Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku (Volume 13) – Strength, Weakness, and Doubt!
They caught up, but can they stop Rein. The Hermits were strong, but she’s on a completely different level. Gabimaru and Sagiri have to give everything they have if they are to have a chance of winning!
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku (Volume 13) – Strength, Weakness, and Doubt!
What happened?
With the ship ablaze, Gabimaru decides that he must go alone. He finds Shugen there who seems to be determined to fight Gabimaru and Rein. After several meaningless exchanges, Sagiri storms in and catches Rein off guard. However, she was not alone. Everyone else on the little boat except Jikka joined the fray. Rein continued to take their hits and give back twice as much. In the end, she had barely been scratched, but Isuzu and Kiyomaru had been killed. Gentatsusai had been injured badly and was tired from their first encounter. Shion and Nurugai carried him back to the ship where Jikka was drinking.
Shugen told Sagiri to run too, thanking her for her efforts and commending her for competing in a world that is too narrow for women to succeed in. However, she realised that she couldn’t leave, especially with Gabimaru suffering from arborification. She stepped forward and sliced off his head. Then, she cleaved off every other limb that had rooted. She held his body close to hers and let the complementary Tao heal him. Soon after, they came up with a plan. In order to hurt Rein, they needed to make her angry. It’s all about balance. Too far in either direction and your Tao was weakened.
Gabirmaru’s plan was to destroy the statue of the Grand Master. However, when he got there, he noticed that there were wedding outfits laid out. He stopped, unable to continue. Shugen swept in and destroyed everything, giving Sagiri the chance to slash her Tanden. It worked… Well, kind of. With nothing left to live for, Rein went berserk firing a hole in Sagiri’s abdomen and blowing off one of Gabimaru’s hands. Before she killed him, she asked him why he hesitated. He told her about his wife. He thought she could relate to them. Amazingly, she relented, restoring Gabimaru and Sagiri’s bodies before crumbling away to join her late husband.
What did you think?
So, this was a spectacular ending to an incredible series. I have no complaints whatsoever. The prophecy came true with only one woman and two men returning to the Shogun. They were Sagiri, Jikka, and Gantetsusai. Gantetsusai was pardoned by the Shogun and went on to open a dojo that specialised in sword fighting and medicine. Jikka took over the Yamada Asaemon clan, but not before ensuring some things were taken care of.
He told the Shogun of the Iwagakure and how they committed treason. The chief was executed after being given the Elixir, which turned his body into a tree. It seemed to do enough to make the Shogun think twice about drinking it and spared Gabemaru who had disappeared to be with his wife. Aza Chobe and Toma reappeared in Hong Kong and began a new reign of terror. Shion and Nurugai travelled the lands, getting into trouble, and searching for her clan.
Then, there was the best part. Sagiri left the Yamada Asaemon clan to wander the lands and hone her sword skills. She was accompanied by her faithful and loving bodyguard who looked very much like Yuzuriha if you squinted hard. They met up with Yui and Gabimaru, who was no longer Gabimaru as that title had been retired. I can’t say just how nice it is to have a series as wonderful as this come together and give us the ending the series deserved. This is a must-read series. Simply fantastic!
Volume highlights
Other posts in the series
Series Information
| English Title | Hell’s Paradise |
| Japanese Title | Jigokuraku |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Samurai |
| Demographic | Shounen |
Manga
Anime
| Season | Season One |
| Released | Spring 2023 |
| Animation Studios | MAPPA |
| Episodes | 13 |
