Name: Gaara
Age: 12 years old at start of manga, now 13
Height: 146.1 cm
Weight: 39.0 kg
Birthday: January 19
Blood Type: AB
Affiliation: Hidden Sand
Signature Ability: Desert Funeral
"The pain of being alone... is out of this world, isn't it? I understand your feelings so much it actually hurts... But I have precious people now. I won't let you hurt my precious people even if I have to kill you!" - Uzumaki Naruto
Gaara of the Sand (Jap. 砂漠の我愛羅, pronounced Sabaku no Gaara) is one of the three genin from the Hiding-in-Sand who show up at the Chûnin exam (along with Kankuro and Temari, his siblings). Contrary to belief, Shukaku is not technically a demon but a sand priest. The soul of the sand priest was sealed inside Gaara at birth similarly to how the Kyūbi was sealed inside Uzumaki Naruto- he shares some similarities with Naruto, such as being rejected and hated by his own village (The only person Gaara thought cared for him, his uncle Yashamaru, was ordered to assassinate him by his own father, letting Gaara know before his death that he was never loved by anybody- he had always resented him for taking away his sister, his mother didn't want to have him and died cursing the village, and his father saw him as nothing more than a tool). But unlike Naruto he withdrew into himself rather than attempting to gain attention and appreciation, and was acknowledged by nobody (as opposed to Naruto, who was acknowledged by his Sensei, Umino Iruka). Gaara had lost all emotion and sense of purpose years ago and filled the gap with the unrelenting goal of killing anybody in the world that was not him. His insomnia- forced upon him by the fact that the demon inside him would eat away at his personality if he were to fall asleep deeply enough- made his personality further unstable.
In Gaara's case, much like in Hyuga Neji's case, getting beaten up by Naruto acted as a most effective form of therapy for a very skewed vision of life. When they did battle, Gaara's unending hatred for and alienation from the world eventually waned as a source of power, while Naruto's desire to protect those close to him kept fueling his fighting spirit. After that battle Gaara had to be carried away by his brother and sister, and to their utter amazement, he thanked them.
Gaara carries a gourd on his back. Instead of water being carried in it, the gourd contains sand and the blood of his enemies. His best combination is desert graveyard and desert coffin. He is one of the most feared and powerful in the Chūnin exam.
Gaara was responsible for saving Lee from Kimimaro and destroying the latter. His power and his jutsu arsenal increased dramatically from the time of the chunin exam.
Trivia
- The name "Gaara" is made up of three Kanji, "Ga" (我, meaning I or me), "A" (愛, more commonly "Ai" meaning love), and "Ra" (羅, used here to mean a demon). Added together, they can mean "I only love myself. I'm a demon." which really explain what kind of character he is.
