Sakura’s Online Hate Vindicated: New Japanese Poll Places Her as Top Favorite Among Naruto Fans

Despite the conclusion of the Naruto series in 2017, the animosity towards Sakura within the fandom remains. While the specific reasons for this have evolved over time, numerous fans continue to highlight how her lack of development as a character perpetuates their dislike for her.

Yet, according to a recent survey of Japanese fans, Sakura claimed the top spots in all categories. This sparked a debate within the fandom, with some arguing that their dislike for her is unjustified.

This article includes spoilers for the Naruto series.

Naruto Fan’s Dislike for Sakura is Not Genuine

Despite the widespread hatred towards Sakura within the fandom, numerous anime fans have pointed out that this sentiment appears to be limited to the online community. In fact, many individuals actually appreciate Sakura’s character in their real lives outside of social media and forums.

A recent poll conducted by Nijimen, a Japanese website, aimed to determine the top 10 most beloved female characters from Weekly Shonen Jump. Surprisingly, Sakura ranked second in the men’s poll and took first place in the women’s poll. This sparked backlash among some anime fans, revealing that the negativity towards Sakura is limited to online communities and does not represent the majority of the fandom.

Responses from fans about the poll

Despite some fans expressing dislike for Sakura on social media and online forums, another fan argued that this hatred is not representative of the entire fandom. The same user also highlighted that the supposed justification for disliking Sakura’s character, based on her alleged poor writing, appears to be unfounded as Sakura is actually a well-developed and compelling character.

One fan used this moment to express the division between the Japanese and non-Japanese segments of the fandom. They pointed out that some “Sakura haters”refuse to acknowledge the high level of admiration she receives from the Japanese side of the fandom.

“Proof hating sakura haruno will never be hot,”someone wrote.

“People who hate Sakura don’t accept the fact that she is loved in Japan =)),”one fan said.

Sakura as shown in the anime (Image via Pierrot)

One fan pointed out that the Nijimen popularity poll had a disappointingly small number of votes, not even reaching a total of 3000. As a result, the poll’s credibility and relevance are called into question.

“Poll total vote didn’t break the 3K votes like this doesn’t prove anything. AND Sakura ranked higher than Hinata in men’s votes too like #that fandom just slow I fear 😭,”a fan wrote.

Despite the hate she receives from some fans in the fandom, Sakura’s high placement on both lists (poll) and her overall popularity is refreshing. It serves as a reminder that the hate towards her has been ongoing for an excessive amount of time and is greatly exaggerated.

“Glad to see the Sakura love for a change ❤️,”one fan wrote.

Despite the persisting hatred towards Sakura within the fandom, the poll has confirmed that the vocal minority of the online fanbase cannot accurately determine a character’s popularity.

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