Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is probably one of the most popular Shonen series that is well-recognized by both anime and non-anime fans. The series takes its viewers on an emotional rollercoaster, as it features a gripping storyline with the most jaw-dropping action sequences. While the series is praised among its viewers for having the best-written characters, it features a name that has come short to impress the fans.
Well, you guessed it, it’s none other than Sakura Haruno. In the entire Narutoverse, there’s no other name that comes close to being so hated among the fans. Initially, it was believed that she was hated because of her treatment of Uzumaki Naruto.
However, that was not the case, because as the series progressed, it became more and more transparent that it was more about her personality. Kishimoto-San, the series’ creator, opened up about the idea that went behind her character sketch.
Masashi Kishimoto Gets Candid About Sakura Haruno’s Character Design
Many believe that the hate towards Sakura Haruno is well-deserved and justified because of how she treats our protagonist. However, that was not the original intention of Masashi Kishimoto, as he had other intentions behind the personality of her character.
In 2015, there was an exclusive interview on Fuji TV featuring Kobayashi and Kishimoto-San. The following interview was translated via Narutopedia, where the comedian asked the manga artist to provide an exact reason behind the creation of the character.
The mangaka mentioned that he wanted to make the kunoichi as realistic as possible, hence, he decided to insert “real” female feelings that would appeal more to the female fandom. The summary mentioned,
Kishimoto says he tried to write her more realistically [than other characters], and tried to show a girl’s ‘real’ self/ feelings [through inner Sakura]. He thought she would appeal to female fans, but was surprised when she actually became hated.
Though the mangaka had a different plan in mind, the idea heavily backfired when he realized that the plan had backfired, which surprised him.
The mangaka explained,
Kishimoto says there was, and even young girls told him they hate her. Kishimoto said that he continued on regretting Sakura’s character. Kobayashi apologizes for bringing up the painful memories as Kishimoto apologizes for tailing off (lol).
Masashi Kishimoto was flabbergasted because his plan exploded in his face and the entire Naruto community displayed an intense dislike for Sakura Haruno, where even the young girls hated her!
Masashi Kishimoto Explains Why He Chose Hinata Hyuga to be Naruto’s Main Heroine
On one hand, Sakura Haruno is immensely detested among the fans; on the other hand, Hinata Hyuga is immensely loved. However, in the case of the Byakugan Princess, her popularity suddenly rose because a ton of fans considered her waifu material, but some denounced her for being barely a character.
Nevertheless, fans loved her, and as a result, in the same interview, the mangaka stated that this sudden phenomenon made him reconsider his decision and make her the main female protagonist in the Shonen series. The summary stated,
Kishimoto explains that Hinata, like Sakura, never really did anything but her popularity just kept going up and up, so part way through the story he started to wonder whether he should make her the main heroine instead, or at least gradually write her into the direction of the heroine.
This notion made the anime series extremely popular, as Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga are one of the most renowned and iconic couples that are adored by the otaku community.
Naruto: Shippuden can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
