Name: Sasami Masaki Jurai/Tsunami-kami-sama
Occupation: Princess of Jurai/Goddess -in - training/Cabbit abductor
PERSONALITY
Sasami's personality is fairly constant between the series, although it does undergo the odd tweaking here, there and everywhere. She is a cheerful, happy young girl who prefers to make friends and believe in people than let her judgement be clouded by unpleasantness (this is something she and Tenchi have in common, which is probably why they get along so well!) Her exact age is never really sure - I've seen her pitched as young as six or as old as eleven. Magical Project S says she's ten, and that's the age that I would roughly go with - I don't think she's young enough to be just six.
She has, for the most part, a sunshiny temperament. In Tenchi Universe, Kiyone refers to her as "carefree" after she says she enjoyed the Time and Space Adventures. However she also has a strong mischievous streak too - she enjoys playing tricks on the others when she's playing with the ghost Mirei, and she's wicked enough to put a spell on Ayeka and Ryoko in her "World" to make them kiss one another instead of flitting after Tenchi. (A clear sign, in my mind, that she's sick to death of all the arguing over him!).
In the OVA, she's perhaps a more sober character at times - although she's still bubbly and fun, she also has the clear shadow of Tsunami hanging over her, and the dark dreams that come with her connection to the goddess. Her prophesies tend to centre around Tenchi and bad things happening to him, and they come true. However, her deepest concern is that he and her sister will reject her when she finds out the truth of her bond with Tsunami - which suggests that she's less looking for a potential husband figure and more a family. Tenchi is her big brother, Ayeka is her big sister. Even if Tsunami has other ideas, that's as far as it goes in Sasami's mind and for the most part, that sums her up. She is simplistic in her judgements without being overly stupid or naive. In fact, her observations are often more correct because she isn't swayed by other people's conventions. It is Sasami who knows the only way to help Tenchi after Ryu Oh's explosion is to go to Tsunami and beg for her help. While Ayeka and Ryoko are busy trying to get themselves killed, it's Sasami who really saves the day with her unyielding faith in those around her (in this case Tsunami) to make everything all right.
Although she is a child and does have a childish outlook, she is no fool.
Sasami is drawn to cute things (hence her attraction to Ryo Ohki), and fundamentally domestic. She's always cooking, regardless of whether it's the OVA, TU or Tenchi in Tokyo, and is often upset if people miss her meals, because she works hard on them.
In Tenchi in Tokyo her personality has taken something of a nose-dive into insanity at times - she's much more impatient, much more petulant and occasionally loses her temper. However she's also probably one of the more mature characters in this series, because she is the one worrying about money, the only one who manages to earn any to keep them going and the one Katsuhito suggests should marry Tenchi (something which ticks off Ayeka no end). I think there's an element of Sasami's mischief here as well, because she seems to enjoy winding her sister up on that subject a couple of times in the episode. Sasami more or less holds the family together, and despite her temper tantrums and her occasional refusal to cook, she still has the same sunshiny faith in people that she has in other series. Even when she discovers Yugi is bad, she still wants to be her friend and is quick to forgive and forget when all the drama is over.
Sasami has been accused of being a Mary Sue, but I don't think she is one. She's far from perfect -too mischievous, and on occasion too trusting, as sometimes that can get her into trouble. The best example of that is in Manatsu No Eve, where she goes after Mayuka wanting to help her, but winds up abducted and dragged into the Dimension of Darkness. Like most of the characters, Sasami has her shortcomings and they're clearly on display for all to see. Her TiT impatience and the mischief that she has throughout all the series proves she's not perfect by a long shot.
Tsunami's character is a little different, but I tend to think that, on balance, there are a lot of similarities between Sasami and Tsunami. But that's because I believe they are the same person and have been since before Sasami was born (not just since the accident on Jurai). Tsunami is caring and loyal too, wanting to reach out and trust in those around her. She is fond of Tenchi - perhaps romantically so, though it's not quite clear if she is or if she isn't. Certainly she considers him special.
Tsunami comes across as calm and rational for the most part, confused by Ayeka and Ryoko's bickering and this is a sign of Sasami - the simplicity that prevents her from realising she's now become competition. That would imply she doesn't care much about her appearance, and Sasami is the same - she likes to run and play and doesn't care much about social etiquette. (She tells Mirei that she hates being a Princess because of being proper and polite all the time). However Tsunami is just as capable of mischief and naughtiness as Sasami is - only in her case, these kinds of things often involve the destruction of planetary systems!
The OVA3 casts a slightly different slant on Tsunami, in that in episode 19 she seems much more vengeful a spirit than she has done previously. The interesting thing is that she claims it's Sasami's spirit holding her back from attacking Tokimi and involving the entirety of the solar system in their quarrel. Tsunami is also revealed as being the creator of the entire Juraian structure, including the trees and the social values. The original Juraians were apparently pirates like the Balta or the Daluma who cut a deal with Tsunami and were given a world in exchange. It does imply that the first Juraians were NOT created by Tsunami, although it is possible they were created by one or other of her 'sisters'. Personally I find this more violent persona at odds with the calm, gentle Tsunami of the OVA 1 and 2, and that she should need Sasami to hold her back also seems contradictory. However, it does indicate the strength of Sasami's will and the bond between the two of them.
Sadly there is some fudging of the relationship between Sasami and Tsunami in this series, which is why I've left it till last to really discuss at all. Tokimi recognises Sasami as Tsunami at the start of OVA3, indicating that Sasami was indeed born to take Tsunami's form (probably as another chousin uncertainty experiment). But in episode 19 Sasami is able to transform into Tsunami, even though earlier in the OVA series Tsunami has said that the true nature of Sasami's connection to her would be revealed to her as she got older. There is no mention or explanation of how Sasami is able to morph into Tsunami so easily and with so little confusion on the part of other characters - particularly Sasami's sister Ayeka. Therefore the whole Tsunami side of the OVA3 has to be carefully considered before being applied to the rest of the OVA.