Naruto: ‘Boruto’ Introduces Gaara’s Son

A lot of time passed between the end of Naruto: Shippuden and the start of its sequel. When Boruto began, the anime caught up with Naruto after the heralded ninja became the Hokage and fathered two kids. In fact, the majority of Naruto‘s main characters are parents, but fans did not know if Gaara decided to make a family of his own.

Well, it looks like the former Jinchuriki did just that. In the latest episode of Boruto, fans were given a proper introduction to the ninja’s son, Shinki.

As you can see above, the latest episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations went live this week. The update caught up with the Leaf Village’s genin as they prepared for the Chunin Exams, and it was there Temari informed her son’s team about Gaara and his son.

According to the former Sand ninja, Gaara adopted a boy named Shinki and has raised him to be his son. The boy is said to have immense chakra stores, and Temari goes so far as to tell Shikadai that he has “no chance against” Shinki.

In the following scene, Boruto finally gives a close-up of Gaara’s son. The boy has short brown hair that is styled up, and he uses face paint just like Kankuro. Dressed in a plain brown uniform, Shinki appears to use Iron Sand like the Third Kazekage as he seems to be wearing a coat of it.

“We will not dishonor your name, Father. We three will emerge victorious without fail,” Shinki tells his dad before his team heads to the Leaf Village for the exams.

“Don’t get too worked up, Shinki,” the Kazekage reminds his son. “I’m not the one you should be focusing on. It’s your rivals from others villages that you’ve yet to meet.”

The two may not be related, but there are some clear connections between Gaara and Shinki. The two have similar personalities as they come off deadpan, but Shinki’s devotion to his father proves his emotions run deep. Given the scene, it looks like Kankuro is the man responsible for teaching Shinki’s team, so fans can look forward to seeing Gaara’s son let loose during the Chunin Exams. Hopefully, he won’t be as violent as his dad was when he first sat the test.

For those unfamiliar with 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 you expect Gaara to become a dad? What do you think about his son so far? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!