Grandma Junko, also known as Obaachan, is a potential lite ally in Appalachia in Fallout 76, introduced in the Once in a Blue Moon update. A traumatized survivor of the Great War, she is a grandmother with a humorous, though sometimes confused personality, as well as having good cooking skills. She is unlocked as a reward at rank 35 of Fight for Freedom, the fourteenth in-game season.
Background[]
Junko is of Japanese descent. Her father named her "Junko" which means "pure child" in Japanese. When Junko was young, she immigrated to the United States from a small city in Japan known as Inzai. She grew up in small towns along the west coast.
She met a man named Kazuichi who had a quiet but caring personality, and the two fell in love and married on a rainy day. With him, she had a daughter named Sayoko, who would eventually have three children of her own and live in Appalachia. Junko would travel around America due to Kazuichi's line of work.
Nearing the time of the Great War, Kazuichi began to become unsettled by the tensions of the political atmosphere and so he decided to construct a fortified room under their house. Junko and Kazuichi waited for the children to show up, but they never did. Kazuichi needed to restock the food at some point and left, and when he came back, it is implied he was either transforming into a ghoul or dying from radiation poisoning. Junko says he "fell asleep" although her dialogue suggests he actually died, and that she is trying to cope with the situation by believing that he only fell asleep. She left him a note saying she is going to find the rest of her family, and still hopes to this day he will awaken and they will reunite.
Over two-and-a-half decades later, Junko has returned to Appalachia to search for Sayoko. Junko has remained relatively fit and attributes her healthy aging to yoga, eating well and eating chocolate occasionally. She attributes her survival to avoiding people whenever possible. She is known to have bought groceries from settlers at Foundation. She also met Odessa Valdez and thinks she is sweet.
Much of Junko's dialogue is ambiguous and it is unclear if she knows the gravity of the post-apocalypse but is putting on an innocent charade in order to cope, or if she actually has some sort of dementia and genuinely believes everything is less serious than it seems. For example, she refers to power armor as being a robot costume. When war is brought up as a subject, she replies, "War? Wait, which war?" She thinks super mutants are merely green due to bad hygiene, and that the Cult of the Mothman are university entomology students. She is also naive to the Enclave.
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
| Interactions | ||
|---|---|---|
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This character cannot be killed. | |
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This character is a C.A.M.P. ally. Their associated workshop object is Grandma's chair. | |
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This character is a vendor. |
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This character offers miscellaneous services. | |
Other interactions[]
- Junko can discuss some of the Vault Dweller's progress:
- Went to Flatwoods and learned how to cook: Junko is proud.
- Helped create a cure for the Scorched Plague: Junko says she will drink Nuka-Cola.
- Graduated VTU and became Overseer: Junko is sad she was not invited to the graduation.
- Went to Charleston Capitol Building and fought hoards: Junko relates and says she once fought someone with her cane.
- Junko will be offended if she is called "ancient" and will refuse to talk to the Vault Dweller if no apology is given.
- A Perception 8+ check when asking about her family will lead to a series of dialogue choices. Junko will not mind a little pestering, and even a Strength 8+ check to "Tell me or else!" will not cross her line. However, an "Insist" prompt after will get Junko to discuss her tragic past and make her cry. She will want some time alone after and not want to talk to the Vault Dweller for a while.
Daily buff[]
Junko's daily buff is known as Grandma's Home Cooked Meal. Taking it will immediately fully replenish the player's hunger and thirst meters, and they will not deplete for an hour.
Inventory[]
| Apparel | Weapon | Other items |
|---|---|---|
| Vintage linen coat Eyeglasses |
Rolling pin |
Notes[]
Although Junko's daily buff is presented in dialogue as eating one of her home-cooked meals, taking the buff does not actually count toward eating-related challenges. This is because the buff is only an effect and no item is consumed.
Notable quotes[]
- "Oh that's simple sweetie, I keep my nose out of other people's business. If I stay uninvolved, I find most people pay me no mind."
- "Maybe it's time we look into signing up for one of those Vault-things. Are they still doing those?"
- "Very sad, but this is what happens to the youth of today when they drop out of college. They can't string together a coherent sentence, and their lack of basic hygiene has made them sickly and green. Oh, and their pets! One of their dogs almost bit me! Did I get an apology? No! Not until after I got through scolding him! Hmph. Last time I go to Huntersville!" – Junko regarding super mutants
- "Everything is high-tech these days. When I was your age, that robot costume you stepped into would have been made out of cardboard and bits of string."
- "Well I never! Seems like someone is being cranky. You have a nap and come back when you're ready to not be a brat."
- "Please... Don't make me remember. Don't make me go back!"
Appearances[]
Grandma Junko appears only in Fallout 76, introduced in the Once in a Blue Moon update.
Behind the scenes[]
- SkyBox Labs developer Ryan White was a writer for Junko; White also wrote for Steven Scarberry and Adelaide.[Non-game 1]
- Grandma Junko is the first elderly Japanese woman to appear in the Fallout series, as well as the first elderly Asian woman to appear in normal gameplay. Wan Yang cannot be found normally in-game, while other Asian women such as Madison Li and Rei Nakano are depicted as being middle-aged.
Gallery[]
References[]
Non-game
- ↑ Ryan White on LinkedIn: "Outside of lead responsibilities, I've also been keeping up with my writing for the project. I've previously posted about Rip Daring's adventures, but I've also had the opportunity to write a lot more, like B-movie radio ads, quips from an underqualified baking machine, and numerous non-linear allies for the players to talk to.
I'm especially proud of the allies, as they've all become fan favorites and resonate with players for different reasons. Steven Scarberry is a passionate priest who is beginning to question his faith as he has not seen his deity, the local cryptid known as Mothman. Grandma Junko is a sweet and caring old lady who seems out of time, as she is either oblivious to the state of the world or refuses to acknowledge it for some reason. And most recently Adelaide, a weapon of mass destruction that was reprogrammed into a showgirl who sings show tunes.
It's an incredible feeling seeing the fan responses since I got to take these characters all the way from planning, to recording, to implementation. All of this is something I'll never get tired of, and I look forward to posting more updates on my work when I can."
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