Naruto: How Did Nagato Get The Rinnegan? - Game Rant

Nagato is one of the most iconic villains in Naruto. From his backstory, to his legendary fight against Naruto, and to how everything ended for him at the end, all of it is perfect. That is why Pain's assault on Konoha is easily one of the best story arcs in Naruto.

One of Nagato's most notable features is none other than his Rinnegan eye. The water ripple pattern in his eyes is said to have originated from the mythical Sage of the Six Paths himself. It is that power allowed him to be one of the strongest shinobi in the world. That being said, most eye techniques (dojutsu) in Naruto, are inherited through a specific bloodline, such as Byakugan from the Hyuga clan or Sharingan from the Uchiha clan. So does it mean Nagato came from a special bloodline? If not, how did he get the Rinnegan?

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A Brief History of Rinnegan

As mentioned before, the first known user of Rinnegan was none other than the legendary Sage of the Six Path himself. He was pretty much the first shinobi, because there is no other human being that can freely manipulate their chakra and molded it into all sorts of ninjutsu before him.

Sage of the Six Path had two sons, Indra and Asura, and his powers were divided among the two of them. His wisdom and physical prowess went to Asura, while his ninjutsu skills and eye technique, in the form of sharingan, went to Indra.

Along the line, Indra and Asura ended up fighting against each other for all of their remaining life. Unfortunately, that civil war and animosity was also inherited by their descendants. Indra's descendants ended up becoming the Uchiha, while Asura's descendants became the Senju, and later on, the Uzumaki.

Madara Uchiha and The Rinnegan

Madara had always been obsessed with power, and he looked into all kinds of ways to obtain a power greater than everybody else. Naturally, he managed to discover the truth regarding his sharingan. He found out about his ancestry and finally unlocked the secret of the Rinnegan.

He knew that the Sage of the Six Path divided his power to both of his sons, which resulted in the current form of sharingan. This means if Madara wants to get the Rinnegan, he has to combine the two halves of the legendary Sage's power. He already had sharingan, so all he needed was the cell of a Senju.

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During his final fights with Hashirama, Madara managed to gain a mouthful of Hashirama's flesh. He then transplanted the flesh into his body and finally combined the cells of the two clans together. However, it wasn't until decades later when Madara was near his death, that his sharingan finally awakened into the Rinnegan.

How Nagato Get The Rinnegan

At the time, Madara was the only human in history who managed to awaken the Rinnegan. Unfortunately, his old and fragile body was no longer capable of making use of his newfound power. So he decided to lend his Rinnegan to someone else that can use the power of the eyes. He also left his final will to somebody else that will eventually revive him using the power of the matured Rinnegan.

The person that Madara chose to give his precious Rinnegan to is a little boy from a small warring country called Amegakure. His name is Nagato. The reason why Madara picked Nagato is simply because he is a member of the Uzumaki clan. Therefore, he has the same innate physical abilities as the Senju, which makes him the perfect container for the Rinnegan.

The person that Madara deemed suitable to inherit his will and his grand plan is a boy from Konohagakura who happens to be a member of the Uchiha clan, Obito Uchiha. Madara tasked Obito to observe Nagato and when necessary, interfere and guide him into following Madara's plan.

How Nagato Mastered The Rinnegan

Despite Madara's grand plan for Nagato, it was by pure chance that the young Nagato stumbled across one of the three legendary shinobi from Konoha, the enigmatic Jiraiya. Jiraiya would spend several years teaching Nagato and his two friends, Yahiko and Konan, ninjutsu and other shinobi's techniques. He also put a special emphasis on helping Nagato harness the power of his eyes. Unfortunately, once Jiraiya parted ways with Nagato and friends, they were forced to be involved in various bloody battles, and even wars, in the name of their country. Nagato started to have a jaded view of the world at this time, but Obito still cannot persuade Nagato to follow him. The teachings and wisdom of Jiraiya still live strongly in his heart.

Nagato's breaking point came when he lost his dear friend, Yahiko. That was when the sweet whisper of revenge and revolution from Obito finally managed to penetrate his mind. Obito began to groom him and reveal the secret techniques of Sage of the Six Path to Nagato, including the reincarnation ninjutsu, Rinne Tensei. This is the technique that is supposed to be used by Nagato to revive the deceased Madara. Those are pretty much the reasons why Nagato has a Rinnegan and how he was being used by Madara throughout his life. However, despite his tragic life, Nagato was without a doubt a fearsome shinobi who could use the power of the Rinnegan to its full potential, which is why he can single-handedly destroy Konoha and every formidable shinobi in it. He was, by all means, the perfect candidate for the Rinnegan.

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