The Naruto series isn't often about romance. It's about the fight. That being said, the series does happen to feature quite a bit of romantic pairings as the show focuses on teenagers as they grow into adults. While some of the couples are well suited to one another, other characters might have been better off in different relationships.

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Some of the relationships that the series ends with are those hinted at from the very beginning of the series, while others come as a surprise. Would alternatives to some of the more ill-fitting couples have made the show a different one?

10 Worst: Naruto And Sakura

Technically, these two never officially become a couple in the animated series. Naruto does, however, attempt to compete with Sasuke for her affections.

Sakura, for her part, frequently berates Naruto and looks down on him for his lack of academic knowledge of shinobi skills. She isn't above using him though, asking him to accompany her on a date when she really has no interest in him. Naruto spends a lot of time following Sakura like a lost puppy until he is forced to mature in Naruto Shippuden. The two would never have made a functioning couple.

9 Better: Sakura And Lee

Interestingly, Rock Lee also has a crush on Sakura during the same time as Naruto. He doesn't, however, constantly needle Sakura about a potential date or try to sabotage her friendship with Sasuke.

Instead, Lee knows how he feels about Sakura and is content that he cares for her even if she doesn't care for him in the same way. He never pushes her and Sakura never reciprocates his feelings. She does, however, admire his dedication and work ethic and consider him a genuine friend, which is enough to make the audience wonder what would have happened if she'd felt the same way.

8 Worst: Ino And Sai

In the Boruto series, Ino and Sai present a united and loving front for their son Inojin. However, that's not how their relationship manifests in the original series.

Instead, Ino is mostly interested in Sai because she finds him pretty to look at and because he's a little mysterious. Sai, for his part, doesn't entirely understand Ino's interest and isn't great at forming interpersonal relationships. Ino's shallow behavior does not make a great foundation for a lasting relationship.

7 Better: Ino And Choji

Ino Choji And Sakura During The Chunin Exams

Sai and Ino might eventually become a better couple, but Ino and Choji, surprisingly, have a pretty good foundation to become a couple. They've known each other their entire lives, and along with Shikamaru, train together pretty exclusively.

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While Ino can bully Shikamaru into doing things her way, she can't do that with Choji. He's more likely to push back and get her to see his point of view. In their younger days that can make things get pretty heated, but as they mature, it means they're more likely to compromise on problems.

6 Worst: Kakashi And Rin

During their childhood, Kakashi and Rin are placed on the same shinobi squad. While Rin quickly takes a liking to him, Kakashi spends a lot of time with the team not caring about his teammates. He's got a chip on his shoulder as a result of his father's death that he just can't shake.

Despite that, Rin continues to try to push him into being friendly with herself and Obito. It doesn't work, and Kakashi's resistance to being a team player frequently lands them in trouble. It's definitely not a situation that paints one of the best teachers in the series in a good light.

5 Better: Kakashi And Guy

Might Guy and Kakashi in Naruto.

Like Rin, Kakashi grows up attending the Academy with Guy. Guy and Kakashi become good-natured rivals over the years. Their competitions involve anything and everything, and every time they compete, it seems like the other person ends up on top.

There's never any romantic storylines for the two, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't have been evenly matched. With their loyalty to their village, their desire to help people, and their determination to turn new generations into solid shinobi, they have a lot more than just their rivalry in common.

4 Worst: Dan And Tsunade

Tsunade and Dan share a tender moment in Naruto.

As far as backstory goes, Dan isn't the worst thing to come out of the Naruto universe. The trouble is that his doomed relationship with Tsunade is never showcased particularly well.

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There's never really an indication of how Tsunade and Dan connect, or what she loves about him other than his shinobi skills. He doesn't have much to his character at all and seems to be simply there to give Tsunade a tragic reason to leave Konohagakure behind.

3 Better: Tsunade And Jiraiya

Jiraya and Tsunade

Jiraiya isn't exactly the best relationship material the show brings its audience. He has a lot of flaws, but he admits to them openly. The truth is, of those living during the bulk of the show's main story, however, that no two characters care about one another more.

Despite the bickering, Tsunade's act of superiority, and Jiraiya's purposeful attempts to get under her skin, it's clear that their history has shaped them into two deeply connected people. As teammates, friends, and Legendary Sannin, no one else truly understands what they've been through. If only they would have had the chance to act on their feelings.

2 Worst: Sakura And Sasuke

Sasuke attempts to kill Sakura in Naruto.

Sakura and Sasuke are obviously an endgame couple for the series, but they really feel all wrong for one another. Intelligent and tough, Sakura flounders when it comes to Sasuke.

Sakura spends a lot of her formative years pining over a boy who doesn't even notice her until he has to save her life. She even ends a friendship over him. Sasuke, for his part, doesn't even give Sakura the time of day. It's never really clear that he even cares about her, and when she tries to bring him back to the village after his defection, he tries to kill her. That's not exactly the stuff of romance.

1 Better: Sakura And Ino

Ino Yamanaka (Left) and Sakura Haruno (Right) in Naruto: Shippuden

The friendship that Sakura gives up for Sasuke? It's the one she has with Ino. Ino is Sakura's first real friend, as revealed in filler material in the anime. Ino is there for Sakura when the other Academy kids make fun of her appearance. She even gifts her with a ribbon for her hair.

When they discover they have a crush on the same boy, they become rivals in everything, culminating in their matchup at the Chunin Exams. Their rivalry, however, is always more about impressing one another than it ever seems to be about Sasuke. Ino swallows her pride and eventually asks Sakura to teach her medical-nin skills, and they become firm friends again. But they could have been more.

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