Nagato (Japanese: 長門), known primarily under the alias of Pain (ペイン, Pein), is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto.

Critical response to Nagato's character has been generally positive, praising the chaos he brings to the story, including the murder of Jiraiya and the destruction of Konoha itself while chasing Naruto.

This led to the creation of the series' final arc, the Fourth Great Shinobi War, where Naruto engages in a bigger fight with the remaining member of the terrorist organization Akatsuki.

[2] Retrospectively, Kishimoto believes Naruto took a darker tone with Nagato's introduction due to how his life indicated serious themes rarely present in shonen manga and thus often questioned himself what type of conclusion to this fight between the Akatsuki and the main character.

Notable among the few unused concept designs for him is a small sketch where Pain appears to wear a partial mask with a feather or horn-like accessories fitted to his forehead protector.

[10][11] The Pain Paths are all outfitted with a number of body piercings that serve as a means for Nagato to control them and offer them a "more dangerous" appearance in relation to their name's installation.

A descendant of the Uzumaki clan like Naruto, Nagato's Rinnegan is later revealed to have belonged to Madara Uchiha, who transplanted his eyes into the child as part of his plan.

Following Yahiko's death, which Tobi orchestrated, by the actions of Amegakure's despot, Hanzo, and Danzo Shimura of Konohagakure in the Hidden Leaf Village, Nagato rethinks the idea that peace can only be attained by teaching the world suffering caused by war.

Crippled from both Hanzo's attack and his link with the Gedo Statue, Nagato finds a way to overcome his weakness by remotely controlling the corpses of deceased people as if they were their own.

[14] Pain is confronted by Jiraiya while infiltrating Amegakure, resulting in a fight that ends with his mentor's death and the loss of his Animal Path vessel.

[20] Nagato's actions are also present in the light novel Akatsuki Hiden: Evil Flowers in Full Bloom as a story Sasuke Uchiha learns while wandering across the world.

The site called him "one of the most philosophically and psychologically complex characters" due to the depth he brought to the series and the impact he had on the story, not only for his crimes but for the way he tried to redeem himself in his final moments interacting with Naruto.

The reviewer also felt the appearance of Konohamaru Sarutobi, a younger ninja friend of Naruto, to defeat one of the six Pains was appealing but said the anime's production did not live up to the original manga.

[30] Anime News Network felt that the entire battle managed to be one of the best in the series because of the tactics used by the two characters, and had a notable emotional impact on viewers.

Nagato's past was viewed as too tragic by Anime News Network, citing the death of his parents among other desperate scenes that led the reviewer to feel it was too dark for a series aimed at a young demographic.

[32] However, Nagato's final actions, including killing himself to revive some of the people he murdered, got a mixed responses from Anime News Network because it reduced the tension and drama he had built in the story.