Sakura Kasugano
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BIO:

After watching Ryu win the first World Warrior tournament, Sakura became his #1 fan. She started street fighting (and mimicking Ryu's fighting style) during the events of Rival Schools. She has a friend named Kei Chitose who attends the same high school and sometimes travels with Sakura when she fights. She also has a brother named Tsukushi.

Later in SFA2, she started searching for Ryu in an effort to become his student. She ran into a variety of fighters along the way, defeating some, and eventually caught up to Ryu. At this time, Ryu was confused over the Satsui no Hadou that had consumed him recently. He told Sakura that he could not train her because he still had much to learn himself. The two sparred for a while, and Ryu let her win. Sakura took a picture of Ryu to remember him by.

During the events of SFA3, Sakura decided to travel the world to find Ryu again. After fighting E. Honda in Japan, he informed her that Ryu was traveling to India and Thailand. Later in her travels, she had a rematch with her rival Karin Kanzuki. Karin won, but admitted Sakura was better and learned that winning is not everything. Sakura also met Dan Hibiki, who became her self-proclaimed sensei after she realized that he had some information about Ryu. After using Dan to get the info she needed, she set out to find Ken Masters. After Ken and Sakura became acquainted, they traveled to Thailand in search of Ryu and found that he was being brainwashed by M. Bison. Ryu and Sagat began fighting, and at the same time, Ken and Sakura took on Bison. Thanks to Sakura screaming at Ryu (and Sagat's previous words), Ryu was able to snap out of bison's mind control and defeat him. Later, he told Sakura he wasn't ready for a rematch yet, and walked away.

In the Street Fighter 4 timeline, Sakura's obsession with Ryu continued, but it seems to have grown into crush. After the second World Warrior tournament, she confronted Dan, asking him if he knows Ryu's location. Dan, not wanting to appear out of the loop, told her that Ken will be participating, which means Ryu should be there. Sakura was ecstatic and immediately entered the tournament. She, Dan and Blanka departed on a cruise ship where she endures an intense self-imposed training regime. During the tournament, eventually found Ryu in the S.I.N. building. While the building was being destroyed, Ryu and Sakura escaped together, and ran into Dan and Blanka along the way. After the tournament, she and Ryu exchange goodbyes and Sakura left for home. Some time later, while out walking her dog, a slightly older-looking Sakura sees Ryu approaching. It is not known what happens afterwards.
 
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ORIGIN:
Street Fighter Alpha 2

  
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OTHER APPEARANCES:
Street Fighter Alpha 3, SFA3 Upper, SFA3 Max, Street Fighter EX, Street Fighter EX3, Street Fighter 4, Super SF4, Super SF4: 3D Edition, Super SF4: Arcade Edition, Ultra SF4, Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition, SFV: Champion Edition, Rival Schools: United by Fate, Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Super Puzzle Fighter 2: Turbo, Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix, Pocket Fighter, SNK Vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, Card Fighters Clash, Card Fighters Clash 2, Card Fighters Clash DS, Capcom Vs. SNK, Capcom Vs. SNK: Pro, Capcom Vs. SNK 2, Capcom Fighting Evolution, Namco X Capcom, Street Fighter X Tekken, Street Fighter Alpha: Anthology, Street Fighter: Anniversary Collection, SF:30th Anniversary collection

  
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Page Updated:  Nov. 4th, 2023

Sakura was Capcom's original schoolgirl and one of the original "RULE 63's" of fighting games. (Girl's can throw Hadoukens too!) Sakura definitely turned heads when she debuted in SFA2 at the arcades. She didn't look like any other fighting game character at the time. I'm pretty sure she was the first schoolgirl to ever appear in a fighting game. Indeed, countless other "schoolgirls" followed in Sakura's footsteps (to the point of being monotonous). Sakura did it first... and does it better than most others. It didn't take long for Sakura to become a fan-favorite Street Fighter character. After her SFA debut, she appeared in many other games for years to come. An instant classic.

Even though I'm not usually a fan of girls with short hair, it suits Sakura... her "tomboyish" nature is loveable. Sakura moves are, of course, inspired by Ryu's which is cool story element and has always worked well in the series. While her moveset loses some "originality" points... Sakura does things her way and looks cool doing so. Seeing  "her take" on moves like the Shoryuken and Hurricane kick has always been great. Capcom's artists have always made Sakura's animations interesting and entertaining. Gotta love her iconic dance too. ^o^ 

Fighting  Style  /  Moveset
Personality  /  Charisma
Outfit(s)  /  Appearance
Effectiveness  in  series
Overall Score

  
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Click here for more Sakura artwork!