Laura Sakuraba

"Laura Sakuraba, it's my time to shine!"

- Laura before her performance

Laura Sakuraba (桜庭ローラ) (officially Rola Sakuraba) is a main character of the Aikatsu Stars! series. She is a former student at Four Star Academy and acted as the student council vice president and as an admin of the Flower Song Class. Laura is a cool type idol whose preferred brand is Spice Chord. She formerly attended Venus Ark as an exchange student.

Appearance
Laura is a fair-skinned girl with sharp, royal blue eyes and shoulder-length bubblegum pink hair styled into a ponytail formed into three thick ringlets with straightened bangs. She wears a dark purple ruffled scrunchy. As a Four Star Academy student, she wears the standard uniform.

In Season 2, Laura now wears a dark blue headband in her hair. A dark blue bow rests on the right side of the headband with a light blue gemstone in the center.

Personality
Laura is a fearless person who takes on the role of a big sister with an impertinent edge to it. She is also the type to act before properly thinking about the action. Laura started off as being afraid of losing, and to stand out as a loser. However, she eventually learns that it's okay to lose to others and later becomes a more humble and calm person.

Background
She comes from a long line of musicians, with her father being a violinist and her mother a pianist.

Relationships

 * Yume Nijino
 * Yume is the very first friend Laura made at Four Star Academy. She is described as being a very precious friend to her and her true rival. The two come to depend on each other a lot, as shown when Yume immediately decides on Laura to be her admin following her induction into S4. Likewise, Laura understands Yume to the point where she accepts the position before Yume can even properly ask her.


 * Koharu Nanakura
 * Laura met Koharu through Yume. The two became quick friends.


 * Mahiru Kasumi
 * Laura's close friend. The two are noted to be similar in personality, and Laura regards Mahiru as particularly skilled.


 * Ako Saotome
 * Laura met Ako for the first time during "ROCK! Rock Girls" audition. She finds her interesting and they slowly become friends.


 * Lilie Shirogane
 * When Laura was feeling lost after losing to Yume over again, it was Lilie who helped her to realize the importance of going in her own way rather than just aiming to win.


 * Elza Forte
 * Laura keeps a protective guard when it comes to Elza trying to take away Yume. She also has a very negative opinion of the latter as well.


 * Tsubasa Kisaragi
 * Laura inherited Tsubasa's brand, Spice Chord after Tsubasa saw the potential and the leadership in Laura.

Etymology
Sakuraba (桜庭) - Sakura (桜) means cherry blossom and Ba (庭) means garden.

Rola (ローラ) is Mexican slang for song. Laura is the feminine form of the Latin word Laurus, meaning laurel, a plant which symbolized victory and fame in Greco-Roman times.

Quotes
"I feel like I've finally found my own path. I always used to sing to pass auditions and beat my rivals. Yume is my rival. That won't change. But from now on I won't sing just to win! I'll sing for myself!"

- Laura after Lilie's encouragement

"But Aikatsu isn't only about winning or losing. As long as you follow your own shining path, it will eventually lead to a future in S4."

- Laura to Mahiru

"I say this over and over again, but what keeps me going is Yume. The only thing I can say to my rival —Yume — are words of gratitude."

- Laura talking about Yume

"Why did I start worrying all of a sudden? Being with Yume drew the best out of me. There were times when I cried and felt lost. But in the end, we always smiled together! Now I just need to put this whole year's emotions into song! Into a song that's mine, a song that I love! That's right, this song comes from my way of life. This is Laura Sakuraba!"

- Laura before her S4 Selection performance

"Who cares about my score? I've never felt this good singing in my entire life! I was finally able to sing in my own voice!"

- Laura after her S4 Selection performance

"I don't know much about Elza or Venus Ark's philosophy. But I want to be an idol who's considerate of others and always willing to extend a helping hand."

- Laura to Kirara

"I've participated in tons of competitions, and lost and cried my fair share. But getting scared of losing and running away isn't like me. Every time I lose, every time I cry, I feel myself growing stronger. If I keep at it, little by little, I can say goodbye to my weaker self."

- Laura to Yume

"Win it, Yume. It's a competition. When one person wins, another loses. But there are some things you'll never learn about yourself unless you lose. I'm sure it's the same for Elza. You climbed your way here, so it's your responsibility to teach her."

- Laura to Yume

"There's no guarantee it'll work out... But when I close my eyes, I can hear what my heart is saying. And then... My heart screams out loud that it wants to go!"

- Laura to Everyone

"Because my inspiration is you. There's no way I could've made it this far on my own. It was only because you were next to me, never stopping, that no matter how much it hurt, I could muster the will to try again, to win the struggle against myself. Now that the person I've always wanted to surpass has become number one, I can't contain my excitement. I'll become so much better that you won't recognize me by the time I get back. Because the future me definitely won't lose!"

- Laura to Yume

"As long as you work hard, someone will see you!"

- Rola

Trivia

 * She is 154cm tall.
 * Her zodiac sign is Scorpio.
 * Her favorite things are rock music and vinegar kelp.
 * Her specialty is doing introduction quizzes.
 * Her hobby is music appreciation.
 * She can spin like a tornado.
 * She shares her singing voice with Rei Kizaki and Sumire Hikami (as of March 2016) from the original Aikatsu! series.
 * In the Data Carddass game, her accessory is shown to be lined with pink that the anime does not include.
 * Yume and Koharu, who both generally address their friends with the honorific -chan, address Laura with her given name only.
 * She is an expert piano player as shown in Episode 2 of the anime, making her the third idol in the Aikatsu! Franchise to have knowledge of playing an instrument.
 * She often says "Well, isn't that interesting?" (面白いじゃない) when something catches her attention.
 * Her appearance is similar to Madoka Amahane from the original Aikatsu! series. They both have the same colored pink hair and blue eyes.
 * Her favorite band is "Metal Dolls".
 * Laura is the first character to change her final pose as seen in Episode 38, and is the third in the Aikatsu! Franchise to change, following Mizuki Kanzaki and Akari Ōzora, and followed by Yume Nijino.
 * She shares a number of similarities with Seira Otoshiro from the original Aikatsu! Series.
 * Both have pink hair worn in an up-do.
 * Both have a group/unit aura with their 'true rival'.
 * Both are 'true rivals' of the main character of their series.
 * Their 'true rivals' are cute-type idols.
 * Both use a brand that has a rock-n-roll motif.
 * Both of them share an intense, personal moment on screen with their 'true rival' before their unit performance.
 * Both of them are Scorpios.