Naruto Fan Recreates Rock Lee's Greatest Moment

You'd be hard pressed to find a Naruto fan who doesn't believe that one of the greatest moments in the history of the franchise was the brutal fight between Rock Lee and Gaara during the Chunin Exams. With the "bushy browed" ninja dropping the training weights that were hampering his strength and unlocking the "gates" within himself, Rock Lee unleashed a torrent of blows against the sand ninja who was most assuredly a villain at the time. Though Rock unfortunately lost the fight against Gaara, it still remains one of his shining moments in the series and one fan has gloriously recreated the moment via an amazing painting!

Reddit User and Artist Thedayones shared this amazing painting that recreates the moment when Rock Lee decides to attempt to beat Gaara by unlocking the gates, putting his life at risk to achieve victory in the fight that will determine which young ninjas will rise in the ranks and reach the level of "Chunin":

Painted one of my fav Rock Lee moments. from r/Naruto

Unfortunately for Rock Lee, his full power wasn't enough to defeat Gaara, with the sand ninja claiming victory and pretty much crippling Lee in the process. Though Rock Lee eventually recovered, it took quite some time for his injuries to heal and for the bushy browed ninja to return to action, joining Naruto and his friends in their attempt to save Sasuke from himself.

In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Rock Lee has certainly grown, looking closer to his mentor, Guy Sensei, than ever before. Overseeing the Chunin Exams himself, Lee even has a son of his own in the form of Metal Lee, sharing the same personality and appearance of both his father and Guy. Wherever Boruto goes in the future, we'll always look forward to seeing Rock lee make an appearance and share his enthusiasm with those around him.

What do you think of this amazing painting? Do you agree that Rock's power up during his fight with Gaara is one of the greatest moments in the Naruto franchise? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the Hidden Leaf Village!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.