Survivor horror gameDead by Daylightis known for its collaborations, having featured characters from such iconic properties asA Nightmare on Elm Street, Silent Hill, Dungeons and Dragons,and more.Dead by Daylight’slatest collaboration will feature eight skins inspired by characters created by iconic horror manga artist Junji Ito. One such character, who will appear as a Legendary skin for The Artist, is Fuchi, a recurring villain with a fondness for human flesh who appears in several Ito short stories.
Fuchi’s Introduction:Rumors
Fuchi, also sometimes known as Miss Fuchi, first appeared in a short story titledRumorsinSouichi’s Diary of Curses,a 1997 anthology of stories focusing around the eerie, curse-loving child Souchi Tsujii (who will appear inDead by Daylightas aTricksterskin.) In the story, Souichi tries to spread rumors about himself being rich and famous, but the rumors are debunked by his former crush, Midori. Souichi then tricks Midori into believing that she will become beautiful if she bathes in a local swamp.
To spread the rumor about the swamp,Souichifinds pictures of a model named Fuchi, who has a terrifying, zombie-like appearance, and claims that she bathed in the swamp and is now beautiful. Midori falls for the trap, and Souichi sneaks into the swamp to photograph her. However, Fuchi appears, and is revealed to be a cannibalistic monster with razor-sharp teeth. She attacks Souichi when he takes her photograph; the story ends ambiguously, but Souichi presumably survives as he goes on to appear in more stories.
Fuchi’s Story:Fashion Model
Fuchithen appears in the next story in the collection,Fashion Model,once again working as a professional model. Notably, Fuchi is the main character of this story, and Souichi does not appear at all. Fuchi is hired to appear in an indie film produced by a group of college students. When she mistakenly believes that Iwasaki, the script writer, finds her beautiful, she becomes obsessed with him.
Eventually, Fuchi finds herself jealous of Tamae Mori, the film’s beautiful lead actress, and eats Tamae so that she can become the star. When the other members of the production crew are horrified at her actions, she kills and eats them as well, leaving only Iwasaki alive. Like many otherJunji Ito stories,Fashion Modelalso has an ambiguous ending, with Fuchi declaring she will “keep Iwasaki for herself” as the manga abruptly ends.
Fuchi makes one more appearance, in a short story calledSecret of the Haunted Mansionin the 2002 anthologyVoices in the Dark.There, Souichi and Fuchi are married with a son, living together in a haunted house. The son inherits Fuchi’s sharp teeth and cannibalistic diet. However, the story is ultimately revealed to be a nightmare that Souichi had, presumably based on his continuing fear of Fuchi after encountering her inRumors.
In the 2018 animated seriesJunji Ito Collection, Fashion Modelwas adapted as part of the second episode. It is here that Fuchi became infamous for her laugh, a creepy, grating cackle that she tends to let out while attacking and eating her victims. Unfortunately, she did not appear inJunji Ito Maniac,the second animated anthology based on his works, which aired on Netflix in 2023.
InDead by Daylight,Fuchi will be a legendary skin for the killerThe Artist. Fuchi appears in the game in herFashion Modellook, wearing a pink dress and with what seems to be the blood of one of her victims coating her teeth and hands. She will come with new voice lines - including, of course, her iconic laugh. With her tall, twisted appearance and killer rictus grin, Fuchi will certainly be a terrifying foe to face when she arrives inDead by Daylight.
