#Sakura’s character actually goes against the ‘emotionally mature girl’ that fandoms have created

[sinnbaddie]

I know it’s more to do with Kishimoto’s lack of interest in expanding her character, but I can’t help but think how easy Sakura gave up on Sasuke.

Naruto was always adamant that he was going to save him, Kakashi struggled against saving Sasuke and fulfilling his shinobi duties however he never fully let himself believe Sasuke was gone.

Sakura initially is against Sasuke being any type of villain and like Naruto, is adamant in saving him. She then finds out about him being a member of the akatsuki and her faith waivers to the point where she thinks she needs to kill him because he’s a danger to the village and went through with trying to kill him as well.

It created another layer of misunderstanding from Sakura’s view of Sasuke. If she felt grounded in her love, and really believed her love was enough to change him and save him then she wouldn’t have lost faith then tried killing him.

It’s another reason why their romantic relationship doesn’t work but it does make their platonic relationship and Sakura as a character more complex

[theshinobiway]

you’re literally my favorite naruto blog i love your stuff so much!! you write and understand team gai better than kishimoto!

THAT IS SUCH A HIGH COMPLIMENT?? Thank you so much for that anon! 

I’d hesitate to say I understand any character better than the original author, but I certainly put more focus on those characters more than Kishimoto--hence the Team Gai blog. In one way, I understand that Team 7 was always the flagship on the series, but I certainly disagree with Kishimoto when it comes to their decided endings. 

As an author, I know that it can be overwhelming to manage multiple characters and to neatly tie up hundreds of plot points, but for characters that “broke out“ like Lee and Gai, I wonder sometimes if Kishimoto stifled his own creativity with those characters to keep Naruto in the focus. It would certainly explain why the ending didn’t seem to fit the original premise for many of his characters.

If I could give anyone general advice for writing any character that isn’t your original work, it would be the following:

If you are intending to keep their characterization as close to canon as possible (which is what I do to preserve the authenticity of the character that everyone already loves) I would like to stress the importance of looking for character qualities through a non-biased lens. 

What I mean is this: In fandom, we often like to create caricatures in our head of what characters are like based on a few of their major qualities. Hence, this is why Team Gai is always SO out of character when I see them written in the fandom. If we’re being honest, here’s a comparison chart of how Team Gai is portrayed versus how they actually are; Be warned that I was extremely blunt with these.

“Fandom” Team Gai vs. Reality:

Fandom!Might Gai: Springtime of Youth! TALKING IN ALL CAPS! KAKASHI, RIVAL! Portraying this man with sex appeal, ever? Either you mean it as a joke at his expense or you’re REALLY into KakaGai.

Real!Might Gai: Goofy, but with Sagelike Wisdom. Youth is a theme of his teachings and a catchphrase, but he acts like an adult most of the time. EXTREMELY Emotionally literate--Gai is not oblivious! He can read people really well! Will know if you’re hiding something, even if he can’t remember your face. Can lose his temper if his loved ones are threatened or if his direct teachings are disobeyed. Gai gets tired too--Lee can wear him out! Goofy old sensei who combines humor and wisdom with some of his eccentricities. 

Fandom! Rock Lee: Springtime of YOUTH, 2.0! Very Stiff Ways of Speaking! Lovesick! ‘Creepy’ if he’s not the love interest of the work. Cinnamon roll who would never get mad, ever. Feels like Gai 2.0. Woah when he takes off his weights he’s really cool!

Real!Rock Lee: A SERIOUS CHARACTER. Lee can be goofy with his friends as much as anyone, but Lee’s usual expression is serious! He’s self-motivated to an unreal degree. Diligent, tidy, and disciplined. Hopeless Romantic. Very gullible! Extremely idealistic, to the point of possibly deluding himself. Minor codependent behavior exhibited towards role models. Hot-Blooded. Adores cute things. Secretly envious of those around him. Lower self-confidence. Seeks approval.

Fandom!Tenten: Loves weapons, but does she have a personality besides that? Let me just fill one in. Portrayed often as either uptight and like a bully, or as a slightly more tomboyish Sakura. “The Tomboy” archetype. Tenten wants romance just like every other girl, what do you mean? Lovesick/heartbroken over Neji, stays single for the tragic romance. She was Neji’s training partner! She can’t stand Gai or Lee and looks down on them. Often has weak characterization because she gets sidelined into being a love interest. (...and then her entire character revolves around her (male) love interest.)

Real!Tenten: Loves weapons of all kinds, especially Kunai. Impulsively buys weapons she likes. Doesn’t understand many of the girlish inclinations like love and delicacy, but is not anti-feminine. Has canonically stated that she has never been interested in love or relationships. Has never had a crush on anyone. [Also, she was not Neji’s exclusive training partner, she was simply his training partner for the third round of the Chunin exams. ALL of Team Gai regularly trained together or in different pairs at any point in time. This was a comment that was taken way out of context by shippers and has spread false information ever since. This fact is no more real than Lee "balding."] Is tactless, but definitely not a bully. She loves to investigate and play pranks, especially when older. Balances work and rest. Is the “glue” of her team. Cares about her self-image. Has deep insecurities about how others perceive her, and constantly compares herself to her team.

Fandom!Neji: “Destiny Boy.” Either a brooding, calloused douchebag or a brooding, “bad boy” douchebag. Goes out of his way to say mean things OR doesn’t utter a single word for the entire story. His and Shino’s personalities are indistinguishable. No emotion. Stiff. Not empathetic in the slightest. Unhealthy portrayal of his personal relationships, even his friendships. Who would want to be around this guy? I’ll just make him the ‘strong and silent’ type with anger issues and snarky one-liners and call it a day.

Real!Neji: Disciplined and traditional. Reserved, not emotionless. Has a WIDE range of emotional expression and communicates primarily on the nonverbal level. Speaks in either metaphors or to the point--it depends. Some modicum of patience for foolish behavior. Master of projecting his problems. Is only a ‘bully’ pre-exams, but was already on the comedown by the time we’re introduced to him and his team. Deeply emotional at the core, but can be overwhelmed in his by own emotions, especially when it comes to his ego. Learns to maturely manage himself later on. Very perceptive of his surroundings. Cares very deeply for Hinata, his team, and his close friends. Hinata is his closest female relationship whether you like it or not. Witty and sometimes blunt, he doesn’t go out of his way to be a jerk once he’s older. Fits into the respected "big brother" role for both Hinata and his friends.

The Conclusion

When reading through characters and their actions, I cannot stress enough that you often have to let go of your preconceptions of a character and actually look at what they are thinking and doing and how. Your idea of a character's canon personality should be measured up against their canon. Do not measure a character’s canon against your caricature.  

Again, fandom will always do what it wants and take creative liberties where it chooses--as is their right as an audience--but discussing canon and ‘accuracy’ of a portrayal is another thing entirely. 

My assertions about Team Gai focus on their canon portrayal of their personalities and the goals they had within the story of Naruto. My headcanons are always kept separate, and my assertions about their character arcs and endings have to do with how to approach--through the literature--their internal/external conflicts and to reach an appropriate resolution that makes sense within the story.

Thanks as always for contributing to the blog!