The Akatsuki was a powerful criminal organization in the Naruto anime and manga series. They played a major antagonistic role, seeking to capture the tailed beasts for their plan of world domination. As a secretive and infamous group, the identity of the Akatsuki’s leader was shrouded in mystery for much of the story. In this article, we will uncover who the true leader of the Akatsuki was.
Yahiko
Yahiko was one of the original founders of the Akatsuki, along with Konan and Nagato. He was an orphan from the Village Hidden in the Rain, who grew up during the country’s civil wars. After meeting Konan and Nagato, who were also war orphans, Yahiko dreamed of bringing peace to their homeland. He founded the Akatsuki as a means to that end.
Originally, the Akatsuki began as a peaceful organization that opposed violence and militarism. Yahiko was the leader of the group and proposed using it to spread their belief of pacifism. For a time, Yahiko was acknowledged as the leader and public face of the Akatsuki. He had strong ideals and charisma that helped attract followers to their cause. However, the group’s failed approach caused Yahiko to start questioning their methods.
The Akatsuki’s Change
Due to the bloody shinobi world they lived in, the Akatsuki could not achieve their goals through pacifism alone. Yahiko briefly compromised his ideals by accepting a deal from Hanzo of the Salamander, the leader of Amegakure at the time. Hanzo offered to support the Akatsuki in exchange for working as his spies.
When Hanzo double crossed them, Yahiko sacrificed himself for Nagato’s life. This marked a turning point for the Akatsuki’s change into a criminal organization, as well as Nagato’s adoption of the name Pain. After Yahiko’s death, leadership of the Akatsuki passed onto Nagato, although Yahiko’s charisma and goals continued to shape the group for some time.
Nagato / Pain
After Yahiko’s death, Nagato took up leadership of the Akatsuki. He started to believe that Yahiko’s hope for pacifism would never happen in the current shinobi climate. Under the alias of Pain, Nagato planned to become a “god” who would use the tailed beasts to force the world into peace through fear.
Nagato wielded the legendary Rinnegan and possessed the Six Paths of Pain, making him one of the most powerful ninja and perfect to lead the criminal Akatsuki. Using his Deva Path ability, Nagato could synchronize the Six Paths of Pain from far distances to coordinate attacks and protect himself. He also concealed his true identity as Nagato by acting through these six animated corpses.
Recruiting Members
Nagato started recruiting elite missing-nin and rogue ninja into the Akatsuki to accomplish the tailed beast hunt. He specifically looked for S-class criminals who would have the strength and abilities to extract the beasts. Some members joined willingly, like Kisame Hoshigaki who wished to be part of an organization that brought change to the world. Others, like Deidara, were forced into joining after losing battles against Itachi Uchiha.
Nagato rarely got personally involved in recruiting efforts or the group’s affairs. He preferred to remain in the shadows and acted through the Six Paths of Pain or his partner Konan. After Nagato’s death, leadership shifted again when Tobi revealed himself as Madara Uchiha.
Obito Uchiha / Tobi
Tobi was the cool and aloof member who wore an orange mask to conceal his identity. For much of the story, Tobi claimed to be Madara Uchiha. In reality, he was Obito Uchiha, Kakashi’s presumed dead teammate.
Obito’s Manipulations
Obito had orchestrated events behind the scenes under the guise of Madara to push Nagato into using the Akatsuki for his own ends. After Nagato’s death, Obito dropped all pretenses and directly took over leadership of the Akatsuki. He revealed the Eye of the Moon Plan to the remaining Akatsuki members, gaining their support to his cause.
Obito could wield the mysterious intangibility ability of his Mangekyo Sharingan. This made him indispensable to the Akatsuki as the only member who could successfully control the tailed beasts after their capture. His knowledge of Madara’s plans and secrets gave him great influence in directing the Akatsuki’s actions.
Obito also manipulated Sasori into joining and used the sealing statue to siphon portions of the tailed beasts for his plans. He masked this by claiming the extractions served to strengthen the organization. In reality, Obito was saving the tailed beast chakra for his eventual reincarnation of the Ten-Tails.
Leadership Duel with Pain
There was a period of time in the Akatsuki where Pain and Tobi both gave orders, causing friction over who actually led the Akatsuki. They agreed to split the group, with Pain overseeing the hunt for tailed beasts and Tobi heading the group’s behind-the-scenes actions. In effect, Pain was the figurehead leader, but Tobi remained the true leader pulling the strings.
After Pain’s death fighting Naruto, Tobi fully dropped his goofball act and asserted sole leadership over the organization. Up until the Fourth Great Ninja War pitted the Akatsuki against the United Shinobi Forces, Obito remained the undisputed leader and mastermind behind the criminal organization.
Conclusion
The Akatsuki leadership question was one shrouded in deception and misdirection. While Yahiko was the original charismatic founder, leadership shifted to the powerful yet reclusive Nagato. For most of the Akatsuki’s criminal operations, Obito masterminded events behind the scenes as Tobi to direct Nagato and the group to his desired ends. Upon revealing himself as Madara, Obito took overt control until the Akatsuki’s final dissolution during the war.
Summary of Akatsuki Leaders
| Name | Alias | Background |
|---|---|---|
| Yahiko | None | One of the original Akatsuki founders along with Konan and Nagato. He proposed using the group to spread their ideal of pacifism. |
| Nagato | Pain | After Yahiko’s death, he took over leadership and planned to use the tailed beasts to force the world into peace through fear. |
| Obito Uchiha | Tobi | Manipulated events behind the scenes under the guise of Madara to direct the Akatsuki. After Pain’s death, dropped his act and took direct leadership. |
Background on Key Akatsuki Members
| Member | Info |
|---|---|
| Itachi Uchiha | Joined after murdering his clan. Served as double agent leaking info to Konoha while watching over Sasuke. |
| Kisame Hoshigaki | Former Kirigakure ninja who willingly joined Akatsuki. Partnered with Itachi. Had massive chakra reserves and wielded the sword Samehada. |
| Sasori | Puppet master ninja from Sunagakure. Known for turning humans into puppets. Informant spy for Akatsuki before officially joining. |
| Deidara | Explosion release user who utilized clay birds and bombs. Forced to join the Akatsuki after losing a fight against Itachi. |
Goals of the Akatsuki
Founding Goals
The Akatsuki was founded by Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato with the original goal of bringing peace to their home country of Amegakure, which was ravaged by civil war. Their initial aim was to spread the ideal of pacifism and use the organization to oppose violence and militarism.
Pain’s Goals
After Yahiko’s death, Pain took leadership and aimed to use the power of the tailed beasts to become a “god” who would terrify the world into peace. He believed power and fear were the only ways to achieve peace.
Obito’s Goals
Obito manipulated the Akatsuki to pool their efforts into capturing the tailed beasts, sealing them into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He hid his true intentions of reviving the Ten-Tails from most members. Obito’s actual goal was to advance his Eye of the Moon plan to place the world under an infinite illusion after casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Major Actions of the Akatsuki
- Defeated Hanzo and gained control of Amegakure
- Captured the One-Tail Shukaku sealing it into the Demonic Statue
- Extracted the Nine-Tails from Naruto Uzumaki
- Kidnapped Gaara the Fifth Kazekage and extracted the One-Tail, killing him
- Captured the Two-Tails Matatabi from Yugito Nii
- Engaged Sasuke Uchiha after he defeated Orochimaru
- Invaded the Five Kage Summit and declared the Fourth Great Ninja War
- Joined forces with Kabuto Yakushi to reincarnate an army for the war
- Fought the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Great Ninja War
The Akatsuki took over Amegakure, captured jinchuriki and tailed beasts, invaded the Five Kage Summit, and fought in the Fourth Great Ninja War. Despite starting as a group promoting peace, they became a major criminal organization and precipitated the final worldwide ninja war.
Conclusion
In summary, the Akatsuki leadership question underwent shifts from its founding to dissolution. Yahiko founded the group before Pain and Obito manipulated it for their own ends. Obito concealed his true identity as Tobi while directing the criminal organization towards advancing his Eye of the Moon Plan, making him the de facto leader for most of its operations. Leadership was murky and hidden behind misdirection until Obito revealed himself and took overt control. The Akatsuki evolved from promoting peace to becoming a powerful force that precipitated the Fourth Great Ninja War.