Gaara: Gaara's tragic backstory in a Naruto light novel suggests why he chose to remain unmarried

One of the original Naruto characters whose story fans were excited to see continued in the Boruto series was Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure. Gaara's character arc throughout the classic Naruto and its sequel, the Shippuden series, solidified him as one of the franchise's most beloved and complex characters, making his presence in Boruto a major highlight for many.

That said, there is one aspect of Gaara's character in the Boruto series that fans often pondered and questioned, i.e., his decision to remain unmarried despite adopting and raising Shinki as his child. The answer to this intriguing question lies in Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage, a Naruto light novel series that delved deeper into Gaara's struggles following the Fourth Great Shinobi War and his thoughts on love, marriage, and emotional connection.

The light novel also featured a tragic event that played a key part in shaping Gaara's decision to remain unmarried, irrespective of the political pressures tied to his position as the Kazekage of Sunagakure.

How the tragic events of a Naruto Hiden series may have altered Gaara's perception of love and marriage

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The fifth book of the Naruto Hiden light novel series, titled Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage, is an original story focusing on Gaara's life following the events of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It was written by Ukyo Kodachi and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto.

In Gaara Hiden: A Sandstorm Mirage, the personal struggles of the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure take center stage. The story begins with Ebizo, the head of the Suna council, informing Gaara that he and the rest of the council members wanted the latter to find a wife and get married.

This was to ensure that Temari and Shikamaru's child, who would be a Konoha ninja, could not claim the Kazekage position should Gaara or Kankuro die before producing heirs. Although Gaara tried to deflect their suggestion at first, he reluctantly agreed to their proposal when he realized he couldn't argue his way out of this situation.

Afterward, the story sees Gaara meeting with the woman whom the Suna council had chosen as his partner for marriage — Hakuto, who belonged to the Hoki family. Gaara's first impression of Hakuto was that she was beautiful, which caused him a great deal of embarrassment, as he forgot all the etiquette lessons Temari had given him beforehand.

Gaara as seen in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime (image via Pierrot)

That said, their marriage meeting was an unexpected success for Gaara, who managed to engage Hakuto in an interesting conversation about his passion for raising cacti. However, in the following chapter, Gaara and Hakuto were attacked by some unknown assassins.

The ordeal brought Gaara and Hakuto closer than before, as the latter tended to the former's injuries once he fended off the attackers. Towards the end of this chapter, it was revealed that the target of the attack had been Hakuto all along, as she was kidnapped soon after she left Gaara's place. At night, Gaara went to rescue Hakuto all by himself to avoid drawing attention to his mission.

On his way, he came across Hakuto's bodyguard, Shijima, who wanted to help Gaara retrieve Hakuto. They soon caught up to the kidnapper, who turned out to be one of Hakuto's clansmen named Shigezane. The three of them then get into a brief scuffle, after which Gaara and Shijima retreat while Shigezane escapes with Hakuto.

Although Gaara and Shijima caught up to them once again as they were about to enter the Land of Fire, Gaara realized that Shigezane and Hakuto were lovers who tried to use the latter's arranged marriage and subsequent attack as an opportunity to elope.

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Although Gaara wasn't exactly upset upon discovering this, since he never really intended to force Hakuto to marry him, as the Kazekage, he couldn't turn a blind eye to their scheme and asked them to return to their village. After Shigezane refused Gaara's proposal and attacked him, the latter quickly turned the tables on the former and held him at his mercy.

Following this, Shijima, who was revealed to have helped Hakuto and Shigezane stage the kidnapping, attacked Gaara as well. However, even her dojutsu, which she had received from Orochimaru, wasn't enough to defeat Gaara, who ended up subduing her effortlessly.

Gaara had initially intended to carry out a mercy killing on the lovers, who could neither return to their village nor be allowed to leave Sunagakure. However, he changed his mind and decided to spare Hakuto, Shigezane, and Shijima. He enlisted Shikamaru Nara's help in staging their deaths so that Hakuto and Shigezane could live a peaceful life together in Konoha.

Since not much emphasis was given to his marriage situation following this tragic development, one can assume that Gaara may have simply decided that getting into a relationship or settling down with someone he loved may not be meant for him after all.

The events of this short-light novel series may have also triggered some of Gaara's traumatic childhood experiences and memories, which could have influenced his decision to remain unmarried for the rest of his life.

Final thoughts

While it hasn't been explicitly confirmed that the events of A Sandstorm Mirage light novel were the deciding factor in Gaara's choice to remain unmarried in the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations series, it's easy to see how they may have influenced his decision to avoid romantic relationships altogether.

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Edited by Shreya Das