There is a common misconception that Sakura is a useless character in the Naruto series. At first, this might seem like a reasonable complaint; the kunoichi herself laments her powerlessness in the story's earliest arcs.
However, she gains a much more robust and unique identity as time elapses, conquering the many limitations which have held her back from greatness. Sakura's ascension has been so magnificent that she can do many things that neither Sasuke nor Naruto can match despite the godlike power they themselves have acquired. Through acknowledging her abilities, fans can appreciate her distinct gifts.
Updated on December 6th, 2022 by Chelsea Steele: Since Naruto's beginning, Sakura Haruno has been viewed as the weakest link of Team 7, as well as one of the most useless characters in the series. But though her power pales in comparison to her comrades, Sakura has developed incredibly since the early days, proving she's capable of far more than most give her credit for. With the story continuing on in Boruto, she's only become stronger, so we've updated this list with even more of her unique abilities.
15 Sakura Has Earth-Shattering Strength That Even Outclasses Her Teammates
Throughout the series, Naruto and Sasuke overpower Sakura in just about every way. But when it comes to brute strength, she's got both of the boys beat. After her time learning under Tsunade, Sakura gained an incredible amount of physical strength that remains one of her best attributes to this day.
With just one punch, she can shake the ground and create great chasms in the earth. Despite their godlike abilities, Sakura's teammates are always impressed by her amazing display of strength. They may know some of the world's most powerful jutsus, but even they can't pull that off.
14 Unlike Sasuke & Naruto, Sakura Became A Chunin
Despite being considered the weak one of the team, Sakura actually outranks Naruto and Sasuke. While the boys left the village and remained genin, Sakura was able to rise through the ranks with the rest of the Konoha 11.
At the start of Shippuden, she's become a chunin, while Naruto is still a mere genin upon his return.
By the end of the series, she even manages to rise up to a jonin level, making her one of the primary authorities in the village. Funnily enough, Sakura still technically outranks both Sasuke and Naruto even in Boruto, since they never become higher than a genin.
13 Sakura Can Use The Chakra Scalpel, A Technique Only A Few Have Mastered
The chakra scalpel is a technique first introduced into the series by Kabuto in which the user creates a highly precise blade out of pure chakra. It takes a skill level beyond most ninja, and even the greatest medics are unable to produce it.
However, Sakura is one of the few people capable of using this rare technique. The fact that she has mastered such a high-level ability only proves just how incredible her chakra control skills are. It's a feat that most could never accomplish, including two of the world's most powerful Shinobi, Naruto and Sasuke.
12 As An Adult, Sakura Can Balance Work & Being A Parent
Naruto and Sasuke may be far superior to Sakura on the battlefield, but she's proven her worth off it. When the trio is all grown up in Boruto, she excels at parenthood in ways Naruto and Sasuke could only dream of.
She effortlessly juggles motherhood while still working full-time as a ninja. Not to mention, all this time, she's more or less a single mother, getting no help from the father along the way. Sakura has blossomed into a strong and independent adult, and it's made her an amazing parent.
11 Sakura Can Use The Creation Rebirth Technique
The Creation Rebirth is a technique created by Tsunade, and before she teaches it to Sakura, she's the only one capable of using it. The technique requires a massive amount of the user's chakra, making it a very difficult and dangerous ability to perform.
However, when done correctly, it releases the excess chakra, which then creates new cells and rapidly heals any injuries. Sakura is the only one who has ever learned this technique, and it's one ability neither Sasuke nor Naruto could ever learn themselves.
10 Sakura's Healing Abilities Can Revive A Dead Fish
Part of Sakura's training under Lady Tsunade was to practice her medical ninjutsu on a fish. However, her subject was (as far as one could perceive) already dead. Nonetheless, the kunoichi restored it completely, proven through how it flopped listlessly on the table.
As inconsequential as it might seem (since she was still only reviving an animal), Sakura's ability to restore life itself is nothing short of phenomenal. Chiyo demonstrated a similar technique to resuscitate Gaara – ooalbeit at a grave cost.
9 Sakura Has The Best Chakra Control Of Team 7
Though Sakura's baseline chakra may have improved as the series has progressed, it still pales compared to Naruto's or Sasuke's (especially given their innate gifts, such as Kurama and the Sharingan, respectively).
However, she can use what chakra she has much more efficiently than her allies on account of her delicate medical ninja training. As a result, she would be nearly unstoppable if given the (often unearned) abilities her two comrades were born with.
8 Sakura Can Fight Kaguya Without Hagoromo's Blessing
One of the iconic final frames of Team Seven's battle against Kaguya included Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura's combined efforts. From what is perceived, they did similar damage to the Otsutsuki, helping to bring about her second sealing and thereby saving the ninja world.
However, Sakura was the only member of the three to have confronted the alien without Hagoromo's blessing (which the sage had only imparted to his reincarnated descendants since he knew they would need them for victory). Given her tenacity despite an absence of his enhancement, it belies Sakura's superhuman capacity.
7 Sakura Can Heal Others Efficiently
Perhaps Sakura's most well-known ability is through her gift for healing others. She restored Naruto from the brink of death during his battle against Madara Uchiha and tended to hundreds of injured shinobi throughout the Forth War.
Though Naruto himself could protect others through Kurama's chakra and prevent Might Guy from dying outright, neither of them has demonstrated a fraction of the healing power at her fingertips. This puts them at a staggering disadvantage as team utilities, even if they might be powerful individual warriors in their own right.
6 Sakura Can Settle A Rivalry In A Peaceful Manner
Naruto and Sasuke weren't the only two ninja at each other's throats. Sakura had her own rivalry with Ino, one which was exacerbated after she had been placed on the same team with their mutual interest in the roguish Uchiha.
However, even after it appeared as if Sakura would win his affection, neither girl held any resentment toward one another. This was a conflict settled much more gracefully than her peers, which was several hundred-episode grudge match culminating with Sasuke's maddened proclamation to enslave the entire planet.
5 Sakura Can Break Out Of A Mind Transfer Jutsu Using Only Willpower
During her battle against Ino in the Chunin Exam, Sakura was struck by her rival's mind transfer jutsu. After it connected, many (including the seasoned Jonin in attendance) had presumed that the match was already over.
However, Sakura was able to break the spell using her sheer determination to win. This demonstrates fortitude, unlike anything Sasuke or Naruto had ever shown, as they require the Sharingan or Kurama respectively to navigate their opponents' treacherous attacks. Though she may have ultimately tied during her match in the Chunin Exam, Sakura had proven herself in a way few other shinobi were capable of.
4 Sakura Can Detect A White Zetsu
The White Zetsu were fantastic infiltrators since they could copy the presence and mannerisms of anyone they chose. It made their espionage particularly deadly since it challenged the Five Nations' already tenuous alliance.
Though neither Sasuke nor Naruto had an affinity to detect and strike them out, Sakura could outwit them, thereby saving the patients under her charge. It was an example of intelligence outside the battlefield that is rarely seen in the anime.
3 Sakura Can Control Her Emotions Better Than Her Comrades
Of Team Seven, Sakura has the most emotional restraint. While Naruto might fly into a long-winded tirade about how his enemies can be redeemed or Sasuke might blindly destroy anything he thinks has wronged him, Sakura can think rationally when pursuing her goals.
The only exception to this phenomenon is Sasuke. She was willing to put up with any abuse to court him, whether enduring the mistrust of her allies or nearly being killed by the wayward Uchiha directly.
2 Sakura Created A Life-Saving Antivenom
When Sasori and his nefarious puppets poisoned Kankuro, the Akatsuki member was confident that his foe would not survive. After all, the antidote had not even been invented yet, and it would only take several days for the venom to kill its target.
Not only was Sakura able to arrive at her ally's bedside in time, but she also concocted the perfect remedy to restore his health. Placed in the same situation, Naruto and Sasuke would both be powerless as they were forced to watch the man gradually wither into a desiccated husk.
1 Sakura Can Still Talk To Her Parents
Sakura has a relatively firm relationship with her parents despite being rarely seen in the series. Her stable upbringing helps to balance her as an individual and renders her relatively "normal" when juxtaposed to her friends in Team Seven.
Conversely, Sasuke's parents were butchered before his very eyes, and Naruto's family was lost to Obito's machinations shortly after he was born. Both young men were drastically shaped (for better or worse) through their childhoods' volatile circumstances. Sakura's relationship with her parents may not be exceptional, though it's nonetheless a feat neither of her teammates can match.