"Don’t underestimate me!"
Name: Sakuri KunikaiAge: 18
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Height: 4’9 / 145 cm.
Weight: 109 lbs. / 49 kg.
Hometown: Hakodate, Japan
Alignment: Face
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Appearance:
Ring Gear
Casual
School Uniform
Swimwear
At her part-time job
’They told me it’d be good for publicity…’
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History: Sakuri is an average high school girl from an average middle-class Japanese family. The oldest of two sisters and the daughter of a housewife and a businessman, she seemed like she had nothing to worry about, and not a care in the world. Her father wasn’t around often due to his frequent business trips, but that was about the biggest thing she had to worry about.
What everyone around the Kunikai family didn’t know was that Sakuri’s father had dealings that went deep. Deeper than anyone would have thought, from how peaceful everything looked on the outside. His business was wrapped up in dealings with the yakuza, and in order to keep up with the money he owed them, he ended up in debt to some loan sharks intent on squeezing him out of all the money he was worth.
Faced with destitution, and afraid that her family would lose their home, Sakuri took it into her own hands to help pay off her family’s debt. However, when she reached out to look for work, she had the bright idea of heading right to the people her family owed money to. It seemed reasonable enough that someone who worked with money would know a thing or two about getting rich quick, right? What she didn’t realize was that they had ties to a couple of other businesses on the side, and realized that Sakuri had potential to make them some good money, too. She was cute, trusting, naive, and wouldn’t question any orders she was given, no matter what.
They were sure that there were plenty of people who would enjoy seeing her getting beaten up. They had connections to a yakuza family that ran an underground catfight club, where desperate young ladies in bikinis competed in illegal no-holds-barred fights for an audience of enthusiasts who knew the right places to look and the right people to ask. Sakuri seemed like she had the right qualities for a jobber they could throw at the real stars to keep the people entertained without risking any actual talent getting hurt. And they offered her a job.
It was…an odd request, admittedly. And a little embarrassing. But Sakuri was willing to do whatever she needed to support her family, and she was willing to put herself to the task! Besides, she thought, it might be fun. She just had to give it a try.
No one told her, of course, that they expected her to lose. No one thought that she could do anything but. But what came as a surprise to everyone was that Sakuri was something of a natural when it came to fighting. Even if she wasn’t particularly skilled, she still had a lot of heart and determination, and she wouldn’t give up or let herself be intimidated. To everyone’s shock, her first night at the club, in what was supposed to be a devastating squash, ended in her scoring an upset victory over a much more established fighter.
It soon became apparent that Sakuri had the makings of a much bigger star in her, and the club was eager to keep her around. Once again, she wouldn’t question it when they kept asking her to come back. Even if she got some uncomfortable questions at school about the claw marks on her face. One day, though, Sakuri would be noticed by one club guest in particular - Gine Masuda, a crooked lawyer who had married into the same family Sakuri’s family owed money to, and who also worked as a manager for LAW. Seeing the potential in the girl, she approached her after her match and offered her an even more lucrative contract to compete in the promotion, including getting a room at the LAW dorms and access to training to stay competitive with the League’s wrestlers. Sakuri was never going to say no to a paycheck, and she hopped on a train to Tokyo to take her career to the next level.
Personality: Sakuri is a perennial optimist. She never gives up, even when she seems dangerously outmatched, and she’s willing to go to hell and back in order to stand up for what she believes in, no matter what anyone else thinks. Even when she's in danger, she keeps her head held high, never even seeming to consider the consequences. A sweet-natured girl, Sakuri always assumes the best of people even if she shouldn't, and tries to make friends with just about anyone. Her heart is just too big for her own good.
Although she’s naturally gifted when it comes to wrestling, she stays humble, knowing that she’s doing it for her family, and she isn’t one to brag, though her manager hypes her up anyway. She does find herself pleasantly surprised with her successes, though, and that helps bolster her confidence. One of the few things that irritates her is when people underestimate her in spite of all the work she’s put into her craft, and she firmly believes that after all she’s learned and all she’s gone through, she deserves to be taken seriously.
Trivia:
- Sakuri can’t handle spicy foods, but she does have a tolerance for sweet foods that surprises a lot of people.
- She has an interest in occult literature, but doesn’t actually believe in magic. She just finds it interesting.
- In addition to wrestling in LAW, Sakuri has a part-time job as a concierge at the Hotel Madison to help her make more money.
- Sakuri is still finishing her senior year of high school, but transferred to a school in Tokyo while staying at the LAW dorm so that she could commute back and forth at a reasonable time.
- Neither Gine nor Sakuri realize that the family Sakuri owes money to is the same one Gine married into.
- During her time at the catfight club, Sakuri’s employers had her pose for a few gravure shoots in the hopes of using them to blackmail her if they needed to. This ended up backfiring because she wasn’t embarrassed by it at all.
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Fighting Style: Sakuri is an all-rounder in the ring, leaning toward grappling. She tries to take advantage of her smaller size to gain an advantage, whittling her opponents’ stamina down by dodging their attacks and using their momentum against them. It’s especially important for her to conserve her energy and stay out of trouble. She has a particularly weak constitution, and tends to gas herself out if she works herself too hard, so she has to focus on finishing matches quickly before she gets too winded. She’s been trying to train around that limitation, focusing on moves that require little effort on her part. But she is a fast learner, and she’s capable of adapting quickly if she needs to.
Favored Match Types: Sakuri isn’t afraid to apply herself to any sort of match. She doesn’t have a lot of experience with prostyle wrestling, and doesn’t know how a lot of stipulations work, but she’s willing to try anything at least once just to see if she likes it or not. Besides, with Gine handling her booking, she doesn’t have that much of a say in what she’s put up to. She is a bit anxious about hardcore matches since she’s afraid of getting hurt, but if that’s something she needs to do, she’ll do it, no questions asked.
Finishing Moves:
Basement Inverted Chinlock
Uranage
Due to Sakuri’s low stamina, she tends to tire out after using this move, so she’ll only use it when she’s sure it will finish the match. Usually, it leads to her dropping down on top of her opponent afterward, sometimes transitioning to a breast smother. If she doesn’t end the match with it, it usually takes her out.
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Relationships with Other Characters:
- Gine Masuda is Sakuri’s manager. She’s oblivious to Gine’s yakuza connections and just views her as a nice lady who liked what she saw in her and wanted to give her a hand, and she’s come to view her as a second mother while away from home.