Hell’s Paradise Episode 4

The Dragon and the Gloomy Little Man

Hell’s Paradise Episode 4 was a pretty alright episode. I wouldn’t say it was anything special. And that’s also how I feel about the entire series so far. After Episode 1, I thought it could have been the anime of the season. But, no longer.

Anyway, at the start of this week’s episode, we got some background information on 2 characters. These are the criminal Gantetsusai Tamiya and his executioner Fuchi Yamada Asaemon. Gantetsusai and Fuchi are opposites in every way. From their appearances to their personalities, nothing about them is similar.

Let’s start with Fuchi because I have less to say about him. Fuchi’s appearance reminds me of Zenitsu from Demon Slayer. But, he doesn’t act like Zenitsu at all. He’s far more confident in his abilities. And he apparently specializes in performing autopsies. In fact, he seems to enjoy picking corpses apart.

Gantetsusai’s nickname is the Blade Dragon due to his skill with a sword. And speaking of his sword, isn’t it odd that he’s allowed to carry a sword to the island? His hands are supposed to remain bound because he’s a criminal. So, why is he allowed to carry a sword?

Anyway, as a free man, Gantetsusai defeated anyone he considered a worthy opponent. He then decided to become a retainer of a local lord who had the kanji for dragon in his name, because of course. And, this is where things take a turn.

One day, the lord comments on how Gantetsusai probably couldn’t kill a real dragon. This enraged Gantetsusai, who proceeded to cut down the dragon above the lord’s gate. And this is the crime that got him sentenced to death. Not mass murder, it was property damage. I hope Gantetsusai gets to fight a real dragon on the island.

Yuzuriha, My Beloved

With Akaginu the Cannibal Consort dead, I needed a new favorite character. Naturally, Yuzuriha is my pick. Not only is she an attractive girl. But, she’s also voiced by my real-life wife, Rie Takahashi. If you think about it, Yuzuriha should have been my favorite character from the start.

What makes Yuzuriha an interesting character is that she’s a mystery. We have to assume that most of the things she says are lies. For example, she might not actually have a sick, younger sister back home. But, I actually don’t think she was lying about that particular detail.

Everything else about her backstory is shady, though. And we know she’s not someone who can be trusted. She says as much herself. Even if she and Gabimaru team up, that doesn’t mean they should trust each other. They could betray each other at any time, and it’s inevitable that this will happen at some point.

Something else to note about Yuzuriha is that she has 2 executioners with her. She has her own executioner, and she has the executioner of Makiya Moro, a criminal she killed. Makiya’s executioner didn’t leave the island with Makiya’s head because Yuzuriha seduced him.

Now, it’s probably for the best that Gabimaru and Yuzuriha team up. That’s because of something Fuchi said (thought) earlier in the episode. He believes that if the current teams take too long, the shogun will send reinforcements. And he somehow knows that those reinforcements will be stronger.

So, I guess this is the series’ way of introducing more powerful characters later on. There’s going to be a second shipment of stronger criminals at some point. But, again, this brings up more questions. Why not send the strong criminals to the island from the start? None of this makes sense.

Choubei and Touma

At the end of the episode, we get some backstory for two other characters. These are the criminal Choubei Aza and his executioner Touma Yamada Asaemon. But, what makes these two unique is that they’re actually brothers. Touma is the younger brother of Choubei.

So, what’s going on here? Did these two brothers go down different paths? Did Touma vow to avenge his family’s honor by executing his criminal older brother? Not at all. These two are and have always been working together. That’s what makes them different from the other criminal and executioner pairs.

Originally, Choubei and Touma were the sons of a samurai. But, their father was executed for avenging his lord, leaving the boys orphaned. This is when their life of crime started — though, it was always Choubei committing crimes to feed Touma. And, in the end, the shogun’s men captured Choubei.

Touma wasn’t captured, though. Choubei instructed Touma to flee and come back to rescue him when he has the chance. And this is why Touma joined the Yamada Asaemon clan. Within a month, he worked his way up to being an executioner and got himself assigned to Chobei.

Now, I’m not sure how the Yamada Asaemon didn’t do a background check on Touma. But, I guess they somehow didn’t know who he was. I would have thought the fact that Touma is Chobei’s brother would be common knowledge. Chobei has an extensive criminal history. You’re telling me the authorities didn’t know he had a brother?

Anyway, it looks like going to the island is all part of the escape plan for Chobei and Touma. If these two can find the Elixer of Life, Chobei will receive a pardon for his crimes. But, if I were them, I’d just flee the island now.

Conclusion

What do you think of Hell’s Paradise Episode 4? Will Gantetsusai Tamiya get a chance to prove he can slay a dragon? Does Yuzuriha actually have a sick, younger sister back home? And do you think the Yamada Asaemon know about the connection between Choubei and Touma? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 5 is available now.