The Akatsuki was a villainous organization in the Naruto universe intended to remake the world through an unprecedented amount of suffering. All of its members are willing to facilitate this fate, with their backstories often explaining why such a future might not only be permissible for them but in some cases even ideal.
Suffering has hardened their hearts and indelibly altered their futures. Through ranking the Akatsuki based on the tragedy of their lives, we can better empathize with the organization despite its flagrantly malicious actions and the many ways they have harmed Konoha's heroes.
10 Hidan Was An Ridiculous Zealot Whose Actions Were Driven By A Mysterious God
Hidan was a sinister cultist and a man extremely difficult to sympathize with. His actions were motivated by the mysterious "Lord Jashin," a relatively obscure deity who he attempts (sometimes successfully) to make blood offerings toward.
The villain is openly sadistic and mocks the pain of his adversaries, demonstrated with the demise of Asuma. His only remotely sympathetic quality is the fact that his mind is clearly broken.
9 Deidara's Obsession With Art Got People Hurt
Deidara's motivation is somewhat more understandable though nonetheless abhorrent. He seeks to create "art" through his detonation clay, resulting in a divide between himself and the Stone village since he preferred living victims for his performances.
This made him an attractive candidate to join the Akatsuki, even if he might not share their moral platitudes about reshaping the world. So long as they condoned his obsession with violence and destruction, he committed himself to their service. If the ninja had chosen to employ his talents more productively, he could have made for a splendid hero.
8 Zetsu's Sole Purpose Was To Enact His Mistress' Will
While Zetsu is perhaps the most openly malevolent and destructive member of the Akatsuki (engineering disastrous events such as Obito's attack on the Leaf and Madara's war against the entire world), it's difficult to hold him accountable when considering the circumstances of his birth.
He was a product of Kaguya Otsutsuki moments before her defeat by Hagoromo and Hamura, born solely to usher his creator's return. Considering that he was made to fulfill a single purpose, it's difficult to begrudge him even despite the atrocities he was responsible for.
7 Kakuzu Was Banished For Failing An Impossible Mission
Kakuzu was assigned the task of defeating Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage and a man often referred to as "the God of Shinobi." Predictably, this mission was an appalling failure, though his village would not excuse it regardless of how impossible the task was.
As a result, he banished for his impotence and publicly disgraced. Overcome with grief and hatred, he murdered the village's elders before leaving, stealing their hearts and secret techniques for his lonely journey forward. He is the only member of the Akatsuki to be driven exclusively through financial interests in lieu of sentiment or other abstract pursuits (such as practicing art).
6 Kisame's Loyalty & Commitment Was Exploited
Kisame was once a Mist village ninja who was assigned to guard the Cypher Division. When it seemed as if the situation was untenable (since the group was surrounded by Ibiki and other Konoha shinobi), he followed the orders Fuguki gave to kill his own comrades and safeguard sensitive intel.
However, he would later discover that Fuguki himself was selling information to the village's enemies. Enraged and disenfranchised, Kisame killed the man and took his sword as a trophy and utility for the bleak future ahead.
5 Konan Was Forced To Watch Yahiko Die & Nagato Change For The Worse
Konan was one of the original founders of the Akatsuki alongside Nagato and Yahiko. She was used by Hanzo to force Nagato to choose between the lives of his close friends. Unwilling to allow the man to live with permanent psychological scars, Yahiko made the decision for Nagato and took his own life.
This set the Akatsuki leader down a morbid path, one which would permanently alter the philosophy and creed of his organization. Though Konan would survive to witness her friend's redemption, she could not protect his corpse from having its Rinnegan stolen by Obito.
4 Sasori Faced A Childhood Of Loneliness
The lives of Sasori's parents were taken in war, forcing him to spend his childhood with Chiyo and with much loneliness. Unlike Konan, he never knew the hospitality of Jiraiya or the companionship of having friends.
This resulted in the puppet master becoming maligned and sadistic toward others. He attacked innocent shinobi and fashioned their bodies into dolls, creating a mockery of life and fulfilling the vacancy years of abandonment had created in his heart. Ultimately, Sasori was so out of touch with his humanity that he replaced almost his entire body with artificial limbs.
3 Obito Was Crushed, Abandoned, & Betrayed
Obito's life was a slew of tragedies, beginning with an unfortunate mission he partook in alongside Kakashi and Rin. After his body was crushed by a boulder, he gave Kakashi his Sharingan as a final parting gift.
When he discovered Kakashi's fist through Rin's chest, he was enraged and became willing to fulfill the bidding of Madara and Zetsu. Obito was ignorant to the fact that the kunoichi forced Kakashi to kill her since she could not control the tailed beast in her body and did not want to endanger her friends or village.
2 Nagato's World Was Shattered By Yahiko's Death
Yahiko willingly killed himself so that Nagato would not have to choose between him and Konan. Though he had hoped to save his friend's soul through his sacrifice, the Rinnegan user was destined for a path of villainy.
Having lost one of his only pillars of stability as a child, he repurposed the Akatsuki as an instrument of destruction. Hellbent on capturing the tailed beasts, he would not rest until Konoha - and the other four great nations - experienced the same pain that he did.
1 Itachi Was Forced To Kill His Own Kin & Parents To Prevent A Global War
When the Uchiha clan prepared to mount an attack on the Leaf, Itachi knew they had to be stopped. If he did nothing, the civil war would have spread to the other four nations and caused an unprecedented amount of death.
This tarnished his reputation in the eyes of his brother and compelled his sibling to devote his entire life toward bringing him down. Rather than explaining his circumstances, Itachi bore his accusations willingly since he knew that emotional turmoil was a prerequisite for evolving the Sharingan.
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