Franchise Naruto is one of the most popular manga in the world, with over 220 million copies sold since 1999. Much of its success comes from the ability of the creator Masashi Kishimoto 🖊️ to combine a fictional world with impressive ninja fights and endearing characters with their own story.
Gaara ⏳ is one of the characters who gained instant attention from fans of Naruto due to his power and his heartbreaking childhood. He will first appear as an evil, crazy and sadistic character, and then as a protagonist of the series, Naruto .
The motto of Gaara started as "love for oneself" (自愛, jiai ) . He explains this to Naruto saying: "I'm a relic that they want to get rid of, so why do I exist and live? To exist, you need a purpose. To exist without a reason is like being dead... I came to the conclusion that I would only love myself and fight for myself. ”
In one of the biggest redemption arcs of the series, Naruto will help Gaara to change his way of seeing life, which will lead him to adapt the mottos "affection" (慈愛) and "future" (未来) .
In honor of the first broadcast of the anime Naruto in Japan 15 years ago, here are the 15 things you don't yet know about Gaara .
15. HIS FATHER ORDERED HIS MURDER
Gaara's father, Rasa (the fourth Kazekage ) was a cruel man and a questionable leader. Rasa was facing increasing pressure from the Suna Council regarding the fact that Gaara could not control Shukakaku 👹 (the unique 1-tailed demon that Rasa placed within his son).
In a foolish attempt to teach Gaara about pain and love, Rasa orders Yashamaru (Gaara's uncle and guardian) to secretly attack Gaara to test his control over Shukaku. Although Gaara was only six years old, he killed his Uncle ☠️, Yashamaru in order to protect himself. Overcome with grief over Yashamaru's final actions and words, Gaara transformed into Shukaku and attacked Suna. While Rasa stopped the attack on Suna with his gold dust, he realized that he would never control Gaara, and ordered the assassins to kill his six-year-old son instead of completing the task himself.
Rasa didn't care who lived and died until Suna became obsolete.
14. THE SYMBOL ON HIS FOREHEAD REPRESENTS LOVE
Gaara carved the symbol on his forehead after the attack Yashamaru to emphasize self-love.
Child, Gaara wanted the villagers of Suna accept him despite their fear that he is a jinchūriki 😈 . He was often kind to the villagers and offered them help, but inadvertently hurt them due to his lack of control. Shukaku . Gaara will accept self-love as his destiny, until he meets Naruto .
Previous jinchūriki of Shukaku had prophesied that someone would show him the overall meaning of the tattoos on his own hands. It's about to accept" (受, ukeru ) and “ heart ” (心, kokoro ). ❤️ The tattoo of Gaara , “love” (愛, ai) , is a combination of these two kanji. The symbol of love would then become a reminder of what it was and what it was truly meant to be.
13. HIS UNCLE BECAME HIS AUNT
Yashamaru shared many characteristics with her older sister Karura , often identical to its appearance. Her fair skin, purple eyes, and blonde hair gave her a more feminine look that apparently left some confused as to her original gender.
Despite being written as a male character, various versions have changed her character to a female 👧. In the Brazilian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish and Portuguese versions of the manga Naruto , Yashamaru becomes a female character. The trend did not stop with the manga 📚 because Dubbed versions of the anime used a female voice to accompany the character.
Does this mean that Yashamaru is actually his aunt and not his uncle? Well, it depends on where in the world you live. According to Masashi Kishimoto ✒️ , creator of Naruto is the uncle of Gaara .
12. GAARA SUFFERED FROM INS OMNIA
One of the factors that contributed to the early insanity of Gaara was his inability to sleep 💤. Shukaku spoke through Gaara's mind, telling him that if he fell asleep, he would take over his body. Gaara fought sleep for 12 years before Shukakaku not be extracted. Meanwhile ⏳, Gaara learned to stay awake as he wanted, taking control of the insomnia that previously haunted him. After extracting Shukaku , many fans of Naruto wondered why he still had dark circles around his eyes. Was Gaara still insomniac?
The Dark Circles may have nothing to do with the fact that he suffers from insomnia. Rasa and Kankurō (The brother of Gaara 🧬 ) have dark circles around their eyes, meaning it could be genetic or part of clan culture Kazekage .
11. He HAD SEVERAL EARRINGS
In 2014, the Jin no Sho (fourth Naruto data book) was released and featured an interview with Masashi Kishimoto about the creation of Gaara and the various adaptations he went through before becoming the character we know and love today.
Kishimoto explains in this interview that Gaara had multiple earrings during his initial conception and was even presented that way in the early manga 📚 .
He also explained that the initial design was difficult to draw on a regular basis. As Gaara became a character that Kishimoto wanted to develop, he adapted his style and removed the earrings to make him easier to draw. Later, Gaara dresses in a high-necked outfit that Kishimoto explains was influenced by one of his favorite films, The Matrix .
10. GAARA DIED DURING SHUKAKU'S EXTRACTION
When a tailed beast, Bijû , 👺 is extracted from his Jinchuuriki , he dies. Gaara is, however, still alive today because he was resurrected by Chiyo , who turns out to be the one who placed Shukaku within him under Rasa 's orders.
This has led to a lot of confusion among Naruto fans because Gaara still has the same powers as when Shukaku was one with him. Although it was never explained in the timeline, it can be assumed that Gaara still has his powers because he learned to control and possess them during the extended time of the fusion with Shukakaku.
Ironically, Gaara becomes more powerful over time after Shukaku's extraction. This will be seen when he defeats and seals the second Mizukage in the World War arc ⚔️.
9. GAARA ACCOMPLISHED B-RANK MISSIONS AS A GENIN
In the first part of the Naruto story, it is said that Gaara was trained from childhood as a weapon for Sunagakure . Because of this, he never had a normal childhood and was forced to become stronger than other children his age. Having assassins 🗡️ after him trying to kill him since the age of six only made him stronger, allowing him to later take on B-rank missions with ease.
Gaara continued to excel during these younger days in the Chūnin Exams where he would set a record for going through the Forest of Death without ever receiving a single scratch. He has completed 34 missions, including 0 D-grade, 9 C-grade, 8 B-grade, 14 A-grade, and 3 S-grade. His stats in the databook show him with a total of 29 points out of a total possible 40. 👍
8. HIS SAND SHIELD PROTECTS HIM THANKS TO HIS MOTHER
It was long believed that Gaara 's use of his Sand shield 🛡️ (絶対防御, Zettai Bōgyo ) came from Shukaku . Even Gaara believed him at one point because of Yashamaru's lies.
It will later be proven that it is his mother 's will that moves the sand to protect him. After extracting Shukaku from Gaara , fans thought they would no longer see his absolute defense. This also turned out to be inaccurate.
After the Fourth Great Shinobi War ⚔️, Gaara learns to incorporate other abilities into his absolute defense, including the wind nature and his kekkei genkai into his shields. Gaara mixes metal particles into his sand shield, allowing him to guard against jutsus used to exploit the sand's weaknesses.
7. GAARA IS THE YOUNGEST KAGE IN HISTORY
Sometime between the ages of 14 and 15, Gaara would become the fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure (五代目風影, Godaime Kazekage, meaning fifth wind shadow). Gaara was extremely powerful for his young age, but that was only part of the reason he became a Kazekage .
After losing to Naruto, Gaara realized that his way of thinking and living was flawed. Naruto inspired Gaara to want to become Kazekage. Shortly after their battle, Rasa died after being betrayed by Orochimaru 🐍. After Orochimaru's defeat, Konoha and Suna will become allies 🤜🤛. Gaara's new friendship with Naruto allowed these two villages to work together in a healthy way while giving Suna a purpose and strength in the community. The Suna council also wanted to keep the Kazekage bloodline as their seat of power, choosing Gaara over his siblings because of the control he now had over Shukaku .
6. THE PROTOTYPE OF THE CHARACTER WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DRUG DRUG
Masashi Kishimoto revealed in an interview found in the Jin no Sho that Gaara was originally a very different character than the one we know today. According to Kishimoto was a 7-year-old elite ninja named Kumomaru (雲丸) , who allegedly abused drugs 💊 to push his physical abilities beyond their natural limits.
He must also have a ninken 🐶 appointed Manji (まんじ) , which could have been a way to honor the Blade of the Immortal Hiroaki Samura . Manji was a small dog with dark markings around its eyes (which had nothing to do with insomnia) , as well as the Kanji for Manji (卍) tattooed on his forehead. His name then became Kotaro (小太郎) , after Fūma Kotarō Kotarō , but the editor-in-chief of Kishimoto didn't like it and suggested using Gaara (我愛羅) in place.
5. HE RARELY USES TAIJUTSU OR RARELY COMES CLOSE TO HIS OPPONENTS
The total scores of Gaara according to the data books of Taijutsu 📜 was 1 out of 5 for the first part of Naruto and increased to 2 in subsequent games. Thanks to his powers of sand, to which he adapted in his youth, Gaara learned to fight without approaching his opponents.
He also has large reserves of chakra, which will not dissipate after extracting Shukakaku 👹 . This allows him to use his powers constantly without worrying about his remaining Chakra stocks unlike a classic Ninja. Not getting close to his opponents during fights was also a survival technique he learned at a young age. Even after becoming the fifth Kazekage , Gaara would continue to avoid close contact when possible.
4. GAARA AND SHINKI (HIS ADOPTED SON)
The Kazekage lineage is important to the Suna council. Each son born in the line had to marry to produce an heir. Gaara, however, had no intention of being with anyone. The council knew that if he were to die, Konoha's Shikadai Nara could take control. 🕹️
When and how Gaara met Shinki has yet to be revealed within Boruto, but if Boruto follows Naruto's path, we hope to get a flashback soon. What we do know is that Shinki has an observant eye👁️, can use iron filings and kekkei genkai to control iron sand, and can also create a sand platform attached to his cloak.
Apparently, the Suna council accepted Shinki as his heir should Gaara die, and he is listed as a shinobi of the Kazekage clan of Suna from then on.
3. ROCK LEE IS THE FIRST NINJA TO TOUCH GAARA
During the Chūnin Exam preliminaries, Gaara was Rock Lee 's opponent. Up until this point in the exams, Gaara hasn't been hit once thanks to his abilities. Rock Lee was known for being fast, but early in the fight, Gaara's Sand Shield 🛡️ proved to be faster.
Guy Sensei then told Rock Lee to remove his weights from his ankle, knowing that this would increase his speed. Rock Lee surprises Gaara when he avoids the Sand Shield and then delivers the first blow of the exam! Gaara won the battle, but ironically this would lead him to his next fight with Sasuke Uchiha, in which Sasuke would use similar speed techniques 🌩️.
2. “GAARA OF THE SAND WATERFALL”
There is no doubt among fans of Naruto that Gaara was a sadist in his youth, driven by an insane bloodlust 🩸 and killing anyone who crossed his path. It was at this time that he became known as Sandfall Gaara (砂瀑の我愛羅, Desert Gaara ) .
After his defeat ❌ against Naruto , Gaara realized that his thinking that led to this crazy behavior was wrong and he will have to change. When discussing the past, he often referred to himself in the third person as Gaara of the sand waterfall, allowing others to see that the Gaara in front of them was not the same person he was in his youth.
Fans have often associated Gaara to be a sociopath when he was younger. Ironically, referring to oneself in the third person can be considered a symptom of this disorder.
1. THE NAME GAARA MEANS “SELFISH DEMON”
Gaara 's name means selfish demon 😈, but it can also be translated as selfish silk. How is it possible ? The last syllable Râ or 羅, was taken from an abbreviation of Ashura to bring it closer to the word "demon".
Ra, however, can also be translated as a type of fabric or silk. Kishimoto ✒️ would later reveal the name Gaara was suggested to him by his editor. He would later discover that the publisher based the name Gaara on the name of a ski resort. Ra being translated by the word "cloth" which actually corresponds to Gaara's character since his mother protects him through the sand to form his Absolute Defense, just like a mother protects a newborn by swaddling them in a blanket.
If this article interested you, then take a look at the following article:15 things you don't know about Hinata .
Have you already noticed that we offer superb Goodies featuring Gaara of Suna?
