ncfan-1:

Things
we missed out on because Kishimoto was more interested in making sexist jokes
about Mei than he was in developing her character: her potential as a fantastic foil for Sasuke.

Sasuke
and Mei both grew up in a land where they were marginalized and persecuted. The
Uchiha was marginalized in the Land of Fire for being the ancestral enemies of
the people at the top of the corrupt system and because the Second Hokage used pseudo-scientific
bullshit to justify pushing them to the margins of the village, the margins of
society. Possessors of kekkei genkai in the Land of Water were targets of
persecution on account their ancestors’ involvement in the many civil wars in
the Land of Water, and were severely marginalized as a result, forced away from
the centers of power and forced to hide their abilities to survive.

Sasuke
and Mei both felt the ill effects of persecution growing up. The Uchiha finally
tried to take matters into their own hands and stage a coup against their
oppressive government; Itachi was coerced into massacring the clan in order to
avert civil war. Sasuke lost his entire family, and the trauma of it would
shape him for the rest of his life. Mei undoubtedly lost her own family
somewhere along the way as well, and probably had to spend at least some years of
her life hiding her abilities, fearing death if she was discovered. She also
had to undergo the infamous Bloody Mist graduation ceremony from the Academy—that
is, engaging in a fight to the death with her classmates, whom she had likely
formed bonds with.

Eventually,
Sasuke and Mei both became dissatisfied with the system they were a part of.

Sasuke
and Mei both decided to change the system—Mei her village, and Sasuke the
entire shinobi world.

Sasuke
fought, and lost.

Mei
fought, and won.

Think
about what we could have had if Kishimoto had ever bothered to capitalize on
the potential for Mei and Sasuke as foils. Mei decided her village needed a
revolution, just like Sasuke. But the difference between the two of them is
that Mei fought her revolution and won,
and has been using her authority as Mizukage to try to reform the village ever
since. Why couldn’t they have had a serious conversation about Sasuke’s desire
for revolution? Why couldn’t we have had more focus on this part of Mei’s
backstory instead of trotting out the Christmas cake jokes? Why did we have to
end Naruto with Sasuke browbeaten and
humiliated into submission to the corrupt village? Why did we have to end Naruto with Mei turned into a cheap
punchline instead of having any attention paid to her strength and hard work?
Why was it that the only time Mei and Sasuke ever spoke, it was to have her
leer at him and further the fact that she’s played as a man-obsessed joke
character?

No.
Just no.