“Hang on, Gaara!”
Naruto Shippuden begins with Kazekage’s rescue, an entire arc devoted to Gaara’s kidnapping and his friendship with Naruto which remains my favorite to date. Akatsuki members- Deidara and Sasori team up, attack the sand village and manage to take Gaara alive for the Gedo statue after a long mid-air battle. This was also when Naruto returned to Konoha after training with Jiraiya and formed a team with Kakashi and Sakura as equals.
Up to this point, Naruto and Gaara haven’t seen each other since the Chunin exams when Shukaku took control of Gaara, revealing the one-tail monster inside him. Gaara and Naruto took on their journeys, and viewers had little insight into Gaara’s transformation and healing.
Despite the show’s focus on Naruto’s journey, it doesn’t fail to include tiny details about Gaara and Naruto’s friendship, how it evolved, and how healing it was for both of them through shared vulnerability.
The race to become the village leader
Becoming Hokage was Naruto’s ninja way. The symbolism of respect and social acknowledgment kept him going, to make and break rules, and forever evolving into a better version.
So upon his return to Konoha when he learned that Gaara had become Kazekage, it burned him inside, but he was also quick to acknowledge what it must have taken for Gaara to win the love and respect of a village that intensely despised him.
Naruto was quick to overcome his competitiveness with his love for Gaara. He was genuinely happy for him and took it upon himself a new challenge to move towards his own goal.
Being the village Jinchuriki
Both Gaara and Naruto were Jinchuriki of their villages which played a role in solidifying their friendship.
Naruto recognized the monster inside Gaara, but he also recognized his loneliness. Gaara tried to kill Lee after breaking his bones during the Chunin exams. It was sheer luck that Naruto and Shikamaru interfered in the hospital.
It was in this interaction that Naruto learned about Gaara’s loneliness. He learned that while he gained mentors and friends over time, Gaara remained completely lonely and despised. There was no one for Gaara to treat him with Ramen, no teacher like Kakashi to bring him fresh vegetables, and no one who would acknowledge and challenge him to improve each day. Naruto’s circle grew wider while Gaara grew up completely alone and to the point that he had to tattoo the word – love, on his forehead.
Even though Naruto hadn’t made peace with the monster inside himself, it was only during this interaction with Gaara that he felt less alone about housing a monster.
Infinite Tsukuyomi dreams
Lastly, evaluate the dream Gaara had when Tsukuyomi took over. We saw all sorts of character reversals, ambitions, falling in love with impossible people, and more.
But Gaara dreamed about his childhood and wished to be friends with Naruto. This single-most emotion is the strongest evidence of what Naruto meant to Gaara, the depth of their friendship, and the possibility of an alternative reality for Gaara.
Two different characters and yet alike, almost mirroring each other, almost complementary. Studio Pierrot didn’t hide this in the way the colored both of them.
In conclusion, Gaara is the loneliest character in Narutoverse, and in his loneliness, he turned to the only person who could love, trust, and protect him – himself. He had to brand himself with love kanji in the dire need to have it. It was only during his encounters with Naruto that he mellowed down, his blood thirst decreased, and found something he could aspire to become, acknowledging how far Naruto went on to show him that.
Shippuden, like its name, hits like a hurricane, and though the fanbase has its favorite arcs about Pain or Madara, The Kazekage’s Rescue has an irreplaceable place in my memory. This is the arc that showed what friendship means, the kind that has nothing to do with where you are from.
“People Can’t Win Against Their Own Loneliness”, but if they are lucky, they are saved by knuckleheads who go all the distance to love them. That’s Gaara and Naruto’s friendship.
AD
