Naruto Short Nails Gaara's Live-Action Debut: Watch

If there is one thing anime hasn't nailed just yet, it is the art of live-action adaptations. It seems the majority of anime projects flop when they are translated to live-action, and this trend has become clear thanks to projects like Dragonball Evolution and Fullmetal Alchemist. Still, the demand is high for anime adaptations, and a number of fans have taken it upon themselves to try out the challenge. And now, one Naruto cosplayer is going viral for their seriously impressive take on Gaara of the Sand.

As you can see above, the Naruto Shippuden piece comes from YouTube courtesy of Jalex Rosa. The fan, who has well over 1.5 million subscribers, decided to give Gaara a go behind the scenes. After going viral for his live-action take on Sasuke's distant relative Madara as well as several others, Rosa felt the Kazekage needed a makeover, and their adaptation of the Naruto character is nothing short of cinematic.

After all, the live-action edit shows how Rosa took a simple Naruto cosplay and turned it into something worthy of the big screen. Serious hours were spent running the video through visual effects and editing software to make the end result, but it was worth it. After all, Rosa managed to bring the Kazekage to life as we saw him during the Fourth Great Ninja War in Naruto Shippuden. So if anyone says Naruto cannot be done well in live-action, just show them this clip to prove them wrong.

This latest video by Rosa is part of a Naruto series the cosplayer has been working on. They are determined to make a live-action Naruto trailer within 150 days, and so far, their installments have all gone viral to date. The popularity of these edits should given hope to Hollywood as the team at Lionsgate continues to work on its live-action adaptation of Naruto behind the scenes. So if the creative team needs inspiration, perhaps the group should be taking notes of what Rosa is doing here! 

At this point, very little information about Hollywood's adaptation has been released, but we do know a few things. Back in 2018, Michael Gracey of The Greatest Showman was brought in to help craft a story for Naruto, but few details about the adaptation have been shared since. Currently, the industry's next live-action adaptation will be Knights of the Zodiac, a film starring Mackenyu, Sean Bean, and Famke Janssen.

What do you think about this fan's insane take on Naruto...? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.