Masashi Kishimoto has always faced criticism with regard to the character of Sakura in Naruto. The way she was utilized almost felt as if her potential was trapped with no escape. The amount of backlash he has faced for the character still continues to this day despite the story having ended a while ago. His attempts to bring her into the spotlight were much in vain because of the many failed approaches.
Fans have always been open about their dislike of the character not because she did anything wrong but because of the way she was portrayed and used. Her potential was untapped and underused. So much so that the complaints regarding her growth as a character were ever-growing. However, Masashi Kishimoto did his part as much as he could.
Masashi Kishimoto Wanted to Make Sakura Realistic
During Masashi Kishimoto’s interview with Kobayashi (via Naruto Fandom), the mangaka addressed the situation with Sakura and how her decline wasn’t one he had anticipated. He claimed that when Naruto was being made, out of all the characters, Sakura Haruno was meant to be the most realistic. His goal was to reach out to the female audience and have her be more relatable.
He wanted to make her as close to an actual woman as possible, depicting her inner conflicts, feelings, and mindset. However, that backfired, much to his surprise. As Kishimoto continued with his approach, “even young girls told him they hate her.” To say that the mangaka was taken aback by the response would be an understatement.
Everywhere he looked, there was some or other criticism for Sakura that he never intended to put out. The character that was supposed to be this icon for women who enjoyed the series quickly became someone who lacked key elements that could have made her much better.
Masashi Kishimoto Tried Other Approaches
Kishimoto revealed that he had worked extremely hard in an attempt to undo the impact Sakura had on the fans. The option of recalling the character wasn’t something he could afford so instead he had to make her a more important part of Naruto. He saw her as a protagonist and her importance was to grow if he wanted the audience to appreciate her.
The problem was that his approach was lacking in many places. He stated that the cover page for the 66th volume featured Sakura with Naruto and Sasuke. While he drew the latter two characters hastily, he took his time with Sakura. His approach was to make her more beautiful and appealing rather than focusing on her growth. The audience didn’t even notice that and simply moved on. The more he looked at Sakura, the less popular she became.
Ironically, it was Hinata who began rising through the ranks instead. Things had become so grave for the mangaka that he once even considered switching the two female characters’ roles and making Hinata a protagonist instead of Sakura.
Naruto is available to watch on Netflix.
