Summary
Narutofeatures a vibrant world of countries with hidden villages where shinobi reside and train. None are more renowned thanKonohagakure, often called “Konoha” or “the Hidden Leaf Village,” where protagonist Naruto Uzumaki resides alongside other mainstays like Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Konoha is the largest of the hidden villages andserves as the center forNaruto’s plot.
Because Konoha is the focal point, viewers may overlook its nature as a political entity. While many characters throughout the series challenge this privileging of Konoha, it sometimes takes extra analysis to understandthe full implications of a character and their development.
There are few better examples of this thanNaruto Shippuden’s oft-forgottenKonan, a member of Akatsuki and partner of Pain who hails from Amegakure, “the Hidden Rain Village.”
10 Best Akatsuki Fights In Naruto
The fights against members of Akatsuki are some of the coolest in all of Naruto, leading many fans to ask which are the best of the best.
Konan Is a Product of Hidden Village Conflicts
Living through brutality, Jiraiya trains Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko – orphans of Amegakure
Konan fully emerges as a character inNarutoShippuden’s Pain Assault arc. Her home village, Amegakure, is often caught in conflicts between larger villages. Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko wereorphaned due to these conflictsand later foundedthe first iteration of Akatsuki, a group initially focused on resisting war and fighting for peace.
As children, the three were trained by the legendary Jiraiya, who found them during a conflict involving Konoha. Konan becomes one ofNaruto’s most intriguing shinobi, beingthe only one to master paper-jutsu. Expanding a precocious skill at origami into an entire fighting style, Konan epitomizes what makesNaruto’s combat system unique: intricate manipulation of chakra producing a style that reflects a character’s backstory and personality.
Konan spearheaded Nagato’s assault against Konoha and had intense fights with some ofShippuden’s strongest shinobi. She possessed an incredible talent for prediction, simulating scenarios internally to determine the best course of action. Her raw strength, predictive power, and unyielding faith in her comrades make herone ofNaruto’s most underestimated—and dangerous—shinobi.
The Pain Arc Shows Strength On All Sides
Konan’s lack of allegiances in a world often presenting itself as black and white is what makes her interesting. Her few allegiances are toAmegakure and her fellow orphans, Nagato and Yahiko. After Yahiko dies, Akatsuki’s leadership passes to Nagato, and Konan remains loyal to his vision of bringing peace to a violent world, one linked to their origins in the war-torn Amegakure.
A complex logic binds the initially peaceful Akatsuki with the prerogative of capturing the Tailed Beasts. Although it wasn’t the original aim of Akatsuki, Nagato’s intention was to use the power of the Tailed Beasts for a forbidden jutsu which, in light of its power, would deter war between villages. The transfer of power to Obito would see the same goal bent toward the purpose of reviving Kaguya and enacting the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
The Pain arc is belovedpartly because ithighlights the damage villages like Konoha have caused to bystanders. It concludes not with a climactic battle but with Naruto convincing Nagato to change his path, where a key promise is made: that Naruto will help restore peace to Amegakure. As Nagato dies, Konan, the last surviving member of the Amegakure orphans, leaves Akatsuki on this premise.
When Konan returns to Amegakure to lead it, she receives none of the promised support and eventually defends against Obito, who seeksthe Rinnegan she received from Nagato. Without real material support, she loses her life in the process. While Obito’s plan couldn’t have been predicted, a proactive response from Konoha might haveprovided vital backup for Konan. Her death is marked by a slip of paper returning to where she and Akatsuki’s other founders trained and promised to return.
Konan Reflects the Political Reality of Hidden Villages
Konan shows the limits and failures ofNaruto’s war-ravaged world.
This reveals that Konoha’s problem isn’t limited to a single Hokage’s error but is tied to the ideals that have always driven it.
Konan is important because she reveals that Konoha, despite being the series' focal point, is far from innocent. Konoha, like other villages,catches Amegakure in the crossfire of geopolitical disputes. It castsNaruto’s central village in a different light once one realizes Amegakure and Konan represent wasted potential sacrificed for the political needs of places like Konoha.
As a series,Narutoalways emphasized the hopeful idealism of its title character. However, Konan also reveals the limits of this idealism in the face ofNaruto’s geopolitical realities. Despite Naruto’s well-meaning promise to Nagato, it’s salt in the wound that Konan returns to Amegakure only for it to be forgotten. The village reappears inBorutoepisode 157, where Sasuke and Sai find it in shambles, the state it’s been in since theFourth Great Ninja War. Naruto unceremoniously dispatches aid to Amegakure in response,a gesture that is never followed up on.
This reveals that Konoha’s problemisn’t limited to a single Hokage’s errorbut is tied to the ideals that have always driven it. Whether through Hashirama’s lofty dreams, Tobirama’s pragmatism, or Naruto’s stubborn idealism, Konoha occupies a central position thatobscures the rubble it leaves behind. Naruto forgets his promise to Konan and Nagato, highlighting a problem that leaves Amegakure unstable while villages like Konoha benefit.
The fact Amegakure is rarely mentioned also highlights one ofNaruto’s narrative struggles: despite constructing an immense world,Narutofocuses mostly on the perspective of one village. An unintentional effect is that thevillages on the periphery tend to be sidelined both narratively and politically. Konan serves as a reminder that even the most beloved place inNarutois built partly on tragedy and missed potential.
Naruto: Shippuden
Cast
Naruto: Shippuden follows Naruto Uzumaki as he returns to Konoha after two and a half years, facing new challenges and enemies, including the Akatsuki organization. The series continues Naruto’s journey and growth as a shinobi while navigating complex alliances and adversaries.
