When Does Naruto Fight Pain?

Naruto vs Pain is one of the most epic and disastrous 1-on-1 fights throughout the series, with the exception of Naruto vs Sasuke of course. However, Pain's battle with Naruto is so much more than just a fight since Pain's assault over Konohagakure lasts for a good 20+ episodes. During this time, Pain not only fights Naruto for seven episodes straight but also destroys the entire village of Konohagakure.

Not only this but before Naruto uses his infamous "talk-no-Jutsu" to convince Nagato to believe in him, Nagato and his paths had killed several beloved characters including Kakashi Hatake. So, when does Naruto fight Pain aka Nagato? Read on to find out.

What Episode Does Naruto Fight Pain?

Naruto and Nagato, two students who had the same teacher, each fought for what they believed was right. Nagato, who is the owner of the Rinnegan, uses the Outer Path technique which allows him to control six bodies as though they are his own. Nagato referred to these as the six paths of Pain, with "The Pain" being Yahiko, his friend who died when they were young.

Naruto and Nagato's fight was not just a fight between two individuals, but a fight between two different ideologies. While the arc for Pain's assault on Konoha begins in episode 152 of Naruto: Shippuden, his actual attack on the village begins in episode 157. Naruto who is training to develop sage mode like Jiraiya during this time doesn't enter the fight for a few more episodes.

Naruto fights Pain from episodes 163 to 169 in Naruto: Shippuden. Even though Naruto emerges victorious at the end of episode 168, after destroying all of Pain's paths, he immediately ventures outside Konoha to find Nagato's real body in episode 169. The episode is then followed by two filler episodes which fans can skip since Naruto and Nagato begin their conversation in episode 172.

By the end of episode 174, Naruto has proven himself to be someone worth believing in, which is precisely what Nagato decides to do. After this is the real MVP moment for Naruto because Nagato's belief in him is so strong that he decides to undo all the destruction he caused and sacrifices himself in the process, in episode 175. Naruto then heads back to Konoha in episode 175 and finally gets sees his childhood dream come true, where the entire village acknowledges him and proclaims him a hero!