Aki (James Bond)

Aki
James Bond character
Aki, meeting Bond for the first time
Portrayed by	Akiko Wakabayashi
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Secret agent
Affiliation	Japanese Secret Service
Nationality	Japanese
Classification	Bond girl

Aki is a fictional character created for the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. In the film, Aki, played by Akiko Wakabayashi, is a female ninja agent with the fictional Japanese government agency Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). She aids James Bond against the SPECTRE in Japan until she is killed by an assassin during an attempt on Bond's life upon which she is replaced by her fellow agent Kissy Suzuki. Critical reception of the character was generally very positive.

Aki does not appear in Ian Fleming's 1964 novel. She was originally named Suki in Roald Dahl's screenplay. According to The James Bond Films, the character was "Dahl's tribute to the Japanese woman of the Sixties".Mie Hama was cast to play Suki, but she had trouble learning English; to solve the problem, she and Akiko Wakabayashi, originally cast to play the part of almost-silent Kissy Suzuki, decided to swap their respective roles. Wakabayashi then convinced director Lewis Gilbert to change the name of her character to Aki.

By the time of the film Aki is a trusted and acomplished Japanese SIS agent. She is a skilled ninja and an expert driver who often uses her skills at driving her white Toyota 2000GT sports car equipped with several high-tech communication devices.. She speaks English fluently with a strong Japanese accent.

Aki is someting of a Japanese counterpart to Bond. An attractive woman, in most of her scenes she is dressed in stylish kimonos with her hair ornately styled.

This belies a somewhat demur, softly spoken personality, however Aki quickly forms a strong attachment to Bond.

Aki is first seen when 007 meets her at a sumo wrestling show. Bond is there to meet a contact who will take him to Mr. Henderson, M's recommended contact in Japan. He confirms that Aki is his contact by saying the code words "I love you" to her. Aki takes Bond to meet Henderson in her car. After Henderson is killed during their meeting, Bond attacks and kills one of Henderson's killers. Taking the man's place, he is driven to the Osato Chemical Works HQ, where he is discovered by the villains. Aki rescues him, using her skills as a driver, then takes him to meet her boss, Tiger Tanaka. It is after this meeting that a bikini-clad Aki invites Bond to spend the night with her, famously saying "I think I will enjoy very much serving under you", before Bond carries her to bed.