One of the Naruto series' most noticeable features is that villains rarely remain such until the end, as their lives and perspectives are changed after fighting the series' main character. However, one particular villain's deeds were so vile that he didn't deserve to be redeemed by Naruto. In a world filled with powerful ninjas capable of incredible and terrible feats, war and violence ruled many of its lands with an iron fist. Still, no one got close to the inhumane cruelty displayed by Nagato/Pain when he seized control of the Village Hidden in the Rain.
On Jiraiya's fateful mission to gather information on the terrorist organization Akatsuki's leader, he successfully infiltrated the Rain village and subtly captured and interrogated a shinobi guard. However, in chapter #369, titled "Regarding Pain," Naruto's mentor learned the brutal and terrible truth of what happened to the previous leader of Rain Village, Hanzo of the Giant Salamander, who was feared and respected throughout many ninja villages. The new lord of the Rain village and leader of Akatsuki, Pain, didn't just kill Hanzo; he made sure that anyone connected to him paid with their lives in an act of near-genocide that stands unparalleled in the entire series.
Pain Systematically Killed Every Man, Woman, & Child Connected To Hanzo
The captured Rain ninja revealed to Jiraiya that the land's civil war had been long over thanks to "Lord Pain's Retribution." He went on to reveal that Pain "...also killed [Hanzo's] parents, wife, and children. Even distant relatives and colleagues, down to the last infant...until nothing and no one was left." Fans of the series know the truth of Pain's identity and the heartbreaking story of Nagato's origins. Still, the absolute destruction of Hanzo's lineage and the killing of children who were only nominally connected to the former Rain Village leader feels more than a few steps too far, even if Hanzo killed Pain's best friend, Yahiko.
The world of Naruto is surely a cruel one, but even the series' arch-villains, Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki, never displayed such utter disregard for human life. Even Orochimaru, who is seen performing experiments on human subjects like a mad surgeon, never reached the lengths that Pain did in his crusade against Hanzo. Killing everyone who was even remotely connected with the former leader of the Rain is very close to the concept of genocide. And yet, as it is customary for the series, at the end of Naruto's epic fight with Pain he ends up redeeming Nagato.
Nagato's Crimes Were Too Big For Redemption
That was a powerful moment for Naruto, who let go of his desire for vengeance for the death of his master Jiraya and the destruction of Konoha at the hands of Pain. Forgiving Nagato proved the strength of his conviction of wanting to end the seemingly endless cycle of hatred. It's a habit (many fans will say a bad one) of the series that even the most despicable villains have a reason for their actions, and in the end they always get redeemed one way or the other. However, what Nagato did to Hanzo's family, colleagues and associates is one of the worst crimes (maybe the worst) seen in the series. This makes Nagato/Pain a strong contender for the title of worst villain in Naruto, and his final redemption even more questionable.
