When it comes to quotable shonen shows, anime fans are quick to pinpoint their favorite soundbites from Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto's hit manga and anime had a lot of high points during its initial run. But arguably one of the best arcs for the series was the Pain Invasion Arc.
The stakes were high, as characters displayed swan song moments, the Hidden Leaf Village was nearly destroyed, and Naruto gained major growth as a character. The Shippuden Arc also had a philosophical look on the legacy and endless cycle of war. The arc also concluded with an ending so happy that it almost felt like the end of the entire series. With a highly regarded arc, it's no surprise that there's an abundance of memorable quotes that fans still talk about to this day.
10 "Carrying on Itachi's wishes are merely pretty words. The foolish sputtering of those who don't know hatred." -Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke doesn't play a major role during this arc, especially as right before it, he'd finally had his climactic battle against Itachi. He also learned the truth of his brother's actions, betrayal, and his wish for Sasuke not to seek revenge against the Leaf.
Unfortunately, during the very beginning of this arc, Sasuke has made his intentions clear and revealed where his mind is at. It sets in motion the next few arcs to follow Pain. And in an ironic way, his words also set the mood for much of this arc.
9 "Well, it seems this is it for me...Rin...Obito...seems this is as far as it goes for me to see the future as your eyes." -Kakashi Hatake
Fans were already reeling from the death of Jiraiya by the beginning of this arc. But before they're able to catch their breath, another shocking death hits them. As Kakashi faces certain death at the hands of Pain, he says the mentioned quote to himself while reflecting on his old comrades.
And then in the afterlife, Kakashi sits and has a long-overdue conversation with his deceased father. It all combines to create a poignant and tragic moment that left fans shocked and saddened, at least before his resurrection at the end of the arc. Still, for a moment, fans were in disbelief.
8 "Brother Naruto is my rival. So I'll never choose to run away! Because Brother Naruto won't be waiting at the end of that short path!" -Konohamaru Sarutobi
One of the reasons the Pain Invasion Arc is held in high regard is because of the inspiring moments that the series' side characters like Konohamaru manage to have. Faced against one of Pain's bodies, and seeing his sensei in danger, Konohamaru has flashbacks of a jutsu Naruto taught him while also dealing with facing his fear of fighting back against Naraka.
Not only did fans get the chance to hear the grandson of the Third Hokage say something so cool while being brave, but they also witnessed him perform his own Rasengan. It's a moment that shows just how much Naruto has impacted the young ninja, and how Konohamaru is truly coming into his own.
7 "Feel pain. Contemplate pain. Accept pain. Know pain." -Pain
Throughout Shippuden, each member of the Akatsuki is established as a huge threat against the cast of Naruto. But few other members are able to leave as much as a destructive and terrifying impact as Pain. At the beginning of the arc, Pain could have easily come off as nothing more than revenge fodder for Naruto.
However, the Akatsuki member proves to be much more, even causing Naruto to later cast doubt on himself and his drive to achieve peace as a future Hokage. The villain says this quote or a version of it a few times during this arc against Naruto and his comrades. But it's the destruction that often follows after those words that paints Pain as an unrelenting force of death.
6 "But now that I've mastered Nature Energy, I'm able to sense everyone's chakra. Is Kakashi Sensei on a mission away from the village?....I see." -Naruto Uzumaki
After training in the Hidden Mount Myoboku and mastering Sage Mode, Naruto finally has the big hero appearance in Shippuden that the series always teased and promised. However, it's Naruto's quote he gives to Tsunade that brings everything back to reality.
Specifically, it's the pause before Naruto says "..I see." that really sells this moment. Kakashi is dead. Konoha is mostly a crater of rubble. And the stakes of stopping Pain have never been higher. It's a quote that gives the arc a final battle feel to it, even though there's a lot more story after it.
5 "You changed me! Your smile is what saved me! That is why I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because...I love you!" -Hinata Hyuga
Speaking of other scenes where characters get the chance to have their huge moment, it'd be a gigantic misstep not to mention Hinata's confession of feelings and attempt at saving Naruto. Against Pain, she doesn't have a chance or beating him.
Yet even though she knows that, it doesn't stop her from running to help Naruto and finally delivering a scene that's been bubbling all the way back from the Chunin Exams. It is easily one of Hinata's coolest moments, and a major payoff for fans following the character since the beginning of the series.
4 "We're both just ordinary men who've been driven to seek vengeance in the name of justice, and if one comes to call vengeance justice, such justice will only breed further vengeance....and trigger a vicious cycle of hatred." -Pain
Naruto is a series that loves to roll around in parallels. Sometimes that parallel hits fans on the head hard with the rival trope, via the relationship and comparison of Naruto and Sasuke. Other times that parallel shifts itself between generations, asking the current protagonists if they're capable of breaking the cycles of the previous generation or are they doomed to repeat?
In a sense, Pain presents himself as a mix of both one way to answer the generation parallel while also managing to make himself another side of the coin compared to Naruto. It's the above quote that drives it home how Pain is meant to represent not just a challenge to Naruto but also a challenge to the previous generations.
3 "To be a ninja is to confront hatred."-Minato Namikaze
During his battle with Pain, Naruto goes within himself, unsure and hurt, and comes ever closer to releasing the final seal on the Nine-Tails Fox before he's stopped by the spirit of his father Minato. What follows is an emotional scene of heartfelt fatherly pride, revelations, and a well- deserved punch in the gut from Naruto.
There are also some harsh truths said to Naruto, with the main point being the hatred ninjas are forced to face in the current system. However, Minato also expresses that he believes in his son, and that he can somehow break past this system and cycle of hatred.
2 "Just by living, people hurt others without even realizing it. So long as humanity exists, hate will also exist. True peace cannot exist in this cursed world!" -Pain
Pain might just be one of the most quotable villains in anime, at the very least bringing up points to consider when it comes to the endless cycle of war and hatred. As his true form as a Nagato is revealed, the two have one final conversation, with Naruto wanting to hear Nagato's origin.
As his tragic backstory is revealed as a war orphan, fans start to peel back on the origin of his beliefs. And his words, although grim, hold more weight. Naruto isn't just challenged physically, but also through his beliefs and those he has chosen to believe.
1 "I'll break this curse. If there is such a thing as peace, I'll seize it! I'll never give up." -Naruto, Jiraiya, and Pain
Rather than revenge, Naruto remains emboldened by Jiraiya's belief in the current system of ninja and endless war one day changing, and recites the words he read from his late sensei's first novel. The novel's protagonist shares the same name as Naruto, as Naruto's parents got his name from the novel.
But it's revealed that Jiraiya got the quote from Pain as a kid, then known as Nagato. Moved by this revelation, and Naruto's restored belief in those words, Pain surrenders and resurrects those killed by him in Konoha. Overall, the quote is a heartwarming way that links the two different students to their teacher, as well as a reminder of the hope Pain lost while growing up.