A guy you grew up to love after initially hating so hard; Gaara is a phenomenal character in the Naruto series and one of my personal favourites. Although he was consumed by hate at one point, he became the leader of his village and a great ally to Naruto when the time arrived.
His strength lies in his unique ability to manipulate sand to his will as it both protects him and is used as a means to attack his opponents.
Gaara is the youngest amongst the leaders of their respect villages and by quite a margin it seemed and it shows how much Gaara matured through-out the process of the anime. He is most similar to Naruto in terms of his past as he was the host to the four-tailed beast and was also despised by his people and shunned by society until he grew cold and mean.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GAARA
Gaara Profile
Sleeping Geeks 