Naruto is a classic shonen action/adventure series where inspiring themes such as courage, the power of friendship, and faith in oneself take center stage. Protagonists like Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee, and Hinata Hyuga win not with dirty tricks or cheats, but with the burning passion to be a true hero and save the day. The same is true for the pink-haired Sakura Haruno, too.

RELATED: 10 Times Yuji Proved Himself To be a True Hero in Jujutsu Kaisen

Even if Sakura Haruno never reached the same heights as her teammates Naruto and Sasuke, she is still a brave, bold Leaf Village kunoichi who is determined to save the day and prove herself a true hero, no matter the risks. Sakura may not always win her fights, but ultimately, what matters most is that she has the heart of a champion, something she demonstrated many times in the anime.

10 When Sakura Shielded Tazuna From Zabuza

Zabuza momochi with his face masked as he looks down

This scene is an example of fighters like Sakura Haruno having the guts of a true hero, even if she isn't the one who won that particular fight. Early on, Team 7 was assigned to escort Tazuna back to his native Land of Waves, only for the Mist assassin Zabuza Momochi to target them.

Team 7 scattered, and at one point, it fell to Sakura to shield her client from the deadly Zabuza with nothing but her kunai knife and her fierce determination to back it up. That's brave and noble of her, especially since she had no special hiden jutsu to rely on.

9 When Sakura Cured Kankuro From Sasori's Poison

Sakura treats Kankuro at the hospital

Early in Naruto Shippuden, a brand-new Akatsuki duo, Deidara and Sasori, struck. They captured the young Kazekage Gaara, and Kankuro tried in vain to rescue his brother. Sasori afflicted Kankuro with a lethal poison in that fight, a venom that had no known cure. Kankuro seemed doomed to die.

That was when Sakura came in and put her medical expertise to good use. She proved how creative and resourceful she can be while synthesizing a cure for that poison, and fortunately, Kankuro was saved from certain death. He owes her his life.

8 When Sakura Helped Chiyo Defeat Sasori

sakura vs sasori in Naruto

Sakura started Shippuden strong, most of all in the Gaara rescue story arc. Not only did she save Kankuro from Sasori's advanced poison, she directly confronted Sasori himself in a cave while Chiyo backed her up. A fierce battle ensued, and soon, Sakura became Chiyo the puppetmaster's best weapon.

RELATED: 10 Times Ichigo Proved Himself to be a True Hero in Bleach

Chiyo's own puppets were spent, so Sakura was her last good option. Chiyo attached her chakra strings to Sakura and thus boosted her taijutsu to the next level, allowing Sakura to dodge Sasori's many rapid attacks before Sakura's fists destroyed Sasori's puppet body for good.

7 When Sakura Urged Sasuke To Not Abandon The Village

sakura sasuke departure

This was a scene where Sakura failed to get the job done, but her heart was in the right place, and she was the only person to take a stand on this particular issue. Eventually, Sasuke Uchiha made up his mind to abandon his village and team, and Sakura knew it was coming.

Sakura made a passionate speech, imploring Sasuke to remain and appealing to his friendships in Team 7. Ultimately, Sasuke knocked her out and fled anyway, but at least Sakura did the right thing for the right reasons, trying to stand in Sasuke's way while the rest of the village slept.

6 When Sakura Openly Declared Her Intent To Stop Being Weak

Sakura cuts her hair when battling Sound Ninja in Forest of Death

In the earliest episodes, Sakura was by far Team 7's weakest member, and she felt pretty bad about that. She was often critical of the reckless Naruto Uzumaki, but she was even more critical of herself, given her lack of accomplishments and special jutsu.

RELATED: 10 Times Tanjiro Proved Himself to Be True Hero in Demon Slayer

Sakura finally had enough when she faced the three Sound genin. Sakura openly vowed to get stronger and stop making excuses for herself, and she symbolically cut her hair to both free herself from Kin Tsuchi's grip and represent how she is shedding her weakness. It was an important and brave step to take.

5 When Sakura Fought In Yamanaka To A Draw

Sakura vs Ino – Naruto Anime

During the chunin exam story arc, the twenty survivors of the Forest of Death had to duel one another in the tower's arena, and Sakura was matched up against her childhood friend, the confident blonde Ino Yamanaka, who most certainly had a hiden jutsu. Ino definitely had the upper hand.

Sakura didn't back down, though. With sheer grit and willpower, she resisted Ino's jutsu and fought her friend as an equal with taijutsu. Ino was annoyed but also impressed, and the two girls knocked each other out. Sakura may not have won, but at the time, that was a heroic step forward for her.

4 When Sakura Helped Defend The Village From Orochimaru's Attack

Gaara vs sakura

Sakura played a minor but appreciable role in the Hidden Leaf Village's defense when Orochimaru's Sound ninja and their Sand allies launched their mission to destroy the village. To begin with, Sakura used her moderate genjutsu talents to awaken Naruto from the sleep genjutsu, then they got to work.

RELATED: 10 Times Goku Proved Himself to be a True Hero in Dragon Ball

Team 7, plus Shikamaru Nara, began their mission to fight off the Sound and Sand ninja, including Gaara himself, the Sand ninja's best weapon. Sakura even faced Gaara's partial jinchuriki form with great courage until Sasuke and Naruto finished the fight.

3 When Sakura Defended Leaf Villagers From Pain's Centipede

giant centipede

When the Six Paths of Pain attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, it was up to every single ninja to stand together and defend their home from this monstrous threat. Tsunade, as Hokage, took the lead, while various chunin and genin helped evacuate the civilians or fight Pain's summoned monsters.

Sakura did her part when a giant centipede attacked, and she saved several lives from that monster. Then Sakura got to work and defeated it in battle, which helped put a dent in Pain's overall invasion. Those villagers owe Sakura their very lives.

2 When Sakura Destroyed The Imposter Neji Hyuga

sakura defeats fake neji

During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Sakura played a supporting role as one of many medical ninja, but she did more than heal her wounded comrades. At one point, Neji Hyuga was acting oddly, and Sakura realized he was an imposter. He was a White Zetsu, in fact.

This battle was an informative one for Sakura. She used field reports and this particular White Zetsu to figure out how White Zetsu's substitution works, and she alerted the coalition's HQ. This led to Sakura and Shizune discovering White Zetsu's wood release abilities during an autopsy.

1 When Sakura Helped Defeat Kaguya Otsutsuki

Naruto Kaguya Team 7

When the mighty Kaguya Otsutsuki herself, the mother of all jutsu, appeared, it was time to act. The dust had barely settled on the fight with Obito and Madara, but Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto scraped together their remaining strength to face this final threat.

Defeating Kaguya was the challenge of a lifetime, but the reunited Team 7 didn't dare back down. Sakura faced a foe with a million times her strength, but she bravely fought this moon princess anyway, and she helped Naruto and Sasuke triumph over her with the power of friendship. Kakashi was positively bursting with pride.

NEXT: 10 Anime Characters Who Had No Choice But to be Heroes