Fans wonder if Tsunade could have helped Jiraiya escape from Pain and figure out his powers earlier.
An even better fight would have been all Sannin versus Pain — which would both make it more balanced and be a great thematic addition to the series.
Sadly, the plot was simply too different for this to ever have happened.
Naruto has a lot of epic and memorable fights — it can be hard to choose the best one. However, one of the most iconic ones is definitely Jiraiya's confrontation with Pain, which subsequently resulted in his death. This stretch of episodes is often considered the best in Shippuden, but some fans can't help but think it also could have been executed better.
What if Tsunade helped Jiraiya versus Pain?
Despite being one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was severely outmatched in his fight versus Pain. In addition to having the Rinnegan — which is said to be the strongest visual jutsu — Pain had an element of surprise. A lot of his abilities are unconventional, and figuring out how they work was a part of the challenge. Even then, Jiraiya has only figured out the key part near the end of the fight and couldn't escape alive.
Some fans wonder how different the fight would go if both Jiraiya and Tsunade went on to fight Pain. While they doubt that even together they would be able to beat him — he is way too overpowered — fans speculate that perhaps they could have escaped, and Jiraiya would have survived.
What is even more interesting is that with Tsunade being a medic, she would be able to quickly realize that none of Pain's bodies are alive. This would trivialize the mystery behind his identity, as it would be obvious that the real one is not among these bodies.
An even more interesting scenario
While Jiraiya and Tsunade together still wouldn't be able to beat Pain, all three Sannin could at least match him in power. This would be problematic from the plot standpoint — Orochimaru was dead at that point in the series — but this fight would undoubtedly be epic.
The best part about a theoretical Sannin vs Pain fight would be its thematic relevance. Yes, Jiraiya versus Pain was already great on that front — it was a showdown between a teacher and his student — but all three Sannin would make even more sense there.
They found the orphans — Nagato, Yahiko and Konan — during one of the previous great wars and helped raise them. This fight would signify the theme of how older generations affect the younger ones.
Sadly, this could not have happened
Unfortunately, there's just no way to make the fight work from the narrative point of view. Too many things should have gone differently for this scenario to happen, and it's unknown how the series would even work in this case. That said, it is still a cool thought experiment of sorts.
It makes more sense the more you think about it.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
Fans wonder if Tsunade could have helped Jiraiya escape from Pain and figure out his powers earlier.
An even better fight would have been all Sannin versus Pain — which would both make it more balanced and be a great thematic addition to the series.
Sadly, the plot was simply too different for this to ever have happened.
Naruto has a lot of epic and memorable fights — it can be hard to choose the best one. However, one of the most iconic ones is definitely Jiraiya's confrontation with Pain, which subsequently resulted in his death. This stretch of episodes is often considered the best in Shippuden, but some fans can't help but think it also could have been executed better.
What if Tsunade helped Jiraiya versus Pain?
Despite being one of the legendary Sannin, Jiraiya was severely outmatched in his fight versus Pain. In addition to having the Rinnegan — which is said to be the strongest visual jutsu — Pain had an element of surprise. A lot of his abilities are unconventional, and figuring out how they work was a part of the challenge. Even then, Jiraiya has only figured out the key part near the end of the fight and couldn't escape alive.
Some fans wonder how different the fight would go if both Jiraiya and Tsunade went on to fight Pain. While they doubt that even together they would be able to beat him — he is way too overpowered — fans speculate that perhaps they could have escaped, and Jiraiya would have survived.
What is even more interesting is that with Tsunade being a medic, she would be able to quickly realize that none of Pain's bodies are alive. This would trivialize the mystery behind his identity, as it would be obvious that the real one is not among these bodies.
An even more interesting scenario
While Jiraiya and Tsunade together still wouldn't be able to beat Pain, all three Sannin could at least match him in power. This would be problematic from the plot standpoint — Orochimaru was dead at that point in the series — but this fight would undoubtedly be epic.
The best part about a theoretical Sannin vs Pain fight would be its thematic relevance. Yes, Jiraiya versus Pain was already great on that front — it was a showdown between a teacher and his student — but all three Sannin would make even more sense there.
They found the orphans — Nagato, Yahiko and Konan — during one of the previous great wars and helped raise them. This fight would signify the theme of how older generations affect the younger ones.
Sadly, this could not have happened
Unfortunately, there's just no way to make the fight work from the narrative point of view. Too many things should have gone differently for this scenario to happen, and it's unknown how the series would even work in this case. That said, it is still a cool thought experiment of sorts.
