Gaara

Gaara (我爱羅, Gaara), also referred to as Gaara of the Desert (砂瀑の我愛羅, Sabaku no Gaara), is a shinobi from Sunagakure, son of the Fourth Kazekage, previous Jinchūriki of the One Tailed Beast, current Fifth Kazekage (五代目風影, Godaime Kazekage; Literally means “Fifth Shadow of the Wind”), father of Shinki, and known as part of the three “Sand siblings” with her brother Kankurō and sister Temari. On the day of his birth, Shukaku was sealed into his body, this procedure resulting in the death of his mother. After that, Gaara became considered a monster by the village and, with no one to love him, came to despise the world and began relying only on his own strength. Thus, he carved the tattoo 愛 (“ai”, lit. love) on his forehead showing that he had became a “demon loving only himself”. After he met and lost a fight against Naruto Uzumaki, Gaara completely changed his mindset and started fighting for love and peace, thus earning the trust and respect of his village inhabitants back and becoming their leader afterwards.

Appearance

Gaara is a bit smaller than the boys around his age, due to the fact that he was born prematurely. He has fair skin and short, spiky, red hair (described as red at the beginning of the series), with a remarkable resemblance to his father. He has pale green blue eyes. Gaara has no distinct pupils or eyebrows. He has two very notable features in his appearance: first, he has black rings around his eyes, similar to tanuki’s, having had them since birth. Second, he has carved the kanji “love” (愛, ai) on the left side of his forehead, having had it since Yashamaru’s betrayal. Gaara possesses a toupee that separates from the left side, making the kanji more visible. Both Matsuri and Sari seem to have a thing for Gaara, describing him as a strong, silent, elite, and very handsome guy.

In Part I, Gaara was seen in two different costumes. When he was first seen, he was wearing a full-body black costume with sleeves, which went down to his legs and left his neck open. Along with this he wore a white cloth over his right shoulder and the left side of his hips, and a long leather bandage over his left shoulder and the right side of his hip. With this leather bandage he carried his gourd that contained his sand. He also carried his black forehead protector over the bandage. In his childhood flashbacks, he was seen wearing a beige poncho over a short-sleeved black T-shirt, a white obi around his waist, dark blue pants that were reversed several times at the hem, revealing the cloth inside, and dark gray sandals. By the end of Part I, he changed his previous black jumpsuit to a brownish red one, with long sleeves and an erect necklace. He kept the white cloth, but no longer had the armor mesh on his wrists and ankles.

Gaara in Part. I	Gaara at the end of Part. I
12 years old	13 years old
Size: 146.1 cm	Size: 148.1 cm
Weight: 39 Kg	Weight: 40.2 Kg

In Part II, Gaara had a considerable growth spurt, like Naruto. During his fight against Deidara and during the Kage Meeting, he wore dark pants with a pair of ribbons on each leg, respectively a few inches below the waist and the knees, a long-sleeved red jacket with hemlines in the front and back, a gray vest attached by a single strap over his left shoulder, and two buckle belts that he uses to carry his gourd. He also wore a pair of belts worn casually around his waist. He is also seen wearing the Kazekage robes, and a simple black suit, the latter closely resembling Kankurō’s suit and the one worn by Chiyo. All the while, he is seen wearing the standard shinobi sandals of Sunagakure. As Regimental Commander of the Shinobi Alliance, he has added the vest of his village to his regular clothing.

Gaara in part. 2	Gaara during the Fourth Shinobi World War
15-16 years old	17 years old
Size: 166.1 cm	Size: 166.1 cm
Weight: 50.9 Kg	Weight: 50.9 Kg

Two years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, an adult Gaara now wears a long-sleeved crimson shirt with several buttons and pants that match the color of his shirt. He also wears a brown belt and now carries a smaller sand gourd, which is attached to his left side. Years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Gaara’s hair became flat and he started combing it to his right temple.

Gaara in The Last: Naruto the Movie	Gaara in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
19-20 years old	32-33 years old
Size: 172.5 cm	Size: 172.5 cm
Weight: n/a	Weight: n/a

Personality

Gaara was a kind child who, despite being feared by everyone, tried desperately to be friendly to others. However, the actions of his uncle distorted his personality, which led him to believe that no one cared about him. With all the negative thoughts he experienced after his uncle’s betrayal, Gaara used his sand to create a kanji on his forehead with the meaning “love” (愛, ai), as a symbol of his resolution to be a “demon who loves only himself,” and to live up to the name his mother had given him. Gaara became emotionally withdrawn and strangely silent, as he felt disgusted by everyone, as well as starting to call Shukaku’s voice in his head “mother”.

He gained pleasure and a reason for living by killing the people who were sent to kill him – and, by extension, anyone who posed a threat to his existence. This was only compounded by Shukaku’s influence, causing Gaara to satisfy the demon’s bloodlust, which resulted in his ruthless and sociopathic nature, demonstrated when he murdered Baiu and Midare despite their pleas for mercy. In addition, Gaara suffered from insomnia as a result of Shukaku being inside his body. This caused Gaara to fear; should he fall asleep, the demon within him would eat away at his soul.

As a result, his instability and his desire to kill increased dramatically. Gaara’s hatred towards the predecessor Kazekage was due to him sending assassins to kill him, and due to this ruthless action of his father, it further stirred his misanthropic nature that extended to his brothers, whom he never saw as brothers, even though they never directly offended them. However, as quoted by Gaara, if that was the case, he would kill his own brothers. Furthermore, due to the sand protecting him from any injury, he never saw his own blood, until the moment Sasuke Uchiha pierced his sand shield and injured him. Upon seeing his blood, Gaara had a severe mental breakdown.

Gaara’s childhood paralleled that of Naruto Uzumaki in many ways. Both were unbearably lonely and longed to be wanted, loved and recognized as individuals, despite the fact that they were jinchūriki – they were human beings, not the demons they had been forced to contain – and were driven into states of depression and despair. While Naruto consequently developed the misconception that pranks and mischief would bring him the attention he craved, Gaara came to the conclusion that he could preserve and confirm his own existence by killing anyone and everyone who challenged him, thereby securing proof of his existentiality.

In the absence of external recognition, Gaara began to compensate for it by valuing only himself to the exclusion of all other people. Furthermore, while Naruto had Iruka Umino and the Kakashi Team to comfort him, Gaara never bothered to make emotional attachments, not even to his father or brothers, as they too despised and feared Shukaku. The person who came closest to acknowledging him was Yashamaru, but when Yashamaru was condemned to betray him, Gaara turned into a lonely sociopath. As such, Gaara could not understand what motivated people to fight for others, until his confrontation with Naruto during the Chūnin Exam.

After his defeat at Naruto’s hands, Gaara was shocked to discover that Naruto understood very well the pain he had suffered throughout his life. He was even more surprised to learn that Naruto had never lost his ambition to be recognized as an individual, and ultimately had found companions who truly cared about him. Witnessing the resolve Naruto possessed to protect his friends made Gaara question the path he had determined for himself as a child. Realizing that he had chosen the wrong path, Gaara decided to follow the path chosen by Naruto, in order to finally be seen as a human being, and not as the Beast with a Tail within him.

Over the next few years, Gaara’s determination to find happiness led him to rely on his own power, rather than the demon. Gaara eventually formed a close friendship with Naruto, seeing the ninja of Kohoha as his first real friend, and became very loyal in his decisions, as well as wanting to protect his companion. Gaara also came to believe that his encounter with Naruto was the greatest event of his life, and believes that even the painful life of a jinchūriki was worth the experience. Gaara still forgave Shukaku for his miserable childhood, claiming that it was only because of that life that he was able to meet Naruto.

In the anime, despite being much calmer and more peaceful than he used to be, Gaara maintained a very morbid sense of humor, as shown when Suiko asks Gaara how much of his chakra is infused into his sand, with Gaara agreeing to let him know, but costing him his life.

Since becoming one of Naruto’s companions, Gaara has somehow inherited his ability to alter people’s personalities. In the anime, he convinces Matsuri to overcome her fear of weapons. During the Kage Reunion, he shocks the older and more experienced Kage by asking when they had abandoned themselves later, making Ōnoki more determined to protect the Shinobi World. Before the Shinobi Alliance marches into battle, he motivates them to put their differences aside, forget their past rivalries and unite under one banner.

He even manages to make Naruto think about the choices he had made regarding Sasuke, stating that he only cares about revenge. His bond with Naruto has also made him able to cast aside any grudges, including his hatred towards his father, who was partially responsible for Gaara’s miserable childhood. He admits to having forgiven his father’s actions and openly cries after learning that his mother really loved him, and that she had promised to protect him forever, infusing his will into his sand which, as his father noted, always protects him. His love for his family is also extended in his dream in Infinite Tsukuyomi, where Gaara dreams that his entire family is united and happy, as well as Naruto being a childhood friend.

Gaara cares deeply for Naruto and his well-being, and despite Sasuke’s actions during his attack at the Kage meeting and his status as an international criminal, Gaara tried to convince Sasuke to come out of the darkness once again on Naruto’s behalf, and when he couldn’t convince him he shed a tear for the failure Sasuke has become, and the disappointment Naruto will face. Despite respecting Naruto’s goals, his care for him does not block his personal beliefs, and he believes that his friend’s well-being is more important, this is seen when he supports the decision to keep Naruto out of the war, as well as telling Tsunade that Naruto takes too many risks when it comes to protecting his friends.

Gaara also bluntly says that it is foolish for Naruto to run after Sasuke, as he considers that Sasuke is incapable of leaving the path of corruption. Although he challenges Naruto’s goal of bringing Sasuke back, he only says this for Naruto’s well-being because they are “friends,” but also tells him that anything he can do for Sasuke is something Naruto must decide for himself, personally, still believing that Naruto can somehow get to Sasuke.

Although he remains ruthless against his opponents, Gaara is extremely protective towards his allies and innocent people, as seen when he protects his village from Deidara’s attack; and his brothers, Darui and even the Raikage against Sasuke. He also deeply understands those who have suffered from loneliness and hatred in the past by the look in their eyes, such as Naruto, Kimimaro, and even Sasuke.

As a Kage, Gaara believes that the ideals of previous generations, that each village should mind its own business and solve its own problems without having to ask for help from others in order to maintain appearance and honor, is an “old-fashioned and ridiculous thought” and that cooperation between villages is key to defeating the Akatsuki.

Years later, Gaara is shown to have become more cheerful and relaxed, speaking very kindly to his family, even when his nephew did not address him with an honorific, although he still maintains composure. He has also adopted a more direct personality, as he immediately told the other Kage to stop their comments about Naruto being late and start the meeting right away.

Information

• Date of Birth: January 19th
• Astrologic Sign: Capricorn
• Age
  • Part I: 12–13 years old
  • Part II: 15–17 years old
• Height
  • Part I: 146.1 cm–148.1 cm
  • Part II: 166.1 cm
  • Blank Period: 172.5 cm
• Weight
  • Part I: 39 kg–40.2 kg
  • Part II: 50.9 kg
• Blood type: AB
• Kekkei Genkai
  • Nature Icon Magnet.svg Magnet Release (Novel only)
• Classification
  • Jinchūriki
  • Sensor Type
  • Tailed Beast Shukaku (Forms)
• Occupation
  • Kazekage
  • Regimental Commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces
  • Commander of the Fourth Division
• Affiliation
  • Sunagakure
  • Allied Shinobi Forces
• Team
  • Three Sand Siblings
  • Fourth Division
• Teammates
  • Kankurō
  • Temari
• Clan
  • Kazekage Clan (Novel only)
• Ninja Rank
  • Part I: Genin
  • Part II: Kage
• Family
  • Rasa (Father)
  • Karura (Mother)
  • Kankurō (Brother)
  • Temari (Sister)
  • Shikadai Nara (Nephew)
  • Yashamaru (Uncle)
  • Shinki (Adoptive Son)

History

Past

Gaara is the third and youngest child of the Fourth Kazekage and Karura, also being the younger brother of Temari and Kankurō. Before Gaara was born, his father made Chiyo seal the Shukaku within him, in the hope that he would become the great weapon for Sunagakure, as he was the only one of the Kazekage’s three children who was compatible with the beast. Gaara was born prematurely and was therefore an abnormally small and fragile child. Before he died, Karura, extremely in love with her son, vowed to always protect him. Gaara was trained in ninjutsu by his father, but was mainly raised by his maternal uncle, Yashamaru.

As a child, Gaara made many attempts to connect with the people of Sunagakure, who feared him because of his connection to the Shukaku. Seeing him only as the monster he contained, it seemed for a while that Yashamaru was the only person who cared about Gaara. When Gaara unintentionally harmed others due to the subconscious abilities granted to him by the beast, Yashamaru understood that Gaara had no intention of harming anyone. The Sunagakure Council, however, considered Gaara’s frequent attacks to be a serious threat to the village. Disappointed with the course of events, Gaara’s father decided to test his son by having Yashamaru attack Gaara both physically and psychologically in an attempt to see if Gaara can control the Shukaku. Yashamaru reveals to Gaara that his mother never loved him, and tried to murder him, only to be mortally wounded by Gaara before the boy realized who he had attacked.

Although Gaara initially tried to take Yashamaru’s attack as an order from his father, Yashamaru lied to him and said that he had willingly accepted the mission to kill Gaara. He also revealed that he had never really loved Gaara, and told him that killing him would be to avenge the death of his sister, who had called him Gaara after the phrase “an individual who loves only himself” (我を愛する修羅, Ware o aisuru shura) as a sign of his intense hatred towards Suna, rather than his love for Gaara. In a last ditch effort to kill Gaara, Yashamaru detonated a series of explosive papers covering his body, asking his nephew to “please die”. Using his sand, Gaara managed to survive the explosion, but he lost the one person he had thought cared about him, not knowing the truth behind Yashamaru’s actions. Gaara then used his sand to engrave the kanji for love (愛, ai) on the left side of his forehead. Oppressed, Gaara lost control and turned into Shukaku, rampaging around the village before his father was able to stop him using his Sakin.

After the traumatic experience of losing his uncle and hearing that no one ever loved him, Gaara became a distant and cruel person who obsessively killed people in an attempt to prove his own existence, and to gain recognition from the village. Putting aside any and all desire for friendship. Seeing that Gaara was unable to cope with the loss of his mother’s affection, the Kazekage considered him a failure and organized several assassination attempts against his son, which only made Gaara hate his father even more. Over time, Gaara’s new ideology allowed for better control over the Shukaku. Appreciating this, his father cancelled all assassination orders, and revived the idea of one day using Gaara as the village’s great weapon.

Part I

Chūnin Exams arc

Gaara participated in the Chūnin Exam, where he was quickly identified as a qualified competitor. He was able to pass the first phase without giving any indication that he was cheating. During the second phase, he demonstrated his bloodlust by coldly murdering Team Shigure, which Gaara claimed they had gone the wrong way, and threatened to kill his own brothers when they tried to reason with him. Gaara and his team finished this stage in 1 hour and 37 minutes, beating the previous record of over four hours, Gaara did not get a speck of dust on his clothes, a feat that would be very difficult even for an experienced ninja.

In the preliminary matches, Gaara faced Rock Lee. Although not enough at first, Lee’s formidable speed and strength were bolstered by weight relief, and then enough to break Gaara’s Sand Shield completely, forcing him to rely on his secondary sand armor. Despite Lee’s best efforts, Gaara’s gourd turned into sand at the last minute protecting him from Lee’s devastating blow. Lee’s Reverse Lotus left him in no fighting condition after using it. Gaara then used his sand to crush Lee’s arm, weakening his leg and injuring him. Gaara tried to kill him, but Might Guy intervened before he could harm Lee even more. In the finals, Gaara fought Sasuke Uchiha. In the month before the finals. Dosu Kinuta tried to kill Gaara in order to ensure that he could fight Sasuke. Gaara immediately killed him with the power of Shukaku. He also went to the hospital where Lee was recovering and tried to kill him, however he was stopped by Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara and before he could kill them Guy intervened.

In the final rounds of the last stage Gaara was playing a major role in Orochimaru’s invasion of Konohagakure by releasing Shukaku in the center of the village. Before his battle with Sasuke, he brutally murdered Shiba and Midori. When he started facing Sasuke, he realized that he had a Taijutsu as high as Lee’s after a month of training. Not caring what happens, Gaara tries to transform, but he is wounded by Sasuke’s Chidori, making him unable to transform and fulfill his role in the invasion. With Gaara unable to fight he and his brothers flee the village, while the invasion begins without them.

Konoha Crush

Gaara was chased by the members of Team Kakashi, along with Shikamaru Nara and Shino Aburame, which forced his brothers to stay behind at different points to deal with the enemy. Sasuke catches up with Gaara who begins to transform into Shukaku. As his transformation progressed, Sasuke tried to use Chidori twice more, but when both proved ineffective in stopping Gaara, he became exhausted. Gaara tried to kill Sasuke, but was interrupted by Naruto and Sakura. This reminded Gaara of his childhood, intrigued by Naruto’s abilities, Gaara pinned Sakura to a tree to force Naruto to fight.

Naruto, afraid stayed to fight him to protect his friends. Although Gaara seemed to have the advantage Naruto attacks the lower base of his tail using the Thousand Years of Death he learned from Kakashi Hatake, (only in this attack Naruto uses a kunai with an explosive Paper attached to it, which reduces Gaara’s defense tremendously when it explodes, giving Naruto the advantage). When defeated by the several Kage Bunshin that Naruto invokes, an irritated Gaara releases Ichibi’s entire body into Shukaku. Naruto then invokes Gamabunta before Gaara could kill him.

After Gamabunta shows his strength, Gaara then used his Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu to let Shukaku take control of the battle. Then Shukaku proved to be stronger than Gambunta, so Naruto used a Combined Transformation to transform into a giant fox (the Kyūbi no Yōko in the anime) so that he can hold onto Shukaku so Naruto can attack Gaara for the technique to be undone. This was successful but Naruto’s chakra had run out, but Naruto uses some of Kyūbi’s chakra to free himself so he headbutts Gaara causing Shukaku’s body to crumble.

With the last of their energy, the two exchange final blows. Naruto eventually wins, Gaara was intrigued by Naruto’s undying devotion to his friends, making Gaara realize that Naruto’s strength comes from his desire to protect the people close to him. As Gaara and his brothers fled the scene, Gaara openly apologized to Kankurō and Temari, which surprised and confused them. Thanks to Naruto’s influence, the defeat proved to be a point that would change Gaara’s life.

Sasuke’s Recovery Mission

The Sand Brothers were called by the Fifth Hokage to assist the Sasuke Rescue Team in recovering Sasuke when he defected from Konoha Gaara arrived in time to save Rock Lee, preventing Kimimaro’s Final Strike. Although Lee tried to continue, Gaara interrupted saying that Lee was in no condition to fight since Gaara and Lee’s fight in Exam Chūnin. This showed Gaara’s new personality. In the, fight Gaara showed several new abilities, ending with the Great Desert Funeral proving too much for Kimimaro. Then Kimimaro activated level two of his Chi on Juin, this proved too much for Gaara’s ordinary sand and he was forced to use his Ultimate Rigid Absolute Defense: Shukaku Shield to protect himself. Although Gaara buried Kimimaro meters deep, in the end he escaped and almost killed Gaara and Lee only for Kimimaro’s mysterious illness to kill him first.

After the battle, Gaara explains that even people on the evil side have someone precious to them, and explains to Lee that he was like Naruto Uzumaki. Then the two went back to Konoha, After that Gaara and the rest of the sand brothers went back to Sunagakure, although in the anime he and his brothers helped the village Ninja Academy before leaving as indicated by Shikamaru.

Sunagakure’s Support Mission

The sand brothers later appear when they became teachers of a Suna Academy with the same style as the one in Konoha. As instructor, Gaara took on the only student who was willing to train with him, Matsuri. Because of Matsuri’s fear of weapons, Gaara trained her to use the Jōhyō a relatively non-lethal weapon. When a group of people called the Shitenshōnin kidnapped him in order to obtain Gaara’s power, Suna then asked the 11 of Konoha for help to repay the debt of help during Sasuke’s Rescue Arc

Gaara fought Suiko, then he caught and attacked the leader of Shitenshōnin, Hōki but was captured Naruto desperately tries to save Gaara, but nothing works. To escape Gaara did a partial transformation into Shukaku, reviving Takumi Village’s ultimate weapon, Seimei. Gaara stopped the transformation and subsequently destroyed Seimei’s armor with the Ultimate Rigid Absolute Attack: Spear of Shukaku and killed him with the Great Desert Funeral.

After this, Gaara recovers in the Konoha hospital and hears Naruto’s conversation with Jiraiya. Gaara and the rest of the sand brothers including Matsuri leave Konoha and return to Suna-

Interlude

In Naruto’s Footsteps: The Friends’ Paths

Within a few years of the end of the first part, Gaara becomes the Fifth Kazekage of the Village of Sand. He has two reasons for accepting the position: one is to show the villagers that he is no longer the intimidating weapon he once was, and two is to protect the village and gain the same power as Naruto. Gaara gets rid of several obsolete laws, such as the one that forbids anyone who cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu from studying at the academy. This allows Shira, who, like Rock Lee, can only use taijutsu, to become a shinobi. Later, Shira becomes Gaara’s taijutsu coach.

At the beginning of the arc, the Fifth Hokage offers Gaara that their village hold a Chuunin exam. Officially, this exam is supposed to demonstrate the alliance between the two villages. In reality, however, Tsunade hopes to use it to lure out Akatsuki, who prey on jinchuriki like Gaara. Gaara agrees, believing that this is a good way to prove his worthiness to the opposition forces in Suna. Kankuro tries to convince him not to put himself at such a risk, but Gaara insists that it is the best way to unite with the villagers. Gaara directs the second stage of the exam, which takes place in the Demon Desert near Suna. When he later receives a report that two jounins from the Village of Hidden Falls are participating in the exam, Gaara begins tracking them with the Third Eye. His tracking is quickly detected by Fuu, the third member of the Waterfall team, whom Gaara recognizes as a jinchuriki.

During the second phase, a sandstorm begins to rage in the Demon Desert. Gaara slips past his guards and heads into the desert to help Team Matsuri. When he discovers them, it turns out that Fuu has already come to their aid. She reminds Gaara of Naruto. Once they manage to get out of the storm, they are attacked by Hoichi. He uses sealing chains to extract Shukaku from Gaara’s body. Fuu tries to help him, but is trapped by Hoichi herself; he begins to extract her tailed beast as well. Matsuri finds Neji Hyuga and asks for his help. Neji agrees and, along with his team, goes to the aid of Gaara and Fuu. He stops the retrieval of the tails by blocking the two jinchuriki’s chakra points. The sealing chains then begin to attack Hoichi, so Gaara asks Neji to save him as well. He then thanks Neji and Matsuri for their help.

Gaara, realizes that Fugi is behind Hoichi’s attack and contacts him. He asks Fugi not to do anything that might hurt his friends, no matter what his opinion of Gaara is. Fugi is surprised by his request, and also by the fact that Gaara forgives him for his actions. Because of the attack on him and Fuu, Gaara cancels the exam before the second stage is even over. He informs the remaining contestants that reports of their actions in the second stage will be sent to their village leaders, who will decide who gets promoted.

Part II

Kazekage Rescue Mission

Two and a half years have passed since the end of Part I. The Council of Elders of the Village of Sand discusses messages from Jiraiya of Konoha about actions Akatsuki may soon take. Since the Akatsuki will undoubtedly come for Gaara because of the One-Tailed Shukaku sealed within him, Suna beefs up security at its borders. Later, while working in his office, Gaara notices an atypical bird in the window. Realizing it is an intruder he steps outside and encounters Deidara of Akatsuki, who is riding a bird made of clay. Gaara attacks Deidara with sand from around Suna and simultaneously uses his personal supply of sand to defend himself against Deidara’s explosive clay.

Gaara uses his sand to tear off Deidara’s left arm, prompting him to drop C3 on the village. Gaara defends the village with a Protective Celestial Wall of Sand, and then barely has time to block another Deidara attack with a C1 explosive. While inside his Sand Shield, Gaara discovers that Deidara has managed to slip an explosive into his personal sand supply. It detonates in close proximity to Gaara. Before losing consciousness, Gaara carries the sand he used during the battle outside of Suna so that it won’t harm the village when it falls. Deidara captures Gaara and takes him to the Akatsuki lair, where for three days members extract Shukaku from his body. When the extraction comes to an end, Gaara, unconscious, sees himself and wonders if anyone needed his existence.

After extracting Shukaku, Gaara dies. Naruto and his team manage to recover his body, but they are unable to revive him through normal means. Then Chiyo, regretting having sealed Shukaku in Gaara, uses a special resurrection technique and exchanges her life for his. When the life force returns to Gaara, he sees himself alone again from the outside, but this time Naruto approaches him. When he comes to, he finds not only Naruto and his crew beside him, but also his brother and sister with a crowd of other Sand shinobi who have been tirelessly trying to find and save him. When he discovers what Chie has done for him, Gaara struggles to his feet and asks everyone to pray for her. After returning to the village, he and the others attend Chie’s funeral. Before the Leaf shinobi leave Suna, Gaara uses his sand to help Naruto shake his hand in farewell.

Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha

In the anime, Gaara receives word that Konoha was destroyed during the Akatsuki attack. Gaara is confident that they can rebuild the village since they have Naruto, and recalls how Team 7 helped him deal with the captain of the Sand Assassins.

Five Kage summit

The Fourth Raikage convenes the Five Kage summit to discuss the Akatsuki’s recent actions. After receiving the summons, Gaara travels to the Land of Iron with Temari and Kankuro as his bodyguards. Once all the Kages are in place, Gaara opens the meeting by talking about his experience with Akatsuki and how only the Fifth Hokage responded to his requests for help. The other Kages make various excuses as to why they didn’t help, and the Fourth Raikage notes that some of those present, along with their predecessors, have even used Akatsuki. Upon hearing this, Gaara is disgusted; however, the Third Tsuchikage says that Gaara cannot understand this due to his too young age.

The meeting is interrupted by Zetsu, who suddenly appears in the middle of the room with the news that Sasuke Uchiha, who is cooperating with Akatsuki, has infiltrated the meeting. A fourth Raikage immediately sets out to find him, while the rest of the Kage start an altercation. Gaara begins to doubt whether the Kage can work together, as he realizes that his colleagues are willing to give up on their principles; this is something he cannot respect. Gaara leaves the meeting room to meet Sasuke and arrives just in time to prevent him and Raikage from inflicting mortal wounds on each other. While Raikage is healing his wounds, Gaara decides to talk to Sasuke, noting that he is consumed by the same hatred he himself was driven by the last time they met. Gaara, citing his own personal experience, advises Sasuke to turn away from the path of hatred while he can, as his actions will lead to nothing good. Sasuke refuses.

Upset by Sasuke’s response, Gaara joins Temari, Kankuro, and Darui in attacking him. Sasuke defends himself using Susanoo, then collapses the ceiling in time to escape. Gaara protects the others with his sand. After getting out from under the rubble, the two, in pursuit of Sasuke, return to the assembly hall, arriving at the moment when Tobi, the Akatsuki leader, teleports Sasuke to safety. He then tells those present of his plan for the Eye of the Moon and demands that Kage surrender Naruto and Killer Bee to him to complete the plan. Gaara and the rest of the Kage refuse, prompting Tobi to announce the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War. After Tobi leaves, the Five Kages agree to form the Shinobi Allied Force. Although they want Konoha to join the Union, the Kage do not trust Danzo, the candidate for the Sixth Hokage position, and believe they need to find someone else to represent Konoha. Gaara suggests Kakashi Hatake for this role and the other Kages agree with him.

After the Kage disperse, Gaara finds Kakashi with Naruto somewhere in the Land of Iron. He tells them what happened during the meeting, including what Sasuke did. Gaara emphasizes that in the upcoming war they will fight to protect Naruto and that if Sasuke chooses to side with Akatsuki, Gaara will fight him just to keep Naruto safe. He also shares his opinion that Sasuke can no longer be saved from himself, and if Naruto really wants to be the Hokage in the future, he must accept that fact. Before leaving, however, Gaara advises Naruto to at least consider what he can do for Sasuke. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro return to the Village of Sand and are informed upon arrival that the Daimyo have already authorized the formation of the Allied Shinobi Force.

The Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown

Gaara travels to Hidden Cloud Village to meet with the rest of the Alliance heads to discuss tactics. When the Third Tsuchikage inquires about where the jinchuuriki will be hidden, the Fifth Hokage objects, believing that Naruto and Killer Bee should participate in the war. However, Gaara reminds her that Naruto is willing to risk everything to protect his friends, and therefore he should be kept away from the battlefield. Later, when the Akatsuki learn that Naruto and Bi are on Turtle Island, Gaara offers to go there himself to provide them with extra protection. However, in the end it is decided that Tsuchikage will go to the island.

Shinobi World War 4: Confrontation

Gaara becomes the commander of the Fourth Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces, as well as the commander-in-chief of the remaining combat units. When shinobi from different countries begin to quarrel over previous disagreements between their villages, Gaara separates them with his sand. He then gives a speech to the assembled army, asking them to put aside past grudges and disagreements, and focus on the goal that now unites them – to stop the Akatsuki. Inspired by the speech, the shinobi mobilize for battle. Gaara leads his division to the border of the Land of Lightning. He scatters his sand over the terrain to be able to catch the approaching Akatsuki forces. Using this technique, he manages to locate the resurrected Second Tsuchikage, Muu, forcing the resurrected Second Mizukage, the Third Raikage, and Gaara’s father, the Fourth Kazekage, to come to his aid. Seeing them with his Third Eye, Gaara calls for reinforcements.

The Third Tsuchikage, Oonoki, goes to the aid of the Fourth Division, but they avoid the fight until the second day of the war. Once they are ready, Gaara is the first to launch an attack with the Sand Tsunami, which Rasa stops with his Gold Dust. When Rasa sees Gaara, he is surprised that his son has not transformed into Shukaku, as he originally assumed based on the amount of sand he controls. Gaara tells him that Shukaku was extracted from his body, causing him to die, but was resurrected thanks to Elder Chiyo and his friends. He also tells him that he became the Fifth Kazekage, adding that now, as Kazekage, he understands why Rasa tried to kill him so many times and forgives his father. Rasa finds all of this very strange and demands that his son fight him to see how much he has grown. After exchanging a few blows, Gaara finally surrounds Rasa and the other resurrected Kage with sand, which takes the form of his mother, Karura.

Gaara is surprised to see his mother. Rasa, accepting defeat, explains to Gaara that the sand, which has always protected him, did not do so by the will of Shukaku, but by the will of his mother, because she has always loved him. He confesses that he made Yashamara attack Gaara and lie about his mother to test his emotional fitness as a jinchuuriki. Upon hearing this, Gaara cannot hold back tears. Rasa apologizes to him for not being as good a parent to Gaara as his mother was. Gaara places Sealing Seals on the sand prisons restricting Kage’s movements, but everyone except Rasa manages to break free of them. Gaara then helps Oonoki in the battle with Muu, using his sand to detect the latter when he becomes invisible. Eventually one of Naruto’s Shadow Clones appears on the battlefield and, with Gaara’s help, briefly incapacitates Muu, allowing Gaara to seal him off.

Gaara angrily questions Naruto about why he is on the battlefield. Naruto assures him that he knows what he’s doing himself, and says that Gaara shouldn’t treat him like a child just because he’s a Kazekage. When Naruto’s Shadow Clone leaves to fight the Third Raikage, Gaara and Oonoki engage in battle with the Second Mizukage. Mizukage is not happy that they decided to fight him after Muu, believing themselves to be the more powerful opponent they should have dealt with first. Gaara agrees with this statement after Mizukage manages to neutralize all of his attacks. Gaara uses sand to reveal the Giant Clam protecting Mizukage with his Genjutsu so that Tsuchikage can destroy him. Mizukage immediately attacks Tsuchikage, but Gaara saves him with the Sand Clone. Afterwards, Gaara tries to catch Mizukage with his Desert Multi-stage Imperial Burial, but his opponent manages to avoid being sealed by blowing up his clone.

Gaara manages to encase Mizukage in his sand again, but the exploding clone prevents him from completing the seal. Even though Mizukage, who has previously given them many hints on how to defeat him, decides not to help them destroy the clone, believing they must prove themselves. Gaara protects the Fourth Division from the blast with the Sand Shield and then tries to attack the clone with sand. However, he proves to be too fast. In order to reduce its speed, Gaara slips some of his father’s Gold Dust into the sand, which restrains the clone by melting on contact with its body. Mizukage, before being sealed, calls Gaara the “Golden Egg” among the Five Kages. Naruto’s shadowy clone, having defeated the Third Raikage, joins Gaara. Seeing them together, Mizukage notes that they are the perfect couple. Gaara seals Mizukage and reports his victory to Alliance headquarters.

Shinobi World War IV: The Climax

The Fourth Division encounters half of Muu, who managed to split before being sealed. Along with him, the resurrected Madara Uchiha appears on the battlefield. He begins to attack the Fourth Division. Gaara, Tsuchikage and Naruto’s Shadow Clone team up against him. Their combined attacks prove quite effective, causing Madara to activate his Rinnegan, which he uses to drop a meteorite on the Fourth Division. Gaara orders the shinobi to evacuate, while he himself helps Tsuchikaga stop the meteorite by propping it up with his sand. Then Madara drops another meteorite, which fails to stop. The sand protects Gaara from serious injury, but Tsuchikage and the rest of the Fourth Division are badly hurt.

Naruto’s shadowy clone tries to fight Madara alone, but his strength is running low due to the prolonged battle. Gaara and Tsuchikage join him along with the rest of the Kage, who have teleported to the battlefield to help. The Fifth Hokage heals Gaara and Tsuchikage, and the Five Kages move against Madara. Confident of their victory, they tell Naruto to trust Madaru to them and go deal with Tobi himself. Despite being outnumbered, it takes a lot of effort for Kage to stand up to Madara; Gaara uses Desert Vapor to keep Kage out of Madara’s attack zone. Also, when given the opportunity, he tries to seal Madara with the Seal of the Desert Multi-stage Imperial Burial. However, all of their attacks fail. Then Madara, to make the fight “fair,” creates twenty-five wood clones, five for each Kage.

Kage’s battle with the wood clones, each using Susanoo, continues into the night. Despite his opponent’s superior forces, Kage manages to join forces against the real Madara, impressing him enough to activate Susanoo’s Completed Form. Before he can use it against Kage, the Summoning: Resurrection of the Unholy World dissipates and Madara’s soul begins to return to the Pure World. However, Madara manages to remain in the world of the living, having escaped the control of Kabuto Yakushi, who controls the Unholy Resurrection. Now free to act, he loses interest in Kage and decides to go after Naruto. The Kage try to stop him and thus keep the promise he made to Naruto, but Madara defeats them all, leaving them to die on the battlefield.

Birth of the Ten-Tails’ Jinchūriki

Orochimaru and members of Taka’s team find Tsunade and help her heal herself. She in turn heals the rest of the Kage. Once everyone regains their strength, Gaara transports them to the final battle site on his sand. On the way, Katsuyu tells them everything that happened there in the meantime. Upon arrival, Kage teams up with the remaining shinobi against the Divine Tree. As Naruto begins to draw out the Tailed Beasts’ chakra sealed in Tobi, Gaara manages to latch onto Shukaku and pull him free. After defeating Obito, the Allied Forces turn against Madara, their only remaining opponent. Gaara asks Shukaku for help in sealing Madara. When Shukaku refuses, Gaara says he will ask for another Biju, whereupon One-Tail decides to help.

Gaara and Shukaku attack Madara with Sand Bullets, slowing his movements and allowing the other One-tails, Killer B. and Naruto to attack him. Once Madara is immobilized, Gaara and Shukaku work together to create a larger and more durable Desert Multi-stage Imperial Burial, from which he manages to escape thanks to Susanoo. After gaining one Rinnegan, Madara returns and begins to seal the tails into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Way. Gaara tries to prevent Shukaku from sealing by restraining the Sealing Chains with the Sandy Hand, thus expressing his gratitude to One-Tailed for meeting Naruto. Madara tries to stop Gaara, but Shukaku blocks his blow, confirming his title as Gaara’s “absolute defense. Despite Gaara’s efforts, all of the Tailed Beasts, including Biju, the inmates in B and Naruto, find themselves sealed in the Statue.

At the last moment, Nine-Tailed contacts Gaara, explaining how to save Naruto’s life: half of Nine-Tailed, sealed in the resurrected Minato Namikaze, must be transferred into him. At first Gaara heads to Minato, but realizing that Naruto’s life is rapidly fading, he transports him to the Fifth Hokage to give him medical attention. However, Tsunade, who has exhausted her supply of chakra, sends Sakura Haruno instead. While Sakura gives Naruto emergency medical treatment, Gaara takes them to Minato, and finding him, tells him what he heard from Nine-Tail. Minato begins to seal his half of the Ninetail into Naruto, but is interrupted by Black Zetsu, who is soon joined by Madara, who has by now become the Ten-Tailed’s jinchuuriki. Gaara and Minato jointly try to prevent Zetsu from handing the Nine-Tailed over to Madara, but they are easily repulsed.

Through the combined efforts of Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha, they manage to recover the Nine-Tailed’s chakra and move Naruto to safety. Maito Gai joins the fight against Madara and eventually decides to reveal the Eight Gates. Since Gai has limited time, Gaara helps Kakashi create a gap in Madara’s defense by moving him in his sand close enough so that he can use Kamui on several of Madara’s Truth Search Balls. Gai successfully launches an attack, but it does little damage to Madara. Eventually Gai wastes all of his chakra and finds himself unable to continue the fight. When Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto join the battle, Gaara moves Gai to safety so he won’t get hurt in the crossfire.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes

Despite Naruto and Sasuke’s best efforts, they fail to prevent Madara from carrying out the Moon’s Eye Plan, plunging the entire world into sleep. Gaara dreams of a happy childhood with his family, where he plays with Naruto every day. In the end, Naruto and Sasuke manage to dispel the Endless Tsukuyomi, freeing Gaara and the others from genjutsu and putting an end to the Fourth World Shinobi War. In the anime, Gaara and Ai travel to Konoha on the day of Kakashi’s inauguration and visit Naruto in the hospital to thank him for saving the world.

Blank Period

Kakashi Hiden: Lightning in the Icy Sky

About a year after the end of World War Four, a shinobi named Kahyo becomes the warden of the Bloody Turma. Gaara, along with the rest of the Kage, visits the prison to make sure she is fit for the position and to finally confirm her position as warden. Kahyo gets their approval after humiliating Raikage in battle by freezing his beard.

Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness

Two years after the end of the Fourth World War, Shinobi Gaara notices that Temari is troubled by something and suggests that it has something to do with Shikamaru Nara. She confesses that she is alarmed by Shikamaru’s behavior, as he has been acting cold and distant lately. They both assume that he is on some sort of mission for Konoha that must be kept secret. Although Gaara does not normally meddle in the affairs of the other hidden villages, he notes that Shikamaru is too important to the future of the Shinobi Union and therefore provides Temari with all the necessary resources to find out the reasons for his strange behavior.

After a visit to Konoha, Temari learns that Shikamaru disappeared during a mission to the Land of Silence. Gaara and a squad of Sand Village ninja join Temari, Naruto, and several more of Shikamaru’s friends from Konoha to find him. When they arrive at the site after several days of travel, Gaara orders his men to avoid killing any of the Enlightened of the Land of Silence if possible; although some are wounded, no one is killed. Shikamaru thanks Gaara for his help, and Gaara reiterates that it was in the best interests of the Shinobi Union. Gaara heads back to Suna with his men, leaving Temari behind so she can talk to Shikamaru alone.

The Last: Naruto the Movie

Two years after the Fourth World War, Shinobi Gaara attends an emergency Gathering of the Five Kages to discuss the impending moon crash. A few days after returning to Suna, meteorites begin to fall on the village and Gaara, holding them back with his sand, protects the residents. When the situation begins to spiral out of control, the Kage contact each other and conclude that the moon must be destroyed. Later, the Sixth Hokage reports that Naruto is on the moon. Then Gaara and the rest of the Kage decide to delay its destruction and give Naruto a chance to save them.

Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze

The Anbu of Sand Village report to Gaara that a man matching Sasuke Uchiha’s description met with a group of terrorists near Suna. When the Anbu are about to storm the territory where the terrorists are, Gaara joins them and observes this man with his third eye. His appearance and chakra are identical to Sasuke’s, but since he talks about wanting to destroy Konoha, Gaara does not believe it is really him. The Anbu, led by Gaara, attack the terrorists’ hideout, but the doppelganger manages to escape. He tells everything to Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka a few days later, when they visit Sunu. Just like them, Gaara is convinced that it wasn’t Sasuke. To prevent unfounded rumors from spreading, Gaara asks the girls to tell the Sixth Hokage what happened.

Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding

Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro arrive in Konoha to attend the Five Kage Gathering. Upon arriving in the village, Gaara wonders what to give Naruto for his wedding. He asks Roka Lee and Tenten, who accompany him, to show him Naruto’s favorite place to see what he likes. They go to Ichiraku Ramen, where Gaara meets Naruto’s former teacher, Iruka Umino. After chatting with him, as well as with the owner of the ramen, Teuchi, Gaara eventually comes to the conclusion that he should attend Naruto’s wedding as his friend. After the meeting, the trio return to Sunu. Ten days later, the Sixth Hokage visits the Sand Village and asks Gaara to provide him with shinobi to guard Konoha’s borders on the wedding day, to which he agrees. Six days later, Gaara and his brother and sister return to Konoha to attend Naruto and Hinata’s wedding.

Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage

Gaara holds another meeting with the Sand Council and reports to them on the latest developments in and around the village before allowing the Council members to ask him for favors. Usually their requests are petty and insignificant, so Gaara is very surprised when he is told that he must marry. Since Temari is going to marry Shikamaru Nara of Konoha, her future children will be Konoha ninja. And if Gaara and Kankuro die before they have time to procreate, Konoha’s ninja will be able to claim the title of Kazekage. In order to avoid such an outcome, the members of the Council want Gaara to find a wife and have children. The Council insists that Gaara’s marriage is primarily to compensate them for turning him into a jinchuuriki years ago, not a political move. Finding no argument against this decision, Gaara agrees to the marriage the Council of Elders has decided to arrange for him.

Gaara is given the opportunity to socialize with his brother and sister, which hasn’t happened often lately; Temari helps him dress for his meeting with his potential bride, and Kankuro advises him to be more sociable, finally making him drink some alcohol for courage. Under heavy guard, Gaara meets the girl the Sand Council picked out for him: Hakuto of the Hoki clan. His first impression of her is that she is beautiful. This makes Gaara feel uncomfortable once he realizes that she will become his wife. Forgetting all the etiquette lessons Temari gave him, Gaara decides to try to emulate Naruto in his unoriginality: he begins discussing his hobbies. Hakuto listens with interest to how excited Gaara is about his cacti, and it debunks some of the rumors she’s heard about him since the “Gaara of Sandy Falls” days. Hakuto calls him “kind.” This flatters Gaara, filling him with the same joy he feels when taking care of his cacti.

During their date, Gaara and Hakuto are attacked. Gaara manages to kill the first attackers, but he has trouble fighting their leaders, the twin brothers Etoro and Metero Konjiki. The brothers simultaneously attack Gaara with their Kekkei Genkai and pierce his Sand Shield, wounding him for the first time in years. Even though he has several ways to retreat, he stays, for otherwise he would have to abandon Hakuto; he feels he must protect her, not because she is his future wife, but because she is a person who needs help. Soon Hakuto’s sister and bodyguard, Shijima, comes to their rescue, giving Gaara the opportunity to kill Etoro and Methoro. At the end of the fight, Hakuto treats Gaara’s wounds and then returns to his family home.

Baki later speculates that the attack was part of some plot to overthrow Gaara, who deals with politics behind closed doors, and replace him with Kankuro, who acts on the front lines and is therefore more beloved by the young shinobi. When they later receive news that Hakuto has been kidnapped, they realize that the attackers’ target was her, not Gaara. Not wanting to attract the attention of ill-wishers who would use this kidnapping against him, Gaara refuses to help and sets out alone to rescue Hakuto. On the way he meets Shijima; she was easily defeated by Hakuto’s kidnapper and now wants to help bring her sister back. They make their way through the desert, following a trail that, despite the kidnapper’s attempts to hide them, Gaara can trace.

Gaara and Shijima catch up with the kidnapper, who introduces himself as Shigezane, a member of the Hoki clan. He easily defeats Shijima and attacks Gaara, using his water jutsu to turn the area into quicksand. Gaara could get out if he wanted to, but he realizes that in this case he won’t be able to find Shijima in time to save her. For this reason, Gaara goes to her and wraps her and himself in sand before they are pulled underground. Waking up hours later, Gaara finds himself in an underground cave, from which Shigiezane has drawn water. Shijima asks Gaara why he, Kazekage, needed to risk his life to protect it. He replies that all lives are important, regardless of position in society. Gaara knows that casualties are sometimes unavoidable, but he tries to refrain from killing as much as possible. Shijima understands Gaara’s position and leads him out of the cave.

Gaara and Shijima find Hakuto and Shigezane as they are about to cross the border into the Land of Fire. Gaara has long since realized that they are lovers, who have planned to use Hakuto’s marriage as an opportunity to escape. He is not upset by this, as he never intended to force Hakuto to marry him. At the same time, however, Gaara, as Kazekage, cannot allow them to leave Suna. He asks them to return, but Shigezane refuses and attacks him. Gaara uses his Magnetism Element to defend himself while simultaneously attacking Shigezane, keeping him in his power. Shijima threatens Gaara to let Shigezane go. Gaara already knows that she helped them stage Hakuto’s kidnapping, but repeats that she cannot let them leave. When Shijima is about to kill Gaara and herself to allow Hakuto and Shigezane to escape, Gaara asks her why she didn’t kill him earlier when he was unconscious. She replies that it wasn’t her way. Such an answer satisfies Gaara.

Gaara attacks with the Sand Sword, but instead of striking Shijima, he strikes Methoro, who happens to have survived and has been pursuing them from the beginning to avenge his brother. Even though Methoro tried not to give himself away, Gaara felt his presence the whole time. After Methoro confirms that he was hired by Tojuro – a member of the Sand Council who Baki and Kankuro had already arrested at the time – Gaara kills him with the Burial of Sand Falls. He emphasizes how effectively the Burial of Sandfall destroyed Methoro, leaving no trace of him, and repeats that he cannot let Hakuto and Shigezane leave Suna. Hearing this, Shijima realizes that Gaara is going to fake their deaths so they can be together. At this point Shikamaru Nara, whom Gaara called for help by giving him a letter through Temari, appears. Shikamaru has to confirm that Shigezane and Hakuto were killed so that they can settle in Konoha under their new names. Gaara and Shijima return to Suna. She swears allegiance to Kazekage.

New Era.

In the years that follow, Gaara continues to be a close friend of Naruto, whose children, Boruto and Himawari, treat him like an uncle. At some point before the events of Boruto: The New Generation Naruto, Gaara finds a boy named Shinki, who cannot control his power. Frightened, the child attacks Gaara, piercing him as he approaches to hug the boy. Surprised by Gaara’s attitude, Shinki calms down, and Kazekage offers to teach him how to use his power. Shinki later becomes Gaara’s adopted son. After Naruto’s inauguration as Hokage, Genzo photographs them with Gaara. A short time later, Gaara, accompanied by Kankuro, attends the Kage Gathering in Konoha, where Sasuke Uchiha shares his fears that somewhere lurks a threat worse than Kaguya Ootsuki. Gaara shares the opinion of the rest of the Kage that this should be kept secret to avoid panic.

Sarada Uchiha arc

Fifteen years after the Fourth World War, Shinobi Gaara and Kankuro travel to Konoha to attend another Kage gathering. Before the gathering begins, Gaara visits Temari and greets his nephew Shikadai upon meeting him.

Versus Momoshiki Arc

Gaara meets Kankuro and Team Shinki on the platform before they leave for Konoha to participate in the Chuunin Exam. Immediately afterwards, he is contacted by Shukaku and told that he suddenly lost contact with Eight-Tail. Asked if it only happened to Eighttails, Shukaku says that his connection with the other Tails and Naruto has not been interrupted. Gaara thanks Shukaku for the warning. Later, on his way to the exam, he is attacked by Urashiki Ootsutsuki, who recognizes the former jinchuuriki One-Tailed Shukaku in Gaara. Urashiki easily penetrates Gaara’s Sand Shield and steals some of his chakra before disappearing. Upon arriving at Konoha, Gaara tells Sasuke and Choujuro what happened, which serves as a clue in deciphering the Kaguya scroll Sasuke found in one of her dimensions.

Gaara and the rest of Kage are watching the final matches of the chuunin exam when Kinshiki and Momoshiki Ootsuki attack the arena. Kage and the other shinobi protect the spectators and help them evacuate. In the anime, Gaara notices Urashiki early and starts chasing him along with Choujuro. Despite the fact that most of Gaara’s sand is in the arena, supporting the falling roof, and Choujuro is deprived of his sword, they still overwhelm Urashiki; when he begins to reveal copied techniques, such as sand manipulation, Gaara and Choujuro manage to trap him. He escapes, however, using his Rinnegan.

The Kinshiki and Momoshiki kidnap Naruto and Gaara, along with the other Kage, Sasuke and Naruto’s son Boruto, travel to Momoshiki’s planet to rescue him. They free Naruto and join forces against Momoshiki. At first they seem to be able to defeat him, but he quickly recovers and immobilizes Kage with a stolen Shadow Imitation Technique. In the end, Boruto defeats Momoshiki with the Disappearing Rasengan, allowing everyone to return to Konoha.

Abilities

Trained as the “perfect weapon” of the Sand Village from an early age, Gaara was an exceptionally strong ninja even at a very young age, easily killing countless assassins sent after him. He was known for completing B rank missions as a genin. Gaara sets a record by passing the second round of the Chuunin Exams in the Forest of Death without a scratch in just 97 minutes; upon learning this, Anko Mitarashi notes that not even a Chuunin is capable of this. By the second part, Gaara becomes the Fifth Kazekage of the Village of Sand, whose duties include protecting and ruling the entire village. The other Kages are initially suspicious of his suitability due to his young age, but later become respectful of him, leading to his appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces during World War IV. The resurrected Kage that Gaara fights, including his father, also note his outstanding abilities after he defeats them. He can hold off the five tree clones of Madara Uchiha, protected by Susanoo, for a time. By maturity, Gaara’s abilities increase to the point where he can overpower opponents from the Ootsutsuki Clan; he manages to hold off and later temporarily seal Urashiki during their battle.

Chakra and Physical Strength

Gaara has a large amount of strong chakra, which was recognized by Akamaru even before Gaara used any technique. This amount of chakra is partly due to the fact that he is a One-Tailed Jinchuuriki, but even removing the tailed beast from his body in Part 2 had no noticeable effect on his abilities. Gaara tries to stay away from his opponent during battles and rarely resorts to taijutsu. In the anime he, considering this a disadvantage, trains with Shira to improve his skills. In the novelization of Boruto: Naruto Movie, Kinshiki Ootsutsuki considers Gaara’s taizutsu to be on par with Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Darui, calling their skills in this particular fighting style “first-class.”

Ninjutsu

Gaara possesses the elements Earth, Lightning, and Wind, the latter of which he often uses in conjunction with his sand to increase his speed and reach. In the short story Gaara Hiden: Mirage of Sandstorm it is said that Gaara inherited the Element of Magnetism from his father. He usually avoids using this genkai during battles so that he always has a trump card up his sleeve that no one else knows about, just in case. He can use the Element of Magnetism to increase the density of his chakra and sand, thereby strengthening his defense.

Sand Manipulation

Like the jinchuuriki One-Tailed Demon Shukaku, Gaara is able to manipulate sand. Wherever he goes, he always carries a supply of sand with him in a gourd, which in turn is also made of sand. The sand is impregnated with his own chakra, which allows him to actuate and direct it more quickly and accurately. If Gaara needs more sand, he can either use sand from the surrounding area or, using his personal reserves, separate the soil from the minerals and thereby create even more sand; however, controlling secondary sand requires more chakra expenditure. Gaara’s ability to control sand persists even after Shukaku is removed from his body. Seeing how much sand Gaara can control at once, the Fourth Kazekage at first mistakenly believes that it is Shukaku’s doing.

Possessing a powerful defensive ninjutsu, Gaara prefers to remain motionless during combat and attack his opponent from afar using sand. His attacks usually follow the same pattern: catch and immobilize the target with a Binding Sand Coffin, for example, and then crush his opponent’s body with a Burial of Sand Falls, for example. If an opponent manages to get too close to Gaara, his Sand Shield automatically protects him from any attacks, even those he is unaware of; the Sand Shield is often attributed to Shukaku as an act of self-defense, but is actually the work of Gaara’s mother, Karura, whose love protects her son even after her death. If an opponent does manage to break through the Sand Shield, whether through speed or brute strength, Gaara has access to a secondary defense, the Sand Armor, which covers his body; however, it takes an impractical amount of chakra to hold the armor for a long time, and it also weighs a lot, resulting in reduced speed and maneuverability. Nevertheless, Gaara’s Sand has earned a reputation as the “ultimate protection,” being extremely productive in keeping him safe and allowing him to live for years without a scratch. By maturity, the effectiveness of Gaara’s Sand Shield increases significantly, giving him the ability to repel attacks that even Susanoo Sasuke cannot repel.

Gaara’s Sand Shield is very malleable and can be used for a variety of purposes. Gaara often uses it to protect others, such as creating a wall of sand for several people, or, as Kazekage, covering the entire Sand Village with a sand shield to protect it from an explosion. To attack, he can shape the sand into shurikens and swords. Gaara also has many additional uses for his sand: Desert Hovering, a form of moving through the air; Hidden Sand Cat Drawing, a sensory technique for detecting hidden targets; Third Eye, used for scouting; Sand Clone, etc. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he uses the Seal of the Desert Multi-stage Imperial Burial, which performs the same functions as the Binding Cloth Technique, giving him the ability to stop resurrected foes.

Jinchuuriki Transformations

The one-tailed Shukaku is a very valuable resource, but as with the other tails, learning how to use it effectively in combat takes Gaara a lot of time and effort. During their first conversation when Gaara was still a child, Shukaku warned him that he would take control of his body and kill people as soon as the boy fell asleep. This led to Gaara staying awake the entire time he was a jinchuuriki. Even so, Shukaku posed a great danger, forcing young Gaara to unintentionally kill people in the vicinity, and in moments of intense stress, unleash the completed One-Tail form against his own village. By the first part of the manga, Gaara manages to keep Shukaka under control under normal circumstances.

Shukaku complet form

Like all Jinchūrikis, Gaara can transform into his tailed beast. However, while others perform the transformation using chakra, Gaara does it with his sand: by covering parts of his body with sand, he transforms them into Shukaku body parts of the appropriate size for a human body. The more Gaara’s body is transformed, the more his strength and speed increase. As a consequence, however, Shukaku’s personality gradually suppresses Gaara’s personality, making him more and more bloodthirsty; nevertheless, by the second part Gaara has mastered the transformation enough to create Shukaku’s arms without any side effects. In the final phase, Gaara can release Shukaku in full size and remain safely inside him. He can also emerge to the surface of the tailed one’s body and, using the Pretend Sleep Technique, transfer full control of the body to Shukaku himself.

Intelligence

Gaara is a shrewd and resourceful fighter. He has created a wide arsenal of sand-based techniques himself, unique only to him. Gaara has a keen eye for detail and can quickly recognize his opponent’s weaknesses and act on his observations, taking advantage of his sand’s vast array of capabilities. He also often displays his cunning, luring powerful opponents into traps under different circumstances. Gengetsu Hozuki, the Second Mizukage, impressed by Gaara’s high intelligence, called him the “Golden Child.