Seita's aunt

"Do you think a lazy slug like you deserves the same as people who are working so hard for our nation? You keep saying you want rice, but do you do anything to earn it? No.
 * —Seita's aunt to her nephew"

Seita's Aunt is the main antagonist in Grave of the Fireflies and distant aunt of Seita and Setsuko Yokokawa, and the sister-in-law of Mrs. Yokokawa. After Seita and his sister lose their home and mother to an air raid, they then come to live at their aunt's house, having nowhere else to go. Seita and Setsuko give their aunt what they had left of their mother's belongings so that she could trade them for rice for all of them despite Setsuko's protests. While the aunt cares about her nephew and niece she quickly grows resentful of them due to Seita playing with Setsuko all day instead of going to school or to work since he felt he should look after his sister and stay by her side at all times, relying on their aunt to cook for them and wash their dishes as well as Seita refusing to help the neighbours put out the fire during the bombings and Setsuko crying at night as she mourned the death of her mother although their aunt's anger extends to both Seita and Setsuko, who is still a toddler and too young to study or work, and doesn't waste a chance to call them out on their lack of interest in helping out her family, even telling them to try to find other relatives to take them in or to move in to the bomb shelter Seita takes Setsuko to during the bombings.

Seita and Setsuko eventually grow tired of their aunt's insults and decide to move into a bomb shelter. Their aunt finds them packing their stuff as she comes home from an errand and upon finding out they are leaving she seems slightly concerned but lets them go before telling them to take care of themselves and gently bids Setsuko goodbye, although she is ignored by her niece.

Setsuko later told Seita that it was their aunt who informed her of the death of their mother, which Seita was trying to keep a secret from Setsuko, this allows Seita to stop trying to hold back his own tears and mourn over their mother's death.

It is unknown what happened to her or her family after the war ended except that she, her husband and daughter survived.

Relationships

 * Seita Yokokawa (nephew)
 * Setsuko Yokokawa (niece)
 * Kiyoshi Yokokawa (brother-in-law)
 * Mrs. Yokokawa (sister-in-law)
 * Seita's Cousin (daughter)