5 Naruto ships that we're glad never came to fruition (& 5 that should have)

Over the course of the Naruto series, there have been plenty of characters who were introduced in the series. Naturally, the community is quite interested in the potential love interests of these characters and spends a good amount of time discussing them as well.

However, the community can be quite divided on this since not all relationships are great, and some just defy logic. But there were some good relations that the majority of the fanbase wanted to see.

Naruto ships that the majority of the fanbase didn’t like

1) Naruto and Sakura

Naruto and Sakura from the series (Image via Pierrot)

While Naruto was head over heels for Sakura, most fans are glad that this didn’t happen. During her younger days, Sakura was quite selfish and liked Sasuke because he was good at being a shinobi and he was the cool kid of the class. She constantly yelled at Naruto during the course of the series and most fans didn’t really understand why the community shipped these characters.

2) Rock Lee and Sakura

Why Sakura should have been with Rock Lee (Images by Studio Pierrot)

Rock Lee too was into Sakura and found her extremely attractive. However, it was mere infatuation since he felt that way about her even when he didn’t spend time with her. Sakura had her sights set on someone else and fans were glad that this ship didn’t happen during the course of the series.

Even to this day, fans don’t know who Rock Lee married in the Boruto series, which is a mystery everyone is trying to solve.

3) Sasuke and Hinata

For some reason, there were a few from the community that shipped Sasuke and Hinata. This doesn’t make any sense simply because these two characters never interacted with each other for the longest time. They barely spoke or shared screen time together.

There was no event that led to some members of the community shipping these two characters and it’s safe to say that this is one of the worst ships from a logical standpoint.

4) Rock Lee and Tenten

Rock Lee and Tenten on a mission in the Naruto series (Image via Pierrot)

Some fans shipped Rock Lee and Tenten from the series since they spent a lot of time together on missions. They looked after each other and cared for each other as well. But one might confuse camaraderie for romantic feelings.

Since they belonged to the same team, it’s only natural that they looked after each other. It also made more sense for the fans to ship Tenten and Neji since she really looked up to him and constantly talked about him during the series.

5) Hashirama and Madara

Hashirama and Madara (Image via Pierrot)

The main reason why this is one of the worst ships is that these characters nearly killed each other in battle. They fought each other with the intent to kill, and it simply doesn’t make sense for the community to ship these characters.

This is the same reason why people questioned Sakura and Sasuke being a couple because Sasuke almost succeeded in killing Sakura twice during the course of the series.

Naruto ships that people wanted to see

1) Jiraiya and Tsunade

Jiraiya and Tsunade in Naruto (Image via Pierrot)

Fans were really hoping that these two legendary Sannins would end up together in the series. Jiraiya was quite open in admitting his feelings for Tsunade, but it didn't seem like she felt the same way about him.

She considered him to be a really good friend that she confided in at times. They spent a lot of time together growing up, and it would have been a heart-warming ending if Jiraiya was alive and he ended up with Tsunade in the series.

2) Neji and Tenten

The reason why people feel Neji and Tenten should have been a couple is because of her feelings towards Neji. It wasn’t just infatuation because she truly respected him as a person and admired his dedication and hard work.

She is often seen being concerned for Neji if he was hurt and spent a lot of time outside of training as well. She would even invite Neji to events. It wasn’t explicitly stated that she had feelings for him, but the majority of the fanbase felt this way.

3) Obito and Rin

These two characters liked each other and Obito really loved Rin. He would do anything for her, and one of the biggest life-altering instances of the series was when he witnessed Rin’s death. This changed him forever.

Fans wished to watch these characters grow up and fall in love since Rin and Obito were some of the nicest people in the series. However, Rin’s death changed Obito, and he went on to become one of the major antagonists of the series.

4) Sasuke and Naruto

Naruto and Sasuke from the series (Image via Pierrot)

Fans have made plenty of jokes regarding this ship ever since the duo’s first day at the academy. In an attempt to intimidate Sasuke, the protagonist was quite close to Sasuke’s face and accidentally ended up kissing him. Since then, fans have been wanting to see their relationship develop into something that is a little more complex than friendship.

5) Hinata and Kiba

During the early stages of the series, it seemed like Kiba had romantic feelings for Hinata. The two worked together and, naturally, spent a lot of time together during missions.

Some of the fans didn’t approve of her relationship with Naruto since it seemed one-sided, and it took Neji's death to catalyze their relationship. However, Hinata was comfortable around Kiba and wasn’t all that shy either. Fans believed that she should have ended up with Kiba.

Note: The article reflects the writer's own views.

Follow us for more updates on Naruto as the anime returns after more than a decade. The studio is re-releasing four episodes of the anime, which will start running in September 2023 for all fans to watch, in honour of the 20th anniversary of the original anime's debut.

This article was modified on Sunday, August 10 at 12:00 AM.