Gejimayu=Rock Lee

Rock Lee (ロック・リー, Rokku Rī) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. Kishimoto considers Lee his favorite character to draw, and at first designed Lee to symbolize human weakness. In the anime and manga, Lee is a ninja affiliated with the village of Konohagakure, and is a member of Team Guy, which consists of himself, Neji Hyuga, Tenten, and Might Guy, the leader of the team. Unable to use most ninja techniques, Lee has dedicated himself to using solely taijutsu, ninja techniques similar to martial arts, in order to achieve his dream of becoming a full-fledged ninja, despite his inabilities. Lee has appeared in several pieces of Naruto media, including the third and fourth featured films in the series, the third original video animation, and several video games.

Numerous anime and manga publications have commented on Lee's character. IGN compared Lee to Bruce Lee and Noel Gallagher,and Anime News Network called Lee the "goofiest looking character" in the series. Among the Naruto reader base, Lee has been popular, placing high in several popularity polls. Numerous pieces of merchandise have been released in Lee's likeness, including figurines and plush dolls.

In an interview in Shōnen Jump's Naruto Anime Profiles Episodes 1-37, Masashi Kishimoto claimed that he enjoys drawing Lee more than any other character in the series.When designing Lee's appearance, Kishimoto intended to have Lee wield a variety of weapons, including nunchaku; however, due to time constraints while creating the series, he was unable to do so. Kishimoto has noted that he originally designed Lee to symbolize human weakness; Kishimoto's design of Sakura Haruno was also intended to carry the same symbolism. Due to the popularity Lee garnered over the course of the series, Kishimoto tends to place him towards the front of promotional artwork he appears in.

While attending the Ninja Academy, a school for prospective ninja in the village of Konohagakure, Lee was mocked for his inability to perform basic ninja techniques. As as a result, Lee began training constantly to become stronger. After graduating from the Academy, Lee was assigned to Team Guy, a four-man cell of ninja led by Might Guy. Inspired by Lee's determination to become stronger, Guy took a personal interest in Lee, deciding to help him achieve his dream of becoming a distinguished ninja. This relationship with Guy has caused Lee to acquire many of Guy's traits. For example, Lee's green jumpsuit and shiny mop-top haircut are the same as his teacher's, as is his dedication to keeping promises and seeking rivals to develop his skills. Lee believes he can surpass the natural talents of others through hard work and passion; throughout the series, he attempts to surpass Neji Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha, both of whom are labeled "geniuses". Despite his search for rivalries, Lee has a sense of honor and respects his opponents, refusing to hold grudges against those who have defeated him and returning favors to those that have helped him. Lee uses formal language in both the English and Japanese adaptations of the anime and manga. In the Japanese anime and manga, he always utilizes honorifics such as "san and "kun", and in the English adaptations, he never uses contractions.

Lee is unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, two types of techniques ninja in Naruto utilize. To compensate for this disability, Lee has specialized in taijutsu, techniques focusing solely on physical attacks. Under Guy's instruction, Lee has learned several advanced taijutsu techniques, and created a training regimen for himself. As part of his training, Lee wears heavy weights on his ankles at all times; however, he has trained himself to the point that his peers still consider him fast when he is wearing them. When he removes his weights, Lee's speed increases to the point where he appears to be a blur while moving.

The taijutsu techniques Guy has taught Lee are centered around the Strong Fist style of combat. Part of this style involves the eight chakra gates, limits on the body's ability to use chakra, a form of energy that allows ninja to perform supernatural feats. Opening these gates increases the power and speed of Lee's taijutsu techniques at the cost of his health, and is a feat that is difficult for even the most talented ninja. Many of Lee's taijutsu techniques take advantage of the extreme power and speed he gains from opening chakra gates, most notably his Lotus (蓮華, Renge) techniques, many of which begin with a flurry of attacks to force the opponent into the air and are followed by a blow that sends the opponent into the ground at high speed.Aside from his Strong Fist techniques, Lee has a natural predisposition towards the Drunken Fist (酔拳, Suiken, English TV: "Loopy Fist") style of combat. When he drinks anything more than a drop of alcohol, he becomes inebriated, and his attacks gain an element of unpredictability due to his lack of coordination.

Rock Lee first appears in the series as a participant in the Chunin Exams, yearly exams for ninja that wish to increase their rank. During the Chunin Exams, Lee battles Gaara, a ninja from the village of Sunagakure, who cripples Lee by crushing his left arm and leg, injuring him to the point that he cannot continue being a ninja. When Tsunade, a Konohagakure medical ninja, returns to lead the village as the Fifth Hokage, she offers to operate on him, with the operation having a fifty percent chance of success.With Guy's encouragement, Lee undergoes the operation, which succeeds in healing his arm and leg. Immediately after the operation, Lee follows a team of ninja led by Shikamaru Nara who are attempting to stop Sasuke Uchiha from defecting from Konohagakure to the village of Otogakure. Lee battles the Otogakure ninja Kimimaro; however, he is defeated and saved by Gaara, who continues the battle with Kimimaro. In Part II, Lee obtains the rank of Chunin, and is dispatched with his team to help save Gaara following his abduction by the criminal organization Akatsuki.