Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (2024)

As the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain was the major antagonist for the majority of Naruto: Shippuden. His Rinnegan gave him access to powers that were previously exclusive to the Sage of Six Paths, and with this unprecedented strength, Pain built and controlled the most dangerous team in the ninja world. These many abilities can be a bit difficult to keep track of, so here is Nagato Uzumaki's fearsome Jutsu, explained.

Nagato wasn't born with the Rinnegan, rather they were transplanted into his eyes shortly after birth by Madara Uchiha. Before his death, the ghost of the Uchiha had already made plans to be reanimated and identified Nagato as the prime candidate to which he could entrust with the eyes. Knowing how much chakra the Rinnegan absorbed passively, Madara chose to store them with an Uzumaki, a clan whose people had high chakra reserves and would not be overwhelmed by the eyes.

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Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (1)

It's unlikely that Madara expected Nagato to use the Rinneganto their full extent, but even he was in awe at what the young Uzumaki achieved with them. While studying under Jiraiya, Nagato quickly mastered all 6 nature transformations and every jutsu he was taught in record time. After his training, Nagato formed the Akatsuki with Yahiko and Konan, and the trio made it their mission to bring peace to the Hidden Rain Village.

Unfortunately, their noble endeavor attracted enemies from all corners of the map. In an attempt to destroy the Akatsuki, Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo of the Hidden Leaf Village plotted an ambush for the three central Akatsuki members that resulted in Yahiko's death.The loss of his friend took a terrible toll on Nagato. He continued to chase his original goal of peace but was no longer as strongly bound to achieving it ethically as he previously was. He finally began to use the eyes' full potential and split the Rinnegan's most distinct powers, or paths, into six different carefully selected host bodies.

Deva Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (2)

The Deva Path is the most recognizable path and the one most commonly associated with the name "Pain". Nagato created it from Yahiko's corpse and preferred to have this path handle all matters relating to the Akatsuki. It was the group's leader even until the end because Nagato felt that position was always one that would belong to his best friend.

The Deva Path had a devilishly simple jutsu. He could control both attracting and repelling forces, with a cool down time after he used either ability proportional to the power he had exerted. It doesn't sound like much in writing but the Deva path alone was able to immobilize several Leaf shinobi squads and defeat Hatake Kakashi, a leaf jonin in battle. He used this jutsu to its fullest extent when he destroyed the Leaf Village in one fell swoop with the Almighty Push.

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Asura Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (3)

Ever the dramatic one, Nagato chose a very interesting way to obtain the bodies of the other Pains. His former master, Jiraiya, had traveled the world in search of a prophesied student; one who was supposed to bring a great revolution to the world of ninja. Jiraiya encountered several shinobi in his travels, each with differing attitudes towards the war that ravaged their lands. He wasn't satisfied with the answers they gave him but chose to record them in the novels he wrote about his journeys. Nagato tracked down these individuals and turned their corpses into his puppets.

The Asura Path had the ability to freely manipulate its body. It could conjure up extra limbs, regenerate them or even create fully formed mechanical weaponry attached to itself. Fittingly, Nagato created it from the corpse of a mysterious puppet master ninja Jiraiya had met in his travels

Animal Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (4)

This Path was created with the corpse of a ninja Jiraiya battled within his travels. He was an unnamed Fuma Clan member who was tasked with destroying a whole village since it was believed to have been infiltrated by enemy spies. Jiraiya encountered him shortly after he had completed his terrible mission and they exchanged blows. Quickly realizing that he was no match for the Toad Sage, he fled but not before promising Jiraiya that many more like him were on their way.

As a Pain, the Animal Path's ability was invaluable for disorienting enemies and quickly changing the course of battle. He could summon several different creatures, each nigh immortal and with different abilities. The Animal Path's summoning jutsu differed from that employed by regular ninja in its activation; no blood was required and he didn't have to sign a contract with the animals he summoned. The Animal Path was also able to summon the other Pains, meaning as long as he was present, the other 5 were never far behind. He fell in battle to Jiraiya and Pain was forced to transfer the Animal Path's abilities to a corpse belonging to an unnamed young girl from the Hidden Rain Village.

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Naraka Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (5)

Pain created the Naraka Path from the body of a priest that briefly piqued Jiraiya's interest during his travels. This priest believed the war and strife that plagued the ninja world were inevitable, and that all humans could do was pray to be spared from the death and destruction that would follow.

The Naraka Path's abilities were the most divine of all the Pains. He could freely control the King of Hell which made him the warden of life and death and could heal any injuries the other Pains received, no matter how deadly by placing them in the King of Hell's mouth. He was also impossible to lie to. During interrogations, he could summon the King of Hell to verify the truth of what his captor was telling him. If they lied, the King of Hell would snatch up their tongues and leave them for dead. The Naraka Path could also revive regular people from the dead but this particular ability wasn't one that could be used lightly or often.

Preta Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (6)

In life, the Preta path was a jaded amateur farmer who'd been forced to enlist in the war. His efforts to till the land were unfruitful and he despaired in the face of the Great Nations' military might. As Jiraiya quickly realized, he was a defeated man who couldn't do much but complain about his lot in life.

The Preta Path had the ability to absorb all forms of chakra-based ninjutsu. He could also absorb raw chakra from any living thing as well upon direct physical contact. Unlike the Karma in Boruto, users of the Preta path aren't able to redirect the chakra they absorb but are able to integrate the properties of the stolen chakra into their own. It was through this ability that Madara absorbed Hashirama Senju's senjutsu, and also how Sasuke Uchiha absorbed Naruto Uzumaki's Nine-Tails chakra during their final fight.

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Human Path

Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (7)

In his lifetime, the human path was a peace-loving ninja. He didn't seem to participate in battles himself but rather focused on teaching the younger generation skills that would help them survive the harsh times. The human path's ability was quite simple but very deadly. Like the Naraka path, it could aid in interrogation but he didn't even have to ask questions. He could rip a person's soul straight out of their body, and would immediately gain all the knowledge and experiences the soul had collected throughout its lifetime

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Naruto: The Six Paths of Pain, Explained (2024)

FAQs

Why do the 6 paths of Pain have piercings? ›

While Nagato does not fight in the story, he uses a group of corpses known as "The Six Paths of Pain" (ペイン六道, Pein Rikudō). All of them were given elaborate designs with multiple piercings across their bodies to reinforce the idea that despite his calm demeanor, Nagato is a dangerous person.

How does all 6 pains have rinnegan? ›

How did all 6 pains have Rinnegan? The eyes which the Six Paths of Pain have are just projections of Nagato's Rinnegan. He accomplished that by using one of the Six Paths Techniques, the Outer Path.

Who defeated the Six Paths of Pain? ›

Following the battle that ended when Naruto defeated all six Pains after which Nagato interacted with him.

What was Pain's secret? ›

He was, in fact, born Nagato Uzumaki in Amegakure, or the "Village Hidden by Rain." This is one of the most mysterious locales in all of Naruto: It is a small but highly industrialized town, surrounded by a massive lake.

What is the strongest path of Pain? ›

Deva Path. Nagato created the Deva path from Yahiko's body and it is inarguably the most powerful path. It grants the user the ability to control both attractive and repulsive forces.

Is Rinnegan stronger than Six Paths? ›

10 Stronger: Rinnegan - It Grants The User Abilitie Similar To Six Paths Sage Mode. The Rinnegan is one of the strongest dojutsu in the Naruto world, if not the strongest.

Is Pain the strongest Rinnegan user? ›

1 Hagoromo Otsutsuki

The Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki was certainly the strongest of all the Rinnegan users in Naruto.

What is the strongest Rinnegan ability? ›

Possibly the strongest ability that the Rinnegan has to offer, the Deva Path allows the user to push or pull any object or person by accessing gravitational powers. At its best, this ability was seen destroying an entire village with ease.

Who became Sage of Six Paths? ›

Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, also known as The Sage of Six Paths, is the overarching protagonist of the Naruto series. He was a powerful priest who was known in legend as the God of Ninjutsu and the founder and father of the Ninja World.

Why does Pain have 6 bodies? ›

of Pain after he was left crippled during a battle with Hanzō. Unable to move or act on his own, he controlled six corpses to carry out his will as part of his "Pain" identity. In the anime, the first body used, belonged to his childhood friend Yahiko, which was his favourite.

Can Sasuke beat 6 paths of Pain? ›

4 Can Fight: Obito Uchiha

Sasuke, despite having awakened his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, couldn't fight him alone. With his Rinnegan and Six Paths powers, however, Sasuke is definitely stronger than Six Paths Obito Uchiha.

Who is Pain's master? ›

Pain grew up an orphan in Amegakure going by the name Nagato, he was trained by Jiraiya. During there training Pain developed the Rinnegan, an eye technique said to be the most powerful of the eye technique.

What are the six paths of Pain real names? ›

  • Deva Path. The user of the Path can control forces with objects and people. ...
  • Asura Path. This Path allows the user to manipulate the body by any means necessary to form weaponry. ...
  • Animal Path. ...
  • Preta Path. ...
  • Naraka Path. ...
  • Obito's Paths.
Mar 29, 2022

Who is controlling Pain Naruto? ›

Intending to personally bring that level of despair to the world, Nagato took on the name of "Pain". As the damage he'd received from Hanzō's attack and the link with the Demonic Statue left him frail and immobile, Nagato created the Six Paths of Pain out of corpses that he controlled remotely.

How did Sasuke get Rinnegan? ›

In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke Uchiha, who was already the reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki, met Hagoromo after he was in a near-death state. Just as with Naruto, Hagoromo gave half of his chakra to Sasuke, which led to his left Sharingan turning into a Rinnegan.

Does Sasuke have Six Paths chakra? ›

Six Paths Sasuke

Just like Naruto, Sasuke also ended up receiving Six Paths powers from Hagoromo Otsutsuki after a near-death encounter. Unlike Naruto, he ended up receiving the Six Paths Yin power, marked by the crescent moon on his left hand.

What is Pain's signature move? ›

The Shinra Tensei is the signature power of Pain's Deva Path.

Who has the strongest Sage of Six Paths? ›

1 Hagoromo Otsutsuki

Also known as the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki was one of the strongest characters in the Naruto world. Being Kaguya's son, he had very powerful chakra and had also gained access to the Rinnegan.

Which color Rinnegan is the strongest? ›

Kaguya's nine tomoe Rinnegan sounds like the most powerful, since it can cast Infinite Tsukuyomi and Dimensional Shifting.

Is baryon stronger than six paths? ›

With Baryon Mode, however, Naruto could not only dodge the rods but also catch them as if they were an insignificant threat to him, which just goes to show that Baryon Mode is that much more powerful than Six Paths Sage Mode.

Who was the weakest Rinnegan user? ›

10 Black Zetsu

As expected, his skill with the Rinnegan is very limited, and he doesn't do much other than controlling Obito's body. As such, it's not surprising to see Black Zetsu at the bottom of this list, making him the weakest user of this godly eye in the entire series.

What is Naruto strongest eye? ›

What is the Most Powerful Eye in Naruto? Due to its fusion of the powers of the Rinnegan and the Sharingan, the Rinne Sharingan, which literally means Samsara Copy eye wheel, is considered to be the ultimate Dojutsu and most powerful eye in the Narutoverse.

What is Madara's Rinnegan ability? ›

Madara's Rinnegan permitted him to use a power called Limbo: Hengoku. This ability allowed him to summon clones of himself from a different dimension. These clones couldn't be sensed or seen by anyone, except for those with the Rinnegan or Six Paths Senjutsu.

Who has 2 Rinnegan? ›

Momoshiki had two Rinnegan, one in each palm of his hands. Although he didn't use the Six Paths powers, he could've been capable of using them. Momoshiki was powerful enough to take on both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha at once, showing that he was a cut above the rest.

Is there any eye stronger than Rinnegan? ›

The Rinne-Sharingan is the most powerful known eye in the entire Narutoverse. It s wielded by the Ten-tails, and the progenitor of chakra on Earth, Kaguya Otsutsuki. The Rinne-Sharingan has nearly all the powers of the Rinnegan, along with the ability to cast powerful Genjutsu known as Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Why does obito only have one Rinnegan? ›

Obito didn't receive the Rinnegan eyes because he couldn't, Madara had already given his eyes to Nagato during the Second Great Shinobi War and Madara met Obito in the Third Great Shinobi War. Even if Madara still had his eyes it won't make a difference because Obito can't handle both Rinnegans at the same time.

Why do all the paths of Pain have orange hair? ›

His first and favorite of these six was the body of his childhood friend Yahiko; in the anime, the other Paths' hair was dyed to match Yahiko's orange hair.

What are the piercings on Pain Naruto? ›

As the Deva Path, the body possessed Nagato's Rinnegan, bore six piercings, a metal bar through each ear, three studs through the side of its upper nose, and one spike stud on each end of the bottom lip. It also had three piercings on each wrist, at least one on its upper wrist and some just under his neck.

Did Pain have Six Paths power? ›

As the leader of the Akatsuki, Pain was the major antagonist for the majority of Naruto: Shippuden. His Rinnegan gave him access to powers that were previously exclusive to the Sage of Six Paths, and with this unprecedented strength, Pain built and controlled the most dangerous team in the ninja world.

Why is Nagato crippled? ›

Why was he not able to stand or walk properly? the reason why Nagato was crippled and weak was cause of this. He excessively used the rinnegan and since it wasn't his eyes the taxing of his Chakra and life force was very great. The more he used it, the more his life force was drained.

What hair color has the lowest pain tolerance? ›

Research has shown that people with red hair perceive pain differently than others. They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications.

How did Nagato's hair turn white? ›

After he performs Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique his hair turns white as a side-effect of the jutsu, and it remains that colour after Nagato is reincarnated, during which he is donned with a maroon long sleeved cloak.

How many Rinnegan eyes are there? ›

8 Rinnegan Forms | WEAKEST TO STRONGEST.

What is Pain's Rinnegan ability? ›

Every user of the Rinnegan has the power to create chakra receivers to transmit their own chakra into others. This ability was used by Pain to control the Six Paths of Pain with his chakra.

Who was the animal path of Pain? ›

Pain's First Animal Path. The Animal Path (Chikushõdõ) was the second of Nagato's Six Paths of Pain to be shown. It's the only Path shown to have existed as two different bodies. The first Animal Path was captured by Jiraya and sent to Konoha for study.

What is the seventh Pain? ›

One who wields the Rinnegan is said to exist outside the realm of life and death. They are regarded as the seventh Pain, the Outer Path, and wield the power to control life and death itself.

Is rinnegan stronger than Six Paths? ›

10 Stronger: Rinnegan - It Grants The User Abilitie Similar To Six Paths Sage Mode. The Rinnegan is one of the strongest dojutsu in the Naruto world, if not the strongest.

Can Sasuke use Six Paths? ›

Furthermore, Sasuke could also infuse his ninjutsu with Six Paths chakra and deal greater damage to his enemies in the War. With the Rinnegan, Sasuke's power rose to the next level and he was able to fight against the likes of Kaguya Otsutsuki and Six Paths Naruto on an equal footing.

Can Itachi beat Pain? ›

10 Could: Itachi Uchiha

Itachi was able to fight against Naruto Uzumaki in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, something that Pain could never do. He was also able to incapacitate Nagato Uzumaki, and it is quite easy to see that he could definitely have taken on and defeated Pain in combat.

Why cant Nagato turn off his Rinnegan? ›

We also know that Obito lacked control over the Rinnegan, which implies that he couldn't deactivate and revert it into a Sharingan. Combining these two factors, we can derive an explanation to the original question: Nagato couldn't revert the Rinnegan to Sharingan because he wasn't the eyes' original owner.

Why can't the Rinnegan be deactivated? ›

The rinnegan is basically a successor of the sharingan, this is known because of the information provided by the manga and anime alike. If a person has transplanted a sharingan he or she cannot deactivate it as shown by kakashi, as he inherited obito's.

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