Gaara

Gaara is surprised to see his mother. Rasa, accepting defeat, explains to Gaara that the sand that has always protected him did so not by Shukaku's will, but by his mother's, because she has always loved him. He confesses to having Yashamaru attack Gaara and lie about his mother to test his emotional fitness as a jinchūriki. Hearing this, Gaara breaks down in 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 the Kage's movements, but all but Rasa manage to escape. Gaara then assists Ōnoki in his battle with Mū, using his sand to detect the latter when he turns invisible. Eventually, one of Naruto's Shadow Clones appears on the battlefield and, with Gaara's help, briefly incapacitates Mū, allowing Gaara to seal him.

Naruto and Gaara fall to the ground, exhausted. Gaara doesn't understand how Naruto can be so strong and is perplexed by what this defeat means for his existence. As Naruto begins to crawl toward him, Gaara yells at him to stay away. Naruto, however, only sympathizes, having experienced the same loneliness as Gaara himself. Nevertheless, Naruto has managed to find friends in Sakura and Sasuke, and he is willing to do anything to protect them, even kill Gaara. Gaara is surprised that Naruto draws his strength from his love for others and admits defeat. Temari and Kankuro take Gaara home. On the way, he apologizes to them.

Gaara nearly kills Naruto with Sand Burial, but Naruto manages to escape at the last moment by summoning Gamabunta. Gamabunta joins the fight and severs Shukaku's right arm with his sword. Gaara, seeing Naruto's strength, puts himself into an induced sleep to completely surrender his body to Shukaku's control. After a lengthy battle, Gamabunta finally gets close enough to the One-Tail for Naruto to awaken him with a blow, regaining control of his body. Awakened, Gaara pushes Naruto away and binds his arms and legs in sand. Naruto, not giving up, headbutts him hard enough to dispel Shukaku's transformation. Both collapse exhausted into the treetops, with only enough energy left for one final strike. They leap toward each other, but Naruto manages to strike first, securing the victory.

Naruto

Despite his stoic demeanor, Gaara is a very sensitive and emotional person; he calmly sheds tears upon learning the truth about his mother, or over Sasuke's refusal to change his lifestyle. Even in adulthood, he retains a certain awkwardness in social interactions. His nephew Shikadai notes that Gaara often gives strange gifts when he visits.

Over the years, Gaara grows wiser. When some of the Kage express concern that the new generation, raised in peacetime, will not be able to cope with the looming threats, Gaara calmly points out that it's not uncommon for an older generation to distrust the youth.

Gaara feels indebted to Naruto for how much he has changed since his days as Gaara of the Sand Waterfall. He considers Naruto his closest friend and believes that all the hardships he has endured were worth meeting him. He participates in the Fourth World War not only because he believes Akatsuki must be stopped, but also because he wants to keep Naruto safe. Sometimes, Gaara's desire to protect Naruto means acting against his wishes: he knows Naruto wants Sasuke Uchiha back, but he is willing to kill him if Naruto's softness puts him in danger. Gaara knows Naruto will want to participate in the war, but he feels it is safer for him not to. However, as before, Gaara is sympathetic to Naruto's desire to save his friend and advises him to at least think and decide for himself what he can do for Sasuke. He also does not resist Naruto's participation in the war, as he realizes his judgment was wrong. Gaara often refers to his experience as Gaara of the Sand Waterfall when interacting with people suffering from hatred and loneliness, like Sasuke, explaining the mistakes he didn't realize before meeting Naruto. He hopes that they, in turn, will be able to understand their own mistakes. His words don't always convince them, but Gaara is able to empathize with their decisions. He even wonders if Naruto could help them as much as he helped him.

Despite Gaara's brutal past and his young age as a Kage, his altruism, compassion for others, and willingness to change himself for the better have earned him the love of his people. A man of few words, Gaara exemplifies perseverance, thoughtfulness, and composure both in the heat of battle and at the negotiating table. He is willing to put his life on the line for his friends and allies. His insight and unwavering ideals earn him the respect of his elder, more experienced Kage. His superb leadership qualities lead to his appointment as commander of the Allied Shinobi Army. Gaara's speech to the eighty-thousand-strong army resonates strongly and helps bridge the gap between shinobi from formerly warring countries.

Gaara becomes Kazekage by the beginning of Part II, marking the success of his chosen path. As Kazekage, Gaara is far wiser than most of his peers. He forgives his father for attempting to kill him, understanding that he did so to protect the village. Gaara's new purpose becomes serving Suna and its people. Although he still has detractors, most villagers support him and are willing to do whatever they can to help the young Kazekage reform Suna and the rest of the world. These reforms are also inspired by Naruto, as Gaara wants the Five Kage and the Hidden Villages to cooperate and benefit from each other, just as he benefited from his association with Naruto. Gaara believes in reconciling past differences, abandoning outdated concepts of "honor" that only foster isolation, and serving a purpose greater than personal gain. The unity Gaara promotes slowly gains popularity and is initially supported only by Konoha. However, by the time of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Gaara manages to convince the other Kage, which in turn leads to the formation of the Allied Shinobi Forces.

In Naruto: The Last Movie, Gaara wears a crimson button-down shirt and matching pants. He wears a double brown belt around his waist, attached to a miniature sand gourd. In the New Era, he wears a long, double-breasted maroon coat and black pants. His hair is now neatly styled on the right side.

Two years later, Gaara becomes Kazekage, and his attire undergoes some changes. He now wears long black trousers with two straps and a dark red cloak with a stand-up collar and a zipper, which also appears on the sleeves. Over the cloak, Gaara wears a gray, one-shoulder vest with two belts around his waist, which he uses to hold his gourd. At the Five Kage Summit, Gaara ties a wide beige scarf around his waist. On certain occasions, he wears the standard Kazekage robe, and during the Fourth Shinobi World War, he wears the Suna Village's flak jacket over a maroon turtleneck and matching trousers.

Gaara two years after the war.

As a child, Gaara wore a beige poncho over a matching T-shirt, dark blue pants, and brown sandals. During the Chūnin Exams, Gaara wears a black tank top with two-quarter-length mesh sleeves, loose matching pants with bandaged ankles, and standard shinobi sandals. A wide leather belt is slung over his right shoulder, from which he carries a large gourd filled with his sand. His Sand Village forehead protector is also attached to the belt. He wears a white cloth sash over his left shoulder. After the Chūnin Exams, Gaara returns with a new appearance. He now wears dark red pants and a matching long-sleeved tank top with a stand-up collar. He wears mesh armor on his wrists and ankles. The sand gourd is held by the same leather belt thrown over the right shoulder and a white sling over the left.

Gaara is a young shinobi with short, dark red hair, pale skin, and turquoise eyes. He wears his hair parted to the right to make the kanji for "Love" (爱, Ai) he carved into the left side of his forehead more prominent. He has no eyebrows, which sometimes becomes a source of teasing. Gaara's most distinctive feature is the dark circles around his eyes, which Gamabunta attributes to the insomnia caused by his possession by Shukaku. However, the circles do not disappear after the One-Tail is extracted. In Part II, many girls from the Sand Village find his appearance attractive.

Gaara (我愛羅) is a shinobi of Suna. Before he was born, he was transformed into the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed Shukaku by Chiyo, the elder of Suna, and his father, Rasa. Because of this, the people of Suna feared him and considered him a monster. Without any connections, Gaara grew up hating the world and caring only for himself, justifying his existence by killing anyone who stood in his way. After losing a battle to Naruto Uzumaki—a fellow jinchūriki who found strength in friendship—Gaara decides to emulate him. Several years later, he becomes the Fifth Kazekage (五代目風影, Godaime Kazekage, lit. Fifth Wind Shadow) to protect the Suna Village and its people, and to dispel fear of himself.