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In answer to Herr Bad Moon's contention that Naruto is being an ass, how is this different from Bill Murray in Groundhog Day?
Because Bill Murray started out Groundhog Day as an ass and the story was about his redemption as a human being. Naruto started out the series as an okay human being, and the story so far is about him becoming an ass.
Reader are far more inclined to forgive a character who starts out bad and goes good then a character who starts out good and goes bad, even if they are later planned to go good. While it isn't personal there is a visceral feeling of betrayl when a previously heroic character turns into an asshole. Professional wrestling calls this a "heel turn" and there is a reason some of the most reviled characters in the industry started out as heroes and then turned on their allies.
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