Naruto Columns
08/17/2023
The Power of Sand: Recreating Gaara's Jutsu Alongside Scientists and Feeling the Crushing Despair (Part 1)
Let's talk about sand.
Everyone's familiar with it, whether it's in a sandbox at the nearest park or by the seaside, but can sand be used to defend yourself and launch attacks of your own?
Everyone's familiar with it, whether it's in a sandbox at the nearest park or by the seaside, but can sand be used to defend yourself and launch attacks of your own?
Gaara is a character from NARUTO who can manipulate sand. He's strong—unbelievably strong. The gourd he carries on his back is full of sand, and he can use his immense chakra to harden it into his sturdy Shield of Sand or Sand Armor. The sand will even move to protect Gaara automatically, without him doing anything!
But he doesn't just use it for protection. His sand can flow out like water to capture enemies (Coffin of Crushing Sand), before crushing them with its immense pressure (Imploding Sand Funeral).
He uses sand in a wide variety of ways, which is honestly just really cool to see. The story narrative that takes him from antagonist to Naruto's comrade is also pretty compelling. When Lee, Kiba, and Shikamaru are fighting enemy ninja during their pursuit of Sasuke after the attack on Konoha, Gaara and his siblings swoop in to save the day, and it's so awesome I could cry.
Basically, Gaara is amazingly cool, and in order to be cool like him I'd need to manipulate sand, right? I want to see if that's even possible for us poor, chakra-less people, so I'm consulting some scientists who are experts on all things sand! (Part 1 of 2)
Contents
The people dressed like enemies one might encounter in NARUTO are the scientists I'll be consulting! On the right in white is Kurare, the leader of "Yakuri Classroom of Doom", who runs a YouTube channel with 270k subscribers, "Let's Solve It with Science! Kurare's Yakuri Classroom of Doom"! On the left in the navy shirt with stripes is another member of Yakuri Classroom of Doom, Rayure, who'll be acting as an assistant!
Being members of a group with "Doom" in its name, they'd fit right in as enemy characters in any story. But they're on my side, this time!
According to these two, sand is essentially rock. Sand particles are incredibly tiny rocks, so if combined with enough force, they could reform into a larger rock structure. No wonder Gaara's jutsu are so strong!
So, can we harden sand into shields and armor like Gaara, even though we can't mold chakra?
The short answer is: Yes, we can.
To use a familiar example, that's basically what concrete is—a hardened mix of sand, water, and chemicals. So the water and chemicals are the "chakra" that hardens the sand!
The short answer is: Yes, we can.
To use a familiar example, that's basically what concrete is—a hardened mix of sand, water, and chemicals. So the water and chemicals are the "chakra" that hardens the sand!
But...it'd be a little challenging to suddenly make concrete here in the studio. So we'll be using a different method today.
Believe it or not, you can harden sand by mixing it with milk and letting it dry. To get a better understanding of the process, let's first analyze milk.
Milk is a combination of oils and water, which usually repel each other. In milk, these substances are connected by a process known as emulsification. The emulsifying agent in the case of milk is a protein called casein.
Milk is a combination of oils and water, which usually repel each other. In milk, these substances are connected by a process known as emulsification. The emulsifying agent in the case of milk is a protein called casein.
By mixing sand with milk and letting it dry, the casein gets in between the grains of sand and bonds them together.
This means casein can be our chakra!
This means casein can be our chakra!
That explanation's a bit hard to follow, so here are some pictures.
I hit it kinda hard with my hand and it didn't break. A larger version might have some Shield of Sand potential after all!
There's actually something besides milk that can harden sand: carbon dioxide.
It seems there's a technique that's now used mainly in manufacturing via casting, where you harden sand by mixing it with water glass (sodium silicate) and then infusing it with carbon dioxide.
A chemical reaction between the water glass and carbon dioxide hardens the sand, so there's no need to dry it out like with the milk option.
It seems there's a technique that's now used mainly in manufacturing via casting, where you harden sand by mixing it with water glass (sodium silicate) and then infusing it with carbon dioxide.
A chemical reaction between the water glass and carbon dioxide hardens the sand, so there's no need to dry it out like with the milk option.
I'd always thought of sand as being powdery and fine, but I've now learned that it can be hardened with milk or water glass.
But does that mean it can be strong enough to be used protectively? In order for it to be effective, it would have to be like Sand Armor, where hardened sand is encased around your body. Or like Shield of Sand, where you create an impenetrable barrier around yourself.
Is that even physically possible?
According to Kurare, "You'd still receive the actual impact of an attack despite being cocooned in hardened sand. Sand can absorb force because it's made up of tiny, separated rock fragments. That's how sand in a punching bag works."
In other words, sand's shock-absorbing trait is nullified when it's compacted. But if it's not compacted, then the sand loses its shape.
But does that mean it can be strong enough to be used protectively? In order for it to be effective, it would have to be like Sand Armor, where hardened sand is encased around your body. Or like Shield of Sand, where you create an impenetrable barrier around yourself.
Is that even physically possible?
According to Kurare, "You'd still receive the actual impact of an attack despite being cocooned in hardened sand. Sand can absorb force because it's made up of tiny, separated rock fragments. That's how sand in a punching bag works."
In other words, sand's shock-absorbing trait is nullified when it's compacted. But if it's not compacted, then the sand loses its shape.
Kurare: "Theoretically speaking, if we make it a layered structure, where the outer surface is hard but the inside becomes looser the closer it gets to your body, the armor should be able to absorb impact. I believe if we create a gradation of firmness, Sand Armor is possible."
I see. Sand Armor is a lot more complicated than I expected.
I see. Sand Armor is a lot more complicated than I expected.
We might be able to recreate Gaara's sand defenses in the real world if we had enough time, but I can't help but think that in a fight we'd get attacked before we could complete one... Kurare's take is, "Since we'd need time to make the guard, these techniques are only feasible with the use of chakra."
That being said, there's no doubt that sand has outstanding protective capabilities. For example, structures like nuclear shelters are always built underground. Buildings constructed on the surface are limited in their durability, but the ground is able to absorb the shock of even nuclear impacts. It seems the fastest way to recreate Gaara's Absolute Defense is by going underground.
That being said, there's no doubt that sand has outstanding protective capabilities. For example, structures like nuclear shelters are always built underground. Buildings constructed on the surface are limited in their durability, but the ground is able to absorb the shock of even nuclear impacts. It seems the fastest way to recreate Gaara's Absolute Defense is by going underground.
Photography: Mime Soga
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