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One of the most significant character moments for Sakura Haruno in the original series of Naruto remains one of the most misunderstood. This can, no doubt, be attributed to the fact that a large portion of shonen fans are incapable of understanding any form of writing that isn’t surface-level and doesn’t have to be spoon-fed to them. Many view this scene as an example of illogical decision-making by Sakura because she had an “opening” to stab her opponent, as shown here:

However, Masashi Kishimoto goes out of his way to provide two specific reasons as to why this approach wouldn’t work: a practical reason and a symbolic one.

Practically speaking, it is explicitly stated that had Sakura attempted to stab the Hidden Sound shinobi, it wouldn’t have worked.

It was also established very early on that there was a massive power imbalance between the two and that, no matter what Sakura did, the Hidden Sound shinobi would always have a counterattack because they were more skilled and had more experience. Hence, instead of using the Kunai to stab her opponent, as this particular Hidden Sound shinobi expected, Sakura decided to cut her hair—not only to catch her opponent off guard but because Sakura herself knew that stabbing her wouldn’t work; she’d simply be overpowered.

Symbolically speaking, the reason Kishimoto had Sakura cut her hair (the most important reason and the entire purpose of the scene in the first place) was to signify the beginning of her character arc. To understand this, we need to look at Sakura’s initial character traits and the perceptions she carried at the start of the series.

Initially, Sakura is introduced as a superficial, appearance-obsessed, boy-crazy girl who has a no real understanding of what it means to be a shinobi.

She even outright admits to already considering herself a full-fledged ninja despite having done nothing to earn that title.

This false self-perception is what leads Sakura astray compared to her teammates. She becomes disinterested in the idea of training to become stronger and doesn’t work for the skill she so desperately needs at this point in the story. In her mind, there’s no point in training if she’s already graduated the academy and become a “full-fledged” shinobi. Her own arrogance and naïveté on the subject even lead her to believe that she’s fully superior to her teammates on Team Seven.

However, as the story progresses, we see Sakura’s inexperience in battle and taijutsu, combined with her misguided priorities (particularly her obsession with Sasuke) and her arrogance regarding her own self-perceptions, make her overly reliant on her teammates. This not only makes Sakura a burden to her team but shows the consequences of her actions, behaviours, and beliefs.

The forest of death arc is so crucial for Sakura‘s character, as it pushes each member of Team Seven into moments of growth. For Sakura, it’s where she learns the true meaning of being a shinobi and the trials and tribulations that come along with it. Sakura is put in a situation where she’s forced to fight on her own for the first time in her life to protect her two teammates. As she does, her enemy grabs her by the hair, trapping her. With no escape, Sakura takes her Kunai and cuts her hair.

In this moment, Sakura is physically cutting off an aspect of her identity that aided in the superficial virtues of her character, both physically and emotionally. She is unbinding herself to the girl she used to be, freeing herself of her negative qualities and traits, and most importantly, her false self-perception regarding the identity of a shinobi. The act of haircutting within literature can carry various meanings, but the most common symbolism behind it is to mark a character’s transition into a new stage of life. In Ancient Greece, it was tradition to cut one’s hair as a sign of mourning, symbolizing a positive or negative change for the character. In Sakura’s case, she is “killing” her past self and mourning this loss through the act of cutting her hair, while also stepping in to a new sense of self with a clearer understanding of what it means to be a ninja and the harsh realities that follow it. That’s why this line:

Is so important because it serves as a representation, both figuratively and literally, that it’s Sakura’s turn to step into the role of a true shinobi—to be someone her teammates can count on and, most importantly, to say goodbye to the girl she once was.

What’s more is that we actually see how this character development impacts Sakura throughout the series. The Forest of Death scene is more than just words; it marks a transition she carries forward, not only becoming someone her comrades can rely on but also becoming someone who understands the deeper nature of things and people rather than viewing them through a superficial lens. This growth is especially evident in her desire to become stronger, seeking out training from a Sanin, and in the way she begins to see Sasuke after the Forest of Death. Instead of viewing him merely as an attractive classmate she has a crush on, she starts to see him for who he truly is—a traumatized boy falling prey to his own pain and going down a dark path. This new perception makes her want to help him, both physically and emotionally, rather than simply wanting to make him hers, as she did initially.

It’s no secret that within shonen anime/manga, female characters are often sidelined and or treated like plot devices to further the storylines of male characters. However, Chainsaw Man, written by Tasuki Fujimoto, takes a different approach to the way he handles and writes his female cast.

The women of Chainsaw Man not only defy traditional stereotypes but also have agency, development, relevance, and strength, as well as character arcs that center around furthering their own story’s instead of being dedicated to their male counterparts. An interesting way to see this is by juxtaposing how Fujimoto handles the two-boy, one-girl trio formation compared to how other mangaka handle it.

Often times in Shonen anime, the author will formulate a main trio of characters consisting of two boys and one girl: one main character, one deuteragonist, and one main heroine.

The issue isn’t with the gender ratio of the trio itself; it’s with how mangaka handle the gender ratio in the trio. The MC and the deuteragonist often get numerous opportunities to hold plot relevance within the story, whether through strength or character writing, while the female characters are either sidelined or reduced to just being love interests. This is seen in Naruto with the way Sakura is diminished as a heroine and put at a heavy disadvantage in both writing and strength. We see it again in Jujutsu Kaisen with how both Nobara and Shoko are handled. Although they aren’t love interests, they are still either pushed to the side and made completely irrelevant (Shoko), resulting in the female character falling into the token girl trope, or fridged to further the storyline of their male counterparts (Nobara). Attack on Titan also faces a similar issue, despite the immense potential Mikasa had coming from a warrior bloodline and having an interesting backstory. She was ultimately reduced to being a simp with no agency or development outside of being a love interest.  

Oftentimes, when authors of shonen manga create these types of trios, the women don’t get nearly as much time and effort put into the creation of their characters. They exist for the sole purpose of being a token, a love interest, or completely fridged.  

However, Fujimoto subverts these common tropes and actively writes against them. This is evident in the main trio of the series. 

Power, the main female heroine of Chainsaw Man and the only girl within the main trio, isn’t a character that exists solely to push Denji and Aki forward. She’s also not a love interest or just there to be a token. She is her own person, her own character within the narrative of the story. She has agency, development, and a rich backstory that only further adds to the complexity of her character. Power gets a character arc that isn’t centered around Aki and Denji but one that centers around the deconstruction of the preconceived notions she has about humanity and the concept of human bonds and relationships.

mutilate and fridge a 14 year old girl.

And then kill off a fan favourite character.

I recently saw the new Marvel movie SpiderMan: Across the Spider-Verse, and it was without a doubt one of the best animated films I've ever seen in my life time. I also love all the hype the movie is getting. However, I’ve been seeing a lot of Gwiles (Gwen x Miles) slander for some of the dumbest reasons ever. So I thought I'd debunk some of them, because it’s clear some of you antis struggle with basic media literacy. Without further ado, here's a thread defending the pairing:

1. “Gwen and Miles should’ve just stayed friends; they were so much better platonic”

Saying this just makes me think you watched the first movie with your eyes closed. In what world were they ever “just friends”?

You can’t say they were better off as a platonic pair when they were never even truly platonic to begin with. Both Miles and Gwen had a mutual crush on each other in the first film. The idea that their relationship was purely platonic is simply a misreading of their dynamic. Throughout the course of the first film, the movie clearly lays the groundwork for a romantic connection, with lingering touches, meaningful stares, deliberate flirting, and tension-filled conversations. It's foreshadowing an endgame paring, and it's not subtle about it.

2. “Gwen betrayed miles in SATSV; she’s fake”

No, she didn’t. Gwen didn’t invent the laws of the multiverse, and she doesn’t run the Spider Society. It’s not her fault that Spider-Man becoming an orphan—or half-orphan—is a multiversal constant. There’s nothing in her power she can do to change that.

Blaming her for Miles being chased by the Spider Society is equally reductive, since that was Miguel’s order—not hers. In fact, Gwen was one of the only people who begged Miguel not to send all the other Spider-people after Miles and advocated for a peaceful handling of the situation.

Another common criticism is that Gwen should have told Miles about what was going to happen to his dad. Again, did you watch the movie? Gwen wasn’t even allowed to interact with Miles. Had she told him (a Spider-Man who wasn't even part of the Society) about what was going to happen, Miguel would’ve punished her—harshly. She was almost kicked out just for talking to him and had that happened, she would've been homeless, because—just in case you forgot—her own father disowned her after holding her at gunpoint. Gwen quite literally had no other choice but to comply with Miguel’s rules.

Gwen also states that she didn’t know how to tell Miles, which makes perfect sense considering she hadn't seen him in over a year. So how would something that big and consequential even come up in a conversation? On top of that, she’s young, inexperienced, and isolated—she grew up completely alone, with one close friend who died in her arms. It's only natural that she’s gonna screw up and make mistakes when handling her interpersonal relationships. The pressure placed on her by the adults around her was enormous, and blaming a teenage girl for navigating a no-win situation—rather than blaming Miguel, Jessica, or Peter B.—is absolutely wild.

3. “They have No chemistry”

Now this is just complete bias. You know damn well…

These stills alone just prove you wrong. No way you watched the movie, saw the way they looked at each other, and interacted, and actually said, “they don’t have chemistry.” Whether or not you like the ship, their chemistry is undeniable. It was so palpable you could feel it through the screen.

4. Interracial Relationship Backlash

- Movie Anakin is better than CW Anakin

- Padme is the best female SW character

- Anidala is the best SW couple/ship

- CW Anakin is a terrible characterization of him (for multiple reason)

- Vader is the most powerful sith

- Rey isn’t a Skywalker

- Rebels was boring as hell (I couldn’t even finish it)

- Plo was a better mentor to Ahsoka then Anakin ever was

- Ahsoka is A BIT of a Mary Sue

- Ahsoka’s outfit in the first couple seasons of CW was completely inappropriate and sexist and anyone who justifies it is gross

- Kenobi show was actually really good and is over-hated

- Reva isn’t a bad character but the writing for her could have been better

- Tales of the Jedi was the best Ahsoka appearance

- Padme’s character was fridged in ROTS

Vs

Selina Beauregard

I’ve gotten a few ppl Ask me why I don’t like Biana Vacker as a character, and I think the easiest way I can explain it is by jutaxposing her character to Selina Beauregard and showing the difference in writing between the two.

A big issue with Biana as a character is that she lacks development. She starts off as a spoiled, privileged, rich girl Who’s entire character is about looking pretty, about appearances, and about being the popular “it” girl at Foxfire. The problem is, she stays that way from book 1 to 8.5. There’s no development, there’s no character realization, and no moments where she changes and becomes a different, better person.

And before you Biana stans come at me, I hate to break it to you, but what she did in Nightfall was not character development; it was selfish and self-centred. Before they even go into Nightfall, Sophie tells her group to stay by her, not go off on their own, and not try to make themselves the hero of the mission, because it was about getting her parents out and leaving without getting caught. But Biana disobeys the leader of her mission and the instructions given to her, going off on her own and risking everybody’s life in that room, including Sophie‘s parents. She almost got everybody killed because she decided to be selfish and wanted to have her own glory moment. What she did was not heroic; it was downright stupid and reckless. Risking everybody’s life around you just to make yourself look better makes you a selfish person. Because of her actions, the Gorgodon was released from the force field, compromising the entire mission. 

After she gets hurt because of the consequences of her own actions, nothing about what she’s done gives her time for reflection. It’s not seen as selfish; nobody calls her out on that behaviour, and it’s not seen as bad. It’s just seen as heroic, and then the story moves on. Her decision in Nightfall does not change her actions or behaviours as a character. She just continues on as that same spoiled, rich, self-centred brat as she was in the first book. Her character does not change; she still has the same personality. She doesn’t go through any realization or growth, and she doesn’t take accountability for what she’s done or apologize for the lives she’s put in danger or the people she’s injured because of her own actions. She still believes what she did was heroic (which it wasn’t).

Biana’s entire character revolves around her femininity, which also doesn’t change even after Nightfall. Her character is cliché and stereotypical, and because she still exhibits the same behaviours, attitudes, and decision-making after Nightfall, it proves that her character didn’t develop or change



Now Onto Selina Beauregard. Similar to Biana, Selina is heavily obsessed with her appearance and physical identity on the outside. She falls more into the damsel in distress archetype because of the way she’s portrayed as a daughter of Aphrodite. She’s not into physical fighting or learning hand-to-hand combat or sword fighting; she’d rather fly on a Pegasus all day and braid her hair. However, this changes once we get to The Last Olympian. 

Selina isn’t forced to fight in the war; she could’ve easily stayed back with the Ares kids because she didn’t want to risk her life or mess up her physical appearance. But she didn’t. By giving her this choice, it gives her character agency and development. Towards the end of the story, she leaves the war to convince Clarisse to come and help them fight Kronos, but Clarisse refuses. Selina then steels Clarisse’s armour and leads the Ares cabin into battle, going undercover in the process. She fights a humungous monster, risks her life just to save the world, and defeat Kronos. In doing this, she gets sprayed by acid, and half of her face is melted off, as well as her armour getting destroyed. But in the end, Selina didn’t care because she did it to save her fellow demigods and the rest of civilization