The following contains spoilers for Hell’s Paradise through Episode 5, “The Samurai and the Woman”, now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Since its premiere within the Spring 2023 anime lineup, Hell’s Paradise has captivated viewers with thrilling action, immense heart and an intriguing mystery to unfold. Along the way, fans are growing comfortable with a cast of characters who are being built up as exceptionally resilient. Sadly, resilience can only take one so far in the setting of this mostly horrific anime.
In setting itself up for battles, drama and twists among its motley crew cast, Hell’s Paradise fosters great entertainment and even more emotional connection with a full roster of characters with great development. Regardless of importance to the plot or potential growth, however, the real winner of this series is actually death. Against the island’s fearsome dangers and the death’s looming presence, even the fan-favorites may turn out to be remembered as the series’ most heartbreaking ends.
Death Is Already a Major Player in Hell’s Paradise
With heavy tones to guide it, Hell’s Paradise takes no time in introducing death to its narrative. Each of the criminals summoned to find the Elixir of Life were initially set to be killed on death row following their declared crimes. When they are pulled from the brink of execution and set on an expedition to find the Elixir, they become well aware it is not a team effort. The Shogun lays down the competitive rules, stating that only one duo of criminal and samurai will be recognized as a reward for locating the Elixir. Only then will a single victorious criminal be pardoned of all their crimes and have a chance to life their life to the fullest.
Even if the rules declared that working together was required and multiple criminals could be pardoned, the entire cast is faced with horrifying threats never seen before. From mysterious giants to poisonous bugs, the obstacles on this island are a complete mystery. Only supplied with physical weapons and their own ingenuity, the main cast aims to overcome every hurdle in their way — but their numbers are already starting to dwindle. A number of casualties occur on the day they arrive, some due to betrayals and others from the island’s dangers. Though many of these characters weren’t especially significant to the plot or given backstories early on, one had plenty of weight in both personality and narrative purpose.
Of all the samurai known as Asaemons, the two who get the most development early in Hell’s Paradise are Sagiri and Eizen. Sagiri, the series’ heroine, has a difficult relationship with Eizen; he doesn’t see her as a good fit in her role because she is a woman. He’s given enough screen time to garner animosity from fans as he plays an antagonist to Sagiri’s journey, but not enough to fully develop him.
With an air of intrigue behind his resolute character, there’s surely a story to be told — but as much as some might have wanted to watch Eizen witness Sagiri’s growth, his role is cut short with his sudden death. The scene isn’t even shown in the anime, adding emphasis on how pivotal survival is on the island. Eizen’s abrupt death proves that no matter how interesting or significant a character may be, what really matters in Hell’s Paradise is the odds faced and how resilient these fighters can be. And it’s already becoming apparent that fans are being set up for more sudden deaths.
Hell’s Paradise’s Masterclass of Character Development Means Painful Loss
A story doesn’t need a bunch of important characters and can sometimes do with only a few, but this larger and well-developed cast comes at an emotionally stirring cost given its tone and setting. At its core, Hell’s Paradise is about a group of mostly strangers competing for their freedom. Despite the truces established in the first few episodes, it is still a free-for-all battle royale with the harshest environment to survive in. While the anime gives special importance to Gabimaru and Sagiri — who may have a certain degree of plot armor protecting them from death — this doesn’t spare viewers from any heartbreak.
If the two protagonists are narratively protected in an environment where death can abruptly happen to anyone, it will leave the rest of the cast in harm’s way. This is truly unfortunate since every character is given their own charm, justification in survival, and a significance to the story. Whether it’s a brotherly relationship, an innocent child, a kind spirit or someone who’s just engaging to watch in battle, many of these characters are likely to die. Given Hell’s Paradise’s horrific tones and visuals, it will not be pretty. Character deaths are still up in the air at this point, so fans had best be careful on who they’re rooting for to survive.