Hideoshi Yakima was born in Skytower City on Luthien. His family, like many in Skytower City, worked at the Buda Weapons factory. Although his family were lowly laborers, Yakima tested very highly on aptitude and intelligence tests early in school and was put on an accelerated engineering track early in his childhood. He earned his first undergraduate degree by age fifteen. By age 24, he possessed doctorates in mechanical and electrial engineering. He immediately began work in the research facility at Buda Weapons and quickly rose in the ranks to become the lead scientist of the research division by age 39, having been influential in recovering lost technology for the Draconis Combine.

Yakima was off-planet at the start of the Jihad, but was anxious to return rto Luthien in order to test experimental equipment that he felt might be helpful in turning the tide. He and his research team were smuggled onto planet in 3073, but the Word of Blake discovered them and hunted them across Luthien. Buda hired the Flaming Devil Monkeys to find Yakima and after almost a year on planet, they successful tracked him down. He had no desire to leave, however, as he was near to a breakthrough on the large X-pulse laser. Furthermore, he was fascinated by the Word of Blake equipment that the Monkeys had captured, including the now-cyborg Desiree Sheikh. Yakima was instrumental in clearing her of any donner-type bombs and de-programming her. Fascinated by the opportunity to field test new equipment, Yakima took a leave of absence to continue his work with the Monkeys.

Yakima is an extremely curious individual with virtual no social skills. He has difficulty (or perhaps no interest) in reading social cues and his desire for technological breakthroughs is often divorced from any consideration of moral consequences. The Monkeys have benefited greatly from his expertise, but also keep a close watch on him lest he go too far.

The situation between Yakima and Chief Technician Abe Forde is strained. Ford seems to resent Yakima’s highbrow pedigree and Yakima seems to take no notice of Ford at all, even though Ford technically outranks him. So far, as long as the two can have their separate projects, conflict has been limited.