For me, this, writing wise, was the one of the worst things he did. Some of my favorite moments from this series were Part 1 instances of Naruto's selflessness. Regardless of how the pairings turned out in the long run Naruto did a number of things for her because he believed it would make her happy, even at his own expense. I think the hospital scene was where he became convinced she loved Sasuke and wasn't going to love him. Though he would have gone for Sasuke regardless, he made the promise he made to her because he cared about her. Her happiness was his priority not whether he ever won her affection. In Chapter 3, he empathized with her pursuit of Sasuke.
It's evident he knows what love is and knows its not just his love his Ramen. This feels like a homage to Goku thinking marriage is food, but it doesn't work here because its clear he knows what it is and he's nowhere near as socially inept as Goku is. It really can't be reconciled cleanly with anything that happens before that, but to the extent any reconciliation is possible, it makes him look terrible and ruins many of his best character moments.
This is one of the reasons I feel, that if NH fans want they can have him. I have no interest in this version of Naruto being paired with anyone.
Exactly. what was so insulting to me and why I stopped supporting the series definitely when that movie came out was that it destroyed everything that made Naruto's character. It destroyed the POAL, It destroyed the notion of Naruto and Sakura even seeing each other as friends and just lumped in together for convenience because of the commonality connection to Sasuke, and hell, ultimately showed us that Naruto is not only a love ignorant simpleton, but ultimately is a self serving one so who can actually support him anymore after that movie? ALL. BECAUSE. the very notion that Hinata is a silver medal or replacement love interest had to be eradicated from the face of the earth. it is one thing to ruin a character for a crack pairing romance. It is an entirely different thing to destroy the very message of the story because of it and make the Main character's motivations you've been sympathizing with end up as self-convenient hypocrisy.
And that's the problem because in order for Naruto to "love" Hinata, he had to receive a character assassination by making him or similar to Goku. That was the most stupidest move SP did on their end because they want to be a cash cow like Dragonball, (not mention listening to the radical/otaku fans thinking that "Hinata receiving a role upgrade = money"). However, that was a dumb move because the franchise were already in that status, especially in the West.
The franchise and Naruto's characterization would had been fine and stay in tact if SP (along with the editors and Shueisha) left it as is, so we could had a least decent sequel /Part 3. But nooooooooo..... 
That would be putting it lightly, I'm afraid. Naruto did not receive mere character assassination, his character was nuked to oblivion. Every character trait that made him the sympathetic underdog that we were rooting for all these years was atomically blown apart. He didn't understand what romantic love was so the POAL was rendered pointless so who is he to talk about whom Sakura loves? He fell in love with Hinata because everyone TOLD HIM she was his soul mate or is some political benefit to his chances of being hokage, and most insultingly of all, Naruto "Mr. my ninja code is never backing down and giving up" Uzumaki fell into despair and gave up on saving his world when his "trophy wife" Hinata rejected him and left with another man so bonds don't mean jack kitten compared to his trophy wife. This after he was brain washed into pity accepting her feelings for never noticing them before by the way. And I say trophy wife because everything in this movie was as cringing and forced as you get, cramming every shojo genre trope ever made into an hour and a half laughing stock of a spectacle. If Hinata was not a trophy wife, this movie wouldn't have been needed in the first place, and I say this completely without bias. The aftermath of this movie is the "proof in the pudding"
It still amazes me on these romance stories where the people constantly say "I am doing this to make the other person happy." It sounds selfless on the surface, but in reality it is the most selfish thing to say to someone. You don't know what really makes another person happy. The biggest happiness you can give someone is a choice.
The ironic thing is is this discussion is constantly pushed around in the story, but never done practically.
Naruto wanted Sakura to be happy, but he never told her how he felt.
Sakura wanted Naruto to be happy, but never asked him how he felt.
Sasuke constantly told Naruto and Sakura how he felt, and they literally ignored it in favor of what they wanted for him.
Hinata is the most selfish out of all of them, because she didn't care about anyone, but herself. Everything she did was for her infatuation, not for her love. If it really was about Naruto, she would have let him feel how he wanted instead of brainwashing him.
Hinata is the most selfish because she only cares about herself
Next is Sakura because she keeps pushing how she wants both boys to feel to the point that they have no say: "Sasuke you HAVE to love me because I love you. Naruto you HAVE to love Hinata because I love Sasuke and I don't want to feel guilty about not loving you."
Naruto is selfish because instead of living the life he wanted, he lived a life everyone told him to live whether they did consciously or sub-consciously
Sasuke is actually the least selfish in this context because he didn't care how anyone else lived as long as they didn't get in his way of his goal which they constantly did.
Compare this to Ochako with Deku. She loves Deku, but she has her own career to look into. She supported Deku in many ways and even changed a few things to support him...not because she wanted to be noticed and loved by him, but because she legit wanted to help him. THAT is is selfless love and even though she may get jealous and envious every now and them...that is just her being her.
It amazes me how Sasuke was literally open since day 1 with Naruto and Sakura and they both just legit ignored everything Sasuke was saying.
Team 7: "Sasuke, what do you want in life?"
Sasuke: "My family was murdered by my brother. I want to punish him and try to bring honor back to my family for the betrayal. I want to know the truth"
Naruto: "Man, Sasuke is a mystery. I don't know what he wants in life. I wish I was him and be popular"
Sasuke: "No, I want justice for my family and clans murder. I don't care about popularity, I just miss my family."
Sakura: "Sasuke is in love with me and he probably is too scared to admit"
Sasuke: "I actually don't care about you and have no feelings. I just want my family back."
Kakashi: "Sasuke probably just wants friends to be around since I lost mind and am miserable alone."
Sasuke: "That sucks, bro, but I just want to avenge my family."
Actually, thinking of it this way, I can see why people like Sasuke because he was being the most truthful one who actually had a legit goal. Sure, I don't agree with how Sasuke went about it, but I get it.
WHAT AMAZES ME is that these same fans preach about true love, But Naruto does not know what true love is unless it involves his soul mate, Hinata. the foundation and building of their relationship was always there and is only invisible to any ignorant buffoon not preaching about their red string of fate since they were both born. they don't need to bond, they don't need to communicate or develop together, they don't need to lay themselves bare to the other, and see if they accept and be accepted because that was done off panel apparently.
And what is even more effing hilarious is that Naruto and Sakura's potential romance is fanatical nonsense and that every supporter is a gullible dumb-kitten to have ever believed in it but if you apply that same story anywhere else AND THEN it is the development of true love 
I am so done with this series. Except to mock it. 
Edited by Phantom_999, 29 November 2021 - 05:35 PM.
