Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki
Sasami and Ayeka are princesses of Jurai, daughters of Emperor Azusa and his second wife Misaki. Their older half-brother Yosho—from the Emperor's first marriage—eventually settles on Earth under the name Katsuhito Masaki. When Ayeka comes to Earth searching for Yosho, Sasami tags along (technically as a stowaway), and both end up staying with Tenchi's family. She quickly bonds with the cat-like Ryo-Ohki and, despite a knife-to-the-throat first impression, becomes close with Ryoko too.
The thing that defines Sasami's character is a secret she's carried for seven centuries. During Ryoko's attack on Jurai long ago, Sasami took a catastrophic fall in the Royal Arboretum. She should have died—and part of her believed she did. In reality, the tree-goddess Tsunami saved her by absorbing her body and merging their spirits. Now Sasami and Tsunami exist as one being with two souls that will gradually merge as she ages. This fusion gives her immense power: she commands Tsunami-fune, the strongest ship ever built, and can sense every Juraian ship and its pilot across space. She also has precognitive abilities, though they come through as vivid, sometimes gruesome nightmares.
For years, Sasami kept this hidden because she feared rejection. When the truth finally came out, everyone—Ayeka, Tenchi, Yosho, and the others—accepted her without hesitation. Beyond her connection to Tsunami, Sasami is a skilled fighter, likely trained by her mother (Supreme Commander of the Royal Bodyguard) and enhanced by her godly link. One of her cherry-blossom hair ornaments doubles as a staff. She's proven herself capable enough to take down trained Galaxy Police officers.
Galaxy Space Mihoshi Special
This standalone episode served as a pilot for later Tenchi projects. Sasami appears here with her own secret identity as Pretty Sammy, partnered with Ryo-Ohki. She's also noted as the GXP's finest tea maker.
Tenchi Universe
The TV series reimagines Sasami without the Tsunami backstory—she's still Ayeka's sister and a Juraian princess, but her parents go unmentioned and Yosho becomes just a distant relative. Without Tsunami, there's no supernatural element to her character. She's cheerful and innocent, an excellent cook and gamer (especially fighting games), and she takes on the role of Pretty Sammy purely as a alter ego rather than a divine fusion. She owned her own ship initially, but it got destroyed, trapping her on Earth. In the "Time and Space Adventures" special episodes, Sasami mostly gets sidelined except during her own story—and even then, she spends most of it in the background until transforming into Pretty Sammy.
Tenchi Muyo! in Love 1 & 2
These films stick with the Universe continuity and Sasami's easygoing personality. A manga tie-in to the second movie introduces Tsunami to this timeline, though its canonicity is unclear. The manga hints at a possible future where Sasami and Tenchi have a daughter named Izumi, but Sasami dies in childbirth—though she narrates that this is just one possibility among many. Fate can change with every choice they make. She also notes she'd care for Tenchi the same way regardless of whether he chooses her or not.
Tenchi in Tokyo
Sasami's personality shifts noticeably here—louder, moodier, prone to juvenile tantrums. She befriends Yugi early on, and even after discovering Yugi's true nature, she sticks with her. Ryo-Ohki remains her pet throughout.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
