Best Naruto Pain characters

329 ELO points separate Deva Path from First Animal Path at the top of the Naruto ranking, after 3655 duels.

The gap between the first two places dwarfs all others in this ranking. Deva Path, the face of Pain and wielder of gravity manipulation, wins 97% of its duels over 30 encounters and sits unchallenged at 1607 ELO. First Animal Path trails at 1278, still well ahead of Naraka Path at rank 3 with 1206 ELO. The middle positions cluster tightly: Second Animal Path at rank 4 holds 1199 ELO with a 45% win rate across 51 duels, while Human Path at rank 5 manages 1105 ELO and 42% wins. The bottom of the ranking tells its own story: Asura Path, the weaponized body, sits at rank 6 with 1023 ELO and 36% wins over 44 duels, while Preta Path, the chakra-absorbing vessel, gathers only 33% wins and closes the list at 972 ELO. The community's verdict is clear. Deva Path's control over attraction and repulsion, its role in the destruction of Konoha, and its status as Nagato's primary vessel make it the defining image of the Six Paths of Pain.

This ranking draws on 3655 duels cast by 312 players across 7 contenders, updated on 10 October 2026. Each confrontation pits two Paths against each other, and every choice reshapes the hierarchy. If you have your own answer to which Pain deserves the top spot, VAINKEURZ is waiting for your vote. Head to the platform, pick your duels, and let the ranking evolve.

Updated on October 10, 2026

How this ranking is computed

Every duel won lifts a contender and every loss drops them, by an amount that depends on the opponent's strength: beating the leader is worth more than beating the last. It is an ELO, the same principle as in chess. Duels are not drawn at random — an adaptive entropy sort puts the least predictable match-ups first, which settles the ranking far faster than a full round robin. A worldwide ranking is only published past 30 completed plays. Known limit: a contender who has faced few opponents keeps an approximate score, and the bottom of the table moves more than the podium.

How our rankings are made →