The phrase "Six Paths" appears constantly in Naruto — and almost always means different things. Some are looking for the "Deva Path" and Pain's technique, others for the "Six Paths Sage power," Naruto's strongest mode. These are two completely different phenomena that share only a name. Let's figure out what is what, and not get confused.
Two different 'Six Paths' (not to be confused)
The 'Six Paths' in the series refer to three related but distinct things:
Term | What it is | Who wields it |
Six Paths of Pain | Rinnegan combat technique: six puppet bodies | Nagato (as Pain) |
Six Paths Power / Mode | divine chakra and transformation | |
Six Paths Sage | progenitor of ninjutsu, source of power |
Next - details for each block.
Six Paths of Pain (Pain's technique)
Nagato, bound to life support, could not fight on his own. Through the Outer Path of his Rinnegan, he controlled six bodies of deceased shinobi, having inserted black receiving rods into them. These bodies are the "Six Paths of Pain", through which Pain acted.
Each Path is named after one of the six Buddhist realms of rebirth, and each has its own specialization.
Deva Path (Tendo)
The main body and face of Pain. The Deva Path is the body of Yahiko, Nagato's deceased friend, with recognizable red hair. It is the Deva Path that controls the forces of attraction and repulsion:
Shinra Tensei (Almighty Push) - a repulsive wave capable of sweeping away everything around; with full concentration of chakra - the scale of an entire city;
Bansho Tenin (Universal Pull) - a pull of an object or person toward oneself;
Chibaku Tensei - creation of a gravitational "satellite" that compresses matter into a flying sphere.
The "Maiden Path" from search queries is the Deva Path. Russian fans often render Deva Path as "deva" (maiden), although it refers to the Buddhist realm of deva gods, not a maiden.
The remaining five paths
Path | World | Ability |
Asura (Shurado) | asura demons | mechanical weapons, armor, extra limbs |
Human (Ningendo) | humans | mind reading and soul extraction |
Animal (Chikushodo) | animals | summoning creatures |
Hungry Ghost (Gakido) | pretas | absorption of any chakra and ninjutsu |
Hell (Jigokudō) | hell | King of Hell, interrogation and resurrection of other bodies |
Separately each body is strong, but the real power of Pain is in the link: he sees and acts with all six simultaneously, covering the weaknesses of one Path with the strengths of another.
How it works
All six bodies are, in essence, "terminals" of a single will: Nagato controls them remotely through his chakra and black rods. Destroying one body does not mean victory — as long as Nagato himself is alive, the Paths can be replaced. That is precisely why Naruto ultimately defeated not the bodies, but reached Nagato himself.
Six Paths Power and Mode (Rikudō)
But this is a completely different story, which is searched for by "six paths senjutsu power" and "strongest mode". Here, "Six Paths" refers not to Pain's technique, but to the power of Six Paths Sage, Hagoromo.
Six Paths Sage Mode
Six Paths Sage Mode (Rikudo Sennin Modo) is a divine transformation that Hagoromo grants to those with an unyielding will. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto received the solar (Yang) half of this power, and Sasuke received the lunar (Yin) half.
What this mode gives:
colossal increase in speed, strength, and sensitivity to chakra;
Truth-Seeking Balls (Gudodama) - black spheres from all five elements plus Yin-Yang;
ability to fly and hover;
healing and transferring chakra through Yin-Yang - chakra in its purest form.
ability to see chakra and negative emotions.
It is the combination of Six Paths Sage Mode with Nine-Tails Chakra Mode that made Naruto the strongest shinobi of his generation. This is that 'strongest mode' they ask about.
Where the power comes from
The main way is a direct gift from Hagoromo. Naruto met him after being hit by a fragment of the Sage's chakra. It is also believed that access to this power is granted by possessing the chakra of all nine tailed beasts at once - which Naruto had.
Sage of Six Paths - Hagoromo Otsutsuki
At the core of both themes lies one person. Hagoromo Otsutsuki - the legendary Sage of Six Paths, progenitor of ninjutsu, the first Rinnegan wielder, and the one who divided the Ten-Tails' chakra and gave the shinobi world the very concept of chakra. The Rinnegan is the highest stage of the eye, reached through the path from Sharingan via Mangekyo, which is why Pain's line and the Uchiha eye line are directly connected. From him also stems the Rinnegan line (which Nagato possessed) and the Six Paths power (which Naruto and Sasuke obtained). Hence the common name.
Briefly: frequently asked questions
What is the "Deva Path"? The Deva Path (Tendo), the main body of Pain with the techniques Shinra Tensei and Bancho Tenin.
Are the Six Paths of Pain and the Six Paths Mode the same thing? No. The first is Nagato's Rinnegan technique. The second is the power from Hagoromo given to Naruto and Sasuke.
What is the "strongest mode"? The Six Paths Sage Mode, especially together with the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Who is the Six Paths Sage? Ootsutsuki Hagoromo, the progenitor of ninjutsu and the source of both powers.
How many Paths of Pain are there? Six: Deva, Asura, Human, Animal, Hungry Ghost, and Hell.