All right, fair warning here before we proceed: there will be discussions of the popular hc of Sakura having abusive parents below. Not in-depth, but child abuse is mentioned under the cut. If it makes you uncomfortable, don't proceed:
I'm sure I've said it once before, but Sakura fans really like making up scenarios of Sakura coming from an abusive family. Now, for starters, there's nothing wrong with making up angst hcs for your fave character. If you like to see them suffer, then good for you ig.
But the fascination Sakura stans have with the hc of her having abusive parents is, well, really fascinating. I find it telling that when it comes to Sakura angst, that's the first and most common idea her fans can come up with. When we think about it really, what other types of angst are the most common or widespread in the Sakura fandom? If it's not 'abusive parents', it's either ship angst with Sasuke or whatever other pretty boy their ship roulette points to, or Team 7 being toxic angst. It's also when you start realizing that they don't do it just to give her angst. Her fans don't like seeing her suffer. She's hated enough as is. What they do is 'sympathy farming'. They come up with types of angst that could make the characters in the story, as well as the viewers themselves, feel bad for her and hate her less (or like her even more, in the case of the characters).
I feel it's true because most Sakura's parents are abusive posts, have team 7 reactions being of utter sympathy, pity, and protectiveness. With Kakashi himself threatening to kill her parents for her, Naruto also would have to be stopped from insulting them to their faces, and Sasuke also despising her parents and even offering her to live with him or whatever. Where else do they get the idea that Sakura would be a victim of abuse? When her parents barely exist in canon? It's never pointed out in canon, or fillers, or anything. I think there's that reverse ninja world, where her and Naruto swap roles, I think? And they all have opposite personalities? But in that case, her parents would be dead, not abusive. Is it because she was bullied? And in her case, I wouldn't really call it bullying either. When she was 5, the other girls told her she had a big forehead, big deal. It stopped almost immediately once Ino stood up for her. Because of the one scene where she says she's on a diet? These are all the canonical 'angst' instances Sakura has that they cling to. Somehow, they're able to extrapolate 'she'd have abusive parents' from them. It's funny, because even if it was true, and her parents actually appeared in canon, and they were trash. That still wouldn't get her much sympathy from the other characters.
Kakashi barely showed any sympathy for the genocide survivor (Sasuke). What makes them think he'd feel worse for her if her parents were that way? Everybody in the village knew Naruto was a jinchuriki and that he was all alone, yet he was mostly treated like trash, too. When Kakashi was too traumatized because of his dad's death, Minato's bright idea was to drop that kid in ANBU, and Jiraiya himself told Kakashi to stop being annoying when kid Kashi went ask him for advice. Nearly no one would feel extra sympathy for her if her parents were truly abusive. Because 95% of the characters had it way worse than that, so, they're unable to see a situation like that, as dire. Okay, maybe Naruto and Ino? Would be the only ones to feel bad for her, and even then, it wouldn't be treated like an urgent problem. Sakura would probably just get the Hyuga treatment, where her parents' abuse would get solved offscreen after she's given one cool moment, saving them or smth.
Even with all that, I just think about all the other kids of her generation, and how most of them had it worse than Sakura, with the exception of maybe, Shika and Ino:
Sasuke: literally the most tragic character in the whole show.
Naruto: Lol. His and Sasuke's trauma, literally drive the plot forward.
Neji: literally a slave who lost his dad and was under constant threats from the main family.
Hinata: Not as bad as Neji, but still had an actual terrible dad. Verbal and emotional abuse are still bad, even if Hiashi never physically hit her. Even then, I think forcing your two girls to beat each other over a position of power in the family should be classified as some kind of abuse.
Shino: I'd say he was neglected by most kids just for being an Aburame. Being constantly forgotten and never taken into account is painful. Literally, he lost his brother figure to Danzo because Danzo originally had his eyes on Shino for Root, but Shino's only friend (I don't remember his name) offered himself instead. It's the same guy who was one of Danzo's bodyguards when that old coot became Hokage after the Pain attack. Now I remember the boy's name is Torune. He was like a big brother figure to Shino and his only friend and offered himself for ANBU, so Danzo wouldn't take Shino, I believe? It's still some light angst, I suppose.
Kiba: He doesn't have a dad and was raised by a strict mother, who, from the looks of her, seems to be a fan of the tiger parenting lifestyle despite being a wolf person. One of her only scenes is her making fun of the fact her husband ran away from her, so her kids don't have a father figure now. It's decidedly not much, but still something that can be described as light angst, I suppose.
Chouji: Also was actually bullied because of his weight. Kids wouldn't play with him, and Shikamaru was his only friend. Actually, this treatment of him persists, as making 'fat jokes' about him is a common gag in Naruto. Most times, Chouji is onscreen. Maru is legit one of very few people who don't make fun of him for it.
Lee: He was bullied for real, just for not being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu. No one believed in him until Guy sensei. Also, big question mark on whether he could possibly be an orphan or not.
Tenten: Another big question mark. But there exists a chance she's also an orphan, just like Lee.
Gaara: why do I even bother. You know his deal.
Kankuro and Temari: had to live with Gaara, enough said.
Sakura is literally one of the most privileged kids of her generation. Right up there, with Ino and Maru. Even then, I'm pretty sure that with them being clan heirs, Ino and Shika also faced their daily amount of stress from their parents and clan elders to always be as good as possible in their shinobi performance. Obviously, not to the point of tiger parenting (especially not Inoichi, bless his heart). But still, there had to be some pressure. Sakura fans literally don't like that their fave is the most privileged kid of her generation, so they make up angst hcs for her. At least, that's what I've noticed.
