Yui's Fender Stratocaster

Lore & Background

Yui's guitar is first introduced when she joins the light music club with no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music. She eventually becomes an excellent guitar player. During performances, Yui plays with amazing energy and joy which usually results in great response from the audience. Despite her easy-going nature, she has incredible focus and retention when she has a clear goal in sight, though this is limited to only one subject at a time—for example, when pressed to make up failing test scores, she quickly brings her math skills up to par at the expense of her guitar knowledge. Still, she remains devoted to her band and practices hard enough for the club.

In Their Own Story

The afternoon sun filtered through the high windows of the music room, illuminating dust motes dancing above the worn wooden floor. Yui sat on the edge of a chair, cradling her guitar as if it were a fragile bird. She strummed a chord, the sound ringing clear and bright against the silence of the empty clubroom. It wasn't perfect; there was a slight buzz on the low E string that she had been meaning to fix for weeks. But as she looked at the sunburst wood reflecting the golden light, she smiled. This guitar had traveled with her through every awkward moment, every failed solo, and every laugh shared over tea. It was ready for whatever song came next.

Reader's Guide

This instrument is a Heritage Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar, nicknamed "Gīta" (ギー太) by Yui. It is the guitar she uses throughout her time in the light music club at Sakuragaoka High School. Symbolically, the guitar mirrors Yui's own growth. She begins with no experience—the only instrument she knew how to play was the castanets—but through sheer passion and the support of her bandmates, she becomes an excellent guitar player. Her absolute pitch allows her to tune her guitar perfectly without a tuner, a skill that greatly impresses Azusa Nakano, who has played the guitar much longer than Yui. In daily life, Yui works extremely hard to get better at playing guitar. During performances, she plays with amazing energy and joy, which usually results in great response from the audience. However, she is known to forget her lyrics mid-performance as well as overdoing things, making her unable to perform sometimes. Mio was the lead vocalist at first, since Yui could not play the guitar and sing at the same time.

Did You Know?

• Yui nicknames her guitar "Gīta" (ギー太).
• Before learning electric guitar, the only instrument Yui knew how to play was the castanets.
• Yui has absolute pitch and can tune her guitar perfectly without a tuner, impressing Azusa who has played much longer.
• When Yui focused on raising her math test scores, her guitar knowledge temporarily deteriorated.
• Mio was the lead vocalist at first because Yui could not play guitar and sing at the same time.