54175 replies to this topic

[Phantom_999]

Oh  the American fan base WASN'T a factor, actually. The More I think about it, the American fan base or any pro NH fan in general was actually just a means to an end. Kishimoto was not convinced to change Hinata to being "THE heroine", BUT MANY male members of the Naruto anime team and and ALMOST ALL OF of his post- Yahagi editors want their self insert Naruto Uzumaki to boink the precious, shy, big kittens, innocent and pure girl Hinata Hyuga that was always "into him", so they gathered the opinions of like-minded masses as "evidence and data".
 
They wanted a method to make Hinata the dream girl of the Main character because they want to vicariously "make love" to her in canon without shame or are SO socially inept at real life relationships that  they think Hinata is the obvious option as a wife because she is easy to obtain without effort because they don't see that love is something that is nurtured and developed, that it starts small but gradually grows by communication, trust and compromise. They feel that Naruto trying to earn Sakura's love is a "chore" because she does not immediately reciprocate and was pining after the cool sexy mysterious bad boy, when all sources of the story indicate that Sakura was starting to understand that she knew nothing of Sasuke at all and that his actions and choices are breaking her heart, so she can not accept who he was at the mid way point and beyond of Part II in the story. At the same time her friendship with the boy that she always looked down on and insulted was blossoming and growing into a mature and stable relationship with the occasional childish banter still being there. That she is always touched by how warm and compassionate that village pariah is, not to mention that he is selfless and loyal to a fault with his friends, which is changing something in her too. The makings of a great romance were all there but in the end it was thrown out the window for the "easy way."
 
That is something that truly disgusts me. That the NH and SS relationships' themes are about the easy way to obtain romance through "entitlement" and "first love" rather than showing a solid friendship and mutual understanding. That the romance is about whom loved whom first rather than showing a couple that grows closer by spending time with each other by choice, talking about happy and sad times alike, can always be "themselves" around each other without putting on a mask or pretend to be someone they are not, and can have arguments or disagreements but do not let that destroy their bond. So of course true love is who you are entitled to and they have to be broken down or brainwashed into loving you back. That is what NH and SS is shown to be with all Post chapter 700 material. And the idiots that are hypnotized and entranced By Hinata's H+ cups eat it up like pudding 

Edited by Phantom_999, 25 November 2018 - 02:24 AM.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

Oh  the American fan base WASN'T a factor, actually. The More I think about it, the American fan base or any pro NH fan in general was actually just a means to an end. Kishimoto was not convinced to change Hinata to being "THE heroine", BUT MANY male members of the Naruto anime team and and ALMOST ALL OF of his post- Yahagi editors want their self insert Naruto Uaumaki to boink the precious, shy big kittens, innocent and pure girl Hinata Hyuga that was always "into him", so they gathered the opinions of like-minded masses as "evidence and data".

 

They wanted a method to make Hinata the dream girl of the Main character because they want to vicariously "make love" to her in canon without shame or are SO socially inept at real life relationships that  they think Hinata is the obvious option as a wife because she is easy to obtain without effort because they don't see that love is something that is nurtured and developed. it starts small but gradually grows by communication, trust and compromise. They feel that Naruto trying to earn Sakura's love is a "chore" because she does not immediately reciprocate and was pining after the cool sexy mysterious bad boy, when all sources of the story indicate that Sakura was starting to understand that she knew nothing of Sasuke at all and that his actions and choices are breaking her heart, so she can not accept who he was at the mid way point and beyond of Part II in the story. At the same time her friendship with the boy that she always looked down on and insulted was blossoming and growing into a mature and stable relationship with the occasional childish banter still being there. That she is always touched by how warm and compassionate that village pariah is, not to mention that he is selfless and loyal to a fault to his friends, which that is changing something in her too. the makings of a great romance were all there but in the end it was thrown out the window for the "easy way."

 

That is something that truly disgusts me. That the NH and SS relationships' themes are about the easy way to obtain romance through "entitlement" and "first love" rather than showing a solid friendship and mutual understanding. That the romance is about whom loved whom first rather than showing a couple that grows closer by spending time with each other by choice, talking about happy and sad times alike, can always be "themselves" around each other without putting on a mask or pretend to be someone they are not, and can arguments or disagreements but do not let that destroy their bond. So of course true love is who you are entitled to and they have to be broken down or brainwashed into loving you back, That is what NH and SS is shown to be with all Post chapter 700 material. And the idiots that are hypnotized and entranced By Hinata's H+ cups eat it up like pudding 

And what makes it worse is how those same people don't even bother trying to hide the complete hypocrisy with their excuses.

Like saying Sakura would be a "terrible woman" if she moved on from Sasuke and yet they make no mention of Ino with Sai, or even Boruto's dad himself to Hinatatas.

[Bryon_Konoha_Ninja]

And what makes it worse is how those same people don't even bother trying to hide the complete hypocrisy with their excuses.

Like saying Sakura would be a "terrible woman" if she moved on from Sasuke and yet they make no mention of Ino with Sai, or even Boruto's dad himself to Hinatatas.

 

It's not like they care; they just want their pairings to  matter even when they know they don't.

[Bail o' Lies]

Look at the Last. The ultimate perfect love story that SP wrote. Now look at Naruto's rival for Hinata's love. Some random loser that lives on the moon (neet/hikimori) that decides to destroy the world after something was stolen from his family years ago (petty) which as a duty his clan was suppose to guard(incompetent), yet he only does this years after the situation was resolved (lazy), when he leaves the moon he instantly want to marry the first girl he meets which he believes is part of an ancient prophecy, who is supposedly a goddess princess, yet she is already madly eternally in love with another guy, so he has to kidnap her, and brain-wash her in order to even get her to the alter.

 

And this guy is the greatest enemy Naruto shall ever face? This loser? Why yes, according to SP.

[James S Cassidy]

Look at the Last. The ultimate perfect love story that SP wrote. Now look at Naruto's rival for Hinata's love. Some random loser that lives on the moon (neet/hikimori) that decides to destroy the world after something was stolen from his family years ago (petty) which as a duty his clan was suppose to guard(incompetent), yet he only does this years after the situation was resolved (lazy), when he leaves the moon he instantly want to marry the first girl he meets which he believes is part of an ancient prophecy, who is supposedly a goddess princess, yet she is already madly eternally in love with another guy, so he has to kidnap her, and brain-wash her in order to even get her to the alter.

 

And this guy is the greatest enemy Naruto shall ever face? This loser? Why yes, according to SP.

Boneri strikes again.

[RulesofNature]

I can't help but wonder what the Japanese fanbase thinks of the Western one? Like, we've all heard the majority over there were convinced that NS would happen, whereas in the West we have the vocal NH fanbase who were claiming Hinata was going to win and was the main heroine. Even people in SP thought NS was happening if the Rock Lee spinoff is anything to go by. So, do they blame the Western fanbase for the ending, claiming it was done by SP to get their support, or do they think the WF enabled the favoritism by members of SP?

[Bail o' Lies]

I can't help but wonder what the Japanese fanbase thinks of the Western one? Like, we've all heard the majority over there were convinced that NS would happen, whereas in the West we have the vocal NH fanbase who were claiming Hinata was going to win and was the main heroine. Even people in SP thought NS was happening if the Rock Lee spinoff is anything to go by. So, do they blame the Western fanbase for the ending, claiming it was done by SP to get their support, or do they think the WF enabled the favoritism by members of SP?

A while after the ending I wanted to see what the Japanese thought of the ending. One of the article I found was them talking about the petition to ban Naruto from the US. Most people were shocked that the American fanbase was that angry, and the few that had friends the were fans of NS in the States said that they normally seem kind, reasonable, and loved the story. But that's anecdotal. Other then that we know the a lot of the Japanese realize that the ending happened for the American/International fanbase which help them lose interest in Naruto, because the producers all but stated Naruto was no longer for them. They seemed to think nH was full of loser, and SS/SNS were full of fuduoshi (or how ever they spell that) that were obsessed with Sasuke, and if they looked at those nH supporting anime youtube reviewers I doubt their opinion would change.

 

Beyond that they tend to see Americans as big idiots, and Europeans as more sophisticated people. Also SP worship of Hinata was well known for years.

 

I haven't bothered to check up on the Japanese sites in years since I not that good at that kind of digging. I imagine that they be making the same assumption we do; SP was obsessed with Hinata, wanting her to be the heroine/Love interest of Naruto no matter what, and used the US nH fanbase as the justification for the ending.

Edited by Bail o' Lies, 18 November 2018 - 04:49 AM.

[KClaws_2]

I suppose we have to remember that we're in the minority in the west. Other than this website, it seems like everyone on the internet hates Sakura more than anything in the world and they support Hinata simply because she's not Sakura.

 

Maybe I looked too closely at the characters and lost the ability to relate with the average fan. Maybe the real mass appeal was ninjas and fighting, and anything that impeded that got looked at with scorn. Sakura was often put in positions where she was either a liability in the fight or far outclassed by the other fighters. If you combine that with her bratty fangirl attitude at the start you can see why more casual viewers would hate her.

 

And then I have to ask myself, did anyone consider the ending to be good? If 100 random fans read the final chapter, how many would have thought it was a good end to the series? Would that number have been higher or lower if we got a NaruSaku end?

 

Honestly I think it would have been lower. Even if it was better writing, even if it was truer to the characters, even if it led to a better sequel series, it still would have been utterly rejected by the masses. Ultimately Naruto is just a product, and Jump is a business.

 

I would just really like to know Kishimoto's thoughts on what happened. It's frustrating even years later not having answers to all these questions and Naruto's continued relevance even if diminished serves only to remind me of the way Jump butchered a decade long story so they could keep it going just a little bit longer.

Hard to say WHAT the reaction would have been. The internet can be very misleading on what "fans" want. The only thing the internet tells you about people's opinions is that you hear only those who speak up, and even then that's subjective. Which sites are you checking out? What of the ones who chose not to be active in these discussions (I used to be one of those, after discovering how negative the fandom as a whole was). You might be able to tally the opinion of a X00k people or so, which seems like a lot, but given the total population of the US, it's really just a drop in the ocean. You probably couldn't even fill a football stadium with that many people.

Even if we're a minority as people who specifically ship NS in the fandom, the Naruto fandom is more eclectic than that. There are those who ship other couples, there are those who don't ship at all, and there are those who multiship. Even taking Boruto into account, even if it is getting good ratings, that doesn't mean people are buying it at an acceptable rate nor does that discount that among some mistakes have been made.  

If we're to take Kishimoto's word for how he came went about his romantic subplot with NS being the red herring, that would still suggest there was a large interest among fans that Naruto should end up with Sakura. Even ANN acknowledges us as a large percentage of the fandom.

 

If the outcome was truly decided on the fandom in the West, it was a bad decision. First off, it's Japan's manga, not ours. The Japanese fans should have the first say on what should go (even if we as international fans don't agree with it). Second, our buying habits are not the same as the Japanese, nor does the way US companies gather profits work the same. In Japan, manga is generally pretty cheap to my knowledge, and if successful, they're able to sell close to a million copies per volume. Their anime also tends to be ridiculously expensive, with DVDs running up to 60 US dollars, and often don't have that many episodes attached to them, hence the companies gain a huge profit per unit. In the US, manga is actually more expensive because the companies that license these manga have to pay for translators in addition to making a profit, and this can also be made more complicated if they're forced to alter the manga for some reason. DVDs are standard price here, but that means less profit per episode. This is made even more difficult when they have to pay for dubbing and subtitles. Plus, anime movies usually do well enough in Japan; in the US you're lucky if an anime movie breaks a million (The Last itself made only 600k, which honestly surprised me). Also, Viz brags about how Naruto has sold millions in the US. That is a good number, make no mistake, but not to the same extent Naruto sold in Japan.

 

So, we really shouldn't have made a difference in the outcome of the story. Even if Naruto was more popular internationally than in Japan, the US is not the rest of the world. 

[RulesofNature]

I suppose we have to remember that we're in the minority in the west. Other than this website, it seems like everyone on the internet hates Sakura more than anything in the world and they support Hinata simply because she's not Sakura.

 

It's always hard to judge the popularity of something with just what's online. The people who go on imageboards and forums to discuss shows usually have stronger feelings towards them than the average viewer. Not to mention how memes can spread regardless of context. Take Jojo for instance. Memes were everywhere and there was a vocal demand for it on Toonami by it's fans, but regular audiences don't care for it as it has never been the ratings draw it's fans said it would be.

 

Not to mention, a lot of the sites that do report on anime tend to have biases of their own. I've talked before here about how ANN went out of it's way to make Gundam Reconguista in G appear to be this massive flop (it was a modest success), whereas they ignored most of the information saying Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans wasn't doing the best in Japan. These sites tend to attempt to be tastemakers, telling audiences what they should be watching this season for whatever reason.

[James S Cassidy]

 

It's always hard to judge the popularity of something with just what's online. The people who go on imageboards and forums to discuss shows usually have stronger feelings towards them than the average viewer. Not to mention how memes can spread regardless of context. Take Jojo for instance. Memes were everywhere and there was a vocal demand for it on Toonami by it's fans, but regular audiences don't care for it as it has never been the ratings draw it's fans said it would be.

 

Not to mention, a lot of the sites that do report on anime tend to have biases of their own. I've talked before here about how ANN went out of it's way to make Gundam Reconguista in G appear to be this massive flop (it was a modest success), whereas they ignored most of the information saying Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans wasn't doing the best in Japan. These sites tend to attempt to be tastemakers, telling audiences what they should be watching this season for whatever reason.

Almost every anime website I have seen are HUGE NH supporters and even call Naruto the Last a "love letter to the fans" claiming almost similar to the ten commandments is from god; Kotaku, ANN, and so much more.

I will say this. If you look for more fanbase websites that were made by the fans themselves, I see more proNS and proSakura, anti-enders in them.

It reminds me of the Airheads movie where the rockers and actual music makers try hard only to be brought down by these "fakers" who are only in it for the money and don't know anything about real rock and roll.

Chazz: Do you know what it's like to be on the bill and to play for 15 minutes and the only people there to see you are the other bands and their girlfriends? Don't talk to me about Rock 'n' Roll! I'm out there in the clubs and on the streets and I'm living it! I am Rock 'n' Roll!

This is basically me and Naruto.

I spent over 10 years with this series, looked at and examined every interview, every piece of info, every book. I bought many products and loved the series very much. I practically lived Naruto for a time only to have these yuppy proenders and this big wigs running the anime industry tell me that I don't know anything about the series because I don't support nH and the ending. I am an anime fan. Not just for pairings. Not because I want waifus, but because I put my passion into it. I grew up with these characters and they are going to tell me that I have "no idea what [your] talking about."

SP: "If NS is so popular, how come nobody came forth and say that is what the fans wanted, babe?"
Me: "Because you didn't listen, babe"

Take the Airheads movie and that is what the Naruto fandom feels like.
Chazz = NS
Rex  = SNS

Pip = SK
Milo = SP
 

I just wish Kishimoto was like Ian and stood up more to SP.

[jak123]

Almost every anime website I have seen are HUGE NH supporters and even call Naruto the Last a "love letter to the fans" claiming almost similar to the ten commandments is from god; Kotaku, ANN, and so much more.

I will say this. If you look for more fanbase websites that were made by the fans themselves, I see more proNS and proSakura, anti-enders in them.

It reminds me of the Airheads movie where the rockers and actual music makers try hard only to be brought down by these "fakers" who are only in it for the money and don't know anything about real rock and roll.

Chazz: Do you know what it's like to be on the bill and to play for 15 minutes and the only people there to see you are the other bands and their girlfriends? Don't talk to me about Rock 'n' Roll! I'm out there in the clubs and on the streets and I'm living it! I am Rock 'n' Roll!

This is basically me and Naruto.

I spent over 10 years with this series, looked at and examined every interview, every piece of info, every book. I bought many products and loved the series very much. I practically lived Naruto for a time only to have these yuppy proenders and this big wigs running the anime industry tell me that I don't know anything about the series because I don't support nH and the ending. I am an anime fan. Not just for pairings. Not because I want waifus, but because I put my passion into it. I grew up with these characters and they are going to tell me that I have "no idea what [your] talking about."

SP: "If NS is so popular, how come nobody came forth and say that is what the fans wanted, babe?"
Me: "Because you didn't listen, babe"

Take the Airheads movie and that is what the Naruto fandom feels like.
Chazz = NS
Rex  = SNS

Pip = SK
Milo = SP
 

I just wish Kishimoto was like Ian and stood up more to SP.

Well there's your problem right there. Sites like Kotaku and ANN are terrible. 

[NaruSaku fan in Kentucky]

I wonder if NS was canon, would the Manga would still make money?

[KClaws_2]

I wonder if NS was canon, would the Manga would still make money?

Again, hard to say. If NS was canon and literally nothing else changed going into Boruto...it would probably be about the same.

[ultranx]

A while after the ending I wanted to see what the Japanese thought of the ending. One of the article I found was them talking about the petition to ban Naruto from the US. Most people were shocked that the American fanbase was that angry, and the few that had friends the were fans of NS in the States said that they normally seem kind, reasonable, and loved the story. But that's anecdotal. Other then that we know the a lot of the Japanese realize that the ending happened for the American/International fanbase which help them lose interest in Naruto, because the producers all but stated Naruto was no longer for them. They seemed to think nH was full of loser, and SS/SNS were full of fuduoshi (or how ever they spell that) that were obsessed with Sasuke, and if they looked at those nH supporting anime youtube reviewers I doubt their opinion would change.

 

Beyond that they tend to see Americans as big idiots, and Europeans as more sophisticated people. Also SP worship of Hinata was well known for years.

 

I haven't bothered to check up on the Japanese sites in years since I not that good at that kind of digging. I imagine that they be making the same assumption we do; SP was obsessed with Hinata, wanting her to be the heroine/Love interest of Naruto no matter what, and used the US nH fanbase as the justification for the ending.

sad thing is the ns fans didn't make that petition, it was a fake troll petition made by a nh fan posing as a ns fan who was found out and banned from this site, right when the ending happened. they made that to make the ns fans look bad, then made the put ns fans in a mental hospital petition. really only a small number of actual ns fans were involved in that petition. was mostly nh fan trolls. all so they could demonize an opposing fandom so that they would seem in the right. and people still believe it.....

Edited by ultranx, 23 November 2018 - 11:01 PM.

[VanitasDS76491]

Almost every anime website I have seen are HUGE NH supporters and even call Naruto the Last a "love letter to the fans" claiming almost similar to the ten commandments is from god; Kotaku, ANN, and so much more.
I will say this. If you look for more fanbase websites that were made by the fans themselves, I see more proNS and proSakura, anti-enders in them.
It reminds me of the Airheads movie where the rockers and actual music makers try hard only to be brought down by these "fakers" who are only in it for the money and don't know anything about real rock and roll.
Chazz: Do you know what it's like to be on the bill and to play for 15 minutes and the only people there to see you are the other bands and their girlfriends? Don't talk to me about Rock 'n' Roll! I'm out there in the clubs and on the streets and I'm living it! I am Rock 'n' Roll!
This is basically me and Naruto.
I spent over 10 years with this series, looked at and examined every interview, every piece of info, every book. I bought many products and loved the series very much. I practically lived Naruto for a time only to have these yuppy proenders and this big wigs running the anime industry tell me that I don't know anything about the series because I don't support nH and the ending. I am an anime fan. Not just for pairings. Not because I want waifus, but because I put my passion into it. I grew up with these characters and they are going to tell me that I have "no idea what [your] talking about."
SP: "If NS is so popular, how come nobody came forth and say that is what the fans wanted, babe?"
Me: "Because you didn't listen, babe"
Take the Airheads movie and that is what the Naruto fandom feels like.
Chazz = NS
Rex  = SNS
Pip = SK
Milo = SP
 
I just wish Kishimoto was like Ian and stood up more to SP.

Kishi needs to grow a pair and man up but that won't happen cause he's balls are owned by Sasuke and SP, oda has more balls than him , heck Kojima does to.

[HalfDemonInuyasha]

I wonder if NS was canon, would the Manga would still make money?

As said, if everything else is mostly the same outside of changing the pairings, probably not.

But if they actually had went back, changed things to fit the narrative (get rid of the "Child of Prophecy" crap for starters), re-structured things (MUCH less Uchiha wanking and more info on the Senju and Uzumaki, make Kurama less of a crutch, etc.), got rid of / filled in plot-holes, and A LOT of other work, it definitely would have.

[tricksie]

I wonder if NS was canon, would the Manga would still make money?

Again, hard to say. If NS was canon and literally nothing else changed going into Boruto...it would probably be about the same.

As said, if everything else is mostly the same outside of changing the pairings, probably not.

But if they actually had went back, changed things to fit the narrative (get rid of the "Child of Prophecy" crap for starters), re-structured things (MUCH less Uchiha wanking and more info on the Senju and Uzumaki, make Kurama less of a crutch, etc.), got rid of / filled in plot-holes, and A LOT of other work, it definitely would have.

Yes - I agree. I would do the same: drop the Child of Prophecy stuff, delete the Uchiha history and add Senju and Uzumaki, give Sakura much more of a backstory, and give the other jinchurikis more of a backstory.

 

Then you could continue the manga or anime with either an expansion of the world through the next jinchurikis, or through the eyes of their children and their particular problems. However bratty behavior would not be a factor. Their kids shouldn't be repeat Narutos. But they could have problems with modern vs. traditional, a peaceful village vs warmongering villages (or factions). And the tension could be that Naruto and Sakura don't want them to have to fight, but the kids really want to. Or vice-versa: one kid could have some terrifyingly extreme powers and just not want to use them at all. Or the other could be trying everything to get out an fight, to relive his dad or mom's old exploits. So many ways it could have been different!

[Dalton.T.R]

So, what have I missed? I haven't been on this site for months now due to some slight software issues. 

[Riverkid]

Oh  the American fan base WASN'T a factor, actually. The More I think about it, the American fan base or any pro NH fan in general was actually just a means to an end. Kishimoto was not convinced to change Hinata to being "THE heroine", BUT MANY male members of the Naruto anime team and and ALMOST ALL OF of his post- Yahagi editors want their self insert Naruto Uzumaki to boink the precious, shy, big kittens, innocent and pure girl Hinata Hyuga that was always "into him", so they gathered the opinions of like-minded masses as "evidence and data". 

Its actually hilarious. 

"Kishimoto stated that many who work with him have told him Hinata is more of a heroine than Sakura"- 2010, interview.

I'm really curious about how they define a 'hero'. Having pity for naruto, but never doing anything all the years is apparently a heroic act. 

Hiding behind a corner and watching Narutos back ? she must be a hero! 
Looking back with concern how Naruto gets beaten after he saved her from bullies ? she must be a hero!
Doing nothing to fix her clan-issues because her whole life-focus is on Naruto ? she must be a hero!

Apparently im also a hero because i feel sad/angry for all the animal-abuse, even tho i don't do anything about it.
But lets not forget her big moment during the pain-arc to showcase that she is really meant to be the heroine.. it was just a 400 chapter build-up of doing nothing and absolut nothing. 

Sakura risked her life many times chasing Sasuke, i mean... its stupid, ye! However thats way more productive than what hinata was doing in the meantime. Not to mention her other encounters with akatsuki, or her trying to protect Sasuke and Naruto in the chunin-exam. Sadly sadly she wasn't as passive as hinata.. because thats what a 'hero' is about apparently. 

Kishimoto stated in subsequent interviews that he had been building up Hinata to become part of the main cast ever since the 4th Shinobi War started

 

the 400 chapters of build-up wasn't enough.. it had to be 500-600 chapters. Lets just choose one character who did 1 usefull thing in the entire show.. and that character deserves to be on the main cast. Thats how character-development works.

Edited by Riverkid, 29 November 2018 - 09:27 PM.

[James S Cassidy]

Its actually hilarious. 

"Kishimoto stated that many who work with him have told him Hinata is more of a heroine than Sakura"- 2010, interview.

I'm really curious about how they define a 'hero'. Having pity for naruto, but never doing anything all the years is apparently a heroic act. 

Hiding behind a corner and watching Narutos back ? she must be a hero! 
Looking back with concern how Naruto gets beaten after he saved her from bullies ? she must be a hero!
Doing nothing to fix her clan-issues because her whole life-focus is on Naruto ? she must be a hero!

Apparently im also a hero because i feel sad/angry for all the animal-abuse, even tho i don't do anything about it.
But lets not forget her big moment during the pain-arc to showcase that she is really meant to be the heroine.. it was just a 400 chapter build-up of doing nothing and absolut nothing. 

Sakura risked her life many times chasing Sasuke, i mean... its stupid, ye! However thats way more productive than what hinata was doing in the meantime. Not to mention her other encounters with akatsuki, or her trying to protect Sasuke and Naruto in the chunin-exam. Sadly sadly she wasn't as passive as hinata.. because thats what a 'hero' is about apparently. 

Kishimoto stated in subsequent interviews that he had been building up Hinata to become part of the main cast ever since the 4th Shinobi War started

 

the 400 chapters of build-up wasn't enough.. it had to be 500-600 chapters. Lets just choose one character who did 1 usefull thing in the entire show.. and that character deserves to be on the main cast. Thats how character-development works.

Again, can anyone name another anime/manga that has done this too? Naruto seems to be the only one where they said "People preferred this character over this character and decided to make that character more predominate." I am surprised they didn't just retcon Hinata on to Team 7 at least point.

I don't see Anno being like "You know people told me Hikari was a better heroine than Asuka in Evangelion and that I should push her to the front. So let's retcon the story so that she is the pilot of Eva-2."