Naruto’s Most Hated Character Nearly Cost Masashi Kishimoto His Marriage
Sakura Haruno may be a central force in Naruto, but few characters split the fandom more. Despite her strength, she remains a lightning rod for backlash, reigniting debate over how Masashi Kishimoto handled her.
If you ever needed proof that anime shipping wars go way beyond forums, here you go: Masashi Kishimoto says the Naruto x Hinata endgame almost started a fight in his own house. Yes, really.
When your wife ships Naruto x Sakura harder than the internet
Sakura Haruno is one of Naruto's leads and, depending on who you ask, either a solid, powerful character or the scapegoat for every gripe under the sun. That polarization spilled into Kishimoto's real life. In a 2015 chat with Anime News Network, he admitted he did not expect the backlash when he revealed who Naruto marries at the end. Plenty of fans assumed the guy would end up with Sakura, the female lead. Instead, Naruto winds up with Hinata Hyuga, who had been positioned as his quiet, steadfast admirer from day one. The twist? Kishimoto's own wife was firmly Team Naruto x Sakura.
'I almost caused a rift in my own household too, because my wife was very upset also that Naruto didn't get together with Sakura. In fact, she complained quite vehemently to me!'
- Masashi Kishimoto
He even tried to smooth things over by telling her she was the inspiration for Hinata. According to him, she probably clocked that this was damage control more than truth. Inside baseball, sure, but also very funny.
Why Hinata over Sakura, straight from the creator
Kishimoto has explained his logic pretty clearly. Think of it this way:
- Hinata backed Naruto from the beginning, often from the sidelines, when no one else did.
- She understood him at his lowest and believed he would never quit, even before the power-ups and the hero glow-up.
- Sakura supported Naruto too, but not with the same consistency from the very start.
- Given all that, Kishimoto says he would have felt bad leaving Hinata hanging after she had been there for Naruto the whole time.
So, yeah, the Naruto x Hinata pairing was deliberate, not a last-minute twist. And if you were rooting for Naruto x Sakura, at least take comfort in knowing the author caught some heat for it at home too.
Naruto is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.