Could Jiraiya Have Beat Pain in Naruto

One of the best fights in the entire Naruto series is Jiriya vs Pain. It was an important fight that progressed character development as well as the overall story. So the question here is could Jiraiya have actually beaten Pain? I personally believe he could have with more knowledge. So let’s get into it.

Advantages of Prior Knowledge

With the way things go in the anime, I believe Jiraiya loses every time. Without having prior knowledge on figuring things out on the fly, he just eventually gets overwhelmed. Even with the fact he was able to take out the Animal, Human, and Preta Paths. So with some planning and prior knowledge, I believe he can win though it would still be a difficult fight.

Strategic Planning

If Jiraiya had known about the abilities and functions of each of the Six Paths of Pain (Deva, Asura, Human, Animal, Preta, and Naraka Path), he could have planned his attacks more effectively. For example, he could have prioritized taking out the Naraka Path (which can revive the others) or the Preta Path (which can absorb ninjutsu) first, preventing Pain from using those abilities against him. I’d say these are the most important ones he would have to take out first.

If Jiraiya had an understanding of the shared vision of the Paths through the Rinnegan, that would have allowed Jiraiya to better strategize his attacks. It would have also aided him in avoiding detection and helped create effective diversions. This could have allowed him to get better openings for attacks.

Use of Sage Mode

By gathering knowledge ahead of time, Jiraiya could have fully activated and maintained Sage Mode for longer. This would have allowed him to maximize his physical capabilities, sensory perception, and access to powerful sage techniques. If Jiraiya is in Sage Mode, he is considerably stronger and more capable of handling multiple opponents simultaneously. Jiraiya’s Sage Mode Genjutsu, the Frog Song, was highly effective when he managed to use it.

It is difficult to set up while mid-fight. So knowing the need for it in advance, he could have set up the conditions to use it sooner, possibly incapacitating multiple Paths of Pain at once. With full knowledge of the battle conditions, Jiraiya could utilize his toad summons, like Gamabunta and other toads, more strategically to counter Pain’s Paths.

Each toad has unique abilities that could have helped negate some of the Paths’ strengths. Knowing the severity of the battle, Jiraiya might have chosen to withdraw temporarily to gather more information or find a better location to fight the Six Paths separately rather than facing them all at once.

Challenges Even with Prior Knowledge

Now I never said it was going to be an easy fight and win. There are still plenty of challenges that Jiraiya would face even with prior knowledge and planning.

Overwhelming Power and Coordination

The Six Paths of Pain can coordinate their attacks seamlessly due to their shared vision and Nagato’s (Jiraiya’s former student) control. Thus making it difficult for any opponent to counterattack effectively. Even with knowledge, Jiraiya would still have to face their relentless, coordinated attacks. The Deva Path can use Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push.) This is a powerful defensive and offensive technique that could have countered many of Jiraiya’s attacks or any group strategy involving summons.

Thus one of many things he’d have to plan for. Nagato, controlling Pain, is highly intelligent and could adapt his strategies in response to Jiraiya’s tactics. Even if Jiraiya knew about the abilities of each Path, Nagato could adjust his approach to counter Jiraiya’s tactics. While Sage Mode is powerful, maintaining it requires considerable chakra and concentration, especially against multiple high-level opponents.

Jiraiya would need to manage his chakra reserves carefully, and prolonged fighting could still lead to exhaustion or mistakes. Unlike, Naruto Jiraiya doesn’t have the endless amounts of chakra that Naruto has.

Final Thoughts on Jiraiya vs Pain Fight

While I do personally believe Jiraiya could win the fight it’s not guaranteed. Even with prior knowledge and planning Nagato’s intelligence, the Six Path’s Coordination, and just how overpowered the Rinnegan could be it’s hard to truly say. It’s possible Jiraiya could have won with careful planning, strategic use of Sage Mode, and effective targeting of the Paths.

However, the battle would still be extremely challenging and dependent on many factors, including Jiraiya’s ability to execute his strategy perfectly without Nagato adapting too quickly. I also believe that Jiraiya shouldn’t win this fight. The death of Jiraiya helps progress the story and allows Naruto to develop more as a character. Regardless of how loved Jiraiya is in the series, the outcome of Jiraiya vs the Six Paths of Pain is correct as is. I’d like to hear what you all think.