Naruto and Hinata's relationship, explained

Key insights

• Naruto and Hinata's relationship blossomed with Hinata's confession at a crucial moment.
• Naruto's attitude towards Hinata changed, leading to marriage and achieving his goal of becoming Hokage.
• Hinata's strength and support played a key role in Naruto's growth and their eventual romantic bond.

Through NarutoNaruto's growing relationship with Hinata has been a much-discussed topic among fans. In Chapter 437, Hinata finally brought herself to confess her true feelings when Naruto was at Pain's mercy.

Although we never heard Naruto's reaction again after this arc or if he felt the same, his attitude towards her changed somewhat as he began to respect and rely on her more. In the final chapter, in a time jump, the two are shown to be married and have two children, Himawari and Bolt (pronounced and commonly referred to as Boruto). Furthermore, Hinata is finally shown to be living peacefully and leisurely, and Naruto finally achieves his goal of becoming Hokage.

A childhood crush

One of the factors in Hinata's relationship with Naruto was how much she respected him. In an anime-exclusive recap during episode 166 of Naruto ShippudenHinata is bullied by a group of children, forcing them to apologize for accidentally bumping into them. At that moment, Naruto comes to her aid and starts a fight with them, despite being alone.

His determination to do the right thing, even if it means standing out, is something extraordinary – and Hinata herself has noticed it. Over time, she came to see him as an inspiration to believe in herself and achieve her own strength. While Naruto was heavily mocked by his classmates, Hinata cheered him on from the sidelines. Naruto, on the other hand, undoubtedly liked Hinata, but was unaware of her feelings.

The humble boss

Hinata always posed a challenge to those she fought, so she was always strong herself. However, in episode 166, she decides to return the favor Naruto did for her all those years ago, even though she knows she wasn't strong enough. At this point, she finally confesses her feelings and a fierce fight begins between Hinata and Pain. Although she manages to break free of some of Naruto's bonds, she loses the fight, although not without an iconic display of her newfound strength.

Shortly after Neji's death in episode 364 of ShippudenDespite the defeat, Hinata's encouraging words manage to get Naruto back on his feet. A common meme in the Naruto Fandom, is his ability to use “Talk-No-Jutsu”, indicating how his pep talks tend to appeal to his opponent. In Hinata's case, she also uses “Talk-No-Jutsu”, which moves Naruto, the “master” of it.

The last straw

In The Last: Naruto The Moviewhich serves as the final film for Naruto franchise, the relationship between the two will be further explored and expanded. When a group of shinobi go on a mission, Hinata is kidnapped at work and forced to become the enemy's bride. However, it is at this point that Naruto realizes his true feelings for her in her absence. After an intense rescue mission and reunion, a scene is played where they relive all the memories they shared before the film ends with a passionate kiss. There is no doubt that despite her reclusiveness, Naruto loved her for who she was.

A film with the title Way to NarutoReleased in 2012 to celebrate the franchise's 10th anniversary, Naruto and Sakura find themselves in an alternate universe where the personalities of all the characters, including Hinata, are reversed. Although he was confused by her “original” shy characteristics, it is clearly evident from his behavior that Naruto is uncomfortable with a confident and aggressive Hinata, implying that what she saw as her weakness was what he viewed found her endearing.