Sakura Head

Sakura Head
Overview
Other Names:	Cherry Blossom (by Masahiro Ito) C.B. (by Masahiro Ito)
Health:	Invincible
Locations:	The Villa
Behind The Scenes
Debut:	Silent Hill: The Short Message

“

Are you here to punish me...? —Anita following a chase sequence with the monster.

”

Sakura Head is a monster appearing in Silent Hill: The Short Message. It appears during Anita's journey through the Villa and pursues her during moments when the apartment complex is taken over by the Otherworld.

Appearance and symbolism

“

This "cherry blossom trees as one of horror materials" doesn't mean something like splatter or gore one. It's more "lyrical one". I don't like splatter style, gores or something like these in the first place. Also I don't think that horror title always needs blood. — Masahiro Ito[1]

”

As its name implies, Sakura Head is a humanoid creature that has blooming cherry blossoms surrounding its entire head and trailing down its torso to form a "skirt" at its waist. It wears a heavy jacket-like piece of clothing which obscures the ends of its arms, and it is bound tightly in black wire around its head, limbs, and torso. The monster's legs are human, similar to a young woman's, and also sports the cherry blossoms and wire.

Sakura Head's limbs each end in sharp protrusions that are actually pointed branches, with the ones on its feet sticking out of the bottom of the human "foot", causing it to walk on them like stilts. Masahiro Ito stated they were inspired by the imagery of scarecrows.

In the final section of the game, Sakura Head takes on a more rotten and sickly appearance. The cherry blossoms turn a dark orange, its clothing appears dirtier, and the exposed skin of its legs become pale and decayed.

Sakura Head's movements are violent and twitchy, with the creature capable of sudden bursts of speed to close the gap between itself and Anita.

While designing the creature, Masahiro Ito's goal was to create a design that reflected the problems and concerns of today's generation. According to Ito, he chose the motif of cherry blossoms because they can convey the "sadness and cruelty" of a tragedy unfolding through social media.

Gameplay

Sakura Head will relentlessly chase Anita whenever it appears. As she has no way to defend herself, Sakura Head cannot be attacked or damaged in any way and can only be escaped from by leaving the maze-like sections where it manifests. Sakura Head will not stop pursuing Anita when she encounters it, save for its final appearance where it will vanish upon finding the last picture.

If Sakura Head manages to catch Anita, it will impale her through the chest using one of its branched arms and kill her immediately. Anita will then reawaken shortly after to try again.

Trivia

• In 2016, Masahiro Ito shared concept art on Twitter for a creature he had designed for a cancelled VR title. Parts of this creature were reused while designing Sakura Head, particularly the creature's legs.
• In 2018, Ito spoke about how he wanted to use different imagery such as cherry blossoms in his designs for horror to show that violence/gore was not always needed. After The Short Message's release, Ito would clarify that these statements were the visual basis for the design of Sakura Head.
• Sakura Head initially did not have an official name, being referred to by fans as "Sakura" or "Cherry Blossom". On February 16th, 2024, the official Silent Hill account on Twitter held a poll for fans to decide the creature's name. On February 19th, the poll ended with 12,446 votes, with the winning choice being "Sakura Head". On February 20th, the Silent Hill account formally announced the official name.

Gallery

Concept art

Sakura Head unused concept art by Masahiro Ito.

Another Sakura Head concept art.

Internal document showing an early model of Sakura Head.

Ito's creature concept for a cancelled project in 2016. Parts of the sketch were reused while designing Sakura Head.

Concept art for Gecco's Sakura Head 1/6 scale statue, painted in 2022.

The Short Message

Sakura Head walking through the apartment hallways.

Sakura Head's alternate appearance near the end of the game.

Sakura Head killing Anita.

Alternative version.

Misc.

Promotional art.

Promotional poster announcing the official name of the creature.

"Sankaku-chan calling Sakura-chan" by Masahiro Ito

Merchandise

Sakura Head 1/6 Scale Statue by Gecco Corp.

References

v · e · d Silent Hill: The Short Message
Characters
Major Characters
Anita Planert - Maya Hindenburg
Other Characters
Amelie - Krysta Planert
Monsters
Sakura Head
Locations
The Villa - Kettenstadt
Terms
Flashlight - Radio - Real World - Fog World - The Silent Hill Phenomenon - The Witch of the Far East - Otherworld - Monster - Robbie the Rabbit
Archives
Memos - Puzzles - Soundtrack