal bills. Before they shut the donation page down, 69 contributors sent in $3,840 to support Yuka Takaoka.

Twenty Percent Chance To Live

On July 1, 2019, Phoenix Luna recovered fully from his near death attempted murder. He surprised family, friends, and patrons with a Twitter status reading, “Sorry, I’m alive and back. Since I was stabbed in the liver, I can’t drink.”

On December 3, 2019, Yuka was found guilty of attempted murder and was ordered to pay Pheonix Luna 5 Million Yen ($45,000).

In attendance was the fully recovered Phoenix Luna who not only apologized for cheating on Yuka but also pleaded with the judge to give her a light sentence.

Yuka received 3 years and 6 months and will be released in 2023.