Nadeshiko Kinomoto

Nadeshiko Kinomoto is the mother of the series titular character, Sakura Kinomoto, who died seven years before the series starts. Only seen in flashbacks, photographs, and as a spirit, Nadeshiko was a high school student and professional model when she met and fell in love with Fujitaka Kinomoto, who was her teacher. Her family disapproved of their marriage when Nadeshiko was sixteen. Nadeshiko continued to send gifts to her father, and maintained contact with her cousin Sonomi Daidouji. At the age of 27, Nadeshiko died, and Sonomi, who loved Nadeshiko greatly, blamed Fujitaka. It is hinted that after her death, the Amamiya family cut off all contact with Fujitaka and the children from the marriage, as Sakura is shown learning that Sonomi, who is the mother of her best friend, is a relative, and meeting her great-grandfather (Nadeshiko’s grandfather) for the first time as the series progresses.

Though Nadeshiko has died, her love for Fujitaka and her children, and visa versa continues to live on. She frequently visits the family as a winged spirit, though initially only Touya can see her. In the manga, it is noted that Touya likely inherited this power from Nadeshiko, implying she too could see spirits. Throughout the series, she worries over Sakura as the young girl begins gathering the Clow Cards. When the Illusion card tricks Sakura into walking off a cliff, Nadeshiko’s spirit grabs her arm and keeps her from falling until Yukito Tsukishiro arrives to catch her. Later in the series, when Sakura develops a high fever, Nadeshiko appears and puts her hand on Sakura’s forehead, lowering the fever. When Fujitaka goes to talk to her grandfather for the first time in a long time, she rains Sakura blossoms over them to show her happiness that they are reconciling.

The family is shown to also still love her, most noticeably through a picture kept in the dining area near the kitchen table. Fujitaka changes the picture each morning and Sakura always greets the picture while coming to breakfast. At the end of the series, after Fujitaka receives half of Eriol’s powers, he and Nadeshiko are happily “reunited” as the magic allows him to finally see her.

In the anime adaptation, Nadeshiko’s role is generally unchanged, except that Fujitaka is never able to see her as he does not receive any magical powers. She is voiced by Yūko Minaguchi. In the Cardcaptors English dub, her name is changed to Natasha Avalon and she is voiced by Janyse Jaud.