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Anime News Network referred to Lee as the "star of [the Chunin Exam arc]", and claimed that he "almost single-handedly rescues this arc from being tossed into the 'entertaining but disposable' bin". His fight against Gaara in the exams was listed as second best one in anime by AnimeCentral. Anime News Network also called Lee the "goofiest looking character" in the series and praised Kishimoto's "ninja-punk visual sensibilities" that allowed him to make Lee "damn cool when the action starts". In the NEO Awards 2007 from "Neo", Rock Lee won in the category "Best Anime Character". He was also listed as one of the three "Honorable Mentions" from "Naruto" by Wizard Entertainment's Danica Davidson with comments from the article being focused on Lee's determination. When the "Naruto" manga ended, writer Yūto Kubota expressed that Lee was his favorite character.