Hell’s Paradise: Strongest Characters

Hell’s Paradise gained massive popularity right from its start, adding to Mappa’s already illustrious catalog. Most of its success comes from its exciting fighting scenes and power-ups aiming for the spectacular, something the studio has always excelled at. Constant decapitations, dismemberments, ninjutsu, samurais, immortal beings that keep regenerating, powerful transformations… it feels like a mix of every worldwide popular shonen.

With the 13-episode first season completed and a second season confirmed, it’s a good time to look back into Hell’s Paradise‘s selected group of strongest characters thus far. Either by sheer strength, special abilities, potential, or the will to overcome any situation, here are the strongest characters in Hell’s Paradise season 1.

Updated January 9, 2025, by Oluwatokiloba Folami: Hell’s Paradise’s success in the anime industry is well deserved, as it properly captures the action that fans desire with a mix of emotional scenes enough to add depth while keeping the theme. On the action side, a number of impressively strong characters have been animated, but many stronger characters remain in the manga. Their rumored strengths combined with the captivating plot have pushed various fans who are unable to deal with the suspense of things to come to dive into the manga. These characters, if and when granted screen time in the upcoming season of Hell’s Paradise, would shake the preconceived hierarchies of the strongest.

14

Yamada Asaemon Jikka

The First Asaemon To Defy The Island

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 36
• Status: Alive

Jikka is the third-ranked Asaemon, and this position is rightfully deserved. Slicing off heads cleanly is an Asaemon thing, but the precision with which Jikka does it is simply electrifying. More mind-blowing is that he uses a bamboo sword, showing that true swordsmanship depends not on one’s blade.

Jikka once easily cut off the head of a Wadatsumi, a sea monster that kills people trying to leave Shinsenkyō. Speaking of Shinsenkyō, Jikka is the first Asaemon to have escaped the island without suffering the irreparable disfigurement that everyone who tries to escape suffers. Even Gantetsusai recognized him as a man capable of becoming a god slayer.

13

Yamada Asaemon Shugen

The Copymaster Swordsman

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 36
• Status: Deceased

Even without a sword, Shugen remains a terror to have as an adversary. He defeated individuals with just his hands, breaking their legs and lifting them without much stress while incurring little to no damage. With a sword, Shugen becomes a tiger with wings. He has a very flexible fighting style, defeating monsters like the Monshins and Doshis with ease.

Shugen is viewed by others as the strongest in the Asaemon clan. With his in-depth knowledge of swordsmanship and his ability to copy the skills of the other Asaemons. Gantetsusai barely had a chance against him. He is often compared to Gabimaru by fans, and the possibility of him winning in a face-off is high.

12

Shija

Gabimaru’s Successor And Iwagakure’s Greatest Threat

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 36
• Status: Deceased

It takes a lot to be recognized as a threat by Gabimaru, a lot more to be placed over Lord Tensen in terms of being a threat, and Shija is the embodiment of that. Chosen to be Gabimaru The Hollow’s Successor, it is unknown whether Shija is male or female and Shija is viewed as the strongest Shinobi in Iwagakure.

Shija was able to hold their own against the strongest member of Lord Tensen, forcing him to recognize their strength. Considering Shija was not a Tao user makes them more of a menace. With insane physical attributes and a vast arsenal of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu techniques, they are a character to be feared.

11

Yamada Asaemon Isuzu

The Unranked Asaemon With Unmatched Power

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 46
• Status: Deceased

Another known escapee of the deadly experiences in Shinsenkyō, Isuzu’s strength is definitely a cut above the rest. Although unranked in the Asaemon clan, her abilities do not put her anywhere near the bottom rankings. She was also recognized by Rien, who claims that her defeating a group of Monshin is abnormal for a human.

She wielded a very unique weapon, a pair of swords that can be joined to form a double-bladed sword, and was extremely proficient with it. Izuzu’s physical strength is also off the charts as she could destroy the ground with sheer force, using the rubble to make mid-range attacks.

10

Toma

The Reluctant Warrior Driven By Brotherhood

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Alive

Much like the other entries on this list, Toma is a naturally gifted warrior. In his case, he went through the Asaemon training in record time just so he could free his brother. Together they sailed to the island in hopes of earning a pardon. Toma showcased some amazing speed to defeat many of the monsters with a single swing; however, he fits the role of supporting cast next to his brother, the one that keeps stealing the spotlight. He also seemed reluctant to adapt to the Tao.

9

Rokurota

The Rampaging Giant Of Insatiable Hunger

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Deceased

Rokurota was born a massive giant with unparalleled strength. As a consequence, since he was a baby, he developed an insatiable hunger that ended up leading him to cannibalism. Completely unable to control himself, Rokurota is an unstoppable destruction machine. His Tao is very powerful even though he can’t control it, making it impossible for regular humans to harm him in any way. No wonder he gets comparisons with Gigantomachia. His weakness, being out of control, proved costly and put an end to his journey without a clear destination.

8

Tamiya Gantetsusai

The Relentless One-Handed Blade

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Alive

Tamiya is a master swordsman and the only one at that who is not an Asaemon. From virtually the moment he arrived at Shinsenkyo, he had to cut off his left hand, but instead of losing his prowess, he continued to improve.

Tamiya has great strength, height, and a refined skill that allows him to cut through anything. On top of that, he seemed to understand and put to practice Mei’s lessons about Tao. However, he lacks quickness and wants to take on everyone on his own despite not having the power to do so.

7

Yuzuriha

The Cunning Kunoichi Of Shinsenkyo

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Alive

The other ninja, or rather kunoichi, in Shinsenkyo and an early ally of Gabimaru, Yuzuriha is simply amazing at manipulating people to make them fulfill her wishes. Her ninjutsu allows her to materialize the medicine she drinks to form weapons, traps, and poison; she also uses the substitution jutsu, which is an application of Tao.

Although she didn’t know she was using Tao from the beginning, it’s still valuable to have someone like her on a team. Not the flashiest or strongest, but can get it done.

6

Shion

The Blind Sensei Of Unmatched Skill

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Alive

Continuing with the stereotypes put together in Hell’s Paradise, Shion comes in as the blind sensei. Precisely being blind is his only weakness. He thought himself to use Tao when he was already one of the best Asaemon. He was able to kill a Tensen with help, but his Tao was already strong enough to accomplish the feat. He has amazing quickness and awareness thanks to sensing the Tao in everything, great swordsmanship, and great teamwork; he is just overall very good, but he already reached his maximum potential.

5

Mei

The Exiled Child Of Horai

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 16
• Status: Alive

Mei is the only being in human form outside the Tensen living in Shinsenkyo. She has the same construction and origin as the Tensen, but she was banished from Horai for acting defiant against Rien, also receiving a giant scar and turning into a child. She can use Tao at almost the same level as the Tensen, but she is not a warrior at all. Mei’s only application for Tao is protecting herself or others without much of an intention to harm. She leaves the battles for the likes of Gabimaru instead of taking part herself.

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4

Sagiri

The Asaemon With Emotions

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 1
• Status: Alive

For being one of the most skilled Asaemon, Sagiri had to deal with a ton of nonsensical sexist prejudice. Her slight hesitation when it’s time to kill was portrayed as a weakness when the only consequence was a more painful death for the victim.

She seemed like the only one with recognition of human life and emotions, which allowed her to understand and wield Tao the minute she learned about its existence. She was able to corner Mu Dan by herself very early; her potential is unmatched, but she might fall into the sidekick trope.

3

Chobei

The Ever-Evolving Beast

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 2
• Status: Alive

Chobei was blessed with superhuman characteristics, but what truly sets him apart is his adaptability. All his life, he has lived by one rule: do anything you have to do to adapt and survive. When he set foot on the island, he started devouring the monsters, using their weapons, and when he faced the Tentacle Doshi, he instantly copied his use of Tao, gaining the ability to regenerate and strike with the same force.

He can be too careless, which might end up poorly, but other than that, he is relentless and knows no limits to how strong he can become.

2

Gabimaru

The Ninja Who Masters All

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 1
• Status: Alive

Being the protagonist certainly has a lot to do with the power levels. Gabimaru The Hollow, probably the most powerful ninja there is, showed his skills plenty of times. He has unique physical abilities, including superhuman strength, resistance, quickness, reflexes, outstanding decision-making in critical situations, and fire ninjutsu, but on top of that, he seemed to master Tao almost immediately.

In fact, he mastered it too quickly without even learning about the downsides that led to memory loss. Of course, he still has untapped potential, which will be needed to overcome the unmeasurable power of the mighty Tensen.

1

The Tensen

Unmatched Pillars Of The Island’s Power

• Debut Appearance: Chapter 19
• Status: Disbanded

It’s hard to create any particular order between the Tensen since only three of them have been seen in action. However, any kind of sorting should have Rien at the top, given that he is the creator and strongest being of the island. That being said, the others seem to be on a similar level, taking into account Tao compatibility.

It was shown that Mu Dan’s type of Tao was weak against Sagiri and Shion, but the compatibility issues are still unknown for the rest of them. In any case, they present one of the biggest threats, pending the entrance of one greatly powerful character, already present at the end of episode 13.