Naruto Shippuden Should Have Ended With the Pain Arc

Naruto's abrupt ending after the Pain's Assault Arc is a good fit for the Fourth Great Ninja War's inconsistencies.

Pain's Assault Arc in Shippuden has been a popular anime arc for many years. Pain, the mysterious and seemingly omnipotent character who has been teased ever since the second series started had set his sights on the Hidden Leaf Village. Pain's attack was not long after Jiraiya’s murder. This initial declaration of war prompted Naruto's most dangerous training regime so far. The Pain arc was so successful in tying up Shippuden's loose threads that it made it seem like the final battle, even though it wasn't. Naruto had reached its peak at this point.

Pain was pushed to attack the Hidden Leaf Village by his desire for Naruto and Nine Tails to be captured as soon as possible. It was only a question of time before the Leaf retaliated after Jiraiya's defeat. Allowing them to plan an attack could have been fatal. The Leaf was caught off guard by their sneak attack and many lives were sacrificed before the Leaf could counter the Six Paths of Pain's guerrilla tactic.

Naruto's Pain Arc was at its best

Shippuden's stakes were at their highest level ever during the Pain Arc. The Leaf was still a symbol of the entire ninja community for many viewers, even though they had visited villages outside Konoha. The threat of its destruction was all too familiar, as both the Nine Tails and Orochimaru invasions had demonstrated the village's vulnerability. But none of these had the same weight that Pain had. The world of Naruto was essentially over if he had succeeded.

Naruto was absent from the beginning of the battle due to the serious implications that the destruction of the Leaf had. This made the absence even more worrying. Naruto spent most of the battle on Mount Myoboku, where he was perfecting the Sage Mode. The Six Paths of Pain instead had to deal with the brave shinobi who were defending the Hidden Leaf Village and they had the chance to witness the Will of Fire which kept them close together. The villagers refused to reveal the location of Naruto to the invading force, even if they were threatened with death.

The Leaf Village's defense was full of crowd-pleasing scenes. The characters that the fans have grown to love throughout the series were facing the greatest threat they've ever faced and, for a time, it seemed they were winning. Sakura, whose popularity had begun to wane following her battle with Sasori, stole the show by organizing and managing relief efforts for injured villagers. Tsunade, who had previously shown how the village would respond to invasions from outside the village, now shows how it will react to threats from within.

When Naruto finally met Pain, he had already begun to grasp the controversial philosophy of the villain on a more personal level. Naruto's arrival at Leaf Village came shortly after Pain had reduced his house to rubble with the Almighty Push. Pain believed that unless someone went through what another person had, they could never truly understand their pain. Naruto felt the pain of Nagato during the Third Great Ninja War for the first time when he destroyed the Leaf. However, it was Hinata’s perceived murder which pushed him beyond his limits and made him lose control with the Nine Tails.

Naruto’s forgiveness of Pain after defeating the villain proved that he has indeed defeated the Cycle of hatred. Naruto spared Pain's life despite acknowledging that he was responsible for the deaths of his father and innocent Leaf Villagers. This was to end the cycle. It was a good thing that Naruto's strange decision worked out, because it moved Nagato enough to allow him to save all of the lives lost during his attack at the expense of his own. Naruto was now the hero of Leaf Village. Naruto was now accepted by the people who initially rejected him, and he moved closer to his dream of becoming Hokage.

Naruto Shippuden: Changed after the Pain Arc

There are several differences between the Naruto stories before and after Pain. Some of these changes were viewed by some fans as a legacy-breaking addition to the Naruto saga. After years of stagnation, the Four Great Ninja War changed the way viewers perceived the ninja universe. New and returning friends either dominated the story or stole the spotlight depending on whom you ask. Naruto's focus changed to recovering Sasuke, and overcoming the Nine Tails in him, after he achieved his goal of being accepted by the Leaf Villagers.

It's not surprising that people were disappointed with the direction of the Fourth Great Ninja War. During this time, Naruto and Sasuke received some character development but it was interspersed with a lot of filler. The war was erratic and some battles took several days to finish. Naruto's last arc had some of the most thrilling fights in the series, but it is also a slog because of its extreme lows. Naruto's filler content was not new, but the liberal use of story buffers and Flashbacks in this arc made Naruto infamous for them.

The Pain arc was a good way to end Shippudden's story before it became too complicated. Naruto's reputation might be even higher today if the series had ended after Pain was defeated. The first half of Shippude had minimal filler and an effective pace. Best of all, there were no surprises alien villain twists that would confuse longtime fans. The legacy of Naruto would still be as strong as it is now, even without Kaguya or the Otsutsuki plot.