It was the punch heard ‘round the anime world. Not a literal punch, but a narrative one. When Hinata Hyuga stepped out onto the battlefield against Pain, facing certain death to protect a pinned-down Naruto Uzumaki, everything changed. It wasn’t just a cool action sequence. It was the moment Naruto and Hinata love stopped being a background subplot and became the emotional anchor of the entire franchise.
People still argue about it. You’ve seen the threads on Reddit and the heated debates on X. Some fans insist it came out of nowhere, while others point to the very first chapters of the manga as proof it was always the plan. Honestly? Both sides have a point, but the nuance is what makes it interesting.
The Long Game: Why Masashi Kishimoto Waited So Long
Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Naruto, has been surprisingly candid in interviews about his struggles with romance. He’s admitted multiple times—most notably in a 2014 interview with Kobunsha’s Josei Jidai—that he felt incredibly embarrassed writing romantic scenes. He’s a shonen artist, after all. He’s comfortable drawing giant foxes and tactical ninja warfare, but a simple kiss? That’s where he gets tripped up.
This shyness is why Naruto and Hinata love feels like a slow burn that occasionally forgets it’s on the stove. For hundreds of chapters, it was a one-sided devotion. Hinata’s growth was intrinsically tied to Naruto’s "Never give up" mantra. She didn't just love the guy; she idolized his resilience.
But Naruto? He was dense. Like, incredibly dense.
He spent years chasing Sakura Haruno, a dynamic that many fans felt was a distraction. However, if you look at the subtext, Naruto’s crush on Sakura was often portrayed as an extension of his rivalry with Sasuke. He wanted what Sasuke had. In contrast, his relationship with Hinata was built on a series of quiet, grounded moments. Think back to the Chunin Exams. Before his fight with Neji, Naruto was doubting himself. It wasn't Sakura who gave him the confidence boost; it was Hinata, who told him that his failures made him stronger because he knew how to get back up. That’s the foundation. It’s not flashy, but it’s real.
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The Pain Arc: The Turning Point That Almost Wasn't
Let’s talk about the confession.
"I love you."
Hinata said it. She said it while being tossed around like a ragdoll by Pain. It was a massive moment for her character, representing the culmination of years of overcoming her own shyness. And then... Naruto sort of forgot?
This is a major sticking point for critics. After the battle, Naruto enters his Six Paths mode, meets his dad, saves the village, and the confession isn't addressed for hundreds of episodes. On the surface, it looks like a massive writing oversight. But if you dig into the timeline of the Fourth Shinobi World War, the entire conflict happens over the span of about two or three days. Naruto was a bit busy trying to prevent the literal end of the world to sit down for a "where is this relationship going" talk.
Still, the seeds were there. During the war, when Neji Hyuga sacrificed himself, it was Hinata who snapped Naruto out of his despair. She slapped some sense into him—literally. She reminded him that his life wasn't just his anymore; it belonged to everyone who had died to protect him. This shared trauma forged a bond that goes beyond typical high school romance. It’s a partnership of survivors.
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The Last: Naruto the Movie and the "Red Thread" Problem
Because Kishimoto felt he hadn't done enough in the manga to bridge the gap between "Naruto is dense" and "Naruto is a father of two," we got The Last: Naruto the Movie.
This film is essentially a 105-minute apology for the lack of screen time given to Naruto and Hinata love in the original run. It introduces the concept of the "Red Thread of Fate," symbolized by the red scarf Hinata knits for Naruto.
Is it a bit cheesy? Yeah.
Does it use a genjutsu-induced dream sequence to make Naruto realize he loves her? Also yeah.
But it serves a necessary purpose. It recontextualizes Naruto’s past through a new lens. He realizes that Hinata was always there, even when he was too preoccupied with his own loneliness to see her. The movie treats love as a realization rather than a sudden spark. For Naruto, love wasn't a lightning bolt; it was a slow sunrise he finally noticed once the clouds cleared.
Why It Works Better Than Other Shonen Romances
Compare this to other big shonen titles. Often, the main character just ends up with the "lead girl" because that’s what happens in the final chapter. But Hinata wasn't the lead girl—Sakura was. By choosing Hinata, Kishimoto actually subverted the typical "hero gets the girl" trope by having the hero end up with the person who actually understood his soul from day one.
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- Mutual Respect: Hinata didn't need Naruto to save her to find her value; she used his example to save herself.
- Consistency: Hinata never wavered. In a world of shifting alliances and rogue ninjas, she was the only constant in Naruto’s life.
- The Boruto Legacy: Seeing them as parents in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations adds a layer of bittersweet reality. They aren't constantly in "honeymoon mode." They’re tired. Naruto is a workaholic Hokage, and Hinata is the glue holding the Uzumaki household together. It’s a grounded portrayal of long-term partnership.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Sakura Factor"
A common argument is that Naruto only ended up with Hinata because Sakura didn't want him. That’s a fundamentally flawed reading of the text. By the time of the Five Kage Summit, Sakura tried to "confess" to Naruto to get him to stop chasing Sasuke. Naruto saw right through it. He told her he hated people who lied to themselves.
Naruto didn't settle for Hinata. He outgrew his superficial crush on Sakura and matured into a man who could appreciate the quiet, fierce loyalty Hinata offered. It’s a transition from childhood infatuation to adult love.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Writers
If you’re looking at Naruto and Hinata love as a blueprint for storytelling or just trying to win an argument on a forum, remember these three things:
- Look at the "Quiet Moments": The strength of NaruHina isn't in the big speeches, but in the small nods of acknowledgment during the Chunin Exams and the War Arc.
- Acknowledge the Flaws: It’s okay to admit the pacing was weird. Kishimoto’s admitted awkwardness with romance is a documented fact, and it reflects in the writing. Acknowledging this makes your argument more credible.
- Context Matters: The "red scarf" in The Last isn't just a plot device; it’s a callback to the very first time Naruto protected Hinata from bullies as a kid. It’s about full-circle storytelling.
To really appreciate the depth here, go back and re-read Chapter 98 of the manga. Watch the way Naruto looks at Hinata before his match. He calls her "strange" and "timid," but then he admits, "I like people like you." That was 2002. The destination was always the same; the road just took a few unexpected detours.
For those wanting to dive deeper into the official timeline, the Sakura Hiden and Konoha Hiden light novels provide much more context on the months leading up to their wedding, filling in the gaps that the anime skipped. Reading these will give you a much clearer picture of how the village reacted to their relationship finally becoming official.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Fan:
- Check out the Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding light novel for the "missing" stories of their engagement.
- Re-watch The Last: Naruto the Movie specifically focusing on the flashback sequences to see how the animation team retconned early scenes to show Hinata's presence.
- Compare the manga panels of the Pain fight to the anime version; the anime adds significantly more dialogue to Hinata’s confession that wasn't in Kishimoto's original drawings.