Naruto Shippuden an iconic anime series, introduces us to a plethora of fascinating characters, each with their unique abilities and backgrounds. Among them, Nagato, also known as Pain, stands out as a complex and enigmatic figure. This article delves into the compelling story of Nagato, his role in “Naruto Shippuden,” his powers, and the impact he left on fans.
Contents
All About Nagato
[schemas]- Birthdate: September 19
- Sex: Male
- Age : Part II: 35
- Status: Deceased
- Height: Part II: 175.5 cm
- Weight: Part II: 40.1 kg
- Blood type: A
- Kekkei Genkai: Rinnegan
- Classification: S-rank/Sensor Type
- Occupation: Akatsuki Leader/Village Head
- Affiliation: Amegakure/Akatsuki
- Team: Ame Orphans
- Partner: Konan
- Clan: Uzumaki Clan
Nagato’s Background
Nagato lived with his parents: Fuso and Ise on the outskirts of Amegakure. When he was very young, Madara Uchiha secretly transplanted his Rinnegan into Nagato without his or his parents’ knowledge. Sometime later, during the Second Shinobi World War, Nagato and his parents took shelter in their home to avoid the fighting going on around them.
One day, two Konoha shinobi broke into their home looking for food and Nagato and his parents tried to sneak out unnoticed. When they were discovered, his parents attacked the shinobi so that Nagato could escape.
The Konoha ninja killed his parents in self-defence and, upon realising they were only civilians, tried apologising to Nagato. Overcome with grief, Nagato used Madara’s Rinnegan for the first time to kill them and avenge his parents.
After burying his parents, Nagato, now an orphan, was forced to leave home and begin wandering in search of food and shelter. With resources scarce due to the ongoing war, no one he met would help him until Nagato, who had collapsed from hunger, was found by Konan and Yahiko, orphans like himself.
They banded together, acquired food to survive through any means, and shared dreams of a future where they were in charge and could use their power to eliminate war. Yahiko was particularly passionate about this point, which inspired Nagato to adopt the same goal. In order to accomplish this, the three would need to become ninja.
With few options to choose from, they approached Konoha’s Legendary Sannin and asked to be taught ninjutsu. Orochimaru offered to kill them in order to end their suffering, but Jiraiya, guilty over his participation in the war, offered to teach them how to look out for themselves.
Jiraiya found a place for them to live and taught them how to fish, but he would not teach them ninjutsu. While the orphans were out one day, they were found and assaulted by an Iwagakure chūnin. Fearing for his friends’ lives, Nagato used his Rinnegan to kill the Iwa-nin.
When Jiraiya arrived on the scene to help them, he noticed Nagato’s eyes for the first time and was reminded of the legends of the Sage of the Six Paths, the original possessor of the Rinnegan. Because of this, Jiraiya changed his mind and began teaching them ninjutsu.
Nagato was remorseful for killing the Iwa-nin, but Jiraiya convinced him that sometimes violence and personal pain was necessary to protect others. In time he even shared his belief that Nagato was the Sage of Six Paths’ reincarnation and that, like the original Sage, Nagato would use his Rinnegan to usher in a world of peace.
Jiraiya trained the orphans for three years. Because of his Rinnegan, Nagato easily mastered everything he was taught. Once they were able to defeat one of his shadow clones in a fight, Jiraiya decided they were ready to forge out on their own and he returned to Konoha, confident they would bring reform to the country.
The three formed an organisation they called Akatsuki, with Yahiko as its leader, and began advocating an end to war. Their message proved popular and they gathered many followers even Jiraiya would sometimes hear news of their exploits.
During the Third Shinobi World War, they were approached by a disguised Obito Uchiha. Introducing himself as Madara Uchiha, he offered to help them in their pursuits and show Nagato how to unlock the full potential of his Rinnegan. Yahiko refused the offer, suspecting Tobi only meant to use them.
Throughout their quest for peace, Akatsuki’s ranks swelled and became known throughout Amegakure, so much so that Hanzō of the Salamander, the village’s leader, began to feel Akatsuki threatened his rule. He approached Akatsuki, offering to work together with them to help negotiate with the other warring villages.
The next day, at a meeting to finalise the arrangement, Yahiko and Nagato were ambushed by Hanzō and his men, with support from Konoha’s Danzō Shimura. Using Konan as a hostage, Hanzō threatened to kill her if Nagato did not kill Yahiko.
Unwilling to let Nagato have that on his conscience, Yahiko impaled himself on Nagato’s kunai, using his dying breath to state his faith that Nagato would change the world. Enraged by Yahiko’s death, Nagato took Konan back from Hanzō, though his legs were badly damaged in the process.
He then summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and, upon linking with it, used it to slaughter Hanzo’s men, though Hanzō himself escaped. Afterwards, Nagato severed his ties with Amegakure by slashing the village’s symbol on his forehead protector, no longer wishing to be affiliated with Hanzō’s village.
Yahiko’s death ultimately convinced Nagato that his philosophies about achieving peace were foolish the world would never willingly end the cycle of death and hatred it had operated on for so long. Only through direct experience of war and all the losses and agonies it brought could anyone truly desire peace. 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. For the Deva Path he used Yahiko’s body still wanting him to lead the organisation in spirit and for the other five he used the corpses of other miscellaneous shinobi that, without his knowing it, had met Jiraiya when they were alive.
Pain began leading Akatsuki in a new direction, secretly accepting Obito’s earlier offer of support. Akatsuki composed itself with S-rank missing-nin and started offering its services as a mercenary group to ninja villages, earning the money necessary to fund its long term plans.
Years later and still loyal to his own version of Amegakure, Pain and Konan began a civil war in the village to overthrow Hanzō. Much of the village rallied behind Pain, believing him to be a god because of his immense power.
The Six Paths of Pain eventually cornered and killed Hanzō, earning control of the village, but not before expressing his disgust with how Hanzo had fallen from the man he admired and the fact he cannot even understand how, in his self-preservation, his skill and conviction have diminished.
In order to prevent anyone from challenging him, Pain proceeded to eliminate everyone even remotely connected to Hanzo, from members of his family to distant acquaintances. Because of Amegakure’s already secretive nature, news of Hanzō’s death never made it outside of Amegakure and the village was believed to still be divided by the civil war.
Pain embraced the villagers’ idea of his being God and single-handedly crushing remnants loyal to Hanzō whenever they surfaced. Every Sunday, Pain would make it rain within Amegakure or if he had to be away.
Nagato’s Personality
Nagato, also known as Pain, is a fictional character from the Naruto series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He possesses a complex and multi faceted personality due to his experiences and the burdens he carries. Here are some key aspects of Nagato’s personality:
- Trauma and Pain: Nagato experienced immense trauma at a young age, witnessing the death and destruction caused by war. This trauma shaped his worldview and left him with a profound sense of pain and loss. His experiences led him to believe that pain was the truest form of understanding and connecting with others.
- Idealism and Leadership: Despite his traumatic past, Nagato was an idealist who believed in creating a world without pain and suffering. He aimed to achieve this through his interpretation of peace, where he would use his power and authority to establish order and end conflicts, even if it meant using force to achieve it. He saw himself as a leader who could bring about this change.
- God Complex: As Pain, Nagato adopted a deity-like persona, viewing himself as a “god” capable of determining who should live and who should die. This god complex was a result of his immense power and his desire to bring about his version of peace through control.
- Empathy and Contradiction: While he portrayed himself as an emotionless figure, Nagato still retained a degree of empathy and compassion, as evidenced by his care for his fellow orphans, particularly Yahiko and Konan. This contradiction between his stoic exterior and his underlying emotions added depth to his character.
- Suffering as a Catalyst for Change: Nagato’s belief in using pain and suffering as a catalyst for change reflected his view that people only truly understood the consequences of their actions when faced with pain. He believed that inflicting pain on others would ultimately lead to a world free from conflict, as people would fear its consequences.
- Inner Conflict: Nagato’s personality was marked by inner conflict. He struggled with the methods he used to achieve his goals, often questioning whether the ends justified the means. This internal struggle added complexity to his character and showcased his humanity.
- Legacy of Yahiko: Nagato’s personality was deeply influenced by his friend Yahiko, who he saw as a symbol of hope and unity. After Yahiko’s death, Nagato felt a strong responsibility to fulfill the vision of peace they had shared, leading him down a path of pain and sacrifice.
In summary, Nagato’s personality is a mixture of trauma, idealism, god-like aspirations, empathy, and inner conflict. His experiences shaped him into a complex character who sought to bring about a world without pain, even if it meant imposing his will through force and manipulation.
Nagato’s Appearance
Nagato, also known as Pain, has a distinctive and memorable appearance in the Naruto series. Here is a description of Nagato’s appearance:
Nagato is characterized by his pale skin and long, untamed purplish black hair that flows down to his shoulders. His hair partially covers his face, giving him a somewhat mysterious and intense aura. He has piercing, light lavender eyes that often appear devoid of emotion, reflecting the emotional toll of his experiences.
His attire consists of a black, high collared cloak with red clouds imprinted on it. This cloak has become an iconic symbol associated with the organization he led, known as the Akatsuki. Nagato wears the cloak draped over his shoulders, with the red cloud pattern on the fabric serving as a testament to his association with the group’s goals and ideology.
Nagato’s body is marked by the physical toll of his extensive use of the Rinnegan, a powerful eye technique. His eyes are surrounded by dark rings, indicating the strain and exhaustion resulting from the use of his immense power. The Rinnegan itself is a unique feature of his appearance, with its distinctive pattern of concentric circles and multiple tomoe.
In his “Pain” persona, Nagato often adopts a more mechanized appearance. He uses the bodies of deceased individuals, known as “Preta Paths,” “Animal Paths,” and others, as vessels to channel his powers. Each of these bodies reflects different abilities and physical traits, showcasing his mastery over various abilities.
Throughout the series, Nagato’s appearance evolves to reflect the changes in his character and his progression along his path. His overall look remains a blend of enigmatic features, powerful symbolism, and the physical manifestations of his struggles and sacrifices.
Nagato’s Abilities
Nagato’s position as the leader of Akatsuki was well deserved, being regarded as its most powerful member. Despite his fragile state and damaged legs, Kabuto Yakushi regarded Nagato as his second most powerful reincarnated shinobi, second only to an enhanced Madara Uchiha.
Upon restoring and rejuvenating his body using the Tailed Beast chakra he absorbed from B, he simultaneously overwhelmed and immobilised the Eight and Nine-Tails jinchūriki with ease although his legs remained weakened.
Despite his effectiveness being reduced due to Kabuto Yakushi’s direct control, it still required a combined effort of Naruto, Killer B, and Itachi Uchiha to defeat and seal him. As Pain, he was regarded as unbeatable by various individuals, and his strength allowed him to defeat and kill Hanzō, though Hanzō’s skills had long since diminished.
He was also able to defeat Jiraiya, his former teacher, though he notes that he may have lost if Jiraiya knew his true identity. Not only that, he could face the entire village of Konohagakure and destroy it single-handedly, only losing one of his Paths in the various battles with Konoha ninja. Before he faced Naruto, Nagato had never lost a single battle, still pushing Naruto to employ the most powerful abilities he had at his disposal.
Chakra and Physical Prowess
As a descendant of the Uzumaki clan, Nagato’s chakra was naturally resilient. His actual chakra reserves were unusually vast, enough that he could perform various, chakra-taxing techniques all in the same day.
Upon exerting his chakra in the form of a shockwave, one of the Fifth Hokage’s Anbu bodyguards suspected that his already powerful chakra was enhanced by his Rinnegan. Nagato also had remarkable control over his chakra and could alter its frequency constantly, negating the possibility of a sensor pinpointing his location when he controls the Six Paths of Pain unless they stab themselves with one of his chakra rods.
Following his first fight with Hanzō, Nagato’s legs were badly damaged and his body was left frail. This limited his mobility for the rest of his life and rendered his original body largely defenceless. He regained some of his former mobility after being reincarnated and restoring his body and legs with some of the Eight Tails’ chakra. When not handicapped, Nagato could rapidly move around a battlefield, closing the gap between himself and his opponents fast enough to force them to retreat.
Ninjutsu
During his training with Jiraiya, Nagato mastered every technique he was taught, covering numerous styles, all of the basic nature transformations, and Yang Release, accomplishments extremely rare even for adults, let alone ten year olds.
Many of the miscellaneous techniques he was seen performing were used to facilitate Akatsuki’s meetings, such as allowing members to meet astrally across great distances, protecting the site of their meetings, and distracting opposing forces.
Adept with the Shadow Clone Technique, he was even capable of cloning his summoned creatures. One of his more noteworthy techniques was the Rain Tiger at Will Technique, which allowed him to create perpetual rainfall to monitor everyone moving within Amegakure.
Nagato was also an adept sensor, able to pinpoint the location of others across great distances, even penetrating beyond barriers erected for the express purpose of blocking detection.
Rinnegan
Nagato’s skill in so many types of ninjutsu was due in large part to his Rinnegan.Though he was not the eyes’ original owner, being an Uzumaki allowed Nagato to wield both eyes without drawbacks even while still an untrained child, whereas Obito could barely handle a single eye despite his various modifications and in depth knowledge of the dōjutsu. Ultimately, Nagato’s skill was great enough to earn recognition as the “Third Six Paths” (三人目の六道, Sanninme no Rikudō).
The greatest advantage of the Rinnegan was that it gave Nagato access to all of the Six Paths Techniques: the gravitational powers of the Deva Path; the menagerie of summons available to the Animal Path the limitless energy absorption of the Preta Path; the control over souls with the Human Path; the various mechanisations in the Asura Path; access to the King of Hell through the Naraka Path.
Because of the limitations of his real body, Nagato had few chances to use any of these abilities directly. When the opportunity arose, though, he could shift between the different Paths seamlessly and instantly, performing the many abilities on a level he wasn’t capable of when using them through others.
The one branch of Six Paths Techniques that Nagato reserved for himself was that of the Outer Path. As the Outer Path, Nagato could summon and control the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, produce black receivers into which he can channel his chakra, and use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive the dead.
Six Paths of Pain
With the Outer Path, Nagato could form what he calls his “Six Paths of Pain”. By embedding black receivers throughout the bodies of six corpses – arranged to resemble body piercings – Nagato was able to control all of them remotely as though they were his own.
He could control the Paths across great distances, but for more chakra-demanding techniques, it was necessary for the Path to first be brought closer to his position. An alternative to this was cutting off control of five of the Paths and focusing all of his chakra into one. The Paths can be used to react to threats in mere seconds and, because they are corpses, the bodies are unfazed by all but the most debilitating types of damage.
In theory, each of the Six Paths of Pain could be used to perform any technique that Nagato himself was capable of. In practice, however, he limited each body to one branch of the Six Paths Techniques, the exception being the Deva Path through which he performed a number of miscellaneous jutsu.
Each Path served a specific purpose, be it offensive, defensive, reconnaissance or repair. None of the Paths specifically specialised in taijutsu, but all were able to keep pace during hand-to-hand combat with even the most practised opponent.
Though he considered all six Paths to be part of the Pain identity he gave himself, Nagato still regarded them as separate entities from himself, referring to them by whichever Path they embody.
Although the Six Paths were individually strong, they were at their most formidable when used together, with the simultaneous use of all six being the primary reason for Pain’s infamous invincibility.
This was because the six Paths, as well as the Animal Path’s summons and the King of Hell, let Nagato share their vision, allowing him to coordinate their movements with maximum efficiency.
They could attack from multiple angles and dodge attacks they couldn’t have seen but that occurred within another Path’s field of vision. During his attack on Konoha, when the Six Paths were dispersed throughout the village to act strategically, they managed to wreak devastation and kill many powerful shinobi, effectively allowing Nagato to almost singlehandedly overpower the village.
Each of the Paths had its own importance in a fight the Naraka Path’s ability to restore all the other Paths, making it the most valuable and therefore, Nagato would sacrifice other Paths to protect those further up the hierarchy.
Despite the advantages the six bodies granted him in a fight, Nagato tried to limit his usage to as few bodies as possible to reduce the likelihood of anyone discovering the secret of how the Six Paths of Pain work. When Konoha began to understand the idiosyncrasies of the ability, he destroyed the village in an effort to kill anyone who might know that none of the six Paths were the real one.
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