Sakura Kasugano
Title: The Exuberant Youth
Age: 16 (SFA3), in her 20’s (SFIV and SFV)
Height: 5’2
Weight: 115 lbs
Occupation: Martial Artist, Arcade Worker (part-time) (SFV), P.E. Teacher (Sakura Ganbaru)
First Appearance: Street Fighter Alpha 2 (February 27, 1996)
Themes:
Feats:
General/Games
-Learned how to perform martial arts by watching Ryu on TV
-Created a better fighting style out of what she learned from Dan Hibiki
-Ended Karin Kanzuki’s impressive winning streak, causing them to develop a rivalry
-Aside from a victory that she admits to obtaining through luck, Karin has lost every subsequent fight they’ve had
-Alongside Ken Masters, fought against M. Bison
-With help from Ken and Sagat, freed Ryu from being corrupted by the Dark Hado
-Started working part-time at an arcade after graduating high school
-Convinced her manager to put Blanka’s hideous “Blanka-chan” dolls in the arcade machines
-Sparred with Ryu to ease her mind
-Starred in her own comic and manga
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations
-Sparred with Ryu, but lost
Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind
-Broke into Ken’s mansion to see if he knew Ryu’s whereabouts
-Managed to free Ryu from the Dark Hado’s corruption
-Alongside Chun-Li, infiltrated an S.I.N. ship and defeated a group of agents
Sakura Ganbaru
-In her first street fight, defeated a high-schooler street thug who stole her brother Tsukushi’s video game, ultimately defeating him with a Hadoken she threw out by accident
-Entered Karin’s fighting tournament
-In her first match, fought against Bahn, the pissed-off brother of one of the fallen contenders, and won in the span of a few seconds
-Defeated the tonfa-wielding ninja Maki, ultimately winning through sheer determination
-Made her way to the final match of the tournament, where she fought against Ken
-While she ultimately lost, she managed to put up a good fight, breaking several of his ribs during the match
-Befriended and named an amnesiac Cammy White
-Prevented an assassination attempt on Cammy’s life by challenging her attacker, Gen
-Impressed Gen due to how she utilized the Ansatsuken (a martial art used for assassination) without any negativity in her mind
-Though she lost to him, Gen let her live due to being impressed by the “light” in her fists
–This is impressive, given that Gen had previously been shown to have no hesitation when killing others
—In fact, the discovery of this “light” was enough that it removed Gen’s desire to kill
-Alongside Cammy, participated in a cage match against Zangief, ultimately ending in a stalemate
-Eventually located Ryu and challenged him to a fight, ultimately pushing him into going all-out in a match that lasted for several hours and ended in a stalemate
-Years later, became a P.E. teacher at her high school
-Sparred with Ryu once again
UDON
-Hospitalized Dan as a result of their sparring match to see if she was worthy to train under him
-Saved Ryu from being shot by one of Shadaloo’s agents by throwing out her first Hadoken
-Tag teamed with Rainbow Mika during the wrestler’s rematch against Zangief, being the one to deliver the final blow
-Defeated Dan during the preliminaries of Shadaloo’s Street Fighter Tournament
-Fought against C. Viper, who had been assigned to capture her due to the latent Dark Hado in her body
-Attempted to free Dan from being subjected to S.I.N’s BLECE project, but was quickly defeated by Seth
-Escaped S.I.N with help from C. Viper
-Convinced Rainbow Mika to visit El Fuerte’s restaurant
-Helped Dan train for his televised fight against a mysterious opponent (which turned out to be a luxury sedan)
–Began training under Ryu after graduating high school
-Gained the attention of Akuma and briefly fought him while debating whether or not to tap into the Dark Hado
-While being corrupted by the Dark Hado, surprised Guile with her strength and defeated the robot Twelve, who had copied M. Bison to the point where not even Ryu could tell he was a fake
-Forced Ryu to get serious while they fought, with him ultimately winning after she lost focus due to the Dark Hado overwhelming her
Strength:
-Should be on par with most other Street Fighters, who are Large Town Level via scaling from Chun-Li
-Regularly spars with Ryu
-Has repeatedly overpowered Karin during their fights
Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind:
-Knocked out a squad of Ken’s security guards
-Overpowered a squad of S.I.N. agents
Sakura Ganbaru:
-KO’d Karin with a Shouoken
-Knocked Ken into the air with a Shouoken
-Created an explosion upon colliding Hadokens with Ken
-Broke 4-5 of Ken’s ribs by punching him
UDON:
-Before receiving any training, she was able to hospitalize Dan with four blows
-Knocked Dan flat on his face with a Flower Kick
-Performed a Daydream Headlock alongside R. Mika to restrain Zangief
-KO’d Zangief with a Shouoken
-KO’d Dan with a Haru Ichiban
-Launched C. Viper into the air using her Haru Ranman Ultra Combo
-Defeated a squad of Shadaloo’s spies with one Hadoken
-Felled a tree just by kicking it and reduced it to splinters with a Hadoken
Speed:
-Was able to keep up with M. Bison, who can move fast enough to intercept a laser moving at Mach 1669
-Has kept up with Ryu and Ken, who are both comparable to Bison
Street Fighter Alpha: Generations:
-Moved fast enough to appear as a blur during her fight with Ryu
Sakura Ganbaru:
-Dodged a point-blank Gadoken
-Blocked a tonfa strike from Maki
-Kept up with Karin
UDON:
-Caught several hotdogs that were being launched at her with a baseball bat
-Intercepted Dan mid-strike
-Kept up with C. Viper
-Defeated a group of armed guards all at once before they could reach for their guns
-Destroyed a tree just as it was beginning to fall
-Left afterimages during her fight with Akuma
-Could keep up with and dodge attacks from Akuma
-Akuma has been shown to move faster than Ryu and Ken could react
Durability:
-Large Town Level by scaling to her strength
-Regularly takes hits from Ryu, though it’s likely he’s holding back against her
-Often withstands blows from Karin
-Took a Psycho Shot from M. Bison, though it knocked her out
Street Fighter Alpha Generations:
-Withstood multiple heavy blows during her fight with Ryu
Sakura Ganbaru:
-Got back up immediately after being sucker punched by Bahn
-Withstood this explosion upon colliding Hadokens with Ken
-Was knocked into a wall by Ken with enough force to crack it
-Survived the impact of Gen’s blow, though it left her hospitalized for 12 hours
UDON:
-Survived being dropkicked by Zangief
-Took hits from C. Viper, including a shock from her Thunder Knuckles
-Survived a brutal beating from Seth
-Withstood blows from Akuma
-Got back to her feet after Akuma redirected her own Metsu Hadoken back at her
Stamina:
-Regularly performs an exercise routine consisting of 100 laps, 500 push-ups, 500 pull-ups, 500 sit-ups, and 800 squats
-Her fights with Ryu would last for hours, with neither feeling exhausted when they ended
UDON:
-Meditated for three days straight, remaining motionless the entire time
-Was still able to fight Karin despite feeling nauseous from eating 40 lbs of hotdogs
Personality:
-Outgoing and respectful toward others
-Hard-working and focused during combat
-Will become offended should someone insult either her or Ryu
-Should someone insult Ryu, her rage can grow to the point where she will begin tapping into the Dark Hado
-Fights for the passion and experience rather than money
-Her devotion toward convincing Ryu to train her eventually developed into a crush
-Is a huge fan of Rainbow Mika, to the point of incorporating some of her techniques into her fighting style
-Will blame herself should something happen to Ryu (i.e being captured) and go to extreme measures (such as tapping into the Dark Hado) to get him back
Skills:
Fighting Prodigy:
-Can recall and flawlessly mimic any technique she sees on TV
-Created the Shouoken, a more powerful version of the Koryuken
-Without even having any knowledge on ki, managed to perform a Hadoken
-Can mimic someone else’s techniques just by seeing them once
-Is able to tell how powerful someone is just by looking at them
Sakura Ganbaru:
-Performed a Hadoken when attempting to mimic Dan’s Gadoken
-Can analyze an opponent’s fighting style mid-combat and adjust hers accordingly
-Can strengthen her attacks (such as the Shouoken) by taking a step forward
UDON:
-Created her own fighting style that uses “what master Ryu taught me, [adding] the spontaneity of Rainbow Mika, the power of Zangief, the relentlessness of Karin, the perseverance of E. Honda, and even the unpredictability of Dan”
Moveset:
Hadoken:
-By focusing her ki into her hands, Sakura can produce a fireball that she then throws out
-Can charge it up for more power, though at the cost of range
Sakura Ganbaru:
-Can be detonated mid-charge, producing a flashbang-like effect
Tengyo Hadoken
-A diagonal variant of the Hadoken
-Used to deal with aerial opponents
Shouoken:
-Sakura’s modified version of Dan’s Koryuken
-Strong enough to KO Karin and Zangief
-For reference, Zangief was uninjured after a katana sliced his left pec (the blade shattered upon impact) and didn’t react after being punched by Balrog, a boxer who can kill an elephant in one blow
Sakura Otoshi:
-Sakura leaps into the air and delivers a hammerstrike that sends opponents flying
-Can follow this up with two more while they’re in midair
-Should she miss, however, she will lose her balance and remain open for several seconds
Hadosho:
-Sakura envelops her hands in energy before performing a double palm thrust
-Can only hit opponents directly in front of her
-Knocks down whoever it hits
-Sakura’s version of the Tatsumaki Senpukyaku
-Causes her to rise through the air while spinning
-Final kick launches opponents across the stage
Flower Kick
-An overhead kick aimed in a downward arc
Okukyaku:
-A dropkick that can be used while jumping
Zanku Hadoken:
-Midair version of the Hadoken
Daydream Headlock:
-While never shown in the games, she has used this in the comics to restrain Zangief
-The user grabs the opponent in a headlock and crushes them repeatedly before saluting with one arm and Neck Riding their captive
Shinku Hadoken:
-A larger Hadoken that hits multiple times
-Strong enough to plow through multiple projectiles without losing power
-As Dark Sakura (see below), the Shinku Hadoken becomes a Kamehameha-esque laser
Shinku Tengyo Hadoken:
-A diagonal variant of the Shinku Hadoken
-Used to deal with aerial opponents
Metsu Hadoken:
-A type of Hadoken that is more powerful and advanced than the Shinku Hadoken
-Is created by tapping into the Dark Hado, but not fully giving in to it
-Much like the Shinku Hadoken, it can also take the form of a giant laser
Nekketsu Hadoken:
-A larger, pink Hadoken
-Is the strongest out of all Hadokens, surpassing even the Shinku Hadoken in power
Haru Kaze:
-Sakura’s V-Skill
-Upon leaping into the air, she can follow up with three different options:
-Sakura Otoshi (see above)
–Oukakyaku, a forward flip that acts as a divekick
–Kashinfu, where she uses her opponent as a springboard to jump back
Haru Arashi:
-Sakura’s V-Trigger 1
-Her fists become coated in blue energy that powers up both her Hadoken and Shinku Hadoken
-Landing a hit causes the opponent to enter a juggle state, granting Sakura the opportunity to land additional attacks
Sakura Senpu:
-Sakura’s V-Trigger 2
-Coats her fists and feet in blue energy, powering up the Shouoken and Shunpukyaku
-Landing a hit will cause the opponent to fly into the air, allowing Sakura to cancel into her V-Skill
Sakura Rain:
-Sakura’s Critical Art
-Performs a Hadoken, strikes a pose, performs a Shunpukyaku, then finishes with a Shouoken
Midare Zakura:
-A combo of three Shouokens performed in a row
UDON:
-Used to knock out Dan
Haru Ichiban:
–A series of low, sweeping, spinning kicks followed by a backward-facing kick to the opponent’s midsection
UDON:
-Used to knock out Dan
Haru Ranman:
-A Haru Ichiban that launches her opponent into the air. This is then followed by a single-hit Sakura Otoshi. As the opponent hits the ground, Sakura lands feet-first on their body and jumps off
Forms:
Dark Sakura:
-A transformation gained when Sakura gives in to the Dark Hado, either because of an intense desire to win, being close to death, or possessing enough rage and hatred that she becomes willing to kill
-While in this form, her eyes glow red and her skin becomes tanned
-Greatly enhances her physicality at the cost of losing her humanity, causing her to become extremely violent and develop a murderous desire to fight
-Greatly increases the power of her Hadokens
-While in this form, she was able to beat M. Bison (later revealed to be a disguised Twelve) to near death, only stopping after Dan and Ryu intervened
-Akuma says that if she mastered this state, she could surpass even him in power
-Grants her access to two new moves:
Ashura Senku:
-Sakura widens her stance, glows red, then lifts one knee and “glides” along the ground to another location with her eyes aglow
-Grants complete invulnerability while gliding, as she will phase through attacks or people while using it
-Is unable to attack while using it
-Sakura can control the distance and direction in which she teleports
Shun Goku Satsu:
-Can only be used by those who completely give in to the Dark Hado
-Performs the Ashura Senku. Should it land, the screen will go dark as Sakura relentlessly beats her opponent with a series of progressively faster teleporting punches, each one targeting a vital part of the body and destroying their soul. Once it ends, Sakura is seen standing over her dead opponent
-It’s worth noting that unlike others who use the Raging Demon, Sakura bears no kanji upon completing this attack
Weaknesses:
-Aside from Ryu, her only teacher was Dan Hibiki
-Has lost to Ken, Chun-Li, Gen, Karin (though Karin admits her victory was only through luck), C. Viper, Twelve (disguised as M. Bison), Ryu, and possibly Akuma (he left in the middle of their fight)
-Hasn’t mastered the Dark Hado or the Shun Goku Satsu
-Her Hadokens are lacking in range and power compared to Ryu’s or Ken’s
(“Have I really gotten stronger? Am I closer to my goal of getting strong like him? Like I used to wish for? He’s out there somewhere… under these same stars… It doesn’t matter, though. I’ll get to see him soon enough at the tournament! Hang on, Ryu-san! I’ll be there before you know it! Hope you’re ready to fight!”)
Brendan’s Versus Battles 
