Some Naruto fans contend over whether Sasuke loves Sakura at all. So, before anything else, we’re here to tell you that yes, Sasuke does love Sakura. If you look for clues in the anime and manga alike, you will find that the thread of proof can be easily traced.
Sasuke always cared for Sakura from when they were younger, but he started loving Sakura near the end of Naruto Shippuden. A significant turning point for his feelings was the Fourth Great Shinobi War when he finally started thinking of himself as worthy of love and redemption.
This article will then pinpoint the incidents and events wherein Sasuke showed his love for Sakura. Put your SasuSaku shipping cap on and read on!
When Does Sasuke Tell Sakura He Loves Her?
Technically speaking, Sasuke never verbally tells Sakura that he loves her. Given Sasuke’s character profile and psychological make-up, it makes more sense that he shows his love for her through a private, just-between-the-two-of-them.
How does Sasuke confess his love to Sakura?
Sasuke confesses to Sakura using the forehead tap. Though some will contest this, most fans had accepted this incident as the point when Sasuke made his feelings known to Sakura.
For the uninitiated, the forehead tap is considered as Sasuke’s ultimate expression of love. It was something he picked up from his brother Itachi, who used to do the same to him when he was younger.
Though we can approach Itachi’s use of the gesture from different angles, the conveyed meaning to Sasuke remains the same: fondness, affection, love, hope.
The only other person that Sasuke does the forehead tap to is Sarada, his daughter with Sakura. If you want to learn why we are absolutely sure that Sasuke loves Sakura, read our article here!
When does Sasuke confess his love to Sakura?
Sasuke first did the forehead tap to Sakura in episode 481 of the Naruto: Shippuden anime series.
It’s poetic because, at the time, Sasuke was about to leave the village to embark on his journey of redemption after his battle with Naruto. This is reminiscent of when Sakura first confessed to Sasuke and begged him to stay as he was leaving to train for his battle with Naruto.
The clincher is this: when Sakura first confessed to Sasuke, he turned her away and called her annoying, though he did softly thank her before knocking her out. Regardless, he didn’t have plans of going back to her.
In this case, Sakura isn’t asking Sasuke to stay; she just wants to go with him. Sasuke said no, but this time around, he thanked her to her face. He also did the forehead tap to her, letting her know that he valued her and that he would come back to her.
Itachi always held the belief that a person only gets to discover his true self the moment before he died. The last thing Itachi did before he died was give Sasuke a forehead tap. This conveys the depth of his love for Sasuke and the weight of the forehead tap.
Did Sasuke Like Sakura When They Were Younger?
Although Sasuke wasn’t in love with Sakura when they were younger, he at least showed her enough affection for us to conclude that he liked her even then. However, it is important to note that Sasuke liked Sakura then as a friend and a teammate, nothing more.
Still, we are given these little easter eggs of soft moments:
Sasuke was generally protective of Sakura
There are plenty of times when Sasuke protected and showed concern for Sakura when they were kids.
For one, there was the fight with the sound ninjas. It’s worthy of note because this was the first time Sasuke released his first seal. Watch how he gets angry on Sakura’s behalf from 0:54 onwards:
Then there’s the time Sasuke instructed Naruto to rescue and protect Sakura from Gaara at all costs. He needed help to win, and that fight was so intense that all of Team 7 got involved, but he was more concerned about making sure Sakura was safe first and foremost.
After the team managed to free her, Sasuke took her to Pakkun. Once again, he repeated the sentiment: “Take care of Sakura.” His affection is best seen in this manga panel:
Besides this manga panel, we show you other situations where Sasuke showed Sakura affection here.
Sasuke allowed Sakura to express her affection for him
There were indeed times when Sasuke pushed Sakura away, but he still allowed her to freely express her affection for him when it mattered.
Fun fact: In the manga, Sasuke and Sakura had a lot of panels together when they were young. This shows that they were comfortable with each other. This wasn’t shown as much in the anime, since the animation focused on showing Sasuke pulling away from Sakura.
One such incident is when Sasuke was engulfed in darkness, as his anger against the sound ninjas were welling up. This is the continuation of the video we have above, when Sasuke felt rage over what they did to Sakura.
You can refer to it and watch from 2:28 onwards if you want to see it play out.
Basically, just as Sasuke was about to blow up, Sakura ran over to him, hugged him, and told him to stop.
Do you know what he does? He stops.
And slowly, the anger melted away, and the curse marks began to disappear. Only someone important to him could have had such a calming effect on him.
In Which Manga Does Sasuke Fall In Love With Sakura?
Sasuke falls in love with Sakura in the Naruto Shippuden manga. This happened gradually, as he began to see how irreplaceable she was in his life. Still, there are certain events we can point back to.
Naruto Shippuden: Chapter 685
The first occurs after the Fourth Great Ninja War. Sasuke and Sakura reunite to fight against Kaguya, but then Sasuke gets transported to another dimension. Sakura uses all her chakra to open a portal and bring him back.
Exhausted, her body collapses just as Sasuke appears behind her and catches her in his arms. They share this look, which conveys a depth of emotion that wasn’t seen in the anime adaptation:
Fans point to this as when Sasuke realized just how much Sakura was willing to do for him, and he appreciated it. Their closeness with that shared look also implied something beyond plain gratitude.
Naruto Shippuden: Chapter 699
And then there’s this time after Naruto and Sasuke’s final battle when Sasuke finally acknowledged everything Sakura had done for him and everything he did to her. He saw her for who she truly was, and he apologized because he was now ready to receive her love, compassion, and forgiveness.
True enough, he did the forehead tap to her in the same chapter, thereby bringing this article to a full circle and solidifying Sasuke’s love for Sakura.