The leader of the Akatsuki and the ruler of Amegakure, Pain appeared as the main antagonist of the Pain's Assault arc of the Naruto series. Being the leader of a massive criminal organization, Pain was incredibly powerful and had the Rinnegan at his disposal, making him a menace to take on in combat.
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Even someone as strong as the Legendary Sannin ended falling to Pain, however, that's not to say he's unbeatable. Here are 5 characters from Naruto who you didn't know could beat Pain and 5 others who stand absolutely no chance against him.
10 Could: Itachi Uchiha
Itachi Uchiha was one of the members of the Akatsuki and thus, a subordinate of Pain. Although most assume him to be weaker than Pain, he proved that to be incorrect upon being reanimated by Kabuto during the Fourth Great Ninja War.
Itachi was able to fight against Naruto Uzumaki in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, something that Pain could never do. He was also able to incapacitate Nagato Uzumaki, and it is quite easy to see that he could definitely have taken on and defeated Pain in combat.
9 Stands No Chance: Jiraiya
Jiraiya was one of the Legendary Sannin of the Leaf and a mentor to several prodigious shinobi. He was one of the very few people in Konoha who were on the level of a Kage.
Strong as he was, Jiraiya was not greater than Pain, as evident from when the two fought in Amegakure. Although Jiraiya managed to take down a few of Pain's paths due to Sage Mode, he was still much weaker than him in comparison.
8 Could: Obito Uchiha
Like Itachi, Obito was also one of the characters who served under Pain for quite a while. However, he was actually the guy pulling the strings from the shadows. Obito was quite powerful and his Mangekyo Sharingan ability made him nearly invincible.
A fight between him and Pain would've been rather close and Obito's Kamui gave him quite an edge over Pain's Six Paths, none of which had the power to keep up with his incredible speed.
7 Stands No Chance: Tsunade Senju
Tsunade is the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure and a member of the Sannin, just like Jiraiya. In terms of raw strength, Tsunade is superior to both Jiraiya and Orochimaru, however, she falls short when it came to other aspects of a shinobi.
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While she is strong, without a doubt, she would've been easy for Pain to take down in battle.
6 Could: Might Guy
One of Konoha's legends, Might Guy was an incredibly powerful shinobi back in the day. He was strong enough to take on the likes of Madara Uchiha, someone who was levels above Pain, in combat, and overwhelm him.
What's more, Guy was able to one-shot Kisame with just a shockwave in his Seventh Gate. Without a doubt, back in his prime days, he was strong enough to take down Pain.
5 Stands No Chance: Orochimaru
Orochimaru was a Sannin member, just like Jiraiya and Tsunade. In terms of smartness, Orochimaru was a level above them, however, he was still relevant to both in terms of power.
When compared to Pain, he was much weaker as he struggled to fight Naruto in his Four Tails cloak, while Pain was able to fight and defeat Six Tails Naruto despite being out of chakra already.
4 Could: Minato Namikaze
Minato was the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure and a legendary shinobi who few could fight against. He was feared across the shinobi nations and his influence was such that the Third Great Ninja War was ended primarily because of him.
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As a fighter, Minato was deadly and capable of taking on both Nine-Tails and Obito Uchiha in a fight together. Pain, on the other hand, struggled to control the Nine-Tails with his power and ended up failing, which shows he was inferior to Minato in terms of skill and strength.
3 Stands No Chance: Deidara
A former shinobi of Iwagakure, Deidara was introduced to the fans as an Akatsuki member. He was quite powerful and his skill with the Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai was commendable.
Deidara was strong enough to give Sasuke Uchiha a good fight, however, he still lost the fight. Pain, someone much stronger than Sasuke, was levels above Deidara.
2 Could: Hashirama Senju
The man known as the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju was among the strongest people of his era, with Madara being the only one strong enough to take him on. He could take on even a Tailed Beast in a fight and defeat them, which just goes to show how monstrous his strength really was.
He also had access to Sage Mode and when used, few were able to keep up with him in a fight. Pain was inferior to Hashirama Senju in every way imaginable.
1 Stands No Chance: Sasori
Sasori was a former shinobi of Sunagakure who emerged as a great fighter during the Third Great Ninja War. Later on, he went on to join the Akatsuki and made quite a name for himself.
Although Sasori was powerful, his skill was below the likes of the Sannin, who themselves were weaker than Pain. It is quite easy to see that he stood no chance against the boss of the organization he served.
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