If you are a fan of Naruto, then it is no surprise why this topic of discussion is so well-known, and controversial.
We have all been given a front-row seat to view the widespread hate of one of the three main protagonists of the Naruto franchise. Hate which may have actually stemmed from one’s own observational awareness, rather than the already pre-established group consensus.
With her short pink hair, aggressive demeanor, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies for her love interest, Sakura Haruno is a character with many complex layers, similar to an onion. But unlike an onion, her purpose was nonexistent.
So, without further ado, here are some reasons why Sakura Haruno is one of the most hated anime characters of all time.
Too obsessive over Sasuke.
Sakura always had a fetish for the bad boy, always mistreats me, tries to kill me types. The more you were mean to her, the higher the chance she would form some sort of romantic interest in you.
Nonetheless, her obsession with Sasuke borders on the line between creepy and scary. She was completely unable to stand her ground against a hostile Sasuke that wanted to kill her, all she did was just stand there, in a state of paralysis the whole time.
Not only did that compromise her own safety, but the safety of others that were involved. How absurd is it to still love a loser enough to let him murder you and your allies?
In all seriousness, Kishimoto made it ridiculous from the start. Making her reject the only boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a work ethic that is beyond our comprehension. Well… besides the psychical features, eye brow boy is a close second as a different love interest.
One could understand why she was obsessive in part one of the franchise, but knowing what she knew near the middle of part two, and still pursuing him is downright frightening. And what does she have to show for it? An absent, new self righteous ‘husband’ that doesn’t even pay child support.
But at least it was all to win the love of a rogue, merciless killer who stops at nothing to do nothing, since his goals were skewed from the beginning.
She’s mean to Naruto.
The constant physical and emotional abuse that Naruto faces can be a turn-off to some viewers.
Although Kishimoto has stated that he uses it for comedic purposes, it is still not a good enough answer to satisfy fans who are upset at what she does to poor old Naruto. It must be the juxtaposition between how she treats a villain, showering him with love and admiration, and how she treats a hero, punching and berating him.
You can argue that Sakura has given him his props on numerous occasions. Or that she may express love through punishment, as seen when she gave him one in the gut before hugging him after defeating pain.
The saying, love is pain may apply here, but how much does it excuse the fact that she hurt an already beaten-up Naruto? At least she gave him a hug this time around. Love taps or not, it may explain why the hate for her is so strong.
She was basically useless.
If Sakura had a favorite jutsu, it would probably be used after her tears were dry.
She was always put in the position of the damsel in distress, which hindered her ability to rely on her own self. In fact, her lackluster approach to training is off-putting in the whole spectrum of things as well.
With the world moving towards war times at an astonishing rate, she did nothing to prepare for the challenge ahead. In fact, she had hit a plateau in her growth after helping defeat Sasori of the Red Sand.
Part one Sakura was way worse than part two Sakura, but the bar was not set high enough to begin with. She had set the standards so low for herself, that she was bound to get a hundred times better eventually. As mentioned before, crying is absolutely not the solution to all of your problems.
She did not show any combat prowess whatsoever, and her ability to keep a cool head was not on par with the title ‘ninja’.
She said she “caught up” to Naruto and Sasuke.
Perhaps one of the most frustrating parts of the story was the idea that Sakura had matched her peers level of power. With her skating by doing the bare minimum, and her victim personality, it is absurd to even raise the notion at all. One can not catch up to someone without putting in the work needed to accomplish such a feat.
She was on a team with the greatest ninjas to ever exist, which makes her nowhere near their level. The level of strength needed to destroy Sakura by either of the two would be like a drop of water from the ocean.
You could argue that she was a normal girl, while her peers possessed power similar to that of the gods. But, it still does not excuse her already mentioned fatal flaws.
Where could she have done differently?
For starters, she could have opted to prioritize her training over judging others and drooling over her favorite bad boy. She did not take her training seriously until she met Tsunade, which is not bad for her character growth, but she still could have done more.
Such as asking Naruto to spar, or learning better chakra control and combat abilities other than incredible punching power alone. Learning more Ninjutsu such as shadow clones or various other forms of Ninjutsu could have brought her to a whole new level. In fact, if she had invented a move that was her own, like Naruto’s rasenshurkian, then maybe she would be considered more important.
She could have also dropped Sasuke completely and moved on to a different person who treated her better, or no one at all. Prioritizing her studies over boys from the beginning would have made her a formidable foe. Negating the idea of her being a damsel in distress, as seen in her cry for help during the destruction of the village in the pain arc.
Who could blame her, really? If anyone was as useless as she was then they would be crying out for the protagonist too.
Sakura eventually blooms in ‘Boruto’.
Through her journey through childhood, Sakura had learned the fundamentals of being a better version of herself. She not only provided the leaf with more medical assistance, she created a sense of hope for those with afflictions that were greater than normal, offering them a chance at prosperity.
She carried the torch from her predecessor and made the flame brighter for all who were lucky enough to be apart of it. Her wisdom had grown into her strength, and led to Sakura developing even greater abilities as a ninja and an adult, all together.
She had completely redeemed herself, her split personality and rude disposition had faded, and she is now seen as an asset rather than a burden. She had provided opportunities for growth in a lackluster field, and she has prepped a whole new generation for new levels of greatness ahead.
At the end of the day, this pink haired fire cracker actually did some good for the world.
