Ichirō Yashida

"My legacy must be preserved, your mistake was to believe the life with no end can have no meaning, it is only life that can. Hold on, we are almost there, The peace you've wanted, your reward. Your know I giving you the very death you longed for. This feeling to be invincible, like you!"

- Ichiro Yashida

Yashida was an elderly Japanese man whose life was saved by Wolverine during an atomic bomb attack years ago in WWII. After being saved he went on to be the head of his own company.

The Wolverine
Ichiro Yashida was a businessman and one of the most powerful business leaders in Japan. During the final days of World War II, Wolverine saved Yashida from the atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki, an act for which he was forever indebted to Wolverine. His first encounter with mutants made him obsessed with unravelling their secrets and led to him developing a company revolving around genetic ventures and technology.

Yashida started a family in the years that followed, and while he did not connect well with his son, he bonded very well with his granddaughter Mariko. He would often tell her stories of the man who had once saved him, and laced these with mythology to the point where the Wolverine had been made out to be a protective spirit. In those early years he also chanced upon another mutant, Yukio, whom he brought home and raised alongside Mariko as another granddaughter.

When Yashida realised that his life was nearing its end, he instructed Yukio to scour the globe searching for the Wolverine, a task which took one year to accomplish. Once Yukio brought Logan to Japan to meet Yashida, he thanked Logan for saving his life all those years ago, and promised to return the favour by offering to strip him of his immortality and take the ability himself, thus enabling Logan to live a normal life. Logan refused, stating that his healing abilities were more of a curse than a blessing. Yashida later died that night, and a traditional Japanese funeral was held by his family and esteemed guests the following day. Logan attended Master Yashida's funeral alongside Yukio, Shingen Yashida, and Mariko. Yashida instructed Logan to take care of his granddaughter, whom he entrusted with control of the family in his will.

However, as Mariko was kidnapped by the Yakuza and brought to the Yashida corporation's main research facility, it was revealed that Yashida did not die on that night, and was instead sustained by a robotic suit made out of adamantium. Yashida then revealed his intention to forcefully extract Wolverine's healing ability and be reborn to live forever. In the process of fighting Wolverine in his adamantium suit, he used his adamantium swords to break Wolverine's claws and extract his healing abilities from his body. However, Mariko intervened and stabbed her grandfather with one of Wolverine's shattered adamantium claws, whilst Wolverine used the distraction to finish him off, sending him plummeting down the mountainside

Relationships

 * Logan/Wolverine - Benefactor/Friend turned Enemy
 * Mariko Yashida - Granddaughter
 * Yukio - Servant turned Enemy
 * Shingen Yashida - Son
 * Kenuichio Harada - Apprentice/Ally turned Enemy
 * Viper - Ally

Appearances/Actors

 * Canon (1 film)
 * The Wolverine (First appearance) - Hal Yamanouchi and Ken Yamamura (Young)

Behind the scenes
To be added

Trivia
To be added