Sakurai Sakutaro


 * For the one-shot manga of the same name, see Death Zero (one-shot).

Sakurai Sakutaro (桜井咲太郎) is a fictional character in the Shaman King Flowers manga series. During World War II, he served as a second lieutenant with the Imperial Japanese Navy's airborne division and flew a Zero fighter plane, earning him notoriety as Death Zero.

About
When Sakutaro was alive, he was a youth living peacefully during the Roaring Twenties, but once the Great Depression set in, he became one of the many young men who lost their dreams and joined the army with hopes to improve their lives. Before joining though, he became acquainted with a girl named Chiharu at a local coffee shop he used to visit and was promised that she would wait for him until he returned. Eventually, he became a second lieutenant in the 801 Squadron of the 309th Naval Air Division of the Japanese Navy during the Second World War. His plane was shot down and crashed on Peleliu Island.

After his spirit moved on, he became trapped in a Mini Ashura Hell, where he became obsessed with rebuilding his fallen Zero fighter plane in order to return to the defense of his country. It is here where he encountered Asakura Hana while gathering parts for his plane and believing the war was still on-going. Sakutaro learns that he is deceased and accompanies Hana to Thalim's coffee shop. While there, he reminisces on his old memories while drinking coffee before questioning Hana as to why is he fighting for. After crashing into the cafe and driving Hana away, Kamogawa Yohsuke incites his pilot, Anderson, to kill Sakutaro. Having recognized Sakutaro as the infamous "Death Zero", Anderson hesitates to shoot down Sakutaro out of fear, allowing Sakutaro to take the opportunity to kill him. Sakutaro then tries to shoot Yohsuke, but he is mortally wounded when Yohsuke stops time and repositions the bullet at Sakutaro's neck. Despite being fatally wounded, he still manages to empty his pistol into Yohsuke. Before fading away, he states that while he will not be returning to his homeland, at least he will be able to see his comrades again.

After Hana is sent into another version of the Asura Realm, Hana encounters a younger version of Sakutaro who does not remember him at all. As Hana is interrogated by a suspicious Sakutaro, his friends casually tell him to calm down and suggest that they take him to their barracks to listen to his story first before deciding what to do. After Hana fails to explain to them that they are all dead, Sakutaro leaves to look at his plane while the others share their stories with Hana. Hana is shocked upon learning that they are part of the Kamikaze Unit with orders to crash themselves into enemy warships.

When Hana questions why they did not resist, he learns that Sakutaro volunteered to prevent his friend from being drafted into the unit. Conversing with Sakutaro near his plane, Hana comments on Sakutaro's resolve by pointing out that there is a girl waiting for him back in Japan, leaving Sakutaro shocked as to how he knew about Chiharu. At that moment, the base is bombed and Sakutaro and his unit prepare to take off with Hana stuck in Sakutaro's plane.

O.S. "Death Zero"
O.S. "Death Zero" (O.S. デスゼロ O.S. Desu Zero) Description: Hana inserts Sakutaro's soul into his old fighter plane, enabling it to fly again. As a zero fighter plane, it has thin armor but its light frame affords it great maneuverability, especially in the hands of a skilled pilot.
 * Shaman: Asakura Hana
 * O.S. Type: Vehicle Type
 * Spirit Ally: Sakurai Sakutaro
 * Medium used: Zero Fighter Plane

O.S. "Zero Fighter Man"
O.S. "Zero Fighter Man" (O.S. ゼロ戦マン O.S. Zero-sen Man) Description: This Over Soul creates a zero fighter plane but one-third in size, making it even better at dodging. It can also convert into an armor-type Over Soul, called Human Form. The propeller on its head enables Hana to hover and maneuver in the air. It also carries a Type 99 20mm machine gun, which Hana calls "Possessed Demon Gun" (式20mm鬼銃).
 * Shaman: Asakura Hana
 * O.S. Type: Vehicle/Armor Type
 * Spirit Ally: Sakurai Sakutaro
 * Medium used: Sakutaro's Nambu Type 14 pistol

Attacks


 * Spirit Launcher (御霊ランチャー): The spirits of Sakutaro's fellow soldiers are transformed into bullets and loaded into the machine gun. Hana then fires them in a barrage of bullets.

Trivia

 * Sakutaro originally appeared in Hiroyuki Takei's one-shot, Death Zero.