Six Paths Technique

This article is about the original technique granted by the Rinnegan. For the technique which uses different bodies, see Six Paths of Pain.

Six Paths Techniqueedit
六道の術­ (Rikudō no Jutsu)
Debut
Manga	Volume #41, Naruto Chapter #379
Anime	Naruto Shippūden Episode #132
Movie	Naruto 6: Road to Ninja
Game	Naruto Shippūden: Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3
Appears in	Anime, Manga, Game, Movie
Data
Classification	Kekkei Genkai, Ninjutsu, Dōjutsu
Class	Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary
Derived jutsu
Animal Path Summoning Rinnegan Asura Path Asura Attack Flaming Arrow Warhead Flaming Arrow of Amazing Ability Deva Path Banshō Ten'in Chibaku Tensei Shinra Tensei True: Chibaku Tensei Human Path Naraka Path Outer Path Demonic Statue Chains Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique Six Paths of Pain Preta Path Blocking Technique Absorption Seal
Related jutsu
Six Paths of Pain
Users
Madara Uchiha (Manga only) Nagato Obito Uchiha Sage of the Six Paths

The Six Paths Technique (六道の術, Rikudō no Jutsu) is the origin of the unique techniques bestowed by the Rinnegan. In total there are actually seven of these paths that grant the user powerful and near god-like abilities:

• The Deva Path (天道, Tendō), which allows one to manipulate both attractive and repulsive forces.
• The Asura Path (修羅道, Shuradō), which grants the user mechanised limbs, weaponry and armour.
• The Human Path (人間道, Ningendō), which gives the ability to remove a soul and so, read a person's mind.
• The Animal Path (畜生道, Chikushōdō), which lets the user summon a wide variety of creatures.
• The Preta Path (餓鬼道, Gakidō), which can absorb all forms of chakra, including most ninjutsu.
• The Naraka Path (地獄道, Jigokudō), through which one can summon and control the King of Hell.
• The Outer Path (外道, Gedō), which rules over both life and death.

These were all originally abilities that were used by one person, but because Nagato was crippled early on in his lifetime, he would go on to create the Six Paths of Pain technique where he used corpses and channelling the first six of the aforementioned abilities through each one, in order to compensate for his physical limitations. However, while the strength and speed of the techniques are greater than when corpses are used, and multiple Paths can be used at the same time from one body, the range of the vision granted by the Rinnegan is lowered quite a bit, not to mention that the safety of the main body is at greater risk.

Influences

Based upon the six Buddhist Paths of Reincarnation, each body was named after one of the different "Paths": Deva, Asura, Human, Animal, Preta, and Naraka. Each of these Paths, or realms, represents one of the realms a being is reborn into after death, determined by the accumulated karma of their past lives. While the two lower Paths, Preta and Naraka, are hellish, and the two higher Paths, Deva and Asura, are heavenly, all six are considered to be Paths of suffering because they perpetuate the cycle of Reincarnation; the only way to break it and ascend to a higher state of existence is to attain enlightenment.

Trivia

• In Naruto Shippūden: Shinobi Rumble a technique called "Six Paths Technique" is used by Pain's Six Paths of Pain. In this variant, Pain generates a moderately sized sphere of debris overhead, then thrusts his arms downward, sending it crashing into the ground like a meteor. An enhanced, "Full Throttle" version of the technique called "Six Paths Technique: Collapse" (六道の術・崩壊, Rikudō no Jutsu: Hōkai) can also be performed.