Naruto tells the tale of Naruto Uzumaki and his adventures on the way to becoming the Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. Naturally, these adventures led to new friendships, difficult challenges, and even meeting the loves of their lives. Naturally, Naruto's 15-year-run had caused the appearance of multiple ships - some becoming successful, others becoming the stuff of fanfics.
Thankfully, the end of the series - and its continuation in Boruto - revealed which ships ended up together, and even gave a glimpse into their lives as couples. However, which pairings in Naruto succeed in touching the heartstrings of fans? And worse, which pairings didn't really seem to make an impact?
Updated on December 2, 2021, by Suzail Ahmad: There are tons of characters in Naruto, which allows the fans to ship their favorites with other characters, and speculate how a particular ship would be like.
However, it is quite obvious that not every single pairing would be able to leave a mark. There are many ships, which do not make and seem forced as the characters involved barely have any connection. But, there are also great ships in Naruto, which check every box that is needed for a successful ship.
14 Great Ship: Neji And Tenten
Neji was a prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan. Such was his skill that he was the first member of the Konoha 11, who became a Jonin. Tenten is an expert at using different types of weapons. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Tenten was able to use the two of the weapons of the Sage of Six Paths.
Being on the same team, the duo had good chemistry and they cared about each other. The two were pretty close and if not for Neji's untimely death, they could have easily ended up together.
13 Bad Pairing: Rock Lee And Tenten
Rock Lee is a taijutsu master, who showed his potential on various occasions. Tenten was his teammate when they were younger. Both of them belonged to Team Guy. The two of them went on several missions together.
Lee and Tenten have been the best of friends and they have looked out for each other, but that was mainly due to the sense of camaraderie that they shared. Besides, Rock Lee was in love with Sakura.
12 Great Ship: Naruto And Sasuke
Naruto and Sasuke are two of the main characters in the series. For the majority of the series, both of them were are each other's throats and on several occasions, the two tried to hurt each other badly.
However, as the story progressed it was easy to notice that both of them cared about each other the most. Naruto sacrificed a lot for Sasuke and Sasuke only pushed away Naruto because he knew that he wouldn't be able to avenge his clan otherwise. The two form an incredible duo and many fans ship them. The pair is commonly referred to as "NaruSasu."
11 Bad Pairing: Sasuke And Karin
Throughout Naruto, Sasuke became the love interest of many characters— Sakura, Ino, and Karin. Sasuke met Karin after defecting from the Hidden Leaf and going to Orochimaru. Karin immediately took interest in Sasuke and began to follow him around.
However, Sasuke had absolutely no interest in Karin. He went as far as to attack her in order to kill Danzo, but that didn't stop Karin from having feelings for Sasuke. It is quite obvious that the pairing was very toxic.
10 Great Ship: Kiba And Hinata
One could argue that Kiba was one of the few among the Konoha 11 to have taken Hinata seriously. Of course, his role in the series was more of a brother or a true comrade to Hinata. However, had it not been for Hinata's admiration of Naruto, Kiba would have become a great partner for Hinata. At first glance, Kiba's slight arrogance, pride, and honorable personality fit Hinata's shy but caring nature.
Moreover, a Kiba-Hinata ship would make sense had Naruto become a couple with someone else. After all, it's likely for Hinata's feelings for Naruto to get amplified with his status as a hero. It's equally as likely for her to start dismissing her feelings for Naruto given the fame he's garnered - evident in one of the films after the series. His future responsibility as the Hokage may also potentially be a barrier between Naruto and Hinata. Had Naruto rejected Hinata out of his need to fulfill his future duties, a quiet blossoming love between Kiba and Hinata would still make sense.
9 Bad Pairing: Minato And Kushina
Granted, Minato and Kushina are a standout couple and are amazing parents. Nothing tops a sacrifice any parent could give, and Minato and Kushina traded their life to save Naruto from the wrath of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Thankfully, Naruto's Nine-Tails Seal gave him the opportunity to interact with both his mother and father from the grave. Moreover, Orochimaru's Edo Tensei had given Naruto the chance to save the world with his father.
However, caring parents aside, Minato and Kushina seemed to have too perfect of a love story. Of course, it's completely within the realm of reason to have a couple so deeply in love that things just "work out" for them. However, it wouldn't hurt to give Minato and Kushina some layers in their character with more story arcs that flesh out their personalities. The lack of proper development on their end - where persistent trials have molded them together - has made their pairing lose a bit of their luster.
8 Great Ship: Kurenai And Asuma
Kurenai and Asuma became Naruto's definite version of romance in a dangerous profession. Granted, the series had many adult couples in the form of parents and older characters. However, Kurenai and Asuma's ship is perhaps one of the most realistic romances in the series.
It's implied on the get-go that Kurenai and Asuma go out. Moreover, Kurenai getting pregnant early on in the series puts a serious risk in their lives as ninjas, another realistic element in the relationship.
Moreover, the mere existence of Mirai Sarutobi and her early interactions with the cast cement Kurenai and Asuma's affection for each other. For instance, Shikamaru - perhaps Asuma's closest student - promised to become Mirai's mentor throughout her growth. Thanks to Kurenai and Asuma, readers had a couple to look at to witness an ordinary yet transformative love story.
7 Bad Pairing: Jiraiya And Tsunade
Behind Jiraiya's antics and Tsunade's love for gambling are two of the Hidden Leaf's finest. However, as Naruto would show, all members of the Sannin - even Orochimaru - are simply humans. However, it's evident from the series that the two had some tension between them. Sadly, Jiraiya's demise helping the Leaf Village prepare for Pain didn't give Jiraiya and Tsunade the opportunity to settle their differences. Thankfully, by then, Jiraiya had already helped Naruto master the Rasengan, his signature technique.
Thing is, it's very unlikely for their friendship to end in romance, even if Jiraiya had returned from his mission. At the end of the day, there's no reason for Jiraiya and Tsunade to take their friendship to the next level. Had it not been for Jiraiya's death, Tsunade wouldn't have been able to cope with her hidden fear of grieving for her loved ones. Likewise, "settling" for Tsunade has never fit Jiraiya's bachelor lifestyle.
6 Great Ship: Shikamaru And Temari
Shikamaru and Temari developed this unspoken tension as early as their first encounter in the Chuunin Exams. After all, Shikamaru surrendered in their first match, and Temari saves Shikamaru from certain death during the Sasuke Retrieval Mission. It's these "chance encounters" that eventually motivate Shikamaru to actually ask Temari out. And it's the blatant shyness between the two that reinforce their chemistry - a very realistic reaction between rivals that eventually became colleagues, friends, and eventually lovers.
Despite the slow room for growth between the two, it's the fact that Kishimoto gave their ship some exposure that makes them great. This development is much greater compared to blunt Sai and affectionate Ino, or Choji and his love for food prior to Boruto.
Thanks to their natural interactions, fans can see that Shikamaru's laidback self calms the tense Temari. Likewise, Temari's serious personality awakens the inner genius lying behind Shikamaru's laziness.
5 Bad Pairing: Ino And Sai
Sai becomes the new third member of Team 7 in Part II and immediately makes an impression on the Konoha 11 as perhaps the blunter, colder version of Sasuke. Given his looks and Sasuke's absence, Ino immediately has a crush on Sai. And while this isn't bad as it is, their sudden pairing at the end of the series without any visible development is what makes their partnership a bit troublesome.
Granted, Ino actually risks her life to save a possessed Sai in one of the novels after the main series. Sai eventually reciprocates these feelings, and they have a child Inojin as the "Ino" member of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in Boruto. However, the fact that they have quite strong ties as a family today without any visible solid foundation in Naruto makes their pairing quite a missed potential.
4 Great Ship: Sakura And Lee
Rock Lee and his straightforward confession to Sakura became one of the most shocking revelations in early Naruto. And while Rock Lee's feelings towards Sakura never became a subplot in Naruto, there were signs of hidden feelings in the series. For instance, Lee's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream involved winning Sakura's affection. Unfortunately for Lee, Sakura would fall immediately for Sasuke.
However, a relationship between Sakura and Lee may show some promise. Unlike other shinobi in the series, both the Haruno and Lee clans aren't known families. In turn, a SakuLee relationship may be a window towards the normalcy hidden inside the Leaf's many great clans. Moreover, Sakura's eye for observation and empathic nature may fit well with Lee's determinism and optimistic attitude. Given the chance, both of them may have helped their strongest traits shine.
3 Bad Pairing: Sakura And Sasuke
Granted, SakuSasu in Boruto proved the strength of long-distance relationships. However, it's the development of the ship itself that didn't seem to align with the outcome Kishimoto wanted to achieve.
On the one hand, Sakura's huge crush on Sasuke has become one of her defining character traits - to the point that it almost overshadowed her innate skills and prowess. On the other, Sasuke's entire character arc focused on avenging the Uchiha Clan and his personal redemption, barely making any time to actually get to know Sakura.
If some fans felt that some SakuSasu scenes felt forced, it's probably because of the lack of natural development. And while Sasuke's "non-verbal love" to Sakura was a great moment to prove their love to Sarada, their daughter's doubts about their relationship have a rock to stand on.
2 Great Ship: Naruto And Hinata
Hinata naturally gravitated to Naruto's determinism and optimism, even as a child. In turn, albeit her shy nature, Hinata's growing affection towards Naruto seemed more than just a childhood crush.
Moreover, the series itself followed through with its NaruHina setup, without having to force the ship. For instance, Naruto had already confronted Neji for almost having killed Hinata in a fight when they were kids. He also confronted Neji about his convoluted idea of destiny, opening Hinata's eyes that she could be more than what others expect of her.
This gets reciprocated in Part II, where Hinata almost dies defending Naruto from Pain. Likewise, it's a waking slap from Hinata that grounded Naruto into never giving up in the Fourth Great Ninja War after Neji's unfortunate death.
1 Bad Pairing: Naruto And Sakura
Remember, Naruto and Sakura had to quickly mature as children. After all, both had devoted their adolescent years to eventually saving Sasuke from Orochimaru. Moreover, Sasuke's absence and issues leading up to the Fourth Great Ninja War forced the both of them to grow independently - never really having the time to get closer to each other more than friends and comrades.
Moreover, Sakura only started noticing Naruto in a different light after his victory over Pain and recognition throughout the village. Of course, Sakura soon dismisses this as simple admiration. However, had Sakura made a move, she may have fallen in love with an "idea" of a person. In turn, any semblance of "normalcy" and domestication on Naruto's end may shatter Sakura's initial impression.