Haruko is Takenori's younger sister and the object of Sakuragi's affection. She's known for her sweet personality and infectious enthusiasm—you'll find her cheering at nearly every game, most often supporting her protective older brother (who taught her basketball fundamentals) and Sakuragi, who she genuinely considers her best friend. She usually shows up to matches with her own crew: her two closest friends Fujii and Matsui, plus Sakuragi's gang.
Here's the thing though: Haruko has a major crush on Kaede that she can't seem to shake, despite the fact that he shows zero interest. She eventually comes to terms with the reality that he'll never feel the same way, and while she tries hard to move on from those feelings, she's not entirely successful at letting them go.
Haruko actually discovered Sakuragi's basketball potential when she asked him to attempt a dunk—she was genuinely impressed by his athleticism and realized he had what it took to make the team. Because Sakuragi is completely smitten with her, he's always willing to listen to what she has to say, and they've spent time training together and going on what he considers dates (though she probably wouldn't call them that).
Despite coming across as a bit emotionally oblivious at times, she's actually a solid student. She helped Akagi tutor Sakuragi and the other starters when they needed to retake exams. She's also not one to stay quiet if she sees something wrong—she's called Sakuragi out before (including when she mistakenly thought he'd hurt Rukawa), and she's defended him repeatedly from Kaede's more obsessive fans, even taking a hit from one of them in the anime.
Year: 1st Year
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
