Why is it really that Sakura is such a disliked character?

[tenten fan]

What is she like sixteen? females on average grow till about 18 so there's still time for boob growth. Maybe she's a late bloomer

 

[NarutoKage2]

Well, next time, be more specific so this way we can avoid misinterpreting, don't you think? Insecure? How exactly did you get this idea?
Divine truth? Seems like you didn't answer a single one of my questions, but that's ok as well.
Well, then, you should criticize others that present an opinion as a fact. What about those who say she's useless? I haven't seen you criticizing those users. You seem only to criticize those who bring her good points. Hmm, you were calling me biased?
I could argue about illogical feelings with Sakura, however, the point here was not his feelings for her, the point there was how they both express themselves emotionally, towards their common point: Sasuke. Whereas people seem to only blame Sakura, Naruto is not to be blamed, though, they both do the same thing. Run for Sasuke, in a way or another.
Maybe, at first she would be like you say, however, in time, she will notice by his acts. Why do you think 540 happened? Sakura is acknowledging Sasuke is NOT the Sasuke she thought she fell in love with.
And about being aware of others think/feel, I'd argue that as well. You seem to forget how countless times she explained to Sai why Naruto acts a certain way because of his feelings for Sasuke and what Sasuke means to Naruto, as well as defending him in front of K11 that were somewhat making him guilty of not taking care of Sasuke.
See, you probably blame her because she wasn't aware of Naruto's love for her, right? Because this is the majority's opinion and something that can be quite slipping the reader's mind. See, we are the reader, we are the audience. We know everything from every's character point of view. Everyone blames her because she wasn't aware of Naruto's feelings. But, let's take a look in other way.

Everyone's opinion: "Sakura sux! She’s sux cos she won’t appreciate Naruto and his feelings. He’s like doing all these things for her but she throws him away! OMG! That bitch!"
So here’s the thing: she never actually knew (until Sai revealed it to her) that Naruto even liked her — in a serious way. In a romantic way. In a like-like-like way.*
Naruto’s never actually come close to*confessing*his feelings. In like, ever. And no, I don’t think the Promise of A Lifetime counts (it’s a proof, in some ways, but not an actual confession). Let's not forget about those walls I've been telling you Naruto puts in order to hide his actual true feelings.
I mean, think about it this way: You’re a girl, in love with another guy. You get tunnel vision. All you see is your hair black-haired brooding knight. No one else comes close. No one else really compares. Sakura at 12. And then on the other side there’s your dunce of a teammate. Who likes annoying you and everybody else, for that matter. And sorry, but you can't deny Naruto wasn't acting all fat-head in his younger days.
You slowly start to see him in a respectable light, albeit reluctantly at first. And then he starts to become your friend, a close friend even. He’s always comforting you, always there for you. That’s what friends do. He asks you out sometimes, but he’s, like, the greatest joker of all time - so you don’t take him seriously. And you think, that’s just his way of showing affection, maybe.*
So when your pale, emotionless friend tells you that ‘Hey, girl, that blonde guy, your teammate, yeah? Oh,well, he loves you! Like,*yeah, THAT*way. So you go ‘What? So all this time?...‘* - hence her memories of him. This can also be interpreted other-way around, not just for girls.

Really, communication is a two-way street. Think about how you were as a kid, how you were blind about some things because you were too focused on something else. It’s like that with Sakura too. All she needed was a little nudge to make her see. Because she didn't know. Naruto’s never told her. She may have noticed, but if she has no proof, she can never really tell. Considering how, let's remember, how Naruto is always the joker boy.
Naruto didn't want her to know the extent of his feelings. And I guess he’s content for it to stay that way. But we readers aren’t, as we can see. Because we know how he feels. But Sakura didn't.*We’re the audience. So try to remember that before going OMG, that biiitch!

I mean, you seem like a person that's quite different than the other members around here that act child-ish calling her all that names. You seem like a guy who could actually see what's behind the curtain, see from a character's perspective, so on and so forth.
Dunno, that's the impression you gave me along the way. Albeit, maybe I was wrong.

As for doing some guesswork. She was 12. How exactly are we mature at 12? How exactly do we know if we act good or bad with the one around us? Considering Naruto. Let's not always blame Sakura. Yes, she had her faults, hell, I even told them myself, although you called me biased, but also, let's look around at the evironement.
Let's look at the cause, not the effect. Everybody accused Sakura for acting in a certain way, but how many looked at the cause of her actions? Sure, it's easier to blame, rather than to do a little investigation to try to see what's behind the curtain, the reason, to try to understand.

Ok. Well first off getting on the defensive is a sign of insecurity, thus my statement. Secondly, you don't see me criticize others that much because i have more pressing things to do with my time than post on anime forums. However when i do come across a thread such as that, i criticize it as i said. Its called independent/critical thinking.
Which questions did i not answer exactly? Be more specific.

The only reason naruto runs after sasuke is because he was forced to make a promise of a once in a lifetime request by the girl he had a crush on....when sakura confessed, it was really naruto who put on an act(in a manner of speaking). In truth, this whole sasuke obsession has its roots in the feelings(justified or not) that he had for sakura. Since Naruto strived to help/aid her any way he could, if bringing sasuke back was the way to achieve that he decided to give that his all. That was how it really started. Subsequently the impression you get is of a very close friendship that has even been dubbed as borderline homosexuality lol.

None of those excuses of Naruto putting up walls to hide his feelings has any real merit at all. Nor does the age argument. In a world where 13 year olds are capable of trouncing fully grown men who are renown as 'legendary' (itachi/oro) that is an invalid point. Pretty much the entire k11 have been shown to be mature far beyond their years. Take this example: in real life you must be at lest 18 to enlist in an army. And here we have how many 16 year olds fighting in a war....?

Getting back to your point regarding Naruto being able to put up emotional walls, consider this. After meeting him just 3 times, Itachi was able to figure out exactly what was in his heart and what he needed to do to achieve his ambition. (See the chapter 'the requirements to become hokage'). See, that's what a ninja is supposed to be able to do, to see underneath appearances and pick up on subtleties. Sakura on the other hand lacks such depth of character to ever be able to figure out that much about any given person, which is probably why she is generally disliked and why Itachi has a massive(almost too massive) fanbase. I'm not much different in so far as my opinions are concerned than your average person is concerned, the only difference is i'm more articulate and can analyze their causes.

As for understanding Sakura's behavior and the circumstances she was in, it depends entirely on the person. There are people who will react completely differently to the 2 given scenarios you mentioned. Some will pick up on 'that annoying guy's' real emotions and acknowledge it, some will acknowledge and ignore it/reciprocate it. Then there are those who would not even have realized that this person felt that way at all. Its about character and the ability to be sharp of any given individual. Not everyone reacts the same way to any given set of circumstances.

Well ,thanks i guess. But 'seeing behind the curtain' is another metaphor for being more analytical so in this respect you are correct.

I already explained why i do not agree with the age argument you posted. However, let me clarify: i do understand why Sakura acts the way she does and it is rational for a normal person. But for someone who is supposed to be a prodigous heroine of the series and a strong ninja in the strongest team, she does not live upto that title. A ninja is supposed to be aware, of their surroundings and that includes the people in it. I hope you understand this difference.

 

[RasenUchihaChaos]

Its the same as naruto. Why don't you hate naruto personality?

uuh we do well some of us i was a naruto fan up till sometime after the Valley fight then it went down hill cause i looked back and

realized by the gods im a fan of a fool and an icompetent idiot then i switched to itachi/zabuza /anko and a few others

 

[jinyu]

Its no secret that Sakura is probably the most disliked character in the Naruto fan population. The most common reason Ive generally seen is that shes "useless" but I dont think thats true, her overall feats throughout the manga far outweigh any other character in the K11 bar Naruto.

I think the reason she is hated is simply her personality/character: shes whiny, temperamental, loud, impulsive and sentimental, i.e., she is the embodiment of the word b!tch (its like shes on her period 24/7 and this is especially true of the animes portrayal of her character).

When I watched anime, I developed an instinctive dislike of her character for these reasons, I see complaints about her role in the manga as rationalization tbh, I think those of us who dislike her simply dislike her essential character traits.

yeah true

 

[somniferous]

uuh we do well some of us i was a naruto fan up till sometime after the Valley fight then it went down hill cause i looked back and

realized by the gods im a fan of a fool and an icompetent idiot then i switched to itachi/zabuza /anko and a few others

idiots are better than murderers

 

[RasenUchihaChaos]

idiots are better than murderers

most idiots are murderers or hav goten people killed

 

[somniferous]

most idiots are murderers or hav goten people killed

I haven't xd

 

[Ngylle]

Simple

Reason why people hates sakura
people hate sasuke and she likes sasuke -1
She is flat -1
They love hinata so hate the rival -1
She loves sasuke but not naruto -2
She trash naruto all the time, (i wonder what they might think of NAMI (one Piece) because she woops luffi's ass 24/7)
She defeated Sasori ( ok this one its a lame one) -2
Sakura gets annoying spotlight but hinata does not -3

Sasuke is a nice character, i mean its better than having the bullshit that the girl has to always be inlove of the main character, or just because the main set his eyes on that girl, she have to likes him... PEople needs real life ecenearios.!

 

[RasenUchihaChaos]

Simple

Reason why people hates sakura
people hate sasuke and she likes sasuke -1
She is flat -1
They love hinata so hate the rival -1
She loves sasuke but not naruto -2
She trash naruto all the time, (i wonder what they might think of NAMI (one Piece) because she woops luffi's ass 24/7)
She defeated Sasori ( ok this one its a lame one) -2
Sakura gets annoying spotlight but hinata does not -3

Sasuke is a nice character, i mean its better than having the bullshit that the girl has to always be inlove of the main character, or just because the main set his eyes on that girl, she have to likes him... PEople needs real life ecenearios.!

well luffi sometime needs it + nami isnt like sakura and kagome and she is hot!

 

[Ngylle]

I am Sakura really has a bounch of dislikers on her back xD..

Naruto Fans Hates her
Hinata Fans Hates her
Sasuke Fans well they wished that sakura had more you know what i mean.
-But its ok since as long as they have something to piss naruto riders its ok.
-Some naruto lovers hates her for the same reason above

 

[tahmid10]

Sakura is my fav femal character . She is cool beside Sakura isn't useless , she is main character and she will become
Stronger than tsunade ..
She needs time beside she beat sasori and
Usless character can't do that .

Well sakura didn't beat sasori on her own. She had the help of Chiyo. In the beginning, Chiyo taught her how to dodge the needles when sasori sent a massive barrage of poisonous needles. Also she would've originally died. If u look back, u can recall that she had been stabbed with a sword by sasori. She only survived because Chiyo used the reincarnation technique. It was two-on-one the whole time, so you can't give her full credit.

 

[Chatte]

Ok. Well first off getting on the defensive is a sign of insecurity, thus my statement. Secondly, you don't see me criticize others that much because i have more pressing things to do with my time than post on anime forums. However when i do come across a thread such as that, i criticize it as i said. Its called independent/critical thinking.
Which questions did i not answer exactly? Be more specific.

The only reason naruto runs after sasuke is because he was forced to make a promise of a once in a lifetime request by the girl he had a crush on....when sakura confessed, it was really naruto who put on an act(in a manner of speaking). In truth, this whole sasuke obsession has its roots in the feelings(justified or not) that he had for sakura. Since Naruto strived to help/aid her any way he could, if bringing sasuke back was the way to achieve that he decided to give that his all. That was how it really started. Subsequently the impression you get is of a very close friendship that has even been dubbed as borderline homosexuality lol.

None of those excuses of Naruto putting up walls to hide his feelings has any real merit at all. Nor does the age argument. In a world where 13 year olds are capable of trouncing fully grown men who are renown as 'legendary' (itachi/oro) that is an invalid point. Pretty much the entire k11 have been shown to be mature far beyond their years. Take this example: in real life you must be at lest 18 to enlist in an army. And here we have how many 16 year olds fighting in a war....?

Getting back to your point regarding Naruto being able to put up emotional walls, consider this. After meeting him just 3 times, Itachi was able to figure out exactly what was in his heart and what he needed to do to achieve his ambition. (See the chapter 'the requirements to become hokage'). See, that's what a ninja is supposed to be able to do, to see underneath appearances and pick up on subtleties. Sakura on the other hand lacks such depth of character to ever be able to figure out that much about any given person, which is probably why she is generally disliked and why Itachi has a massive(almost too massive) fanbase. I'm not much different in so far as my opinions are concerned than your average person is concerned, the only difference is i'm more articulate and can analyze their causes.

As for understanding Sakura's behavior and the circumstances she was in, it depends entirely on the person. There are people who will react completely differently to the 2 given scenarios you mentioned. Some will pick up on 'that annoying guy's' real emotions and acknowledge it, some will acknowledge and ignore it/reciprocate it. Then there are those who would not even have realized that this person felt that way at all. Its about character and the ability to be sharp of any given individual. Not everyone reacts the same way to any given set of circumstances.

Well ,thanks i guess. But 'seeing behind the curtain' is another metaphor for being more analytical so in this respect you are correct.

I already explained why i do not agree with the age argument you posted. However, let me clarify: i do understand why Sakura acts the way she does and it is rational for a normal person. But for someone who is supposed to be a prodigous heroine of the series and a strong ninja in the strongest team, she does not live upto that title. A ninja is supposed to be aware, of their surroundings and that includes the people in it. I hope you understand this difference.

Who got on the defensive here? I don't get these things with defensive or offensive, really. I am bringing a point here, not defensive or offensive. If it is the way you interpret it, it doesn't mean you are right, like you told me that, remember? It's all matter of perception. I could also call you, why on the offensive? Feeling like the defensive is too durable? I mean, you are the one who said to me that you don't spend your time on anime forums because you have better things to do. First of all, did I ask you what are you doing with your life? With your time? Did I need to bring down things like that with hidden message? Look, if you want to say something, say it straight and right, don't come with detours and insinuations, in order to get offensive at some level. I think we are both mature individuals who can have a discussion of such without pleading at such moves, don't you think?
I already told you that you seem a different person from what I've met around, and I'd like to keep my opinion like that. Let's not come down to such things, shall we?
But anyway, that's another part. Let's get moving to our discussion. Hope we have that clear.
The only reason he does it, it's because he was forced to make a promise? Hmm, you seemed to have missed the part

You must be registered for see links

, as well as the part where

You must be registered for see links

to take him for the mission and Naruto

You must be registered for see links

without even thinking twice! This was before Sakura asked him to bring Sasuke back. As well, idea reinforced years later, when he says to her

You must be registered for see links

.
That promise was more as a part of their bond. Naruto just wanted to see her happy, that's why he promised he will bring him back, however, he had his own reasons to do it.
Sakura's PoaL just enforced this desire to bring Sasuke back.
And I do believe it wasn't an act when Sakura confessed. Why? Because he had just had his confrontation with Pein, who put all his ideals about peace to doubt, as well as, he learned about understanding. That's "why he says, I feel I can understand him more now". "Why he went obsessed with the revenge" so on and so forth.
Because in his confrontation with Pein, Nagato has just explained him why does he do what Naruto considered to be a "take of revenge on Konoha". And Nagato via Pein, explained him about his parents death and what made him come where he was there. Therefore, Naruto understands the reason why Sasuke does what he does.
The whole Pein thing is also a hidden message of understanding Sasuke's action. And in the end, my guess is that, they'll come to an understanding, both Naruto and Sasuke.
And after they're fight, I'm sure that there will be some sort of pain that will bring them together.
Dunno, anyway, that's a guess and a theory of mine. Have many, but won't go further with that since it's not the subject we're treating it here.

That wall thing had another meaning to it. It was about the expression of their feelings towards their common point: Sasuke. But seems like you didn't get it. So we should get past it, I guess.
"Trouncing"? Or "touching?" sorry, but the former is not a word I'm familiar with and I can't form an answer based on that.
If you'd like to explain it to me so that I can come up with one, I'd be really grateful.
As well as the age matter. Some have, some haven't.
It's different to each character. Even if they're in war, it doesn't mean they have to be mature, necessarily.
Look at Naruto, how mature he looked back in Pein Arc, he was starting to really grow and act more to his supposed age, yet, he has regressed to the point where Hinata needed to give him a pep talk. Really now? Do you see how much he has fallen? I consider this highly regressed. And a quite not-so-good writing from Kishi's part, but I see the reasoning behind it, so I guess is OK.
He is still that dense individual who has learned nothing. From there comes Itachi's pep talk. Since you mentioned it, you look at it from a point, but I fairly believe you missed one.
Why Itachi has been able to give him all those pep talks and "see" underneath the underneath? Because Itachi has walked the same footsteps as Naruto had. Itachi is a matured individual who went trough many things similar with Naruto.
He said to him "not to over do it on his own" because he had tried to do everything on his own and failed.
That's why Itachi was able to see through, as you say. Because he had passed through an experience like this and knows what lies ahead. That's why he was the only one able to pep talk him.
Naruto is stubborn and dense about his decisions. So was Itachi, therefore the "his own and failed". He is that ninja because of the experiences he lived.
Whereas Sakura didn't.
As for Sakura lacking the depth, I fairly believe you're wrong again, sorry to call it.
In the given context, I think you missed the Chapter "Path towards Radiance".
Let's take a look at what she thinks.
"Naruto... You saved Konoha. And now you're trying to save the entire shinobi world... You always get with these insurmountable tasks. But no matter what you say this time, we're going to be together. Not just me, we're going to all fight together this time".
See, here's the interesting part. This can be fairly translated into what Itachi pep talked him into.
And let me make it as clear as possible.
But no matter what you say this time (Sakura) = Don't over do it yourself (Itachi).
In his meeting with Itachi he was like "No, I will stop it! I already said it, leave everything to me!" therefore, after came the "Don't overdo it on your own".
We're going to be together. We're all going to fight together this time (Sakura) = Don't forget your friends (Itachi)
Itachi saw in him the same thing Sakura saw in him. That he's trying to shoulder everything on his own. She saw that on her own not in Pein Arc, where he did the same mistake and told everyone to back-off, and she listened, but also in Sasuke matter. How he refuses to leave anyone to get involved in his battle with Sasuke, where Konoha 11(well, now 10) told him that they will aid him in Sasuke matter and he was all "No, no, I'm the only one who can fight Sasuke".
So basically, after seeing this, the same things Itachi saw, but in different cases, Sakura took the same decision as Itachi advised Naruto to do. Meaning, no matter what he says, she won't let him fight alone, all of them are going to help him, resulting in the not overdoing it by his own. Sakura has the same resolution Itachi had.
So, sorry, but I strongly disagree to you she has no character depth. Arguably, she has the most character depth in this manga.
I get that no one reacts the same way in the given situations. Hell, I have no problem with that and I've said it million times. I have a problem with people who purely bash and play double standards.
I mean, when it comes to debates we all need to remain a stance of objectivity, not the other way around, or else we'll drop in the previous mentioned, double standard fallacy.
In simpler words, holding a state of opinion for something you favor without admitting it it applies in instances you don't favor. Namely, this whole Sakura vs. Hinata thing. Some are so ok with Hinata's yet they bash on Sakura, but if they'd stop playing double standards, they would see they both have either something to be ok with or something to not be ok with, that can, for either cases, be 'excused' by what caused both of them to act that way, given a certain situation. So, we have the people, who, play those double standards fallacies. "Well, Hinata did this, but she did it because she had her reasons. She's an angel!" to say it like this, in a simple example. Comes it to Sakura? "She did this because she's a bitch, OMG, I hate her!" without actually looking at the cause of the events, like they did with Hinata.
See what I mean here? That's my problem with people! And I gave the simple reason with Sakura vs. Hinata because it's the most vivid one. Of course it can be applied to other characters as well.
Indeed, it's all about opinion and perception. But if you're going to make a statement, be sure before, not to play double standards, as it sure looks quite bad to your own cause.
As for the last part of it, regarding Sakura, I think we already covered that up, didn't we?
And about "she's supposed to be" I'd argue that as well. Yes, she is the heroine of the series. But she's not the typical heroine you'd all expect, and I have my beliefs and facts that back this-up. But that's to be covered in another discussion, I think we should not extend or else, we'll loose ourselves in details.

 

[NarutoandHinata]

1. Although Sakura is the most recurring female character in Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto did not originally intend for Sakura to be the heroine of the series, even stating on occasion that he still has a hard time viewing her as a heroine. Kishimoto attributes this to him being unable to draw good heroine characters, and fashioned Sakura as a girl who cannot 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 grew fond of Sakura, feeling that many of her personality traits are common among all people, thus giving her a sense of real humanity.

2. 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 with drawing heroines, Kishimoto lacked the experience needed to make Sakura "cute" when he first began drawing her. Although he implies that her appearance has become cuter since then, Kishimoto and much of the Naruto manga staff agree that Sakura was "far from cute" at the start of the series.

3. Despite being the heroine of the series, Kishimoto stated himself during the 2010 interview that Hinata would make a better heroine than Sakura, this is due to the fact that because Sakura not only has a 'normal' background in comparison to Hinata but also because he has a hard time making good roles for female characters like Sakura, having stated on several occasions that he has a very hard time viewing her as the heroine of the series. However, Kishimoto also stated that he would try to have Sakura play more of a heroine role in the future.

 

[fayt666]

ok sakura didnt beat sasori. if u noticed chiyo used sakura as a puppet meaning in essense chiyo beat sasori due to all moves sakura did was minipulation. if sakura wasnt minipulated she be dead by first wave attack or severly poisened in first min. so yeh sakura won by fluke.

 

[Chatte]

ok sakura didnt beat sasori. if u noticed chiyo used sakura as a puppet meaning in essense chiyo beat sasori due to all moves sakura did was minipulation. if sakura wasnt minipulated she be dead by first wave attack or severly poisened in first min. so yeh sakura won by fluke.

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3. Despite being the heroine of the series, Kishimoto stated himself during the 2010 interview that Hinata would make a better heroine than Sakura, this is due to the fact that because Sakura not only has a 'normal' background in comparison to Hinata but also because he has a hard time making good roles for female characters like Sakura, having stated on several occasions that he has a very hard time viewing her as the heroine of the series. However, Kishimoto also stated that he would try to have Sakura play more of a heroine role in the future.

About this little interview thing. On other sites has been proven wrongly translated. Not to mention they don't have an official link to that jump festa. That's why I, personally, stopped believing Narutopedia among many other things they're doing wrong.
That's the interview from Jump Festa 2010:

Japanese: 周りからヒロインらしくないとかヒナタのほうがヒロインだとか言われているがやはりサクラは自分の中でヒロインなんで、これからヒロインっぽい所見せる」

Translation: I have been told by other people that Sakura isn't acting like a heroine, or that Hinata is more of a heroine than her, but if I think of it Sakura really has the strength of a heroine inside her, and from here on out she's ready to show it, too.

So having been told by other people doesn't equal Kishi's own words.
As well, that part over the background, never existed, actually.
But oh, well, Narutopedia.

 

[Kyno]

Who got on the defensive here? I don't get these things with defensive or offensive, really. I am bringing a point here, not defensive or offensive. If it is the way you interpret it, it doesn't mean you are right, like you told me that, remember? It's all matter of perception. I could also call you, why on the offensive? Feeling like the defensive is too durable? I mean, you are the one who said to me that you don't spend your time on anime forums because you have better things to do. First of all, did I ask you what are you doing with your life? With your time? Did I need to bring down things like that with hidden message? Look, if you want to say something, say it straight and right, don't come with detours and insinuations, in order to get offensive at some level. I think we are both mature individuals who can have a discussion of such without pleading at such moves, don't you think?
I already told you that you seem a different person from what I've met around, and I'd like to keep my opinion like that. Let's not come down to such things, shall we?
But anyway, that's another part. Let's get moving to our discussion. Hope we have that clear.
The only reason he does it, it's because he was forced to make a promise? Hmm, you seemed to have missed the part

You must be registered for see links

, as well as the part where

You must be registered for see links

to take him for the mission and Naruto

You must be registered for see links

without even thinking twice! This was before Sakura asked him to bring Sasuke back. As well, idea reinforced years later, when he says to her

You must be registered for see links

.
That promise was more as a part of their bond. Naruto just wanted to see her happy, that's why he promised he will bring him back, however, he had his own reasons to do it.
Sakura's PoaL just enforced this desire to bring Sasuke back.
And I do believe it wasn't an act when Sakura confessed. Why? Because he had just had his confrontation with Pein, who put all his ideals about peace to doubt, as well as, he learned about understanding. That's "why he says, I feel I can understand him more now". "Why he went obsessed with the revenge" so on and so forth.
Because in his confrontation with Pein, Nagato has just explained him why does he do what Naruto considered to be a "take of revenge on Konoha". And Nagato via Pein, explained him about his parents death and what made him come where he was there. Therefore, Naruto understands the reason why Sasuke does what he does.
The whole Pein thing is also a hidden message of understanding Sasuke's action. And in the end, my guess is that, they'll come to an understanding, both Naruto and Sasuke.
And after they're fight, I'm sure that there will be some sort of pain that will bring them together.
Dunno, anyway, that's a guess and a theory of mine. Have many, but won't go further with that since it's not the subject we're treating it here.

That wall thing had another meaning to it. It was about the expression of their feelings towards their common point: Sasuke. But seems like you didn't get it. So we should get past it, I guess.
"Trouncing"? Or "touching?" sorry, but the former is not a word I'm familiar with and I can't form an answer based on that.
If you'd like to explain it to me so that I can come up with one, I'd be really grateful.
As well as the age matter. Some have, some haven't.
It's different to each character. Even if they're in war, it doesn't mean they have to be mature, necessarily.
Look at Naruto, how mature he looked back in Pein Arc, he was starting to really grow and act more to his supposed age, yet, he has regressed to the point where Hinata needed to give him a pep talk. Really now? Do you see how much he has fallen? I consider this highly regressed. And a quite not-so-good writing from Kishi's part, but I see the reasoning behind it, so I guess is OK.
He is still that dense individual who has learned nothing. From there comes Itachi's pep talk. Since you mentioned it, you look at it from a point, but I fairly believe you missed one.
Why Itachi has been able to give him all those pep talks and "see" underneath the underneath? Because Itachi has walked the same footsteps as Naruto had. Itachi is a matured individual who went trough many things similar with Naruto.
He said to him "not to over do it on his own" because he had tried to do everything on his own and failed.
That's why Itachi was able to see through, as you say. Because he had passed through an experience like this and knows what lies ahead. That's why he was the only one able to pep talk him.
Naruto is stubborn and dense about his decisions. So was Itachi, therefore the "his own and failed". He is that ninja because of the experiences he lived.
Whereas Sakura didn't.
As for Sakura lacking the depth, I fairly believe you're wrong again, sorry to call it.
In the given context, I think you missed the Chapter "Path towards Radiance".
Let's take a look at what she thinks.
"Naruto... You saved Konoha. And now you're trying to save the entire shinobi world... You always get with these insurmountable tasks. But no matter what you say this time, we're going to be together. Not just me, we're going to all fight together this time".
See, here's the interesting part. This can be fairly translated into what Itachi pep talked him into.
And let me make it as clear as possible.
But no matter what you say this time (Sakura) = Don't over do it yourself (Itachi).
In his meeting with Itachi he was like "No, I will stop it! I already said it, leave everything to me!" therefore, after came the "Don't overdo it on your own".
Itachi saw in him the same thing Sakura saw in him. That he's trying to shoulder everything on his own. She saw that on her own not in Pein Arc, where he did the same mistake and told everyone to back-off, and she listened, but also in Sasuke matter. How he refuses to leave anyone to get involved in his battle with Sasuke, where Konoha 11(well, now 10) told him that they will aid him in Sasuke matter and he was all "No, no, I'm the only one who can fight Sasuke".
So basically, after seeing this, the same things Itachi saw, but in different cases, Sakura took the same decision as Itachi advised Naruto to do. Meaning, no matter what he says, she won't let him fight alone, all of them are going to help him, resulting in the not overdoing it by his own. Sakura has the same resolution Itachi had.
So, sorry, but I strongly disagree to you she has no character depth. Arguably, she has the most character depth in this manga.
I get that no one reacts the same way in the given situations. Hell, I have no problem with that and I've said it million times. I have a problem with people who purely bash and play double standards.
I mean, when it comes to debates we all need to remain a stance of objectivity, not the other way around, or else we'll drop in the previous mentioned, double standard fallacy.
In simpler words, holding a state of opinion for something you favor without admitting it it applies in instances you don't favor. Namely, this whole Sakura vs. Hinata thing. Some are so ok with Hinata's yet they bash on Sakura, but if they'd stop playing double standards, they would see they both have either something to be ok with or something to not be ok with, that can, for either cases, be 'excused' by what caused both of them to act that way, given a certain situation. So, we have the people, who, play those double standards fallacies. "Well, Hinata did this, but she did it because she had her reasons. She's an angel!" to say it like this, in a simple example. Comes it to Sakura? "She did this because she's a bitch, OMG, I hate her!" without actually looking at the cause of the events, like they did with Hinata.
See what I mean here? That's my problem with people! And I gave the simple reason with Sakura vs. Hinata because it's the most vivid one. Of course it can be applied to other characters as well.
Indeed, it's all about opinion and perception. But if you're going to make a statement, be sure before, not to play double standards, as it sure looks quite bad to your own cause.
As for the last part of it, regarding Sakura, I think we already covered that up, didn't we?
And about "she's supposed to be" I'd argue that as well. Yes, she is the heroine of the series. But she's not the typical heroine you'd all expect, and I have my beliefs and facts that back this-up. But that's to be covered in another discussion, I think we should not extend or else, we'll loose ourselves in details.

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[somniferous]

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[Chatte]

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You missed other walls of text then. :|

 

[-Raviel-]

because the b!tch is still alive and just wont die

 

[Silverforsakenhamster]

I think the fact that she does so little with the amount of screen time that she has is the real reason. Yes she can do some useful things (although saying that she beat Sasori is an invalid statement) but she has so much more screen time then any other character where she has the ability to do something useful, and she doesn't. She just heals people after they fight. Which is a useful thing, but when thinking about a ninja's usefulness only through battle, yes she is theoretically useful, but that usefulness is very poorly expressed.

If you take into account how much action screen time each character has, really the only ninja who does less than sakura (in battle, when looking at all of Naruto, not just select parts) is Tenten. And I know that some other characters might on average be less useful than sakura, and that uselessness may not be seen, it doesn't matter, because that uselessness will not be seen. Every other character does on average more useful things with the action time that they get.

On top of Sakura's b!tchy attitude, she also has reiterated and thrown in our faces and established by herself through her own thoughts that she is useless. I think that this mentality that she is useless also comes from her a) uselessness at the beginning of the series, and b) her uselessness being almost a part of the plot. Remember when she gets knocked out when hit by Kabuto's body? That is something that feeds into her being useless, she was knocked out in one unintentional blow. And her remark later when healing Naruto that all she could do was heal Naruto after the battle a) deemphasizes healing as opposed to battle combat, so that when you look at how great a healer she is it still comes into question whether or not she is as or more useful than a good battle ninja, and b) establishes a feeling of Sakura's uselessness recognized by both the viewer and by Sakura.

Not only that, but when you have now a thought of Sakura being useless built essentially for you, then every time you see sakura it will register in your mind either consciously or subconsciously, and your mind will deemphasize all the useful things that Sakura does and emphasize all of the useless things that Sakura does. Because your mind already knows "the truth", it will see the situation in a particular way skewed towards supporting that truth. This, combined with the fact that sakura isn't the most useful character, and between all of the characters we most frequently see she does the least in battle, she is almost written in as a character meant to be thought of as weak and useless.

In Naruto, what makes most characters useful is their battle skills. Sakura has battle skills, but rarely uses them effectively. She is more of a healing type, and while she is a great healer which is extremely useful, it isn't the type of traditional usefulness instilled on the eyes of the naruto viewer. And when you are knocked out by a tossed body, when you don't do anything and have someone else have to get injured taking blows for you/for your lack of doing things, when you are constantly being saved and begging for others to help you, It is not irrational for some fans to call her useless. A true fan knows just as useful she truly is, but when you look at it and you don't delve deep into it it is easy to consider sakura useless and is not wrong in a sense.

I give you thumbs up man for those descriptive points. But when someones considering Sakura as useless, they don't just think of it, they accuse of it, that's why we find many fans saying she is useless. And also a true fan should also know that Sakura was neither useless in the beginning as well. She guarded Tozuna despite the fact of thinking that Zabuza, someone with one of the 7 great ninja swords(bleh, if i got that one wrong), could come out of no where and kill her. Naruto and Sasuke were against a tough opponent, Haku, but since the main mission was protecting Tazuna, you would haft to die so nothing happens to him. Luckily Kakashi was the one fighting Zabuza.

Remember that part where Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were going to register for the Chunin exams? Sakura who noticed they were still on the 2nd floor, cause there were genin who thought they were on the third floor. It was Sasuke who acknowledges Sakura's skill at being the most able to recognize genjutsus and illusions. Even Sasuke knew that Sakura was useful!

In the 2nd part of the Chunin exam, after Naruto and Sasuke are both unconscious, Sakura was the one who was constantly watches and taking care of them. She sets up traps so incase someone was gonna attack. Of course Sakura needed help to fight the Sound Ninja but that's because it was 3 against 1 and Sakura was at a disadvantage, so Lee had to help her. But once Sakura cutted off her hair, she was going all out, literally. After Sasuke woken up, he was, ya know, beating the crap out of Zetsu (only Sound ninja name I remember, sorry). There's reason why I'm mentioning this because it's true, without Sakura, Sasuke wouldn't have stopped. This seems pretty useful, because enough harm was done already when Sasuke broked Zetsu's arm.

Sakura was able to release the genjutsu used by Kabuto during the last part of the Chunin Exams. She woken up Naruto by releasing the genjutsu on Naruto. This shows that Sakura's intelligence was used. And lastly, without Sakura, how would the Leaf known that Sasuke had just left the village for Orochimaru? Since Sakura was the last one to see Sasuke in the Leaf, she was able to inform the Hogake. Useful because it spared time from Orochimaru using Sasuke as a vessel. Which allowed the 3 year gap to happen.

(Sorry, but most of the things she did revolved almost around Sasuke so, yea... That is how useful our cherry blossom was in pt 1 of naruto.)