Naruto is an anime filled with characters that fans have come to love and hate. Sakura Haruno is one character that has received a lot of hate from the fandom, mainly for her perceived uselessness in the show. However, Sakura’s character development throughout the series proves otherwise.
Sakura is initially perceived as a weak and helpless character in Naruto. Her love for Sasuke, who constantly ignores her, and her bad treatment of Naruto, who clearly has a crush on her, also contributes to her negative reputation. Fans have been known to hate her because of these reasons.
Despite being the weakest member of Team 7, Sakura trains under Kakashi and develops her abilities significantly. She is, in turn, able to save Naruto multiple times herself. After training under Tsunade, Sakura’s physical strength increases significantly, making her a force to be reckoned with. She dominates in the Sasuke Retsuden arc, which highlights her abilities and likability as a character.
Comparatively, many other characters in Naruto are more useless than Sakura. Here are just a few examples.
Hinata Hyuga may be a strong character, but she shares a problem with Sakura – being obsessed with a character who shows little to no interest in them. Hinata is shown as a shy and timid fighter in most episodes of Naruto and does not have an important role in the story until Shippuden.
Choji Akimichi has great potential as a character; however, he is not given enough development throughout the series for fans to truly appreciate him. His obsession with food is funny at first, but it becomes uninteresting and stale as the show progresses.
Ebisu is known as the weakest character in Naruto — a fact even the series creator acknowledges. He barely contributes to the show and only becomes relevant in Shippuden, where he fails to protect Konohamaru from Pain.
Shino might have incredible insect-controlling abilities, but his devotion to protecting others often keeps him from using his full potential in battles, making him appear weaker than he actually is.
Karin, like Sakura, is another character obsessed with a character who ignores her. Her development is completely engulfed in her crush on Sasuke, making her appear one-dimensional in the eyes of fans.
All in all, Sakura Haruno is a valuable character in Naruto, despite her initial portrayal. Her character development and abilities make her stand out among the other characters who could be seen as weaker or more useless than her. And although Sakura’s infatuation with Sasuke could be annoying, it is just a small part of her overall character development.
