Anime Anime Global

February is almost gone, and the cherry blossom’s season will finally come.

The blooming season started earlier than usual in 2020, with the first apparition in Tokyo on Feb.14.
Sakura (Cherry blossom) is an essential element for anime. In addition to being beautifully drawn as a background art such as Hanami (Flower Viewing) season, many characters with the name “Sakura” often appear. Among them, who is the most popular character?

Here at Anime!Anime! we conducted an annual reader survey asking “Who is your favorite anime character with the name ‘Sakura’?”. During the survey period between Feb.29 to Mar.7, a total of 175 responses were received.
There were more female respondents with the gender ratio being 40% male and 60% female. The age group was about 40% for those under the age of 19, and about 35% for those in their 20s, mainly focusing on youngsters.

The 1st place goes to Kinomoto Sakura from “Cardcaptor Sakura” with a support rating of 30%, reaching a larger number of votes than last year.

Many fans love how her cute figure matches perfectly with the name Sakura, “The lovely name Sakura is perfect for her cute aspect and personality. I’m very impressed with the scene where she goes to school by inline skates while the flower petals are dancing in the row of cherry trees”, and “I love Sakura-chan, she is so lovely and pure. Every costume looks great on her”.
There was also a comment received from a big fan of the series, “I’ve been watching the anime since I was a child, and I still love it”.

The 2nd place goes to Haruno Sakura from “Naruto” with an approval rating of approximately 8%, which was the same rank reached in the last year.

Some fans love how her appearance reminds immediately to the name Sakura, “The name ‘Haru no Sakura’ (Spring’s Cherry Blossom) just came up to my mind! I love her cherry blossom-colored hair and green eyes, they are so cute”, while other fans are impressed with her progressive growth in the series, “I love how she grows and her feelings toward her friends become strong over time”.

The 3rd place goes to Mamiya Sakura from “Rin-ne” with an approval rating of about 6%, ranking up from the 5th place of the last year.

Mamiya Sakura, the heroine of this work, received some comments from the fans such as, “She has a cool and bland personality. But she also has a kindness and caring aspect. I love that.”, and “She usually doesn’t change her expression, but I love when she smiles, it’s astonishing”. Another comment pointed the way protagonist Rokudou Rinne calls her name, and said “I always impressed by Rokudou-Kun’s line ‘Mamiya Sakura!’”

■Let’s introduce other comments!!
Kitaooji Sakura from “Aikatsu!”, “The kimono suits her! I also love other Japanese traditional elements in her life, such as her Kabuki’s theatrical performance”.
Sakura from “Uchi Tama!? ~Uchi no Tama Shirimasen ka?~”, “She is actually a piglet, but when she is anthropomorphize, her appearance as a young lady and her way of talking are very cute”.

Fujima Sakura from “22/7”, “I like the anime’s angel Sakura-chan, but I also love the funny Sakura-chan of ’22/7 Keisanchuu'”.
There were also votes for heroines of popular works, such as Asakura Minami from “Touch”, “It’s a little bit different, but I thought it would be okay because of the word Sakura in her name. She was the first that came up to my mind as the representative heroine of shounen manga”.

Female characters stand out in the survey, but male characters such as Sakuragi Hanamichi of “SLAM DUNK” and Sakurai Ryou of “Kuroko’s Basketball” are also included in the top ranking.

■ Top 20
[Who is your favorite anime character with the name “Sakura”? 2020 Ver.]
1. Kinomoto Sakura “Cardcaptor Sakura”
2. Haruno Sakura “Naruto”
3. Mamiya Sakura “Rin-ne”
4. Fujima Sakura “22/7”
5. Matou Sakura “Fate/stay night”
5. Kitaooji Sakura “Aikatsu!”
7. Sakurajima Mai “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai”
8. Sakura Momoko “Chibi Maruko-chan”
9. Sakurauchi Riko “Love Live! Sunshine!!”
9. Nanamine Sakura “Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun”
11. Sakura Akari “Jewelpet Twinkle☆”
11. Shinguji Sakura “Sakura Wars”
13. Sakura “Urusei Yatsura”
13. Sakura “Pretty Cure Dream Stars!”
13. Sakurai Ryou “Kuroko’s Basketball”
13. Sakuragi Hanamichi “SLAM DUNK”
13. Sakura Kyouko “Puella Magi Madoka Magica”
13. Sakurada Jun “Rozen Maiden”
13. Sakuranomiya Maika “Blend S”
13. Minamoto Sakura “Zombie Land Saga”

(Survey period: Feb. 29 to Mar. 7, 2020)