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Who's the heroine? Sakura or Hinata?


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#1 tricksie

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:05 PM

So I've been thinking about what happened in the manga, the switch of the female lead for a secondary female character, and why it bothers me so deeply. And I think it's has a lot to do with the balance between an active character vs. a passive character, and that in the end the author flipped the roles to end the story with a different 'heroine.'

 

One of the reason's Jane Austen was such a ground breaking author in the early 1800s was that the women she portrayed actively changed and made a change on the world they lived in. And that was how they accomplished their goals and won their true love. Only through their own action. 

 

Before Jane Austen, every single novel with a female heroine was awarded her final goals and true love only on the basis of her goodness. The hero finally realized how sweet and kind she was and awarded her with the prize of his affection and whatever else it was she wanted. Very much like Cinderella. But the woman never changed. She may have stood up for herself, but she never went very far out of her comfort zone to actively change her world, or even actively reject it.

 

So I bring this up because Hinata is very much the pre-Austen version of female heroine. She does a little, within the confines of her role, never truly outside of it, and is thus rewarded for her good nature. 

And, this is important, she is rewarded because the object of her desire finally recognizes her. Not because she has gone out of her way to draw attention to herself. 

 

Sakura however is the modern girl, an Austen-worthy heroine and seeks a modern love with Naruto.

 

She is active rather than passive, at every turn, in every situation. Even in her misguided love of Sasuke early on, she is the one who breaks the norms and runs out in the middle of the night to stop him. It doesn't work, but Sakura shows she is capable of breaking out of what's acceptable to get what she wants. She continues to work toward this goal, not just of love or change for another person, but of bettering herself to be a better teammate and better protector and healer for her village. And Naruto's crush deepens to love because of that. 

 

However in the end of the manga, Kishimoto has reduced Sakura to a passive character to make her more palatable to the dark-brooding Sasuke. Sakura doesn't challenge Sasuke and require him to step up and be a better person to be with her. And Sasuke doesn't acknowledge her changes. Ever. In the end, she is just awarded his love, even though her actions show she has developed past it.

 

And the real rub is that making Sakura a passive character actually pushes Hinata forward into a slightly less-passive role than before. Now she can be the empathetic support for the broken hearted hero. She wins the hero's love, and everyone else's because she's supporting him. But she hasn't changed herself to deserve him, she hasn't challenged the world around her or broken out of her comfort zone. She was just given the hero as a prize for her goodness.

 

Anyway, I'm curious to see what other people think of the two female characters, whether their roles were switched, and any thoughts on active development vs. passive in the manga. Who's the heroine — the one who changed her world or the one who waited for the world to change — and did they ultimately reach their goals? Or did the story get it wrong?



#2 Hanabi

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:19 PM

the idea of Hinata being a heroine just make me laugh. only studio pierot does that because she's their fave. (part 1 filler anyone)


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#3 Nate River

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:22 PM

I forget when, but I made the case some time ago that series has none. After seeing Sakura wilt in such spectacular fashion in the final stretch I am even more of that opinion.

There is nothing particularly heroic about Hinata in the manga and Sakura works overtime to vomit hers all over the place in the last few chapters. She is also AWOL for huge swaths of time. Her quick thinking allows Naruto to continue on his hero journey, but she really is ancillary to the whole thing. It was one of the long standing weaknesses of her portrayal.

I honestly don't think Hinata's role changes much is she is in Sakura's role. I think the romantic development is superior than it is, but the conflict was always Naruto/Sasuke. Everything was secondary. I don't why Hinata would suddenly be more involved in the story than Sakura was. Moreover, SS looks even worse because then it gets even less than before because now he has to find ways to bring her in.

#4 luffyq1

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:22 PM

no, hinata is not the heroine. i don't see how the status shifts just because she gets treated badly, when almost all the females in this series get treated badly anyway.


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#5 Elicit

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:26 PM

Kishimoto himself said that Sakura wasn't meant to be a heroine, and decided that Hinata should be the heroine late in the story.instead of Sakura. That's the main reason why NS didn't happen.



#6 Tiller

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:28 PM

You maybe right honestly.

 

I'm not sure how modern Sakura is being presented in the ending, since all we got from her was, "Boy I like is back, must get in his pants". That talking like a six year old to him was the most sickening thing I've seen. And all I've seen are panel shots since I won't read those last two chapter.

 

But the answer right now is obviously Hinata. The greatest silver medal of them all. Her character has always been there to fall back on is Kishimoto decided to make it so Sakura and Naruto were nothing to each other in the end. Her entire character part 2 on is nothing but "Naruto-Kun", and now she get her reward because Kishimoto needs some kids for part 3.

 

Sakura has long fingernails, wearing make up, and is dusting her house listening to Karin Jr complain about Bolt. (What a name) Hinata is with her kid at a gravesite, and Naruto, and Konohamaru are both stuck up no fun adults. It's just all wrong.

 

I can still read early part 2 and smile. It's so obvious what everything is building up to, and the fact that Sakura also is expressly shown to be going after Sasuke to help Naruto as much as the other way around. But then we get the murder attempts, the mental torture, Sasuke trying to set himself up like a fascist dictator, and Sakura just does nothing but love him.

 

Somehow we are suppose to believe that this girl in early Part 2:

 

Save-Sasuke-for-you.jpg

Feelings-for-Naruto.jpg

 

Is the same as the stutering one who gets over murder attempts, and torture in less then a second, if it means she will have a shot of getting what's in Sasuke's pants. We had real character development going here, real change shown, and yet all we get is 6 year old talking Sakura in the end.

 

Not to mention we got scene likes these right up to the very end of the story.

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Kushina-suggest.jpg

 

 

If there are two characters who are nothing alike, it's Hinata and Naruto's mother.

 

How much of this is just cold money calculation? I'm not sure, but I do know that all I hear about Hinata's voice actress is how popular she is, and now along with this stupid film, we have a cd where Hinata's famous actress sings.

 

It seems to me it would be like writing a story where a side character was voiced by Brittany Spears in the 90s, so the ending was set up in a way where you could have her sing for you, and could make more money off of the album.

 

But again over all the answer is Hinata. It has to be now as pissed off as it makes us. The same way it's also hard to ignore the fact the Sasuke may in the end be the true protagonist of the series, because when you boil Naruto's character arc down now, what you get is him completing and item retrieval mission. Everything he did was leading up to that, and that item was Sasuke. Nothing else matters, the story became all about him, and because of the it made Hinata's role more important to Naruto, and turned the strong willed Sakura into a stuttering girl who talks like a 6 year old around her precious "Sasuke-KUUUUNNNN" because I guess that's what gets Japanese men off.


Edited by Tiller, 17 November 2014 - 03:31 PM.


 


#7 六道仙人

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:33 PM

the heroine is Sasuke. Even Kishimoto himself stated this in the kizuna books


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#8 Tiller

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:35 PM

the heroine is Sasuke. Even Kishimoto himself stated this in the kizuna books

He's also the main character apparently, because it's his emotions that alter every aspect of this damn story.



 


#9 elmas

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:39 PM

Hinata?Heroine?She's a PAIRING FODDER in this manga.

Heroine is Sakura.But she's treated badly even as a heroine.

sigh~


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#10 luffyq1

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:43 PM

Hinata?Heroine?She's a PAIRING FODDER in this manga.

Heroine is Sakura.But she's treated badly even as a heroine.

sigh~

true, kishi kittens on all his female characters. but i'll never forget this.

 

karin_drooling_by_rentanjutsushi-d6n7fzq


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#11 Nate River

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:46 PM

true, kishi kittens on all his female characters. but i'll never forget this.
 
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Nope. She is the worst female character I have even seen. As much as I hate SS, SK would be so much worse.

#12 elmas

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:47 PM

true, kishi kittens on all his female characters. but i'll never forget this.

 

karin_drooling_by_rentanjutsushi-d6n7fzq

Ugly.Just,ugly.Stop it,Kishi!Stop treating female characters badly...oops manga already ended lol.

Sigh~


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#13 ns.Believe.It

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:48 PM

Neither. I would say NARUKO was the better Heroine  :zaru:


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#14 Elicit

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:51 PM

Hinata?Heroine?She's a PAIRING FODDER in this manga.

Heroine is Sakura.But she's treated badly even as a heroine.

sigh~

You may think it's Sakura, but the heroine is Hinata. Kishi's assistant said that he heard Kishi say that Sakura isn't the heroine.



#15 elmas

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:53 PM

You may think it's Sakura, but the heroine is Hinata. Kishi's assistant said that he heard Kishi say that Sakura isn't the heroine.

What?

naruto-3844469.jpg


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#16 luffyq1

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 03:57 PM

You may think it's Sakura, but the heroine is Hinata. Kishi's assistant said that he heard Kishi say that Sakura isn't the heroine.

did you also read the one where the assistant said that kishi stopped working on the manga 9 years ago.


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#17 ramenanmitsu

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 04:07 PM

You may think it's Sakura, but the heroine is Hinata. Kishi's assistant said that he heard Kishi say that Sakura isn't the heroine.


Oh there was also the one which the assistant said that Kishi plans to make Akamaru the final villain, and Tonton his right-hand man.
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#18 elmas

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 04:08 PM

Oh there was also the one which the assistant said that Kishi plans to make Akamaru the final villain, and Tonton his right-hand man.

Hahaha!Good one,Ramen!


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#19 Elicit

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 04:18 PM

Oh there was also the one which the assistant said that Kishi plans to make Akamaru the final villain, and Tonton his right-hand man.

No seriously, Kishimoto is that retarded. He said it was never his intention to make Sakura the heroine of the series. It was only until late in the story that he decided that there should be a heroine (even though logically, it should be Sakura by that point of the story) and decided on Hinata.



#20 Hanabi

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Posted 17 November 2014 - 04:34 PM

He said it was never his intention to make Sakura the heroine of the series. It was only until late in the story that he decided that there should be a heroine (even though logically, it should be Sakura by that point of the story) and decided on Hinata.

that's partially true.

 

He said it was never his intention to make Sakura the heroine of the series. It was only until late in the story that he decided that there should be a heroine (even though logically, it should be Sakura by that point of the story) and decided on Hinata.

 

that's studio pierrot not kishi. it's pretty clear that kishi just washed his hands of this love sub plot with absolutely no effort.


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