The title is literally translated as "Cherry Blossom Great War", but it can also be translated more loosely as "The Great War Among the Cherry Blossoms", sakura being the Japanese word for "cherry blossom".

Originally debuting as a single game on the Sega Saturn game console in 1996, Sakura Taisen featured signature gameplay best described as a mix of tactical wargames and dating sims, and a plot partially inspired by the Takarazuka Revue (宝塚歌劇団). The license's popularity skyrocketed, leading to the release of several sequels on the Saturn and Sega Dreamcast, and recently (following the official demise of the Dreamcast) the Sony PlayStation 2. Many spinoff games were also produced, covering many different gameplay types, including puzzle, action, and pure adventure games.

Furthermore, many anime series were also created to tie in to the original games, including many OVAs, a television series, a currently running comic series (manga) featured in Kodansha's Magazine Z, and a full-length motion picture. The series is famous for having excellent voice acting talents, and performance in such has helped achieve greater fame for many Japanese seiyū, including Michie Tomizawa, Kikuko Inoue, Chisa Yokoyama, Urara Takano, and others. Its popularity is such that there are literally dozens of musical soundtracks available for purchase in Japan, including radio plays, and video recordings of live musicals put on by the voice actors (in character) on stage, performing plays and songs from the games and other properties (thus bringing the connection to the Takarazuka Revue full circle).