Risa

Mine too. But I stayed as I watched him compete and fail with his peers, reach their level through sheer force of will, and then come into his own.

I stayed because that world has fought 4 world wars in a very short amount of time, mostly with child soldiers and the wounds of the last war are still fresh.

I stayed because of the coup d'etat that threatened the destruction of the whole village was subverted in the worst way possible, and the redemption arc that led up to its revelation bore out throughout the entire series.

I stayed because even the worst of the worst were still redeemable in the eyes of this single child who grew up ostracized from the community he was raised in. They say that the child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth, and it's a path he could have chosen, but didn't.

No parents picked him up from school, other kids were encouraged to stay away from him, and instead of feeding the monster inside of him by giving in to the despair and loneliness, as many of us would, he chose unwavering love and camaraderie in face of adversity.

Naruto breaks my damn heart, and I'm inspired by his example every day. Yes I know it's a child's cartoon.