Naruto Pain Arc !!install!! -

And then? Pain impales Naruto.

The Pain Arc worked because it was small in a huge way. It was about two students of the same legendary teacher who read the same book and came to opposite conclusions about humanity. It was about grief. It was about the cost of war (look at Nagato’s destroyed legs; look at Naruto’s scarred hands). If you recommend Naruto to a skeptic, tell them to watch the Pain Arc. They will be confused by the "Believe it!" kid in the orange jumpsuit at first. But by the time Naruto returns to the village, greeted by a rain of paper bombs and the ghost of a pervy sage, they will understand. naruto pain arc

As Nagato says before his final sacrifice: "When you grow up, you'll understand. The pain of losing something... is the same for everyone." And then

He isn't trying to destroy the world; he is trying to fix it with a nuclear deterrent. The "Eye of the Moon" plan was ridiculous, but Pain’s "fear of God" philosophy (giving everyone a shared enemy via a massive Tailed Beast bomb) felt chillingly plausible. One of the most brilliant moves Kishimoto made was denying us the catharsis of Naruto saving the village in real-time. It was about two students of the same

We are introduced to Pain through the tragic lens of Jiraiya’s memories. We see a kind, red-haired boy trying to survive the hellscape of the Hidden Rain. We see his best friend, Yahiko, die to create a false peace. By the time Pain sits atop the toad statue and explains his plan to Naruto, the viewer is conflicted.