Board Thread:Naruto Discussions/@comment-31278419-20170331010234/@comment-26104757-20170404151039

Thekillman wrote: I don't think the problem was with the setup (e.g. Lee was the other 'human weakness' character and people love him) but with the payoff. Unlike Lee whose arc was about overcoming his weakness, Sakura's arcs were mostly about her failing to do stuff. There was too much setup only followed by her failing really hard and then having to be rescued.

The difference is not the character themselves, but the timeframe in which they were presented. Remember, Lee entered the series already established, so we didn't experience his human qualities contrasting Sakura who started out with nothing but the basics. Her development was gradually slow in Part 1, and that's what I appreciate. Unlike Naruto and Sasuke, she didn't begin with the security of inheriting a Legendary Clan or acted as the host of a Bijuu. Lee, too, was given the opportunity to display his use of the Gates. What people fail to understand isn't the 'pay off', but the expected need to have any main character excel rapidly, and when that expectation isn't met, they are titled as 'useless'.