Since the very beginning of the famous manga, we’re sure you’ll agree with us when we say that it is always glaringly clear that Naruto Uzumaki was on a solo mission to become the Hokage of his home, the leaf village.
But, little did we know that, alongside fulfilling that journey, Naruto would also end up marrying Hinata. Who saw that one coming? Not us!
Granted, Hinata made it pretty clear that she was into Naruto at numerous moments throughout the story as it unfold (even though Naruto didn’t seem to catch on to any of them for quite some time) but it still came as a shock to many that the pair ended up marrying given the fact that Naruto was in love with Sakura.
Upon getting married to each other towards the end of the manga, it was revealed that Hinata gave birth to their two children: Himawari and Boruto.
But, the question still remains: why did Naruto get married to Hinata when he clearly loves Sakura? Read on for a deep dive that might be able to bring you some clarity on this confusing plot point.
Who Does Hinata Marry And Why Did Naruto Marry Hinata When He Loves Sakura?
To understand why these two characters ended up tying the knot, let’s first take a moment to rewind a bit.
In the original manga, Hinata’s character is first presented to us as being a member of the royal Hyuga clan – and is introduced to the story alongside Neji, who we’re sure you’ll already know is her cousin in the manga.
Neji is integral to both Hinata and Naruto’s character arcs, as it is made clear that he has a history of an ongoing rivalry with Naruto. As part of the Hyuga clan, Neji is also a member of royalty alongside Hinata and is gifted with enhanced accuracy while attacking and sharper eyesight.
Sadly, Neji’s character dies while fighting in the Fourth Shinobi World War, and this plot point allows for Naruto and Hinata’s characters to form a closer relationship together – which in turn begins to lay the groundwork for their marriage.
That’s not all, though. As the manga begins to unfold, it becomes more and more clear that both Hinata and Naruto share similar desires and values – with both characters wanting to become the best ninjas that they could possibly be.
With this shared passion, a friendship began to blossom between the two characters, with both Naruto and Hinata bringing out sides to the other that no one else had ever been able to.
On one hand, Naruto’s fiery and vibrant character helped to instill a type of courage and bravery in Hinata that she didn’t know existed – allowing her to break free from her introverted shell and transform into the Hyuga that she always wished she could be.
On the other hand, Hinata was able to break down Naruto’s walls and get him to open up to her about himself, which ultimately leads to her gaining his heart.
But, what about Sakura? As this manga and anime unfold, it seems as though Naruto has platonic feelings towards Hinata and romantic feelings towards Sakura.
While this might have been the case, the romance that might have been between Naturo and Sakura never materializes due to Sakura’s character becoming preoccupied with the final member of Team Seven…not to mention having a longstanding romantic connection with the boy that she grew up with in her village: Sasuke Uchiha.
With that being said, it is also important to note that, despite the fact that Hinata was used as more of a minor character compared to Sakura, it is revealed to us very early on that Hinata has romantic feelings for Naruto – so when they finally form a romantic relationship, it doesn’t feel overly strange or unexpected.
We also can’t overlook the fight that Hinata has with Pain (the leader of the Akatsuki clan) in order to save Naruto and prevent him from being killed.
Though this part of the Naruto tale is highlighted more in the anime than the manga version, this is a defining moment for both characters, and is the defining moment where we see them move from friends to lovers – with Hinata and Naruto growing closer than ever before.
From here on out, we see their connection blossom into romance, and in turn, them both getting married and starting a family.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve read through our deep dive into this interesting marriage between Hinata and Naruto – we’re hoping that their union at the end of the story makes a lot more sense now.
Even though Sakura demonstrated a flirtatious interest in Naruto, it never went any further than that due to Sakura having romantic feelings for someone else – and this allowed for Hinata to step up and take the spot that she might have had.
As this manga and anime unfolds, we witness Hinata and Naruto’s friendship blossoming into romance – so it only makes sense that they ended up getting married, having children, and living happily ever after.
Besides all of that, even though it might seem quite odd or slightly out of the ordinary for Naruto to end up marrying Hinata (especially if you wanted Naruto to end up with Saruko or simply felt that it would have been a more natural story progression) Naruto and Sakura’s connection was nothing more than a flirtatious friendship.
This contrasts greatly to Hinata’s character, who instantly felt romantic feelings towards Naruto and made her feelings known to him.
With all that being said, even though the marriage might have come as a surprise to many, it’s nice that Naruto ends on a happy note – especially given all of the turmoil he had to go through. Thanks for reading!
