anime
Pain

46
Pain from Naruto, the leader of the Akatsuki. Once a compassionate child named Nagato, he was orphaned during the 2nd Great Shinobi War along with his friends, Yahiko and Konan. Upon meeting the 3 orphans, Jiraiya- who would later go on to train Naruto Uzumaki- took pity on them and spent 2 years training them to become Shinobi. While all 3 were talented, Nagato was a true prodigy. In addition to his vast Chakra reserves- a trait he unknowingly inherited as a member of the Uzumaki Clan- he was able to master all 5 of the basic elemental Chakra Natures, a feat only achieved by a handful of Shinobi in history, when he was just 10 years old. After Jiraiya’s departure, Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan stayed in the Hidden Rain Village, eventually deciding, at Yahiko’s behest, to use their abilities to defend the innocent as de facto vigilantes. Under Yahiko’s leadership, the 3 friends began to inspire others to join them and formed an organization dedicated to fighting for peace and justice. They named themselves “The Akatsuki”. Soon, Yahiko’s Akatsuki drew the notice of Hanzo the Salamander, a powerful Shinobi and leader of the Hidden Rain. Believing them a threat, Hanzo led them into a trap, leaving Yahiko dead and Nagato crippled. He and Konan were the only survivors. Soon after the tragedy, a Masked Man claiming to be “Madara Uchiha” took advantage of their grief, convincing Nagato to create a new, much darker, Akatsuki. Thus, “Pain” was born. Though crippled, through the extraordinary power of his Rinnegan eyes, Nagato can control 6 bodies, known as the “Six Paths of Pain”, each with unique abilities that make them nigh unstoppable. His mind twisted by trauma and deception, Pain’s methods become utterly ruthless, believing that by inflicting his own despair upon others, he can force them to embrace his new idea of ‘peace’. But perhaps a remnant of the kind and compassionate Nagato remains buried beneath the pain…