Naruto has some of the best villains in shonen history. Masashi Kishimoto created some outstanding villains, who left a deep and lasting impact on the series. Most of the villains in the series had a proper goal, and they were not looking to kill people mercilessly.
Akatsuki is the main villain organization in Naruto. Originally, it was founded by Yahiko, but after his death, the organization found a different way of achieving their goal and changed a lot of things, which included the way that they were operated. The group has a lot of unique characters who have interesting stories, but one character's story stands out—Nagato Uzumaki. He was the leader of Akatsuki, and he ruled over Amegakure. He is easily among the best villains in the series. Not only did Nagato play an important role in the story, and he also influenced Naruto's life.
Two Students Of The Same Master
The biggest similarity between the two characters is that both of them were trained by the same teacher. Jiraiya taught Nagato how to fight, and he made him understand that the world needed peace. Likewise, Naruto was trained by Jiraiya, who taught him how to use the Rasengan. Jiraiya also instructed Naruto about the condition of the world and how he dreamed that one day, the world would finally be at peace.
Both of them respected Jiraiya in their own ways. Another thing that was common between them was that both of them lost their parents at a very early age. Naruto didn't even get to see his parents as they died when he was born. Naruto and Nagato were both members of the Uzumaki clan, which granted them immense chakra reserves, which is one of the main reasons why Nagato was able to wield the powerful Rinnegan in both his eyes while Obito struggled with one. The two of them were also labeled as "Child of Prophecy," but only one of them lived up to the name.
Jiraiya's Miscalculation
Despite their similarities, Nagato and Naruto went down entirely different paths. Nagato was orphaned during the Second Great Ninja War and somewhere around this time, he met Yahiko and Konan, who were also orphans. The three stuck together and eventually, they met Jiraiya. After spending some time with the orphans, Jiraiya came to the conclusion that Nagato was the "Child of Prophecy." Jiraiya believed that with the help of the Rinnegan, Nagato could actually change the world for the better.
Nagato wanted to have a world without any killings, so the three formed the Akatsuki. However, things turned bad as Yahiko was forced to kill himself. This led Nagato towards a completely different path of achieving world peace. Nagato believed that world peace could only be achieved via power, which is why Akatsuki started to steal the tailed beasts.
On the other hand, Naruto never strayed from his path, which is fascinating considering that he had to endure a lot of tough times. He never got to see his parents and he was treated like a monster throughout his childhood. Parents forbade their kids to play with Naruto because they considered him a danger to them. Furthermore, his best friend left the village to join Orochimaru. Naruto suffered extreme physical and mental pain, but he stayed true to his goals, which was a key reason in his victory over Nagato Uzumaki.
Different Approaches
Nagato strongly believed that the best of achieving peace is by making others understand what pain is and by taking control of all the tailed beasts. Nagato's way of attaining world peace was flawed as he would just rule people with fear. While trying to accomplish his dream, Nagato killed countless people which was the complete opposite of his dream.
Naruto stuck to his beliefs and never abandoned his friends and he even treated his enemies with kindness. He managed to forgive Obito, who was the killer of his parents. Towards the end of the series, Naruto had so much power that he could easily defeat anyone. Even Sasuke needed to steal the chakra of the tailed beasts in order to stand a chance. However, Naruto did not do any such thing because he was determined to achieve a world that was not filled with wars and where ninjas were set on exacting revenge.
Nagato's Impact
It is important to remember that Nagato played an important role in making Naruto realize that the world needed peace. Throughout their fight, Nagato spoke about his idea of pain and peace. Nagato believed that he could dampen Naruto's spirits, but the latter wasn't going to go down. It was only after Naruto spoke his mind that Nagato actually agreed to stop his assault and revived all the people that he had killed in the Hidden Leaf.
Despite all of Nagato's attempts, Naruto never changed. Naruto's unwavering resolve is one of the main things that endeared him to the audience. However, Nagato did teach Naruto about the importance of ridding the world free from fighting and wars. Naruto's meeting with his master's pupil made him more determined, and it played a key role in shaping Naruto as a character.