Rika Sasaki

Information

Image Gallery

"Sensei..."
―Rika Sasaki in Sakura and the Mysterious Brooch

Rika Sasaki 佐々木 利佳
Manga Anime Clear Card Arc
Series	Cardcaptor Sakura Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card
Profile
Birthday	June 24 (Cancer)
Age	10~12 (Manga) 13~14 (Clear Card Arc/by Summer)
Relatives	Unnamed parents
Affiliates	Terada (admired teacher, secret fiancé, manga only)
Residence	Tomoeda, Japan
Favorite flower	Margaret
Likes	P.E, baking, muffin white color, bento cooking
Dislikes	Natto, swimming
Characteristics
Gender	Female
Hair	Grey-Brown (Manga) Dark Red-Brown (90s Anime) Brown (Clear Card Anime)
Eyes	Gray (Manga) Dark Red-Brown (90s Anime) Amber Brown (Clear Card Anime)
Blood Type	A
Appearances
First Appearance (Manga) Chapter 1	Last Appearance (Manga) Chapter 16 (Clear Card)
First Appearance (Anime) Episode 2: "Sakura's Wonderful Friend"	Last Appearance (Anime) Episode 17: "Sakura and the Crazy Sweets"
Voices
Seiyuu Tomoko Kawakami Saki Fujita (Clear Card)	English Dina Sherman (Cardcaptors, 2nd movie) Alex Moore (Clear Card)

Rika Sasaki (佐々木 利佳 Sasaki Rika) is a supporting character in CLAMP's anime and manga series Cardcaptor Sakura. Rika is one of Sakura Kinomoto's classmates in school. She, along with Chiharu Mihara and Naoko Yanagisawa, often appear alongside Sakura at school and during school events.

Appearance

Rika has chin-length brownish hair that curls inward at the bottom. Her eyes vary depending on the media; in the manga, they're grayish, whereas in the anime, they're brownish.

Her winter school uniform is a black long-sleeved shirt with red and white sleeve cuffs, a white neckerchief with a red stripe, and a white pleated miniskirt with a frilly white knee-length petticoat. On particularly cold days, she wears a thick black coat with her school's insignia on the back. Her summer uniform is a white half-sleeved shirt with a red neckerchief and a black pleated miniskirt. All year round, a white sailor hat with a black trim is worn along with white socks and black Mary Jane shoes.

Personality

Rika is a very elegant and mature girl for her age, although she can be very shy, especially when it comes to speaking to Yoshiyuki Terada, her homeroom and physical education teacher. Rika is also a skilled cook, able to bake cakes and cookies with ease. She cannot swim very well at all, as evidenced in the Episode of 63 when she almost drowned during one of Eriol Hiiragizawa's magical trials.

Plot

Rika is involved in the main plot in Episode 9 when she buys a brooch that is actually a Clow Card in hiding. The Card is revealed to be The Sword, as it materializes in Rika's hands when she puts on the broach and becomes possessed. The possessed Rika attacks Sakura Kinomoto, but Sakura soon distracts Rika using The Illusion and captures The Sword, returning Rika to normal.

Near the end of the manga, Rika gives Sakura important advice about love, comparing her situation with Yoshiyuki Terada to how Sakura feels about Syaoran Li—though names are never stated.

In the anime adaption of the Clear Card arc, Rika appears twice. The first time is the episode 5—voice only—when she apologizes Sakura for being unable to accompany her to a flower viewing. The second time is episode 17, when she lends Sakura some picture books.

Relationships

Yoshiyuki Terada

Yoshiyuki Terada and Rika Sasaki

Rika is best known for her relationship with her teacher Terada as his fiancée after he gave her an engagement ring. The student-teacher relationship is not uncommon in Japanese fiction as it can be interpreted as very romantic for a young girl to follow an older man as a student and mentee, only to fall in love with him in the end. Rika and Terada's relationship reflects this innocence and happiness, untainted by criticism and controversy despite their age difference.

Their relationship is established early in the manga when Rika and Terada exchange blushing looks—whose true meaning is oblivious to Sakura Kinomoto. At the end of chapter 9, Terada presents Rika with a ring, explaining that he hopes one day it will become a wedding ring. Since then, they have continued to exchange moments whenever possible. Their relationship remains unannounced in the series' canon, though Tomoyo Daidouji is able to observe the secret bond they share.

In the anime, their relationship appears more one-sided where Rika still has a crush on him, enjoys his presence and always shares with him the cakes that she bakes. However, Terada is shown to be oblivious to her feelings: the only moment where he may notice it is when he accepts Rika's teddy bear and decides to name it after her, but this seems to be simply because he considers her his hardest-working student and wants to honor her.

In episode 13, Rika is seen caring for Terada.

In Episode 9, when Sakura uses The Illusion to distract a possessed Rika, Sakura commands Illusion to show Rika the person for whom she has the most feelings. The Card shows a colorful silhouette in front of Rika in the shape of Terada. Rika whispers, "Sensei…" ("teacher" in Japanese) before Sakura seals The Sword and releases Rika from her spell. In the manga, the Card in the silhouette of Terada instead appears to lean over Rika from high above, as she looks up at it, whispering the same.

In Episode 46, "Sakura and the Last Judgement", Sakura is transported into a world where everyone forgets their feelings towards the person he or she loves most. Sakura sees Terada giving a paper to Rika, but she, instead of responding with a usual blush or knowing glance, takes the paper and simply walks away. Whether Sakura fully realizes this change in Rika's feelings is questionable, but it is evident to the viewer that Rika holds affection for Terada.

Cardcaptors

Rika's name is changed to the similar-sounding Rita in Cardcaptors. Her mannerisms are mostly the same. However, her shyness and reactions toward Mr. Terada are presented in a way that would imply that she was afraid of him in a more academic sense, instead of Rika being attracted to him: in Rita's case, she has particular problems with spelling and perhaps schoolwork in general, so it may be more about embarrassment about frequently having to stay with the teacher.

Etymology

• The name Rika means "benefit" (利, ri) and "beautiful" (佳, ka).
• Rika's surname Sasaki means "help, aid" (佐, sa) and "tree, wood" (木, ki).

Trivia

In the last scene of the Rayearth OVA 3, a girl that resembles Rika can be seen sat next to Umi. (second from right)

• Rika and Mr. Terada share the same favorite flower, the Margaret.
• In Rika's profile states her wish list is some American style clothes, possibly hinting at her wanting to break away from her traditional Japanese upbringing.
  • It also states she was in no clubs at school, despite her being skilled at various things.
  • According to information about her personality, she could be considered a typical "Yamato Nadeshiko

• In Episode 29, Rika mentions that her father is fond of cakes, especially strawberry shortcakes.
• In the Clear Card Arc, Rika goes to a different school. Her school uniform is similar to that of Fuu Hououji from Magic Knight Rayearth, another CLAMP work.
  • A character resembling Rika also makes a cameo appearance near the end of the third episode of the Rayearth OVA.