Yagami Koji

Name: Koji (given the Yagami family follows American middle name tradition, it's either Rin or Ichiru) Yagami

Birth Year: 1981

Career: Some kind of business guy

Wife: Popuri

Connected to Harvest Moon series?: Based around HM64 and HM: BTN farmer

Known Likes: Popuri, his family, Heineken, Smirnoff

Known Dislikes: Initially any male that associates with his female family members, especially daughters; being lied to/being left out of decisions; oatmeal; Mark 

Description: 

Yagami Koji is a bit of a confusing character. He's quiet but not, calm but aggressive, loving but isolated. In Yume, Chihaya at one point observes Koji just sitting in his office with his hood up, listening to dark music, and figuring he was seeing into Koji's past. And that's the truth, Koji may be fun-loving and all but he's prone to being quick to mood swings. In his for now unreleased teen years, Nelly would mention how Koji would go from laughing and happy to silent and brooding in a mere few minutes. It's not that he's particularly depressed but that there's many things in his past that he is incapable of properly channeling. This has subsided quite a bit as he's aged and gained a family. He's always been sickly, said to be an immune deficiency of some sort, and sporadically is bed ridden with pneumonia or other illnesses. Koji views this as a weakness and bristles because his family grows too concerned over it, in his eyes, regardless of how serious the sickness may be. Treasures his youth days with Popuri because she just treated him as fine.

Koji adores his family, almost obsessively protective of the women. He can't understand why his sister, daughters, and soon, grandchildren get attracted to men. He's already advised his youngest granddaughter that 'boys are stupid'. But regardless, he accepts the men to an extent, working with Cliff, his brother-in-law, and showing grudging approval of Steiner and Chihaya, his son-in-laws. He seems to show more "affection" for Chihaya considering their similar personalities while Steiner heckles and tries to rile him up for his amusement.

Koji is a lot closer to his mother, often making attempts to ruffle the woman's feathers. He doesn't harass Yamada, his father, as much, knowing not much stirs the man and their relationship seems less involved. Koji is close with his older brother, Shin, admiring him secretly in his youth for being involved in protecting people and being generally a guardian. It's more of a respectful relationship as he knows his brother isn't going to want to be involved in the shenanigans he used to be in, even speculatively the reason why Koji isn't in a lot more trouble as Shin bailed him out. Koji's relationship with Nelly is peculiarly intimate. He grows irritated and sheepish when they end up having to sleep in the same space, knowing they'll end up cuddling, a habit they had as children that never seemed to go away and haunts them even as adults on a subconscious level. Sincerely affectionate with each other when the others aren't looking, he considers Nelly 'his other half', citing that Nelly can't even lie to him because he'll always know when somethings amiss. Koji is very defensive of his twin and took horrendous offense to what occurred with Elli, wishing her ill for hurting his brother.

Koji views Tony, his younger brother, as something of an idiot and doesn't seem to talk to him often, though not for that reason as Tony is one of his few siblings that lives far off. He even admits to Nelly he thinks of Tony as a "crazy, slutty type", not completely aware that this was directly because of his own example. As for Shaun, the two have an almost laughably unseen relationship and one can imagine Koji just sees him as "the youngest". Regardless, Koji did invite both of them to college parties and seemed protective of them as children as well as drinking and playing cards with them currently so their relationship is presumably standard sibling-esque. Koji's relationship with his only sister, Jill, is complicated. Koji confesses that he and Nelly used to threaten and do bodily harm to Jill's potential suitors before their presence was known, thus leading Jill to believe that men just weren't interested in her. Later on, Koji attempts to see her as an adult, even giving Cliff the benefit of the doubt when they first meet despite Cliff mentioning that he envisioned that one day Jill and his relationship would get sexual and more serious. Nonetheless, Koji has trouble seeing outside of not trying to protect her and often cannot understand why they keep things from him when all he wants to do is be there for them. As time passes, it's clear that Koji got over Jill being a grown woman but to some purposes can't see past her being his only baby sister, even continuing to threaten Cliff for being romantic or touchy feely with her in spite of being married.

Koji is mystified when he first becomes a father and absolutely adores baby Keiji. He loves and respects his son but much like his siblings, he jostles and ribs with him but clearly in good fun as Keiji returns the treatment good-naturedly. Koji took well to Celia, Keiji's wife, viewing her as another of his daughters and commiserating with her over being sick, even accompanying her to appointments. Koji mentioned specifically holding Kaede for the first time, thinking that he was prepared for all the quirks of a daughter because he went through them with Jill but knowing full well that wasn't the case. Calls her 'his princess' affectionately and laments that she received his wife's ample body as she often garnered more male attention than she let on. Was utterly appalled to meet Steiner but as previously mentioned accepts the former thief. Miru and Rosa seemed to be for the most part unexpected, potentially over ten years apart from their older siblings. Koji briefly called them 'his angels' but seems to have gone with the traditional 'princess' with Rosa as well as 'milady'. Koji is as protective of Rosa as he was of Kaede, if not moreso but alas knew more about her relationship with Chihaya than any of his children, even painfully made aware she was having sex. Strangely allowed it under guidelines despite it clearly disturbing him, making suggestions that he prefer Rosa not engage in those activities. In a change of plot, Koji's also quite protective of Miru, his youngest son, despite giving more freedoms to his male siblings and Keiji than the girls. When Miru runs off, he wants nothing more than to bring him back because he's his 'little boy'. He jostles and ribs with Miru a lot less, not even prone to lightly 'punishing' Miru with the punches and smacks in the head he gives his other male family except in one occurrence to date. Accepts his son's orientation despite being rather perplexed by it, asking Nelly if it seemed odd considering how much they loved women but knows it's biological, not genetic so doesn't pursue it often.

He is one of the more sexual characters in the series, quick to try to bed Popuri whenever the opportunity arises. Quite flirty and charming, he has a list of "conquests" a mile long. In Tony's Story, Tony thinks that anything he may engage in, his brother has done something a thousand times more risque. As seen in finding out his relationship with Chihaya's mother, Koji indeed had been involved in highly promiscuous behavior. Koji's an avid drinker to this day and, though he quits after a while, smokes. Has quit almost indefinitely after the events of Lessons in Life but most likely wouldn't be kept completely from lighting up again. Oddly also seems to have engaged in some mild marijuana use, Nelly questioning some of his memories from college because when he called, Koji often seemed "high" and Koji didn't reject the notion.

Appearance

Koji and EVERYONE'S height changes SO effin' much but for a definite height I'd say 6'1". Yea, he's tall but I always viewed him as a lanky fellow with muscle but not enough to be super buff. Koji's paler than a majority of his family, a sharp contrast to his dark hair and eyes. Koji is 1/4 American and despite being a majority Japanese I always viewed him as having mostly Caucasian features with a little bit of Asian. His hair seems to always be around his shoulders or shorter.

Origins

This might come as a surprise to some but when I think staple character of this series, I think of Yagami Koji. By far one of the most complex and elusive characters I have found myself writing for, in fact. When I picked up my first Harvest Moon game, HM GBC3, I instantly named the character something I thought would have an Asian flare. Of course a number of things sounded Asian when I was ten but somehow I managed to figure out "Koji". If you've played GBC, however, you'll know that it isn't...exactly the most exciting or inspiring of games. It's kind of bare bones Harvest Moon and though marriage was available in GBC3, you only had one choice: the girl or guy living with you. And it was game over if you were a chick and got married.

But I did however pick up still one of the quintessential and arguably best old school Harvest Moon games: Harvest Moon 64. It was at that moment where the game had personality and when "Koji" started to become a little more: It's where I chose Popuri for her pink unnatural hair :P

Originally, Koji was based around myself. He had many of my own personality quirks and reflected my thoughts in a lot of ways. In my early writing, Koji also reflected exactly what I was into at the time. I cringed and cried through my 2001-2003 version of him. Koji  Kamaishi Yagami was once, oddly enough, a thug. Not even kidding. Koji was in a gang, went around beating people up, and was for all intent a complete and utter deviant. This was not a reflection of MYSELF but it was a reflection of the things I was into, the whole hip hop/rap industry of the time. Koji used some absolutely RIDICULOUS slang throughout that debacle of a story.

If anything was interesting about this 136 page blasphemy (yes, I wrote big even when I was 11-13...) it was seeing where my own tastes started to change over. Gradually Koji became the more dark secluded "person" I know best, listening to metal and engaging in goth culture. Which, again, I didn't do but I found the whole thing fascinating at the time. And I actually always had acquaintances and friends emerged in either group Koji was portrayed in. To me, it makes him seem wishy washy and that's a pretty large leap in anyone's eyes. Also, as bad as it was, it was still fairly amazing the downward spiral I put Koji in as he faced experience after experience. Some things never change.

What Stays True to Koji of 2004-2011?

Protective: I was prepared to write when I was preparing my mind-draft that Koji was nowhere near as protective as he was in the original story as he is today. However, I wonder exactly where I would have gotten that idea anyway, Koji was just as crazy then as now, almost going as far to sabotage dates with Cliff and Jill. He was still quite a bit more laidback and I never got as far as to give him daughters but he's always been very protective of his siblings.

Playboy: Koji has an infamous string of sexual deviancy in the current series, apparently having been with countless women before settling down and marrying. He admits to it with some embarrassment but I never get the idea that Koji's sincerely apologetic, just trying to pacify Popuri, lol. In the past, there are differences but Koji was still a player in the original, having a long line of girls he dated before Popuri. Shockingly this may be worse than the present series because he met and dated Popuri when he was sixteen in the other series meaning he got a lot of dating in early, that tease.

His Love of Popuri: Koji and Popuri are the absolute staple couple. In the series, other characters look at their relationship, how they can have crippling secrets, blow up fights, and earth-shattering disagreements but always end up "perfect". Koji just loves him some Popuri :P And this has always been the case for as badly written as it was, the fireworks between them reuniting was still...a bit of a sparkle. He goes out of his way to protect her and was openly honest, even telling her about his first true love, a girl that died from illness.

What DOESN'T Stay True to Koji of 2004-2011?

It Seems Koji Would Ditch Nelly In a SECOND: No, they were still very close in the original series and their trademark jostling of each other definitely originated there...but I think if the end chapter from Lessons in Life where *SPOILER in italics* Nelly was sitting in jail occurred in the 2001-2003 series, Nelly would...be sitting in jail. Koji has an air of wanting to be independent of his brother in the current series but Koji almost goes out of his WAY to be separate from Nelly in the older one and I can't even say why. In the brief last portion I wrote where Koji was in college, it seemed Koji would go several MONTHS without contacting anyone, even Nelly. And in my outline it seems that it would almost be years after some bizarre event between Koji and Popuri where he wouldn't see him. As I said before, Koji is still protective of his siblings but damned if Nelly may as well have just been anybody else in the family, the link between them was just sad...

Koji in a Gang: No comment. Also includes: Koji rapping, Koji wearing chains, Koji doing anything that a rapper would do.

Koji Had A True Love BESIDES Popuri? Heresy!!: If I find the doll I did of Sai (I used to be into doll bases...) I will post her but Koji adored this girl for some reason. Basically she saved her from himself and the above. I guess she made it so he didn't need to look to a gang. When Sai died though, apparently he went back...? She was super ill-conceived, something of a tack on because Koji doesn't make a single mention of her nor seem to reflect upon all she did for him until way into the story. And the absolutely BIZARRE idea I had that involved this didn't help much either. You'll see that in a post I'll make later...

Excuse My French but Koji Was A Pu$$y: Woah! But I mean it, seriously, and as degrading as I feel that word is in adjective form it just...does. I just kind of stared scanning the story when Koji allowed people to just...mess with him. Some guy attacked him, some guy drugged him, some guy set him up so Popuri will think he was messing around, some guy pulled a gun on him. And Koji's answer to that third one was to kill himself. Not to say now Koji probably wasn't teenage suicidal at points but Koji actually doing it? Koji would kill a bitch before they attacked him, may be drugged but come back with some crazy mafia revenge, tell Popuri that she knows him better than that, and well...I dunno, Koji may have been right on the gun thing. But the Koji of today who's generally just badass definitely was a bit of a wuss.

No Sex?: Koji and Nelly, shockingly, just dated a lot. They seemingly even expressed that they wouldn't have sex before marriage... o.O Oddly, probably a result of my more conservative youth but it just seems funny now...

Cursing...: Koji and Nelly actually scolded each other for cursing. Lol, pretty hilarious, the two are like sailors now.

There's SO many left but I just have to leave off with this one:

Koji Used To Wear...: My God, if I find the doll bases portraying this, they're going up even if they were done in MS Paint. Koji used to wear lipstick. Yes, when Koji transitioned to goth dark crazy phase, he wore black lipstick AND eyeliner (Note: Emo was NOT in style yet so this was shocking pre-Emo). When I picture current Koji in his teen years, I MIGHT see the eyeliner but imagining him in black lipstick either just makes me laugh or just stare blankly. My imagination cannot delve into imagining Koji standing in a mirror applying lipstick (or eyeliner). Ah, them good ol' days.

Quotes from Koji:

• “…I’m not sure I’m kosher with that ensemble either, dear.” (Step Towards the Future, Chapter 15)

• “Woah, stop RIGHT there, sister. I’m about to eat.” (Step Towards the Future, Chapter 15)

•  “Yeah, you’re right…you’re a whore.” (Step Towards the Future, Chapter 15)

• “I’m not ready for her to grow up yet…” (Yuki, Chapter 4)

• "Not too good. I still have half the mind to throttle him…” (Yuki, Chapter 9)

• “WHO’S psychopathic?” (Yuki, Chapter 10)

• “Except you…what did daddy tell you about boys?”-Koji, “Boys are icky!”- Rosa, “That’s my girl.”- Koji (Yuki, Chapter 10)

• “It belongs to you, does it? I don’t know, I think its attached to MY body…” (Yuki, Chapter 14)

• “Shut the hell up, Nelly.” (Yuki, Chapter 14)

• ‘Popuri…you were the first one to treat me like I was okay. I liked it when I was okay…’ (Yuki, Chapter 17)

• “I’ll ‘walk you down the aisle’ but I’ll be damned if I give you away” (Yuki, Chapter 17)

• “How many times do I have to tell you we’re sending Rosa to a convent?” (Chapter 16, Lay With Me)

• “My 11-year-old needs a bra. This is all Popuri’s fault…” (Lay With Me, Epilogue)

• “We all have regrets, Nell.” (This Love, Chapter 19)

• “Y’know, I’m not sure I see the practicality of a monocle. I daresay, my good sir, I can’t see a thing. I’m not sure if it’s the blasted fact I don’t have a lens in this or it’s my glass eye!"-Koji, “Well, chicks might dig it.”-Nelly, “Or you can look like Mr. Peanut, it’s all good.”-Koji (This Love, Chapter 22)

• “OH MY GOD, you look like me”- Koji to twin brother, Nelly (Jewel in the Rough, Chapter 14)

• “Fergalicious.” (Jewel in the Rough, Chapter 14)

• “I’d be screaming in pain if it weren’t for the pain killers.” (Jewel in the Rough, Chapter 16)

• “Mighty nice of you there, whipper snapper…” (Leave Out All the Rest, Chapter 9)

• “Coming, honey…c’mon, Sachi, let’s help grammy in the kitchen and see if grand-daddy can rewrite his wrongs and make you more feminine than your mommy" (Leave Out All the Rest, Chapter 9)

• “Yea, yea, my bodies a temple, don’t do drugs, sleep facing the left, no tattoos, got it” (Leave Out All the Rest, Chapter 19)

• “We’re pretty sure if it was scanned, it’d come up as Pringles.” (Leave Out All the Rest, Chapter 19)

• “I hope I don’t die like you did.”(Leave Out All the Rest, Chapter 19)

• “Okay, my other half, you’ve been acting funny since your son and your surprise grandson got here. What’s wrong?” (Lessons in Life, Chapter 24)

• “You can lie to ANYONE, futago, but you can’t lie to me.” (Lessons in Life, Chapter 24)

• “I remember seeing that when I was in college in America. The pink ranger was hot...” (Lessons in Life, Chapter 25)

• “I'd have a horrible headache too, dealing with hundreds of college students.” (Lessons in Life, Chapter 25)

• “What the hell ever, it has everything to do with me. You're my damn twin or have you forgotten?”- (Lessons in Life, Chapter 27)

• “Incomplete sentence for the win?”(Lessons in Life, At the Bar 1)

• "NO ONE looks like Jenna Jameson" -Koji, "You always did have a soft spot in your heart for her..."-Nelly,  "I wouldn't say 'heart' nor 'soft'..."-Koji (Lessons in Life, At the Bar 1)

• “Oh, rocks never killed anything except Goliath...” (Lessons in Life, At the Bar 2)

• “Over my cold dead damn body.”- (Yume, Chapter 3)

• “I am ever so remotely kidding, pumpkin. But he still would have to meet my excessively difficult to attain approval.”(Yume, Chapter 3)

• “Like I SAID, it was different times and I was an idiot!” (Yume, Chapter 13)

• “Rosa, can you tell your mother that I can hear her?” (Yume, Chapter 14)

• “Are you having sex with MY daughter?”(Yume, Chapter 17)

• “I would say if you knocked up my baby, I'd have you assassinated but I guess that's already taken care of” he said sarcastically before giving him a threatening look, “So let's leave it at this: you...are with someone that I would DIE for. She is my daughter, my baby, so I am GIVING you the FREEDOM to...BE with her. But you f—king better take care of her, you hear me? If you hurt even a hair on my princess' head, I will kill you.” (Yume, Chapter 17)

• “Chihaya, how did you know I wouldn't throw you out the window for actually telling me you've been...intimate with my sweet innocent little girl?”(Yume, Chapter 17)

• “You're out of your damn mind, my grand-babies don't need men!” (Yume, Chapter 20)

• “Who cares about ME? I didn't even know you were back in the country but who cares about DAD!” (Yume, Chapter 22)

• “...Fine. I don't like this a bit but FINE, if it makes you happy. I can't believe you're letting some other man take precedent over the one that used to chase the monsters from underneath your bed...”(Yume, Chapter 22)

• “Don't worry, with enough provocation, I'd kill both of you equally.” (Yume, Chapter 31)

• “Where's the bastar—father?” (Yume, Chapter 32)

• “Lose my number.”  (Yume, Chapter 33)

• “Is that right? Maybe I'll, like, run to the ocean and we can totally have a surf off instead, dude.” (Yume, Chapter 35)

Koji's Family Tree: