Yamakaze
Yamakaze is a ship girl in Kantai Collection, based on the historical eighth vessel of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers. Assigned to the 24th Destroyer Division alongside her sister ships, she initially presents herself as a quiet, somber downer with a self-deprecating demeanor. However, in battle—especially during night encounters—she demonstrates a surprisingly fierce side.
Overview
Yamakaze is a ship girl in Kantai Collection, based on the historical eighth vessel of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers. Assigned to the 24th Destroyer Division alongside her sister ships, she initially presents herself as a quiet, somber downer with a self-deprecating demeanor. However, in battle—especially during night encounters—she demonstrates a surprisingly fierce side.
Appearance
Yamakaze has long, slightly wavy green hair tied in a high half-up style with a black ribbon shaped like animal ears, alongside two black hairpins on each side of her bangs. She has emerald green eyes, heavy eyelids, and distinctly troubled eyebrows. She wears a white choker with a small ornament around her neck, as well as a serafuku styled similarly to her sister ships, though distinguished by its unique detached sleeve design. She also possesses seasonal look variants such as a Hinamatsuri-themed garment, casual shopping attire, and a swimsuit.
Personality
Yamakaze generally keeps her distance from others, frequently using blunt, reluctant phrases like "it's fine" or "leave me alone." She possesses low self-esteem and tends to withdraw when given excessive attention. Beneath her detached exterior, however, she is caring and willing to prepare simple meals for her Commander. Because of historical trauma, she has a profound fear of the dark and enemy submarines, making her highly uneasy during nighttime operations.
Abilities
While her initial luck stat is extraordinarily low, Yamakaze attains high firepower for an unremodeled destroyer once trained. She excels at anti-submarine warfare due to substantial equipment bonuses provided by sonar gear such as the Type 3 Active Sonar, enabling her to perform powerful opening anti-submarine attacks at relatively low required levels.
Background
Yamakaze was introduced during a limited-time event, completing the full lineup of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers in the game. Her tragedy-laden historical background of sinking early in the war manifests in her subtle fears of night battles and underwater threats. As the player trains and remodels her, she gradually comes out of her shell, expressing stronger attachments and showing a more open, dependable attitude.
Relationships
She addresses her older sister ships Shigure and Umikaze with respectful titles, while acting as an elder sister to Kawakaze and Suzukaze. Though sometimes overwhelmed by Kawakaze's energetic nature, Yamakaze genuinely cares for her. She also holds warm feelings for Umikaze's gentle support and maintains a polite, respectful attitude toward senior heavy cruisers Nachi and Haguro.
Trivia
When written vertically, the kanji characters for her name "Yamakaze" closely resemble the single kanji for "Arashi," leading to occasional running jokes regarding mix-ups with the destroyer Arashi. Additionally, being the eighth ship of her class, she was featured as a primary motif for official artwork celebrating the game's eighth anniversary.
