While Naruto might not have been an anime with romance as its main focus, many characters still ended up developing crushes, deep connections, and romantic relationships with their fellow ninjas. Fan-favorite couples like Naruto & Hinata and Sasuke & Sakura were obvious and seen from a mile away. Other couples like Choji & Karui came as a shock.
However, there were also many ninja pairs who had the potential to become an official couple but somehow didn't end up together by the end of the series. Whether their hearts ended up elsewhere or it just wasn't meant to be, we need to acknowledge all the ninja couples that were amazing in theory.
Updated By Amanda Bruce On January 10, 2021: With the world of Naruto continuing into the next generation of Boruto, it's easy to continue speculating about fan favorite characters and pairings. Fans can still wonder "what if?" when it comes to so many potential pairings— and wonder if things could ever change in the future of the franchise.
15 Hinata & Kiba
Hinata spent all of her formative years admiring Naruto from afar and hardly being able to get a word out when he spoke to her. It's a wonder they ever got to know one another at all. One person who did get to know her was her teammate Kiba.
In fact, Kiba was always there for Hinata growing up, ready to alternately protect her and fight alongside her as she needed it. He also wasn't afraid to tease her about Naruto while everyone else seemed to walk on eggshells regarding the topic. They would have made for an open and honest match.
14 Ino & Sakura
Best friends when they started their time at the Ninja Academy, Sakura and Ino declared each other sworn enemies thanks to them both developing crushes on Sasuke. They then competed in literally everything right up until they were matched up in their first Chunin Exams.
With Ino and Sakura, all of that animosity really just hid how much they admired one another. Even as they threw barbs at each other, they were impressed with one another's techniques. Sakura even eventually trained Ino in medical ninja techniques. They both supported and challenged one another in a way no one else ever did.
13 Kakashi & Guy
Though both Kakashi and Guy are incredible shinobi and teachers, their lives always seem to revolve around their sense of duty— and their rivalry. Unlike Ino and Sakura as kids, however, Kakashi and Guy's competitions all seemed to be in good fun.
Every time one of them "wins" a competition between the two, they simply compete again in another area for the other one to win. Kakashi and Guy understand what it means to help raise a generation of shinobi, what it means to be away from the village for long stretches of time, and the kind of emotional toll their work can take. They could have been perfect for one another.
12 Sasuke & Hinata
Most fans likely love that Hinata and Naruto end up together, but for anyone who thought her life could have taken a different turn, there's Sasuke. If anyone could understand Sasuke's sense of duty to his family, or taking on a dark path for them, it's Hinata.
After all, Hinata almost married someone who wanted to destroy the moon in order to save her little sister. They both also have a quiet demeanor, unlike the partners they ended up with. With Hinata, Sasuke might have been content to live a more unassuming life.
11 Choji & Ino
There were plenty of fans who thought Ino might have ended up with one of her teammates before Sai was brought into the picture. Ino was always the member of her team putting the boys in place, which could cause some conflict when they were young and immature.
As they got older, however, Ino and Choji learned to work together just as seamlessly as they each did with Shikamaru. They also learned the value of compromise and actually listening to one another instead of lashing out. They could have made one interesting couple.
10 Karin & Suigetsu
Brought together by the formation of Taka, Karin and Suigetsu always had an interesting relationship. On the surface, it might have appeared that Karin was only obsessed with her other teammate, Sasuke, while hating Suigetsu with a passion. At the same time, their constant bickering could be interpreted in a more affectionate light.
In contrast to Sasuke who often ignored Karin and her love for him, Suigetsu never failed to acknowledge her in the form of friendly teasing. And after Sasuke ended up with Sakura, it would only make sense for Karin to turn to Suigetsu instead.
9 Kakashi & Rin
Although Kakashi's love life seemed to be nonexistent throughout his time as the leader of Team Seven, he was actually admired by many peers back in his days as a gifted young ninja. Not surprisingly, his teammate, Rin, happened to be one of his admirers.
But despite Rin's feelings, the young Kakashi was much more focused on missions than on his teammates or love. Ironically, Rin's death served as a reminder to Kakashi of what he should have prioritized and protected all along. Had Rin not died, she and Kakashi could have been more than teammates.
8 Ino & Shikamaru
At the end of the Naruto series, Ino found love with Sai while Shikamaru married Temari. While both of those canon couples do make a lot of sense, it also would have made sense for two of the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio to get together.
Beyond coming from clans with a long history together, Ino and Shikamaru naturally click well together on and off the battlefield. Just as Shikamaru uses his genius mind to come up with innovative battle strategies, Ino's specialty also involves the mind with her Mind Transfer technique. In addition, like Temari, Ino's strong personality would've kept Shikamaru's laziness in check.
7 Neji & Tenten
With the conclusion of Naruto, most of the ninja from the Konoha 11 ended up married with children. Only a select few like Tenten never found a true love interest, while only one of the eleven, Neji, ended up dying as a result of the Fourth Shinobi War.
If Neji didn't die, things would obviously be very different. Like most of his Konoha 11 peers, Neji might have wanted to start a family of his own, and Tenten was one of the ninjas whom he was closest to. Naturally, the two were bound to end up together if someone didn't get himself killed.
6 Konan & Nagato
Despite the Akatsuki being the main antagonists of the series, the members themselves still deserve some love too. In particular, Konan and Nagato were definitely a pair that could not be overlooked.
Since the Second Shinobi War, Konan and Nagato were practically inseparable as war orphans and friends who were just trying to survive. After receiving training and guidance from Jiraiya, Konan and Nagato formed the original Akatsuki with their friend, Yahiko, to bring peace to the ninja world. Until each of their respective deaths, Nagato and Konan continued to fight for their shared dream of peace.
5 Tenten & Lee
If Tenten couldn't find love with her fallen comrade, Neji, she could have at least ended up with her other teammate, Rock Lee. Instead, Rock Lee has a child, Metal Lee, with an unknown origin.
Perhaps there is a good reason why the identity of Metal Lee's mother is kept a secret, but for now, it would have made the most sense for that woman to be explicitly stated as Tenten. But rather than giving Tenten and Lee a romance that fans could stand behind, they instead gave Metal Lee a mother who is currently both faceless and nameless.
4 Karin & Sasuke
Sasuke was once the boy every girl dreamed of dating. However, after he joined forces with the likes of Orochimaru and attempted to destroy Konohagakure, there weren't many people left who were willing to give him a chance at love even after he became a hero in the Fourth Shinobi War. Perhaps the only two kunoichi who were still willing to marry the guy were Sakura and Karin.
If Sakura were removed from the picture, Karin, Sasuke's Taka teammate, would have been the likely love interest of the Uchiha. In addition to being completely obsessed with Sasuke, Karin is a fellow descendent of the Uzumaki Clan like Naruto, which means her and Sasuke would've had a child with both Uchiha and Uzumaki blood.
3 Anko & Orochimaru
In the past, Orochimaru had undeniably done some pretty terrible things such as assassinating the Third Hokage and performing unethical science experiments on other ninjas. However, by the end of the series, Orochimaru found some redemption by siding with Sasuke and putting a stop to his own villainous ways.
Therefore, it would have been nice for the former villain to settle down and find love. A likely candidate for Orochimaru would be Anko, who he shares quite a bit of history with. As fellow snake ninjas, the two could make amends from their troubled past and share a future together.
2 Jiraiya & Tsunade
Although Jiraiya had a bad habit of perverted tendencies and Tsunade had already found the love of her life, there's no denying that there was a very close bond between the two legendary ninjas. And yet, they both ended up along when they could've had each other.
After the death of her lover, Dan, Tsunade practically abandoned both the village and her ninja life. It was only thanks to Jiraiya and Naruto that Tsunade eventually came back to become the Hokage and protect the village. Perhaps they would've gotten together if Jiraiya hadn't died against Pain.
1 Sakura & Lee
Throughout the series, there have been many instances of unrequited love such as Jiraiya's love for Tsunade and Naruto's initial crush on Sakura. However, one of the saddest unrequited loves has to go to Lee and his love for Sakura.
Admittedly, Lee's initial infatuation wasn't going off of much since Sakura didn't even know who he was when he first asked her out before the Chunin Exams. Still, that doesn't take away from the fact that Lee continuously proved to Sakura that he would always protect and care for her no matter what.
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