not to be that girl lmao, but could i get some sasuke pairing advice? i really enjoyed reading the pairing advice you gave to others but i hadn’t seen one of his yet. personally, i don’t see him being the type to really fit with anyone but? yeah please and thanks!
So, a Sasuke pairing guide.
That’s no problem. I mean, why else has he been without one for so long? It’s not like he’s super difficult to write for or anything.
he is omg help me
On a serious note, Sasuke is a complex character. That said, I think what makes him most difficult to pair isn’t necessarily his personality but these two things:
His tunnel vision. Sasuke was occupied with his goals and was only interested in seeing them realized. He didn’t pay attention to people unless they could somehow help in achieving those goals (see: Team Hebi / Taka). Sasuke was never seeking an intimate relationship (whether platonic or otherwise) because it was irrelevant to what he was trying to accomplish.
The timeline. Sasuke’s personal journey is closely linked to Naruto’s main plot—he’s pretty much the main driving force of the story. He’s got a lot going on and, combined with the previous point, there’s not a lot of wiggle room to integrate an OC into his story.
Of course, there are ways of pairing Sasuke—he just requires some careful consideration if you’re sticking with canon, which is the assumption I'm going with when writing this guide.
On that note, I want to mention something: a relationship with Sasuke will likely be a slow burn, long distance one. It will include Sasuke being MIA frequently and, when he does finally return, there will likely be baggage to work through.
This, however, should be embraced, in my opinion.
The most common approach I've seen in pairing Sasuke with an OC is to have them meet in Konoha during Part I > OC follows Sasuke to Orochimaru > OC follows Sasuke by joining Team Taka / Hebi and then profit. This approach, while giving Sasuke and OC consistent exposure to one another, is one that really works against OC creators as it creates this need to justify too many story and character deviations, which causes unnecessary frustration.
My solution: don't have OC present during every step of Sasuke's journey.
Think outside the box. Have an OC that was always an affiliate of Sound and they meet when Sasuke defects. Let OC and Sasuke first meet or reconnect after the Fourth Shinobi War. Have them meet as adults during the Boruto era. Develop your OC's life outside of their interactions with Sasuke; don't force them to always be together.
or you can just do what you want also
With that little tangent out the way, let’s talk about his personality a little.
After the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke was pretty cold. He didn't care much about relationships—or other people in general. Unless they were stronger than him, in which case, he would obsess over surpassing them. During Part I, Sasuke's capacity for empathy was a bit higher—as seen with his interactions with Team 7, among other instances—but he eventually discards this in exchange for pursuing power during Shippūden. There is a callous disregard for others during this time as well, something he doesn't begin to move past until the end of Shippūden. Following Parts I and II, Sasuke begins moving towards trying to form and strengthen connections with those around him. He's still not outwardly brimming with emotion, but he is much more capable and open to expressing those kind, caring feelings he has for others in his own way.
So, finally, onto what you probably want most: what Sasuke might like in a partner! Yay!
Someone talented and / or useful. Applicable mainly to Parts I and II Sasuke. If your OC is not as strong as or stronger than Sasuke, he's not interested, as the great Cloud Strife often puts it. OC would have to be on Neji / Gaara / Rock Lee levels of strength and notoriety to catch Sasuke's attention—everyone else is literally fodder to him. Similarly, when he's in his Team Hebi / Taka days, he's only interested in those that can help fulfill his goals. This is where issues of power level can come into play (especially during Part I), but the only advice I can really give is to just develop your OC's abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
Someone empathetic but uncompromising. Applicable mainly to post-Shippūden Sasuke. What I mean is Sasuke might want someone that understands his motives for his past actions—but would also need to see the error in them. Sasuke himself is completely ashamed of his past actions and seeks to repent for them, so I doubt he would want someone making excuses for him when he himself doesn't.
Someone steadfast in their convictions. Someone that stays on their own personal path no matter what. I think this would be appealing to Sasuke, considering how his own goals, feelings and convictions were constantly tried and tested throughout the series.
Someone accommodating. A person that understands that Sasuke won't always be there but still chooses to welcome him, maybe not with open arms, but at least with an open heart would go a long way. OC can (understandably) be upset, hurt and annoyed with him but someone that realizes Sasuke is trying in his own way to become better and is willing to work on their relationship together is cool.
Emotionally grounded and mature. I'm not saying your OC has to be without their own problems—everyone has their problems, ya know—but I think someone that is aware of their emotional needs would be able help and support Sasuke in mending his emotional needs. They'd be able to communicate and all that good jazz.
Easygoing and open. While I don't think Sasuke is bothered by loud, more rambunctious people (see: Naruto and Sakura), I do think that a calm, mellow individual could work well with him. Also someone forthright with their feelings would mesh well, in my opinion. They'd probably be the "lead dancer," if you will, when it comes to the communication aspects of their relationship—they could say the things that Sasuke might struggle to say or express without feeling the embarrassment or hesitation he might feel.
Overall, like I said, when it comes to pairing an OC with Sasuke, it's better not force things or do too many things at once. Working on a smaller scale, I think, would be ideal and more enjoyable when attempting to write a romance for Sasuke.
Personally, I wouldn’t recommend going the typical route of having an OC born and raised in Konoha jumping around the story following after Sasuke—unless, of course, you think you have good reasoning behind it. I would recommend on exploring post- Shippūden and Boruto era Sasuke, where he is more emotionally available, and there is more room for relationship building plus boruto era sasuke is pretty tasty fr fr.
But, as always, do what makes you happy and have fun with it!
- ATB
