Spoiler Warning: Due to the nature of this list topic, narrative spoilers for the Naruto anime are discussed in each entry.
Summary
Narutois an anime series full of imposing villains, but not many can boast the same impact that Pain had. This heinous Akatsuki leader caused Jiraiya’s death and robbed Naruto of a father figure he had grown to love and admire. It pushed the protagonist to reach new heights and acquire the power needed to take down this diabolical foe.
This would be easier said than done, given that the Six Paths of Pain would outnumber Naruto and give him a beatdown to remember if he didn’t bring his A-game. Nagato controls these puppets from the shadows to make up for his frail, aging body. Each Path of Pain boasts a unique technique that helps it stand out from the rest of the pack.
6Human Path
Power: Mind-Reading At The Cost Of The Target’s Life
The Human Path might be the least beneficial one of the lot in combat, but that shouldn’t take away from how useful it can be. This heinous Path can read the minds of its opponents by yanking their soul from their body.
As one would expect, this leads to instant death for the unlucky target. This Path of Pain was sacrificed without a thoughtby Nagatoto protect the Animal Path, making it one of the weaker bodies that he relied on.
5Asura Path
Power: Augment A Body To Use Mechanical Armor And Weaponry
The Asura Path can manipulate its body to create mechanical augments. This makes him a valuable resource in combat, although his power was cheapened when Naruto managed to obliterate this body with the use of a single Rasengan.
Sure, this body was resurrected later on, but it was clear thatPain would need stronger abilities to take out Naruto. The powers of the Asura Path were simply too basic to fend off the attack of a shinobi powered by Sage Mode chakra.
4Animal Path
Power: Summon Creatures
Any summoning technique is bound to be useful, increasing the numbers of the attacking party. This is why the Animal Path is so valuable, sinceit gives Nagato controlover massive creatures who can wreak absolute havoc.
This summoner is exposed at close range, making it a risky proposition to place the Animal Path on the front lines. Ultimately, it couldn’t match up to Naruto’s might and was obliterated.
3Preta Path
Power: Absorb Chakra
Absorbing chakra is always a useful ability to have, which is why the Preta Path is such a valuable member of Pain’s artificial entourage. This single ability allows it tonullify most ninjutsu, making it quite tricky for shinobi to deal with its immense power.
However, Naruto managed to use this technique against the Preta Path when he was immobilized by this path. He simply channeled Sage Chakra and turned his assailant into stone, making it easy to free himself from its grip and keep the attack going.
2Naraka Path
Power: Interrogation & Restoration
Defeating the Naraka Path was critical for Naruto to achieve victory against Nagato’s Paths of Pain.Its powers were incredible, summoning a demonic gate that could either interrogate targets or revive any Path that had been decimated.
This Path alone helped Nagato bamboozle his foes for the longest time as he managed to overpower his opposition and make their efforts seem fruitless. Eventually, Naruto figured out that this was his primary target, and he managed to take out the Naraka Path after an epic struggle.
1Deva Path
Power: Attraction & Repulsion
The power of Almighty Push was strong enough to level the entirety of Leaf Village. This fact alone is enough to make Yahiko’s body the strongest Path of Pain, with it being the last one standing when Naruto was struggling to defeat this powerful foe.
Naruto almost lost control over the Kyuubi in his body while fighting this opponent, but he managed to regain control of his senses after a brief encounter with his father. He analyzed the Deva Path’s powers and how they worked, using the small gap he had to launch himself with a Rasengan andtake out Nagato’s last line of defensefor good.
