A lot of Naruto fans are still in disbelief that Sasuke ended up marrying Sakura. For a lot of people, their pairing simply does not make sense. Not to mention that it was abrupt and the anime did not show the development of their feelings for each other. Why did Sasuke marry Sakura?
Sasuke married Sakura because he loves her. In Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, Sasuke was consumed with the need for revenge that love was not even in his mind. It was in the latter part of Naruto Shippuden that he gave love a chance and he expressed this to Sakura before he left the village.
In the many times that Sasuke tried to kill Sakura, it is inconceivable that these two will be end game. Yet, here we are functioning as witnesses to their sudden marriage and transition to being parents to Sarada. Keep on reading to know the reasons why Sasuke married Sakura.
1. Sasuke Married Sakura Because He Loves Her
The Naruto universe is not a stranger to arranged marriages, especially when it benefits two powerful clans. This is probably done to keep the Kekkei Genkai of the clan in check and so as not to divulge the secret jutsu of the clans.
What is significant in this regard is the fact that even though they have arranged marriages, it was never forced albeit, it was done out of love. So far, we have not seen a marriage that was not born out of love. The same goes for Sasuke and Sakura.
It is possible that Sasuke has been harboring feelings for Sakura, way back in Naruto. It was not shown in the anime, but in the manga, Sasuke would blush when he hears Sakura talk nicely about him with their other classmates.
There are also times that he would get jealous if other shinobi end up rescuing Sakura first. In the manga, it was also shown that Sasuke usually talks to Sakura first and they have more slight physical contact.
These aspects were not shown in the anime. In the anime, Sasuke would brush Sakura off or even push her away when she gets too touchy. In the manga, Sasuke does not do these things.
Even if he seems oblivious to Sakura’s feelings, he always thought of Sakura as this valuable team member. It was in the latter part of Naruto Shippuden that Sasuke allowed himself to live again, and with it comes his resolve to try and understand Sakura’s feelings.
Again, it was not shown in the anime, but in the manga, Sasuke and Sakura had time to learn more about each other and deepen their romantic relationship when they went on an extended mission outside the Hidden Leaf Village.
It was probably during this time that Sasuke realized that he truly loves her, even if he does not show it a lot of times (even when they are married)
The biggest show of love of Sasuke towards Sakura can be found in the light novel, Sasuke Retsuden. You can read this article to learn about this huge romantic gesture that Sasuke did for Sakura.
2. Sasuke Married Sakura Because She Is The Perfect Fit For Him
Keep in mind that this is not manga and anime canon. We are simply deriving from the content that we have right now. Sasuke never said that Sakura is perfect for him, but from what we have seen and read in both the anime and manga, this seems to be the case.
The character of Sasuke is very complex. He has this darkness to him that he alone could eradicate. With that said, he needs someone who will unconditionally love and understand him. Sakura is the perfect candidate for that.
In Naruto, both Sakura and Ino competed for the attention of Sasuke. They were so serious about it, that it led to the dissolution of their friendship. In Naruto Shippuden, it was shown that even if Ino still has feelings for Sasuke, it was no longer passionate as before.
It was Sakura who held on to her feelings and held hope that Sasuke will come back and realize all the bad things that he did. Even when Sakura tried to kill Sasuke, she cannot push through with it because she knew that the real Sasuke (the Sasuke that she loves) was not consumed by his darkness.
Sasuke needs someone who will always be there. Obviously, he has trauma with the massacre of his clan as well as the real reason as to why Itachi killed the people in the clan. This pain will always be with him, so he does not need a partner who will be at risk of leaving.
Again, Sakura fits the bill. Sakura did not only look past the fact that Sasuke tried to kill her many times, but she also forgave him completely with his simple, “I am sorry.”
Lastly, the ideal partner for Sasuke is someone who endures, which again is the epitome of Sakura. Sasuke can never live his life within the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village, therefore he needs a partner who can understand that their relationship will not be a typical one.
3. Sasuke Married Sakura Because She Helped Save Him From Himself
It is not fair to say that Sakura made Sasuke let go of his darkness because that is not what happened. Sasuke realized his faults all by himself. It is however important to recognize that without Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke can never return to his true self.
A lot of people lost faith in Sasuke and simply deemed him as a destructive enemy. It was only Naruto and Sakura that believed that somewhere deep inside him, the old Sasuke is just sleeping.
Eventually, it was the persistence of both Naruto and Sakura to understand Sasuke’s actions that shed the path of light for Sasuke to leave the darkness. Even in Boruto, Sakura is still supportive of him and becomes his anchor in times when he is doubting his actions.
In Naruto, it was also with the help of Sakura that Sasuke was able to hold off his curse mark. He trusted Sakura with this secret and he relied on her to help him when the curse mark starts to take over. Add to that the special moment that the curse mark receded when Sakura hugged Sasuke.
When Did Sasuke Propose To Sakura?
If you only watch the anime and read the manga, it would seem that Sasuke never proposed to Sakura. It was only in Boruto that we learned that they got married and had a child.
However, the exploration of their feelings for each other was shown in two light novels. The setup for the upcoming proposal is in the light novel, Sakura Hiden which is part of Naruto Hiden that consists of six light novels.
The timeline of Sakura Hiden is the events that happened after Sasuke left the Hidden Leaf Village once again. It was told from Sakura’s point of view and she reminisces about her time with Sasuke in Team 7, and she is wondering about the adventures that Sasuke are currently on.
This light novel is significant because, after all the other missions and adventures that Sakura did with their fellow shinobi and kunoichi, she was left thinking about the “Until next time” statement of Sasuke. She could not wait to tell him of her adventures.
It was then that the ending of the light novel came into play and it was shown that Sasuke is finally back. He went to see Sakura, and said, “I am home.”
This is a simple statement but it says a lot as finally, Sasuke sees the Hidden Leaf Village as his home, and also, it is a way of saying that Sakura is also his home.
It was only in the Sasuke Shinden light novel that the development of their relationship was once again explored. In this novel, Sasuke proposed to Sakura. The exact proposal is seen below:
When Did Sasuke Marry Sakura?
Unfortunately, we really do not have a set date on when Sasuke and Sakura got married. It was never shown in the anime. In Boruto, their marriage was only referenced in some episodes.
In episode 21, a picture was only shown beside the Uchiha family picture that may have been the wedding photo of Sakura and Sasuke.
In addition, in the movie, The Last: Naruto The Movie, an image of Sasuke and Sakura was projected on the screen. However, we cannot really tell if it follows the timeline of the Naruto movie or if it happened in other arcs of the manga or anime.
The marriage and pregnancy timelines of Sasuke and Sakura are surrounded by a lot of logical fan theories. If you want to know why it is highly possible that Sakura gave birth to Sarada even before she got married, you can read this article.
Did Sasuke Marry Sakura Out Of Pity?
Sasuke did not marry Sakura out of pity. There are three reasons as to why this is impossible:
- It is out of character for Sasuke to do things out of pity. In fact, he may not even be a pitiful type of person. In the event that he is, he looks down on pitiful people or he finds a way (through Naruto) to empower this specific person.
- Sasuke does not find Sakura pitiful. He has great respect for Sakura and he sees her as a strong and dependable kunoichi.
- Sasuke is in love with Sakura, which is the primary reason why he married her.
One of the many reasons why Sakura loves Sasuke is the fact that he is one of the few people who acknowledge her. You can read this article to have a better view of why Sasuke thinks that Sakura is among the best kunoichis in the village.
Did Sasuke Marry Sakura Out Of Guilt?
Sasuke did not marry Sakura out of guilt. Sure, he feels terrible about the numerous times that he tried to kill his wife, but by the time that they got married, he no longer feels these things.
Further, just like what we said before, it is not in the character of Sasuke to do things that he does not want to do simply because of a feeling. The bad things that he did in the name of his supposed “need and wants” are testaments that he will accomplish everything that he sets his mind on.
Obviously, this is the opposite of someone marrying a person because of endless guilt. You can read this article to shed more light on this theory. You might be in for a surprise on what Sasuke really feels.
Did Sasuke Marry Sakura To Restore His Clan?
A lot of people think that the main reason why Sasuke married Sakura is for her to bear children, thus the Uchiha clan will rise once again. However, this is not the case because Sasuke’s idea of restoring his clan is “purification” rather than “reproduction.”
Keep in mind that as of the happenings in Boruto, Sasuke and Sakura only has a daughter, Sarada. If it were the intention of Sasuke to restore his clan by having children with Sakura, he would have planned to have a lot of babies as soon as possible.
So far, both of them do not have any plans to have more children. With the characterization of Sasuke to see through a goal to the end, he would have postponed his travels outside the village to concentrate on having and raising children.
As you can see, this is not what is happening in Boruto. Sasuke aims to protect the village and to shine as a shinobi by going on far-off missions. The fact that he can restore his clan by having children with Sakura is just a bonus brought about by their love and eventual marriage.
Did Sasuke Marry Sakura Because Of Naruto?
This theory is truly surprising, but at the same time, it also makes sense. A lot of fans think that Sasuke married Sakura because Naruto wants them to be married.
Keep in mind, Naruto had a crush on Sakura. Unfortunately, his affections towards her were not met as Sakura likes Sasuke. Of all of the people in the village, Naruto knows the huge amount of pain that Sakura went through when Sasuke went rogue.
We also know that Sasuke owes a lot to Naruto as he never gave up on him and ultimately paved the way to his salvation. Therefore, it is possible that Sasuke will do something huge for Naruto to express his gratitude.
If we look at it that way, this theory is possible. Yet again, this is not how Sasuke does things. In fact, his way of atoning for his sins as well as showing Naruto that there is a change in him was to leave the village again and do missions on his own.
At the same time, Naruto will not impose this idea on Sasuke. If he really wants them to end up together, he will simply tease them to get together. Further, Naruto will also be sad and even get mad if he learns that Sasuke married Sakura just because he owes him.
Naruto wants Sakura and Sasuke to be sincerely happy, thus trapping them in a loveless marriage for the sake of gratefulness is far-fetched.
Conclusion
The main reason why Sasuke married Sakura is because of his love for her. It is disappointing that we cannot see this love unfold in the manga and anime, but the development of their relationship can be found in the light novels.
There are talks of adapting the light novels in the manga, so it is also possible for the anime to adapt it. If this happens, finally, the SasuSaku couple can have a fair chance of proving their true love. In the meantime, we can only hope for more scenes involving the two in Boruto.