In what episode does Naruto fight Pain? Explained

Naruto's confrontation with Pain is still considered one of the most intense moments in the series. It was the first time the series' protagonist went up against the first major antagonist in Shippuden. The entire arc went on for approximately 22 episodes, with both characters brawling for seven of them.

Players who are only interested in seeing the fights or re-living some of the best moments in the Pain arc can tune into Episode 163 of Naruto: Shippuden. As mentioned earlier, the fight goes on for seven episodes and ends in Episode 169.

Then the entire arc ends with Episode 175, as Studio Pierrot goes into a 21-episode filler streak after that.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers regarding Pain's Assult arc from Naruto Shippuden.

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Pain and Naruto's epic brawl in Shippuden concluded after seven episodes

The entire concept of Akatsuki has been teased in the main series ever since the very early days. However, Pain showed the first real threat to the main characters by wiping out an entire village. This particular arc starts with Episode 152, where the antagonist is shown preparing an assault on Hidden Leaf.

Pain before wiping out the Konoha village (Image via Pierrot)

With everyone in the village mourning the death of Jiraiya, Pain had no plans of giving anyone a break. Shortly after wiping out the village, the Akatsuki member was faced with Naruto and his newly formed sage mode. However, to no avail, the latter was easily pinned down by Pain shortly after.

Pinned down amidst fight (Image via Pierrot)

As the protagonist continued to struggle from Episode 163 until 166, Hinata joined the fight to assist him. But she was quickly dealt with, as Pain pushes her high into the air, slams her to the ground, and further stabs her to inflict a serious wound. This triggered the Nine-Tailed Chakra in Naruto, which led to round two of the fight.

Hinata trying to help fight Pain (Image via Pierrot)

Pain fought toe-to-toe against a half-baked Nine-Tailed form in Episodes 167 and 168, as the fight finally concluded with Naruto's Rasengan on one of Pain's clones. While Episodes 172 to 175 showed the aftermath of the entire arc, the brutal fight between both the characters cemented some of the best sequences in the series.

Nine-Tailed fighting with Pain (Image via Pierrot)

The audience should note that the animation of the entire fight between the incomplete Nine-Tailed and Pain was done in a separate style from the rest of the series. Throughout the years, it has received mixed feelings from viewers, as one half seemed to like the style, and the other half did not.

One of the animated scenes was deemed to be weird by fans (Image via Pierrot)

With Jump Festa 2023 around the corner, multiple sources claim that Studio Pierrot might be announcing something big on the same date. Fans worldwide have shown immense support regarding Naruto's comeback in a brand new style, following the recent re-animation to celebrate the 20th Anniversary.

Typically, the fight between the two powerful forces will surely be a sight to see with new coloring, hand-drawn movements, and many more new technologies.