Naruto: Understanding Nagato's Decision Regarding Jiraiya

Jiraiya’s death is considered one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the Naruto series. As the godfather of Naruto Uzumaki, he taught Naruto the Rasengan and shared his beliefs about being a shinobi.

During a battle against Pain, Jiraiya, attempting to uncover the Akatsuki leader's identity, met his demise. Pain, who was revealed to be Jiraiya’s former student Nagato, sought to bring peace to the corrupt and violent shinobi world after the loss of his friend Yahiko.

Nagato's Decision to Not Resurrect Jiraiya in Naruto Series

Aiming to capture the Nine Tails, Nagato sent the Six Paths of Pain to attack the Leaf Village. Despite the provocation, Naruto chose not to seek revenge against Nagato, following the teachings and spirit of Jiraiya. This act of restraint and wisdom touched Nagato, prompting him to use his Rinnegan to bring back to life all those who had perished in the conflict. However, Jiraiya, who had recently fallen at the hands of Nagato, was notably absent from those resurrected.

The mystery of why Nagato did not bring back Jiraiya continues to be an unresolved question in the Naruto series.

How the Rinnegan can control life and death

Nagato (Image via Studio Pierrot) - How the Rinnegan can control life and death - Nagato not resurrecting Jiraiya remains an unsolved question in the Naruto series

Nagato, also known as Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth, is the user of the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique. This special ninjutsu, called Gedo Rinne Tensei no Jutsu in Japanese, can only be performed by those who possess the Rinnegan. By sacrificing their own life, the user has the ability to bring the dead back to life.

When using this technique, the user calls upon the King of Hell, a powerful deity in charge of life and death. The King of Hell is able to release the souls of those who have passed away and bring them back to life in their bodies, revitalizing them. This jutsu has been seen in the series only twice, first used by Nagato and later by Obito.

Pain's Deva Path subdues Naruto (Image via Studio Pierrot) - Pain's Deva Path subdues Naruto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Naruto was subdued by Pain's Deva Path during a fierce battle in the Leaf Village. Nagato, who was weak and frail, watched from a nearby mountain as the fight caused many casualties. Pain eventually overpowered Naruto and held him down during the intense confrontation.

Nagato conveyed to Naruto that the shinobi world was consumed by hatred, leading him to believe that peace could only be achieved through power. Disheartened by this perspective, Naruto was challenged by Nagato to discover a different solution, which he felt was impossible.

In a turn of events, Naruto was able to shift the course of the battle by defeating Deva Path, the most formidable form of Pain, and tracing Nagato's location using chakra receivers. Nagato inquired if Naruto had found a response to his previous inquiry, prompting the young ninja from the Leaf to request to hear his story first.

Nagato and Konan (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nagato and Konan (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nagato shared his life experiences and how they shaped his beliefs with Naruto. While Naruto understood and empathized with Nagato, he disagreed with his approach to achieving peace. Naruto believed that breaking the cycle of revenge, the root cause of the ongoing hatred among ninjas, was the key to true peace.

Despite feeling anger towards Nagato for his actions, Naruto chose not to seek revenge against him. Nagato was taken aback by Naruto's forgiveness and decided to follow Naruto's example. He used the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bring back to life all those who had perished during Pain's attack on the Leaf Village.

Nagato's condition after performing the jutsu (Image via Studio Pierrot) - Nagato's condition after performing the jutsu (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nagato's condition after performing the jutsu (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Kakashi Hatake was among them, sacrificing his life to protect Choji by using up the last of his chakra. As Nagato cast his jutsu, Kakashi's soul reunited with that of his father, Sakumo, and returned to the world of the living along with everyone else.

Once Nagato finished the technique, his life ebbed away. With a final smile, he bid farewell to Naruto. However, things were supposed to unfold differently according to Madara's plan, which would later be carried out by Obito.

Black Zetsu forcing Obito to revive Madara (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Black Zetsu forcing Obito to revive Madara (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nagato’s Rinnegan actually belonged to Madara, not himself. When Nagato was young, Madara implanted his eyes into him without Nagato's knowledge. Madara then influenced Obito to manipulate Nagato’s life, using him to carry out the "Eye of the Moon Plan".

The ultimate goal was for Nagato to use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to bring Madara back to life. However, Nagato passed away before he could do so. Obito then implanted himself with one of Nagato's Rinnegan eyes. After the Fourth Ninja War, Madara was resurrected through Kabuto’s Impure World Reincarnation.

Unclear Limitations of a Suicidal Technique

However, Madara's plan was still incomplete because only a fully living person could become the Ten Tails jinchuriki. To overcome this obstacle, Madara had Black Zetsu possess Obito's body and utilize the Rinnegan to truly bring Madara back to life.

Nagato performing the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique (Image via Studio Pierrot) - A suicidal technique whose limitations are unclear

Nagato performing the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique is known to have a fatal consequence for the caster, leading to their death. Obito was able to survive using this technique because Black Zetsu was connected to his body. Naruto managed to temporarily stabilize Obito's life force, but it was clear that Obito would still meet his end.

In contrast, the Impure World Reincarnation involves using a living body to house the soul of the deceased, resulting in a reanimated corpse. On the other hand, the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique brings people back to life fully, providing them with a physical body complete with flesh and blood.

The limitations of this jutsu are not clear, which makes it hard to understand why Nagato didn't bring back Jiraiya from the dead. When Nagato used the technique, he seemed to suggest that he could only revive those who had passed away recently. This can be inferred from his statement:

"I can still bring back the people who died after I came to the Hidden Leaf Village."

The effects of the technique (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The effects of the technique (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Considering this, the reason why Jiraiya couldn't be brought back to life is believed to be due to the significant amount of time that had passed since his death. However, this explanation doesn't seem to hold true when we look at the case of Madara Uchiha. He successfully planned and achieved his own resurrection using the Rinnegan jutsu many years after his demise.

The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique was the key to Madara's revival, proving that it was indeed possible to bring someone back to life even after a long period of time. Therefore, the notion that too much time had passed for Jiraiya to be resurrected doesn't seem to be a valid reason.

This Rinnegan jutsu brings back the souls of the deceased to their bodies, reanimating them in the exact same spot. In Madara's situation, his Edo Tensei body was transformed into a real body because his soul was already present.

Jiraiya's body ended up submerged underwater, which could have caused it to decay. However, this wasn't a problem since most of the individuals Nagato revived had died from severe injuries. Therefore, when Nagato used the jutsu to revive their souls, their bodies were magically restored.

Jiraiya's death is one of the saddest moments in the series (Image via Studio Pierrot) - Jiraiya's death is one of the saddest moments in the series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Jiraiya's death is one of the saddest moments in the series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

There is a belief that Nagato chose not to bring back Jiraiya to life because he thought Jiraiya would drown again. Jiraiya's body was deep underwater near the Rain Village, and if the Rinnegan revived him there, he would drown once more.

However, this argument can be easily refuted. Jiraiya could have survived drowning using the Reverse Summoning Technique. This jutsu allows an animal to summon a ninja who has a summoning contract with its species to its location.

Jiraiya's toads had the ability to summon him back to safety even if he had drowned underwater, just like they did to transport Naruto between Mount Myoboku and the Hidden Leaf Village.

The Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique does not have a time limit, but it may have a maximum range of effect. This could be the reason why Nagato, who performed the technique near the Leaf Village, was unable to resurrect Jiraiya, whose body was far away from there.

Naruto paying homage to his beloved teacher (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Naruto paying homage to his beloved teacher (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Nagato was already exhausted and almost out of chakra when he attempted to use the jutsu. He had to push himself to the limit, causing his hair to turn white. It’s possible that Nagato’s Rinnegan technique couldn’t bring Jiraiya back because his body was beyond saving.

There is also a narrative reason why Jiraiya couldn’t be revived, regardless of the circumstances. His death marked a significant moment in Naruto’s journey, helping him empathize with Sasuke’s pain of losing loved ones.

At that time, the future Seventh Hokage couldn't understand Sasuke well because he hadn't gone through the deep sorrow of losing someone dear. It was after Jiraiya's passing that Naruto grew both as a person and a shinobi. Even though it was sad, his growth as a character would have been hindered if Jiraiya had been brought back to life.

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Editor's P/S:

The article delves into the mystery surrounding why Nagato, despite having the ability to resurrect the dead, chose not to bring back Jiraiya after his demise. It explores various theories and limitations of the Rinnegan's Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, but ultimately leaves the question unanswered. The article highlights the narrative significance of Jiraiya's death in Naruto's journey, suggesting that his resurrection would have hindered the young shinobi's growth and empathy.

As a reader, I found the article's exploration of the technicalities and limitations of the Rinnegan jutsu intriguing. However, I was left with a lingering sense of curiosity about the true reason behind Nagato's decision. The article's emphasis on the narrative significance of Jiraiya's death made me appreciate the role of sacrifice and loss in shaping the characters' development. Overall, the article provided an informative and thought-provoking analysis of a pivotal moment in the Naruto series, leaving me with a desire to delve deeper into the complexities of the fictional world and its characters.