Sagara Sanosuke

Sagara Sanosuke
Rurouni Kenshin character
Sagara Sanosuke on the cover of Rurouni Kenshin Kanzenban Volume 5
First appearance	Rurouni Kenshin Act 5: The Fight Merchant
Created by	Nobuhiro Watsuki
Voiced by	Japanese Tomokazu Seki (drama CD) Yūji Ueda (anime) Yuriko Fuchizaki (anime, child) English Derek Stephen Prince (Samurai X version) Lex Lang (anime) Brianne Siddall (anime, child) Gray G. Haddock (OVAs and movie) Eric Vale (Live-action film trilogy)
Portrayed by	Munetaka Aoki
Profile
Nickname(s)	Sano (English anime only)
Aliases	Zanza (斬左?)
Affiliations	Sekihō Army (formerly)

Sagara Sanosuke (相楽 左之助^?) is a fictional character from the Rurouni Kenshin manga and anime series created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. In the English anime adaptations he is known as Sanosuke Sagara and nicknamed Sano. Watsuki, being a fan of the Shinsengumi, created Sanosuke by basing his name and characteristics on that of a real Shinsengumi member named Harada Sanosuke.

Set during a fictional version of Japan in the pre-Meiji period, Sanosuke is a former member of the Sekihō Army. When the group is destroyed by the Meiji Government, he becomes a fighter-for-hire to calm his anger by fighting. During his introduction in the series, he encounters the wanderer Himura Kenshin, who easily defeats him and is able to convince him to stop his mercenary work and instead start protecting people. After that encounter, Sanosuke becomes Kenshin's best friend as well as his partner in most of their fights.

Sanosuke appears in the featured films of the series and in other media relating to the Rurouni Kenshin franchise, including a plethora of electronic games and original video animations (OVAs). Numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Sanosuke's character. Mania Entertainment praised his character development, noting that he becomes more trustworthy and reliable as the series progresses.SciFi.com referred to him as a "video-game icon", and noted how he is portrayed as a "tragic figure". Sanosuke has been popular with the Rurouni Kenshin reader base, placing second in every popularity poll. Merchandise based on Sanosuke has also been released, including key chains, and plush dolls.