Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto is arguably the most popular and best-selling manga, captivating fans around the globe thanks to its splendid narrative. An entire generation of kids grew up watching Naruto and his journey to become the Hokage. Besides Naruto‘s deep exploration of the shinobi world and the powerful Jutsu, Kishimoto also examined the complexities of morality, leaving viewers mesmerized by the legendary mangaka’s narrative mastery.
Apart from the enthralling plot, each character left a long-lasting impression on the audience. Characters like Itachi, Madara, and Obito emerged as fan favorites despite all their dark actions. However, there’s one Naruto character who frequently faces the most anger from fans for her lazy writing and irritating personality: none other than Sakura.
Masashi Kishimoto’s Ultimate Regret: Not Fully Exploring Sakura’s Potential in Naruto
Sakura Haruno ranks among the most controversial characters in the series. Despite being introduced as a Team 7 member, Sakura failed to attract viewers to her character. On top of that, her irritating fixation with Sasuke Uchiha made viewers despise her. Kishimoto’s repeated failure to fully explore Sakura’s character resulted in her becoming one of the most disliked characters in the series.
Masashi Kishimoto has openly addressed his struggles in designing female characters. Unfortunately, Sakura Haruno fell victim to Kishimoto’s shortcomings. Being a part of Team 7, Sakura had every opportunity to shine as the top female character. Not to forget, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, she played a crucial role in shifting many critics’ opinions.
Konoha à Nuit – A Boruto Interview with Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto
— UzuRepo (@UzuRepo) August 24, 2024
Translated from the French transcription provided by @e_rised. pic.twitter.com/mu5jqrYshw
In an interview, Kishimoto opened up about his deficiencies behind Sakura’s character. The mangaka believed he couldn’t explore Sakura’s full potential and addressed a flaw in his writing during the classic Naruto series. He said:
I would have liked to delve deeper into the character of Sakura Haruno. She’s the only one whose parents weren’t actually drawn. I should’ve talked about them earlier in the story, but I missed the chance. And it became too complicated to do so in the middle and at the end of the story. In the movie version, I showed her parents a little. But in the main story, I would’ve liked to develop a scene centered around Sakura’s family.
Interestingly, Kishimoto largely ignored the shortcomings of the classic Naruto series in Shippuden, continuing the story without addressing its flaws. The characters who received significant attention in the classic Naruto series such as Kakashi and Sasuke remained in the spotlight, which made it easier for the mangaka to advance the plot.
Kishimoto failed to fully develop Sakura’s character by not including her family background in the classic Naruto series. Thus, the mangaka acknowledges his one mistake that led to her character being viewed negatively. However, there was one key approach Kishimoto overlooked that could have made Sakura’s character far more likable.
How Masashi Kishimoto’s One Grave Mistake Affected Sakura’s Likability
Sakura’s obsession with Sasuke turned into an annoying habit that made many fans despise her character. Because of Kishimoto’s imperfections, Sakura turned out to be one of the most hated characters in the series. However, her fate could have been much brighter if she had followed in her master’s footsteps.
Throughout the series, Tsunade ignores romance, dedicating her life to being a strong and capable leader in the Hidden Leaf Village. If only Sakura learned to suppress her emotions for Sasuke, her character could have become much more appealing to the audience. Unfortunately, Sakura just ended up as a victim of Kishimoto’s shortcomings, even though she had immense potential to shine as the only lead female character in the series.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll
