Sakura

"Uh...thank you for letting me join you. I, uh, missed you. I hope I can help."

- Sakura joining the Avatar's army in Chapter 8 (Revelation)

Sakura (サクラ) is a major playable character from Fire Emblem Fates on the Birthright and Revelation routes. The youngest of the Hoshidan royal siblings, Sakura is a healer who commands the loyalty of Subaki and Hana as her personal retainers.

Sakura is voiced by Hisako Kanemoto in the Japanese version and Brianna Knickerbocker in the English version.

Profile
Sakura is the youngest child of four in the Hoshidan royal family. According to Ryoma, shortly after her birth, her parents named her after a cherry blossom tree that bloomed beautifully every spring. Originally having another sibling in the Avatar, Sakura lost them when they were kidnapped as a young child and raised in Nohr. Ill rumors had spread throughout the castle that Sakura was supposedly the original target, but Ryoma had denied these notions to her. Still, this event had an effect on her personality, making her meek and timid.

Prologue
Sakura makes her first appearance in Chapter 4, where she and her older sister Hinoka are ambushed by a horde of Faceless. While Hinoka valiantly takes on the incoming Faceless, Sakura remains behind and provides her sister with healing aid. Fortunately for the pair, Ryoma, the Avatar, Kaze and Rinkah had heard of their plight beforehand, and together with their allies, they manage to exterminate the Faceless horde.

After reuniting with her long lost sibling, Sakura takes the Avatar on a tour around the town of Hoshido in the opening sequences of Chapter 5. She later guides the Avatar to the town square to meet up with Mikoto in order for Mikoto to announce the return of her child. Tragedy strikes as the cursed blade of Ganglari that the Avatar owns explodes, destroying the town and killing Mikoto. With war inevitable between Hoshido and Nohr, Sakura accompanies her siblings to the Plains of Hoshido in Chapter 6, where the two armies meet in battle. As both Xander and Ryoma call for the Avatar to side with them, Sakura calls out to her sibling in desperation.

Birthright
The Avatar decides to stay with Hoshido as they cannot stand the atrocities that King Garon orchestrated against Hoshido and fights with their birth family to help repel Nohr, much to Sakura's joy.

After the battle at the Plains of Hoshido, Sakura heads to Fort Jinya in Chapter 7, where she tends to the wounded soldiers and civilians alongside her retainers Hana and Subaki. The Avatar arrives on the scene to provide assistance, whereupon she introduces them to her retainers. The fort is suddenly attacked by Nohrians, prompting her to join the Avatar in warding off the invaders. After the battle, news revealing that Takumi and Ryoma have gone missing reach Fort Jinya, motivating the Avatar and Sakura to embark on a mission to locate them.

Later on in Chapter 8, while the Avatar's army proceeds up the Eternal Stairway, they are unexpectedly ambushed by a band of "Faceless". The Avatar and Kaze proceed to fell them swiftly, only to learn later that the "Faceless" are, in actuality, Wind Tribe members unwillingly disguised by Iago. When the group enters Wind Tribe territory, Sakura attempts to convince two wary tribesmen that the deaths of their kinsmen were a misunderstanding. The tribesmen, recognising her status as a Hoshidan royal, grants Sakura and the Avatar's army permission to parley with Fuga. Fuga challenges the army to a battle to prove their innocence, and during the midst of the ensuing fray, the Avatar and Sakura are reunited with Hinoka.

After leaving the Wind Tribe, the Avatar's army heads towards Izumo in Chapter 9. Sakura, Hinoka and the Avatar are invited into the palace of Izumo by Izana, where he promises to treat them to a treatment of relaxation. When Izana lures Sakura and the Avatar into a trap, Hinoka, along with Kaze and Saizo, manage to save them after she comes to the realisation that Izana's eccentric mannerisms are antithetical to his royal status. However, her theory is proven wrong when they meet the real Izana, who acts exactly the way as Zola did.

Afterwards, in Chapter 10, Sakura and the Avatar's army are reunited with Takumi, who unexpectedly emerges while they are in the midst of engaging the ninja of Mokushu in battle. Much to their immense horror, Takumi, in a hostile reverie, launches attacks on his allies. Fortunately, Azura manages to intervene by serenading a song to calm Takumi's mind and guide him back to his senses.

Some time after a heated battle taking place on Wolfskin Peak concludes in Chapter 15, Takumi contracts a rare disease local to the region. Sakura informs the Avatar that one of the Wolfskins that they had fought earlier on could have been responsible for causing him to contract the disease. She also reveals that a lack of prompt treatment could result in his death. Fortunately for them, Ryoma recognises Palace Macarath in the vicinity, revealing that it possesses a well-stocked apothecary that very likely carries the medicine required for Takumi's recovery. The Avatar's army's subsequent attempt to enter the palace is, however, interrupted by Iago, who teleports into the palace in an attempt to halt their advance. The ensuing battle that follows sees Iago being defeated, whereupon he warps himself to safety. Flora, who happened to be stationed in the palace under official orders, then guides Sakura to the apothecary and the medicine that Takumi requires.

When the Avatar's army later enters Castle Krakenburg in Chapter 25, Iago appears and takes full control over Takumi's mind, revealing that he has been used as a spy for Nohr for much of their journey. Takumi is then commanded to take Azura hostage while Iago forces the Hoshidan siblings to either kill Takumi or watch Azura die. Azura then attempts to sing a song to break Iago's control, only to be stopped by Iago himself, who is very well aware of her power. Fortunately, with Sakura distracting Iago and the Avatar's encouragement, Azura is able to sing the song and break Iago's control over him.

The battles waged against Garon both in Chapter 27 and the Endgame see Sakura successfully helping the Avatar slay Garon with their army. Upon returning to Castle Shirasagi in Hoshido, Ryoma is crowned Hoshido's new king in a ceremony also attended by the surviving Nohrian royals as Sakura and her siblings proudly watch on. Some time after Ryoma's coronation, Sakura meets with the Avatar in the town square of Castle Shirasagi with her siblings, where they pray and convene to a new statue of Mikoto that has been erected in her honor.

Conquest
The Avatar decides to return to their adopted family, much to Sakura and her sibling's shock. Despite their pleas to have them reconsider, the Avatar remains resolved to return. Sakura and her siblings attempts to reason with them through combat, but are force to retreat thanks to the power of the Nohrian siblings.

Sakura makes her next appearance in Chapter 18, where she, alongside her siblings, encounters the Avatar and their siblings in Izumo. Ryoma immediately launches into a heated exchange of hostilities with Xander, and later attempt to engage in a duel, only to be stopped by Izana, the duke of Izumo. Izana then proceeds to confiscate the weapons of both parties before leaving the scene. He later reemerges with two soldiers and apprehends Ryoma, thereupon unveiling himself to be but a guise used by the deceptive Zola to kidnap the Hoshidan royals. Trapped in an execution room with her siblings, Sakura is later rescued by the Avatar's army, spearheaded by Xander's refusal to support Zola. Following the end of the ensuing battle, Sakura and her siblings join the Avatar and the Nohrians in a feast, during which they, despite their enmity, maintain peace in reverence of the laws of Izumo.

Sakura later appears in Chapter 22, where she, alongside her retainers and Yukimura, stages a defence in Fort Jinya in a bid to halt the Nohrian invasion. Shortly before the start of the battle, Yukimura tries, but fails, to convince Sakura to retreat into the castle, as she resolves to fight in order to protect Hoshido. Sakura proves to be a menacing force during the course of the battle, a fact that she, when battling against Azura, reveals is attributed to her beginning her combat training following Mikoto's death. Despite the valiant defence staged by the Hoshidans, the Hoshidan forces are eventually defeated, and Yukimura calls for them to lay down their weapons and surrender. Although reluctant, the Avatar subsequently takes both Yukimura and Sakura as prisoners of war, knowing that this is the only means to protect her. However, as she is escorted away, King Garon arrives on the scene and orders that the Hoshidan soldiers be executed. Sakura wails for her fallen countrymen as she watches Hans and other Nohrian soldiers slaughter them. Captured, but safe, Sakura holed herself up in her cell, refusing to eat or talk to anyone, though it is shown later on Elise tries her best to make her happy.

After the Avatar and their Nohrian allies end the war, Sakura appears with Hinoka to attend Xander's coronation as the successor to the throne of Nohr. Due to Ryoma and Takumi's death, Hinoka ends up being the new Queen of Hoshido and Sakura tries her best to support Hinoka.

Revelation
Due to having formed a deep emotional attachment with both families, the Avatar refuses to pick a side to align themselves with. Despite the Avatar's desperate protests, Xander and Ryoma cross blades with each other in an attempt to sway them into choosing a side. In a bid to prevent both armies from battling each other and retreat from the Plains of Hoshido, the Avatar and Azura decide to take down both the field commanders of both Hoshido and Nohr. Unfortunately for them, this act is taken as a sign of betrayal for both armies, causing both Hoshido and Nohr to label them as turncoats.

In Chapter 8, while the Avatar and their army attempt to recruit people to aid their cause in Fort Jinya, they are attacked by the Hoshidan garrison, led by Yukimura, who believes them to be traitors. After the battle, Saizo attempts to blow himself up in a last ditch attempt to kill the Avatar after they are unable to explain the situation. Fortunately, Sakura and Kaze rush in and manage to stop Saizo. Despite not knowing who is the mysterious forces instigating the war between Hoshido and Nohr, Sakura believes in the Avatar and convinces Yukimura to trust her decision to accompany them. Sakura brings along her retainers and the Avatar welcomes Sakura into the army.

When the Avatar leads their army to Izumo in Chapter 10 to consult Izana, they are ambushed by Zola, who initially impersonates the archduke but has his cover blown by Gunter. Following the conclusion of the ensuing battle, Zola attempts to take Sakura hostage in a desperate bid to save himself, only to have his deceitful plan foiled when Leo enters the scene and promptly executes him for cowardice.

Personality
Shy and timid by nature, Sakura is very polite to others but is prone to stuttering during her conversations, a fact that becomes especially prominent when she is nervous. She tends to be very easily intimidated when confronted with unfamiliar situations existing outside her comfort zone. These traits of hers particularly stand out when she is compared alongside her older siblings, all of whom are relatively more confident, self-assured and sanguine. Complementing her shy demeanor is a heart of compassion and kindness, a fact that has led to her devoting her life towards the cause of providing healing aid to others in order to alleviate their suffering.

Hidden beneath the folds of Sakura's meekness is a strong will, one that emerges when she is tried by situations that threaten to endanger the lives of her loved ones. This fact is best exemplified through her actions in Chapter 22 on the Conquest route; although she clearly possesses a disdain for warfare and harbors no desire to attack her sibling, she resolves to personally take up arms against them nevertheless for the sake of defending her homeland from their invasion.

She is the best at healing out of everyone in the army. Her birthday is April 9.

Base Stats

 * -|Chapter 5 - Mother=


 * -|Revelation Chapter 8 - Stigma of Betrayal=

Conquest Chapter 6 - Embrace the Dark

 * -|All Difficulties=

Conquest Chapter 22 - Sakura

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Revelation Chapter 6 - Into The Ground

 * -|Normal=


 * -|Hard=


 * -|Lunatic=

Growth Rates
Class:


 * 45%
 * 35%
 * 60%
 * 50%
 * 55%
 * 70%
 * 30%
 * 40%
 * }


 * 55%
 * 40%
 * 60%
 * 45%
 * 55%
 * 70%
 * 30%
 * 40%
 * }


 * 45%
 * 30%
 * 70%
 * 50%
 * 55%
 * 55%
 * 30%
 * 35%
 * }

Max Stat Modifiers

 * 0
 * +2
 * -1
 * +1
 * 0
 * -1
 * 0
 * }

Supports
Romantic Supports
 * The Avatar (Male)
 * Jakob
 * Kaze
 * Silas

Hoshido

 * Saizo
 * Azama
 * Hinata
 * Subaki
 * Hayato
 * Kaden

Nohr (Revelation)
Other Supports
 * Xander
 * Leo
 * The Avatar (Female)
 * Azura
 * Ryoma
 * Hinoka
 * Takumi
 * Hana
 * Elise (Revelation)
 * Sakura's children

Standard Sets

 * }

Friendship Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Birthright/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Partner Sets

 * -|All Routes=


 * }
 * -|Birthright/Revelation=


 * }
 * -|Revelation=


 * }

Special Classes

 * }

Base Class
Sakura falls in line with the Lena archetype, having solid Magic and Luck growths. As the sole first generation Shrine Maiden and the first first tier healer obtained in Birthright and Revelation, Sakura is a valuable asset for the army. She needs to be handled with care as her poor Defense and low Resistance growths makes her very fragile to incoming attacks, especially when considering that she has no method of counterattacking until she promotes. She does have a decent Speed and Skill growth to at least give her the option to dodge attacks outright, though if she is ever hit, she can suffer greatly. Overall, Sakura performs well as a supportive unit as her Personal Skill, Quiet Strength, reduces the damage taken by allies within a two tile radius of her by two. Giving her more zone skills can maximize this skill and give incentives to keep ally units near her to protect her while she heals and buffs them. Starting off as a Shrine Maiden, she comes with Miracle, allowing her to potentially survive an otherwise lethal attack. With her decent luck, it has a good chance of activating in a pinch. Training her to Level 10 rewards her with Rally Luck to boost all Allies within her two tile zone with a luck boost.

Sakura's two promotion options are the Priestess and Onmyoji classes. Promoting her to a Priestess leaves her relatively the same, though she does exchange some Skill for more HP growths. Sakura gains the ability to wield Yumis and Bows on top of her existing ability to heal. While she can use her new weapon as a way to attack and defend, her low Strength growth means that she will not be doing significant damage. She does learn a plethora of new skills including Renewal, which will keep her HP healthy with a 20% health recovery every turn, and Countermagic, reflecting some damage back upon Magic units who try to exploit the Bow's disadvantages agains Tomes. Onmyoji, on the other hand, focuses more on pure Magic potency, introducing Tomes and Scrolls into her repertoire and building more on her Magic and Speed in exchange for her defensive growths. Sakura's healing will be much more potent and her stronger Magic stats means that she will be dealing significantly more damage. However, if she is hit, she will suffer more damage than as a Priestess. To give her the best pure Offensive prowess in exchange for lower defenses, this class is superior to Priestess. She learns Rally Magic at Level 5, allowing her to boost allies' magic stats by 4 if they are within two tiles of her. She later learns Tomefaire at Level 15, increasing her attack potency in the class.

Secondary Class
Sakura's secondary class is the Sky Knight. Sakura's stats can work in the class set, but Hinoka and Subaki already fulfill the role better than she does, though she would have stronger heals as a Falcon Knight than both. Since Sakura lacks a lot of offensive qualities, the class set has many supportive options available.

If considering using her for offensive purposes, Darting Blow is a decent offensive skill to boost her likeliness to double attack. Camaraderie is a decent regen skill since Sakura's zone Personal skill works in tandem with this one, though if looking for the best regen skill, Renewal exceeds it. While training her in this set, it is best to get her weapon rank up to C so she can utilize Bolt Naginatas, as her rather low strength and the start of E rank lances/naginata might result in her having trouble in this set.

The Falcon Knight, as mentioned, is feasible for her as she still can heal people and has more mobility/map presence. However, she now gains two unit statuses, making her susceptible to certain weapons and loses a little healing potency. promotion provides Rally Speed, her third Rally skill in her set and Warding Blow another offensive skill to reduce the damage done by Tome/Scroll users and actually works well with a Dual Yumi in her base set and the Kinshi Knight. Kinshi Knight forgoes her ability to heal and is not entirely unfeasible, but her best results comes from her in a healing class. Her skills gained from this class include Air Superiority which makes her a potent Anti-Air unit, especially with her Bow classes and Amaterasu, an excellent zone healing skill as all allies within a two tile zone around regain 20% of their health at the start of the player's turn.

Buddy Class
Sakura has two Friendship Classes with Hana and Elise. Azura and Hinoka both can be chosen as her buddy, but neither provide her with any new classes.
 * Hana - Hana gives her the samurai class which helps her increase her speed, skill and luck. The first skill is Duelist's Blow, increases her avoid by 30 when she initiates a battle. Her second skill is Vantage, allowing her to attack first in enemy phase whenever she's at 50% hp or lower, this can be very beneficial because with her access to miracle she can excel at enemy phase if willing to put her as an attacking unit. Her promotion classes are Swordmaster and Master of Arms, both of which can have skills that benefits Sakura in different ways. Swordmaster provides Astra to stack damage and if paired up, provides a free guard stance gauge full. The class also provides Swordfaire, adding +5 damage when using swords/katanas. It doesn't really help out unless you want her to be on a class that has swords available. Master of Arms provides Seal Strength, crippling many physical classes by decreasing their attack. This can help many units that are usually frail to go in and attack without suffering many damage and can benefit from Sakura's personal skill. The last skill is Life and Death, let's her deal +10 damage but also take +10 damage. This is not necessary for Sakura because she usually plays as a support unit rather than being risky.
 * Elise - Elise gives her the Troubadour class, giving her more support options and giving her major mobility. Her first skill is Resistance +2, increasing her resistance by a little bit but it can be replaced by a much better skill. Demoiselle is a very good skill as it gives male units -2 damage taken and it stacks with her personal skill. Her two promotions are Strategist and Maid, also giving her a lot of supportive skills. The strategist class provides her the access to tomes, and with her access to Tomefaire, she can work really well as a strategist. Her first skill is Rally Resistance, increasing nearby units +4 resistance at 2 tiles. Her next skill is Inspiration, a much better skill than Demoiselle as it not only affects female units but also let them deal more damage to both units. Maid offers Live to Serve, allows her to heal herself whenever she heals an injured unt. This is very good for her as it allows her to get healed in battle if she gets injured. Her last skill from the class is Tomebreaker, giving her +50 hit/avoid when she fights against a mage.

Partner Classes

 * Avatar -The Avatar can give her any class when first picking which class you want when starting off the game. It is best to go for classes such as Oni Savage, Knight, Archer and Outlaw. Oni Savage provides both Seal Resistance and Shove, allowing her to deal more magic damage and pushing a tanky unit in front. Oni Chieftain allows her to use tomes once again and giving her some defense growths. Death Blow and Counter are very good skills as one increases her crit rate by +20 when initiating a fight and punishes adjacent enemy unit of attacking her with melee weapons. Blacksmith provides Salvage Blow which allows her to farm hoshidan weapons and Lancebreaker another breaker skill that helps her avoid lance/nagianata users. Knight gives her Defense +2 and Natural Cover, both allowing her to take less damage in battle. The General provides Wary Fighter and Pavise, preventing her and her enemy units to double attack and take less damage from adjacent enemy units. The Great Knight gives her major mobility and gives her Luna, piercing through enemy units' defenses by half whenever she activates it. Armored Blow gives her -10 physical damage when initiating an attack, which makes her really tanky when having other defensive skills. The archer class makes Sakura use bows more efficiently and provides Skill +2 which increases her skill stat but will get replaced afterwards. Quick Draw gives her +4 damage when she initiates the fight which can stack with other skills to deal major damage. The Sniper gives her Certain Blow, increases hit rates by +40 and Bowfaire, +5 damage when using Bows/Yumis if she stays on classes that give her bows. Outlaw gives her Lockpick which allows her to open chests and doors without needing a key and Movement +1, allowing her to move at much more distance. Adventurer is much like a nohrian Priestess as both have access to staffs and bows. Lucky Seven provides her +20 hit/avoid at the first 7 turns which helps her at the start if she ever is getting ganged up. Pass allows her to go through enemies and escape so that she won't get into danger again. Bow Knight provides Rally Skill, which gives her +4 skill for her allied and Shurikenbreaker, allowing her to avoid master ninjas.
 * Kaze and Saizo - Both provide Sakura with the Ninja class, which helps her in increasing her own speed. From Ninja,, she can learn Poison Strike to help her deal extra damage to enemies that survive her attacks, and Locktouch for opening doors and chests. Its promotions entail both the Master Ninja and Mechanist classes. From the Master Ninja class, she can learn Lethality to potentially kill enemies in one hit, and Shurikenfaire to boost her damage when using shurikens. From the Mechanist class, she learns Golembane and Replicate. Golembane is rather useless due to the lack of puppet enemies in-game, while Replicate can greatly increase her roles in either support or offense. As she will start in E rank in their weapons, if her strength is not high enough, it is best to increase it to C rank to utilize magical weapons like the Flame Shuriken and the Shining Bow.
 * Leo- Leo provides Sakura the dark mage class, which makes her much more efficiently on magic than Onmyouji. Heartseeker decreases adjacent enemy units -20 which decreases their chances of dodging attacks. Malefic Aura provides +2 damage when attacking units with magic at a distance. The Sorcerer class provides her a much higher magic stat, and also gives her Vengeance, allowing her to deal more damage by half of the health she has left. This is a really good skill when having Miracle and Vantage as you will survive a lethal hit which leaves you at 1 HP, deal a lot of damage on how much health she have left and allows her to attack at enemy phase first. Bowbreaker is another breaker skill that allows her to hit and avoid Bow users at ease. The Dark Knight provides her Seal Magic, crippling many magic users and Lifetaker, gives her health whenever she kills an enemy unit when she initiates the fight.

Base Stats
Rarity:

Fire Emblem Fates
Refer to Sakura/Quotes.

Fire Emblem Heroes
Refer to Sakura/Heroes Quotes.

Possible Endings
Sakura - Loving Priestess (慈しみの巫女, Jishimi no Miko lit. Shrine Maiden of Affection)
 * After Ryoma ascended the throne, Sakura led recovery efforts to heal the bodies and hearts of war-torn Hoshidans. She was known far and wide for her compassion and the strength of her resolve.


 * Sakura and Avatar (Birthright)
 * Avatar was hailed as a hero, working alongside his spouse to spread peace worldwide. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Avatar (Revelation)
 * The two spent the rest of their lives together, Avatar ruling as the wise King of Valla. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Hayato
 * After the war, Hayato traveled the world before replacing Fuga as chief of the Wind Tribe. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Jakob
 * Jakob served as a butler for the rest of his life, but his true love was reserved for his wife alone. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Kaden
 * Despite marriage, Kaden continued to travel, returning favors. Later he served as chief of his village. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Leo
 * Leo sacrificed much for Nohr, leading the effort to spread King Xander's radical new policies. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Subaki
 * Subaki was appointed chief of the pegasus knights and served with a perfect record. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Xander
 * As King of Nohr, Xander laid the foundation of peace and prosperity for the kingdom. Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.


 * Sakura and Saizo
 * Saizo disappeared from official records after the war, but no doubt he served the royal family forever. His wife, Sakura, dedicated herself to helping the underprivileged, and the two worked happily together.

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Name is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following cards:

Etymology
Sakura is the Japanese word for Cherry Blossom.

Trivia

 * Sakura, Laura, Elise, and Azama are the only named characters who are staff-locked and cannot be recruited in the chapters that they appear in as enemies.
 * Her birthday, April 9, is the middle of Japan's cherry blossom bloom season.
 * In all chapters where Sakura can be fought, Yukimura is also present, even though he is not her retainer.
 * In addition, she is the only sibling that can be fought that does not act as an enemy commander; instead, Yukimura takes this place.
 * Sakura's official artwork and portrait depicts her with a Bloom Festal.
 * Her artwork as a Priestess in the Cipher TCG depicts her using Mikoto's Yumi.
 * Sakura shares her English voice actress, Brianna Knickerbocker, with Charlotte.
 * Sakura placed 7th in the official character popularity poll held on the game's official site for the females.
 * Hinoka's supports with Kaze reveal that Sakura is an entertaining writer.
 * Sakura is the only royal family member to join the Avatar's army prior to the recruitment chapter of her own retainers.
 * Sakura shares her critical quote "It's all me!" with her retainers Hana and Subaki.
 * Sakura's model as a Priestess resembles Mikoto.