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Liu Yu 劉昱 (463-477), courtesy name Derong 德融, childhood name Huizhen 慧震, was an emperor (r. 472-477) of the Liu-Song dynasty 劉宋 (420-479), one of the Southern Dynasties 南朝 (420-589). He was the oldest son of Emperor Ming 宋明帝 (465-472) and Lady Chen 陳氏 (Chen Miaodeng 陳妙登), who was also called Lady Li 李氏 because she had earlier been a consort of Liu Dao'er 李道兒, d. 468). Liu Yu was by some believed to have not been an offspring of the imperial family Liu, but a son of Liu Dao'er.
Liu Yu was made Heir Apparent in 466. He succeeded his father to the throne in 472 and changed the reign motto to Yuanhui 元徽. Liu Yu took over the empire in a situation when fratricidal strife had critically weakened the central government and thrown the whole economy into dire straits. Yet the Director of the Imperial Secretariat (shangshu ling 尚書令), Yuan Can 袁粲 (420-478), and Protector-General (hujun jiangjun 護軍將軍) Chu Yanhui 褚彥回 (435-482) acted as regents for Liu Yu.
In 474, Liu Xiufan 劉休范 (448-474), the Prince of Guiyang 桂陽, rebelled against Liu Yu, but he was defeated and died. In 476, Liu Jingsu 劉景素, (452-476) the Prince of Jianping 建平, also revolted in the critical town of Jingkou 京口 (today's Zhenjiang 鎮江, Jiangsu), but the rebellion was put down by Xiao Daocheng 蕭道成 (427-482). Other members of the imperial house, Liu Borong 劉伯融 (458-476), the Prince of Shi'an 始安, and Liu Boqiu 劉伯猷 (466-476), the Marquis of Duxiang 都鄉侯, were ordered to commit suicide. Of the twenty-eight sons of Emperor Xiaowu 宋孝武皇帝 (r. 453-464), Emperor Ming had killed sixteen, and the others were put to death by Liu Yu.
In 477, Ruan Dianfu 阮佃夫 (427-477), the regional inspector (cishi 刺史) of the province of Yuzhou 豫州, and Infantry Commandant (bubing xiaowei 步兵校尉) Shen Bozong 申伯宗 (427-477) conspired to dethrone Liu Yu, but the plot was revealed, and the two were executed. Not long thereafter, Capital Commandant (zhonglingjun 中領軍) Xiao Daocheng bought the imperial guardsman Yang Yufu 楊玉夫 to kill Liu Yu in the Renshou Hall 仁壽殿. The Empress Dowager, widow of Emperor Ming, ordered to posthumously demote Liu Yu to the status of Prince of Cangwu 蒼梧. The revolters enthroned Liu Zhun 劉準, who is known as Emperor Shun 宋順帝 (r. 477-479).
Liu Yu was buried in the imperial tomb area in Moling 秣陵 (part of present-day Nanjing 南京, Jiangsu). He is known posthumously as the Later or Second Demoted Emperor (Song Houfeidi 宋后廢帝).
Historians hold that when Liu Yu went out to a hunt, he arbitrarily killed people and animals he encountered. People feared to go out, and merchants ceased to do their business.