Masashi Kishimoto, the author and illustrator of the original Naruto manga, recently expressed regret for not fully exploring a popular yet controversial character in the series, speaking out on the subject during an interview at a Naruto event in France.
Kishimoto, along with Boruto co-creator Mikio Ikemoto, were interviewed at a French anime event called “Naruto & Boruto: Night at Konoha.” The two-day event was sponsored by CGR Events and took place from August 23 to 24, 2024. The first Boruto anime film was screened, along with several clips showcasing the best moments from the Naruto anime series. Kishimoto and Ikemoto were present, answering questions about their current manga, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, as well as the previous Naruto series. Among some behind-the-scenes information revealed about the development of Boruto, Kishimoto was asked if there were any characters from the original Naruto series that he wanted to explore further.
Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto wishes he had explored Sakura's character more deeply.
“I wanted to delve deeper into the character of Sakura Haruno,” Kishimoto said. “She’s the only one who doesn’t actually have parents. I should have talked about them earlier in the story, but I missed the opportunity. And it became too complicated to do so in the middle and at the end of the story. In the film version, I showed her parents a little bit. But in the main story, I wanted to develop a scene focusing on Sakura’s family.” The film Kishimoto is referring to is Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, the 2012 animated film based on the Naruto: Shippuden series. In the film, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura find themselves in an alternate universe called Genjutsu World, where everyone is the same but strangely different. Early in the film, Sakura’s parents, Kizashi Haruno and Mebuki Haruno, have a brief argument with their daughter, which leads her to run away with Naruto. However, they are no longer alive when Naruto and Sakura enter Genjutsu World.
Sakura remains one of the most divisive characters in the Naruto series.
Despite being one of the main heroines, Sakura remains a divisive character in the Naruto series. Among the reasons some fans dislike Sakura is that she is often portrayed as “useless” in battle and rarely contributes to the story in the same way that her male counterparts do; a common criticism of female characters in boys’ series such as those that often appear in Shonen Jump. Others also criticize the way Sakura harshly rejected Naruto’s affections when they were children and the way she frequently got angry at him – often undeservedly. There is also her long-standing unrequited feelings for Sasuke Uchiha. Even after the couple got together, Sakura was left to raise their child alone, while Sasuke continued to travel the world. This is a controversial couple and continues to be viewed negatively by many fans to this day.
Naruto's Sakura is extremely popular in Japan despite recent controversies
While some fans blame Kishimoto for Sakura's poor perception, others have unfortunately taken their anger out on the people who play her. Last December, Japanese actor Yui Ito, who plays Sakura in Live Spectacle Naruto: Song of the Akatsuki, was stalked at Jump Festa 2024. Many of Sakura's voice actors from Japan, Korea, and Germany have also shared their own disappointing experiences of Naruto fans saying derogatory things about Sakura to them in person or on their social media pages.
However, despite not always appearing online, Sakura does have her fans. A July 2024 poll conducted by Japanese news website Nijimen revealed that Sakura ranked 2nd in Shonen Jump's most popular female character poll, as voted by men. When it came to female voters, Sakura ranked 1st on the list. CBR also argued that Sakura is one of the best-written characters in the Naruto series.
Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous teenage ninja, struggles to find recognition and dreams of becoming Hokage, the leader of the village and the strongest ninja.
Created by Masashi Kishimoto
First movie Naruto the Movie: Ninja War in the Land of Snow
Latest movies Boruto: Naruto the movie
First TV show Naruto
First episode air date September 21, 1999
Cast Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Yury Lowenthal, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Dave Wittenberg
Video games Naruto Ninja Council 3, Naruto: Rise Of A Ninja, Naruto: Path Of The Ninja, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, Naruto x Boruto: Ninja Voltage, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact
Manga Release Date August 6, 2003
Manga comic book 72
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