Sakuya Shirayuri

"Once I see the moon, I'll blossom in the night on this brilliant dream stage!"

- Sakuya before her performance

Sakuya Shirayuri (白百合さくや) is a main character of the Aikatsu Friends! series. As of the second season, she is a student of the idol division at Star Harmony Academy, having previously attended Moonlit Night Academy, and is the elder twin sister of Kaguya Shirayuri. Sakuya is a cool-type idol whose preferred brand is Luna Witch. Along with Kaguya Shirayuri, the two are a part of Reflect Moon.

Appearance
Sakuya has thick, silvery-blue wavy hair with a few loose curls of midnight blue ombre, in which also has a few, tight-curled lose strands its length reaching around her waist. Her bangs frame her face with two slightly longer sections surrounding the center, and her straight forelocks are cut at an angle. She has pointed, low drooping magenta eyes with mauve and flecks of yellow.

In Season 2, Sakuya’s brim now has indigo ribbons with gold diamonds on both sides of her head.

At the age of a kindergartener, Sakuya adapted the style of high pigtails held up with lily hair-ties, in which shifted its height to a regular pigtail at around elementary school, held up with a similar lily hair-tie with frills, in which the design has been carried on and adapted to the current brim that Sakuya often wears.

Personality
Sakuya is the type of person who gets lonely and embarrassed easily. Although naturally withdrawn, her dignified acting draws in the people who watch her. Despite her gentle exterior, Sakuya is very strong within.

Background
Outside her idol activities, Sakuya also manages her own fortune-telling website, "The Other Side of the Moon".

Relationships

 * Kaguya Shirayuri
 * Sakuya's younger twin sister. Sakuya dearly treasures Kaguya and often spoils her, enjoying her companionship and never wishes to lose her sister. Sakuya can blame herself for the misfortunes that happen upon Kaguya if it is one that she foretold but didn't do anything to stop it.


 * Mushirō Haryū
 * Mushirō is Sakuya and Kaguya's manager.

Etymology
Shirayuri (白百合) means white lily.

Sakuya (さくや), when written in hiragana, has no particular meaning. However, it can be written in kanji as "咲夜", meaning blooming night.

Quotes
"Let us listen to the whispers of the moon."

- Sakuya Shirayuri

"Kaguya-chan and I have been together from our moment of birth. She is my lifelong, irreplaceable companion, always at my side through thick and thin."

- Sakuya Shirayuri

"If I were ever to lose Kaguya-chan, I would certainly be crushed by utter despair."

- Sakuya Shirayuri

"It has nothing to do with divinations. Today is the start of your solo work. You've always been there to support me, so it's my turn to return the favor."

- Sakuya to Kaguya

Trivia

 * She is 156cm tall.
 * Her star sign is Gemini.
 * Sakuya and Kaguya's birthday, June 9, when connecting the numerical digits together (69), resembles two halves of a moon coming together, referencing the twins' relationship of completing each other.
 * Furthermore 6+9 equals 15 (十五), a reference to Jūgoya (十五夜), alluding to the Moon-Viewing Festival (also known as Mid-Autumn Festival) that takes place on the fifteenth day of the eigth month of the traditional Japanese calendar or Chinese lunar calandar.
 * She shares her birthday with Nozomi Tōjō from the Love Live! School Idol Project series and Sara Midorikawa from the Kiratto Pri☆Chan series.
 * She likes singing, plays, and watching theatrical performances.
 * Her specialty is fortune telling and ballet.
 * She is able to fall asleep anywhere.
 * Her interest is astronomical observation.
 * Her weakness is being in crowds and reading maps.
 * Sakuya and Kaguya are the first twin idols in the Aikatsu! franchise. However, they are the third set of sibling idols, following the Otoshiro sisters and the Kasumi siblings.
 * Sakuya shares her first name with Sakuya Shirase from THE iDOLM@STER: Shiny Colors, however, they're written in different kanji.
 * Sakuya is the eighth character in the Aikatsu! franchise to have ombre hair, following Sora Kazesawa, Nina Dōjima from the original Aikatsu! series, Yume Nijino, Yozora Kasumi, Lilie Shirogane from the Aikatsu Stars! series, as well as Aine Yūki and Mio Minato.
 * She is the thirteenth character overall in the Aikatsu! franchise to have dual colored hair, following Sora Kazesawa, Mikuru Natsuki, Rin Kurosawa, Nina Dōjima from the original Aikatsu! series, Yume Nijino, Tsubasa Kisaragi, Yozora Kasumi, Lilie Shirogane, Elza Forte and Kirara Hanazono from the Aikatsu Stars! series, as well as Aine Yūki and Mio Minato.
 * Sakuya bears resemblance to Lilie Shirogane from the Aikatsu Stars! series:
 * Both are cool-type idols.
 * Both have ombre hair from a shade of silver to a shade of blue.
 * Both have curly hair.
 * Both have magenta eyes.
 * Sakuya shares her hobbies in fortune telling with Sumire Hikami from the original Aikatsu! series.
 * Coincidentally, both are also cool idols with a gothic motif.