Naruto vs. Pain is still the most controversial fight in the anime series, and fans know why.
One of the most iconic moments in the Naruto franchise is the protagonist’s return in the Pain Invasion Arc. This led to an important and long-anticipated fight between him and Pain that divided the fandom.
While the choreography and impact of the battle were unparalleled, the animation received severe backlash from viewers. People criticized the cartoonish feel of certain frames that didn’t match the battle’s seriousness.
Naruto’s fight against the Rinnegan user had a lot of things going, including the introduction of the hero’s Sage Mode, the terrifying power of the Six Paths of Pain together, Hinata’s sacrifice, and the unleashing of the nine-tailed fox.
So, a lot depended on it. And when the fight failed to live up to the audience’s expectations, they brutally criticized the battle, especially the episode of Naruto’s transformation into Kurama (Naruto Shippuden Episode 167).
The heavy backlash was too much for the episode’s director, Atsushi Wakabayashi, who never worked on another high-priority episode of the anime show after that. Though the director never spoke out about it publicly, the coincidence was too glaring to ignore.
Now 14 years later, fans still have mixed feelings about the Naruto vs. Pain battle. While they agree the criticism was too harsh, they also point out the reason behind viewers’ disappointment.
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Many believe the animation of Episode 167 isn’t bad, it just doesn’t fit the fight’s vibe and diminished what was meant to be the most important stand-off in Naruto’s career at that point.
As one user pointed out on Reddit, “It’s some very impressive animation … that doesn’t capture the vibe of the scene from the manga at all. Rewatching the clip now I feel the same way as I did back when it originally aired.”
“Honestly, while I think it’s good animation in a technical sense, it feels really mismatched with the vibe of the fight. Naruto and Pain simply looked too cartoony for how high the stakes were,” commented another, “Pain turning into the road runner always comes to mind. Even if you don’t pause at all, it still looks funny.”
“To be fully honest, the fight is EPIC. However, the art style they chose for animation is so cartoonish and so goofy, it’s hard to take the fight for how serious it should have been,” wrote a third.
No matter how controversial it is, Naruto vs. Pain still remains one of the best fights in the Naruto anime. It was the series at its peak, and no matter how the animation looks, it is still completely enjoyable.
For more ninja action, check out our guide on Naruto filler. You can also find out who is the strongest in Naruto, how Kurama comes back, and whether Himawari is Kurama’s new jinchuriki.
