A ninja from Sunagakure, Gaara and his elder siblings, Kankuro and Temari, are the children of their village's leader, the Fourth Kazekage. Gaara was was chosen by his father to become host to a powerful type of demon known as a tailed beast at the time of birth; the ceremony resulted in both the death of his mother and the sealing of the One-Tailed Shukaku within his body.

This inner demon, as intended, turned Gaara into something of a living weapon with the distinct ability to control sand, a trait which earned him the moniker "Gaara of the Desert" (砂瀑の我愛羅, Sabaku no Gaara?). However, it also set the stage for his traumatic childhood, during which Gaara was ostracized and feared by his fellow villagers, and even those closest to him. With time, Gaara's own father would come to view him as a threat to the village, and several failed assassination attempts followed.

As a result of these experiences, Gaara becomes cold and distant even with his allies and siblings, and grows into a remorseless killer with the belief that he can justify his own existance only through the slaying of others. However, after meeting and doing battle with Naruto, he begins to reevaluate his purpose in the world, instead deciding that he can use his abilities to protect and help those he cares about. In the latter half of the series, he has become a respected and beloved figure in the village, inheriting leadership as Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage.