Nozaki Sakura

Nozaki Sakura (野咲 さくら) is a midfielder for Shinsei Inazuma Japan.

Appearance
Sakura has light pink hair tied up at the back, resembling cherry blossom petals, along with a braid across the top of her head. She has blue eyes, fair skin color and a quite tall body. Her body is also slim and very flexible due to her training in gymnastics.

Personality
Sakura is hardworking and willing, as seen when she showed up for training even though she didn't have to do so after the match with Fire Dragon. Although Sakura was very enthusiastic and carefree at the practice, it seemed she has an ulterior motive that made Matsukaze Tenma think she enjoyed soccer. Sakura is also very obssesed with being number one due to the pressure she received from her parents. After the match with Big Waves, she has learned the importance of teamwork and becomes more cooperative with her teammates.

Background
As stated by Manabe Jinichirou in episode 2, Sakura joined Shinsei Inazuma Japan to gain money and study abroad with the best gymnastics team in the world.

While Sakura was in rhythmic gymnastics club, her parents forced her to be the best and pressured her a lot. She tried her best to meet their expectations but it made her teammates dislike her due to her always trying to take the spotlight in any way she can. Although when she came second place at the world gymnastics competition, her parents were unsatisfied by the result.

Plot (Galaxy)
She first appeared on the trailer of Galaxy, along with other new members of Shinsei Inazuma Japan

In episode 1, she was shown to be in Oumihara's soccer team. She was then chosen by Kuroiwa Ryuusei to be a midfielder for Shinsei Inazuma Japan.

After being chosen, Shinsei Inazuma Japan had a match against Teikoku. At the start of the game, Shindou Takuto used Kami no Takuto FI and passed the ball to her but she didn't catch it. Sakura later used a gymnastics move to catch the ball but failed, which irritated Shindou. Teikoku continued to score and the match ended with a score of 10-1, with Teikoku winning.

In episode 2, Sakura introduced herself as a former member of gymnastic club at her school. When Tenma taught the new members on how to kick a ball, she tried to but failed. On the day of the match with Fire Dragon, she tried to get the ball but it was stolen by Lee Chung-Yun before she could get it.

In episode 3, Sakura and most of the team didn't want to pass the ball to Matatagi because Manabe suspected that he stole his wallet. Later, after hearing encouragements from Tenma and seeing Matatagi's determination, she and the others finally passed the ball to him. She also urged Manabe, when he was cornered, to pass the ball to Matatagi.

In episode 4, Sakura and Matatagi were the only players to practice along with Shindou, Tenma and Tsurugi. While practicing, she showed off her gymnastic skills and also tried to be a goalkeeper, but failed to stop Tsurugi's shoot.

Later, when her old team-mates from Oumihara Jr High Rhythmic Gymnastics Club were watching the news about Shinsei Inazuma Japan's first match, they were surprised to see Sakura there. They said it was a good thing she left, and felt sorry for Shinsei Inazuma Japan who have to put up with her now.

The next day, she and Matatagi still the only one who participated the training. Later, both of them were seen at Steel Tower Plaza with Tenma as he told them about Endou but didn't mention his name.

In episode 5, Sakura took part in the withdrawal exam. Initially she wanted to pass it, but decided not to and stayed in the team after seeing Tetsukado's shoot.

In episode 6, Sakura had a small talk with her parents and they told her not to embarrass herself as a member of Shinsei Inazuma Japan. In the match between Big Waves, she saw her parents in the audience and remembered her past of how her mother kept telling her to continue practicing. She started getting the ball purposely from her teammates to get attention but it made the other members start to distrust her.

In episode 7, Sakura still continued to get the ball to get attention. After failed for a few times, she didn't want to be looked uncool before parents like how she got when came to second place at the world gymnastics competition. Then, she purposely bumped on Konoha, pretended that her leg is hurt and got moved back to be defender with Tetsukado replaced her position as mid-fielder. However, after seeing Ibuki who continued to stop the ball twice and got complimented by Tenma that thanks to her pass, Matatagi was able to score the goal. She decided to move back to be mid-fielder and tried to break through Suck Out with Shindou's Kami no Takuto but failed. However, the second time when she tried to break through with Kami no Takuto FI, she did. When she was about to score a goal on her own, she remember Tenma's words of enjoying soccer together, she passed the ball to Manabe and he scored a goal luckily. When the match ended with Shinsei Inazuma Japan won, Tenma told her that it would be good if everyone is number one and she thought that could maybe true.

In episode 8, Sakura was seen training with her teammates and Aoi noted that Sakura has became much better since the match between Big Waves. The next day, there was no training and she invited Konoha to go shopping with her at Soccer Garden Shopping Mall which she agreed. The two of them were hanging out together at the shopping mall and they both seemed get along well after the incident. Later, when Tenma came back from the police station, she was seen assembled together because they all heard that Kusaka got caught by the polices. Manabe and Minaho then told everyone about Kusaka's background and his contract of joining Shinsei Inazuma Japan.

On the day of the match between Shamshir, she tried to steal ball from Said Ashraf but failed.

In episode 9, the first-half ended with Shamshir lead 1-0. She was wondering on Shindou's plan of removing Kusaka in second-half and Tetsukado told her there is no choice as the others also agreed with the plan. However, Tenma convinced them to let Kusaka plays and they somehow agreed. When second-half began, she and her teammates didn't pass the ball to Kusaka so he will not get into rampage again.

In episode 10, she and the other members of Shinsei Inazuma Japan were training in the black room for the past three days. She was the first one who suggested that maybe their team could win the FFIV2. This surprised Manabe and Minaho because it said on their contract that they don't have to win; however, the others also agreed and decided to win. Sakura asked Konoha is she also wanted to win but Konoha was unable to answer which made Sakura pout. Later, Aoi came and told them that their opponent in semi-final is Mach Tiger.

In episode 11, she didn't join the searching for Konoha when heard that she left.

In episode 12, she along with Manabe and Minaho complained to Kusaka when he told them that he unintentionally called Konoha "irritating" when she left Shinsei Inazuma Japan. In the match between Mach Tiger, she made a pass to Tenma on the link of Shindou's Kami no Takuto FI. Shindou got the ball and tried to score with Fortissimo but failed. Later, Mach Tiger got the first goal as Kusaka suddenly turned into his Berserker Mode and confessed his feelings to Konoha. When Sakura heard that, she and the rest of the team were shocked. She was impressed when Konoha stole the ball from Napa Ladam with her hissastu, Konoha Roll. Then, Shindou used Kami no Takuto FI and she made another pass to Matatagi. Shinsei Inazuma Japan tied to score thanks to Kusaka's Kyoubou Head. The first-half ended and she was also surprised when Konoha rejected Kusaka.

In episode 13, Shindou used Kami no Takuto FI and passed the ball to her but Salana Kukrit intercepted it and got the ball. After that, Mach Tiger scored the second goal thanks to Tamugan Jar's Ivory Crash. She was shocked when Minaho used his hissastu Trace Press to steal the ball from Bark Sepakro. Thanks to Manabe's command, she successfully passed through Salana Kukrit.

In episode 14, in the practice match between Resistance Japan, she started to dislike Kishibe when he got the ball from her as she tried to get it back but failed. When being overwhelmed by Resistance Japan and couldn't even catch up to them except for Tenma, Tsurugi and Shindou, she felt depressed about the difference between their levels. After the match ended with Resistance Japan winning 3-2, she also decided to go back to the black room to train.

In episode 15, she and the other 7 members except for Tenma, Tsurugi and Shindou didn't attend the practice but instead training themselves in black room. When she saw Ibuki training on stopping hologram Hakuryuu's shoot, she then determinded on making her own hissastu.

Inazuma Eleven GO Galaxy

 *  [OF] Beautiful Hoop

Relationships

 * Sakura's Father
 * Sakura's Mother

Trivia

 * Before joining Shinsei Inazuma Japan, Sakura was a member of Oumihara's rhythmic gymnastics club.
 * Her name Sakura means cherry blossom, which is referred to Sakura's hairstyle resembling a cherry blossom.
 * She has a character song called Ashita mo Haretara with Sorano Aoi.