Juri Arisugawa is a sixteen-year-old first-year student at Ohtori Academy, where she serves as a member of the prestigious student council and the captain of the school's fencing team. Known by the nickname "beautiful leopard," she is a tall young woman standing at 167 centimeters with a calm, formidable presence that commands respect from both her peers and the faculty. Her striking appearance and cool demeanor contribute to her reputation as one of the most admired students on campus, and she has also worked as a model for high-end brands.

Behind her composed and confident exterior, Juri harbors deep emotional vulnerability and a conflicted heart. She is characterized by a hardened, bitter attitude that stems from a painful experience with her childhood friend, Shiori Takatsuki. Juri secretly loves Shiori, but this same-sex affection is something she feels unable to express. In their past, Shiori, driven by feelings of inferiority and jealousy, deliberately pursued and dated a male friend she believed Juri loved, thereby wounding Juri deeply. This betrayal transformed Juri's hopeful belief in miracles into a cynical rejection of them.

This internal contradiction defines Juri's primary motivation for participating in the dueling game. She claims she wants to possess the Rose Bride, Anthy Himemiya, in order to disprove the very existence of miraculous power. She states this goal with adamant conviction, but her actions and hidden desires betray a different truth. She wears a locket around her neck that contains a picture of Shiori, and her wish for a miracle is that Shiori might one day return her feelings. Her fierce denial of miracles is a direct reflection of her desperate longing for one, creating a powerful internal conflict that drives her character.

Juri is a highly skilled fencer whose abilities in the dueling arena are exceptional, wielding a rapier as her weapon of choice. She is considered one of the strongest duelists at Ohtori, and she famously never lost a match due to being outmatched in skill alone. In her first duel with Utena Tenjou, Juri dominates the fight, only losing when a stroke of luck causes Utena's sword to fall and slice the rose from Juri's chest, an event Juri furiously dismisses as a coincidence rather than a miracle. Her second and final duel ends similarly not because she is defeated by Utena's technique, but because Utena's attack shatters her precious locket, causing Juri to lose all will to fight as she rushes to recover the broken pieces.

Juri's central relationship is with Shiori Takatsuki, a complex and painful bond that defines her emotional arc. Shiori, who transferred to Ohtori Academy after the story begins, continues to torment Juri by dating Ruka Tsuchiya, a former fencing club captain and Juri's mentor who returns as a duelist. Unbeknownst to Juri, Ruka's actions are ultimately intended to free her from her obsession with Shiori, though he is terminally ill and cannot succeed. Juri's relationship with Utena is also significant, as she views Utena's naive optimism and belief in princes as a reminder of a younger, more innocent version of herself, which fuels her anger and disdain toward the protagonist.

Throughout the series, Juri undergoes significant development. By the end of her story, her broken locket symbolizes a release from the most painful part of her obsession, and she begins to move forward with a lighter heart, even joking about putting Utena's picture in a new one. In the series finale, she is shown leading the fencing club again, with Shiori now a member, suggesting a shift in their dynamic. In the theatrical film, her role is reinterpreted as the student council president, and her conflict continues to revolve around her sense of being trapped by Shiori's manipulations.