‘Naruto’ Shares Its Most Emotional Gaara Moment Yet

By this point, Naruto is a pro at making fans feel all the emotions. The franchise has featured everything from death to depression, but it seems there are more heart-wrenching moments left to explore. Just watch Boruto and you will see.

If you are caught up with the sequel, then you will know what Boruto‘s latest tearjerker was about. This week, the anime put out its 59th episode, and the update continued with its Chunin Exam matches. While Boruto was tasked with fighting Shikadi, Cho Cho ended up fighting Shinki from the Sand. It was there one emotional moment with Gaara was shown.

As you can see above, Shinki did an excellent job during his battle with Cho Cho, and Gaara couldn’t help but be proud. Even though the red-headed ninja had to wear his Kazekage hat at the exams, Gaara is still Shinki’s dad. While watching his son, the village leader thought back to how he first met the boy.

The flashback reveals Gaara ran into Shinki when the boy let his powers go loose in the Sand Village. With his Iron Sand causing havoc, Shinki prepared some weapons from his sand, but Gaara took the attack if it meant reaching Shinki. The boy was shocked when Gaara took the kunais to his back just so the Kazekage could hug him. And, once Shinki let his Iron Sand fall, Gaara told the struggling orphan he’d teach him how to use his powers.

Even at face value, the scene is a sad one, but even more emotions are layered on it when you remember Gaara’s past. The boy did not grow up with a present father as the Third Kazekage scored his existence. While he did has Yashamaru for awhile, Gaara’s uncle unwillingly turned his back on him at the orders of the Kazekage, leading him to give into his crazed thoughts. Shinki may have gone that route if Gaara had not stepped in to save the boy, and fans can appreciate how the hero stopped such a tragic cycle from continuing.

For those unfamiliar with Boruto’s predecessor Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.

Did this moment pull at your heartstrings? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!