Hell’s Paradise: Jigokurakuhas been shaping upto be quite the adaptation, and after three episodes, the growing relationship between the series' main characters is taking centre-stage. Gabimaru and Sagiri have quite a lot of similarities, but being on opposing sides and dealing with different kinds of foundational trauma, the series has been constant in its depiction of Sagiri as one of the few people capable of peering deep into the complex character of Gabimaru.
Seeing flashes of both his violent aspect as “Gabimaru, The Hollow; top ninja from Iwagakure”, and the man who simply wants to live happily with his wife, Sagiri has struggled for a long time with the idea that her empathy clouds her judgment, and she finds herself unable to decide whether he is merely a deranged monster or a normal feeling human being, deep down. When they clash inHell’s Paradise: Jigokurakuepisode 3, Gabimaru overpowers Sagiri but is unable to apply the killing blow – but why?
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As Above
The third episode ofHell’s Paradise: Jigokurakuis the arrival of the Vanguard Party on Shinsenkyo, the island fabled to carry the legendary Elixir of Life. Several battles in this episode happened off-screen or were concluded in a single blow; however,Gabimaru vs Yamada Asaemon Sagiriis a battle that has happened twice thus far, and that’s because of the primacy of their relationship in the series. On some level, they are different but the same, dealing with the ramifications of attempting to seal away their feelings to do their jobs effectively. Their line of work while not explicitly the same, the expectation that they must take a life or many places them in the same boat — but one is considered a criminal; the other? A new generation of killing genius. What binds these two and makes them kin is that they’re both deeply molded by environments that they weren’t necessarily built for – they could not keep their feelings completely sealed away, for whatever reason.
Sagiri fears killing due to the experience of a level of guilt and her childhood of ostracization from kids her age due to their knowledge of her family’s business put her under no illusion about what kind of person is associated with such work, but she knew that her family’s goal with such work was to be able to perform it in a manner that is effectively painless for the executed. Sagiri was taught something inherently contradictory: to keep her feelings away from her work, but also to perform it in a fashion that is effectively merciful, and therefore, empathetic. Gabimaru wasraised by the man who murdered his parentsfor daring to desire a life away from all the killing and violence, excelled at the very work his parents wanted to raise him away from, and soon developed the very feelings that his adoptive parent believes got them killed. It is ingrained deep in the psyches of both characters that to be able to excel in their line of work, emotion was to be cast aside – two similar, yet somewhat opposite paths towards a certain kind of “Hollow”.
Kishō’s Prediction
As mentioned before, the third episode ofHell’s Paradise: Jigokurakuoff-screens many of the first battles that take place on the island. Sagiri and Gabimaru are accosted by a warrior monk named Keiun, known notoriously as “Twisted Keiun” or “Keiun, the Warped” for the hoplophilia he developed, causing him to become obsessed with the collection of weaponry. Keiun’s attendant was the pragmatic Yamada Asaemon Kishō, the eleventh ranked samuraibearing the Yamada Asaemon name. Due to Keiun’s bloodlust, his first order of business on Shinsenkyo was to begin whittling down the competition since the Shogunate is only to pardon one person anyway. He attacks Gabimaru, who is unwilling to kill because it’d make his wife sad, but he enters the intensely focused state he assumes when doing what he needs to do to get through a situation. Keiun’s defeat is mostly off-screened, but it is evident that it was light work despite Gabimaru’s physical restraints. Kishō decapitates Keiun, preparing to head back to the Shōgunate. If a criminal dies, their attendant is free to return to Edo as their assignment is complete.
As he prepares to leave, Kishō warns Sagiri that her behaviour makes it look like she’s forgetting that the person she’s assigned to is a vicious murderer, and that any unnecessary compassion is going to get her killed. He also shares his thoughts on what is going to happen on the island within a few hours: most of the people they came with will be dead, each of them looking to snuff out their competition before searching for the Elixir of Life themselves. Some began their killing before even arriving at the island, others began plotting their alliances and doing all kinds of things to get ahead. Within a few more hours, the remaining criminals will be dead and more expendable pawns will be sent to replace them. For Kishō, Sagiri isacting far too rigidlyand not looking at the number one priority: retrieval of theTokijiku no Kagunomi;the Elixir of Life. The last thing Kishō shares ratlles Sagiri: this task may very well determine the next head of the Yamada Clan. As soon as he’s no longer in earshot, Gabimaru lunges at Sagiri using one of Keiun’s weapons.
Gabimaru, The Hollow vs Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
The ensuing battle is the only one given some screen time among the various fights that took place across the island, and the various flashbacks to Gabimaru’s past tell us more about what informs his desperation to return to the happiness that his wife brings into his life, as well as the dark upbringing that he had to create the emotionless killer he is known to be. Throughout the battle, neither one can land the killing blow, and whenever they found themselves with the opportunity, they hesitated or retreated from an advantageous position. Kishō’s earlier prediction drove Gabimaru to make the decision to kill Sagiri and the other people on the island so that he can get the Elixir and go home. Sagiri, who’d been contemplating Gabimaru’s nature since their introduction to each other, was convinced that his morality and thought patterns are too extreme and abnormal to notconsider the man a threat. Despite deciding that he should be executed, Sagiri also hesitated to kill him. When Gabimaru thinks about why he would hesitate, he remembers a conversation with his wife Yui, who told him that true courage is being true to your emotions, which would be the catalyst leading to Gabimaru’s defection as well as the rekindling of his emotions.
However, when the village chief’s words to Gabimaru as a child immediately after the murder of his parents echo in his mind, Gabimaru gets even more serious, breaking Sagiri’s sword and responding to her provocation by pinning her down with the blade ready to end it. However, he can’t do it. Sagiri then realizes that every single time she’s seen Gabimaru act as his reputation would lead one to believe, he wore a pained expression as if he were trying to endure something. When Sagiri echoes a similar sentiment to Yui, saying that responding to his feelings is not weakness, but “the seed of strength”. She recognizes that even she only reconnected with her own feelings after meeting Gabimaru. The last thing Sagiri says to him to put the battle to an end is that Gabimaru is no longer like his old self. The breaking of her sword was in effect the destruction of the Gabimaruthat reflects his old ways, but also, the erosion of the fear that she experiences due to the recognition of her own emotions. Sagiri can’t kill him because she recognizes their similarity and his humanity, and Gabimaru can’t kill her because she reminds him of the wife who brought him back to humanity.
