Naruto’s Six Paths of Pain Ranked By Their Usefulness in Battle

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In the world of Naruto, powerful and dangerous enemies are always a threat. One of the most formidable opponents Naruto and the Hidden Leaf Village encountered was Pain. But Pain isn’t a single individual; instead, he’s comprised of multiple bodies, known as Paths. These Paths are remotely controlled by Nagato Uzumaki through his Rinnegan, and each one possesses special and destructive abilities suited for different battles. Working together like a single mind, the Paths share information and coordinate their attacks, making them a highly effective and overwhelming team, even for experienced shinobi. What makes this technique so powerful is that each of the six Paths contributes unique abilities, combining to create a force that feels almost divine.

Although each one is deadly by itself, certain Paths are much more crucial than others. This makes the most powerful Path an unstoppable source of devastation and genuine, world-altering strength.

6) Naraka Path (Jigokudo)

The main strength of the Naraka Path is called the King of Hell-a massive head that appears when its user summons it. This entity has two key abilities: it can interrogate others and fully restore any of the user’s other five bodies, making it a crucial threat to overcome. Although the Naraka Path isn’t very strong physically, it can immobilize an opponent to get an honest answer or simply wait until another body needs fixing or reviving.

The King of Hell’s ability to revive units is its greatest strength in combat. It works by taking a destroyed unit – a Path – and completely restoring it, effectively acting as a powerful healing ability. However, the Nakra Path itself is quite fragile and rarely fights on the front lines. This means it usually plays a support role instead of being a major, immediate threat.

5) Human Path (Ningendo)

I’ve been observing the Human Path, and it has a frighteningly effective ability – a one-hit kill that’s tough to defend against. It works by placing a hand on someone’s head, allowing the Path to delve into their mind, take everything they know, and then instantly pull out their soul. It’s a guaranteed elimination, but there’s a catch. The Path needs to physically connect with the target, which can be a real problem when fighting fast-moving, high-level opponents. Maintaining that contact is a severe issue in those quick battles.

Although incredibly powerful, the Human Path isn’t very effective in direct combat compared to Paths that can attack from a distance or defend themselves. It needs its target to be helpless or held still to use its abilities. The Path’s true strength is how easily it can interrogate and eliminate opponents. Obtaining an enemy’s complete knowledge provides a significant benefit to the Path-and consequently, to all Paths-giving the group a huge edge in gathering information both before and during battles, making this Path crucial for reconnaissance.

4) Asura Path (Shurado)

This Path excels in physical combat, capable of changing into a heavily armored weapon with multiple limbs. It trades agility for raw power, boasting immense strength, great speed, and a variety of integrated weapons. These include powerful missiles, incredibly sharp blades, rocket-boosted punches, and strong energy beams, enabling it to eliminate enemies at both close and long distances.

The Asura Path is the toughest of the six, built to take a lot of punishment and act as a powerful front-line fighter who can constantly pressure their enemy. What sets it apart – and makes it incredibly dangerous – is its ability to launch its whole arm as a weapon, or fire an energy blast from a hidden, third head. This makes its destructive power greater than any of the other Paths.

3) Preta Path (Gakido)

The Preta Path is a powerful defense against most skilled shinobi who depend on ninjutsu. Its main ability is the Blocking Technique Absorption Seal-a jutsu that forms a chakra-absorbing shield around the user. This shield can stop almost any attack fueled by chakra, including elemental techniques and large energy blasts, making it a very difficult guard to overcome.

Aside from defending against attacks, the Preta Path can also absorb chakra by touching opponents. This drains their energy, leaving them helpless in close combat. This ability lets the Path regain its own power while weakening its enemy. Because it can stop almost any attack, the Preta Path is considered one of the most formidable abilities of its type. Learn more about chakra.

2) Animal Path (Chikushodo)

The Animal Path’s power doesn’t come from how well it fights, but from its ability to adapt to different situations. It has a special summoning technique that doesn’t require blood sacrifices or formal agreements; instead, it can immediately bring forth enormous creatures. All of these summoned beasts possess the Rinnegan and have chakra receptors. This combination gives the Animal Path both strong attacks and reliable defense.

This Path is the key to quickly moving and strengthening the entire team. It can immediately bring the other five members to the fight, guaranteeing the full team is always ready when and where it’s needed. The Animal Path’s power to summon creatures and other Paths makes it a crucial and dominant force on the battlefield.

1) Deva Path (Tendo)

This Path is exceptionally powerful, able to control gravity to an incredible degree. Its defining skill, Almighty Push, can instantly obliterate whole villages, generating a destructive vacuum that no ordinary force can withstand. Conversely, the technique Universal Pull is equally fearsome, used to draw opponents into a concentrated area for attack.

The most dangerous aspect of the Deva Path is its ultimate ability, Planetary Devastation. This technique generates an artificial gravitational center, drawing in nearby land and rock to create a massive, inescapable sphere that imprisons anyone caught within it. This power alone makes the Deva Path the core of the fighting force, capable of defending against almost any opponent. The Path wasn’t actually defeated by Naruto; it was defeated because Nagata chose to give up.

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2025-09-30 05:11