Sasaki, Rika

佐々木利佳

Rika Sasaki is a classmate and friend of the titular character, Sakura Kinomoto. She is regarded as quite elegant and mature for her age, although she can also be shy. Throughout the series, she demonstrates skill in cooking and crafts. Rika is affected by the Clow Cards on several occasions. Early in the series, she purchases a brooch that turns out to be The Sword card. The card takes control of her, causing her to attack Sakura. Sakura manages to stop Rika by using The Illusion card to display an image of her beloved, which allows Sakura to capture the card. In the second half of the series, she nearly drowns during a magical trial created by Eriol Hiiragizawa to compel Sakura to convert a Clow Card into a Sakura Card.
Throughout the series, Rika is depicted in a romantic relationship with her teacher, Yoshiyuki Terada. In the manga, they are engaged to marry once she reaches the appropriate age, and they frequently spend time alone together on "dates." In the anime adaptation, the engagement and many of their dates are omitted, yet they are still shown to share affection. Rika gives Terada a hand-made teddy bear she crafted, and he names it after her. In both the manga and anime, when Sakura uses the Illusion card to halt Rika's attacks, she refers to the image as "Sensei," which means "teacher" in Japanese. During the final judgment, when Yue shows Sakura a world where everyone has lost their feelings for the one they love most, Rika is shown handing Terada a paper without her usual blush and shy demeanor.
In the Cardcaptors English adaptation, Rika's name is changed to Rita, and all hints of her relationship with Terada are removed. Rather than being a good student, she is portrayed as struggling with her schoolwork, and her blushing around Terada is explained as embarrassment over having to stay after school so often.