Name: Maito Gai



First Manga Appearance: Chapter 38
First Anime Appearance: Episode 22
Name Meaning: Might Guy
Hidden Village: Leaf Village
Rank: Jounin
Age: 29
Notable Features: Gate user, Known for hot-blooded nature
Notable Quotes: Believe in yourself and run forward. Become a strong man I can look at and smile.
Special Abilities: Asakujaku, Ura Renge

Stats:
(Pre-timeskip 10 Point Scale)
Ninjutsu: 6
Genjutsu: 6
Taijutsu: 10
Intelligence: 6
Power: 10
Speed: 10
Stamina: 10
Seal Knowledge: 5

History:
A Jounin master, he is the leader of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee and TenTen. Gai considers himself to be the eternal rival of fellow Jounin master Hatake Kakashi. Gai possess a strong fighting spirit and is prone to challenging Kakashi, though Kakashi often is aloof to Gai's boastful rantings.

Gai has tried to pass on his strong fighting spirit to his pupil Lee. To that end his has taught Lee advanced forbidden Taijutsu techniques only to be used when Lee has to protect a precious person. Though Gai appears strict with Lee and scolds him harshly when he acts incorrectly, he also is very emotional and doesn't hide his sympathetic feelings for Lee's growth into a man he can be proud of.

When Akatsuki came to Konoha seeking the Kyuubi within Naruto, Gai stepped up to face Itachi and Kisame and draw their focus away from a weakened Kakashi. Gai's rivalry with Kakashi caused him to learn many techniques to avoid the attacks and advantages of Itachi's Sharingan eye. Seeing Gai with ANBU on the way, the two Akatsuki decided it was better to retreat to avoid unnecessary conflict.

Over the following years Gai would continue to teach his pupil Lee and his students Neji and TenTen. When a call came in from Hidden Sand to assist in rescuing the captured Gaara, Team Gai was sent to assist. Akatsuki in turn sent out Itachi and Kisame to prevent anyone from stopping their abduction. Kisame himself wanted to face Gai and pay him back for a kick he received when Gai faced them the first time. The fight was tough and Gai was forced to use one of his special techniques to stop Kisame. He learned though that it wasn't really Kisame. It was his mind and some of his chakra, but it was not his body. When his donated chakra was used up, the body fell dead, revealing its true nature.

Gai and his team then assisted in removal the sealing jutsu which protected Akatsuki's hideout. The team faced near exact doppelgangers of themselves which they managed to take care of without much trouble. They then left to stop a fleeing Deidara. With Deidara stopped the helped their friends save Gaara. Gai then helped a weakened Kakashi back to Konoha with a piggy-back ride, much to hit eternal rival's embarrassment.
*Leafninja