I feel like the reason why Karin isn't helping Sakura financially in someway (like giving her a well paying job in the estate as a bodyguard or something) is because Sakura doesn't want to rely on Karin. It just doesn't sit right with her to piggyback off of her friend, she wants to make it as her own person and maybe even Karin feels the same way. They're rivals and she wants to see how Sakura grows on her own not just in street fighting but in life in general (not only financially but even now with Sakura wanting to have kids to pass on her legacy and so on).
yeah that was what I originally thought too...the Sakura Ganbaru manga (which was Karin's official debut in the series lol) seemed to show it off best...Sakura took second place in the tournament Karin threw ALL to get an epic one on one final battle with her...but Ken gatecrashing the tournament threw a wrench in that plan, Karin not wanting to pass the opportunity of fighting Ken, took him on but predictably lost and was eliminated from her own tournament, Sakura held on and fought Ken in the final battle but lost to him (though she left considerable damage on him that he had to hide to drive her determination to get stronger) Sakura was inspired by Ken to search for Ryu even more now, but had no means to travel...then a strange collector came and bought her tacky trophy she won in the tournament, Sakura eventually realized this was Karin's way of helping her...since she figured no sane collector WOULD have wanted to buy said tacky trophy lol...so yeah when Karin helps Sakura its never to give out money or charity, just subtle pushes that gets everything on track...and lets Sakura handle the rest
Sakura is not only one the best characters in the entire franchise. According to a poll made by Capcom last month, she is also the most beloved character of all Street Fighter. WOW! That's my girl! 💓
Sakura's extremely popular but people used that poll as more of a "Who I want to see in SFV and get buffed" kind of way. For example, Nash is higher in the previous poll but lower in this one.
Sakura been the bae for me since Alpha 2, and I've been playing as her ever since. Seeing her finally grown up us just boosted major on her hot meter. Great to see Capcom for once finally did her justice.
I'm really happy that Capcom's allowing their characters to progress more with SFV, with Sakura benefitting the most from this. Another thing to note is that Sakura's new red headband is supposed to reflect Ryu's current look, like how her old white headband reflected Ryu's SF Alpha headband.
The matching headbands over time serve as a symbol that both characters have grown over the years; yet, they're both really different, when I think about it. Ryu's a guy who's generally solitary but opens up to others as he knows them, while Sakura doesn't hold anything back from the start. Development-wise, while Sakura "hit a wall" as DiGi said and is looking in SF5 for a new purpose beyond just fighting, Ryu's search for a purpose may never quite end since to him, the answer is somewhere in fighting itself.
Loved the emotional arc of this episode. Felt really genuine and humble. I think Sakura has a soft spot with a lot of people for avoiding the insufferably demure schoolgirl archetype. May she and Ryu repopulate Japan with a new, stronger warrior race.
@@RyomenAyeni225 No, he isn't. In the _Street Fighter 2_ anime series, he & Ken Masters are paired with a younger, 16-year-old Chun Li in a ménage de trois relationship, more or less. Meanwhile, Sakura's goal now after exiting school (hence, why her schoolgirl outfit is relegated to a classic alternative outfit compared to her updated look) & dropping out of her menial retail job to once more seek out Ryu has her discover that she doesn't just want to be trained as Ryu's star pupil, she actually wants to be the mother to his children, realizing that she wants a family above even her street fighting aspirations.
I think it's entirely likely that Karin offered Sakura a job as her head of security or something along those lines and that Sakura refused so the job wouldn't affect the dynamics of their relationship and friendship. But I did get a chuckle from that part of the video. I would love a "Who Dat?" about Rose.
Joseph Escobedo I really wish Sean was included in this pack of characters. Maybe as a joke character given his inexperience with fighting at the time of SFV.
Ending made me tear up! I looooove Sakura. Always been one of my favorite SF characters. Growing up, I was always a bit of a tomboy and I saw a lot of her in the way I was. So I connected to the character a lot. This episode was wonderful. Thank you, DiGi!
She's on a date with Ryu in Monster Hunter fighting monsters and probably will be making a baby soon with him in the first class room you get when you are high level
You've come a long way Sakura Kasugano. Where ever the Road of Destiny takes you I hope you never lose that fighting spirit and upbeat attitude. Long live the wonderful cherry blossom! :D
I thought it was pretty obvious that Sakura was in love with, or close to feeling love for Ryu long before this. In her introduction story Sakura ganbaru, even when she is older than this, she continues to want to be with Ryu even when she becomes a teacher. The only question is when Ryu will actually settle down. He surely don't want to be a hobo forever, and Sakura will be first choice to begin with. I feel like taking a picture of a guy, and having it constantly on your person to gain encouragement from signals some pretty devoted feelings there
never seen this show before but I clicked on it since it was about Sakura, who is pretty much one of my favorite fighting game characters ever. and man was this episode great, I loved how informative it was about her story and how her character progressed in the series, and Im a huge fan in how she grew up as well, Im glad that my favorite character isnt just stuck in a mold.
I remember my cousin April telling me when we were little girls, that Sakura was Ryu's little sister in canon. Believed that shit for YEARS. she even LOOKED like him. Lmiao. My cousin is still a twat, for anyone wondering. Never grew out of it. Lol. 💜
Finally, I have been waiting for this. Thanks for doing this I love your work. I just think Sakura is the one girl who saved SFV, she came out with AE and just make the game fun again. Lots of people start playing SFV because of her. She is the one true valentine who we all wish to have.
Goddamn...You know...Ryu is one of my, maybe my favorite character, but I never thought we shared this exact trait. Thank you for pointing that out, I'm very much like that too.
Same way brah 🙂 Except....I don't have any (real) friends at all (its hard to find friendly spirit if people around me are either dickheads or cold hearted)
I didn't really know of Sakura until seeing Street Fighter 4, and was immediately attracted to her energy. As of Street Fighter 5, she's probably my favorite character.
16:27 DAWWWW! But seriously there is a case that Ryu and Sakura eventually settled down in the future. Granted all of this can be considered none cannon but in Sakura's ending in Marvel Super Heros Vs. Streetfighter Sakura is a housewife and has a kid that looks suspiciously like Ryu. That and it's hinted that Hayato Kanzaki from star gladiators is a distant descendant of Ryu. If that is true it stands to reason Ryu eventually had fathered a kid with someone and frankly I can't see it being with anyone else other then Sakura.
@@Luigi_Mario_1997 Might as well just have a foursome between the guys (Ryu & Ken) and the girls who basically were patterned after them with schoolgirl archetype aesthetics (Sakura & Karin). XP
I was first introduce to Sakura in the game "Rival Schools", who I thought she was part of that series until I learn that she first started in SFA2.(Derp) When I was younger, I was never interested in her. But when I grow older, I actually starting to appreciate her not only just as a char, but as a char who can be related for everyone who grow out. Glad Capcom decide to make her all grown up(and legal to, y'know?) in SFV. Nice Who Dat, DiGi.
She was a "guest star" in Rival Schools. I think even her rival Karin showed up in those games, too, given the schoolgirl aesthetic of the games in general and the archetype both girls stemmed from.
Hey. I watched this whole video more than 10 times and you did this so well... I mean the way you analyzed her is clean and true, from my opinion. And that ending man. It's so touching. She has always been my ONLY main in every Street Fighter because I felt the same way. Sakura and I also grew together... It's... Beautiful.
I love to think that WAS the SF writing team's mentality...that their thought process was to show how much Sakura has grown in relation to her fans that followed the series...majority of us were all probably teens playing Alpha thinking we had all the time in the world and the fun times would never end...but then we grew up and started having to worry about reality and what more there is to life...I was so happy they chose Sakura to be said character, starting from a semi realistic chapter of being a young kid and getting to grow and mature into a young adult with responsibilities and seemingly the whole world on your shoulders...I won't lie seeing that Sakura story chapter as brief as it was, put a smile on my face and made me feel a little misty...
happy birthday sakura!!! :3 my favorite street fighter character and have always loved her progression(kinda reminds me of tails in a way in the adventure games.) while keeping her tomboyish,cheerful,energetic & lovably heartfelt charm. love her vocal song "i want you to know"(favorite alongside roll's theme as i love the idea of sakura befriending megaman & roll like artwork i saw of them.) & being friends with ibuki(find it very funny she and her counterpart yuri sakazaki are friends with boy crazy ninja's,be cool if snk vs. capcom 3 noticed that.:3)/implied to with elena.
Amazing character insight, top notch humour and bloody gorgeous hair. Who Dat is my favourite show/discussion/gaming ting on TH-cam . Props to you Digi.
I've been lookin' forward to Sakura since I saw your Ibuki and Karin vids~ Nice to see our girl all grown up~! And the artwork for young and current Sakura is stunning~ (Especially the latter, oh dear god, she's lookin' fiiiine~!)
I didn’t even grow up playing street fighter and these videos always make me feel hella nostalgic. The subtle decisions on bgm and some of the older character art always make me feel like I’m back at an arcade cabinet that I’ve never sat at. Probably my favorite character analysis videos out there.
The _Street Fighter_ series doesn't typically go that far ahead into time with these games. Hell, most of the time, we've gotten more prequels & midquels than we've gotten sequels with this franchise. Screwing up the space-time continuum's more of a NetherRealm Studio's _Mortal Kombat_ trait. Granted, _Street Fighter_ has recently adopted the narrative too when you realize Rose's goal is to basically be like an anti-hero version of Kronika (the female Titan end boss of MK11's base Story Mode [until the Aftermath DLC expansion has her get bodied by either Fire God Liu Kang or Crown-imbued Shang Tsung] known for messing with time in order to create her perfect reality using the Hourglass) to revert time to a reality more suited to her liking (or rather more specifically, the tastes of the person she's working for, more likely). Rose's time-hopping could very well be used as Capcom's in-universe excuse for not creating a linear timeline with the _Street Fighter_ games.
I think the point was that Sakura is you, the fan. Capcom targeted their most popular player base, kids playing street fighter, and gave them a character. Sakura was a fan of Ryu just as much as some kids were. You grew up wanting to be the best, training and training putting the hours to be a good fighter. We all had a friend who was a rival that you fought. But as a generation we grew up, we had to take jobs. Just like Sakura being a school girl forever it made no sense, you need to move on with life, so she got a job with us. However we still want to fight, and she still does too but has other goals. Just like her, we want to pass that story on to our kids and get them into Street fighter, pass our teachings, and start it all over again.
There you go knocking it out of the park again, Digi. You always seem to move to me to tears with how genuinely passionate you are in these analyses. Keep up the amazing work.
Sakura for sure is one of the better updates in the cast, though I always suspected sakura and ryu would be a thing one day... I also suspect that akuma is Ryu's father but let's hope we don't go too cliche now x.x
Um hell no Ryu and Chun-Li should be something hell Chun-Li has a poster of Ryu in her room and she showed off in front of Ryu as well Ryu is the leading male in Street Fighter and Chun-Li the leading lady of Street Fighter so BOOP!
+Chill Ass Dude It's a weird story. If I have anything wrong, feel free to correct me. Gouken & Gouki were brothers, who often trained together. Based on the Alpha movie, Where Gouken learned Nothingness, Gouki was succumbing to the Satsui No Hado. Thus turning him into the bad ass warrior we know, Akuma. The movie also revealed cause of this, Gouken took in his son, a baby Ryu to raise, until his death against Akuma. The whole thing seems pretty complicated lol. I would have just gone with "He was the brother of the mentor he killed". The son thing felt unnecessary for me, but still works I guess.
2:29 boi YOU KNOW this is my ENTIRE aesthetic. ...what have you done to me.... Nah but serious, these episodes keep getting better and better each time. I REALLY loved this one and I haven't even gone into the SF universe myself yet.
Great video Digi! It was a very insightful look on Sakura Kasugano. Man I've been waiting for this one for a long time. Thank you Digi! the day you uploaded this is perfect as it's the most romantic day of the year which is Valentines Day. Especially since Sakura is my Valentine 😊. I really liked her tomboyishness, her pure heart cheerful determination to be a great fighter! Her victory shuffle at times when she won a match was also pretty charming. I really liked her Alpha days but of course I was smitten once I saw her progress more as a character in SF4 to now SFV. Seeing as now I am at a similar age Sakura is in I guess you could say I grew with the character as well. She truly has grown like a precious blossom
This was the first video of yours that I've seen, and DAMN if it wasn't a fantastic one! Sakura has been one of my absolute favorite fighting game characters for several years now, due in no small part to her attitude, determination and genuine zeal for her passion. Thank you for making this!
I feel the same way as you regarding how Sakura grew alongside you. Street Fighter Alpha II was my first contact with the franchise when I was kid and I always liked playing her a lot and kept playing her in all future games she was in, now that she's grown up I'm actually around her age too and I'm having a lot of the same questions about myself as she was having in her story mode. It's really weird to see a character just develop alongside you, but it's really interesting at the same time. I'm really happy with how Sakura's progressed and I look forward to seeing what else Capcom is gonna do with her!
Homie, this was a GREAT video. Thank you for sharing. This bar's super high now, but keep that content coming and at this level because this was your best yet!
This Who Dat was special to you, DiGi. That much is plain to see. But I do have a question: We now know that her love for Ryu has blossomed into something more; a bond that she feels to carry over to the next generation. Do you think Sakura was also the first to capture, in similar ways, the spirit of competitive Street Fighter play and then was followed up by Sean?
Hmm, i guess in some ways she might have, but her angle on it was always directed through the fact that she was clearly crushing on Ryu. Her role was a fan-girl. Sean on the other hand was focused on the actual sport itself, wanting to better himself so he could compete on a bigger level. Love for someone else didn't really come in to his mixture. So, yeah, Sakura could be kinda similar in terms of the competitive spirit, but it took more of a side-role to her main objective which was trying to get Ryu's attention.
So in her quest for Ryu's affection, she found a deeper reason for Street Fighting other than to 'impress the guy' and all that. She now sees that she needs to carry on that spirit in a family of her own. In the ideal sense, it would be Ryu as they bring out the best in each other...despite the age gap. Hell, since we're speculating, she could technically take up Dan's Dojo since he's her 'student' with whomever she wants to be with in raising this family.
Michael Rivers actually the age gap isn't that big. He's technically in his 20s. Ryu was 19 when he started his debut in Alpha. In SFV Sakura is in college and is 21 so they're both in their early 20s
I see. I could have sworn she was younger, around 15-16ish. Perhaps now she's 21 in regards to SFV lore, but it just feels like she's younger, yet old enough to live on her own.
(I know I'm late but XD) I've always liked Sakura a lot, and I feel your video made me like her even more. She has turned into a cool and pretty young woman!
Sakuraaaaaaaa, Sakura is life, Sakura is love. AWWw very touchy and awesome episode, man I just wish you do one of this on my girl Cammy, but naa, I glad Sakura got hers, I love her as well (and Juri), and she is insanely fun in V, glad you like her in there as well, keep the good job on.
Very insightful observations, I really enjoyed this video. I remember finding some dodgy Croydon arcade back in the day lol I came across the Alpha 2 Arcade machine and was blown away by Sakura, her character was fresh and inviting. I had not long started secondary school myself so her character was very appealing to me, especially since she had her own variations of attacks from, who upon discovering Sakura became my then former main, Ryu. But yeah as the years went on I found myself getting a bit bored of her design, though I always wanted to know how her quest with Ryu would end up, and to see now that she has truly fallen for Ryu is actually a beautiful thing, Capcom really have matured her. I love how you noticed the aura of warmth Ryu has when Sakura is around him, and the SFV art captures that really well so good shout on that point. As for Karin, I believe that she respects Sakura as her own woman, and unless Sakura was in a really bad way, which she isn't, there is no need for Karin's intervention in her life, Sakura has always done her own thing, going off the beaten path to do so and Karin recognises this, that is total respect to me, and I feel that's the level respect between the two girls. Her inviting Ryu to the mansion was a smart way of setting the meeting up with very minimal intervention, classy girl. Again, really good video, thanks for this.
I love Who Dat so much, been looking forward to this episode for a while. You are severely underrated Digi and I hope to see your channel grow immensely this year, you deserve it for all the time and effort you put into your content! I can genuinely say I have never not looked forward to any one of your videos when I see it in my sub box. Also I see what you did here, Digi Valentine posting on Valentine's day, don't think you can pull one on me, I see right through you. Now we go Blanka to look out for.
Fantastic video. Exceptionally well produced. And thanks for clearing up the origin of Sakura's new uniform for me; I thought she was supposed to be an Austrian barmaid.
It isn't canon but her Marvel Superheroes vs Street Fighter ending depicts her as a mom, so I like to think they had this direction for Sakura's character in mind for a long time.
Just found your channel out because of this video. Already watched all your SF videos. Really love hearing someone focusing on character designs. If I would like to throw some recommendations for future videos, No More Heroes and Guilty Gear has some amazing character designs.
I always had mixed feelings for Sakura . Didn't like how her realationship to Ryu was portrayed or perseaved but I now get it a little better . And it's weird that I'm so good at using a character I didn't particularly like at first . Great job as usual digi , Can't wait for the next !!
A really heartfelt and beautiful video Digi! I also adore Sakura and to see her growing up just brings so many great emotions! Here's hoping they keep moving her story along in the right direction.
As a kid I played the tekken series mostly but would play KOF and capcom fighters at a cousins house once a year. I mistook Sakura as Kyo as a kid but found a lot of entertainment in her animations the shoe kick win animation was great to 8 year old me. Just the personality she oozed in those games really stuck with me. I didnt play any capcom fighters for about 10 years but this character always stuck with me. Picked up SF4 and replayed the alpha games story with her really enjoyed playing the character again. Discovered there was a local offline FGC and right before SFV launched and said to myself when Sakura's out im going to put the work into actually being good and go to the offline stuff. I picked up SFV on launch with the hope she would be season 1 dlc when the leaks happened and she wasnt I stopped playing the game, I had hope for S2 but was announced all new characters so didnt both playing again, when I saw the hints she would be in S3 I followed all of this closely waiting for the character trailer. When the trailer came out I watched it daily building my own hype. Her character story hit in the feels such a satisfying character arc. Although she was weak when she came out I started going to locals was determined to do well with her despite her being a weak character and having basically 2 years of playing to try and catch up to. As ive gotten better as a player she has gotten buffed a long the way and a strong character and kinda corny but feel more of a connection to the character because of this on top of the lore aspects ive related a lot to with her. Best character and hope she returns again in SF6
So funny I had a love hate relationship with Sakura back in the day. Loved that there was a martial artist fan the idolize a particular person and tried to mimic them. Hated her I Alpha/Zero 2 when she beat me full well knowing her pattern then feeling like Capcom was forging her on us. Now with SF5 she's become the reason why I hurried to buy the game before I got a PS4 and honestly I too identify with her personal journey as well to. Which is ironic because due to back ground personality and fighting style and ability in SF3: New Gen I thought it would be Sean. I totally feel and relate to your speech at the end Digi.
You are a good analyst of these characters, it actually surprises me the part of Karin not “taking care of her”. Remember they see each other as equals now. Once she starts helping Sakura out financially or even giving her a job, the dynamics of the relationships change. So they would stop being equals.
Well said. When I played ssf4 I liked the character and even told my friend one thing I like or would love to see is future installments for capcom to make her a better character. Her moves always felt sloppy or goofy in a good way and in five it has that charm but it’s more refined and she seems more competitive than she did before in terms of style.
![CODY (Final Fight/Street Fighter) - Who Dat? [Character Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bCiTIe90tto/mqdefault.jpg)
![IBUKI (Street Fighter) - Who Dat? [Character Review]](/img/n.gif)
I feel like the reason why Karin isn't helping Sakura financially in someway (like giving her a well paying job in the estate as a bodyguard or something) is because Sakura doesn't want to rely on Karin. It just doesn't sit right with her to piggyback off of her friend, she wants to make it as her own person and maybe even Karin feels the same way. They're rivals and she wants to see how Sakura grows on her own not just in street fighting but in life in general (not only financially but even now with Sakura wanting to have kids to pass on her legacy and so on).
DMind Gaming that's a great point
yeah that was what I originally thought too...the Sakura Ganbaru manga (which was Karin's official debut in the series lol) seemed to show it off best...Sakura took second place in the tournament Karin threw ALL to get an epic one on one final battle with her...but Ken gatecrashing the tournament threw a wrench in that plan, Karin not wanting to pass the opportunity of fighting Ken, took him on but predictably lost and was eliminated from her own tournament, Sakura held on and fought Ken in the final battle but lost to him (though she left considerable damage on him that he had to hide to drive her determination to get stronger) Sakura was inspired by Ken to search for Ryu even more now, but had no means to travel...then a strange collector came and bought her tacky trophy she won in the tournament, Sakura eventually realized this was Karin's way of helping her...since she figured no sane collector WOULD have wanted to buy said tacky trophy lol...so yeah when Karin helps Sakura its never to give out money or charity, just subtle pushes that gets everything on track...and lets Sakura handle the rest
Sakura is not only one the best characters in the entire franchise. According to a poll made by Capcom last month, she is also the most beloved character of all Street Fighter. WOW!
That's my girl! 💓
Edward Jesus Soto Parra this is great to hear 💗
Sakura's extremely popular but people used that poll as more of a "Who I want to see in SFV and get buffed" kind of way. For example, Nash is higher in the previous poll but lower in this one.
That's nice to hear,since she is my main in SF5AE (and sopouse to be back in USF4,but decided to main Akuma instead) ☺❤❤
Sakura been the bae for me since Alpha 2, and I've been playing as her ever since.
Seeing her finally grown up us just boosted major on her hot meter.
Great to see Capcom for once finally did her justice.
That poll was manipulated by multiple bots.
I'm a simple man, I see best girl, I click.
This person has the right idea.
Fido Kitsune Fox so true
Censored best girl yeah...
Ah I see you're the man of culture as well :)
But, Juri is best girl.
I'm really happy that Capcom's allowing their characters to progress more with SFV, with Sakura benefitting the most from this.
Another thing to note is that Sakura's new red headband is supposed to reflect Ryu's current look, like how her old white headband reflected Ryu's SF Alpha headband.
The matching headbands over time serve as a symbol that both characters have grown over the years; yet, they're both really different, when I think about it.
Ryu's a guy who's generally solitary but opens up to others as he knows them, while Sakura doesn't hold anything back from the start. Development-wise, while Sakura "hit a wall" as DiGi said and is looking in SF5 for a new purpose beyond just fighting, Ryu's search for a purpose may never quite end since to him, the answer is somewhere in fighting itself.
Sakura = Ryu
Karin = Ken
Wow is this a coincidence or just in purpose?
Minora Denizen Hm, interesting.
Similar designs between both pairs of rivals.
@@ShoHidari The more impressive thing was that both Ryu and Sakura are pissed poor while Ken and Kairi was pretty damn rich.
Sean = Ken*
Ken already has a family
@@David-ic7gm you are thinking of the wrong comparison
Loved the emotional arc of this episode. Felt really genuine and humble. I think Sakura has a soft spot with a lot of people for avoiding the insufferably demure schoolgirl archetype.
May she and Ryu repopulate Japan with a new, stronger warrior race.
ryu was born in 1964.....
@@seacrestcounty21 yet Ryu only a few years older lol
guys you know ryu is asexual right
Tf when was this canon?
@@RyomenAyeni225 No, he isn't. In the _Street Fighter 2_ anime series, he & Ken Masters are paired with a younger, 16-year-old Chun Li in a ménage de trois relationship, more or less. Meanwhile, Sakura's goal now after exiting school (hence, why her schoolgirl outfit is relegated to a classic alternative outfit compared to her updated look) & dropping out of her menial retail job to once more seek out Ryu has her discover that she doesn't just want to be trained as Ryu's star pupil, she actually wants to be the mother to his children, realizing that she wants a family above even her street fighting aspirations.
I've been waiting for this one. Thank you DiGi!
Hah, the joke about Karin not giving Sakura a job got a good laugh out of me. Solid video.
I think it's entirely likely that Karin offered Sakura a job as her head of security or something along those lines and that Sakura refused so the job wouldn't affect the dynamics of their relationship and friendship.
But I did get a chuckle from that part of the video.
I would love a "Who Dat?" about Rose.
Sean is Ken's Sakura
Joseph Escobedo I really wish Sean was included in this pack of characters. Maybe as a joke character given his inexperience with fighting at the time of SFV.
@@5-Volt I hope he's in Season 4
Ken probably felt like he got the short end on that one.
And R. Mika is Zangief's Sakura lol
Gross
Yo, loving the live action skits. Also that ending was very sweet.
R.I.P Hat I bet you tasted good.
Ending made me tear up! I looooove Sakura. Always been one of my favorite SF characters. Growing up, I was always a bit of a tomboy and I saw a lot of her in the way I was. So I connected to the character a lot. This episode was wonderful. Thank you, DiGi!
She's on a date with Ryu in Monster Hunter fighting monsters and probably will be making a baby soon with him in the first class room you get when you are high level
BellowD Gaming hahaha you make my day, thanks!!
You've come a long way Sakura Kasugano. Where ever the Road of Destiny takes you I hope you never lose that fighting spirit and upbeat attitude. Long live the wonderful cherry blossom! :D
I thought it was pretty obvious that Sakura was in love with, or close to feeling love for Ryu long before this. In her introduction story Sakura ganbaru, even when she is older than this, she continues to want to be with Ryu even when she becomes a teacher. The only question is when Ryu will actually settle down. He surely don't want to be a hobo forever, and Sakura will be first choice to begin with. I feel like taking a picture of a guy, and having it constantly on your person to gain encouragement from signals some pretty devoted feelings there
This series is single handedly one of the best series on TH-cam
Nice episode and daaamn wicked hair!
Mafalda Murdocca *I AGREE*
What a perfect day to upload on, on this romantic day of the year!~
MC. Gemstone On Thursday?
MajinBros err my bad?
MC. Gemstone ?
er never mind sorry if I confused you in anyway...
never seen this show before but I clicked on it since it was about Sakura, who is pretty much one of my favorite fighting game characters ever. and man was this episode great, I loved how informative it was about her story and how her character progressed in the series, and Im a huge fan in how she grew up as well, Im glad that my favorite character isnt just stuck in a mold.
Unfornately for digi everyone is going to purchase her nostalgia costume
That was beautiful, man. The ending actually made my eyes water lol
yeah, Capcom did a really good job with Sakura
EAT THAT HAT! EAT THAT HAT!
EAT IT!
Your Uncle JUST EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT! EAT IT! GET YOURSELF AN EGG AND BEAT IT!
BrainWave Productions you’re the best
I remember my cousin April telling me when we were little girls, that Sakura was Ryu's little sister in canon. Believed that shit for YEARS. she even LOOKED like him. Lmiao. My cousin is still a twat, for anyone wondering. Never grew out of it. Lol. 💜
My older brother told me the same thing lol! I thought they looked similar as well when I saw him playing Alpha 2 in like 97
Finally, I have been waiting for this. Thanks for doing this I love your work. I just think Sakura is the one girl who saved SFV, she came out with AE and just make the game fun again. Lots of people start playing SFV because of her. She is the one true valentine who we all wish to have.
danielcwc 100% agree with literally every word. Sakura really did help reignited SFV and has touched my heart
Why am I so like Ryu? I am always quiet and reserved until I'm around my friends who bring out my happiness, you just brought this to my attention.
Goddamn...You know...Ryu is one of my, maybe my favorite character, but I never thought we shared this exact trait. Thank you for pointing that out, I'm very much like that too.
Me too
Thats literally 90% of humanity
Same way brah 🙂
Except....I don't have any (real) friends at all (its hard to find friendly spirit if people around me are either dickheads or cold hearted)
Sakura still crushing Ryu still.
69th like .-.
*crushing ON* Fixed.
0:30 sakura's energetic theme
21:37 sakura's calmer remix
I didn't really know of Sakura until seeing Street Fighter 4, and was immediately attracted to her energy. As of Street Fighter 5, she's probably my favorite character.
"Yo, fam, if you ever need anything, I got chu!"
*few years later*
"Who dis?"
XD
Best girl on Valentine's day, and also my birthday. This video is perfect.
oh man, I'm glad you added that last part at the end of the video! I had the same feelings of growing with Sakura too, glad I wasn't the only one!
16:27 DAWWWW! But seriously there is a case that Ryu and Sakura eventually settled down in the future. Granted all of this can be considered none cannon but in Sakura's ending in Marvel Super Heros Vs. Streetfighter Sakura is a housewife and has a kid that looks suspiciously like Ryu. That and it's hinted that Hayato Kanzaki from star gladiators is a distant descendant of Ryu. If that is true it stands to reason Ryu eventually had fathered a kid with someone and frankly I can't see it being with anyone else other then Sakura.
I'm The Ocotaku yeah... And even her ending if sf ex3 tell us some important things.
Then that also means Karin’s line managed to mix with Sakura and Ryu’s?!
@@Luigi_Mario_1997 Might as well just have a foursome between the guys (Ryu & Ken) and the girls who basically were patterned after them with schoolgirl archetype aesthetics (Sakura & Karin). XP
I was first introduce to Sakura in the game "Rival Schools", who I thought she was part of that series until I learn that she first started in SFA2.(Derp)
When I was younger, I was never interested in her. But when I grow older, I actually starting to appreciate her not only just as a char, but as a char who can be related for everyone who grow out. Glad Capcom decide to make her all grown up(and legal to, y'know?) in SFV. Nice Who Dat, DiGi.
She was a "guest star" in Rival Schools. I think even her rival Karin showed up in those games, too, given the schoolgirl aesthetic of the games in general and the archetype both girls stemmed from.
Hey. I watched this whole video more than 10 times and you did this so well... I mean the way you analyzed her is clean and true, from my opinion. And that ending man. It's so touching. She has always been my ONLY main in every Street Fighter because I felt the same way. Sakura and I also grew together... It's... Beautiful.
I love to think that WAS the SF writing team's mentality...that their thought process was to show how much Sakura has grown in relation to her fans that followed the series...majority of us were all probably teens playing Alpha thinking we had all the time in the world and the fun times would never end...but then we grew up and started having to worry about reality and what more there is to life...I was so happy they chose Sakura to be said character, starting from a semi realistic chapter of being a young kid and getting to grow and mature into a young adult with responsibilities and seemingly the whole world on your shoulders...I won't lie seeing that Sakura story chapter as brief as it was, put a smile on my face and made me feel a little misty...
best street fighter girl ever
Tyler Rinn agreed too
Nah its cammy
Agreed
Always been a big fan of Sakura, myself. Loved this episode!
The end hit the feels shes such an upbeat and relateable character
happy birthday sakura!!! :3
my favorite street fighter character and have always loved her progression(kinda reminds me of tails in a way in the adventure games.) while keeping her tomboyish,cheerful,energetic & lovably heartfelt charm.
love her vocal song "i want you to know"(favorite alongside roll's theme as i love the idea of sakura befriending megaman & roll like artwork i saw of them.) & being friends with ibuki(find it very funny she and her counterpart yuri sakazaki are friends with boy crazy ninja's,be cool if snk vs. capcom 3 noticed that.:3)/implied to with elena.
I dont think those are underwear. They are more like bloomers to me.
Which are a type of?
I cared.
My girlfriend would hate that,but I can pretend she's Sakura.......🤔
Old comment is old, but yes, they're Bloomers, the developers even said so.
Amazing character insight, top notch humour and bloody gorgeous hair.
Who Dat is my favourite show/discussion/gaming ting on TH-cam . Props to you Digi.
I've been lookin' forward to Sakura since I saw your Ibuki and Karin vids~ Nice to see our girl all grown up~!
And the artwork for young and current Sakura is stunning~ (Especially the latter, oh dear god, she's lookin' fiiiine~!)
I didn’t even grow up playing street fighter and these videos always make me feel hella nostalgic. The subtle decisions on bgm and some of the older character art always make me feel like I’m back at an arcade cabinet that I’ve never sat at. Probably my favorite character analysis videos out there.
Ok I'm just hoping for a SF6 or 7 where Ryu and Sakura bring their kids to see Mommy and Daddy wreck some fools.
valencrow ohhhh brutal.....
valencrow me too
The _Street Fighter_ series doesn't typically go that far ahead into time with these games. Hell, most of the time, we've gotten more prequels & midquels than we've gotten sequels with this franchise. Screwing up the space-time continuum's more of a NetherRealm Studio's _Mortal Kombat_ trait. Granted, _Street Fighter_ has recently adopted the narrative too when you realize Rose's goal is to basically be like an anti-hero version of Kronika (the female Titan end boss of MK11's base Story Mode [until the Aftermath DLC expansion has her get bodied by either Fire God Liu Kang or Crown-imbued Shang Tsung] known for messing with time in order to create her perfect reality using the Hourglass) to revert time to a reality more suited to her liking (or rather more specifically, the tastes of the person she's working for, more likely). Rose's time-hopping could very well be used as Capcom's in-universe excuse for not creating a linear timeline with the _Street Fighter_ games.
Its good to see one of your videos again, they always put a smile on my face.
"it'd be like them giving ryu a new job and some clothes after 30 years"
*STREET FIGHTER 6 TRAILER SHOWCASES VISIBLY OLDER RYU WITH A BEARD*
"they wouldn't change Ryu" he said....
yo!!! Digi is back!!! let's gooo!!!!
Awesome analysis! Makes me love her character even more :)
I think the point was that Sakura is you, the fan. Capcom targeted their most popular player base, kids playing street fighter, and gave them a character. Sakura was a fan of Ryu just as much as some kids were. You grew up wanting to be the best, training and training putting the hours to be a good fighter. We all had a friend who was a rival that you fought. But as a generation we grew up, we had to take jobs. Just like Sakura being a school girl forever it made no sense, you need to move on with life, so she got a job with us. However we still want to fight, and she still does too but has other goals. Just like her, we want to pass that story on to our kids and get them into Street fighter, pass our teachings, and start it all over again.
Sakura is my home gurl and I love the direction they took with her in SFV. Great vid, man.
Da feels here. Hearing B15 Project and Eternal while you mention how Sakura grew up with all of us 90's bois.
There you go knocking it out of the park again, Digi. You always seem to move to me to tears with how genuinely passionate you are in these analyses. Keep up the amazing work.
Thanks to you I finally understand what draws me to Sakura's character! I loved this insight on her development. No wonder she's SF best girl!
Sakura for sure is one of the better updates in the cast, though I always suspected sakura and ryu would be a thing one day... I also suspect that akuma is Ryu's father but let's hope we don't go too cliche now x.x
Um hell no Ryu and Chun-Li should be something hell Chun-Li has a poster of Ryu in her room and she showed off in front of Ryu as well Ryu is the leading male in Street Fighter and Chun-Li the leading lady of Street Fighter so BOOP!
Mr. Check Yourself so when exactly did she have a poster huh? Prove it
HEY SKAY ^__^ I THINK AS THE BEST UPDATE, PLUSH BLANKA TAKES THE CAKE....THE POUND CAKE! XD
=)
I thought Akuma was the brother to Ryu's mentor
+Chill Ass Dude It's a weird story. If I have anything wrong, feel free to correct me. Gouken & Gouki were brothers, who often trained together. Based on the Alpha movie, Where Gouken learned Nothingness, Gouki was succumbing to the Satsui No Hado. Thus turning him into the bad ass warrior we know, Akuma. The movie also revealed cause of this, Gouken took in his son, a baby Ryu to raise, until his death against Akuma. The whole thing seems pretty complicated lol. I would have just gone with "He was the brother of the mentor he killed". The son thing felt unnecessary for me, but still works I guess.
Because of what Capcom did to Sakura, I am EXPECTING something will happen between her and Ryu. :)
2:29 boi YOU KNOW this is my ENTIRE aesthetic.
...what have you done to me....
Nah but serious, these episodes keep getting better and better each time. I REALLY loved this one and I haven't even gone into the SF universe myself yet.
i recommend doing so as its a pretty rich lore
Great video Digi! It was a very insightful look on Sakura Kasugano. Man I've been waiting for this one for a long time. Thank you Digi! the day you uploaded this is perfect as it's the most romantic day of the year which is Valentines Day. Especially since Sakura is my Valentine 😊. I really liked her tomboyishness, her pure heart cheerful determination to be a great fighter! Her victory shuffle at times when she won a match was also pretty charming. I really liked her Alpha days but of course I was smitten once I saw her progress more as a character in SF4 to now SFV. Seeing as now I am at a similar age Sakura is in I guess you could say I grew with the character as well. She truly has grown like a precious blossom
This was the first video of yours that I've seen, and DAMN if it wasn't a fantastic one! Sakura has been one of my absolute favorite fighting game characters for several years now, due in no small part to her attitude, determination and genuine zeal for her passion. Thank you for making this!
Great to have ya back Digi. Hasn’t been the same without ya.
I feel the same way as you regarding how Sakura grew alongside you. Street Fighter Alpha II was my first contact with the franchise when I was kid and I always liked playing her a lot and kept playing her in all future games she was in, now that she's grown up I'm actually around her age too and I'm having a lot of the same questions about myself as she was having in her story mode.
It's really weird to see a character just develop alongside you, but it's really interesting at the same time. I'm really happy with how Sakura's progressed and I look forward to seeing what else Capcom is gonna do with her!
Have ever considered doing "who dat" analysis on a few SNK characters ?
IoriGaara You know that's never gonna happen, as sad as it is.
Homie, this was a GREAT video. Thank you for sharing. This bar's super high now, but keep that content coming and at this level because this was your best yet!
Daaamn man. Wonderful analysis and legit kind of moving at points.
I didnt think Sakura was that visually appealing until I saw her illustrations in the video. She looks peng in those illustrations
Ah how Sakura have grown, from choking the shit out of her opponent with her back throw to wanting a family.
Love it! Thank you for this mate 🤙🏻
I missed your videos man they are rare but so good that the amount of time passed between them doesn’t matter 🙏💯
Friggin love this channel
Great to see you again. Massive fan of your channel, and I really appreciate how you analyse character so in depth.
This Who Dat was special to you, DiGi. That much is plain to see. But I do have a question: We now know that her love for Ryu has blossomed into something more; a bond that she feels to carry over to the next generation. Do you think Sakura was also the first to capture, in similar ways, the spirit of competitive Street Fighter play and then was followed up by Sean?
Hmm, i guess in some ways she might have, but her angle on it was always directed through the fact that she was clearly crushing on Ryu. Her role was a fan-girl. Sean on the other hand was focused on the actual sport itself, wanting to better himself so he could compete on a bigger level. Love for someone else didn't really come in to his mixture. So, yeah, Sakura could be kinda similar in terms of the competitive spirit, but it took more of a side-role to her main objective which was trying to get Ryu's attention.
So in her quest for Ryu's affection, she found a deeper reason for Street Fighting other than to 'impress the guy' and all that. She now sees that she needs to carry on that spirit in a family of her own. In the ideal sense, it would be Ryu as they bring out the best in each other...despite the age gap. Hell, since we're speculating, she could technically take up Dan's Dojo since he's her 'student' with whomever she wants to be with in raising this family.
Michael Rivers actually the age gap isn't that big. He's technically in his 20s. Ryu was 19 when he started his debut in Alpha. In SFV Sakura is in college and is 21 so they're both in their early 20s
I see. I could have sworn she was younger, around 15-16ish. Perhaps now she's 21 in regards to SFV lore, but it just feels like she's younger, yet old enough to live on her own.
Michael Rivers I do see your point though since the relationship did come off as a fan/sensei type relationship
This has made my day, its raining like hell and seeing this is lit
(I know I'm late but XD) I've always liked Sakura a lot, and I feel your video made me like her even more. She has turned into a cool and pretty young woman!
Amazing character documentary my G
Sakuraaaaaaaa, Sakura is life, Sakura is love. AWWw very touchy and awesome episode, man I just wish you do one of this on my girl Cammy, but naa, I glad Sakura got hers, I love her as well (and Juri), and she is insanely fun in V, glad you like her in there as well, keep the good job on.
why did sakura nick tails' trainers though
Sakura has the best and most character story in SF5.(Until Cody comes)
If If ask me, I think both Ryu and Sakura represent us gamers.
I remember back in 2000, I got hooked into playing Street Fighter Zero for the PS1 for one reason - Sakura. I was fell in love with her.
Very insightful observations, I really enjoyed this video.
I remember finding some dodgy Croydon arcade back in the day lol I came across the Alpha 2 Arcade machine and was blown away by Sakura, her character was fresh and inviting. I had not long started secondary school myself so her character was very appealing to me, especially since she had her own variations of attacks from, who upon discovering Sakura became my then former main, Ryu.
But yeah as the years went on I found myself getting a bit bored of her design, though I always wanted to know how her quest with Ryu would end up, and to see now that she has truly fallen for Ryu is actually a beautiful thing, Capcom really have matured her. I love how you noticed the aura of warmth Ryu has when Sakura is around him, and the SFV art captures that really well so good shout on that point.
As for Karin, I believe that she respects Sakura as her own woman, and unless Sakura was in a really bad way, which she isn't, there is no need for Karin's intervention in her life, Sakura has always done her own thing, going off the beaten path to do so and Karin recognises this, that is total respect to me, and I feel that's the level respect between the two girls. Her inviting Ryu to the mansion was a smart way of setting the meeting up with very minimal intervention, classy girl. Again, really good video, thanks for this.
I love Who Dat so much, been looking forward to this episode for a while. You are severely underrated Digi and I hope to see your channel grow immensely this year, you deserve it for all the time and effort you put into your content! I can genuinely say I have never not looked forward to any one of your videos when I see it in my sub box.
Also I see what you did here, Digi Valentine posting on Valentine's day, don't think you can pull one on me, I see right through you.
Now we go Blanka to look out for.
This was a great episode
Always looking forward to more great content from you! ^^
3:36 Wait... Sakura did Kazuya's fuckin Spinning Demon!
Fantastic video. Exceptionally well produced. And thanks for clearing up the origin of Sakura's new uniform for me; I thought she was supposed to be an Austrian barmaid.
OMFG!!!! at the extra end part I realy had some tears in my eyes, no joke man ;w;
YES! Been waiting for this one since you started doing more SF. Can't wait for you to do Makoto!
That ending touched my heart very deep.
It isn't canon but her Marvel Superheroes vs Street Fighter ending depicts her as a mom, so I like to think they had this direction for Sakura's character in mind for a long time.
Just found your channel out because of this video. Already watched all your SF videos. Really love hearing someone focusing on character designs. If I would like to throw some recommendations for future videos, No More Heroes and Guilty Gear has some amazing character designs.
Great video! Touching
I always had mixed feelings for Sakura . Didn't like how her realationship to Ryu was portrayed or perseaved but I now get it a little better .
And it's weird that I'm so good at using a character I didn't particularly like at first .
Great job as usual digi , Can't wait for the next !!
Nailed that video, man. Well done.
A really heartfelt and beautiful video Digi! I also adore Sakura and to see her growing up just brings so many great emotions! Here's hoping they keep moving her story along in the right direction.
As a kid I played the tekken series mostly but would play KOF and capcom fighters at a cousins house once a year. I mistook Sakura as Kyo as a kid but found a lot of entertainment in her animations the shoe kick win animation was great to 8 year old me. Just the personality she oozed in those games really stuck with me. I didnt play any capcom fighters for about 10 years but this character always stuck with me. Picked up SF4 and replayed the alpha games story with her really enjoyed playing the character again.
Discovered there was a local offline FGC and right before SFV launched and said to myself when Sakura's out im going to put the work into actually being good and go to the offline stuff. I picked up SFV on launch with the hope she would be season 1 dlc when the leaks happened and she wasnt I stopped playing the game, I had hope for S2 but was announced all new characters so didnt both playing again, when I saw the hints she would be in S3 I followed all of this closely waiting for the character trailer. When the trailer came out I watched it daily building my own hype. Her character story hit in the feels such a satisfying character arc. Although she was weak when she came out I started going to locals was determined to do well with her despite her being a weak character and having basically 2 years of playing to try and catch up to. As ive gotten better as a player she has gotten buffed a long the way and a strong character and kinda corny but feel more of a connection to the character because of this on top of the lore aspects ive related a lot to with her. Best character and hope she returns again in SF6
So funny I had a love hate relationship with Sakura back in the day. Loved that there was a martial artist fan the idolize a particular person and tried to mimic them. Hated her I Alpha/Zero 2 when she beat me full well knowing her pattern then feeling like Capcom was forging her on us. Now with SF5 she's become the reason why I hurried to buy the game before I got a PS4 and honestly I too identify with her personal journey as well to. Which is ironic because due to back ground personality and fighting style and ability in SF3: New Gen I thought it would be Sean. I totally feel and relate to your speech at the end Digi.
I need something clarifying: Sakura got the white headband from Ryu, right? Like, it's the same one he wore in the Alpha games?
She has always been my favorite character besides ryu no joke she's interesting.
You are a good analyst of these characters, it actually surprises me the part of Karin not “taking care of her”. Remember they see each other as equals now. Once she starts helping Sakura out financially or even giving her a job, the dynamics of the relationships change. So they would stop being equals.
Awesome video and very deep too
Nicely done! Reminds me of why for a while Sak was my fave character in Alpha. I always had to bring a Sak Attack! um... so yeah thanks for the vid.
Well said. When I played ssf4 I liked the character and even told my friend one thing I like or would love to see is future installments for capcom to make her a better character. Her moves always felt sloppy or goofy in a good way and in five it has that charm but it’s more refined and she seems more competitive than she did before in terms of style.