Naruto Fans Don't Want You To Forget About Sakura's Character Development

At this point, everyone knows a thing or two about "Naruto." The outcast shinobi sporting an iconic head of yellow hair has become one of the most recognizable heroes in the anime industry, with an equally intriguing supporting cast behind him. With "Naruto" and its sequel "Naruto: Shippuden" boasting over 700 episodes, it's only natural that many characters get their time in the spotlight.

Ask any "Naruto" fan their favorite character, and chances are they'll list off a couple of different ones. While it's easy to choose the leading man himself, Mr. Naruto Uzumaki, the decision is a bit of a cop-out, as the titular hero is the series' focus. Generally, other popular choices include Sasuke, Kakashi, Itachi, or any of the other high-ranking powerful shinobi, but characters that don't frequent the Reddit threads are the female ones.

It's widely believed that Masashi Kishimoto's writing tends to fail female characters. The series includes many interesting women, like Sakura, Hinata, and Tsunade. However, aside from the latter, the series tends to regulate them to the background, refusing to give them equal screen time as their male counterparts. Sakura, in particular, is the victim of harsh criticism from fans, with many using words like "useless" and "crybaby" to describe the shinobi. However, while the consensus is that there's no development in Sakura's character, a group of devoted fans has taken it upon themselves to prove the doubters wrong.

While most Sakura-focused Reddit threads prioritize roasting the character, u/Nashetania switched things up, pointing out that she went through more development during the Chunin Exam arc than most people realize. After the exams, Sakura visited Ino at the flower shop, picking out a bouquet. When Ino suggests she put the flowers back since Sasuke hasn't returned, Sakura informs her they're not for Sasuke, taking them to Lee instead. 

Others rallied behind Sakura, with one user saying, "It was really classy of her to visit Lee. Even though he creeped her out with his advances, she knew he had been broken in the Chunin exams, physically and mentally, and visiting him might make him feel a little better." The moment "added more depth to her caring nature" u/Trigrams64 noted. u/avotoastisgreat offered a similar sentiment, saying, "Sakura is the type of character that has no problem calling herself out and changing her ways to better herself."

Some "Naruto" fans grew tired of seeing the community talk trash about Sakura, with u/Vulpes_macrotis suggesting that Sakura's haters refuse to acknowledge her as a good character because they would have nothing to complain about. u/Any_Combination_4250 expressed, "Glad to see Sakura finally begin to beat the 'useless' allegations in the community."