Azusa Sasaki

Azusa Sasaki (佐々木 梓) is a character in the Hibike! Euphonium series and she is also the main character of the Rikka High School spin-off novels, which tell the story from Rikka High School's perspective.

Appearance
Azusa is a fair-skinned girl with straight mid-length blackish hair that is tied up into a ponytail at the back and bright light-indigo eyes.

Azusa is usually seen wearing a standard Rikka High School marching uniform for female students.

Personality
Not so much known about Azusa's personality except that she is a very friendly person who cares for her friends and she loves playing instruments, likes music that she is passionate about, but she also knows when to be serious and not where she is quite mature and understanding of situations.

Chronology
Azusa is first introduced in Welcome! High School, sitting beside Kumiko Oumae as they await the competition results. She then leaves to tell another band member the results, enabling Kumiko's fateful exchange of words with Reina Kousaka. She next appears in Festival Time, where she performs at SunFes with her school, Rikka High School. There, she again meets Kumiko and they talked a little. Azusa asked Kumiko why she chose Kitauji High School, but Kumiko said that she didn't have a reason, but rather that she wanted to have a new start. After that, she went away to perform with her school, while Azusa did the same. She later appeared in Goodbye Competition, briefly waving to Kumiko, and was later shown looking nervous during Kitauji's performance. In the movie-version retelling of the first season, Azusa gets a few images focused on her during the credits, after the competition.

Etymology

 * The name Azusa means "Japanese Cherry Birch" (梓).
 * It is among other senses (other trees and objects made from this wood).
 * Azusa's surname Sasaki means "help, aid" (佐) (sa) and "tree, wood" (木) (ki).

Trivia

 * According to the official Sound! Euphonium novel website:
 * Azusa's favorite color is light blue (the same as the Rikka uniform).
 * Azusa's hobbies are playing the trombone and going bowling, since she often went with her mother when she was younger.
 * Azusa's special skills are playing the trombone and having a keen sense of editing photos from purikura (photo booth) machines.
 * Azusa likes potato chips, roasted sweet potatoes, baked potatoes with butter and practicing.
 * Azusa dislikes holidays with no plans.
 * Azusa has the same given name as her voice actress, Azusa Tadokoro.
 * Azusa, along with fellow former Daikichiyama Kita Middle School band members Reina Kousaka and Shuuichi Tsukamoto, are the only people from before Kumiko's (intended) fresh start at Kitauji High School that Kumiko is known to still be in contact with.
 * To further expand the above point, Kumiko's negative situations with both Reina and Shuuichi at the time were two major reasons Kumiko wanted a fresh start in the first place, making Azusa the only person Kumiko was still in contact with and also not trying to avoid.