Aoi Sakuraba | |
---|---|
Birthdate |
July 7th (Cancer) |
Age |
23-24 |
Status |
Alive |
Gender |
Female |
Weight |
103.6 lbs |
Height |
160 cm (5'3") |
Hair Color |
Purple |
Voice Actor |
Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese) |
Debut |
|
Family |
Mr. Sakuraba (father) |
Aoi Sakuraba (桜庭 葵 Sakuraba Aoi) is the primary heroine of the series. She is the daughter and heir to the Sakuraba Family and the wife of Kaoru Hanabishi (which now makes her name Aoi Hanabishi (花菱 葵, Hanabishi Aoi) on her late father-in-law's side or Aoi Honjo (本条 葵, Honjō Aoi) on her late mother-in-law's side after Kaoru retakes his mother's maiden name). Most importantly, Aoi is also the granddaughter-in-law of the late Gen'ichiro Hanabishi.
Appearance[]
Aoi is a pretty young woman with short, purplish-blue hair that has two hair stands curved under her eyes and big, blue eyes.
She is usually shown wearing an indigo kimono that hides her well-endowed body, a pair of white socks and red, zouri-type sandals.
Personality[]
As noted by Kaoru Hanabishi, Aoi is a very kind, polite, soft-spoken and thoughtful young woman who is often shown to be able to believe in people and encourage them, like when she told Taeko Minazuki to keep making an effort to be a housekeeper, despite her clumsiness, comparing it to her own situation when she was young. She has been described as a Yamato Nadeshiko (a traditional Japanese beauty), time and time again by various characters, where every other female in the Sakuraba household aspires to be more like her.
Aoi is very devoted to Kaoru, having loved him ever since they were children when they first met, and is willing to do anything in her power to prevent being separated from him. When the Hanabishi Clan announced that her engagement to Kaoru was called off, Aoi found this unacceptable and pursued him where it gets to the point that she can barely stand being away from him, even for just one day, and she says at one point that she couldn't imagine spending her life with any man other than him. Initially, however, Aoi did not know why Kaoru left the Hanabishi clan and assumed that she was the reason and that he did not like her at all. After learning the truth from Kaoru as to why he left the family, Aoi expresses her deep sympathy and doesn't want him to return to the Hanabishi family due to the misery and abuse he suffered from them.
However, Aoi is also very shy and demure, to the point that she couldn't bring herself to wear a swimsuit on the beach with the fear of showing so much of her body, though she eventually gains the courage to wear one in front of Kaoru. In general, she nearly always gets embarrassed when wearing new clothing in front of Kaoru, though she's filled with bliss whenever Kaoru compliments her in it. She generally refers to girls as 'Miss' and even addresses Kaoru as "Kaoru-sama", despite having loved him since she was a child. Overtime, she grows notably more courageous, to the point of being able to laugh out loud when she sees Kaoru in a rabbit costume. This change is noted by Miyabi Kagurazaki, and it causes her to realize that Kaoru is a good influence on her.
Having been sheltered for much of her life, Aoi can be rather naive when it comes to the ways of the world (e.g., she didn't know what a turntable was until Tina explained it to her). She has a habit of frequently apologizing, often for things that aren't even her fault or worth apologizing for, such as clinging to Kaoru in her sleep, which she has no control over. Ironically, she takes Kaoru apologizing to her very poorly, claiming that she understands his feelings better than anyone else and that there's no need for him to ever be sorry. While she does get jealous sometimes, as any woman in love usually does, she manages to control it and remains hopeful and optimistic that Kaoru will stay loyal to her, and her faith always pays off.
While generally quiet, subservient and consistently selfless, Aoi is far from being a doormat and is in fact a very plucky and determined young woman. Aoi will fight for the things and people she loves, even willing to defy her own family just so she can be at Kaoru's side. At one point, she even goes so far as to part ways with them just to be with Kaoru, though she regrets this shortly afterwards.
Despite her delicate appearance, Aoi is actually quite athletic and a very skilled tennis player, which she gets to show when the Sakuraba household all play tennis. Her skills greatly surprise Kaoru, who was worried that she'd end up embarrassing herself due how poorly everyone else had performed all day. Later on, Kaoru admits that, even after all this time, there's still a lot that he doesn't know about Aoi, who states that being a skilled tennis player is only one of her secrets and, one day, she may let Kaoru know the rest, showing a surprisingly playful side to her personality.
Relationships[]
Her Parents[]
Kaoru Hanabishi[]
Having met when they were children, Aoi became smitten with Kaoru and spent everyday training to be his wife. One day, she was informed that the engagement between had been called off by the Hanabishi Clan without any explanation to why and she never saw Kaoru again. Years passed until she met up with Kaoru again and found out why he wouldn’t go back to the Hanabishi.
Miyabi Kagurazaki[]
Taeko Minazuki[]
Tina Foster[]
Appearance to Others[]
As we later know, Aoi is needed greatly in the Sakuraba family home. When Tina Foster, Kaoru Hanabishi and Taeko Minazuki are off to school, she stays home to clean, do the laundry, cook and take care of the pets, as well as Miyabi Kagurazaki. Aoi is also very efficient in her work and is a very good cook. When she gets sick with the flu, the rest try to fill in on what she does, and find it very difficult to the point that they are unable to believe that she works and puts in so much effort without showing signs of distress or complaint.
Etymology[]
- The name Aoi means "hollyhock flower, althea" (葵).
- It can also mean "green, blue" (碧) (ao).
- Aoi's surname Sakuraba means "cherry blossom" (桜) (sakura) and "garden, yard" (庭) (ba).
- Hanabishi means "flower, blossom" (花) (hana) and "diamond (shape), water chestnut, rhombus" (菱) (hishi/bishi) - (on her late father-in-law's side).
- Honjo means "base, root, origin, source" (本) (hon) and "article" (条) (jo) - (on her late mother-in-law's side after Kaoru retakes his mother's maiden name).
Trivia[]
- Aoi's birthday (July 7th) is the day of the Tanabata Festival, which celebrates the meeting of deity lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, as it is the only day are they allowed to meet, on the seventh day of the seventh month once a year.
- Before Michelle Ruff was to cast in the English Dub, Nika Futterman, Felicia Day, Stephanie Sheh, Cindy Robinson, Philece Sampler and Hynden Walch were all considered to voice Aoi Sakuraba.
- Michelle Ruff (Aoi's English-language voice actress) also voices Zoe Orimoto from Digimon, Yoko Littner from Gurren Lagann, Cream the Rabbit from Sonic the Hedgehog, Crimson Viper from Street Fighter, Luna from Sailor Moon and Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach.
- In the final volume of the manga, Aoi reveals that her kimono is a hand-me-down from her family.