Ryuzaki, Sakuno

Seiyuu / Dub

Fernandes, Samira· Japanese

Paulita, Flora· Japanese

Robinson, Cindy· Japanese

Song, Do-yeong· Japanese

Takahashi, Mikako· Japanese

Spinelli, Elisabetta· Italian

Summary

Sakuno Ryūzaki, voiced by Mikako Takahashi in Japanese and Cindy Robinson in the dub, is a twelve-year-old female born on January 14. Standing at 151cm with a right-handed dominant hand, she is a freshman in Class 1-1 at Seishun Academy, moving to Class 2-1 in the epilogue. She is the granddaughter of Coach Ryuzaki and plays tennis with an unknown strategy and backhand style. Portrayals of Sakuno differ notably between the manga and anime. She does not appear in the first thirteen episodes of the OVA series, The Nationals Arc, alongside Tomoka Osakada. The anime gives her significantly more screen time than the manga, showing her regularly socializing with the Seigaku team and assisting during training camps with her best friend, Osakada Tomoka. In contrast, the manga depicts her primarily cheerleading or training with the girls' tennis club, causing her to fade from the main storyline. When Ryoma temporarily lost his memories, Sakuno searched for him and attempted to re-teach him tennis to help his recovery. Her efforts were interrupted when Ryoma regained his memory and sought to face Yukimura. By the end of the series, she is an eighth grader who remains content with her life and continues to play tennis. Personality-wise, Sakuno is a kind, quiet, and shy girl with long hair styled in twin braids. She constantly worries about Ryoma and his friends. Her tennis progress varies by medium; in the anime, her lack of skill is a recurring gag, while the manga portrays her as a promising player with future regular potential. The anime emphasizes her chronic shyness, leading to ditz spells and emotional breakdowns, whereas the manga depicts her as more insightful, mature, and intuitive. For instance, when Kotoha from Tsubakikawa confessed to Ryoma, Sakuno kept her thoughts to herself and correctly noted that Ryoma did not take the claim seriously, unlike Tomoka’s loud reaction. Sakuno possesses a terrible sense of direction, often leading Ryoma to incorrect destinations. Although her crush on Ryoma is evident in both versions, she has never confessed due to her shyness, bad luck, and interference from others like Nanjiroh, Momoshiro, and occasionally Kikumaru Eiji. Ryoma does not take a potential relationship seriously due to his tennis dedication and young age, but he shows friendly concern for her. He has rescued her from bullies multiple times, tolerates her presence with the team, and coached her and Tomoka in tennis, though he was tricked into doing so by his father.