Highlights
- The Akatsuki organization was formed out of a desire to bring peace to the Shinobi world through power and control.
- Nagato, also known as Pain, founded Akatsuki after a tragic past, leading the group towards power-hungry methods.
- Akatsuki’s ruthless tactics in acquiring power through tailed beasts resulted in untold suffering and destruction in the Shinobi world.
In the Naruto series, the world of the Shinobi grapples with violence and philosophies that shape many characters’ arcs and narratives. In a bid to stop the violence and create a peaceful world, unique power structures emanate in a bid to change the intricate world of the Shinobi.
In the Naruto universe, the Akatsuki stands as a formidable organization driven by the motivation to change the system. However, in the Akatsuki’s early days, world domination wasn’t always the driving force behind the Akatsuki. The organization’s origin lies in the tragic past of Nagato, also known as Pain, who significantly influenced Akatsuki’s future goals and methods.
A Life of Loss and War
Nagato’s journey begins in the war-torn village of Amegakure with his friends Yahiko and Konan. The three children grew up amidst the tumultuous events and violence that permeated the Third Shinobi War. Nagato’s childhood became a crucible of profound loss, suffering, and a yearning for peace after he witnessed the loss of his parents. The traumatic events of his childhood and his parents’ death at the hands of a Konoha ninja shattered his trust in the world and the Shinobi system.
In this vein, this traumatic experience of the past left a mark on Nagato, instilling within him a belief that the cycle of hatred and violence that plagues the Shinobi world must be broken, no matter the cost. However, fate intervened when Jiraiya, a legendary Sanin of Konoha Village, encountered the orphaned and became their mentor. Jiraiya took them under his protection and trained them in the ninja way. However, their life with Jiraiya was short-lived when Jiraiya left Amegakure and continued his journey. Thereafter, Negato and his two friends were left to deal with the aftereffects of war and the trauma that comes with the tumultuous events.
A Descent into Darkness
Feel pain. Contemplate pain. Accept pain. Know pain. One who does not know pain cannot possibly understand true peace. I will never forget Yahiko’s pain. And now, the world shall know pain. Shinra Tensei.
In the aftermath of the war at Amegokure, Negato’s friend, Yahiko, formed the Akatsuki, a group formed to instill peace in the Shinobi World. Nagato and his friend’s past tragedy fuelled their determination to create a better future, thus forming the basis of the Akatsuki organization. They are motivated by their shared experiences of a tragedy caused by the Shinobi War and their collective desire to change the world.
The trio set out to establish an order to end the continuous conflicts that continue ravaging the Shinobi world. However, when Yahiko was killed, this awakened a rage within Negato, and he awakened the Rinnegan and Gedo Mazo, leading him to lash out in grief and anger that killed many of Danzo Shimura’s soldiers.
Due to the terrible fate of Yahiko, Negato concluded that peace could only be achieved through power and control. In this vein, the shift in ideology compared to what dead Yahiko envisioned formed the foundation for a future Akatsuki. Nagato adopted the name Pain and assembled the Akatsuki with a new purpose. He believed that he could force humanity into a lasting peace by capturing all the tailed beasts and wielding their immense power. However, Akatsuki’s methods of retaining power through the tailed beasts with the Infinite Tsukuyomi stemmed directly from Nagato’s twisted vision. In this vein, Nagato’s new idealized vision laid the groundwork for Akatsuki’s transformation into a significant threat to the Shinobi world.
The Future Akatsuki
As the Naruto series unfolds, Nagato’s tragic past gave rise to the Akatsuki, but despite its noble intentions, it has brought untold suffering and destruction to the world. In the hunt for the Tailed Beasts, the Akatsuki members left villages like Konoha, Sand Village, and many others in devastating conditions in the quest to acquire power. Hence, the members consist of rogue ninjas banned from their villages, and just like Negato, they seek a new world order compared to the current Shinobi world. Nagato’s alias “Pain” was coined due to his belief that a peaceful world can only be created through Pain, and this philosophy shaped the group’s ruthless tactics. The Akatsuki organization’s willingness to use violence, manipulation, and coercion to achieve their ends has led to the deaths of countless innocent lives, a tragic irony that Nagato himself would come to recognize and grapple with in the later stages of the narrative.
Additionally, Nagato’s past undeniably shaped the Akatsuki’s actions and ideology. His longing for peace, tragically warped by loss, fueled the organization’s destructive path. Yet, his final act to save the people of Kinoha village offered a counterpoint, highlighting the possibility of redemption, a recurring motif in the Naruto series. In the long run, Negato’s death did not stop the group’s vision to achieve a ‘forced’ peace; hence, Obito Uchiha took up the mantle to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi in the Shinobi world.
Naruto is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
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