Naruto told the story of a young ninja who grew up in a village where everyone hated him for harboring a demon fox, and this tale of friendship and perseverance went on to become one of the most popular anime and manga series for over a decade. The series is filled with great characters, several of whom were villains, but like every anime, there are certain villains who stand out more than others.
Pain was the leader of the Akatsuki, and he wanted to use the power of the Tailed Beasts to cause a cycle of constant war until every nation exhausted its strength to the point that they could all be conquered. Madara Uchiha spent decades putting a plan together that was supposed to bring about "true peace," and he was so powerful and feared that the very mention of his name started a war. Many fans consider these men to be the series' best villain, and there is certainly a case to be made for both of them.
10 When Madara Annihilated The 4th Divison
Not all great anime villains need to be insanely powerful beings, but it's still a pretty important trait to have, and Madara fits the bill perfectly. When he first stepped onto the battlefield of the Fourth Great Ninja War, he took out countless ninja with his Susanoo and Sharingan enhanced melee combat. He then Used the Rinnegan to drop two massive meteors onto the 4th Division.
Madara has battled some pretty powerful ninja over the course of the series, but even they could not fathom the idea of the Uchiha being powerful enough to annihilate an army numbering in the thousands by himself.
9 When Pain Ended Jiraiya's Life
Jiraiya was an amazing mentor who managed to train two future Hokage, but he also trained Nagato-a Rain Village orphan who went from being a sensitive child to becoming the embodiment of pain and the leader of the Akatsuki.
The two had an impressive battle, but in the end, Pain took the life of his former sensei without hesitation, and it was a pretty gruesome ending. Jiraiya was like a father to Naruto, which is why fans wept when they saw Naruto's reaction to the news.
8 Madara Toying With The Five Kage
The Five Kage are supposed to be some of the strongest ninja in the world, which is why they decided to take on Madara together. At first, Madara loved the idea of fighting them, but after dealing with their attacks with relative ease, he becomes unimpressed by their combined strength.
At one point the Five Kage finally land a hit on him, but he reveals that he only let the attack hit so he could show off the First Hokage cells that were implanted in his body. Madara also forces each Kage to fight five Susanoo-wielding clones, and he does this solely for entertainment after one of the Kage mentions that he is at a disadvantage because the fight is five against one.
7 Pain's Fighting Style
After losing the use of his legs, Nagato needed a new way to fight, which is why he created the Six Paths of Pain. These paths were actually bodies that belonged to dead ninja, and Nagato used the power of the Rinnegan to control them as if they were his own, and he even implanted black receivers into them so they could be controlled from great distances.
This technique allowed Pain to split his God-like power between six bodies that would instantly overwhelm his opponents, which is why he was such a terrifying enemy to go up against.
6 Madara Nearly Ending Sasuke's Life
Sasuke was so integral to the story that the argument can be made that he should've been the main protagonist. He lived a life that was fueled by revenge and love for his family, particularly his older brother, and this made Sasuke and Madara kindred spirits.
Sasuke resembled Madara's beloved younger brother, but he still impaled him without hesitation-a move that would've been fatal if Sasuke was not healed by Karin. It's true that Sasuke has done some pretty bad things, but many fans still care about him, and the image of him being impaled was frightening.
5 Pain Almost Killing Hinata
Naruto and Hinata have shared some great moments together, and one of the most impactful moments came when she tried to save him from Pain. Fans love Hinata because she is so kind, soft-spoken, caring, and because her love for Naruto is so profound and unwavering.
She fights Pain despite knowing that he is far stronger, and despite being tossed around like a ragdoll by the Rinnegan, she still tries to free Naruto. Pain goes on to stab Hinata right in front of Naruto in order to show him how the pain of loss creates hatred.
4 Madara Activating The Infinite Tsukuyomi
When he gained the Rinne Sharingan and the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Madara implemented the final stage of his Eye of the Moon Plan by projecting the Infinite Tsukuyomi onto the surface of the moon. This projection trapped nearly everyone on Earth in a never-ending dream world where there was no death or war, just peace.
This jutsu may force people to live in a fake reality, but it was ultimately done to keep humanity from destroying itself, so Madara was actually a villain with good intentions. He also became a villain who actually completed his master plan, which is a rarity in storytelling.
3 Pain Destroyed Konoha Because Of Tsunade
While Naruto is training to use Sage techniques at Mount Myōboku, Pain and Konan invade Konoha in order to find him, and they cause a lot of death and destruction while trying to find his location. This search leads to Kakashi's death, as well as Shizune's, but before she dies, Pain gets the information he needs from her.
He then meets with Tsunade and becomes angered by her perceived lack of pain, so in order to cause her true pain, he takes to the air and unleashes a Shinra Tensei that destroys the majority of the village.
2 Madara Orchestrated Rin's Death
Obito loved Rin, and when he saw her die at Kakashi's hand, he was overcome with grief. He did not wish to live in a world without Rin, which is why he decided to help Madara accomplish his goal of creating a dream world-a world where Rin would be alive.
Rin sacrificed herself because the Mist Village kidnapped her and sealed the Three-Tails within her so it can go on a rampage in Konoha, but it is later revealed that Madara was the one who kidnapped her and turned her into a Jinchūriki, and he timed it so Obito would see her die.
1 Pain's Backstory Made Him An Understandable Villain
A villain's backstory is incredibly important, and although other anime characters have had harder lives than Pain, his experiences make his view of the world completely understandable. When he was a child, his parents were killed before his eyes by Konoha ninja during the Second Great Ninja War, which ravaged his homeland.
He then met Konan and Yahiko and they formed the original Akatsuki to protect the Rian Village, but when Hanzo the Salamander grew fearful of their strength, he betrayed them and forced Nagato to kill Yahiko to save Konan. From that moment on, Nagato believed that the only way the world could achieve peace is if everyone experienced the same level of pain and despair he did.