Sakura Kasugano

Sakura Kasugano (春日野 さくら, Kasugano Sakura) is a character in Capcom's Street Fighter series. She made her first appearance in Street Fighter Alpha 2 in 1996 and is a young Japanese fighter who idolizes the series' protagonist Ryu, by whom she wants to be trained. She has often appeared in other games, including many crossover titles. Sakura quickly became a firm fan favorite in both Japan and the West, having ranked at or near the top of numerous official popularity polls run by Capcom. Sakura was created by Akira "Akiman" Yasuda as a departure from traditional martial artists by giving her a youthful look with a school uniform which was revised following games from the series until Street Fighter V where she was given an alternate skin. Critical response to the character was generally positive due to her contrast with Ryu as well as the more mature female character Chun-Li, which makes her characterization stand out ever since her introduction to her more adult take in Street Fighter V.