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| {{About|the ] character|the ] character|Sakura Haruno (Wandaba Style)}} | |||
| {{Infobox Naruto character | |||
| {{Short description|Fictional character from Naruto}} | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| {{Good article}} | |||
| | caption = Sakura Haruno by ] | |||
| {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2015}}{{Infobox character | |||
| | character_name = Sakura Haruno | |||
| | name = Sakura Haruno | |||
| | character_name_unicode = 春野サクラ | |||
| | |
| series = ] | ||
| | image = SakuraKishimoto.jpg | |||
| | seiyu = ] | |||
| | caption = Sakura Haruno by ] as seen in ] | |||
| | voice_actor = ] | |||
| | alt = A young pink-haired girl wearing a red shirt and a red bandana | |||
| | age = 12-13 in Part I <br/> 15 in Part II | |||
| | first = ''Naruto'' chapter 3: Enter Sasuke! (1999) | |||
| | height = Part I: 150.1 ] <br/> Part II: 165 | |||
| | creator = ] | |||
| | weight = 35.9 | |||
| | voice = '''Japanese''' <br /> ] <br /> '''English''' <br /> ]<br /> ] (Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals) | |||
| | birthday = ] | |||
| | data21 = ] (husband)<br />] (daughter)<br />] (brother-in-law, deceased) | |||
| | blood_type = O | |||
| | lbl21 = Notable relatives | |||
| | rank = ] (]) | |||
| | data22 = Genin in ]<br />Chunin in ]<br />Jonin in '']'' | |||
| | current_affiliation = ] | |||
| | lbl22 = Ninja rank | |||
| | current_team = Team Yamato (], ], Sakura Haruno, ]) | |||
| | data23 = ] | |||
| | previous_affiliation = | |||
| | lbl23 = Ninja team | |||
| | previous_team = Team 7 (], ], ], Sakura Haruno) | |||
| | relatives = | |||
| | jutsu = | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] ('']'') | |||
| }} | }} | ||
| {{nihongo|'''Sakura Haruno'''|春野 サクラ|Haruno Sakura|lead=yes}} <onlyinclude>is a fictional character in the '']'' ] and ] series created by ]. Sakura is depicted as a ] affiliated with {{nihongo|Konohagakure|木ノ葉隠れの里||English version: "Hidden Leaf Village"}} and a part of ], which consists of herself, ], ], and their '']'' ]. Besides the main series, Sakura has appeared in several pieces of the ''Naruto'' media, most notably the ] '']'' (2015) and the ] '']'' (2016) where she married Sasuke Uchiha taking name of {{nihongo|'''Sakura Uchiha'''|うちは サクラ|Uchiha Sakura|lead=yes}} and is the mother of their daughter, ].</onlyinclude><ref>{{cite book|title=Naruto-ナルト- 秘伝・在の書 オフィシャルムービーBook|page=32|year=2015|publisher=]|author=Kishimoto, Masashi|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> | |||
| {{nihongo|'''Sakura Haruno'''|春野サクラ|''Haruno Sakura''}} is a ] in the ] and ] series '']''. | |||
| Sakura is depicted as an innocent girl who does not share the same tragic backstories as her teammates but was regardless bullied throughout her youth. She initially has an infatuation for Sasuke, him at every juncture, and initially is not ambitious, besides becoming Sasuke's girlfriend in the future; by contrast, she is dismissive to her less-skilled teammate ] despite, ironically, being Naruto's initial love interest and disgust him. Over the course of the series, as Sasuke eventually leaves the village, Sakura begins to shed this singularly driven persona, becoming a medical ninja while apprenticed under the Fifth Hokage, ], and becomes friendly and even protective of Naruto as his life becomes increasingly at risk. | |||
| The name "Haruno" means "spring field" and "]" means "]", which is cherished in Japan due to its beauty and almost tragically short life span (sakura blossoms have historically been associated with ]). | |||
| Sakura serves as the series' female lead, although she was not immediately intended for the role. Kishimoto had difficulty drawing her character, resulting in Kishimoto inadvertently emphasizing certain parts of her appearance, including her large forehead which was written into her character. In order to make the character more appealing in the second part of the series, Kishimoto designed her costume in a way that makes her look more like a martial artist as well as more beautiful during later chapters. ] voices the character in the animated adaptations of the series, while ] plays her in the English ]. | |||
| In the June 2006 issue of the American version of Shonen Jump, Masashi Kishimoto (in the voice of Kakashi) stated that Sakura would make the best ninja instructor, because "she has flaws in her personality, like stalking Sasuke, but Sakura is the closest to being normal." | |||
| Numerous anime and manga publications have praised and criticized Sakura's character. She was initially noted to be a stereotypical ] character, representing a love interest for the protagonist, and was said to serve little purpose at the beginning of the series beyond being comic relief. Her emergence from this stereotype as the series progressed, thanks to her training with Tsunade, which leads her to develop her medical and combat skills, has been celebrated by many reviewers. Amongst the ''Naruto'' reader base, Sakura has been popular, placing high in some polls. Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Sakura's likeness, such as ]s and ]. | |||
| In Shonen Jump's character popularity polls, Sakura is frequently in the Top 10, making the Top 5 once. | |||
| ==Creation and conception== | |||
| == Background == | |||
| ] | |||
| {{spoiler}} | |||
| Although Sakura Haruno is the most recurring female character in '']'', ] did not originally intend for Sakura to be the ] of the series. Kishimoto attributed this to him being unable to draw good heroine characters and fashioned Sakura as a girl who could not understand men, the best example of a heroine he could come up with. Sakura's creation is a result of Kishimoto's desire to make a somewhat irritating character who was well-intentioned.<ref name="Heroine"/> Despite these elements, Kishimoto is fond of Sakura, as he feels that many of her personality traits are common among all people, thus giving her a sense of real humanity.<ref name="Design">{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=3|year=2004 |publisher=] |pages=146 |isbn=1-59116-187-8|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> When asked in an interview if there was something about Sakura's background that had not been revealed, Kishimoto explained that he had never thought of that as Sakura is a "normal girl".<ref>{{cite journal|title=]| volume = 7 |issue = 11 #83|date=November 2009 |issn=1545-7818|publisher=] |pages=11}}</ref> Kishimoto has often been asked by readers about why he did not show Sakura's parents until the film '']''. In response, he said this would not be entertaining as Sakura did not belong to any clan unlike other characters so her parents were civilians.<ref name="sakura">{{Cite AV media |title=漫道コバヤシ第13号「Naruto完結！岸本斉史SP」 |date=December 13, 2014 |language=ja |publisher=] |trans-title=Kobayashi No. 13 'Completion of Naruto! Masashi Kishimoto SP'}}</ref> | |||
| At the beginning of the series, Sakura is a ]-level student of ] and teammate of ] and ]. Initially, Sakura's stamina and overall talent were quite below average, having had only used a few skills over the course of the series, the most advanced of which is dispelling ]. Sakura's main strengths are her ] and her great ] control. She was able to climb trees using her chakra on her first try while it took several days of constant training for Naruto and even Sasuke to manage it. | |||
| ]|alt=A kunoichi wearing a red shirt and black shorts under a light-colored skirt]] | |||
| ] | |||
| When designing Sakura, Kishimoto focused on her silhouette and created a costume as simple as possible. This is a divergence from the other main characters of the series, whose costumes are very detailed. The leggings are the most notable aspect of her design, as they are meant to show that she is very active.<ref name="Heroine"/> At the start of the series, her leggings extended below her knees and closely resembled ]. As ] progressed, the leggings became increasingly shorter and tighter.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi |title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|year=2007 |publisher=] |pages=121 |isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> Similar to his inexperience in drawing heroines, Kishimoto lacked the experience needed to make Sakura "cute" when he first began drawing her; although he implied that her appearance had become cuter since then, Kishimoto and much of the ''Naruto'' ] staff agreed that Sakura had been "far from cute" at the start of the series.<ref name="Heroine">{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi |title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|year=2007 |publisher=] |pages=140 |isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref><ref name="Forehead">{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi |title=Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto|year=2007 |publisher=] |pages=122 |isbn=978-1-4215-1407-9|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> In retrospective, he found Sakura one of the hardest characters to draw, alongside ].<ref name="sakura"/> Kishimoto first planned Sasuke and Sakura's romance in the early production of ''Naruto''.<ref name=BorutoMovie>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0004639 |title=Boruto: Naruto the Movie |date=August 5, 2015 |language=ja |publisher=Cinema Today |access-date=June 14, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617171917/http://www.cinematoday.jp/page/A0004639 |archive-date=June 17, 2016 }}</ref> In regards to Sakura's feelings for Sasuke, Kishimoto tried to write them as realistic as possible but ended up getting complaints from young girls about her.<ref name="sakura"/> | |||
| Inside Sakura resides the "Inner Sakura", which seems to be much more ill-tempered than Naruto's ]. Inner Sakura seems to represent an assertive part of her personality and mostly serves as comic relief. Sakura's typical gentle responses are juxtaposed with the Inner Sakura's constant "Shannaro" (しゃーんなろー). The phrase has no literal meaning, but is usually translated as "Hell yeah", "Hell no", or "Damn it", depending on the situation (in the English anime, it's translated as an angry and forceful "Cha!"). Inner Sakura is often attributed to being Sakura's defining ability, aside from her chakra control, much like Sasuke's ] or Naruto's demon fox. Inner Sakura actually exists as a separate spirit within Sakura, which came in handy during her battle with her rival, ]. When Ino hit Sakura with her ], she only suppressed the regular Sakura. As such, Inner Sakura, after a little prodding by Naruto, was able to emerge and force Ino to leave. After this point, Inner Sakura only appears once in episode 197 of the anime, when Sakura fails to notice that a smoke bomb was set off the night before, and once in chapter 250 of the manga, when Naruto tries to refuse a mission assigned by ]. Sakura, however, does occasionally exhibit traits that would have originally have been confined to Inner Sakura, though they are rarely seen (they become more frequent after the timeskip, a sign that Sakura is becoming more comfortable with herself and is showing her true nature more often). | |||
| Sakura's most well-known physical characteristic is her broad forehead. Consequently, because of this Kishimoto at times focuses too much on drawing it in scenes or promotional artwork where Sakura is featured prominently. This results in her forehead appearing too large.<ref name="Forehead"/> When designing Sakura in her ] appearance, Kishimoto decided to change her clothes to a more lively karate suit style. The upper part, though, still had a Chinaesque feeling to it, so as to make her more feminine.<ref>{{cite book|author=Kishimoto, Masashi|title=Naruto Character Official Data Book Hiden Sha no Sho|year=2008|publisher=]|isbn=978-4-08-874247-2|pages=343|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> During Part II's last ], Kishimoto tried making Sakura look more beautiful, most notably when she joins Naruto and Sasuke in the final fight against the creature Ten-Tails.<ref name="sakura"/> Due to Sakura having little popularity within readers, Kishimoto decided that ], whom he acknowledged had more popularity, would take a more active role and become a heroine.<ref name="sakura"/> Despite deciding that Naruto and Hinata would end up together since the early stages of the manga, Kishimoto thought it would be interesting to throw Sakura in the middle to form "a messy ]." Nevertheless, Kishimoto said romance was not what he wanted his series to focus on.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://otakukart.com/animeblog/2017/01/31/jump-festa-2017-interview-masashi-kishimoto-future-boruto-naruto-next-generations/ |title=Jump Festa 2017 Interview – Masashi Kishimoto And The Future Of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations! |website=OtakuKart |date=January 31, 2017 |access-date=May 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170620152720/http://otakukart.com/animeblog/2017/01/31/jump-festa-2017-interview-masashi-kishimoto-future-boruto-naruto-next-generations/ |archive-date=June 20, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In the middle of the manga's final arc, Sakura is given a love letter. The real reasons for this is that Kishimoto wanted to give the ] studio material to create animated only episodes.<ref name="sakura"/> | |||
| Sakura's favorite foods are syrup-coated anko dumplings and ] (pickled ] fruits); her least favorite food is anything really spicy. Her hobbies are quizzes, and memorizing things. Her favorite phrase is {{nihongo|"courage"|勇気|Yūki}}, although it was once {{nihongo|"a lifetime full of love"|一線愛の人生よ！|Issen ai no jinsei yo!}}. The latter was also featured in the ending song of episode 170 as a painting on her bedroom wall. She is also shown to be afraid of frogs. | |||
| In the animated versions of ''Naruto'', Sakura was voiced by ].<ref>{{cite episode|title=宿敵!?サスケとサクラ|number=3|series=]|credits=]|publisher=]|airdate=October 17, 2002}}</ref> Early in the first series, the actors were told by Kishimoto that Sakura would end up marrying Sasuke. Nonetheless, most of them started having doubts as during the first anime, Sasuke abandoned his teammates. As a result, by the second series, Nakamura was often asked by other people if her character would instead end up with Naruto. When Sakura married Sasuke in the end, Nakamura was happy because Sakura stayed true to her feelings.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://imgur.com/a/D4DoR|title=演者もワクワクし、驚いたラストの衝撃的な展開 | |||
| == Part I == | |||
| |trans-title=Even the actors are excited, the shocking unfolding of the surprising ending|magazine=Da Vinci|year=2015|issue=May|language=ja|publisher=]|pages=32–35}}</ref> In an interview, ], who does the ] for Sakura in the English ],<ref>{{cite episode|title=Sasuke and Sakura: Friends or Foes?|number=3|series=]|credits=]|network=]|airdate=September 17, 2005}}</ref> remarked the ] of Sakura in the series, stating that she turned into a more complex character as she became more sensitive and caring.<ref>{{cite book |title=Naruto Collector (June, 2006)|year=2006 |publisher=]}}</ref> | |||
| === Early childhood === | |||
| ] | |||
| In her early school years, Sakura was timid and was occasionally made fun of and bullied because of her large forehead, until ] approached and befriended her, giving her a ribbon and telling her not to hide behind her bangs. Sakura looked up to Ino for her looks and ability, but while she appreciated Ino's friendship, she couldn't ignore the feelings of inferiority Ino induced in her. At one point, during a flower arrangement lesson, Sakura wonders whether Ino was like a fully bloomed flower, and if so, then what was she? Ino cheered her up, telling her that even a bud eventually becomes a flower, and there's no point to a flower unless it blooms. Their friendship continued until it became clear that both of them were infatuated with Sasuke Uchiha; Sakura felt that she could never equal Ino, let alone surpass her at anything, while she was trapping herself as Ino's mere sidekick in her mind. She handed Ino her ribbon back and proclaimed that they were rivals from that point on. Their friendship slowly deteriorated into a spiteful rivalry; by the start of the series, there is no indication that they were once best friends. | |||
| ==Appearances== | |||
| In a sharp contrast to most other characters, Sakura lacks any childhood tragedy and, initially, defining themes (Masashi Kishimoto said that he made her initially unlikable by design). When she, Naruto, and Sasuke are assigned to form Team 7, she is fixated with Sasuke and cannot stand Naruto - hardly knowing either of them. Shortly after their team's formation, she tells Sasuke that she believes the reason that Naruto behaves mischievously is because he doesn't have any parents to control him, and that she's jealous because her parents are always trying to tell her what to do. Though Naruto isn't there to be outraged by this, Sasuke knows from personal experience that parental chastisement is nothing compared to the loneliness of an orphan, and harshly berates her frivolous attitude. This is the first hint that Sakura isn't as shallow as she's been presented, and she concludes that Sasuke was probably right and she should treat Naruto better (though even this may be partly due to her infatuation - Kakashi later notes that she always agrees with Sasuke without question). | |||
| === |
===In ''Naruto''=== | ||
| Sakura is a young ] who is a part of ] alongside ] and Sasuke Uchiha under the leadership of their '']'' ].<ref name="Early"/> Within Sakura resides "Inner Sakura", a manifestation of her inner emotions; in addition to comic relief, Inner Sakura represents Sakura's actual opinion on things when she outwardly displays something opposite.<ref name="Early"/> As Sakura has a deep infatuation for Sasuke, many of her earlier appearances are dedicated to her continued effort to win his affection.<ref name="Early">{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=1|year=2006 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 3|isbn=1-56931-900-6 |oclc=137303849|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> She accompanies the rest of Team 7 during all of its early missions, though she does little to contribute to the battles that take place. Sakura lacks any unique traits that would set her apart from the rest of Team 7, although Kakashi notes that she has an excellent control over her chakra early in Part I.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=3|year=2006 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 18 |pages=16–17 |isbn=1-59116-187-8|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> As a result, Sakura stays on the sidelines, content in allowing her teammates to protect her and defeat their opponents. During the Chunin Exams, when the rest of Team 7 is left in need of her protection, Sakura realizes that relying on others to fight her battles has been unwise. She resolves to better her ninja abilities from that point further,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=6|year=2005 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 54|pages=168–170 |isbn=1-59116-739-6|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> and she takes a more active role in Team 7's battles throughout the rest of the series. After Sasuke's defection from Konohagakure at the end of Part I,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=21|year=2007 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 181|isbn=978-1-4215-1855-8|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> Naruto's failure to bring him back,<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=26|year=2007 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 233|isbn=978-1-4215-1862-6|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> and Sakura's inability to help either of them, she becomes ]'s apprentice so that she can do more for her teammates in the future. Since then, Sakura makes it her personal goal to bring Sasuke home.<ref name="Asset">{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=27|year=2007 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 236 |isbn=978-1-4215-1863-3 |oclc=173499449|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| Though her initial infatuation with Sasuke still overshadows her interactions with both him and Naruto at that stage, Sakura's understanding and respect for both her teammates grow again during the Survival Test. Kakashi, the sensei of the newly-formed Team 7, administers a test designed to split the team apart – only the genin who capture one of the bells hanging from his belt will pass, but there are only two bells and three genin. As Kakashi expects, the "team" splits; he easily counters their individual attempts at seizing the bells, then admonishes Sakura for ignoring Naruto in favor of Sasuke even though Sasuke had declared both his teammates to be nothing more than an obstacle. Kakashi allows Sakura and Sasuke to eat lunch in anticipation of their next attempt – but not Naruto, who had earlier tried to eat the team's box lunches. Though warned that feeding Naruto means failure, she follows Sasuke in doing so. Pleased, Kakashi passes the team, saying that while those who disobey the rules are garbage, those who abandon their teammates are even lower. | |||
| After training under Tsunade for two-and-a-half years, Sakura acquires the ability to heal wounds, becoming one of the most experienced medical ninjas.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=30|year=2008 |publisher=]|chapter=Chapter 271|isbn=978-1-4215-1942-5 |oclc=232546735|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> In order to secure her survival to heal others, Sakura also develops ] by building up chakra in her fists; by storing a vast amount of Chakra in her body over 3 years, she awakens the Byakugō Seal, a jutsu considered to be the pinnacle of chakra control.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=30|year=2008 |publisher=]|chapter=Chapter 265|isbn=978-4-08-873881-9|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> Thanks to this, Sakura joins Team 7 as a medical ninja to save their ally ] from the criminal group ]. With help from the elder ], Sakura defeats the Akatsuki member ], who gives her hints of Sasuke's whereabouts.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=31|year=2005 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 275|isbn=978-4-08-874002-7|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> The new member of Team 7, ], uses his intelligence to track Sasuke down, but once again they are unable to prevent him from escaping.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=34|year=2006 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 309|isbn=978-4-08-874138-3|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> While disappointed in their failure, Team 7 tries once again to find Sasuke, although after almost apprehending him they lose his trail and are forced to return home. As they search for Sasuke, Sakura learns of the various hardships Naruto faces because of the ] creature sealed inside him, which is being pursued by the Akatsuki. Saddened by the impact both forces have had on his life, Sakura becomes protective of Naruto and tries to do whatever she can to help him overcome these obstacles. Sakura later resolves to kill Sasuke after understanding he is becoming a menace to the villages.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=51|year=2011 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 474|isbn=978-1-4215-3498-5|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> However, when she fails to do it, Naruto decides to settle things with Sasuke himself. When a war against the remaining Akatsuki is announced, Sakura participates as a medical ninja.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=55|year=2011 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 515|isbn=978-4-08-870185-1|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> She later moves to the fighting side when the Ten-Tails creature is released, and she battles it alongside Naruto and Sasuke.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=66|year=2014 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 631|isbn=978-1-4215-6948-2|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> After Sasuke is pardoned for his crimes, Sakura sees him off as he decides to travel the world in search for redemption and shows signs that he finally accepts her feelings for him; he pokes her forehead and thanks her right before his departure.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=72|year=2015 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 699|isbn=978-4-08-880220-6|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> In the epilogue, set years after the end of the Fourth Ninja War, it is shown that Sakura and Sasuke had married and had a daughter, ].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kishimoto|first=Masashi|title=]|volume=72|year=2015 |publisher=] |chapter=Chapter 700|isbn=978-4-08-880220-6|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> | |||
| === Wave Country arc === | |||
| ===In other media=== | |||
| Later, when the team is sent on a dangerous mission in the ], Sakura is first confronted with the meaning of being a kunoichi as she witnesses what appears to be Sasuke's death. She recites Shinobi Rule #25 (to not show emotion under any circumstance) as she violates it, bursting into tears on Sasuke's chest. Her tears become joyous as Sasuke awakens from what was only a death-trance. | |||
| Sakura has made several appearances outside of the ''Naruto'' anime and manga. She is in all eleven ] of the series: in the first film — '']'' (2004), she battles Mizore Fuyukuma and later defeats him;<ref>{{cite video|date = 2007|title = Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow|format = ]|publisher = Viz Video|access-date = March 22, 2009|url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-1/6828|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130323191537/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-1/6828|archive-date = March 23, 2013|df = mdy-all}}</ref> in the second — '']'' (2005), she helps Naruto and ] in their battle against Haido and his subordinates;<ref>{{cite video|date = 2008|title = Naruto the Movie 2: Legend of the Stone of Gelel|format = ]|publisher = Viz Video|access-date = March 22, 2009|url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-2/7628|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130323191251/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-2/7628|archive-date = March 23, 2013|df = mdy-all}}</ref> the third — ] (2006) — has Sakura battling the hired ninja Karenbana, whom she defeats using her enhanced strength;<ref>{{cite video|date = 2008|title = Naruto the Movie 3: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom|format = ]|publisher = Viz Video|access-date = March 22, 2009|url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-3/7629|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130321225652/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-the-movie-video-volume-3/7629|archive-date = March 21, 2013|df = mdy-all}}</ref> in the fourth — '']'' (2007), Sakura, Naruto, ], and ] are assigned to escort the maiden Shion;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2009 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-1/8376 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130905003235/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-1/8376 |archive-date = September 5, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in the fifth — '']'' (2008), Sakura is assigned alongside Naruto and Hinata Hyuga to help a girl, Amaru, and her ''sensei'', Shinnō, return to their village while in the process learning of an upcoming invasion of the Sky Country;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2011 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 2 |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-2D/9791 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140412220659/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-2D/9791 |archive-date = April 12, 2014 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> the sixth — '']'' (2009) — has Sakura and Naruto desperately following and trying to bring back their ''sensei'', Kakashi, who has gone on a suicide mission to prevent the Fourth Great Ninja World War;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2012 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 3 |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-3/10159 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131030053957/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-3/10159 |archive-date = October 30, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in the seventh — '']'' (2010), Sakura and the rest of Team Kakashi are sent to capture a missing-nin, Mukade;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2013 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 4 |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-4/10552 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131208071228/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-4/10552 |archive-date = December 8, 2013 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in the eighth — '']'' (2011), Sakura assists in the battle against the demon Satori who has been released from the Box of Enlightenment;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2014 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 5 |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-5/10845 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140222035724/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-5/10845 |archive-date = February 22, 2014 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in the ninth — '']'' (2012), Sakura and Naruto are transported to an illusion world by ] in which instead of Naruto's parents, Sakura's parents were the ones who sacrificed their lives in preventing the Nine-Tails from destroying Konohagakure and were thus deemed as the village's heroes;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2014 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 6 |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-6/10847 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141025054714/http://www.viz.com/anime/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-6/10847 |archive-date = October 25, 2014 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> in the tenth — '']'' (2014), Sakura, in her young adult years, sets out alongside Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata to rescue a kidnapped Hanabi Hyuga, Hinata's younger sister;<ref>{{cite video |date = 2015 |title = Naruto Shippuden: the Movie 7|format = ] |publisher = Viz Video|url=http://www.viz.com/watch/dvd/naruto-shippuden-movie-video-volume-7/11650}}</ref> and finally, in the eleventh — '']'' (2015), Sakura watches her daughter's participation in the Chunin Exams.<ref name=BorutoTheMovie>{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/boruto-naruto-the-movie/.93939|title=Boruto -Naruto the Movie-|last=McNulty|first=Amy|date=October 9, 2015|website=]|access-date=April 20, 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420100434/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/boruto-naruto-the-movie/.93939|archive-date=April 20, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| She is also present in all three of the ] produced for the series, helping Naruto and ] to find a ] in the first original video animation,<ref>{{cite video |date = 2003 |title = 紅き四つ葉のクローバーを探せ|format = ] |publisher = ]|url=http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?method=view&releaseId=8723}}</ref> joining her team in escorting a ninja named Shibuki to his village and helping him fight the missing-nin that stole the village's "Hero's Water" in the second,<ref>{{cite video |date = 2007 |title = Naruto OVA – The Lost Story |format = ] |publisher = Viz Video |url = http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?method=view&releaseId=8722 |access-date = August 29, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071217110548/http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?method=view&releaseId=8722 |archive-date = December 17, 2007 |url-status = dead }}</ref> and participating in a tournament in the third.<ref>{{cite video |date = 2005 |title = ついに激突！上忍VS下忍！！無差別大乱戦大会開催！！|format = ] |publisher = ]|url=https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000BNPT3E/}}</ref> A ] titled ''Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze'' (2015), written by Tomohito Ōsaki and illustrated by Kishimoto, focuses on Sakura sometime after the events of ''The Last: Naruto the Movie'', where she, now a celebrated medical ninja who is in the middle of opening a new mental clinic with ], becomes worried when a conspiracy that threatens to destroy Konohagakure is using Sasuke as a ], potentially ruining his chance at redemption amongst the villagers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-12-06/full-list-of-naruto-epilogue-novels-unveiled/.81844 |title= Full List of Naruto Epilogue Novels Unveiled |website=] |access-date=December 26, 2008}}</ref> In '']'' (2015), Sasuke's travels keep him away from his family. As a result, his whereabouts become a touchy subject for Sakura, who assures Sarada over the years that Sasuke will return home once having completed his mission. After punching the ground in a fit of rage over Sarada asking if she and Sasuke are married, Sakura discovers her daughter has left the village in search of Sasuke. By the time she catches up to the two, they are in the presence of ], whom Sakura attacks. Afterward, she is teleported away with him to his hideout, where she declines to assist him with her medical skills and pretends to be helpless in order to gain information on him. After Sakura battles Shin, she is rescued by her husband, and they return to the village following Shin's defeat. Soon after that, Sakura and Sarada see Sasuke off to his journey.<ref>] (August 8, 2015). Naruto―ナルト― 外伝 ～七代目火影と緋色の花つ月～ ]'']. ]. {{ISBN|978-1-4215-1407-9}}.</ref> Sakura later serves as a spectator for Sarada while she participates in the Chunin Exams and saves both herself and other onlookers from falling debris, afterward healing Hinata.<ref name=BorutoTheMovie/> | |||
| === Chunin Exam arc === | |||
| The first stage of the Chunin exam is a written test, designed specifically to be too difficult for Genin to complete, forcing them to cheat. However, Sakura is able to complete the exam by herself, a testimony to her intelligence. At the end of this exam, the teams are presented with the mysterious "tenth question" and given a choice of whether to take it or not. The examiner tells them that not taking it fails your whole team immediately, but failing to answer correctly prevents you from becoming a Chunin forever. Sakura, knowing that Naruto couldn't have answered questions of this difficulty correctly, starts to raise her own hand to quit, forfeiting her own chance at becoming a Chunin this year so that Naruto would at least have the chance to take the exam again. She is stopped, however, when Naruto raises his own hand. Shortly after, he slams it down on his desk declaring that he won't back down or quit, which turns out to be the correct answer. | |||
| Sakura is a ] in nearly all ], including the ] and the ].<ref name="IGNCoN2GuidePage1">{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/736/736611p1.html|title=Naruto: The Complete Fighter Profile|author=Bozon, Mark|website=]|date=September 29, 2006|access-date=January 24, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618130835/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/09/29/naruto-the-complete-fighter-profile|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="IGNCoN3HandsOn">{{cite web|url=http://cube.ign.com/articles/551/551374p1.html|title=TGS 2004: Naruto Gekitou Ninja Taisen! 3 Hands-on|author=Alfonso, Andrew|website=]|date=September 26, 2004|access-date=January 29, 2007|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618131053/http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/26/tgs-2004-naruto-gekitou-ninja-taisen-3-hands-on|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="GUIDE1 26">{{cite book|title=Naruto: Ultimate Ninja English instruction manual|year=2006|publisher=]|pages=26}}</ref> In some games, she uses "Inner Sakura" in combat as well as numerous different genjutsu. '']'' (2007) marks the first appearance of Sakura in her Part II design in a video game, with the second one being '']'' (2007).<ref name="Accel2">{{cite web|url=http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/naruto/goods/game.html |title=Naruto－ナルト－ 疾風伝:TV東京 - Goods |publisher=] |access-date=January 29, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123130730/http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/anime/naruto/goods/game.html |archive-date=January 23, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Meanwhile, '']'' (2016) marks the first appearance of Sakura post-Part II; specifically, her appearance in ''The Last: Naruto the Movie'', set two years after chapter 699 of the manga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/15/older-naruto-sasuke-sakura-hinata-ultimate-ninja-storm-4/|title=Older Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, And Hinata Are In Ultimate Ninja Storm 4|author=Sato|website=Siliconera|date=January 15, 2015|access-date=January 25, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618131825/http://www.siliconera.com/2015/01/15/older-naruto-sasuke-sakura-hinata-ultimate-ninja-storm-4/|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> | |||
| The second stage is set in the ]. Soon after Team 7 enters the forest, Naruto and Sasuke are rendered unconscious as a result of their fights with ]. When a group of Sound Genin choose this moment to attack the group, Sakura realizes that she will have to protect her friends if they are to live and pass the exam. As ] grabs her long hair and immobilizes her, she comments on how Sakura's hair was glossier than her own, saying Sakura spent more time on her looks than on her training. (Sakura had grown her hair long because of a rumor that Sasuke liked girls with long hair.) At this point, she begins to think about how she always scorned Naruto, believing herself to be above him, even though she could only watch from the sidelines while he fought to protect her. She realizes that she was the weakest member of Team 7, and, deciding to change herself and fight for her friends, cuts off her hair with a kunai, freeing herself from Kin's grasp. (This is a common Japanese fiction image, where a character--often a woman--cuts her hair short simply as a symbol of discarding her previous life.) After getting away from Kin, she delays ] attack on Sasuke by tricking him with a series of replacement jutsus, slamming her kunai into his arm and biting him. Even as Zaku punches her repeatedly in the head, Sakura refuses to let go. This display spurs Ino and her team into coming to Sakura's aid, allowing the latter to rest. | |||
| ==Reception== | |||
| ] | |||
| In the '']'' character popularity polls, Sakura had many times been placed in the top ten and reached the top five once; in the most recent poll, she was ranked twelfth.<ref name="PopularityPoll2">{{cite book |author=Kishimoto, Masashi|title=]|volume=56|year=2011|publisher=]|chapter=Chapter 531|isbn= 978-1-4215-4207-2|author-link=Masashi Kishimoto}}</ref> Numerous pieces of merchandise based on Sakura have been released, including ]s,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/08/02-1/sakura-haruno-shows-off-her-curves-as-latest-naruto-gals-figure|title=Sakura Haruno Shows Off Her Curves As Latest "NARUTO Gals" Figure|date=August 2, 2017|first=Scott|last=Green|access-date=April 20, 2018|archive-date=April 20, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420011056/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/08/02-1/sakura-haruno-shows-off-her-curves-as-latest-naruto-gals-figure|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/30/love-and-ninja-included-in-new-naruto-prize-figure-lottery|title=Love and Ninja Included in New "Naruto" Prize Figure Lottery|website=]|date=October 31, 2012|access-date=May 11, 2018|first=Scott|last=Green|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511124633/http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2012/10/30/love-and-ninja-included-in-new-naruto-prize-figure-lottery|archive-date=May 11, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> ] of her Part I (''Naruto'') and Part II (]) appearances,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://narutostore.viz.com/ttp/Naruto-Keychains-Sakura-3D-Keychain/products_id/112147.html|title=Naruto - Novelty - Sakura 3D Keychain|publisher=]|access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> and various character patches.<ref name="VizSakuraPatch">{{cite web|url=http://narutostore.viz.com/ttp/Naruto-Apparel-Sakura-Character-Patch/products_id/112128.html|title=Naruto - Apparel - Sakura Character Patch|publisher=]|access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref><ref name="VizSakuraPatch2">{{cite web|url=http://narutostore.viz.com/ttp/Naruto-Apparel-Sakura-Leaf-Village-Patch/products_id/117997.html|title=Naruto - Novelty - Sakura Leaf Village Patch - GE7257 -|publisher=]|access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> In a poll from 2021, Sakura was voted as the 6th most popular character in ''Boruto: Naruto Next Generations''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.viz.com/blog/posts/boruto-popularity-poll-results-may-2021|title=Boruto Popularity Poll Results May 2021|website=Viz Media|access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref> In 2023, in the first global poll, Sakura was found to be the franchise's third most popular character overall, behind ] and ], and the most popular female character.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NARUTOP99 Results Announcement |url=https://narutop99.naruto-official.com/en/ |access-date=2023-04-20 |website=NARUTOP99 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
| Although Team 10 contributes heavily to the fight with the Sound Genin, it is Sasuke, who finally awakes engulfed by Orochimaru's cursed seal, that defeats them. He inquires about who is responsible for Sakura's wounds and, upon learning that it is Zaku, Sasuke proceeds to savagely brutalize him, making several scathing and ominous comments about Zaku's arms before finally wrenching them out of their sockets. However, before he can continue, Sakura, knowing that the Sasuke she knew would never go on a pointless killing spree, catches him in a hug from behind, begging him to stop and causing the cursed seal's influence to recede. After Team 7 recovers, they go on to pass the second stage. | |||
| Several manga, anime and video games publications and other related media have provided praise as well as criticism on Sakura's character. '']'' writer A.E. Sparrow commented that every anime and manga benefited from a strong female presence that Sakura provided for the ''Naruto'' series, although characterizing her as "stereotypically girly".<ref name="IGNNarutoReadersGuide">{{cite web|url=http://anime.ign.com/articles/834/834323p3.html|title=Naruto Reader's Guide|website=]|author=Sparrow, A.E.|date=November 9, 2007|access-date=January 28, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618132549/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/11/10/naruto-readers-guide?page=3|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref name="IGNSakura">{{cite web|url=http://stars.ign.com/objects/142/14209411_biography.html|title=IGN: Sakura Haruno Biography|website=]|access-date=January 28, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312014353/http://stars.ign.com/objects/142/14209411_biography.html|archive-date=March 12, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In a review of episode 110 of the anime, ''IGN'' celebrated the culmination of the development of Sakura's character throughout the series and the growing out of the "girly" personality.<ref name="IGNEp110Review">{{cite web|url=http://tv.ign.com/articles/831/831140p1.html|title=Naruto: "Formation! The Sasuke Retrieval Squad!" Review|website=]|author=White, Charles|date=October 27, 2007|access-date=January 28, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618132949/http://www.ign.com/articles/2007/10/29/naruto-formation-the-sasuke-retrieval-squad-review|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> '']'' said that Sakura's character had largely been used in the series as a form of comic relief and to often state the obvious.<ref name="GameSpotFranchisePlayer">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6181360/index.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;1|title=Franchise Player: Naruto|website=]|author=Dodson, Joe|date=October 13, 2007|access-date=January 28, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618133427/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/franchise-player-naruto/1100-6181360/|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> ''T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews'' considered Sakura to be a stereotypical echo of similar love interests of protagonists in other ] manga and that she was not likable.<ref name="THEMAnimeReview">{{cite web|url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=120|title=THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 - Naruto|website=T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews|author=Ross, Christina|access-date=January 28, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618133815/http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=120|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> On the other hand, she was also regarded as "an interesting character to throw into the mix " by ''Mania Entertainment''{{'}}s Dani Moure due to how her differences with Sasuke and Naruto helped to balance Team 7.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mania.com/naruto-unleashed-set-11_article_78617.html |title=Naruto Unleashed Set 1.1 |website=Mania Entertainment |author=Moure, Dani |date=September 1, 2006 |access-date=September 4, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014190225/http://www.mania.com/naruto-unleashed-set-11_article_78617.html |archive-date=October 14, 2013 }}</ref> In the book ''New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders'', Amy A. Zenger wrote that Sasuke and Sakura's relationship was popular among fans of the series even at the time when the former had not yet reciprocated the latter's feelings.<ref>{{cite book|title=New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders|page=38|author1=Williams, Bronwyn |author2=Zenger, Amy A. |year=2012|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0415897686|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hy0afZVPzHcC&q=sasuke+uchiha&pg=PA38}}</ref> | |||
| In the preliminaries of the third exam, Sakura is matched against Ino. During their fight, Sakura notices that Ino is holding back, and insults Ino to fluster her to the point where Ino cuts her own hair (not wanting to be outdone by Sakura's newfound determination). This turns out to nearly be Sakura's undoing, as Ino is then able to turn her hair into living ropes with her chakra, and hold Sakura in place. When Ino manages to hit Sakura with her Mind Body Switch Technique, Naruto cheers Sakura on. While this just seems to annoy Ino, it also helps Inner Sakura break free, allowing her to force Ino out of her mind. In the end, however, the fight between Sakura and Ino ends with both girls knocking each other out at the same time, causing both of them to lose. | |||
| The character's change in Part II (''Naruto: Shippuden'') has been praised by '']''{{'}}s Casey Brienza for being one of the most developed ones in the series, as she has become stronger than her Part I (''Naruto'') counterpart, which was considerably weaker than Naruto and Sasuke. This allows her to take a more active and appealing role in the series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/gn-28|title=Naruto GN 28|website=]|author=Brienza, Casey|date=August 7, 2008|access-date=November 16, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618134144/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/gn-28|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://comics.ign.com/articles/848/848479p1.html|title=Naruto Vol. 28 Review|website=]|author=Sparrow, A.E.|date=January 29, 2008|access-date=November 17, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618134353/http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/01/29/naruto-vol-28-review|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> Major praise has been given to her encounters with Sasori and Sasuke owing to her fighting skills and mature reactions, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/42253/naruto-shippuden-vol-7/|title=Naruto: Shippuden, Vol. 7|website=]|author=Douglass Jr., Todd|date=March 9, 2010|access-date=November 17, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618134641/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/42253/naruto-shippuden-vol-7/|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mania.com/naruto-vol-34_article_111916.html |title=Naruto Vol. #34 |website=Mania Entertainment |author=Lawrence, Briana |date=March 30, 2009 |access-date=November 17, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002015157/http://www.mania.com/naruto-vol-34_article_111916.html |archive-date=October 2, 2013 }}</ref> Sakura's love confession to Naruto in later parts of the series has been commented to be one of the deepest lines and parts of the story arc for bringing confusion in regard to whether her love confession claim was as serious as her intention to stop Naruto's suffering. It also came as a surprise as fans wondered what Sakura's real intention regarding Sasuke was, the latter having already become a dangerous criminal during such a time in the series.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| In the actual third exam, Sakura exhibits feelings of both amazement and slight jealousy when Naruto wins his match against Neji, promising that she would do her best to become a strong shinobi from then on out. She was also one of the few Genin able to repel ]'s sleep-inducing genjutsu, and also managed to show extreme bravery when she came between Gaara's attack in his Shukaku form to protect Sasuke. | |||
| |url=http://www.mania.com/naruto-shippuden-episode-206_article_129409.html | |||
| |title=Naruto: Shippuden Episode #206 | |||
| |website=Mania Entertainment | |||
| |author=Beveridge, Chris | |||
| |date=April 7, 2011 | |||
| |access-date=November 17, 2011 | |||
| |url-status=dead | |||
| |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110410174947/http://www.mania.com/naruto-shippuden-episode-206_article_129409.html | |||
| |archive-date=April 10, 2011 | |||
| }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/gn-50|title=Naruto GN 50|website=]|author=Santos, Carlo|date= February 9, 2011|access-date=November 17, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180618134845/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/gn-50|archive-date=June 18, 2018}}</ref> ] believes Sakura's feelings were well-handled by Kishimoto.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2014-11-13/naruto-part-ii/.80991|title=House of 1000 Manga - Naruto Part II|website=]|date=November 13, 2014|access-date=November 14, 2014 |author=Thompson, Jason|author-link=Jason Thompson (writer)}}</ref> While disliking the romance between Sasuke and Sakura in the original series as she felt it was initially a crush on Sakura's part, Amy McNulty thought the ] '']'' helped to expand the bond between these two as well as their relationship with their daughter, Sarada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/the-seventh-hokage-and-the-scarlet-spring/gn/.96890 |title=Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring |last=McNulty |first=Amy |date=December 27, 2015 |website=] |access-date=May 18, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116001357/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/naruto/the-seventh-hokage-and-the-scarlet-spring/gn/.96890 |archive-date=November 16, 2016 }}</ref> Sarah Nelkin of ''Anime Now'' praised Sakura's development across the series, mostly in late parts of the story due to how she turns into a stronger person as she grows up and especially when she becomes an adult.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anime-now.com/entry/2017/04/23/230027|title=From Groupie to Mother: The Character Growth of Naruto's Sakura|website=Anime Now|date=April 23, 2017|access-date=July 20, 2017|author=Nelkin, Sarah|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705014100/http://www.anime-now.com/entry/2017/04/23/230027|archive-date=July 5, 2017|df=mdy-all}}</ref> | |||
| Critic ] says that Sakura is an example of ''Naruto'' showing a conservative view of women. Ino, Sakura and Hinata place priority on love, treating it as more important than excelling as a ninja. Fujimoto states that during the ninja examinations, Sakura's climactic fight with Ino, her love rival, is conducted on a purely physical level, contrasting this level of skill with the supernatural abilities displayed by her male classmates at this point. When the medical ninja Tsunade is introduced, Sakura takes on a daughter-like role, learning to heal others from Tsunade's teaching, which Fujimoto regards as reinforcing a conservative idea of women — that women do not belong on the battlefield as warriors, only as nurses.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Fujimoto, Yukari|editor1-last=Berndt|editor1-first=Jaqueline|editor2-last=Kümmerling-Meibauer|editor2-first=Bettina|author1-link=Yukari Fujimoto|title=Manga's Cultural Crossroads|date=2013|website=Taylor and Francis|location=Hoboken|chapter=Women in "Naruto", Women Reading "Naruto"|pages=175–176|isbn=978-1134102839}}</ref> | |||
| === Sasuke Retrieval arc === | |||
| Eventually, Sasuke decides to abandon Konoha so that Orochimaru can give him the power he desires. As he leaves the village, Sakura finds him, and soon understands the magnitude of what he is about to do. Crying and desperate not to lose Sasuke, Sakura does anything she can think of, confessing her love for him, offering to help him with his revenge, and even offering to join his twisted journey so they can at least be together. Sasuke's cryptic last words before swiftly knocking her out and departing are "Sakura... Thank you." The databook elaborates on this a bit, saying "Sasuke is unable to answer her feelings. At the end, he leaves her with only a word of gratitude rather than words of parting." | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| The next day, before Naruto leaves to bring Sasuke back, Sakura appears and begs Naruto to bring back Sasuke, stating that only Naruto is able to do it. Naruto, looking at the crying Sakura, promises her that he ''will'' bring Sasuke back, making it his promise to her for a lifetime. Sakura seems to finally understand how Naruto feels for her, and she realizes that he is not what she originally thought he was. | |||
| *{{Portal-inline|Anime and manga}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| When Naruto comes back from the retrieval mission, he can only tell Sakura that he's sorry for failing. He tells Sakura that he'll definitely keep his promise, because he said it was a lifelong promise. Sakura, seeing his determination, replies, giving him a strong smile, "Next time, we'll do it together!" Later on, she asks ] to make her her apprentice. Tsunade, recognizing her determination, agrees to Sakura's request. | |||
| {{Reflist|30em}} | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| == Anime filler arcs == | |||
| {{Commons category-inline|Sakura Haruno}} | |||
| The anime filler shows some of her progress from Tsunade's training before the timeskip. She gets noticeably stronger and exhibits amazing progress in her healing abilities as well. | |||
| {{Naruto}} | |||
| === Konoha 11 arc === | |||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| During the Konoha 11 arc, Shikamaru has Sakura examine the body of ]. With the help of Ino and Hinata, she learns that it is actually the body of a random civilian. After Gennou is discovered and it appears as if he succeeded in destroying the Hokage mountain, Sakura declares that it is an illusion and dispels it. After Gennou summons his ], she throws a large boulder at it, but misses, allowing Naruto to hit the bird with his Spiraling Sphere. | |||
| === Shiitenshounin arc === | |||
| In the Shiitenshounin arc, Sakura serves as a medic. At the end of the arc, Ino asks to train with Sakura to be a medical ninja. To Ino's dismay, Sakura immediately proclaims that Ino will be her junior during the course of the training. | |||
| == Movies == | |||
| === Naruto the Movie === | |||
| Sakura played a small role in the first movie. She encountered ] throughout the movie and defeated him with ]. At the conclusion of the film, she looked out at the newly born Spring Country with a greatly injured Sasuke. | |||
| === Naruto the Movie 2 === | |||
| Sakura played a major role in the second movie. During a final battle with ] wolf-like henchman, ], Sakura killed her by using metal pillars to reflect her ear-splitting howl, which caused the pillars to collapse in on her. | |||
| === Naruto the Movie 3 === | |||
| Sakura is assigned to protect the prince of the ] during his world trip, along with Naruto and Rock Lee. Sakura has a new outfit in the movie, which is like her old one, only two piece. In this movie, Sakura is seen with her newly acquired strength from the tutelage of Tsunade. When fighting a blonde-haired assailant, Sakura destroys a wall with a single punch. | |||
| == Part II == | |||
| ] | |||
| === New personality === | |||
| After the timeskip, Sakura's personality has taken on a much more mature and even tone. Like most people when they come of age, she seems to be much more comfortable in her own skin than when she was younger, frequently displaying the more ferocious aspects of her personality formerly personified in the Inner Sakura segments, instead of just responding within her timid restraint. ] comments that she is becoming another Tsunade upon first seeing her. | |||
| When reunited with Naruto, she asks him if she looks more like a woman in a flirtatious way. Clueless, Naruto remarks that she looks no different, annoying her. On two separate occasions, Sakura beats up ] over the issue, once for calling her "Hag", and a second time when Sai complimented Ino by calling her "beautiful" (Sakura had expected Sai to insult Ino). Sakura also displays a complete disdain and revulsion towards perverted behavior, particularly in Naruto's case. This disdain often results in the offender being disciplined with her fist. A recent chapter, however, has revealed that Sakura is not above displaying similar perverted behavior, which she unsuccessfully tries to dismiss. | |||
| Sakura's first impression of the new Naruto was that of a more mature person; she was sorely disappointed to discover he was still somewhat lacking in that department. Despite this, she does see that he has mostly changed for the better, and they are very close. They are able to work together much better than before, passing their second bell test due to their excellent, if somewhat unorthodox, teamwork. She still insults him, but in a much more playful manner than before. When Naruto defines one of their outings as a date, Sakura, still furious over the maturity letdown, and replies "Fine. As long as you're paying." She is more concerned for his well-being, especially since he's a target of ] and under constant danger of death. She has cried for him on several occasions, especially upon learning that if the demon fox is extracted by Akatsuki, Naruto will die. Yamato tries to give a clear description of these feelings at one point while Naruto is unconscious, but Naruto wakes up and interrupts him before he can say anything significant. | |||
| The state of her feelings for Sasuke are still unclear and conflicting, though she still seems to care for him as at least a friend, as she hits Sai when he insults Sasuke. Even with those feelings, during their first encounter after the timeskip, Sakura looks at Sasuke with hostility and tries to attack him. Needless to say, for both herself and Naruto, Sasuke is still a very touchy subject, and both have a moment of comically-exaggerated gloominess when Kakashi mentions him during the second bell test. However, over the past two and a half years, Sakura has become more confident and less self-conscious around him; she is even willing to attack him to protect her friends and bring him home. In a later chapter, she sheds a tear over a picture of the former Team 7. | |||
| <br style="clear: both"> | |||
| === New abilities=== | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| After two and a half years of intense training under Tsunade, Sakura has become an excellent combat ], and her abilities as a ninja have improved substantially in the form of medical jutsu and the use of chakra to create immense physical strength, also due to Tsunade's tutelage. An example of her enhanced strength after the timeskip is seen when she slams her fist into the ground to force Kakashi, who had hidden underground, to reveal himself during the bell test; her superhuman strength easily splits the ground apart. Naruto and Kakashi, both shocked by the display, commented on her technique in reaction to this, calling it her "insane strength". Another useful skill Sakura picked up from Tsunade's teachings is the ability to decipher the pattern of attacks from an enemy. Tsunade stated that this skill was especially important for Medic-nins to know as they generally possess less stamina and combat ability on the battlefield. | |||
| The reason why Tsunade and Sakura possess such remarkable physical strength is due to their unrivaled chakra control; their strength comes from the precise build-up and release of chakra, which requires almost inhuman timing and precision. If Sakura's chakra control was not top notch, Tsunade would have never been able to teach her the technique, let alone medical jutsu. Over time, both Tsunade and Sakura seem to instinctively use this jutsu (storing up chakra and releasing it), without actually having to concentrate. Sakura is amongst the most efficient chakra users in the entire series, potentially surpassing even her own master, considering she was able to learn such high level medical abilities in such a short amount of time. Also, Sakura's medical skills have been said to exceed those of many medical ninja of higher rank, and she is probably on par with, or even surpasses, Tsunade's and Kabuto's skill when they were her age. Both Kakashi and Chiyo have praised Sakura for having the potential to surpass Tsunade. Soon after, Tsunade, herself admits that Sakura has surpassed the levels that she had when she was young. | |||
| === Rescue Gaara arc === | |||
| Sakura played an instrumental role in the Rescue Gaara arc, creating an antidote for ]'s poison and curing ]. She also assists ] in defeating Sasori in combat, gaining information about Orochimaru in the process. Chiyo uses chakra strings to control Sakura like a puppet so that she could help Sakura dodge Sasori's attacks. With her vigorous strength, Sakura easily demolishes the puppet Sasori is hiding in with one hit. Sakura also seems to have a determination that was previously not present when she was younger: she keeps herself going even when she gets stabbed in the stomach with Sasori's poisoned katana to help protect Chiyo. She is now motivated by an intense desire to be of use to her village and friends, help Naruto rescue Sasuke, and prevent Naruto from becoming a victim of Akatsuki after seeing what happened to ]. | |||
| === Hidan and Kakuzu arc === | |||
| Sakura remains a member of Team 7 (now composed of ], Naruto, ], and herself), and has acted as a liaison between Team 7 and her mentor, Tsunade, reporting on Naruto's progress in mastering his new jutsu. Most recently, Team 7 arrived to assist in a running battle against two members of Akatsuki. Sakura, along with Sai, was sent to assist Shikamaru in the battle against ], only to find that Shikamaru had already defeated him. Recently she has mostly healed Naruto's arm from the damage his jutsu caused him. | |||
| When she and her team were eating ramen, she attempted to feed Naruto, but Sai beat her to it, much to Naruto's annoyance. When leaving the Ramen shop the group run into Konohamaru, who seems to have learned Kage Bunshin. He insists on showing Naruto his new jutsu; first transforming into two naked women, for which Sakura beats him. She chastises him and Naruto telling them that they are pervy ninja. Then Konohamaru transforms into Sasuke and Sai (also naked); This gives Sakura a nosebleed. This time Naruto beats him and tells him not to do creepy things like that anymore. Sakura Quickly agrees with Naruto, causing her male team mates and Konohamaru look at her questioningly, she then insists she isn't into that kind of thing. Konohamaru states that she is just like Naruto and himself. | |||
| {{endspoiler}} | |||
| == Sources == | |||
| * {{Nihongo|First Official Data Book|秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK|Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book}} | |||
| * {{Nihongo|Second Official Data Book|秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK|Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book}} | |||
| * {{Nihongo|Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book|秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini|Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini}} | |||
| * {{Nihongo|Naruto anime and manga Guidebook|秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini|Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini}} | |||
| * Taken directly from the ''Naruto'' manga chapters and anime episodes. | |||
| {{Naruto characters}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Haruno, Sakura}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 19:33, 16 December 2024
This article is about the Naruto character. For the Wandaba Style character, see Sakura Haruno (Wandaba Style). Fictional character from NarutoFictional character
| Sakura Haruno | |
|---|---|
| Naruto character | |
 Sakura Haruno by Masashi Kishimoto as seen in Part I | |
| First appearance | Naruto chapter 3: Enter Sasuke! (1999) |
| Created by | Masashi Kishimoto |
| Voiced by | Japanese Chie Nakamura English Kate Higgins Dorothy Elias-Fahn (Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals) |
| In-universe information | |
| Notable relatives | Sasuke Uchiha (husband) Sarada Uchiha (daughter) Itachi Uchiha (brother-in-law, deceased) |
| Ninja rank | Genin in Part I Chunin in Part II Jonin in The Last: Naruto the Movie |
| Ninja team | Team 7/Team Kakashi |
Sakura Haruno (Japanese: 春野 サクラ, Hepburn: Haruno Sakura) is a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. Sakura is depicted as a kunoichi affiliated with Konohagakure (木ノ葉隠れの里, English version: "Hidden Leaf Village") and a part of Team 7, which consists of herself, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and their sensei Kakashi Hatake. Besides the main series, Sakura has appeared in several pieces of the Naruto media, most notably the spin-off Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015) and the sequel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016) where she married Sasuke Uchiha taking name of Sakura Uchiha (Japanese: うちは サクラ, Hepburn: Uchiha Sakura) and is the mother of their daughter, Sarada Uchiha.
Sakura is depicted as an innocent girl who does not share the same tragic backstories as her teammates but was regardless bullied throughout her youth. She initially has an infatuation for Sasuke, him at every juncture, and initially is not ambitious, besides becoming Sasuke's girlfriend in the future; by contrast, she is dismissive to her less-skilled teammate Naruto Uzumaki despite, ironically, being Naruto's initial love interest and disgust him. Over the course of the series, as Sasuke eventually leaves the village, Sakura begins to shed this singularly driven persona, becoming a medical ninja while apprenticed under the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade, and becomes friendly and even protective of Naruto as his life becomes increasingly at risk.
Sakura serves as the series' female lead, although she was not immediately intended for the role. Kishimoto had difficulty drawing her character, resulting in Kishimoto inadvertently emphasizing certain parts of her appearance, including her large forehead which was written into her character. In order to make the character more appealing in the second part of the series, Kishimoto designed her costume in a way that makes her look more like a martial artist as well as more beautiful during later chapters. Chie Nakamura voices the character in the animated adaptations of the series, while Kate Higgins plays her in the English dub.
Numerous anime and manga publications have praised and criticized Sakura's character. She was initially noted to be a stereotypical shōnen character, representing a love interest for the protagonist, and was said to serve little purpose at the beginning of the series beyond being comic relief. Her emergence from this stereotype as the series progressed, thanks to her training with Tsunade, which leads her to develop her medical and combat skills, has been celebrated by many reviewers. Amongst the Naruto reader base, Sakura has been popular, placing high in some polls. Several pieces of merchandise have been released in Sakura's likeness, such as action figures and key chains.
Creation and conception
Although Sakura Haruno is the most recurring female character in Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto did not originally intend for Sakura to be the heroine of the series. Kishimoto attributed this to him being unable to draw good heroine characters and fashioned Sakura as a girl who could not understand men, the best example of a heroine he could come up with. Sakura's creation is a result of Kishimoto's desire to make a somewhat irritating character who was well-intentioned. Despite these elements, Kishimoto is fond of Sakura, as he feels that many of her personality traits are common among all people, thus giving her a sense of real humanity. When asked in an interview if there was something about Sakura's background that had not been revealed, Kishimoto explained that he had never thought of that as Sakura is a "normal girl". Kishimoto has often been asked by readers about why he did not show Sakura's parents until the film Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie. In response, he said this would not be entertaining as Sakura did not belong to any clan unlike other characters so her parents were civilians.
When designing Sakura, Kishimoto focused on her silhouette and created a costume as simple as possible. This is a divergence from the other main characters of the series, whose costumes are very detailed. The leggings are the most notable aspect of her design, as they are meant to show that she is very active. At the start of the series, her leggings extended below her knees and closely resembled trousers. As Part I progressed, the leggings became increasingly shorter and tighter. Similar to his inexperience in drawing heroines, Kishimoto lacked the experience needed to make Sakura "cute" when he first began drawing her; although he implied that her appearance had become cuter since then, Kishimoto and much of the Naruto manga staff agreed that Sakura had been "far from cute" at the start of the series. In retrospective, he found Sakura one of the hardest characters to draw, alongside Sasuke Uchiha. Kishimoto first planned Sasuke and Sakura's romance in the early production of Naruto. In regards to Sakura's feelings for Sasuke, Kishimoto tried to write them as realistic as possible but ended up getting complaints from young girls about her.
Sakura's most well-known physical characteristic is her broad forehead. Consequently, because of this Kishimoto at times focuses too much on drawing it in scenes or promotional artwork where Sakura is featured prominently. This results in her forehead appearing too large. When designing Sakura in her Part II appearance, Kishimoto decided to change her clothes to a more lively karate suit style. The upper part, though, still had a Chinaesque feeling to it, so as to make her more feminine. During Part II's last story arc, Kishimoto tried making Sakura look more beautiful, most notably when she joins Naruto and Sasuke in the final fight against the creature Ten-Tails. Due to Sakura having little popularity within readers, Kishimoto decided that Hinata Hyuga, whom he acknowledged had more popularity, would take a more active role and become a heroine. Despite deciding that Naruto and Hinata would end up together since the early stages of the manga, Kishimoto thought it would be interesting to throw Sakura in the middle to form "a messy love triangle." Nevertheless, Kishimoto said romance was not what he wanted his series to focus on. In the middle of the manga's final arc, Sakura is given a love letter. The real reasons for this is that Kishimoto wanted to give the anime studio material to create animated only episodes.
In the animated versions of Naruto, Sakura was voiced by Chie Nakamura. Early in the first series, the actors were told by Kishimoto that Sakura would end up marrying Sasuke. Nonetheless, most of them started having doubts as during the first anime, Sasuke abandoned his teammates. As a result, by the second series, Nakamura was often asked by other people if her character would instead end up with Naruto. When Sakura married Sasuke in the end, Nakamura was happy because Sakura stayed true to her feelings. In an interview, Kate Higgins, who does the voice acting for Sakura in the English dub, remarked the development of Sakura in the series, stating that she turned into a more complex character as she became more sensitive and caring.
Appearances
In Naruto
Sakura is a young ninja who is a part of Team 7 alongside Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha under the leadership of their sensei Kakashi Hatake. Within Sakura resides "Inner Sakura", a manifestation of her inner emotions; in addition to comic relief, Inner Sakura represents Sakura's actual opinion on things when she outwardly displays something opposite. As Sakura has a deep infatuation for Sasuke, many of her earlier appearances are dedicated to her continued effort to win his affection. She accompanies the rest of Team 7 during all of its early missions, though she does little to contribute to the battles that take place. Sakura lacks any unique traits that would set her apart from the rest of Team 7, although Kakashi notes that she has an excellent control over her chakra early in Part I. As a result, Sakura stays on the sidelines, content in allowing her teammates to protect her and defeat their opponents. During the Chunin Exams, when the rest of Team 7 is left in need of her protection, Sakura realizes that relying on others to fight her battles has been unwise. She resolves to better her ninja abilities from that point further, and she takes a more active role in Team 7's battles throughout the rest of the series. After Sasuke's defection from Konohagakure at the end of Part I, Naruto's failure to bring him back, and Sakura's inability to help either of them, she becomes Tsunade's apprentice so that she can do more for her teammates in the future. Since then, Sakura makes it her personal goal to bring Sasuke home.
After training under Tsunade for two-and-a-half years, Sakura acquires the ability to heal wounds, becoming one of the most experienced medical ninjas. In order to secure her survival to heal others, Sakura also develops superhuman strength by building up chakra in her fists; by storing a vast amount of Chakra in her body over 3 years, she awakens the Byakugō Seal, a jutsu considered to be the pinnacle of chakra control. Thanks to this, Sakura joins Team 7 as a medical ninja to save their ally Gaara from the criminal group Akatsuki. With help from the elder Chiyo, Sakura defeats the Akatsuki member Sasori, who gives her hints of Sasuke's whereabouts. The new member of Team 7, Sai, uses his intelligence to track Sasuke down, but once again they are unable to prevent him from escaping. While disappointed in their failure, Team 7 tries once again to find Sasuke, although after almost apprehending him they lose his trail and are forced to return home. As they search for Sasuke, Sakura learns of the various hardships Naruto faces because of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox creature sealed inside him, which is being pursued by the Akatsuki. Saddened by the impact both forces have had on his life, Sakura becomes protective of Naruto and tries to do whatever she can to help him overcome these obstacles. Sakura later resolves to kill Sasuke after understanding he is becoming a menace to the villages. However, when she fails to do it, Naruto decides to settle things with Sasuke himself. When a war against the remaining Akatsuki is announced, Sakura participates as a medical ninja. She later moves to the fighting side when the Ten-Tails creature is released, and she battles it alongside Naruto and Sasuke. After Sasuke is pardoned for his crimes, Sakura sees him off as he decides to travel the world in search for redemption and shows signs that he finally accepts her feelings for him; he pokes her forehead and thanks her right before his departure. In the epilogue, set years after the end of the Fourth Ninja War, it is shown that Sakura and Sasuke had married and had a daughter, Sarada Uchiha.
In other media
Sakura has made several appearances outside of the Naruto anime and manga. She is in all eleven feature films of the series: in the first film — Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow (2004), she battles Mizore Fuyukuma and later defeats him; in the second — Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel (2005), she helps Naruto and Shikamaru Nara in their battle against Haido and his subordinates; the third — Naruto the Movie: Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom (2006) — has Sakura battling the hired ninja Karenbana, whom she defeats using her enhanced strength; in the fourth — Naruto Shippuden the Movie (2007), Sakura, Naruto, Rock Lee, and Neji Hyuga are assigned to escort the maiden Shion; in the fifth — Naruto Shippuden the Movie: Bonds (2008), Sakura is assigned alongside Naruto and Hinata Hyuga to help a girl, Amaru, and her sensei, Shinnō, return to their village while in the process learning of an upcoming invasion of the Sky Country; the sixth — Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Will of Fire (2009) — has Sakura and Naruto desperately following and trying to bring back their sensei, Kakashi, who has gone on a suicide mission to prevent the Fourth Great Ninja World War; in the seventh — Naruto Shippuden the Movie: The Lost Tower (2010), Sakura and the rest of Team Kakashi are sent to capture a missing-nin, Mukade; in the eighth — Naruto the Movie: Blood Prison (2011), Sakura assists in the battle against the demon Satori who has been released from the Box of Enlightenment; in the ninth — Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie (2012), Sakura and Naruto are transported to an illusion world by Obito Uchiha in which instead of Naruto's parents, Sakura's parents were the ones who sacrificed their lives in preventing the Nine-Tails from destroying Konohagakure and were thus deemed as the village's heroes; in the tenth — The Last: Naruto the Movie (2014), Sakura, in her young adult years, sets out alongside Naruto, Sai, Shikamaru, and Hinata to rescue a kidnapped Hanabi Hyuga, Hinata's younger sister; and finally, in the eleventh — Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015), Sakura watches her daughter's participation in the Chunin Exams.
She is also present in all three of the original video animations produced for the series, helping Naruto and Konohamaru to find a four-leaf clover in the first original video animation, joining her team in escorting a ninja named Shibuki to his village and helping him fight the missing-nin that stole the village's "Hero's Water" in the second, and participating in a tournament in the third. A light novel titled Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze (2015), written by Tomohito Ōsaki and illustrated by Kishimoto, focuses on Sakura sometime after the events of The Last: Naruto the Movie, where she, now a celebrated medical ninja who is in the middle of opening a new mental clinic with Ino Yamanaka, becomes worried when a conspiracy that threatens to destroy Konohagakure is using Sasuke as a scapegoat, potentially ruining his chance at redemption amongst the villagers. In Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015), Sasuke's travels keep him away from his family. As a result, his whereabouts become a touchy subject for Sakura, who assures Sarada over the years that Sasuke will return home once having completed his mission. After punching the ground in a fit of rage over Sarada asking if she and Sasuke are married, Sakura discovers her daughter has left the village in search of Sasuke. By the time she catches up to the two, they are in the presence of Shin Uchiha, whom Sakura attacks. Afterward, she is teleported away with him to his hideout, where she declines to assist him with her medical skills and pretends to be helpless in order to gain information on him. After Sakura battles Shin, she is rescued by her husband, and they return to the village following Shin's defeat. Soon after that, Sakura and Sarada see Sasuke off to his journey. Sakura later serves as a spectator for Sarada while she participates in the Chunin Exams and saves both herself and other onlookers from falling debris, afterward healing Hinata.
Sakura is a playable character in nearly all Naruto video games, including the Clash of Ninja series and the Ultimate Ninja series. In some games, she uses "Inner Sakura" in combat as well as numerous different genjutsu. Naruto Shippuden: Gekitou Ninja Taisen! EX (2007) marks the first appearance of Sakura in her Part II design in a video game, with the second one being Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja 4 (2007). Meanwhile, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 (2016) marks the first appearance of Sakura post-Part II; specifically, her appearance in The Last: Naruto the Movie, set two years after chapter 699 of the manga.
Reception
In the Weekly Shōnen Jump character popularity polls, Sakura had many times been placed in the top ten and reached the top five once; in the most recent poll, she was ranked twelfth. Numerous pieces of merchandise based on Sakura have been released, including action figures, key chains of her Part I (Naruto) and Part II (Naruto: Shippuden) appearances, and various character patches. In a poll from 2021, Sakura was voted as the 6th most popular character in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. In 2023, in the first global poll, Sakura was found to be the franchise's third most popular character overall, behind Minato Namikaze and Itachi Uchiha, and the most popular female character.
Several manga, anime and video games publications and other related media have provided praise as well as criticism on Sakura's character. IGN writer A.E. Sparrow commented that every anime and manga benefited from a strong female presence that Sakura provided for the Naruto series, although characterizing her as "stereotypically girly". In a review of episode 110 of the anime, IGN celebrated the culmination of the development of Sakura's character throughout the series and the growing out of the "girly" personality. GameSpot said that Sakura's character had largely been used in the series as a form of comic relief and to often state the obvious. T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews considered Sakura to be a stereotypical echo of similar love interests of protagonists in other shōnen manga and that she was not likable. On the other hand, she was also regarded as "an interesting character to throw into the mix " by Mania Entertainment's Dani Moure due to how her differences with Sasuke and Naruto helped to balance Team 7. In the book New Media Literacies and Participatory Popular Culture Across Borders, Amy A. Zenger wrote that Sasuke and Sakura's relationship was popular among fans of the series even at the time when the former had not yet reciprocated the latter's feelings.
The character's change in Part II (Naruto: Shippuden) has been praised by Anime News Network's Casey Brienza for being one of the most developed ones in the series, as she has become stronger than her Part I (Naruto) counterpart, which was considerably weaker than Naruto and Sasuke. This allows her to take a more active and appealing role in the series. Major praise has been given to her encounters with Sasori and Sasuke owing to her fighting skills and mature reactions, respectively. Sakura's love confession to Naruto in later parts of the series has been commented to be one of the deepest lines and parts of the story arc for bringing confusion in regard to whether her love confession claim was as serious as her intention to stop Naruto's suffering. It also came as a surprise as fans wondered what Sakura's real intention regarding Sasuke was, the latter having already become a dangerous criminal during such a time in the series. Jason Thompson believes Sakura's feelings were well-handled by Kishimoto. While disliking the romance between Sasuke and Sakura in the original series as she felt it was initially a crush on Sakura's part, Amy McNulty thought the spin-off manga Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring helped to expand the bond between these two as well as their relationship with their daughter, Sarada. Sarah Nelkin of Anime Now praised Sakura's development across the series, mostly in late parts of the story due to how she turns into a stronger person as she grows up and especially when she becomes an adult.
Critic Yukari Fujimoto says that Sakura is an example of Naruto showing a conservative view of women. Ino, Sakura and Hinata place priority on love, treating it as more important than excelling as a ninja. Fujimoto states that during the ninja examinations, Sakura's climactic fight with Ino, her love rival, is conducted on a purely physical level, contrasting this level of skill with the supernatural abilities displayed by her male classmates at this point. When the medical ninja Tsunade is introduced, Sakura takes on a daughter-like role, learning to heal others from Tsunade's teaching, which Fujimoto regards as reinforcing a conservative idea of women — that women do not belong on the battlefield as warriors, only as nurses.
See also
References
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{{cite book}}:|website=ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
Media related to Sakura Haruno at Wikimedia Commons
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