Kishimoto’s Shocking Reason Naruto Chose Hinata Over Sakura

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This article contains spoilers from the Naruto series.

Summary

  • Kishimoto didn’t prioritize romance in Naruto, focusing on ninjas instead.
  • Sakura’s declining popularity led Kishimoto to pair Naruto with Hinata.
  • Hinata’s unwavering support and popularity made her the ideal choice for Naruto.

In Shonen series, viewers tend to focus on spectacular fights and thrilling events related to these battles. Yet, for a Shonen series to truly thrive, it needs captivating characters and strong emotional ties among them. Not surprisingly, romance often plays a role in many shonen series, and this applies to Naruto as well.

Although romance may not be the primary focus of the author’s work, it often subtly weaves its way into the narrative. In fact, the author acknowledges that this element helps maintain fan engagement. As for Naruto and Hinata, their relationship has captivated fans for a while now. However, as Kishimoto himself has disclosed, there are particular reasons or circumstances behind why they became a couple – reasons that have remained intriguing to fans.

Kishimoto’s View Of Romance In The Naruto Series

  • Kishimoto Didn’t Think Much About Romance
  • Naruto And Sakura Could’ve Ended Up Together

It’s evident from the start that Kishimoto intended for the Naruto series to primarily revolve around ninja adventures rather than romance. Yet, he also recognized that romantic elements could enrich the Naruto universe. Consequently, many characters had their potential love interests introduced early on, including the protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki. Fans of Naruto understand that his love interests were a constant presence, with Sakura Haruno, his teammate, being his first crush who harbored feelings for Sasuke instead.

Naruto-kun, I want to stand by your side at all times. — Hinata Hyuga

Initially in the story, Hinata Hyuga harbored feelings for Naruto Uzumaki and made efforts to catch his attention. Later on, Hinata was the one who eventually ended up with Naruto. However, it’s worth noting that Sakura Haruno could have been the chosen one instead. There are two significant reasons why the creator (Kishimoto) chose Hinata Hyuga over Sakura.

Why Naruto Ended Up With Hinata And Not Sakura

Sakura’s Popularity Was Very Bad Among The Fans According To Kishimoto

It wouldn’t be accurate to claim that Hinata and Naruto were destined to end up together from the start of the Naruto series. Initially, author Masashi Kishimoto wasn’t sure about the romance aspects and just went with the flow. However, Sakura was a strong candidate for Naruto’s romantic interest for quite some time. It appears that Kishimoto felt compelled to shift focus from Sakura to Hinata. In an interview with Kobayashi, Kishimoto himself admitted that Sakura’s popularity among main characters was relatively low. Many female readers of the manga grew to dislike Sakura, and Kishimoto made efforts to improve her standing.

Tsunade-sama, I’ve finally caught up to these two! — Sakura Haruno

Masashi Kishimoto emphasizes that he put extra care into illustrating Sakura Haruno, striving to make her more captivating than other characters. However, this dedication is evident particularly on the cover of Volume 66, as drawing Naruto and Sasuke was a quick task for him, but he spent significant time perfecting Sakura’s image. Nevertheless, his efforts didn’t seem to resonate with readers, and despite his attempts to improve her appearance, her popularity didn’t increase. This could be due to the development of the character in the storyline and Kishimoto’s portrayal of her. On the other hand, the popularity of Hinata just continued to grow without any specific effort from Kishimoto. Despite being a side character who barely contributed to the narrative, fans seemed to be drawn to Hinata. Consequently, it was an easy choice for Kishimoto.

From the start, Hinata consistently watched over Naruto, cheering and supporting him all along his journey. Despite Naruto’s struggles and setbacks, he never gave up and always strived to do his best. Hinata admired this determination in him, as did Sakura eventually. However, I initially felt a pang of sympathy for Hinata, who had been loyal to Naruto since the beginning but hadn’t received much recognition herself. – Translated by me

According to Kishimoto’s comments on Naruto’s relationships, his initial plan was for Sakura and Naruto to end up together. However, as Sakura’s popularity declined and Hinata quickly rose in favor among fans, he decided to change course. Moreover, feeling sympathetic towards Hinata’s situation contributed to the development of the NaruHina relationship.

You can find Naruto on MangaPlus and the Shonen Jump app for reading. By doing so, you’re accessing the official version and helping to back the author in the process.

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2025-04-10 23:34