Why should anyone bother learning kanji? Let me assume you found this website because you would like to learn Japanese. In order to be fluent in Japanese, it is rather useful to know kanji.
My opinion is that knowing kanji is key to get to an advanced level in the language because it enables you to read. Without being able to read the language at a decent speed I am afraid you will get nowhere.
There are 4 key components in mastering a language: speaking, reading, listening, and writing. In most languages the easiest one is reading, but of course kanji get in the way in the case of Japanese. Reading is something you can do by yourself, at your own pace, and everywhere at any time. All these 4 components (speaking, reading, listening, and writing) are connected to each other. So if you are very good at reading, your ability in the other 3 components will go up for sure!