Story
Background
Not much is known about Sakura's early life aside from the fact that she is best friends with her fellow classmate, Kei Chitose, and grew up with Hinata Wakaba and Natsu Ayuhara in childhood. Sakura began to participate in street fighting after she saw Ryu on her way to school, and trained to emulate his style since. She recalls the first two fights she got into were when older bullies stole Tsukushi's portable game console and won it back upon defeating them, and when she fought off a college upperclassmen who was sexually harassing Kei with his friends (the latter of which was how she got the attention of Karin & Shibasaki).
Rival Schools: United By Fate
Sakura appeared as a secret playable fighter in Capcom's 3D fighting game Rival Schools: United By Fate. In the story. Sakura attends Tamagawa Minami High School, but comes to help Hinata and Natsu, now students of the adjacent Taiyo High and Gorin High respectively, involving herself in the mysterious events throughout Aoharu City and find the people responsible for the school kidnappings and attacks. Upon the end of the Aoharu's inner city school battles, she realized how much it meant to her to protect something she cared about and wonders if Ryu has something to protect as well.
Nekketsu Seisyun Nikki 2
Sakura appears as one of the instructors in Nekketsu Seisyun Nikki 2 during the fight against the edit characters in a single round. The only way to raise all of their stats is to defeat her in a fight. But if the edit character loses, it does not raise all their stats due to her overpowered prowess or being beaten by her Burning Vigor attacks.
Street Fighter Alpha 2
Skipping school to search the world for Ryu, Sakura embarks on a long journey to find him and become his student. Along the way, Sagat notices her techniques are similar to Ryu's and demands she tell him where he is. She doesn't know herself and comments on how rude he is and the two fight. In her individual ending, Sakura remembers when her and Ryu fought each other and requested him to be her master. Ryu refused, saying that he still has much to learn himself. Before he left, Sakura asked if she could at least take a photo of them before he left as a keepsake, which she is seen reminiscing over on her way to school. As she's walking, her best friend Kei shows up and cheers her up before having to dash because they are late.
Street Fighter Alpha 3
At age 16, she was still fighting, and decided to travel the world to find Ryu once more and find out what street fighting is really all about. She started off in her native Japan and fought the sumo wrestler E. Honda, who mentioned Ryu was going off to such places as India and Thailand. Thereafter traveling with her sensei, Dan, she met his friend Blanka along the way and was promised a match with him. Sakura even ended up fighting Maki again, who complimented her on being able to handle her fighting style, Bushinryu, better than last time. Sakura said that this was thanks to a fight with Guy (although this being true is unknown as Guy never met Sakura in his story or vice versa). Maki is taken in surprise by this, and wants to know where Guy is. Sakura tells Maki that she recalled Guy saying he was headed off to Thailand, and the two decide to head off there together.
The two continued to search the world for Ryu & Guy, eventually ditching Dan and finding Ryu's friend and rival Ken. Sakura commented to him how she loved to fight to better herself and - finding inspiration in those words himself - the trio head to Thailand and run into Karin Kanzuki again, who was with Guy at the time. Sakura and Karin had their rematch and though Karin won the fight, she admitted Sakura was better and she had learned winning was not everything. After Maki had a bout cut short with Guy, the fivesome eventually found Ryu, where he was actually being brainwashed by M. Bison. Sagat had come by this time to find the scene as well, and as Sagat took on Ryu, an infuriated Sakura and the others took on Bison. A combination of Sakura defending Ryu from the Shadaloo leader and Sagat's urgings finally snapped Ryu out of the mind control and he, alongside Ken & Guy, defeated Bison, destroying him temporarily.
Karin had Shibasaki destroy the Psycho Drive with her zaibatsu's weaponized satellite and after Maki & Guy parted ways with the others, Ryu told Sakura that he was not ready to train her and fight a rematch with her yet, saying that he still has a lot to learn. Sakura understands and the two promise each other a rematch someday, with Ryu walking off and Sakura watching him go. She then realized that there was something really special about Ryu, but she didn't know what it was.
Street Fighter IV
Sakura returns to fight again, still searching for Ryu, Some time after the end of the second World Warrior tournament, she confronts Dan about whether he knows anything about where Ryu might be. Dan, not wanting to appear out of the loop, says that a new tournament is rumored to be about to start, and that Ken will be participating, speculating that Ryu will also be there. Ecstatic, Sakura immediately runs off to enter. She, Dan, and Blanka depart on a cruise ship on which she endures a grueling self-imposed training regime.
Sakura & Ryu go their separate ways.
During the tournament, she actively seeks out Ryu, eventually finding him in the S.I.N. building in the midst of destroying the BLECE project. The force of the struggle knocks Sakura unconscious, and she awakes to see a triumphant Ryu standing over her. The two escape from the S.I.N. building in the midst of explosions - which were probably Vega's doing - and run into Dan and Blanka along the way. After the tournament, Sakura and Ryu exchange goodbyes and she leaves for home on the ship. In her ending, a slightly older-looking Sakura is shown walking with her dog in an area near the Overpass when she sees Ryu approaching.
Street Fighter V: Arcade Edition
Having graduated high school and now going in university, Sakura now works part-time at an arcade named Plaza Capcom, but wonders what decisions she needs to make in order to be satisfied with her future.
Character story
After a match against Karin, Sakura asks why she always picks a fight with her for no reason, to which Karin replies that a fight with Sakura is the best way to test her skills. Sakura states that neither of them are kids anymore and questions not only if their fights are the best way to use of their time but also if becoming stronger is the right way for her to live. Karin wonders if Sakura would say the same thing if Ryu was present, to which Sakura gets excited and asks if Karin has seen him, the latter explains that she saw him during a recent crisis when she summoned a group of fighters from around the world, and that she is certain that Ryu is still training.
Sakura embarrassed by what she said.
At her workplace, Sakura thinks about how she wish she could see Ryu again, but realizes how she must continue at her part-time job and not travel around the world at a whim like she used to. She goes back to work when one of the customers notifies about someone "going crazy" at the arcades. On her way home, Sakura thinks about her life and future when she bumps into Ryu who mentions that Karin summoned him because of Sakura. After a fight to ease Sakura's mind, Ryu praises her for growing stronger and more mature. Sakura asks Ryu about his life, stating that no matter how strong he becomes, he will eventually grow old and die, wondering if that's the right life for him. Ryu asks if she means he should take on a disciple to carry on his skills to the next generation, stating that he is still in training and can't take one. Sakura says she meant having children in the future to create new bonds in life. Ryu replies that he never thought of it but considers it another type of strength. Sakura agrees and thanks Ryu for his answer, now knowing what she wants in life. In a short awkward moment, a slightly embarrassed Sakura quickly corrects herself by saying she is not planning on having children right now.
Character story appearances
Sakura appears in the last part of Karin's character story, where she is warmly welcomed by Karin upon her return to the Kanzuki Estate. She says that she was happy to hear from Karin's steward that Karin wanted to see her and fight her in a match as part of a friendly challenge. Sakura states that Karin hasn't changed, as the two girls are ready to fight.
Sakura is last seen in Ibuki's character story and the two are seen having a conversation with each other with their cellphones. Sakura informs Ibuki about the party invitation sent by Karin which Ibuki didn't read yet. She also informs her that she can't come to the party because of conflict schedules before hanging up.
In Karin's party at the Kanzuki Estate, Karin also mentions Sakura due to Ibuki being one of Sakura's friends.
In Blanka's character story, which takes place around the same time as her own, Sakura steps in when Blanka accidentally broke the arcade machine. After the battle, Blanka apologizes for breaking the machine. Sakura tells the arcade manager to put Blanka's "Blanka-chan" dolls inside the machine.
She reappears in Dan's character story, which follows Blanka's character story, Sakura follows her former master Dan, after he broke the arcade machine.
In Akira's character story, it was Sakura who clears up the misunderstanding about Akira which Ibuki had mistook her as a boy and a stranger. Akira explains to Ibuki in how she and Sakura had met and it was the time during the events of the Rival Schools series and the Street Fighter Alpha series where she encounters her during her mission to find her older brother Daigo Kazama while she is sided with Edge and Gan. Because she is a powerful street fighter, Akira decided to test her skills by fighting her. Afterwards, Sakura wanted to spar with her and informing them that her rival Karin set up a girl's tea party at the Kanzuki Zaibatsu (thus explaining the invitation Ibuki got at the end of her story) and wanted to reunite with Akira because of the passage of time. She later spends time with them at the tea party and later in the beach party at the Kanzuki private beach. Sakura also noticed Akira had overcame her aquaphobia which she tells her that someone had taught her how to swim properly and Ibuki mistook it being her boyfriend who taught her. Sakura also asked what she should do next until Karin decided to challenge Akira into a fight again which Akira reluctantly accepts due to the moral support of both Sakura and Ibuki.
Street Fighter III series
Sakura does not appear in the Street Fighter III games, but she is mentioned in Gamest Mook Vol.81 "Street Fighter III Fan Book". According to the development staff, she is active as a member of society, running around with a mobile phone in one hand, wearing a suit and a headband with gloves on both hands.
Street Fighter 6
Prior to the event of the game, as well as the being the same day where Ryu grew his beard, Sakura, Kei and Maki go to a festival together, where they cheered both Ryu, Retsu and Dan's performances. In the main event, the World Tour, Ryu will talk about her after beating him.
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