When people think of the Naruto franchise, they think of the rivalry between Naruto Uzumaki (Junko Takeuchi) and Sasuke Uchiha (Noriaki Sugiyama) during their days as a genin all the way up to their teenage years in Naruto: Shippuden. Even their teacher/leader of Team 7, Kakashi Hatake (Kazuhiko Inoue), had a hard time controlling them. Because of the huge focus on Naruto and Sasuke’s journey, it’s often forgotten that Sakura Haruno (Chie Nakamura) was the third student of Team 7.
Most of Sakura’s arc in Naruto dealt with her pining over Sasuke, while Naruto was pining over her. It wasn’t until Naruto: Shippuden that she really stepped up a bit as she showed off her strength as a shinobi against Sasori (Takahiro Sakurai), a scary member of the Akatsuki. Unfortunately, that was the extent of her growth as a character as she was essentially relegated to just being a Kunoichi, a medical ninja. She could’ve been on the level of Tsunade (Masako Katsuki), a powerful shinobi first, and a great medical ninja second. Instead, Sakura’s development was often limited as the token lead female character. Even though that may have been how Masashi Kishimoto wrote her in the manga, the Naruto anime had the opportunity to give Sakura more agency as a character.
Sakura Haruno Was Handled Poorly in ‘Naruto’
Sakura was introduced in Naruto Episode 3, “Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes?” as a classmate of Naruto’s, who he had a crush on for years. But instead of having this slow-burning romance between Naruto and Sakura, Sakura’s journey dealt with her love for Sasuke. When Kakashi asks Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura about their goals, Naruto dreams of being Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village, and Sasuke notes he’s driven to restore his clan and “destroy a certain someone.” But for Sakura, she can barely say a word because she’s crushing hard on Sasuke. Even Kakashi notes that she’s too focused on boys than training. At least the Naruto manga implied that Sasuke had some feelings towards Sakura and treated her decently, which explains why she continues to see him in a good light even as he goes down a dark path with Orochimaru (Kujira). It didn’t help that the anime showed Sasuke visibly disgusted when Sakura was around, making her obsession with him more frustrating than cute.
Throughout the anime, Naruto’s Nine-Tailed form was growing, while he learned the Rasengan from Jiraiya (Hōchū Ōtsuka). As for Sasuke, his Sharingan made him special, and his Cursed Form from Orochimaru turned him even more powerful. While their skills were increasing, Sakura’s growth hit a screeching halt. It was shown that she had good control over her chakra, but it was never addressed again. Instead, Sakura transitioned to learning how to be a Kunoichi, like Tsunade. With each Team 7 member training under the Legendary Sannin, the end of Naruto seemed to set them up for greatness. But while Sasuke and Naruto become better versions of their teachers, Sakura couldn’t escape the shadow of Tsunade. As the fourth Hokage, Tsunade was a leader, a strong fighter, and well-versed in medical ninjutsu. Sakura did show great strength and skills as a fighter and Kunoichi, but she never came off as a leader. She could’ve been the level-headed person for Naruto and Sasuke to rely on, but she became more of a nuisance for their individual growth.
Sakura Should’ve Been on the Same Level As Naruto and Sasuke
Naruto: Shippuden started with Sakura proving her strength and determination in her fight against Sasori, arguably one of the best fights in the entire franchise. But she was once again relegated to being a supporting character that would be useful for healing purposes rather than her skills as a fighter. When she was competing in the Chunin Exams, Sakura got an episode dedicated to her, “Sakura Blossoms!”, where she vowed to be as strong as Naruto and Sasuke, yet that arc never went anywhere.
This is later brought up again in Naruto: Shippuden when Team 7 is reunited during the Great Ninja War. At this point, Naruto has reached Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, which amplifies his strength, speed, and durability. Sasuke has also acquired a new skill with the Rinnegan, which helps him master any jutsu and nature transformation, as well as access the Six Paths. While it was enjoyable to see Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura working together again, it unfortunately highlighted how far behind Sakura was compared to her Team 7 members.
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‘Boruto: Naruto Next Generations’ Is Giving Sakura the Development She Deserves
Although some Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden fans have their problems with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Sakura is handled better than before. Sakura is the head of the medical department in the Hidden Leaf Village, even going on to surpass Tsunade as the greatest Kunoichi in the city. Regardless of what you thought about their relationship, Sasuke and Sakura are now married and have a daughter, Sarada (voiced by Kokoro Kikuchi). Although Sasuke is mostly away dealing with threats around the world, Sakura doesn’t let that weigh her down. She’s a strong single mother with a more positive outlook on her life.
It’s unfortunate that it took many years for Sakura to reach this level of care, but it’s better late than never. Considering that the first 50 episodes of Boruto were original content and not based on the manga, it suggests that Sakura could have been rewritten to be a more likable character. She may not be one of the best characters in the Naruto franchise, but she’s slowly winning people over with her appearances in Boruto.
The Naruto franchise is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
