For long-running shonen series, it’s common to run into a few incongruous elements along the way that don’t align with the story. The Naruto series is no different as the anime has been plagued by plot holes and inconsistencies, though the author has tried to mend these errors with a few occasional retcons. One such example is the Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth, arguably the most absurd and overpowered ability in the Naruto franchise. The technique has been used as a plot device on two different occasions, though not before being hot-fixed to fit the narrative better.
The original iteration of the Rinne Rebirth technique portrayed the jutsu as an all-powerful ability with little to no side effects. It essentially depicted the Rinnegan as a god-like power, able to revive as many people given the right circumstances, and that too without the dire consequence of death. However, the workings of this technique were later changed entirely in a bid to rectify a glaring mistake on the author’s part, becoming another one of the series’ many incongruities.
The Rinne Rebirth’s Original Drawback
The very first instance of the Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth took place during the Pain invasion arc, after Naruto confronts Nagato and convinces him to forgo his notion of inflicting pain to others. To rectify his misdeeds, Nagato uses the Rinne Rebirth technique, stating that he can bring back all those that have died in the invasion. Konan exclaims that Nagato’s chakra levels are extremely low and may push him over the edge if he goes ahead with the technique.
This instance cemented two aspects of the Rinne Rebirth technique. First, there seems to be a set time limit for souls to be reincarnated by the technique, and those that have long passed cannot be brought back from the Pure Land. Second, the only prerequisite to using the jutsu is having access to a considerable amount of chakra, rather than sacrificing one's own life to bring back the dead. This concept for the Rinne Rebirth technique somewhat made sense when Nagato used the technique in his worn-out state, losing his life in the process.
However, it was later seen that his eyes were preserved and could easily be implanted into another shinobi who could then use the Rinne Rebirth again. This would create an endless cycle of reincarnations that would simply be dependent on levels of remaining chakra rather than the condition of losing one’s own life. As the series progressed, it became all the more apparent how the Rinne Rebirth could work against the show’s narrative, forcing the jutsu to be retconned into a somewhat less absurd ability.
The Rinne Rebirth Retcon
By the time the Rinne Rebirth was used for a second time, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, many of its workings had been considerably reformed. With Black Zetsu taking control of Obito’s body, the rogue Uchiha was forced to reincarnate the pinnacle of all evil – Madara Uchiha. However, this reincarnation differed from its previous counterparts, deviating significantly from the preset notion of what the Rinne Rebirth was set to achieve.
The two aspects pertinent to the Rinne Rebirth’s workings had been reformed to better suit the narrative of the series. Instead of relying on chakra, the technique now requires the caster to sacrifice themselves for the revived soul, making death a permanent aspect of this jutsu – a concept that aligns with the Samsara of Heavenly Life. This was clearly witnessed from Obito’s dying state right after he performed the Rinne Rebirth technique.
Moreover, the time constraint set for the souls to be revived seemed to have been revoked as Madara had died decades ago, yet his soul was successfully revived through the Rinne Rebirth. If such were the case all along, Nagato could have resurrected Jiraiya and Yahiko along with the other fallen shinobi of the Leaf, yet he implied that he could only bring back the recently deceased. This further creates a glaring incongruity in the series as both instances of the technique seem to massively differ from one another.
Why the Rinne Rebirth Retcon Was Necessary
While reframing the concept of the Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth may have created some inconsistencies in the series, these changes had to be done out of pure necessity. Keeping the Rinne Rebirth in its former state would have essentially meant infinite resurrections, breaking the Naruto universe entirely.
With the new changes to the technique, it became much more balanced and consequential, as the drawbacks of performing it ensured that it would only be used as a last resort. The reforms to the technique may certainly seem out of place, yet the newer version of the technique seems to be much more balanced, along with being attuned to the symbolism behind the cycle of life.