Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-31278419-20170331010234/@comment-26104757-20170404103704

Ncduru wrote: Just delete Sakura's existence. Part 1 Sakura will forever go down as the worst shonen heroine in anime history. Part 2 was more bearable but still awful, especially when it came to Sasuke.

I actually appreciated Kishimoto's approach on Sakura to interpret her as a 'common girl'.

You'd notice in Part 1, she was the only female who graduated from the Academy that didn't inherit or receive any kind of training other than the basics prior to becoming a Genin. Hinata and Ino did, and although Ten Ten was the same as her, she at least was given an entire year to refine her skills before enlisting in the Chunin Exams. Unfortunately for Sakura, Kakashi failed to give her any attention that would've secured such potential for Genjutsu, (though I personally believe Kakashi misjudged her skill in Genjutsu for possible offensive use oppose to how she was able to decipher and release illusions rather than perform them) and surprisingly so, he also ceased the opportunity to focus on her presence of mind considering he himself is a known strategist, as well as furthering her chakra control and how that can apply to various elemental techniques he is well listed in. She was level-headed, observant, intelligent and had good control over her own chakra, and although that isn't 'flashy or cool', I can understand her gradual development was not entirely her fault, but Kakashi's inability to offer her the time and effort to improve. It's almost pitiful that the fan base would later confuse this as uselessness. It isn't until the beginning of Part 2 where her improvement is the most noticeable, dare I say out of every other Chunin at the time. With the arrival of Tsunade, Sakura's particular set of skills were heightened beyond recognition. When you compare her inclination for Medical Ninjutsu training to the other Chunin's, she was the only one who performed at a level we had never seen her display that differed from Part 1. Everyone else had years upon years to attune their skills, where Sakura only had two, and in that short amount of time, she quickly developed the means to protect herself and others. The Kazekage Arc proved that — whether it was her aptitude for Medical Ninjutsu, a newfound assertive behaviour to lead and instruct a foreign Medical Squad, intellectual capabilities that would've deceived Sasori, (concocting an antidote that Sasori deemed so complex he had to keep a chart table to formalise the antidote himself, and then using it to manipulate him into thinking she was dead before destroying the Third Kazekage puppet) and of course, her Chakra-Enhanced Strength, something that would prove essential in her and Chiyo's fight to take down Sasori. A fight both Chiyo and Sasori would reiterate how skilled she was.

When you consider Sakura's skills in Part 1, I can agree that she wasn't the most impressive Heroine, but furthering into Part 2, Tsunade was able to give Sakura what her family and Kakashi couldn't — an opportunity to redeem herself.

SIDE NOTE: I have no problem agreeing with how much of a derp she was over Sasuke. At least Hinata was being cute about her love for Naruto. I'll admit, I felt Naruto's need for Sakura's attention, however, was equally annoying too.