Maru-Yu

Overview

Maru-Yu is a submarine ship girl from Kantai Collection representing the Imperial Japanese Army's Type 3 submergence transport vehicle. Coming from an army background rather than the navy, she occupies a unique place among the fleet. Despite being officially acknowledged as one of the weakest combatants in the game, her exceptional utility as a modernization material to boost luck and her effectiveness as a low-cost decoy make her a highly valued and beloved character among admirals.

Appearance

She has short, parted black hair, brown eyes, and the petite appearance of a young girl. She wears a white one-piece school swimsuit featuring a red encircled "yu" emblem on the stomach, accompanied by a diving mask on her head and a flotation belt around her waist. She carries an Unkatou transport container in her left hand and an FP-45 Liberator handgun in her right. Her Christmas outfit consists of an all-white Santa costume with a green chest ribbon, a white hat, and a large present bag.

Personality

She possesses a timid and insecure nature, often expressing self-doubt during her greetings and interactions. Despite her weak disposition, she displays a determined side when sent into battle, shouting courageously to fulfill her duty. Distinctively, she is the only character who addresses the Admiral as Captain ("Taichou"). She also exhibits a clumsy side, often struggling to control whether she floats or sinks while bathing.

Abilities

In her base state, she possesses nearly the lowest possible stats across the board, lacking any equipment slots and unable to equip torpedoes. Upon remodeling, she gains a single equipment slot, allowing her to eventually execute submarine cut-in attacks with specialized sonar or torpedo equipment. Her defining operational trait is her unique capability to permanently increase the Luck stat of other ships when used as modernization material. Furthermore, her extremely low resupply costs and minimal repair times make her a remarkably efficient decoy in combat.

Background

Her real-world historical counterpart was born from the Imperial Japanese Army's independent initiative to construct transport submarines to resupply isolated island garrisons during World War II. Built without prior submarine manufacturing expertise, the craft faced numerous design hurdles before reaching service. In the game, she was introduced through the Large-Ship Construction feature and later became accessible via normal sea zone drops, bringing her unique historical background into her characterization.

Relationships

She shares a notable bond with the light cruiser Kiso, stemming from historical signal exchanges; in home port interactions, Kiso even teaches her how to cook navy-style curry. She also holds deep admiration for the battleship Yamato, inspired by a memorable historical encounter where their crews exchanged formal salutes. Additionally, she shares a common background with army-affiliated vessels such as Shinshu Maru and Akitsu Maru.

Trivia

Her official name is denoted by a symbol featuring the letter "yu" inside a circle, often written as Maruyu or using the characters "丸優". While frequently encountered as a secondary result in Large-Ship Construction, her unique ability to upgrade other ships' Luck makes duplicate copies highly appreciated by players. Intriguingly, an engineer involved in designing her historical propeller later contributed to building a famous solar car for a television show.