Naruto: Who is the Best Rinnegan user?

Tulisha srivastava
An image featuring main Rinnegan users in Naruto

Rinnegan is one of the strongest abilities in Naruto, so only a handful of Shinobi possess it. However, which Rinnegan user in Naruto used it to the fullest?

In Naruto, Rinnegan is the strongest Dojutsu originating from Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths. Wielding this power requires massive Chakra and talent; therefore, not everyone can use it. 

Sasuke Uchiha, Madara Uchiha, Nagato Uzumaki, and Obito Uchiha are the four main users of Rinnegan in the series. In terms of overall skills, Sasuke is considered the strongest among them. 

Not only that, his powers are leagues ahead of Nagato and Obito. On the other hand, Madara is slightly weaker than Sasuke but also several times stronger than Nagato and Obito. However, strength alone isn’t enough to determine which user used Rinnegan to its fullest potential in Naruto. 

The abilities of Nagato’s Rinnegan in Naruto

Nagato Uzumaki is the first user of Rinnegan to be introduced in the series. Jiraya discovered his power during the Third Great Shinobi War and decided to train him along with Yahiko and Konan.

Despite being from the Uzumaki clan, Nagato’s parents weren’t Shinobi and died unfairly during the war. However, his massive amount of Chakra, thanks to being from an elite clan of Shinobi, allowed him to wield Rinnegan and its various techniques.

He wasn’t the original owner of Rinnegan since the power belonged to Madara. Despite that, Nagato had this ability since childhood and was able to hone this power to perfection. Nagato simultaneously used all the Six Paths Techniques by embedding black receivers throughout the bodies of six corpses. 

The Six Path Techniques are the gravitational powers of the Deve Path, the menagerie of Summons of the Animal Path, the absorptive potential of the Preta Path, the control over souls with the Human Path, the mechanization in the Asura Path, and finally, the gates of hell through the Naraka Path. Nagato called them “The Six Paths of Pain.”

Each of these paths served a distinct purpose, whether offensive, defensive, reconnaissance, or repair. Furthermore, Nagato can share the vision of each Path, letting him coordinate their movements and leave no blind spot for the opponent to exploit.

The abilities of Sasuke’s Rinnegan in Naruto

An image of Sasuke with his awakened Rinnegan in Naruto

Sasuke is the only character in Naruto to awaken his Rinnegan naturally. He received half of Hagoromo’s Chakra in the Fourth Great Shinobi War. That, paired with his Uchiha blood as well as the infused Hashirama’s cells, helped Sasuke awaken a Rinnegan in his left eye with three tomoe on each of its two innermost circles.

Sasuke can use the various abilities of the Six Path Techniques, which helps him analyze codes and patterns. Apart from using all the standard Rinnegan techniques, Sasuke’s signature ability – “Space-Time Ninjutsu” – allows him to manipulate space and time in a continuous sequence.

Using his Rinnegan eye, Sasuke can perceive distortions in the flow of time and instantly swap places of any two targets in a specific range. Each Rinnegan user has their own version of the Six Paths Techniques. 

In Sasuke’s case, he can see invisible adversaries and even withstand the effects of Infinite Tsukuyomi, the series’ most powerful genjutsu. “Amenotejikara,” a unique ability of his Rinnegan, allows Sasuke to absorb Chakra, reverse Ninjutsu attacks, and even overcome defense barriers.

The abilities of Madara’s Rinnegan in Naruto

An image of Madara Uchiha from Naruto

Madara is the first Shinobi to awaken Rinnegan in centuries. However, he did that using less-than-ideal methods. During his fight with Hashirama, Madara bit off a piece of flesh from him and escaped after realizing he had no chance of winning.

He went into hiding and spent decades infusing himself with Hashirama’s DNA. Shortly before he died of old age, Madara’s Sharingan evolved into the Rinnegan. Since he is the original owner of Nagatao’s Rinnegan, Madara could easily switch between Sharingan and Rinnegan.

He could use all the abilities of the Six Paths as well as create Chakra chains to restrain all tailed beasts. Using his Rinnegan, Madara could also summon meteorites during the war, making others believe that a god could only possess such power.

After being revived through Rinne Rebirth, Madara obtained his real Rinnegan and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, also known as the Gedo Statue. 

Madara’s unique ability granted by his Rinnegan is to project shadows of himself into Limbo (literally meaning Wheel Grave) that aid him in battle. Limbo is an invisible world that coexists with the physical world, normally impossible to detect or perceive. 

With one Rinnegan eye, Madara can form one shadow. However, after gaining both Rinnegan eyes, he created four of them, making it extremely difficult for his enemies to come up with a countermeasure.

The abilities of Obito’s Rinnegan in Naruto

An image of Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan in Naruto

Shortly after Nagato’s death, Obito implanted the Rinnegan in his left eye socket. Just like Sasuke, Obito only had Rinnegan in one eye, but it was enough to grant him tremendous powers. He was able to use all of the Six Paths Techniques, just like any other Rinnegan user in Naruto. 

Obito could also summon the Gedo statue, create Chakra chains, and use the Rinne Rebirth Justu to revive the dead. Though he only used Rinnegan for a short amount of time, he created his version of the Six Paths of Pain, composed of the six reincarnated jinchūriki with their respective tailed beasts sealed back into their bodies.

He controlled them the same way Nagato did, using Chakra receives embedded into their bodies. The technique required maintaining this coordination and keeping the tailed beasts under his control. This prevented Obito from manifesting any of the Six Paths Techniques in his Six Paths of Pain.

Nagato Uzumaki is the best Rinnegan user in Naruto

The best Rinnegan user in Naruto is Nagato Uzumaki. Unlike Sasuke, Madara, and Obito, who spent most of their lives polishing their Sharingan, Nagato only used his Rinnegan. Despite not being its original owner, he used this ability fully.

Nagato used unique methods to fight remotely to make up for his paralyzed body. This required an unbelievable amount of Chakra that not even the strongest Shinobi could possess. Furthermore, he revived hundreds of people from Konoha, when reviving even one is a major challenge.

Being an Uzumaki with a massive Chakra reserve allowed Nagato to wield both eyes without drawbacks, even while still an untrained child. On the other hand, Obito could barely handle a single eye despite his various modifications and in-depth knowledge of the dōjutsu. 

Nagato followed the Six Path Techniques better than anyone, but he also used them in a way that would leave no option for opponents to counterattack. With all six of his powers being used at once, it’s no wonder that no one before Naruto had ever bested him. Therefore, despite being the weakest of the four, Nagato used Rinnegan perfectly since this is the only power he’s ever known.

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About The Author

Tulisha is an anime writer at Dexerto. In the past, she has worked for Comic Book Resources. She is most knowledgeable about Shonen series, particularly One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen. You can contact her at tulisha.srivastava@dexerto.com