Naruto and Hell’s Paradise may warrant comparisons on multiple levels. Aside from the fact that they’re both about ninjas, Hell’s Paradise and Naruto are two of the most popular shonen manga series of their respective eras, each being part of their generation’s elusive Shonen Big Three. However, Hell’s Paradise differs in that it’s part of the so-called Dark Trio (alongside Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen): a moniker that highlights the darker nature of its subject matter.
Despite its reputation for being more mature, there are many thematic similarities between Hell’s Paradise and its shinobi-based predecessor. While the Naruto franchise has a more lighthearted tone than Hell’s Paradise, its darker undercurrents can rival even the bleakest of the Dark Trio.
10 Being Raised As A Ninja Is Never Easy
In both Naruto and Hell’s Paradise, the main character is raised to become a shinobi from a young age. In both cases, this means giving up much of the innocence of childhood in order to train in combat.
This fact, along with his lack of parental guidance, leads Naruto to act out. In Hell’s Paradise, Gabimaru learns to suppress his emotions early on to be a better assassin. As cool and fun as being a ninja may seem to modern audiences, both Naruto and Hell’s Paradise show the harsh reality of growing up as a ninja.
9 The Main Characters Lost Their Families At A Young Age
Naruto‘s father and mother, Minato and Kushina, were both killed by the Nine-Tailed Fox when Naruto was still just a newborn. This tragic circumstance is what allows him to bond with Sasuke, who also lost his family at a very young age.
Given Gabimaru’s own familial situation, it’s safe to presume that he would have a lot to relate to with Naruto and Sasuke as well. When he was only still a boy, Gabimaru’s parents were killed — for the exact same reason that Gabimaru himself would later be betrayed by his village.
8 Shinobi Aren’t Supposed To Leave Their Village
While it’s for very different reasons, both Sasuke and Gibamaru have a deep desire to leave their respective villages and the shinobi lifestyle behind. However, in both cases, the people within their respective villages simply will not allow it.
In Sasuke’s case, he does not respect how shinobi society treated his brother and his clan, but Naruto is not willing to let his friend go even despite the crimes he commits. Things are even more abysmal for Gabimaru; he just genuinely wants to live a peaceful life with his wife, but his village’s Chief would have no such thing.
7 Both Naruto And Gabimaru Face God-Like Beings
Shonen protagonists are no strangers to facing God-tier threats, and that tradition carries on in both Naruto and Hell’s Paradise. Specifically, Hell’s Paradise’s Tensen and Naruto‘s Otsusuki Clan are both groups of God-like entities who hold unsurpassed power in their respective universes.
Kaguya, the first of the Otsusuki Clan that Naruto ever faced, was so powerful that she could alter the fabric of reality around her. The Tensen, on the other hand, are mysterious — seemingly immortal — beings that even the legendary assassin Gabimaru can’t figure out how to kill.
6 The Good Guys Have To Team Up With Their Enemies To Survive
Sasuke and Naruto form a bitter rivalry that sees them come to blows multiple times throughout the series. However, in the final battle, Sasuke — now a wanted criminal — and Naruto have to join forces if they stand any shot at taking down Kaguya.
This parallels Hell’s Paradise in that Gabimaru and the other convicts must team up with their own executioners, the Asaemon, if they want to survive the Hellish Island of Shinsenkyo. While Gabimaru and Sagiri initially distrust one another, the precariousness of their situation causes them to rely on and even understand each other in the end.
5 Sasuke and Gabimaru Both Command the Power of Fire
While Fire magic isn’t uncommon in anime, the methods Sasuke and Gabimaru use in wielding their particular brands of Fire are quite dark. In Sasuke’s case, he can blow Fire to burn his enemies or use Ametarasu to create an undying flame that burns through anyone in his path.
Gabimaru controls flames just as viciously as his Naruto counterpart, conjuring Fire out of thin air. He is even trained to completely incinerate his enemies alongside his own body if he ever feels that he’s close to dying.
4 Flowers Signify Death
Flowers are usually thought to be beautiful things, but they are also fleeting in that they don’t last forever. The same can be said about life itself, and both Hell’s Paradise and Naruto display the concept of the impermanence of life through the imagery of flowers.
One of the most infamously heartbreaking scenes in Naruto comes with the death of Asuma, whose last moments are symbolized by the breaking off of a Rose, which his wife, Kurenai, is watering. In Hell’s Paradise, flowers take an even more prominent role in regard to death, as everyone who returns from Shinkensyo is discovered with flowers growing from their corpse.
3 Shinobi Are Forced to Kill
One of the darkest aspects of being a shinobi is that, ultimately, they are trained killers. Itachi and Gabimaru both embody this aspect of being a ninja, even though they kill by duty rather than enjoyment.
In Itachi’s case, the trajectory of his life is entirely defined by the assassination of his entire clan by his own hand. Similar to Itachi, Gabimaru was trained in killing from a young age, even taking on the name The Hollow due to his heartless nature.
2 The Good Are Taken Before Their Time
One of the most devastating losses during the Great War in Naruto Shippuden was that of Neji. In a moment of desperation, Neji gave his life to protect Naruto and Shinobi society as a whole.
Similarly, Tenza gave his own life to protect both Nurugai and his master from the all-powerful Tensen. Tenza appeared to have a real chance of escaping alongside Nurugai initially, but like Neji, his life was taken long before it should have been his time.
1 Sasuke And Gabimaru Sacrifice Their Humanity For Strength
Much of Gabimaru’s journey is about his struggle with reconciling who he was in the past with the person he wants to be. He’s constantly weighed down by the teachings he received from the Chief, which strengthen him in combat but drain his humanity.
This struggle is mirrored in Sasuke, who is influenced heavily by the teachings of Orochimaru throughout much of his youth. Though Sasuke and Gabimaru both do their best to reclaim the humanity they lost, it’s clear that the struggle with their traumas will always be ever-present within them.
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