What are your thoughts on the sasusaku ship and how it was written in the show/manga?
I have written some of my thoughts through here and here but I figure you want me to flesh it out so I'll try to explain it from the best of my ability from the very beginning. I may warn you this is a long analysis.
I have tried to like SasuSaku, trust me, I really have but everytime I re read the manga and read some of their moments together I can't help but cringe because they are so vague and later on they become negative and toxic to the point you question if their is any hope in their relationship and felt very bad to me. I feel like at the beginning they did a okay job, they were shown to have some sense of care in each other regarding Sakura's huge crush on Sasuke and repeatedly asking him on dates. Yes, it is a little bit annoying but remember that Sakura was a 13 year old kid at that time who of course would be a little bit immature for her age so I let her have a pass because there are plenty of girls out there who are probably similiar to her.
During the bell test we get to see them interact more and Sasuke even attempts to try and tell Sakura his dreams and ambitions here since clearly Sakura knows very little about Sasuke other than the fact that he is part of the Uchiha clan, wants to kill his older brother (which she finds cool???), and likes long hair (which is most likely a rumor).
I'll even admit that this scene where Sakura hugs him to stop him from ripping another shinobi's arms off was very cute as she was able to calm him down. Most people found this romantic and sweet because Sasuke activated his curse mark because Sakura got hurt and that may only be half true because Sakura also confirms that Sasuke was letting his lust of power get to his head due to Orochimaru.
And then this scene right here when Sasuke was about to leave Kohona, I found this scene very upsetting not just because Sasuke was leaving to go to Orochimaru to get revenge, power and all that jazz but because of the way Sakura tried to convince Sasuke to stay in Kohona.
At first I found her words comforting and true when she was explaining to Sasuke that revenge isn't the answer to his problems which is true but the fact she added it wouldn't make her happy is when I got a little upset and you can see it made Sasuke upset to. Why? Because Sakura is basically making this scene all about herself. She isn't trying to understand Sasuke reasons for his depature and is more upset about what she wants and not him. And then she does it again telling Sasuke that she loves him so much she can't stand and even states she would be LONELY if he went away!
I found it very unnerving because Sakura doesn't understand Sasuke's feelings. She keeps on making it about her and the fact that she keeps on ignoring Sasuke's words really irritated me. Sakura has friends and family who love and care for her and while Sasuke hardly has any friends, he lost his family so young and it doesn't help that none of the teachers seem to be concerned about his mental health and well-being or the Uchiha massacre and it just goes to show that Sakura not only does she not understand Sasuke but doesn't want to understand nor does she care about his feelings. Because the whole reason she wanted to become a kunoichi was to get Sasuke's attention, she grew her hair for Sasuke, and basically her entire world revolves around Sasuke which isn't healthy for a girl so young like Sakura. She even states she will leave the village and help him take revenge just to be close to him which again is stupid but at the same time she doesn't know any better.
And can we also talk about the fact that after Sasuke knocks her out he just LEAVES her there all alone, unprotected in the middle of the night where anyone could hurt her???? That is not OKAY and it just goes to show how little care Sasuke has for Sakura in regards to her well-being.
And then we have this scene where Sakura plans to go kill Sasuke all by herself so she wouldn't burden Naruto with their promise of bringing Sasuke back to Kohona.
Again, Sasuke tries to tell Sakura his motives but once again Sakura goes "IDC!!", why? Because once again it just proves that Sakura truly doesn't care for Sasuke's feelings and has no interest in trying to and all she notes is that he changes. I'm sure she has once wondered why Sasuke is doing all this but she doesn't feel the need to try and understand it, why? If Sakura truly does care for Sasuke why hasn't she tried to understand his clan, his background, his feelings? If she truly loved and cared for Sasuke she would try to give a damn about how he feels.
And keep in mind that Sakura was the one who tried to kill Sasuke first, I've seen Sasuke getting a lot of backlash for trying to kill Sakura but people tend to forget Sakura started it and Sasuke was going to finish it!
And gosh, this part where Sasuke tries to kill Sakura will always leave me in complete and utter shock and disgust! Bro didn't even let her prove herself worthy standing by his side when he asked her to kill Karin, he straight up was ready to nerf her ass with no remorse!!
Kakashi even confirms that Sasuke really meant to kill Sakura with no hesitation whatsoever! What would've happened if Sasuke managed to suceed in killing Sakura if Kakashi hadn't come just in time??
Then Sakura attempts to try and kill Sasuke again but of course is unable to due to her unhealthy crush towards Sasuke. So then Sasuke tries to kill Sakura again by using her poisoned kunai knife against her!!
And then Naruto had to come and save Sakura again from nearly being killed by Sasuke! Again, what would've happened if Naruto hadn't come in time?? Kakashi was nearly too late in saving Sakura and Naruto had to save her instead, Sasuke really could've killed her again with no remorse and yet SasuSaku shippers find this healthy?! Because at this point it just goes to show just by now how unhealthy this pair is!
Many SasuSaku shippers say that Sasuke and Sakura's feelings are connected but I beg to differ because this scene where Naruto reveals that he knows the truth about Itachi further proves just how very little Sakura knows about Sasuke. She is confused and doesn't understand what Naruto means by that and I bet you she doesn't even bother to ask Naruto about it in the aftermath.
And that fact that she still likes him after he tried to take her life is just appalling! Like, anyone with a brain would understand that if a man who you love purposely tries to take your life willingly, twice means that you should take the hint and realize that he doesn't like you and that you should really think twice if you want to be with them! But Sakura, for someone who is so smart she really can be so stupid! Why would you want to marry someone who tries to kill you??
And then when the three of them plus Kakashi are up against Madara and his new transformation this is what she does.
She runs in with no plan whatsoever! And why? Because she wanted Sasuke to see how much progress she's made and doesn't want to be seen as a weakling! She ends up getting stabbed and then Naruto and Sasuke have to rescue her! And when they do Sakura is more CONCERNED about Sasuke not worrying about her than the war in general!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME SAKURA??
What makes you think that this is the right time to be impressing Sasuke in a middle of a freaking war??!!
And when Sakura seemingly seems concerned about what is happening outside this is what Sasuke says to her:
Wow...I can really feel the loving bond they both share...so romantic...
Then we have Sakura and Kakashi both falling to their almost inevitable doom by almost getting burned by lava and Naruto even tells Sasuke to go and save Sakura but he doesn't and willingly leaves her and Kakashi to both die!
Sakura even realizes it too! Look at how distraught her expression is! She is saddened that the love of her life was willing to leave her to die, and she knows by now that she means nothing to him! And I'm suppose to believe that they are in love or that Sasuke had romantic feelings for her the entire time?! I think not!
And then the cherry on top! This scene where it seems like Sakura is going to knock some sense into Sasuke by how fierce and determined she looks on her face right? But no, this is what she does...
She once again just HAS to make it all about herself! Always about her, how she feels, how much she "loves" Sasuke, and how much she wants him to love her! Now when she was 13 years old it's understandable, she was a little kid who hardly know better but she is practically 16-17 years old here! You would've thought that she would get the memo but no! She is still the same and doesn't care whether or not Sasuke wants her or not! And how does Sasuke respond to that? This...
He puts her under a FREAKING genjustu where he kills her over and over again for 8 FREAKING hours!! Yup, this is your precious and loving ship SasuSaku fans!! You can clearly see just how much Sasuke loves Sakura and how badly he wants her!!
So in short, SasuSaku is toxic and never should've become a couple in the first place! It's not only that Kishimoto doesn't know how to write romance but he purposely shows us just how toxic these two are for each other and should've just stayed as friends! With how negative their interactions are it's safe to say they were never meant to be! Sakura's so called "love" for Sasuke is selfish, shallow, and superficial and we don't even know why she likes him in the first place, and I bet you it's mainly for his looks because Kishimoto even admits that he's been avoiding writing the real reason for Sakura's crush on Sasuke. Sakura likes the idea of having a handsome man like Sasuke in her life and wants him regardless if he wants her or not!
Sorry for the long analysis here but I hope this answers your question and helps you understand just how bad SasuSaku are!
