Akatsuki Rings

What are Akatsuki Rings and what is the meaning of each ring on each finger

Akatsuki Rings. Akatsuki (暁, literally meaning: “Dawn” or “Daybreak”) was a group of shinobi that existed outside the usual system of hidden villages. Over the course of several decades, Akatsuki took different forms and was led by different individuals. Though each iteration is viewed as either subversives or criminals, all seek to make the world a better place through their own means. Each Akatsuki tended to have multiple lairs across the world, inaccessible either due to their remoteness or the various security measures that protected them.

Under Nagato, each member of Akatsuki was given one of ten rings, to be worn on a specific finger. Other than apparently signifying one’s membership, the rings seem to have some role in sealing the tailed beasts into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, indicating which of the statue’s finger the members should stand on.

The rings are apparently important and irreplaceable: when Orochimaru defects he takes his ring with him, and for that reason he is never officially replaced; when Deidara loses the arm that his ring is on, he has greater interest in recovering the ring than the arm itself.

So Zetsu and Tobi specifically seek out Sasori’s ring after his death, needing it for Tobi to replace him. When Tobi takes over, the rings are no longer important, as he simply discards it along with his damaged robe after battling Konan. Despite all this, the rings’ exact significance is never explained.

The various rings are:

Right thumb: worn by Pain. Its colour is purplish-grey.

Right index finger: worn by Deidara. Its colour is teal.

Right middle finger: worn by Konan. Its colour is white.

Right ring finger: worn by Itachi Uchiha. Its colour is red.

Right little finger: worn by Zetsu. Its colour is green.

Left little finger: worn by Orochimaru. Its colour is slate blue.

Left ring finger: worn by Jūzō Biwa and later by Kisame Hoshigaki. Its colour is yellow.

Left middle finger: worn by Kakuzu. Its colour is dark green.

Left index finger: worn by Kakuzu’s first Partner and later by Hidan. Its colour is orange.

Left thumb: worn by Sasori and later by Tobi. Its colour is purple.