In 1996, a character named Sakura Kasugano appeared in Street Fighter Alpha 2, and she was not a seasoned martial artist or a mysterious warrior from a distant land. She was a high school student wearing a sailor uniform, a red scarf, and a white headband, and she had just walked into a world of hardened fighters to tell them she wanted to learn from Ryu. Her existence was so unexpected that it nearly got cut from the game before it was ever released. The character designer, Akira Yasuda, had created her as a deliberate rebellion against the prevailing trends of the time, which favored dark, edgy, and overly serious characters. He had designed her to be a "high school girl" type, a concept that the development team initially rejected as too weird and out of place. It was only after a senior executive noticed the design and insisted on its inclusion that Sakura became a permanent fixture in the Street Fighter universe. This single decision would change the trajectory of the franchise, introducing a character who would become one of the most beloved figures in video game history.
Designing a Rebellion
Akira Yasuda, known by his nickname Akiman, was frustrated with the direction of the Street Fighter series. He felt that the developers were recycling too many elements from previous games and were becoming too influenced by other companies, losing the unique identity of the franchise. He wanted to create a character that was distinct from the traditional martial artists and the more mature female characters like Chun-Li. His vision was a young Japanese fighter who idolized the series' protagonist, Ryu, and who wanted to be trained by him. He designed her to stand 157 centimeters tall, with measurements of 80-60-84 centimeters, and to wear a sailor fuku, a Japanese school uniform consisting of a white and blue loose shirt that exposed her lower midriff, a yellow scarf, a red undershirt, and a blue skirt with red bloomers underneath. Her hands were covered with red fighting gloves, and she wore red sneakers. A long white headband covered her brow, visible through her short haircut. Yasuda chose the outfit because of its association with Japanese high school girls and its presence as a trope in various Japanese media, which created instant recognizability with audiences. He stated that in Japan, female high school students were all-powerful and at the top of the hierarchy. He submitted the design knowing that the project leaders would dislike it, as they were expecting a character more in line with the style of media such as The Matrix. He wanted her to be something different, fitting outside the game's narrow world view. Additional artwork for Sakura was provided by artist Naoto Kuroshima, who considered her a character he could express himself more easily with, and one he could draw naturally. Yasuda appreciated his additions, feeling they helped her become a great character. The outfit remained the standard look in titles up to Street Fighter IV, as the producers felt it was an appearance for her players expected, even though by that point in the series' timeline she was no longer a high school student.