Sakura Matou

Sakura Matou (Japanese: 間桐 桜, Hepburn: Matō Sakura) is a fictional character who was first introduced in the visual novel Fate/stay night by Type-Moon from 2004. Sakura is introduced as a friend of the main character Shirou Emiya, on whom she has a crush but remains a minor character in the first two routes of the novel. In the third route "Heaven's Feel", where she serves as the route's heroine, Sakura reveals her darker characterization and bonds with Shirou. Sakura is a participant of the Holy Grail War, a battle between mages who fight alongside warriors known as Servants. She is corrupted through a mysterious shadow and Shirou must decide whether or not he should kill her. Besides Fate/stay night, Sakura has appeared in the sequel Fate/hollow ataraxia, the prequel light novel Fate/Zero and multiple spin-offs and adaptations of Type-Moon works.

Sakura was created by Kinoko Nasu, who wanted to create a heroine who would contrast with the previous heroine Rin Tohsaka, while character designer Takashi Takeuchi wanted her to be a beautiful, popular teenager. The staff members of studio Ufotable in charge of creating the Heaven's Feel films wanted to expand on her characterization by creating new scenes in which she interacts with Shirou after their first meeting. Sakura is voiced by Noriko Shitaya in Japanese, and by Cristina Vee in English.

Critical reception to Sakura's character has been generally positive; critics praised the complexity and depth to the character in the Heaven's Feel route as well as her connections with Shirou and her adoptive brother Shinji Matou. Her dark past, in which she experienced physical and sexual abuse, however, received a mixed reception. Sakura is also often used for marketing and has appeared in several character-popularity polls.