TheSix Paths of Painis one of the strongest techniques in the entireNarutoseries, and its introduction shook the show to its core. The sheer scale of its power posed a new threat to the shinobi world, one that had never been witnessed before. While the technique itself gets its fair share of limelight, the vessels used for its execution tend to be forgotten in the process.
Since Nagato’s own body was crippled, he utilized various vessels to channel the Rinnegan’s power. Out of the six vessels, fans could only identify Yahiko’s body, with the rest deemed as random, nameless shinobi. The truth is far from it, however, as each body was specifically chosen by Nagato with one recurring pattern – each one had ties with Jiraiya. While these may be minor characters, the series presents a few scenes withtheir encounters with Jiraiya, making it possible to identify the unfortunate shinobi.
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Deva Path
The Deva Path’s vessel is the only one that was immediately recognized by fans, as this body belonged to Yahiko, one of Jiraiya’s students and Nagato’s companion. Yahiko needs no introduction as fans are quite thoroughly acquainted with this character’s entire backstory inthe Hidden Rain Village.
After his untimely demise at the hands of Hanzo of the Salamander, he became the first vessel of the Six Paths of Pain. The Deva Path is arguably the strongest out of the six Pains, probably because of Nagato’s earnest sentiments towards Yahiko.
Human Path
The body of the Human Path belonged to an unnamedHidden Waterfall shinobithat Jiraiya crossed paths with during his journeys. The two met during the time of the Second Great Ninja War, and the Hidden Waterfall shinobi died soon after. After his death, Nagato acquired his lifeless body to channel the power of the Human Path through it via chakra receivers.
Asura Path
The Asura Path’s vessel is the only one that has a significantly different appearance under the control of Nagato. The body belonged to a ninja puppeteer that Jiraiya came across, and he was able to catch Jiraiya’s eye with his unique puppet in the form of an infant.
Under the control of Nagato, the body of the shinobi underwent a considerable transformation, with the addition of faces on all sides and two extra arms extending on each flank. The appearance may be a reference to the Asura Path’s mythological roots, as Asura are described as demon-like beings with multiple appendages.
Animal Path
The Animal Path’s original vessel was defeated by Jiraiya, forcing Nagato to replace it with another body. The first body belonged to a Fuma Clan (a clan based somewhere in the Land of Rice Fields) shinobi thatJiraiya had a minor skirmishwith. This also took place somewhere during the time of the Second Great Ninja War.
After the first vessel was defeated, it was replaced by Ajisai’s body, a young Hidden Rain shinobi that was killed on an S rank mission. Ajisai is the only Six Paths vessel that had no link to Jiraiya.
Naraka Path
The Naraka Path is the most spiritually aligned out of the Six Paths, as it has the power to summon the King of Hellfrom the underworld. Ironically, the body used for the Naraka Path belonged to a priest from an old, abandoned village. Despite the village being burnt and its remains in ashes, the priest continued to pray at the shrine, eventually meeting Jiraiya.
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Preta Path
For the Preta Path, Nagato utilized the body ofa Hidden Grass shinobithat died in his youth. He took on the role of a farmer yet his skill as a shinobi led him to participate in the Second Great Ninja War. Jiraiya came across the young shinobi during his time in the Hidden Grass Village.
Why Were These Specific Vessels Chosen?
During Jiraiya’s fight with the Pains, he noticed that each one had a familiar face, eventually realizing that they were all his acquaintances at one point in time. The series further cements this notion by presenting scenes from Jiraiya’s journey to find the child of prophecy. Jiraiya met many people during his journeys, yet the shinobi used as vessels all have one thing in common – they were at one point considered by Jiraiya to be the child of prophecy.
Nagato never stated the reason for choosing these specific Shinobi, though a conclusion can be derived from this pattern. It’s plausible that Nagato purposely used the bodies of every Shinobi that Jiraiya believed was potentially the child of prophecy. The child of prophecy was meant to change the world and usher in a new era of peace in the Shinobi world, yetNagato took that responsibilityupon himself. Using the bodies of every shinobi that Jiraiya believed in could have possibly served as an homage to his efforts.
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