When Reddit user u/xFrutterZen23 asked “Naruto” fans, “What are your honest thoughts about Hinata?” — there was a resounding answer that Masashi Kishimoto could have done a lot more with her character.
U/BoobieDobey01 wrote, “I think she’s okay. I don’t hate her, but I don’t love her either. I really wish that Kishimoto had written his female characters just a little better. I just wish there [was] more to her.” U/Super_Quool pointed out that the series just forgot about Hinata, saying, “At the end of the Pain arc, we see that she gains more confidence and isn’t as quiet anymore, but she doesn’t have much screentime exploring her new change.” U/darkreak also pointed out her wasted potential, while u/sugar-ramen stated,” [She] could’ve been a great character, [but] fell kinda short.”
Other fans don’t think the problem lies solely with Hinata but with the Hyuga clan and the Byakugan. U/foxnon said, “They could have done so much more with the Hyuga clan altogether. A lot of lost potential.” Similarly, u/BlueForte pointed out, “Didn’t the beginning of ‘Naruto’ say something that the Sharingan and Byakugan were the strongest/rivals?” The Sharingan took over the narrative as the series went on, while Kishimoto put the Byakugan on the back burner.
According to some fans, like u/OjamasOfTomrrow, “Naruto” does Hinata justice, just not in the canon episodes, saying, “I think the anime filler, [shorts], and movies add to her.” U/chevsmt agreed, replying, “she’s barely in the manga, so the fillers are actually what gives her character more depth.”
