How Did Naruto Rinnegan Awaken Without A Sharingan?

I still get goosebumps thinking about how messy and brilliant that final arc was. First, a quick correction: Naruto never actually gains the Rinnegan — that eye power shows up on Nagato, Madara, and finally Sasuke. What Naruto gets is Six Paths power from Hagoromo, which people sometimes mix up with the Rinnegan. That said, if you want fights that show off the closest thing Naruto has to 'Rinnegan-level' spectacle, these are the ones that stand out for me. The Fourth Great Ninja War against Obito and Madara is where Naruto's Six Paths chakra and Kurama cooperation are on full display — huge-scale attacks, massive Rasengan variants, and the endurance to stand against a Ten-Tails jinchūriki. Then there's the clash with Kaguya: that's the sequence where Naruto and Sasuke (with his Rinnegan) combine powers, dimension-hopping and pulling off techniques that feel cosmic. The Final Valley rematch with Sasuke is quieter but emotionally huge — Naruto's Six Paths-enhanced moves versus Sasuke's Rinnegan tricks like Amenotejikara make each exchange feel personal and mythic. If someone called these scenes "Naruto's Rinnegan moments," I'd forgive them — they're the closest cinematic equivalents, showing his growth from prankster to a world-saving force. For rewatching, I like jumping around those specific battles; the pacing and stakes still hit me hard.

Man, the first time I saw those concentric purple eyes I paused the episode and sat there in awe — that's how the Rinnegan first shows up in the story: with Nagato, the man behind the puppet show known as Pain. In 'Naruto Shippuden' the village gets flattened and suddenly this calm, terrifying figure with the rippled purple eyes controls the Six Paths of Pain. Visually it’s unforgettable: those circular rings are introduced as something ancient and godlike, and the Pain arc leans into that mystery for a long while. As it turns out in the manga/anime story, the deeper origin comes later. The Rinnegan itself belonged originally to the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki, and then reappears in history when Madara Uchiha awakens it after mixing his Uchiha chakra with Hashirama’s cells. Madara’s Rinnegan then ends up transplanted into Nagato when he’s a child, which is why those eyes manifest so early in the series. Nagato uses the Rinnegan to control multiple bodies and unleash terrifying techniques, giving us the first canonical on-screen manifestation of the dojutsu. A lot of folks mix things up and assume Naruto himself gets the Rinnegan, but that’s not what happens. Naruto receives Six Paths power and the Six Paths Sage Mode from Hagoromo — that grants him enormous chakra and new abilities, but not the Rinnegan. Later, Sasuke actually awakens a Rinnegan in his left eye when Hagoromo gifts him power, which completes the paired myth: Naruto with Six Paths chakra and Sasuke with the ocular power. For that first spine-tingling moment, though, it all starts with Nagato/Pain and those eerie purple rings.

I've always been fascinated by how the Rinnegan works in 'Naruto'—it feels like the ultimate toolbox for a shinobi who wants god-tier versatility. At its core, the Rinnegan gives the user access to the Six Paths abilities: the Deva Path (gravity control like Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in), the Asura Path (mechanical augmentation and weaponry), the Human Path (soul extraction and reading thoughts), the Animal Path (summoning all kinds of creatures simultaneously), the Preta Path (chakra absorption), and the Naraka Path (interrogation and revival via the King of Hell). Those are the headline acts, and each has tactical uses from crowd control to direct elimination or intelligence gathering. Beyond those six, the Rinnegan ties into the Outer Path, which is where things get mythical: you can control life and death (Rinne Tensei — resurrecting the dead, at terrible cost in some cases), manipulate chakra receivers and black rods, and command the Gedo Statue. Users who have the Six Paths power can also manifest Truth-Seeking Balls—molecules of chakra that contain all five natures plus yin–yang and can nullify ninjutsu. Then there are eye-unique variations: Sasuke’s Rinnegan (with tomoe) can bend space-time via Amenotejikara, while Nagato’s version specialized differently. Some Rinnegan grant mastery over all nature transformations and even Six Paths Senjutsu, letting the wielder punch above normal chakra rules. The caveats are important, too. The Rinnegan can be transplanted, it consumes and demands huge chakra reserves, and certain techniques (like Rinne Tensei) have massive costs. Not every Rinnegan looks or behaves the same—history, whose chakra is involved, and the wielder’s will heavily shape what you actually get. For fans who love watching high-stakes clashes in 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden', the Rinnegan scenes are the ones that feel truly world-bending.

Honestly, this question pops up a lot in chats I lurk in, and I get why—Rinnegan stuff is flashy and confusing. To be clear: Naruto Uzumaki himself never actually awakens a Rinnegan in the main canon. What he gets is Hagoromo’s Six Paths power and Six Paths Sage Mode, which grant him god-tier chakra and abilities that sometimes look Rinnegan-like, but they aren’t the Rinnegan ocular jutsu. The true Rinnegan users you see in 'Naruto' and 'Naruto Shippuden' are characters like Pain (Nagato), Madara, and later Obito. Sasuke gets a Rinnegan-like dojutsu in the later timeline shown in 'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations'. Both the manga and the anime show the core Rinnegan abilities—Shinra Tensei, Chibaku Tensei, Outer Path techniques, the Samsara of Heavenly Life—because those moments are central to the story. The big difference is presentation: the manga gives tight panels and explanatory text, while the anime adds movement, color, and sometimes extra scenes (fillers or extended sequences) that make those powers feel even more dramatic. Also, spin-offs, data books, and video games sometimes expand or reinterpret Rinnegan moves, which fuels confusion. So if you’re hunting for every Rinnegan moment, both the manga and the anime cover the essentials; anime might give you extra spectacle and a few added scenes, while the manga has clearer cause-and-effect in the panels. Personally, I like flipping between them: read the manga for the pacing and rewatch the anime for the full theatrical punch.

I still get a little giddy whenever this topic comes up among friends, because it’s one of those details in 'Naruto' that rewards paying attention. The short reality: Naruto never actually had a true Rinnegan. What he received from Hagoromo (the Sage of Six Paths) was Six Paths Sage Mode and the power of the tailed beasts, which changed how his eyes looked—more like the yellow, horizontal-slit pupils and that faint chakra pigmentation around his eyes—rather than giving him the ripple-pattern Rinnegan. So when people say “Naruto’s Rinnegan looked different,” a lot of the confusion comes from mixing up those Six Paths eye changes with an actual Rinnegan. Madara’s Rinnegan, by contrast, is the classic ripple-patterned ocular power that’s tightly linked to the Uchiha line and the unique way he awakened it (using Senju cells plus his own Uchiha chakra, later becoming Ten-Tails’ jinchūriki). Sasuke’s Rinnegan—what we actually see on-screen in the war—looks different again because it was granted by Hagoromo and fused with his Sharingan heritage; the extra tomoe (comma-like marks) reflect that Sharingan influence and also hint at Sasuke’s space-time/teleportation abilities. In short: different origin = different composition = different look and abilities. I love that visual language in 'Naruto'—the eyes tell you not just who a character is, but where their power came from. Makes rewatching those arcs fun, because every close-up has meaning.

People get tripped up on this all the time, so here’s how I explain it when chatting with friends: Naruto never actually gets a Rinnegan. What he receives near the end of 'Naruto Shippuden' is the Six Paths Sage power from Hagoromo, which gives him Six Paths Sage Mode, Truth-Seeking Balls, and massive chakra boosts — not the Rinnegan itself. The anime (and the manga) do go into the Rinnegan's origins: it’s tied to Kaguya’s chakra lineage and the Sage of Six Paths (Hagoromo). Madara later awakens the Rinnegan by combining his Uchiha chakra with Hashirama cells, and he eventually transplants those eyes into Nagato. Sasuke’s single Rinnegan comes from Hagoromo directly during the final battle. So the anime explains the main chain of events and who had which eyes and why, but it keeps some ancient details — exactly how the very first Rinnegan formed in full biological terms centuries ago — a bit mythic and vague. If you want a fuller feeling of explanation, 'Boruto' and some official databooks add extra layers about the Otsutsuki and eye powers. Still, for the core story the anime gives enough to understand who gets what and why, even if you’re left filling in a few prehistoric blanks with fan theories.

I stumbled upon 'One Rinnegan to Rule Them All (Naruto SI)' while browsing fanfiction sites, and it quickly became one of my favorites. The story follows an SI protagonist who wakes up with the legendary Rinnegan in the Naruto universe, and the way the author explores the implications of this power is mind-blowing. You can find it on popular platforms like Archive of Our Own (AO3) and FanFiction.net, where it’s regularly updated. The writing quality is top-notch, blending action, politics, and character development seamlessly. The protagonist’s journey from confusion to mastery of the Rinnegan is gripping, and the world-building expands on Kishimoto’s universe in fresh ways. For those who prefer reading on the go, some fans have shared PDF versions on forums like SpaceBattles or Sufficient Velocity, though I’d always recommend supporting the author by reading on official platforms. The story’s popularity means it’s also discussed heavily in Naruto fan communities, so if you’re into deep dives into power mechanics or SI tropes, those threads are gold mines. The author occasionally posts updates on their Tumblr or Twitter, so following them there can give you early access to new chapters. Just beware of sketchy sites that host pirated copies—they’re often riddled with ads or malware.

As someone who’s obsessed with Naruto fanfics, 'One Rinnegan to Rule Them All' instantly grabbed me because of its self-insert protagonist. The SI here isn’t just some cardboard cutout dropped into the Naruto world—they’re a cunning, morally gray strategist who uses their meta-knowledge like a chess master. Picture this: a character who wakes up in the body of a minor clan heir, armed with the Rinnegan and a head full of plot spoilers, but zero patience for canon’s idealism. They don’t just follow Naruto’s story; they tear it apart stitch by stitch, manipulating events from the shadows. Their personality? Coldly pragmatic, with a dry sense of humor that cuts deeper than a kunai. They’ll ally with Orochimaru if it means survival, blackmail Danzo for resources, and smirk when the Akatsuki unwittingly plays into their plans. It’s refreshing to see an SI who’s not obsessed with becoming Hokage or saving everyone—they’re out for power, plain and simple, and the Rinnegan is their ticket to dominance. The fic dives deep into how the SI’s presence warps the world. They train under Jiraiya not out of loyalty, but to dissect his sealing techniques. They befriend Shikamaru to exploit his intellect, and their 'relationship' with Sasuke is pure psychological warfare—offering him strength while subtly undermining his revenge obsession. The Rinnegan isn’t just a weapon; it’s a symbol of their alienation. They use its paths clinically, but the more they rely on it, the more they lose touch with humanity. There’s a chilling scene where they casually resurrect a dead comrade as a puppet, justifying it as 'efficiency.' The author nails the SI’s voice: calculating, arrogant, yet weirdly charismatic. You root for them even as they cross lines canon heroes wouldn’t. Their endgame? Unclear, and that’s the thrill. This isn’t a hero’s journey—it’s a villain’s origin story, and the Rinnegan is just the beginning.