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Naruto’s Sakura Haruno is undoubtedly one of the most divisive characters in all animanga. Part one of the series sees her as virtually useless, resulting in the constant ridicule she faces from the fanbase.
Part two of the series, however, sees her become much more useful than she was in the first part. Her combat skills have vastly improved, as have her medical ninjutsu skills and overall prowess.
Here are five unforgivable mistakes Sakura has made in Naruto, and five more moments where she redeems herself.
Not destroying the Rinnegan, and 4 other big mistakes by Sakura in Naruto
1) Hesitating to kill Sasuke
Naruto Shippuden sees Sakura go on her own in an effort to kill Sasuke. However, she hesitates at the last moment, giving her ruthless and efficient opponent an opportunity to counter her. She nearly dies in the process, making this quite literally her most fatal mistake.
2) Didn’t utilize combat skills to the fullest extent
After training with Tsunade during the time-skip, Sakura returns in Naruto Shippuden being incredibly strong, and also skilled in taijutsu. While she makes great use of these talents early on, they eventually fall to the wayside in favour of more medicinal roles, such as during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
3) Didn’t destroy the Rinnegan
When she did find herself on the front lines in the Fourth Great Ninja War, she seemingly couldn’t help but make the wrong decisions. One such decision is choosing not to destroy Obito’s Rinnegan before Madara could reclaim it.
This becomes a massive issue, as the legendary Uchiha becomes much more powerful after getting the second Rinnegan back.
4) Not helping against Zabuza
One of Sakura’s earliest mistakes in Naruto comes during the Zabuza fight, where the rest of Team 7 is proudly and defiantly fighting. Meanwhile, she’s on the sidelines completely dumbstruck with fear, unable to fight and help her teammates.
5) Making fun of an orphan in front of an orphan
Finally, one of the most iconic and universally disliked Sakura mistakes is the infamous orphan scene. She essentially makes fun of Naruto to Sasuke because he is an orphan, without realizing that her conversational partner is also an orphan.
This offends him greatly, causing him to end the conversation then and there due to her insensitivity.
Saving Sasuke, and 4 other moments that are Sakura’s most redemptive in Naruto
1) Saved Kankuro from poison
Shippuden’s premiere arc is the Kazekage Retrieval arc, which sees One Tail Jinchuriki Gaara abducted by the Akatsuki. In the process, Kankuro is poisoned by one of the group’s members, with the poison being strong enough that local medical ninja can’t eliminate it. Luckily, Sakura’s medical skills save the day and his life.
2) Sasori fight
The Sasori fight is undoubtedly one of Sakura’s high points and most iconic moments in the entire series. Her full power is on display here, as is her incredible sense of adaptability by letting Lady Chiyo control her like a puppet. For her fans and haters alike, this is undoubtedly one of Sakura’s shining moments.
3) Saved Sasuke from another dimension
During the final battle of Naruto and Sasuke versus Kaguya, Sakura primarily plays a supporting role throughout the fight. One of her most significant contributions is teaming with Obito to rescue Sasuke from an alternate dimension.
While Rinnegan plays a large role here, it was her chakra reserves and skill in chakra transference that truly made the play here.
4) Key hit on Kaguya
Later on, in the fight against Kaguya, Sakura’s role becomes more offensive as Team 7 approaches the final moments of the fight. As her two teammates rush the Otsutsuki matriarch, she begins escaping upwards and away from them.
In the nick of time, however, Sakura rains down upon her with a fantastic punch, keeping her immobile long enough for her teammates to seal her.
5) Manually kept Naruto’s heart beating
Finally, one of Sakura’s smartest and most impactful moments of redemption was manually beating Naruto’s heart when he died. His role and participation in the war were incredibly essential by this point, and any chance of his survival had to be taken.
Her quick thinking and medical ninjutsu skills here saved both his life and the war effort simultaneously.
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This article was modified on Friday, July 14, at 3:19 am.
