1. #1Gabimaru

   Keys: Gabimaru

   KANJI 画眉丸 BIRTH NAME Saku (朔) ALIAS Gabimaru the Hollow (がらんの画眉丸, Garan no Gabimaru) OTHER NAMES Gabi (ガビ) (by Yuzuriha) Nekomaru (猫丸, Viz: Kittymaru) (by Gantetsusai) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE January 8 BIRTHPLACE Japan (Iwagakure) GENDER Male Male AGE 16 HEIGHT 150 cm HAIR COLOR White EYE COLOR Red Yellow (Anime) PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire RELATIVES Unnamed Father † Unnamed Mother † Iwagakure Chief (Father-In-Law) † Yui (Wife) CLASS Nukenin Immortal OCCUPATION Shinobi AFFILIATION Iwagakure (Formerly) TEAM Vanguard Party Elixir Retrieval Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 1 ANIME DEBUT Episode 1 NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Chiaki Kobayashi ENGLISH VOICE Alejandro Saab STAGE PLAY Tsubasa Kizu Gabimaru Images LESS Overview Relationships Image Gallery This is the article on the series protagonist. For one of the previous carriers of the name, Gabimaru the Hollow, head to Gabimaru. For other uses, see Gabimaru (disambiguation). My own life takes top priority and I'm not planning to die. My whole goal's to survive and make it home. Home to my wife. I'm not about to lay down my life. But I'll sacrifice whatever it takes otherwise. My ideals, reason, sense, even my humanity. GABIMARU (CHAPTER 67)

   Gabimaru (画が眉び丸まる), born as Saku (朔), is an elite shinobi assassin formerly from Iwagakure and the last holder of the infamous alias, Gabimaru the Hollow (がらんの画眉丸, Garan no Gabimaru). He is also the husband of Yui, the eighth daughter to the Iwagakure chief. He is the main protagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

   Gabimaru served as Iwagakure's most infamous shinobi until he was betrayed by his village for wanting to abandon his role as a murderer and live a peaceful life with his wife. This resulted in him being handed over to the authorities to be executed. However, after the shogun calls for death row convicts to compete in acquiring the Elixir of Life from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Gabimaru receives an invitation from Yamada Asaemon Sagiri to be a part of the competition and accepts in order to reunite with Yui and live the life he so desired.

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   Gabimaru is a young man with a below-average height. He has white, untamed hair that usually covers the right side of his face, red eyes (yellow in the anime), and is generally seen with a deadpan facial expression. He is shown to be significantly muscular underneath his robe and has noticeable scars from his time in Iwagakure.

   After his body was negatively influenced by Zhu Jin fusing with the Banko, Gabimaru's appearance became ghastly. His hair started sprouting peony flowers and had a large dark marking that spread from his left eye. These features were later reduced after he managed to stabilize his Tao, now only having little traces of pink flower petals in his hair and a branch marking across his left eye. Upon being freed from Arborification by Sagiri, Gabimaru's hair became shorter and had his original features returned back. After a year passed, Gabimaru's hair is shown to have slightly grown back to its original volume.

   He wears the standard Iwagakure shinobi outfit, which consists of a black (dark blue gray in the anime) robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a matching tattsuke bakama, and a frayed white sash belt tied at his waist. He also wears a black turtleneck dickey to cover the bottom part of his face as a mask when he is prepared to go into battle. He wears black ninja sleeves with a ring at the edge to wear in the middle finger to fit and a pair of straw sandals with a pair of white tabi socks with gaiters tied to his legs.

   Upon infiltrating Hōrai, the left side of Gabimaru's robe became torn after Ran cleaved his hand down on his shoulder, which was later healed with Flower Tao. He later replaces his robe with a new one from a fallen Iwagakure shinobi. Gallery

   Gabimaru's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Gabimaru's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Gabimaru as a child. Gabimaru as a child. Gabimaru with his mask on. Gabimaru with his mask on. Gabimaru after stabilizing his Tao. Gabimaru after stabilizing his Tao. Gabimaru's full appearance. Gabimaru's full appearance. Gabimaru as an infant. Gabimaru as an infant. A close up of Gabimaru's face. A close up of Gabimaru's face. A close up of Gabimaru's face after having his Tao disrupted by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. A close up of Gabimaru's face after having his Tao disrupted by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Gabimaru after being freed from Arborification. Gabimaru after being freed from Arborification. Video Games

   Gabimaru in Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions. Gabimaru in Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions. Gabimaru in Tower of Saviors. Gabimaru in Tower of Saviors. Gabimaru in Monster Strike. Gabimaru in Monster Strike. Gabimaru in Grand Summoners. Gabimaru in Grand Summoners. Gabimaru in Seven Knights Idle Adventure. Gabimaru in Seven Knights Idle Adventure. Other

   Gabimaru's concept art from the anime. Gabimaru's concept art from the anime. Gabimaru's criminal profile. Gabimaru's criminal profile. Gabimaru wearing Senta's glasses. Gabimaru wearing Senta's glasses. Gabimaru in the stage play (Part 1). Gabimaru in the stage play (Part 1). Gabimaru's color scheme in the Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions one-shot. Gabimaru's color scheme in the Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions one-shot. Gabimaru in the Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions one-shot. Gabimaru in the Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions one-shot. Sagiri's drawing of Gabimaru. Sagiri's drawing of Gabimaru. Gabimaru in the stage play (Final Chapter). Gabimaru in the stage play (Final Chapter).

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   “ The rumors paint him as a terrifying specter. Yet he appeared just now to be a simple fool. I wonder how he is when spending time with his wife? Which of those is the true face of Gabimaru the Hollow? ” — An employer

   Gabimaru emotionless Gabimaru's stoic and emotionless disposition. As befitting his alias and reputation, Gabimaru is generally calm and apathetic, a composure that has stuck with him since birth, and normally speaks very flat tone. Even when faced with danger, such as his various execution sentences or confrontations with dangerous criminals, Gabimaru never shows any sign of concern. After being confronted by Warped Keiun, Gabimaru simply focused on retying the restraints on his hands, as demanded by Sagiri earlier, without paying any mind to the monk hitting him with his arsenal of weapons. As noted by Sagiri, Gabimaru is also a complainer when he is calm.[2] After being told by Sagiri that they would have to travel to Edo first before starting the mission, Gabimaru expressed his disapproval that he couldn't make his way to the island immediately, which had almost cost him the invitation Sagiri offered to him. When the two landed on Kotaku, Gabimaru complained about the restraints being a nuisance and the supplies he was given by the shogun as being useless. He prefers to stick with his main objective at hand and not get tangled with anything else that doesn't involve his goals, finding his fight with Keiun to be a waste of time.[3] Gabimaru also has very poor social skills, as he had trouble interacting with Yui when he first met her and was reprimanded by Sagiri and Yuzuriha for pointing a sword at Mei, as well as later being reprimanded by Gantetsusai for causing her to cry with a gaze that was unintentionally frightening.

   Episode 3-1 Gabimaru giving into his murderous instincts. During his time in Iwagakure, Gabimaru was known and admired by his peers for his cruel and ruthless killings of his victims, having been raised from infancy by Iwagakure's leader to have a complete disregard for life and that sentimentality is a sign of weakness. After suffering from amnesia where he reverted back to his old self as "Gabimaru the Hollow", Gabimaru expressed his bloodlust on how he was going to kill Chōbei after getting into a fight with him and decided to kill Fuchi, Gantetsusai and Mei without question if they were his enemies. When faced with a difficult situation in battle, Gabimaru resorts to falling into a murderous, bloodthirsty state where his only focus is to kill who or whatever gets in his way. In his own opinion, whether he chooses to kill people humanely rather than inhumanely would be irrelevant in the end.[4] As an Iwa shinobi he had followed their principles, such as continuing forward with a mission, defeating his opponents no matter what the tactics were, and that his life had no value if he were to die.[5][6] His line of work has also made him immune to the sight of death.[7]

   Gabimaru holding back Gabimaru's hesitation to take Sagiri's life. After being married to Yui, Gabimaru underwent a major change. Even though he was influenced by his leader's words of ridding himself of his emotions to become strong, Gabimaru was also influenced by Yui's kind and caring nature and came to believe in his wife's words that true strength comes from embracing one's emotions. As a result of these words being implanted into a part of his psyche, Gabimaru had managed to regain some of his humanity, thus overwriting his cruel nature as a ninja, as he would try to avoid unnecessary killing of human lives. However, when realizing that there is no other way out of it, Gabimaru will make the distasteful decision of killing but would feel grief for the lives he has taken.[8][9]

   Gabimaru's affection towards his wife causes him to act differently than when he is around others. When around Yui, Gabimaru tends to act rather nervous, embarrassed, and even flustered; a side that rarely anyone can bring out of him. He also tries to put in the effort to not act so stoic-like when in her presence but finds this to be rather difficult since he has to think hard in trying to figure out the right face to make. In light of this, the only times he is truly happy to smile comfortably is when he is with her.

   Gabimaru laughing Gabimaru laughing for the first time. Upon being resolved by Sagiri to redeem himself as a new man, Gabimaru began to experience, and notice, gradual changes to his behavior, particularly allowing himself to embrace his emotions as the Asaemon had hoped. Even though he had his mission to solely focus on, Gabimaru started to show signs of care and concern for others. As Sagiri was in danger of being attacked by a Sōshin, Gabimaru subonsciously rushed in to save her. He later committed the same action when he stepped in to protect Mei from the Dōshi, saying that he could not bear to see her cry, along with wanting to repay a debt he owes her after she helped him escape from Zhu Jin's wrath. Gabimaru also broke out of his calm composure and showed genuine anger after hearing the Dōshi talk about Mei as if she was an object. After hearing Mei's wish on wanting to see Rien and Jofuku before leaving the island to start a new life, Gabimaru vowed to do whatever he could to make it happen when the time came to infiltrate Hōrai. Gabimaru also came to understand what it meant to feel sympathy, having understood the great lengths the surviving criminals and Asaemons had to endure in order to get past Lord Tensen and escape the island alive. After realizing that Rien was the wife of Jofuku, Gabimaru could not bring himself to destroy her husband's gilded body since he knew what it was like to love someone dearly and smiled as he explained his reason to her, which allowed the Tensen to accept Jofuku's passing. Through all his experience on the island, Gabimaru had come to completely reject the teachings of Iwagakure and allowed himself to break out of his emotionless shell. In the process, Gabimaru became able to smile and laugh genuinely around others for the first time in his life.

   Although he can be obnoxious at times (mainly viewed by Sagiri),[10] he can be quite considerate to others at the same time. Back when he was with his wife, he advised her not to cover her scar with her hair, telling her that appearances don't matter, and did not want her to see him with a bloody face since he thought it might scare her. He later gave the same advice to Mei which caused her to see the good in Gabimaru. Because he learned basic customs from Yui, Gabimaru would show his gratitude to whoever helped him. He thanked Yuzuriha's team for freeing his head from one of the Sōshin's tentacles and praised Sagiri for her strength as well as thanking her for helping him find his resolve. Gabimaru is also a very faithful husband and is immune to seduction as he did not give into Yuzuriha's advances when she attempted to have him work with her.[11] He is also a terrible liar.[12]

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   Early Life

   After the birth of their newborn in Iwagakure, a married jōnin couple pondered as to what they should name their child. Since their son would have no other choice but to grow up to become a shinobi in his future, the mother and father knew that, like the names of the other people living in Iwagakure, his name would have to serve him no purpose in his life. After looking up at the new moon they were under, the mother decided upon the name Saku for their baby, believing that the symbolism behind it was fitting for a shinobi.[13]

   Iwagakure children Saku as one of the candidates to become "Gabimaru the Hollow". Having desired to live a normal life outside of the village's principles, the married couple had planned to leave Iwagakure with their baby. However, their plan was discovered by the chief and were executed for their actions, which was done right before Saku's eyes. The chief then took it upon himself to raise Saku by putting him through gruesome shinobi training at a young age to become the next successor of the feared codename, "Gabimaru the Hollow". Through the training, Saku was molded into an emotionless child that cared very little for his own life or for the lives of others. At some point in time, he was approached by a child named Shija who was ordered by the Iwagakure chief to confront him in a trial match and threatened to take their life for merely being in his presence, causing the child to run away in fear. Though this was how their first impression went, Saku was willing to help train Shija during their time growing up together.

   After surviving the training, showing great promise in his skills, and was believed to be responsible for the multiple deaths of the other candidates over time, Saku was chosen by the Iwa chief to become the next titleholder and participated in the Rite of Succession ceremony where he had to fight to the death with the Gabimaru of his time in order to fully earn his name. Having successfully done so, the young man went on to become known as Gabimaru. Once the ceremony was over, Gabimaru found Shija and saw them standing among the dead bodies of Iwa shinobi. After Shija explains to him that they killed them because they were envious of him, Gabimaru realized that Shija was the one killing the past candidates that had the chief believing that it was his doing. Shija admits to this and explains to Gabimaru that they have been supporting him all this time so that he can take the title of "Gabimaru".

   Married Life

   Gabimaru with Yui Gabimaru with his wife Yui. With his role as "Gabimaru the Hollow", Gabimaru spent his years assassinating his targets ruthlessly and became feared by many. Having proven his worth, the Iwagakure chief rewarded Gabimaru with his daughter Yui and had hoped that they could produce more offspring for the village. When they first met, Gabimaru had felt that he did not open up to her as much and wanted to try again the next time they were alone. During their next meeting, Gabimaru placed his hand over her head as an attempt at doing this, much to Yui's confusion. Gabimaru admitted to her that he did not feel that he deserved to live a normal life after being burden with the lives he had taken, but was told by Yui that, despite his past sins, he was qualified to have normalcy in his life like other people and that he should at least have one person who accepts him for who he is, much to his reassurance. As the two started living together as a married couple, Gabimaru fell in love with Yui as she was the only person in his life that did not view or fear him as a monster.

   After returning from training badly injured, Gabimaru was chosen to represent Iwagakure in a sparring match against a rival shinobi clan and managed to easily kill the rival shinobi clan's representative. Later, Gabimaru, and the other elite shinobi, are assigned a mission to steal a ledger. Gabimaru's team manages to complete the mission but is ordered by the Hollow to have the men possessing the ledger to be knocked out instead of killed. After noticing this change in behavior in stark contrast to his cruel ways, as well as seeing him leave a letter of apology afterward, the shinobi became suspicious of Gabimaru and speculated that it was because he was married. Gabimaru quickly denies this allegation and states that the marriage could never change him. Gabimaru then met with the employer and sees that he is amused by how he did not kill a single man during the mission but understands where he was coming from since he is also married.

   Sometime later, Gabimaru and the elite ninja are assigned to assassinate their former employer along with his wife. He is then chosen by one of the shinobi to end the lives of the married couple, however, Gabimaru chooses to spare them. This choice causes three of the elite shinobi to attack Gabimaru for his cowardly act. Gabimaru tries reasoning with them as he continues to receive their attacks but is ultimately led to killing them. He then tells the couple that he would cover for them and allows them to leave. Once the mission was over, Gabimaru returns home to Yui but says that he can't allow her to see his bloody face since it would scare her. Yui tells him that she denies this and comes in to hug Gabimaru while smiling, saying that she only saw him as her husband. Gabimaru smiles as well as she wipes the blood off his face.

   Gabimaru captured and arrested Gabimaru gets captured and arrested. At some point, Gabimaru came to the village chief to ask for permission to release him from his status as a shinobi and live a normal life with his married wife. Before he was given an answer, the village chief tasks Gabimaru with one final mission to complete. However, upon taking the mission, Gabimaru is betrayed by Iwagakure, having been marked as a traitor for giving in to his emotional weakness, and is arrested by the authorities who sentenced him to death for his past crimes. Having convinced himself that living a normal life would be impossible, Gabimaru loses the will to live and chooses to forget about his pleasant life with his beloved wife.

   Island Arc

   Main article: Island Arc Gabimaru accepting the mission Gabimaru accepting the Shinsenkyō expedition mission. Though he shows no resistance in wanting to live, Gabimaru finds himself surviving every execution method he was sentenced to and talks to a woman reporter in his cell about his past. Later, he is taken to his next execution and is once again met by the woman, however, Gabimaru finds out that she is actually a member of the Yamada clan, a clan of talented executioners, and reacts nervously. As Yamada Asaemon Sagiri prepares to decapitate Gabimaru from behind, the shinobi reacts by dodging and continues to avoid her sword attacks in confusion as to why he is trying to live. Sagiri explains that she sees past his own deception in wanting to die and concludes from her report that he desires to see his wife again. Gabimaru refuses to accept Sagiri's answer, stating that someone like him cannot live a normal life. Upon hearing this, Sagiri offers Gabimaru a chance to earn his wish if he were to complete a task assigned by the shogun, and in return, he will receive a pardon that exempts him from his crimes, as well as protection. After being told of the details on how he would have to travel to a mystical island believed to be Shinsenkyō and retrieve the legendary Elixir of Life, Gabimaru burns the guards who attempted to detain him and accepts Sagiri's offer with his wife in mind. The two then travel to Edo where Gabimaru will join up with the other recruited criminals and be filled in on the mission.

   The enclosed information is from a light novel that ties in with the main story around this point in time.

   After being gathered together with a group of death-row criminals in Edo, Gabimaru and the other convicts are told by the shogun's retainers about the details of the mission and are ordered to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. During the killing spree, Gabimaru complains to the shogun's retainers about being forced to commit unnecessary murder and asks if there was another solution. Having been angered for not cooperating, one of the retainers orders a few criminals to kill Gabimaru. Seeing as how he had no other choice in the matter, Gabimaru kills the criminals and manages to become one out of the ten that survived the massacre. He then departs to the island with Yamada Asaemon Sagiri as his assigned Yamada Asaemon monitor.

   Gabimaru kills Keiun Gabimaru kills Warped Keiun. Once they landed on the island, Gabimaru tells Sagiri of his leader's immortal body and how it connects to the Elixir of Life but finds it hard to believe that it is on the island. Gabimaru then allows himself to be free from his restraints and starts to complain to Sagiri about the supplies he has been given. Sagiri draws her sword towards Gabimaru's neck and tells him to bind his hands, reminding him that she is not his ally on the mission. Gabimaru cooperates and dislocates his neck after seeing an oncoming attack by Warped Keiun, one of the nine criminals the ninja is competing against. Keiun declares to Gabimaru that he will kill him and every criminal on the island so that he will be the one to find the Elixir of Life. After the Asaemons stated that they would not interfere with fights between their criminals, Gabimaru had no choice but to fight back. Though the monk was heavily armored, Gabimaru kills Keiun with his own weapons and sighs in boredom. With his criminal deceased, Kishō cuts off the head of Warped Keiun's corpse and prepares to make his leave, while also offering Sagiri a chance to return home by killing Gabimaru. Having heard enough from him, Gabimaru silences Kishō and told him that he did not care for what he had to say since all that matters to him was returning to his wife. Gabimaru then becomes shocked after Kishō warns him that there might be a chance that Iwagakure will get involved in the mission. After the Asaemon makes his leave, Sagiri asks Gabimaru where he wanted to go next but suddenly clashes swords with him. Sagiri demanded an answer for his actions, to which he responds by saying that he wanted to kill her painlessly.

   Gabimaru being resolved by Sagiri Gabimaru being resolved by Sagiri to embrace his emotions during the trials ahead. Having been warned by Kishō about Iwagakure's potential involvement, Gabimaru states to Sagiri that he had no time to waste on finding the elixir and needed to kill her since she is a hindrance. As the two clashed, Gabimaru became confused as to why he was hesitating behind his attacks and begins to have memories of the time he learned what it means to feel sentimentality from his wife. However, after remembering his chief's words, Gabimaru cuts Sagiri's sword in half and proceeds to attack. Gabimaru sees that Sagiri managed to block his sword attacks with her sheath but tells her that it was pointless for her to continue on the defense and apologies for having no other choice but to take her life. After Sagiri mocks Gabimaru for his apology, since she believed that he is incapable of feeling sentiment, Gabimaru agrees, pins her down, and prepares to kill her with his sword as he embraces the fact that he is devoid of any emotions. However, having been influenced by his wife, Gabimaru stops in confusion and becomes frustrated, believing that he will not survive if he were to give in to his emotions and return to his beloved's side again. Realizing his true colors, Sagiri disagrees with him on how embracing his emotions will make him weak and tells him that it is strength. She then becomes willing to overlook his actions and promises him that if he were to face his emotions while reclaiming his life then she will support him throughout the journey. Finally, Gabimaru is told by Sagiri that he is no longer the man he was once before and allows his sword to be put back in its sheath.

   Gabimaru and Yuzuriha alliance Gabimaru agreeing to partner up with Yuzuriha. Later, Gabimaru is confronted by a mysterious monster resembling a fish and fights it after sensing that it was dangerous. Gabimaru becomes injured after the monster thrashes him around and decides that the best option is for him and Sagiri to flee. However, after the pair are surrounded by more monsters, Gabimaru sees that he has no choice but to fight back and focuses his mind on only killing the monsters. Gabimaru notices that Sagiri is in danger of being attacked by one of the monsters and subconsciously saves her, much to his surprise, but soon finds himself in grave peril after one of the monster’s tentacles wraps around his head. However, Gabimaru is saved in the nick of time by Yamada Asaemon Genji and is approached by one of the participating criminals, Yuzuriha, a kunoichi he previously met at the gathering in Edo, along with her assigned Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Senta. Gabimaru thanks her for the help but questions why she did so since they were competitors. Yuzuriha answers that she wishes to form an alliance with him until the elixir was found but hears Gabimaru's refusal, saying that he does not trust her. Yuzuriha tells him that they did not have to trust each other as long as they could use each other until the end and persuades him by saying that she could provide information on the insects on the island, such as the human-faced butterflies, after using Moro Makiya as bait. After hearing her out, Gabimaru agrees to team up with her and turns around to find Sagiri unconscious.

   Gabimaru hearing good news Gabimaru smiling after hearing a clue about the existence of the Elixir of Life. After Sagiri awoke, Gabimaru makes kikatsugan from what he found on the island and tells them how he could not find the Elixir of Life based on the depiction he was given. He then tells them about the samurai in bloom and how they connect to the samurai that were first dispatched to the island. Upon hearing Senta presenting his findings on the statues' characteristics, along with Sagiri's explanation on how she took note of the monsters possessing zero signs of organs or genitalia, Gabimaru becomes excited to hear that this may be a clue to finding the elixir and how he has a chance to return home. By nightfall, Gabimaru takes watch for the night while being monitored by Sagiri. Gabimaru asks Sagiri if she was recovering well after he had wounded her in their previous conflict, which shocks Sagiri since she had not expected much concern from him. He also thanks her for helping him find the resolve to face any threats that were to come on the mission and compliments her on how he viewed her as being strong.

   The next day, Gabimaru notices Sagiri about to be attacked by Rokurōta and comes in to kick him away. Seeing as how escaping with everyone would be impossible, Gabimaru tells Sagiri to move elsewhere while he handles fighting Rokurōta. Gabimaru notices Yuzuriha watching on top of a tree and asks for her support, however, the kunoichi refuses after reminding him of the roles they play in their alliance. As he starts to fight the giant, Gabimaru sees that no other techniques he has will be able to affect Rokurōta and realizes that the only way possible for him to find an opening is to fight alongside someone.

   Episode 6 Gabimaru pairing up with Sagiri to defeat Rokurōta. After dodging an attack from Rokurōta, Gabimaru notices Sagiri beside him after she manages to cut off one of Rokurōta's fingers. The two then immediately asked for each other's assistance to fight the giant. Gabimaru comes up with the plan of using Sagiri to decapitate Rokurōta's head but is told by the Asaemon that his neck is too high up for her to make the killing blow. He then suggests bringing Rokurōta to his knees by cutting his legs, however, the two have trouble executing the strategy due to Rokurōta's rampaging attacks preventing Sagiri from finding an opening. After letting his guard down by Rokurōta's loudly rumbling stomach, Gabimaru is slammed down by Rokurōta's palm and is left badly injured while Sagiri defends him from Rokurōta's next barrage of attacks. Seeing as how normal tactics were not working, Gabimaru comes up with another plan that he notes was a little dangerous.

   After setting himself on fire, Gabimaru launches a barrage of flaming ninjutsu attacks at Rokurōta with the intention of having the giant deflect them towards the trees to catch on fire. Gabimaru relays his plan to Sagiri, telling her that he plans to suffocate Rokurōta with the smoke coming from the burning trees. The plan ends up becoming a success as the two see Rokurōta starting to fall to his knees. Sagiri gets close to Rokurōta and prepares to behead him, however, Rokurōta notices Sagiri and gets ready to attack. Gabimaru comes in to hold the giant's arm down and asks Sagiri to hurry in making her cut before he loses strength.

   Hoko village discovered Gabimaru and the others discover a ruined village. After managing to defeat Rokurōta, Gabimaru and Sagiri move away from the burning woods and catches up with Yuzuriha and Senta. The group is then shocked to see an abandoned village that is implied to be the residence of where the Sennin reside on the island. Gabimaru states that it did not matter who or what was living on the island but whether or not they were their allies or enemies.

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Gabimaru restrains Mei Gabimaru captures Mei. Gabimaru gets a sense that someone is watching him and turns around to find a small person spying on them from behind a tree. After pulling down their hood, Gabimaru discovers it is a little girl. He then dodges an attack coming from a tree lifeform, but instead of engaging in a fight, Gabimaru focuses on the girl trying to run away, thinking that she might know more about the island. Sagiri runs with Gabimaru and tries to warn the girl that they do not intend to cause her any harm. Despite her reassurance, the little girl tries to defend herself from Sagiri by throwing a punch but is blocked by Gabimaru who notices how surprisingly strong her punch is and also senses something strange coming from her that causes him to bleed. Desperate to get her to tell him what he needs to know, Gabimaru restrains the girl with vines and demands that she cooperate, causing her to cry out of fear as a result. After Sagiri calms her down, the two take her along with them as they regroup back with Yuzuriha and Senta. The group then hears the tree lifeform talking, asking for them to let the girl go and that it can tell them about the elixir and guide them to the village.

   Gabimaru and Yuzuriha group hosted by Hoko and Mei Gabimaru and the others being hosted by Hōko and Mei. The tree being leads the group to the village. Sagiri feels uncertain if they should trust it but Gabimaru tells her that he was willing to take his chances but assures her that if it tricks them he will take care of it. The tree being tells them that it will not trick them and that the village is safe from the monsters, revealed to be called the Sōshin, and the butterflies. After they arrive at the village, Gabimaru asked the tree being about the island and the elixir. The monster reveals that the island is called Kotaku and the elixir, also known as Tan, is real and can be found at the center of the island. However, it tells them that they will soon meet a group of immortal beings called Lord Tensen who will not allow them to leave the island. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha views the tree being's tone as a threat and points their weapons towards it. The tree being tells them that it was harboring no ill will and it was only speaking the truth. He then watches as the tree being breaks a part of its hand and demonstrates its regenerative abilities, giving evidence that the elixir exists. Gabimaru looks towards the girl and asked if she also has the ability but receives a scolding from Sagiri and Yuzuriha.

   Gabimaru travels to Horai Gabimaru leaves for Hōrai. Later, Gabimaru walks with Sagiri to the bath and discusses whether if they can trust Mei and Hōko. Once they entered, Gabimaru accidentally walks in on Mei undressed. Despite this incident, Gabimaru undresses seeing as how he used to bathe with others back in his village. While washing himself he thinks back to the time his wife advised him to relax his body and how he told her not to hide her scar. Gabimaru looks towards Mei and gives her the same advice about the marking on her back. This advice makes Mei feel comfortable standing next to Gabimaru. After washing themselves, Gabimaru reminded himself that he had not time to waste in finding the elixir. Once they arrived, Senta overexerts himself with gathering intel but insists in keeping watch for the night. However, he falls asleep next to Gabimaru which gave him the opportunity to leave for Hōrai.

   Gabimaru fighting Zhu Jin Gabimaru fights Zhu Jin. As Gabimaru rushes for Hōrai he stumbles upon an area full of strange immobile tree beings chanting sutras. He continues on until he finds a large gate. Seeing how it's man-made Gabimaru realizes that he has arrived at Hōrai and prepares to enter. However, an unknown woman appears behind him and becomes irritated with his appearance after her scuffle with another group of humans. After Gabimaru realizes that she turns humans into the Elixir of Life and attacks her. While the two engage in battle, Gabimaru uncovers the woman's true identity. Just when he had the upper hand in battle Gabimaru is overwhelmed by its counterattacks. Gabimaru recovers and asked if he is the infamous Lord Tensen. Gabimaru continues to fight the Lord Tensen and notices his attacks are ineffective. However, he manages to land a fatal blow and wondered what changed. It then transforms into a woman and launches a set of invincible attacks towards Gabimaru. Gabimaru struggles with guarding against her attacks but pushes throw and clashes with a barrage of attacks. He gains the upper hand and stops her from regenerating. Once she was down, Gabimaru asked her where was the elixir, but is shocked to see the blooming female transforms into a monster.

   Before Gabimaru could come up with a strategy, the monster attacks with bolts of lightning and gravely injures him. He then becomes overwhelmed with the monster's attacks and is unable to fight back. As he is thrashed around he dreams of waking up to a peaceful life with his wife, believing that the events that had occurred were a nightmare. Though he took into consideration that he is dreaming of her he was glad that he got to see her and told her that he may not get the chance to see her for real. After waking up, in a last-ditch effort, Gabimaru sets himself on fire and attempts to kill the monster along with himself. Gabimaru is freed from its grasps and thinks of his wife as he starts to lose consciousness. Unknown to him, Mei appears at Gabimaru's side and helps him escape by creating a crater leading them down a cliff.

   Gabimaru allying with Gantetsusai and Fuchi Gabimaru forming an alliance with Gantetsusai and Fuchi. Gabimaru wakes up from his ordeal and assesses the situation. He realizes that the being can be killed but needs assistants in order to do so. He is then met by Tamiya Gantetsusai and Yamada Asaemon Fuchi. The two criminals then predict each other's movements before making any attempt to actually attack. Fuchi stops them from this exchange, believing that it was pointless. Fuchi draws his sword and wanted to extract information from Gabimaru's experience on the island. Gabimaru thinks about his options and decides in trying to pair up with them. Gantetsusai drew his sword to see if he was trying to trick them but was convinced, though he was disappointed with him showing weakness in front of him. He then tells them of his whole experience on the island and how he encountered Lord Tensen, which piqued their interest. Gantetsusai agrees to team up with him but Fuchi asked whether his decision was the right one since Gabimaru was also seeking the pardon. Gantetsusai states that he had no interest in the pardon and expressed his desire to become legendary. Having successfully convinced them, Gabimaru forms an alliance with the two. Fuchi suggests sharing intel which Gabimaru agrees with and starts with Mei. Gabimaru is then shocked to see her grown up and to hear her speak for the first time. He then quickly asked her if she knew anything about the elixir and what was the power she used to save him. Mei explains that her power is called Tao but Gabimaru becomes confused by her odd explanation. The group are then approached by the Sōshin and prepares to fight back. While looking at the horde, Gabimaru notices something unfamiliar amongst the Sōshin.

   Gabimaru comes to Mei's side Gabimaru comes to Mei's side. Gabimaru and Gantetsusai fight off the Sōshin. He then asked what Fuchi was up to. He responds saying that he was analyzing the monsters corpses and tells him of their differences. He then wonders as to who Mei is, thinking back as how she is not an ordinary human after helping him escape. She sees him looking at her viciously and starts to cry, making him realize that she is a girl deep down. He is then covered in blood after Gantetsusai criticizes him for making her cry and states that he would not be liked by females but Gabimaru points out that he doesn't mind since he is married which shocks both Gantetsusai and Fuchi. He asked if he was also married which he replies by saying that he has multiple wives. Mei is then captured by a Dōshi who is pleased with their meeting and addresses her in a polite manner. Gabimaru becomes shocked after the Dōshi explains to them that Mei is similar to Lord Tensen and starts to rethink his decision in looking after her. However, he moves towards Mei's side and tells the Dōshi that he will protect her even if she had nothing to do with him. He then prepares to fight the Dōshi alongside another that joins his side.

   Gabimaru and Gantetsusai vs Centipede and Butterfly Doshi Gabimaru and Gantetsusai confronted by two Dōshi. Gabimaru watches as the two Dōshi summon a swarm of insects and decides to think up a strategy before attacking. However, Gantetsusai steps in to slash away at the butterflies and states that he seeks revenge on the Butterfly Dōshi that caused him to lose his left hand. Gantetsusai prepares to attack again but Gabimaru sees that he is hit by an invisible attack like the one during his fight with the Lord Tensen. Gabimaru warns Gantetsusai of the technique and the two defend themselves against the Dōshi's attacks. They then accidently attack each other and start to argue. After the Dōshi asks Gabimaru why he wanted to protect Mei, Gabimaru starts to realize his behavior has changed ever since he got on the island. He accepts his change in personality and tells the Dōshi that he was repaying a debt to her. He then asked why they wanted Mei. The Dōshi explains that they need Mei as a partner to perform Bochu Jutsu in which they combine their Yin and Yang energies by having sexual intercourse. He explains that since Mei possesses only Yin energy she was viewed as inferior to Lord Tensen and was expelled from the palace with an option of either dying or becoming a part of the Dōshi's training. After hearing that the scar has marked her for this purpose, Gabimaru becomes angry and tells the Dōshi to stop viewing her as an object. Gabimaru and Gantetsusai stand behind Mei ready to battle the transformed two Dōshi.

   Episode 11 Gabimaru awakens his Tao. Gabimaru notices that the two Dōshi transformed resembles the monster transformation of Lord Tensen. He fights the Centipede Dōshi and manages to dodge his barrages of invisible projectiles. The Butterfly Dōshi then sends out a swarm of butterflies towards Gabimaru. After being told by Gantetsusai that the butterflies were dangerous, Gabimaru expels out a large torrent of fire to ignite the swarm and block out the two Dōshi. Gabimaru finds it difficult to fight the Dōshi while not understanding of Tao works. Interpreting Mei's words, Fuchi tells Gabimaru that he is using too much of his strength and needs to accept his weakness. Mei then helps Gabimaru get a sense of his Tao by holding his hand. Gabimaru finds it hard to believe to use his weakness, but, after Mei tells him that weakness gives rise to strength, Gabimaru is reminded of something similar to what Sagiri said to him earlier, causing him to awaken his Tao. Gabimaru then says that he got the idea as to how Tao works and steps forward to face the Dōshi once more. The two Dōshi attack Gabimaru with invisible Tao projectiles but he manages to see them and dodge every one of them. Gabimaru starts to understand the nature of Tao and destroys the Centipede Dōshi's arm, saying that he no longer stands a chance against him. After he dispels the Dōshi's transformation, Gabimaru states that he was ready to fight Lord Tensen.

   Gabimaru and Gantetsusai kill the Doshi Gabimaru and Gantetsusai defeat the Dōshi. After coming out on top, Gabimaru orders the Centipede Dōshi to tell him everything he needed to know. The Dōshi explains that he along with two other Dōshi's were ordered by Lord Tensen to see how the humans that made landfall differ from the humans in past and if they present a threat. He then hears Gantetsusai coming in wanting to make the final blow. Thinking that he has let his guard down, the Dōshi's attack Gabimaru. However, Gabimaru reacts quickly and kills the Butterfly Dōshi while Gantetsusai kills the Centipede Dōshi. Having just gained the ability to sense Tao, Gabimaru stills finds it to be a mystery but thinks that if he can dig deep into the nature of Tao he can deal some damage to his enemies. He is then yelled at by Gantetsusai for how things ended with the Dōshi. After eliminating the Dōshi's, Fuchi suggests using Mei as a source of information, but Gantetsusai suggests returning her home. Gabimaru tells Mei that he was willing to do whatever she requested of him since she saved his life twice. Before she could speak her mind, Mei and Gantetsusai watch in shock as Gabimaru bleeds from his nose and faints.

   After carrying his unconscious body to a cave halfway up the valley, Gabimaru awakens and jumps back to see Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Mei. With his awakening, Fuchi goes over what they know about Tao, however, Gabimaru is unable to recall the events that had happened or recognize the people in front of him, concluding that he is left with amnesia. Gabimaru's amnesia reverts him back to his old self as Gabimaru the Hollow. He decides to go along with the situation until he is able to figure out whether he can trust them or not. After ending their discussion, Gabimaru sits outside and is met by Mei who asks him if he was feeling okay. Gabimaru says that he was fine but Mei senses that his Tao is not fully formed.

   Gabimaru vs Chobei Gabimaru fights Chōbei. The next day, the four travel up the valley to reach the Hōrai gate, however, they are met by Aza Chōbei and Aza Tōma. Chōbei smiles and responds by attacking Gabimaru. Gabimaru counter-attacks by getting on top of him and snaps his neck to kill him. However, as Mei warns him that Chōbei has large amounts of Tao, the bandit survives, picks up Gabimaru and slams him down to the ground. Gabimaru figures that Chōbei is one of the immortals the others were talking about and plans to restrain him in order to extract information. However, Gabimaru is unable to inflict any lasting damage to Chōbei due to his regenerative abilities and is overpowered by his Tao usage. He then decides to become "Hollow" and pins Chōbei down to incinerate both him and himself. Chōbei is surprised that Gabimaru is willing to sacrifice himself in order kill him. Gabimaru explains that his life did not matter as a ninja and as long as Chōbei has something to live for he will never triumph. After hearing this, Chōbei unleashes a transformation and attacks Gabimaru. Gabimaru tries to defend himself against Chōbei's rampaging but continues to exert his body. He then stops for a brief moment after suddenly remembering someone but chooses to charge straight to attack Chōbei. After Tōma attempts to stop Chōbei, Gabimaru sees an opening to attack despite knowing that he might die.

   Gabimaru memories return Gabimaru regains his memories after having his Tao restored by Sagiri. As he prepares to use his ninjutsu, Mei rushes in and releases her Tao to create a massive crater. Gabimaru gets himself over the edge and throws a few rocks to attack Chōbei as a last-ditch effort. He then falls unconscious and is carried up to the Hōrai gate where the group meets with Sagiri, Yamada Asaemon Shion, Yuzuriha, Nurugai and Hōko. After Gabimaru wakes up, he is unfamiliar with the people he sees. After showing signs that he wasn't himself, Sagiri asked who he was. Gabimaru answers with his infamous epithet, leading Sagiri to understand that he is not his old self. Gabimaru attacks Sagiri but is protected by Shion and Fuchi. She then tries to reason with him but Gabimaru pushes her away, resulting in Sagiri using force by pinning him down. As she uses Tao restoration, she explains to him that they are in need of his strength in getting back home and that there was someone who he needed to return to. After his Tao is fully restored, Gabimaru successfully regains his memories.

   The group relocates to a cave to be safe from Lord Tensen's sensory field in Hōrai. Gabimaru confirms to everyone that he has regain his memories and wishes to continue to search for the elixir so he can reunite with his wife with the full protection of the pardon. Hearing this, Yuzuriha explains her earlier theory of his wife being an illusion as a way for his chief to control him. Gabimaru believes that she indeed exist, however, Yuzuriha doubts his suspicion since he is relying solely on feeling. After Gabimaru gives a description of her, he tells them that based on these feelings, his wife, Yui, is real and can only confirm this if he is able to make it back home.

   The vanguard party join forces The survivors join forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Seeing as how he needs to prepare to fight Lord Tensen once again, Gabimaru sits outside and calls on Gantetsusai, Tōma, Shion, and Nurugai to help him undergo training with Tao. As they attack him, Gabimaru starts to understand the nature of Tao and believes that they must use the Tensen's Tao against themselves in order to gain victory. After finishing with the sparring section, Gabimaru discusses with Shion concerning the groups next plan of action. They are then warned by Mei about another party arriving on the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Gabimaru asks Sagiri if Shugen would be another ally, which she answers in agreement and explains to him his strength. However, Gabimaru learns from Shion about the infamous story regarding Shugen executing the Silver Serpent yakuza group along with their families since they were connected to criminals, giving proof that Shugen will not think about allying with the group since he despises criminals or anyone who works with them. Shion moves on by explaining the plan to form two teams where one finds Tan and the other finds an escape route off the island. He then explains his strategy of using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat Lord Tensen. After hearing Yuzuriha's suggestion about abandoning the mission and go into hiding after escaping the island, Shion gives everyone the option of going independently or following him into the cave and proceed with the plan set forth. Unanimously, everyone follows Shion and chooses to cooperate in finding the elixir and escaping the island together.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc Gabimaru promises Mei Gabimaru making a promise to Mei to have her see Rien and Jofuku for the last time. Using the information Mei provided, the group strategies on how to escape the island by using the ships located within the palace and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. Shion then pulls Gabimaru and Yuzuriha over to have them instruct the group in terms of espionage using Tao. While Yuzuriha teaches her lesson on masking one's presence using Tao, Gabimaru teaches the group on how to use Tao physically by taking advantage of the Tao current and starts them off by having them practice dislocating their necks, joints, and stopping their heart. He then tells them about the Tao current and explains how they can use it against Lord Tensen to fight back. After the lessons were over, Gabimaru is placed in the Elixir Retrieval Team along with Sagiri and Yuzuriha. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the Elixir Retrieval Team since she wishes to leave the island. However, Gabimaru asks her if there was something she had to do before leaving. Mei confesses that she wishes to see her creator, Jofuku, and Rien to ask why they underwent a major change in the past and then leave the island to start a new life. Remembering his wife's words, Gabimaru promises Mei to have her see the two again.

   During their strategy meeting, the group reviews the layout of the palace and how they plan on infiltrating it. Knowing that the palace's interior is constantly changing, Gabimaru explains that he and Yuzuriha will sneak on top of the inner gate and sense the layout of the palace's building. Once this is done, Gabimaru states that they would have to switch in and out of their Tao suppression in order to scout the area and take out the guards. Knowing that part of the plan is to not encounter Lord Tensen, Sagiri asks the possibility of that situation happening. Gabimaru explains that if that were to happen then they would have to move on to their second plan of fighting back. Going with the strategy they planned out, the group decides to infiltrate the palace tonight. Before leaving, Gabimaru listens to Mei go over the fusion between a person and Flower Tao, using this as his backup plan. He then walks back to Mu Dan's corpse and retrieves one of his plant stingers in order to initiate this plan.

   Elixir Team meets Ran The Elixir Retrieval Team encounters Ran. The Elixir Retrieval Team manages to sneak in and signals the others that it is safe to proceed. Sagiri asks Gabimaru if the time has come for the mission to finally end. Gabimaru answers yes and says that everyone will leave the island tonight. The team scouts out the castle by sensing the structures Tao and take down the Dōshi on guard. After successfully entering the palace building, Gabimaru senses the layout of the room but suddenly senses Tao be gathered into a single entity. The entity reveals itself to be Ran who suppressed his Tao waiting for their arrival after being informed by Chōbei.

   Knowing that Ran's Tao is able to hinder his own, Gabimaru remembers the plan of fleeing if he were to run into a Tensen with a hindering attribute. Ran tries to plead with Mei to return to their side and explains that the Elixir of Life has been completed, shocking Gabimaru. Mei refuses and says that she came to say goodbye. Ran becomes disappointed and sees that the Rite of Just Consumption will have to continue, revealing that Lord Tensen has located the others and plan on capturing them as sacrifices for the grandmaster. Seeing as how their initial plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.

   Gabimaru and Yuzuriha vs Ran Gabimaru and Yuzuriha vs. Ran. Gabimaru tells Sagiri and Mei to move on ahead to find the elixir while he and Yuzuriha fight Ran. However, Mei warns Gabimaru that they are not in the Rentan Palace where the elixir is located. Ran then makes his attack and reveals to them that he has rearranged the palace before they made their arrival. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha go up against Ran but are unable to harm him to due to his elemental Tao and Ran being able to block Yuzuriha's attacks because of his Tao Armor. Gabimaru goes up against him a second time but is quickly defeated. Having gotten a good idea of the situation, Gabimaru tells Yuzuriha that it was time to initiate their strategy. Gabimaru rushes in again and manages to land a hit on Ran by executing his plan of using Ran's Tao against him. He manages to inflict more damage to Ran but is having difficulty enduring Ran's attacks on his body due to his low Tao defense. He then thinks about using his second plan but holds it off for later. Ran becomes impressed with how much Gabimaru has learned about Tao since he came to the island and believes that he is talented. However, Gabimaru disagrees with his statement about him being "talented" and explains that his actions came from the result of everyone's efforts and sacrifices to defeat him and Lord Tensen. Gabimaru holds Ran off long enough to allow Sagiri and Mei to head towards the Rentan Palace and has Yuzuriha bisect Ran. Yuzuriha prepares to finish him off but is warned by Gabimaru to stop as Ran starts to transform. The two then prepare to fight him in his Kishikai state.

   Gabimaru Flower Tao Gabimaru injects himself with Flower Tao. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha are unable to fight back against Ran's monstrous strength and finds themselves to be in dire straits. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha try to retreat while they have the chance but are unable to outrun Ran. As Ran is about to throw his attack at Yuzuriha, Gabimaru catches it on time but is overpowered by his strength and has his left shoulder cut. Gabimaru is then thrown aside and slowly starts to die. However, after injecting himself with Flower Tao from one of Mu Dan's stingers in his hand, Gabimaru stands back up with his wound fully healed. Gabimaru fights back now being able to regenerate from Ran's attacks. Yuzuriha is shocked by Gabimaru's approach but chooses to help aid him in his battle after listening to his conviction.

   Gabimaru first sends out a burst of fire to overstimulate him with light, robbing him of his sense of judgment and timing, and attacks him with a barrage of ninjutsu along with Yuzuriha. After buying enough time, Ran Kishikai mode falls apart after consuming too much Tao. He then attacks Ran in his decrepitude state and yells out to Yuzuriha to attack before Ran has a chance to recover his lost Tao. Ran points out to Gabimaru that she will not make this attempt since she is low on Tao and her next attack will cost her life. Yuzuriha agrees but says that she was willing to do it. Ran then defends himself by forming spikes from the ground. Gabimaru helps Yuzuriha avoid them by lifting her up in the air. She then comes down and finally puts an end to Ran by destroying his tanden.

   After the battle ends, Gabimaru checks to see if Yuzuriha is okay. Yuzuriha warns Gabimaru of the Arborficiation eventually taking over his body but knows that he was never going to see his wife without the risk. He then suggests that they should catch up to Sagiri and Mei at the Rentan Palace but is told by Yuzuriha to go on ahead without her. Before leaving, Gabimaru thanks Yuzuriha once again for saving his life the second time they met and leaves. Gabimaru rushes to the Rentan Palace but feels the effects of the vines spreading through his body, causing him to fall down unconscious.

   Kinkakubo and Ginkakubo finds Gabimaru Gabimaru approached by Kinkakubō and Ginkakubō. After some time had past, Gabimaru is surrounded by four Iwagakure shinobi and is about to be attacked. However, he quickly wakes up and kills them instantly. Upon recognizing who they are, Gabimaru figures that Shija, the next Gabimaru, is here. He then keeps himself from being spotted by both the Dōshi and shinobi running around the palace. Later, Gabimaru is approached by Kinkakubō and Ginkakubō who transform their faces into the Iwagakure chief and Yui to cause trauma to his mind. However, Gabimaru tells them that their attempt is not working since he is a shinobi and is able to notice the flaws in their ninjutsu. The two kneeled down in respect and cooperated by telling him everything they know, such as the death of three well-known shinobi and the fact that Shija killed the other Gabimaru candidates and made sure his reputation is still valued, much to Gabimaru's dissatisfaction. Gabimaru also wanted to know the real reason behind Iwagakure for coming to the island but is told by Kinkakubō that it was unknown what the Iwagakure's chief's intentions were. The three then hear the signal confirming that the shinobi have retrieved the Elixir of Life, leading to Kinkakubō to request that Gabimaru consume Ginkakubō's toxic saliva as a reasonable way to end his life. Gabimaru refuses and has Ginkakubō step away from him by releasing his killing intent, stating that he will not allow them to get in his way of escaping the island. Gabimaru hears Kinkakubō tell him that it would be pointless to make it back home since Yui does not exist but does not believe him since he knows that Iwagakure specializes in disrupting their targets mentality. The shinobi then moves towards attacking him with genin lined up to fight him to the death. Gabimaru quickly defeats them using Tao sensory and dares them to try and stop him from achieving his goal.

   Gabimaru resonating with the Banko Gabimaru feeling his Tao resonating with the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Gabimaru gains the upper hand in defeating the genin and takes the time to use his Tao sensory to detect the events unfolding, seeing that both enemies and allies are clashing, Shija is located at the floodgates, Sagiri is safe for the time being, and unfortunately sees Fuchi lying down on the ground unconscious. He then decides to make a hasty pursuit to the Rentan Palace to reunite with Sagiri, steal the Elixir of Life from the ninja squad, and escape the island through the floodgates. As he races on the rooftops, Gabimaru witnesses Zhu Jin emerging from the Main Palace fully fused with the Banko as a gigantic plant monster. Gabimaru's Flower Tao then starts to resonate with the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, causing him to go into agony as flowers start to sprout from his body but removes them and continues going forward.

   Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. Gabimaru manages to arrive at the Rentan Palace where everyone is gathered but continues to suffer from Zhu Jin's effects on his Tao. Though he sees that he is not in perfect condition to keep on fighting, Chōbei, whose body starts to suffer as well, asks Gabimaru if he had anything to lose, unlike the first time they met. Gabimaru answers that he does after remembering Yui and says that he has no other option but to keep going forward. The Iwagakure shinobi see that Gabimaru is distracted and attempt to attack him with kunai but are deflected back by Jikka. The two groups then decide to take possession of the shinobi gear. Sagiri becomes conflicted with the fact that the situation is still the same as before but is told by Gabimaru that there is a possibility that it is different. With everyone well equipped, Gabimaru pairs up with Sagiri to strengthen his Tao and heads off to destroy the tandens.

   Gabimaru vs Shija Gabimaru clashes with Shija. After arriving at the Banko's Metal tanden, Gabimaru and Sagiri are approached by clones of Gui Fa created from the tanden and prepare to get past them. However, Shija arrives to quickly dispose of them and directs their attention to Gabimaru with full delight. Gabimaru sees that Shija will be a problem and tries to request their help. Shija happily agrees in helping him but says that they will do so by bringing out his true fighting instincts in a battle. With this decision, Gabimaru finds himself having no choice but to engage in an intense battle with Shija in his weakened state. During the fight, in an attempt to destroy the Banko's tanden, Gabimaru allows himself to be kicked by Shija towards its direction but manages to only destroy the statue resting beneath it. In an unfortunate turn of events, Gabimaru finds himself unable to gather enough strength to fight back as Shija targets Sagiri after realizing that she is here to help Gabimaru recover his Tao. Gabimaru yells out to Sagiri to run but hears her refusal, choosing to stand her ground against her enemy. However, she is quickly taken down and is forced to take painful drugs.

   Ninpo Fire Monk Maximum Fire Power Gabimaru finishes off Shija. Shija brings their attention back to Gabimaru and asks why they are trying to hold on to life. Gabimaru answers that he wishes to live a normal life with his wife and denies Shija's words in that she does not exist. Shija explains that Yui is incapable of showing actual emotions and that their relationship has been false along in order to hide the murders committed. Upon receiving confirmation that Yui truly exists, Gabimaru stands back up with his body healing itself from his intense emotions. With his body fully recovered, Gabimaru faces Shija once again, with a resolve to live a normal life with his wife, and manages to deal damage to the shinobi while automatically recovering from theirs. He then goes on the defensive as Shija attacks him with everything they got. After they manage to strike where his heart is, Gabimaru applauses Shija for delivering an attack that would have killed him if he was still human but says that he is not ready to die in order to return back to Yui. He then grabs onto Shija, asking that they not bear a grudge against him, and unleashes a powerful Hibōshi to finish them off.

   Gabimaru prepares to destroy the Metal tanden Gabimaru and Sagiri prepare to destroy the Banko's Metal tanden. Gabimaru watches as Shija signals the Iwagakure shinobi to commit suicide as a way to clear a path for Gabimaru and hears them out asking if he would consider killing them again if they were to be reborn, to which Gabimaru answers yes, much to Shija's happiness as they pass away. Gabimaru then moves on with Sagiri in destroying the Banko's Metal tanden after the next signal from Yuzuriha. Though the group was successful in their coordinated attack on the tandens, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko is brought back to life after being rejuvenated by the morning sunlight and puts the survivors in a difficult situation after exhausting their strength. However, Aza Chōbei manages to destroy the plant monster after coming up with a plan to destroy its roots to cut off the regeneration link to the tandens.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc With the Zhu Jin-fused Banko destroyed, Gabimaru and Sagiri regroup with everyone at the entrance to the floodgates. The survivors enter but find that the ships have been destroyed, with the exception of one. Having been told that the ship cannot sail without removing the wreckage, Gabimaru makes a desperate attempt by jumping into the water to remove the wreckage with help from Sagiri and Nurugai. However, Gabimaru sees that Mei has transformed into her Kishikai to help clear a path for them, which worries both him and Sagiri since she is at risk of losing her life. Mei transforms back to normal to hug the two and thanks Gabimaru for giving her courage and thanks Sagiri for caring for her hair. She then has them transported onto the ship, revealing that their last moment together was an illusion, and says goodbye as they finally sail away from the island.

   Gabimaru vs Shugen vs Rien Gabimaru clashes with Shugen and Rien. Knowing that they will battle Rien soon, Gabimaru strategizes with Yuzuriha and believes that the only way they can is if they try to make her deplete her Tao in the same way they fought Ran. He also becomes informed of Rien's plan to revive the gilded body of Jofuku. Shortly after, the survivors reach Rien's burning ship, which has been slighted damaged by Gantetsusai after the swordsman jumped onboard earlier to slow it down. Seeing as how he is the only one who has a resistance to flames, Gabimaru jumps onboard alone, praises Gantetsusai for the work he has done, and tells him that he will handle the rest from here on. The ninja then engages in a three-way battle against Shugen and Rien. However, Gabimaru quickly comes to realize how powerful Rien is compared to his fights with Zhu Jin and Ran. He then sees the other survivors boarding the ship to join in the battle, thinking that they have a better chance if they sprung an all-out attack. Rien makes a comment on how she doubts that a gathering of humans will do nothing against her, to which Gabimaru replies that, in spite of what she thinks, they will do anything to survive and make it back home.

   Gabimaru's Arborification Gabimaru undergoes Arborification. After the survivors perform an all-out coordinated attack on Rien, Gabimaru yells out to Sagiri and Shion to deliver the final blow to her tanden after he and Gantetsusai gives them an opening to attack. The humans then successfully manage to bring down the Tensen after Sagiri and Shion bisected Rien with their combined attack. However, the events were revealed to be an illusion created by Rien, who decides to enter into her Kishikai to put an end to their resistance. Gabimaru attempts to use a technique against Rien but is blasted with a bolt of Tao lightning by her. After Rien dismantles the exterior of the ship, Gabimaru grabs onto her from behind and sets himself on fire to incinerate her. However, after receiving an image of Yui in his mind, Gabimaru ceases his flames. This leaves him venerable to Rien's Tao as it resonates with his, causing Gabimaru to undergo Arborification as a result.

   Sagiri helping Gabimaru recover Gabimaru being recovered by Sagiri. While having a fond memory of his wife, Gabimaru starts to succumb to the effects of the Arborification. However, Sagiri takes a drastic approach to save Gabimaru by beheading him, cutting off his limbs that were deeply rooted, and having his body in contact with hers to use the Tao Restoration and quicken the pace of his healing. Gabimaru finds himself fully recovered and becomes amazed with how Sagiri handled the situation. Though he is warned by her about the difficult situation, Gabimaru says that as long as they're alive they cannot give up until they are dead and thanks to her for saving him. The two then ready themselves to fight Rien.

   Gabimaru fights with Sagiri using coordinated attacks against Rien. He then grabs her out of the way of Rien's Tao lightning attack and rushes in to strike the Tensen's tanden with Sagiri's sword but finds that the attack is ineffective due to the Wood hindering attribute losing the power needed after the sword was in his possession. Gabimaru then attempts to try another strategy by using Sagiri as a human sword but dismisses the idea after realizing that it was not the perfect plan, followed by the female Asaemon berating him for trying such a desperate stunt. Going with the plan they laid out before, Gabimaru makes his way towards Jofuku's gilded corpse, as well as the cargo of the Paradise Butterflies, to destroy them both and give Sagiri an opening to strike Rien's tanden after being stricken with anger. However, after noticing a post-wedding brazier, a flower crown, and a pair of traditional wedding garbs laid out on the floor, Gabimaru realizes that Rien is married to Jofuku and becomes hesitant to proceed, seeing as how he sympathizes with being married. Shugen then becomes the one to destroy Jofuku's corpse after jumping in to cut the gilded body in half. Gabimaru and Sagiri's plan becomes successful after Sagiri comes in to bisect Rien after her guard was down.

   Gabimaru showing sympathy Gabimaru expressing his sympathy to Rien. With Rien defeated, Gabimaru retrieves the Elixir of Life and starts to witness the ship falling apart, due to it no longer being sustained by Rien's Tao. He then yells out to Sagiri to grab his hand while they make it out. However, Gabimaru becomes shocked after Sagiri is blasted in the stomach and sees that Rien, who managed to repair her body using manifested lotus flowers, is the one responsible. His left hand is then destroyed by her and is attacked by the furious Tensen who vowed to take everything away from him and the other humans. Before continuing to suffer at her hands, Gabimaru is asked by Rien why he chose to hesitate in destroying Jofuku, to which he answers that he received a vision of his wife at the moment, much to Rien's shock. Gabimaru then states to Rien that he understands where she is coming from since they both have people they love dearly. After Rien starts to remember the loving times she had with Jofuku, Gabimaru and Sagiri are healed by her and witness her crumble away after having fully accepted her loss.

   Gabimaru and Sagiri say goodbye Gabimaru and Sagiri part ways. As they sail back to Edo, Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, and Gantetsusai are presented with a dilemma in deciding who will get the pardon. Gabimaru hears Sagiri's confession on how any executioner such as herself has come to form a bond with criminals and is put into a comedic discussion by Yuzuriha on how everyone onboard is evil. After Gabimaru is told by Yuzuriha and Gantetsusai that he and his wife are evil, Gabimaru reacts in laughter by how silly the idea of Yui being evil is, much to everyone's shock. Gabimaru is then asked by everyone to tell them about his wife, which he happily agrees to do. Later, Gabimaru and Yuzuriha decide that Gantetsusai should be the one to return back to Edo and receive the pardon. Jikka agrees to cooperate with them by making up a false report to the shogun about how they all died during the mission and suggests that they abandon their names along with their former life as measures. Gabimaru is also told by Jikka that he will set up the arrangements to have him reunite with his wife. After Shion, Nurugai, and Yuzuriha make their departure, Gabimaru prepares to set out as well. He then locks eyes with Sagiri and the two prepare to say their final words to each other. However, Gabimaru and Sagiri decide to silently part ways on good terms with a smile.

   Gabimaru and Yui reunited Gabimaru walks off with Yui. After ten days had passed, Gabimaru walks to the arranged meeting area and becomes shocked to see his beloved wife, who also spots him with tears in her eyes, and eagerly runs towards her. Having finally been reunited, along with Iwagakure being dissolved due to the village chief's illegal actions pertaining to the shinobi sent on the second landing party, Gabimaru and Yui happily set out to start a new life with each other.

   Epilogue

   After a year passed, Gabimaru is visited by Sagiri and Yuzuriha but remains asleep while the women get acquainted with Yui.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   Gabimaru overpowering Zhu Jin Gabimaru matching and overpowering a Tensen-class Sennin in combat with his extraordinary strength, speed and sheer willpower. Gabimaru is a shinobi prodigy who has been deemed far too dangerous to confront. As a child, Gabimaru already possessed raw talent that not only allowed him to become one of the rare few children to survive Iwagakure's deadly training regimens but also put him ahead of the others in becoming the next "Gabimaru the Hollow".[14] He is recognized in Iwagakure as the strongest "Gabimaru the Hollow" in history and became both feared and admired by his peers, including from other ninja villages.[15][16] His infamous reputation for killing his targets made him out to be a cold-blooded monster to society. Even when outnumbered, Gabimaru has proven himself to be more than capable of taking down his enemies single-handedly. Among his murderous records before his captured, Gabimaru was noted to have killed 20 men without taking any damage.[17] He was able to survive a massacre full of death row criminals such as himself while his hands were bound.[18] Gabimaru was even able to handle taking down the 54 Iwagakure shinobi sent to kill him for his treachery, where not a single one but his equal Shija could manage to land a scratch on him in their attempts.

   During the events on Kotaku, Gabimaru was able to effortlessly kill the death row convict Warped Keiun even when his hands were bound and held his own against the giant Rokurōta, whose monstrous strength caused the death of two high-ranking Asaemon. He held his own fighting against the invincible members of Lord Tensen, beings who wield god-like powers, and nearly came close to defeating them, which ultimately pushed them into using their Kishikai in order to defeat him. Among the surviving humans that infiltrated Hōrai, Gabimaru's overall capabilities caught Rien's attention as being the most valuable as an "ingredient" for Lord Tensen's ritual, stating that it was the first time in centuries that a human like Gabimaru appeared on Kotaku. After his arrival in Kotaku, Gabimaru became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer, reach Hōrai where Lord Tensen previously resided, and successfully escape.[19] Physical Abilities

   Gabimaru's strength Gabimaru sending the giant Rokurōta crashing backwards with a kick. Gabimaru possesses immense physical strength, with his bare fists and legs being strong enough to puncture the bodies of humans and other living creatures. While his hands were tied, Gabimaru effortlessly lifted Warped Keiun, a large man three times his size, up in the air using the monk's spear as leverage. He was able to tear apart the Sōshin limb from limb and was capable of sending the gigantic Rokurōta crashing with a single kick. Gabimaru's strength was also able to contend with Zhu Jin, who was strong enough to destroy the ground with a single punch, and ultimately managed to overpower them with a barrage of lethal punches that halted their regeneration. Even when up against his former Iwagakure peers, whose bodies are known to be incredibly durable, Gabimaru could bypass their defensives with little effort.

   Keiun breaking his weapon after hitting Gabimaru Gabimaru's body destroying Keiun's weapon. As a former well-trained Iwagakure shinobi, Gabimaru possesses an inhuman body that allows him to perform feats that no ordinary human can accomplish, such as being able to dislocate his neck (along with various other joints)[20] , temporarily stop his heart from beating[21], and harden his body.[22] Despite his short stature, Gabimaru's body possesses incredible durability. After being captured and sentenced to death by many forms of executions, Gabimaru had them all fail as his body managed to survive every single attempt without suffering any serious injuries. He was also capable of surviving a barrage of weapon attacks from Warped Keiun and received not even a scratch.[23] Though his body could not handle being slammed to the ground by Rokurōta's monstrous strength, Gabimaru is the only known person alive to have survived a direct attack from the giant, with the only damage being severe blood loss, unlike Eizen and Genji who had their bodies either fully or partially destroyed with a single strike.[24]

   In addition to his durability, Gabimaru also possesses incredible endurance that is coupled with his indomitable will to survive. In the past, during a sparring match between a rival shinobi clan, Gabimaru easily and effortlessly killed the rival clan's representative while being grievously wounded from an earlier training session.[25] Even after taking devastating blows from the Sōshin and Rokurōta, Gabimaru was able to continue forward on his journey without receiving any medical attention and hardly showed signs that he was in pain. Gabimaru's level of durability and endurance even impressed Zhu Jin to the point where the Tensen questioned whether Gabimaru was even human after performing the feat of getting back on his feet from their attacks that were lethal enough to kill a mortal. Even after the Tensen resorted to using Tao attacks that were meant to cause internal damage, Gabimaru had enough stamina and willpower to overpower Zhu Jin with his strength while taking on the Tensen's attacks head on as well.

   Gabimaru is also a powerful and skilled hand-to-hand fighter, using devastating punches and kicks that are complimented by his highly immense physical prowess. During the times his hands were restrained, Gabimaru was not tied down at the slightest and was capable of killing effortlessly. He was able to match the likes of the immortal Zhu Jin in one-on-one combat and even hold his own against the extremely battle-oriented Ran while being supplemented with his Tao abilities.

   Taijutsu

   Iwagakure-ryū: Kibisuzume (石隠流 踵きびす爪づめ, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Heel Talon): A taijutsu technique where Gabimaru throws a strong heel kick. The kick has demonstrated to be powerful enough to counter a sword attack from an Asaemon. Iwagakure-ryū: Kabutowari (石隠流 兜かぶと割わり, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Helmet Splitter): A taijutsu technique where Gabimaru brings down a strong axe kick to his opponent. Ninpō: Hebigarami (石隠流 蛇へび給がらみ, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Snake Twist): is a taijutsu technique where Gabimaru intercepts his opponent's attack aimed towards his head using an outward block. This is called Iwagakure Style: Serpentine Twist in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Kamakubi (石隠流 鎌かま首くび, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Sickle-Shaped Neck): A taijutsu technique where Gabimaru throws a strong roundhouse kick to his opponent. Iwagakure-ryū: Katanatori (石隠流 刀かたな捕とり, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Sword Capture): A taijutsu technique used against Shija. This is called Iwagakure Style: Katana Hunt in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Gekishin (石隠流 撃げき針しん, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Firing Pin): A taijutsu technique used against Shija. Iwagakure-ryū: Kage Nui (石隠流 影かげ縫めい, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Shadow Sewing): A taijutsu technique used against Shija. This is called Iwagakure Style: Shadow Stitch in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Ōnata (石隠流 大おお鉈なた, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Broadsword): A taijutsu technique used against Shija. This is called Iwagakure Style: Onata Blade in the Viz Manga. Ninjutsu

   Gabimaru's fire ninjutsu Gabimaru's various fire-based ninpō. As a former well-trained shinobi from Iwagakure, Gabimaru is capable of performing various levels of ninjutsu. Gabimaru's ninjutsu mainly revolves around the use of flames to cause extensive burns to his targets. In addition to creating flames he also has a resistance to the said element, which was first displayed at the time of his multiple execution sentences where he survived being set on fire and only came out with a few minor burns to his body. He also survived being boiled alive and even lasted long enough for the pot he was in to collapse from the immense heat.

   Gabimaru can also use his ninjutsu to increase his already durable body to further withstand any weapon or destructive attack. For attacking at a distance, Gabimaru utilizes stones for at least one main ninjutsu.

   Ninpō

   Ninpo Ascetic Blaze Ninpō: Hibōshi. Ninpō: Hibōshi (忍法 火ひ法ぼう師し, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Fire Monk): Gabimaru sets himself on fire by raising his body temperature to ignite the oil in his skin. Using this technique, Gabimaru is capable of engulfing and incinerating his opponents. This is called Ninpo: Ascetic Blaze in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 雷いかり礫つぶて 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thunder Stones — Fire Monk Version): After using Ninpō: Hibōshi, Gabimaru grabs and sets a few rocks on fire and launches them in the same manner as Ikari Tsubute. This is called Ninpo: Stone Storm, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Kaze Nui — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 風かぜ縫ぬい 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Wind Sewing — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Kaze Nui combined with Ninpō: Hibōshi, expelling a fireball from his mouth. This is called Ninpo: Zephyr Weave, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Toge Busuma — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 棘とげ衾ぶすま 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thorn Quilt — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Toge Busuma by grabbing a tree and sets it on fire by using Ninpō: Hibōshi. He then thrusts the tree at his opponent. This is called Ninpo: Quilt of Thorns, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Ōtsubute — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 大おお礫つぶて 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Giant Stone — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Daireki by grabbing a giant boulder and sets it on fire using Ninpō: Hibōshi. He then hurls it at his opponent. This is called Ninpo: Grand Crag, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Oni Hotaru (忍法 鬼おに蛍ほたる, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Demon Firebug): Gabimaru throws a few fire projectiles towards his opponent and have them burst bright lights as a means to overstimulate them. This is called Ninpo: Demonic Firebug in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hibōshi Saidai Karyoku (忍法 火ひ法ぼう師し最さい大だい火か力りょく, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Fire Monk Maximum Fire Power): a stronger version of the Hibōshi. This is called Ninpo: Ascetic Blaze Full Fire in the Viz Manga. Ninpo Stone Storm Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute. Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute (忍法 雷いかり礫つぶて, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thunder Stones): Gabimaru first stomps on the ground to send the gravel beneath his feet in mid-air and throws a swift kick to launch the stones as projectiles to injure his opponent. Gabimaru uses this technique to attack from a distance in case he can not allow himself to get too close to his opponent. This is called Ninpo: Stone Storm in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Ikari Tsubute — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 雷いかり礫つぶて 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thunder Stones — Fire Monk Version): After using Ninpō: Hibōshi, Gabimaru grabs and sets a few rocks on fire and launches them in the same manner as Ikari Tsubute. This is called Ninpo: Stone Storm, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Shinariba (忍法 撓しなり刃ば, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Flexible Blade): Gabimaru unwraps his belt and uses it to slash at his opponent. The "blade" is said to be as tough as rope. This was first used against Rokurōta, however, the giant managed to block it before the full effects were shown. This is called Ninpo: Unformed Blade in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Noyumi (忍法 野の弓ゆみ, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Wild Archery): An unknown ranged ninjutsu Gabimaru considered using against Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Wild Archer in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Arahari (忍法 荒あら鉤はり, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Rough Hook): An unknown ranged ninjutsu Gabimaru considered using against Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Ravaging Claw in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Bakusui (忍法 爆ばく水すい, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Explosive Water): Gabimaru brings his hands down to unleash a wave of flames. This is called Ninpo: Aqueous Bomb in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hitōban (忍法 飛ひ頭とう蛮ばん, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Flying Savage Head): An unknown ranged ninjutsu Gabimaru considered using against Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Savage Headbutt in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Kaze Nui (忍法 風かぜ縫ぬい, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Wind Sewing): The normal state of this technique is unknown since Gabimaru combined it with Ninpō: Hibōshi in an attempt to cause a forest fire in his fight with Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Zephyr Weave in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Kaze Nui — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 風かぜ縫ぬい 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Wind Sewing — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Kaze Nui combined with Ninpō: Hibōshi, expelling a fireball from his mouth. This is called Ninpo: Zephyr Weave, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Toge Busuma (忍法 棘とげ衾ぶすま, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thorn Quilt): The normal state of this technique is unknown since Gabimaru combined it with Ninpō: Hibōshi in an attempt to cause a forest fire in his fight with Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Quilt of Thorns in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Toge Busuma — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 棘とげ衾ぶすま 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thorn Quilt — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Toge Busuma by grabbing a tree and sets it on fire by using Ninpō: Hibōshi. He then thrusts the tree at his opponent. This is called Ninpo: Quilt of Thorns, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Ōtsubute (忍法 大おお礫つぶて, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Giant Stone): The normal state of this technique is unknown since Gabimaru combined it with Ninpō: Hibōshi in an attempt to cause a forest fire in his fight with Rokurōta. This is called Ninpo: Grand Crag in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Ōtsubute — Hibōshi Bājon (忍法 大おお礫つぶて 火ひ法ぼう師し拵えバージョン, Literal meaning: Ninpō: Giant Stone — Fire Monk Version): Gabimaru uses Daireki by grabbing a giant boulder and sets it on fire using Ninpō: Hibōshi. He then hurls it at his opponent. This is called Ninpo: Grand Crag, Ascetic Blaze Mode in the Viz Manga. Ninpo Pyro Bridge Ninpō: Hi no Hashi. Ninpō: Hi no Hashi (忍法 火ひノ橋はし, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Bridge of Fire): Gabimaru takes a deep breath and expels a large torrent of fire to ignite his target. This is called Ninpo: Pyro Bridge in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hanabari (忍法花はな針はり, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Blooming Needle): Gabimaru grabs a pebble and flicks it as a projectile to attack his opponent. Ninpō: Kakashō (忍法華か々か抄しょう, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Glorious Extract): Gabimaru surrounds himself with a barrage of explosions. Ninpō: Yake Fuki (忍法 焼やけ吹ふき, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Burning Blows): Gabimaru unleashes a surge of fire around him. This is called Ninpo: Pyro Blizzard in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Kaen Dan (忍法 火か炎えん断だん, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Flame Judgement): Gabimaru delivers a kick set on fire. This is called Ninpo: Arson Judgement in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hanata Rin (忍法 花はな蛇た輪りん, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Flower Snake Ring): Gabimaru controls his flames to circle around him. Ninpō: Tsuriwata (忍法 つりわた, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Silken Strangle): A fire-based ninja art Gabimaru used against Ran

2. #2Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   Keys: Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   KANJI 山田浅ェ門 佐切 OTHER NAMES Sagi (さぎ) (by Fuchi) Sagi-rin (さぎりん) (by Yuzuriha) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE December 16 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Female Female AGE 17 HEIGHT 172 cm HAIR COLOR Brown EYE COLOR Brown PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood RELATIVES Yamada Asaemon Kichiji (Father) CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Heiress of the Yamada Clan Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 12th AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Vanguard Party Elixir Retrieval Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 1 ANIME DEBUT Episode 1 NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yumiri Hanamori ENGLISH VOICE Marisa Duran STAGE PLAY Ayana Shiramoto Yamada Asaemon Sagiri Images LESS Overview Relationships Image Gallery Do those without doubt even exist? And if they do, does that lack translate to strength? I have come face-to-face with doubt time and time again. My own. As well as the doubt harbored within the strong. We struggle and doubt and struggle again. If abandoning such doubt is the way of the samurai then samurai I am not. For I refuse to leave such things behind. To the bitter end I remain nebulous and ill-defined. For that is who I am. YAMADA ASAEMON SAGIRI (CHAPTER 120)

   Yamada Asaemon Sagiri (山田やま浅だあェえも門ん 佐さ切ぎり) is the 12th rank Asaemon of the Yamada clan, as well as the daughter to the former clan's leader, Yamada Asaemon Kichiji. She is the deuteragonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

   After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Sagiri recruited Gabimaru to be a part of the expedition team and was put in charge of acting as his monitor until the mission was complete.

   Appearance

   Sagiri is a fair-skinned young woman of a slender build who is quite tall, as her height is 172 cm. (5 feet 8 inches), making her one of the tallest female characters in the series. She has long brown hair that she keeps in a ponytail using a very long ribbon and frontal hairs that fall across her face as bangs, as well as two very long front strands that reach down to her chest.

   As an Asaemon, she wears the standard attire, albeit altered slightly for her gender, which consists of a white hakamashita kimono with a red lining running down the collar, tucked into a pair of white hakama with a single red band at the left gusset, held up by an imitation of an obi (fashioned much like a western corset), consisting of four red straps securing a dark red obimakura, which also holds her katana at her left hip. Finally, she wears a pair of white tabi, with dark waraji for footwear. Her accessories include a red bow on her collar with the standard funerary bell attached to it, as is traditional for all Yamada Asaemon, a red gauntlet at her right hand, and red tasuki she uses to tie up her sleeves to prevent them from interfering with her duties when preparing for an execution.

   After taking on the task of destroying one of the Banko's tandens, Sagiri procures shinobi equipment from the fallen Iwagakure shinobi taken down by Jikka, consisting of a headband, along with adding another gauntlet and a second sword. She also switches to wearing shinobi footwear and has her hakama tucked into a pair of gaiters around her lower legs.

   After a year passed, Sagiri wears a striped robe, being held together with a dark obi, a haori, and sandals. She also carries along a kasa and a walking stick. Gallery

   Sagiri's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Sagiri's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Sagiri at age 2. Sagiri at age 2. Sagiri at age 6. Sagiri at age 6. Sagiri at age 9. Sagiri at age 9. Sagiri with her hair down. Sagiri with her hair down. Sagiri after procuring shinobi equipment. Sagiri after procuring shinobi equipment. Sagiri's full appearance. Sagiri's full appearance. Sagiri at a young age. Sagiri at a young age. Sagiri at age 4. Sagiri at age 4. Sagiri at age 12. Sagiri at age 12. Sagiri while acting as an inspector. Sagiri while acting as an inspector. Sagiri's appearance in the epilogue. Sagiri's appearance in the epilogue. Video Games

   Sagiri in Monster Strike. Sagiri in Monster Strike. Sagiri in Tower of Saviors. Sagiri in Tower of Saviors. Sagiri in Grand Summoners. Sagiri in Grand Summoners. Sagiri in Seven Knights Idle Adventure. Sagiri in Seven Knights Idle Adventure. Other

   Sagiri's concept art from the anime. Sagiri's concept art from the anime. Sagiri in the stage play (Part 1). Sagiri in the stage play (Part 1). Sagiri in the stage play (Final Chapter). Sagiri in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

   Sagiri taking charge of Gabimaru and Mei's bath Sagiri choosing to oversee Gabimaru and Mei's bath. When performing her job as an executioner, Sagiri generally displays a stoic and serious demeanor, as she possesses a very high sense of duty when given a task. When she acted on her role as an inspector, Sagiri made sure Gabimaru answered all her questions even if he was not clothed or if it was during one of his death sentences, which made her have to constantly tell the magistrate and his men to hold off on their next attempts at executing him.[2][3] After becoming Gabimaru's monitor, she boldly made it clear that she refused to allow him to do as he pleased on the island and made sure to keep watch over him at all times.[4][5][6] Another great example of Sagiri's serious attitude was when she aimed to give Gabimaru and Mei a proper bath, viewing it as an "operation" even though it was not required of her as the criminal's monitor.[7] As noted by Kishō, Sagiri is a stickler for upholding the rules, as she kept the bindings on her assigned criminal when they made landfall even though the other Yamada Asaemons on the mission allowed the opposite since Kishō pointed out that the rules would only hinder progress on the mission. She can, however, allow herself to bend the rules a little, as she overlooked Gabimaru's attempt to kill her.[8] She is also able to accept certain unfortunate events that have fallen; though it will take a while for her to allow the situation to sink in.

   Sagiri feeling fear Sagiri being overwhelmed with fear after ending a life. While dedicated in her duties as both a samurai and an executioner, Sagiri lacks the mental state to take a life without putting any fear or hesitation into her blade, a flaw that she is greatly criticized for by her clansmen, on top of her gender, given their principles to execute the condemned painlessly by ridding themselves of this emotion. Upon analyzing Gabimaru's behavior after watching him commit murder, Sagiri learned from him that she must bear the weight of the lives she has taken like the shinobi does and accept her fear and doubt instead of trying to overcome it. Come the shogun's mission, Sagiri soon realized that this way of thinking ultimately became the key to her survival on Kotaku.

   “ Strength…weakness…and doubt. They make me what I am. ” — Sagiri following the Middle Way during her fight against Rien.

   Sagiri following the Middle Way Sagiri's Tao surging in response to her following the Middle Way. Most prominently, Sagiri is noted to be a person who stays true to herself. Having realized at a young age that her true path in life lies within the Yamada clan's duties of executing criminals, Sagiri chose to take up the blade and not adhere to the clan's traditional customs as a woman no matter what her clansmen may think of her; though she stated to herself that she would not accept this fate quietly. As such, she carries a belief that a person should choose what they want to be in life regardless of the identity they are born with.[9] Though she speaks to her clansmen with respect, Sagiri is not afraid to stand up for herself by stating her convictions. She has also come to accept her own shortcomings, such flaws being her fears and doubts as a samurai. Due to this, as well as her disregard for gender-based roles, Sagiri's way of life is seen as leaning towards the Middle Way, which has proven to greatly help her overcome difficult obstacles. Sagiri also stated to Gabimaru that embracing one's true feelings is not a weakness but instead it is where true strength comes from.

   Sagiri is also a very good-natured person who is polite, kind, and caring towards others. Despite the fact that she is well-aware that a few of her fellow clansmen view her as being unworthy of becoming a samurai, Sagiri speaks to them with respect and became sadden after the ones who were tasked on the mission had died.[10] After Mei was preparing to take a bath, Sagiri kindly took the liberty to wash her clean, an act that the girl dearly appreciated. When Hōko's head was severed from his body, Sagiri expressed her relief that he was still alive and willingly carried him after defeating Mu Dan. From her experience as an executioner, Sagiri is capable of understanding the feelings of others from within their hearts, which could allow her to show empathy even towards criminals.[11] Through this trait, Sagiri realized that Gabimaru was not truly an evil person and was able to show genuine concern for his well-being.

   Sagiri laughing Sagiri laughs at one of Shion's puns. Though she takes matters seriously, Sagiri does possess a sense of humor, as she is one of the rare few who finds Shion's puns about his eyesight to be funny. She is also one to make puns herself, which she credits Shion as being her influence, having told Gabimaru that in the end she "executed" her initial role of being partnered up with him after beheading the convict to free him from Arborification.

   Another side to Sagiri that differs from her usual composed personality is that she is susceptible to becoming emotional and nervous around others, as shown when she met Yui a second time, having viewed this meeting as being special compared to the first time they met at Iwagakure; most likely given all that Gabimaru had to go through to see her. Her nervous behavior seems to have been with her since she was much younger, as she had a hard time properly welcoming Fuchi into the clan at the age of six and even more so with Senta who has a nervous personality himself. History

   Past

   Episode 2-4 Sagiri seeing the truth of her path in life. Sagiri was born as the daughter to the head of the Yamada clan, Yamada Asaemon Kichiji, and was raised as its heiress. However, after realizing at a young age that it was unavoidable for a clan member to not associate themselves with death, regardless of which path they choose to take, Sagiri made the decision to become a part of the clan's trade as an executioner instead of living a normal, quiet life. At some point in time, Sagiri watched as a spectator to an execution of a condemned performer done by her father and became astonished by how he skillfully beheaded his target. From that day on, she became inspired to gain the same level of skill with a sword as her father as she began her training. During her childhood, Sagiri faced bullying from children her age for being born into the infamous clan of executioners and was looked down on by her fellow Yamada clansmen, as well as her father, for the fact that she is a female following the path of a samurai. Despite the harsh treatment she faced, Sagiri managed to earn her name as a Yamada Asaemon and a ranking with the help of Yamada Asaemon Shugen, which she was grateful for. While having gained the skills needed to become an executioner, Sagiri found herself unable to handle the burden of ending the life of her victims during her execution duties, which flawed her sword skills, and had hoped to one day overcome this.

   Island Arc

   Main article: Island Arc After the recent discovery of the legendary island known as Shinsenkyō, Sagiri and the other ranked Yamada Asaemons become tasked by the shogun to recruit death row convicts for the latest expedition team to retrieve the Elixir of Life from the island, with the reward for the criminals being an official pardon for their crimes. She is assigned the infamous Iwagakure shinobi known as Gabimaru the Hollow and heads to his prison.

   Sagiri making an offer to Gabimaru Sagiri offering Gabimaru a chance to be pardon of his crimes. Before executing Gabimaru as the magistrate intended, Sagiri acts as an inspector and interviews him in order to better understand him. After finishing with her inspection, Sagiri reveals her true identity to Gabimaru as he is sentenced to beheading by her hands. Though the shinobi claimed to her that he was willing to die, Sagiri witnesses him moving out of the way of her sword attacks as she tries to execute him. With Gabimaru wondering as to why he is clinging to life, Sagiri opens his eyes to the fact that he wants to live a life of peace with his wife and pulls out the pardon to offer him the shogun's mission. Before giving his answer, Sagiri hears from the magistrate his refusal to release Gabimaru from custody despite it being an order from the shogun. While holding her sword to the magistrate's neck, Sagiri witnesses Gabimaru performing a fire ninjutsu to stop the officers from subduing him and hears his acceptance to partake in the mission. With Gabimaru accepting the mission, Sagiri transports him to Edo where he will be brief on the details of the mission.

   The enclosed information is from a light novel that ties in with the main story around this point in time.

   Later, Sagiri places Gabimaru with other criminals that also wish to be pardon. Before the criminals could travel to the island, they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to depart. As the criminals began to kill each other, Yamada Asaemon Eizen attempts to discourage Sagiri into not taking the mission but to no avail. Three criminals then try to attack Sagiri and escape. Sagiri manages to decapitate them but trembles in fear. She then observes Gabimaru killing and notices how he bears the weight of the people he has killed and wishes to do the same in order to overcome her weakness. After the massacre ends, Sagiri is tasked with being Gabimaru's Asaemon and promises that she will be the one to execute him.

   Gabimaru and Sagiri land ashore Sagiri and Gabimaru land on the island. After arriving with Gabimaru on the island, Sagiri listens to Gabimaru explain his former leader's immortal body and how the Elixir of Life may exist but is unconvinced that it may be on the island. She then sees Gabimaru freeing himself from his bindings and tells him that this action was prohibited. After listening to the shinobi throw out multiple complaints, Sagiri draws out her sword, boldly reminds him of her role as his executioner and not his ally, and demanded that he cooperate, to which he agrees to rebind his hands. Sagiri is then shocked to see Gabimaru's neck snap after being hit by a surprise attack by Warped Keiun, one of the criminals sent to the island, but becomes surprised to see him alive. Gabimaru explains that he dislocated his neck at the perfect time and complains to her about how he took note of the fact that Keiun's hands were not bound. Though she found that it was not the perfect time to complain, Sagiri asks Keiun's Yamada Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Kishō, as to why he broke the rules, to which he answers that he will redo the bindings once the mission is over, resulting in Sagiri receiving a stern look from Gabimaru. Warped Keiun declares to Gabimaru that he will kill him and the rest of the criminals on the island but is quickly defeated by the shinobi, much to Sagiri's shock of how strong he was.

   Sagiri clashes with Gabimaru Sagiri intercepting a sword attack from Gabimaru. With his criminal taken down, Kishō cuts off Warped Keiun's head and prepares to leave. Sagiri warns Kishō to be cautious due to the fact that the men who were sent to the island went missing. Despite the warning, Kishō informs her that she should worry about herself and how the criminals are making their move, telling her that the rules should not be taken seriously since it might risk the chances of finding the elixir. He then pointed towards Gabimaru as an example and offers her a chance to return home by killing him, only for the Asaemon to be silenced by Gabimaru. Kishō then warned Gabimaru that Iwagakure might get involved in the mission in the future and told Sagiri that this mission will determine the next head of the Yamada clan. After Kishō makes his leave, Sagiri asks Gabimaru as to where he would like to go next but suddenly finds herself intercepting a sword attack from him. Sagiri asked for an explanation for his action, to which he responds by saying that he wanted to kill her painlessly.

   Gabimaru being resolved by Sagiri Sagiri convincing Gabimaru to embrace his emotions during the trials ahead. Gabimaru explains to Sagiri that, if what Kishō said about Iwagakure was true, he would have no time to waste and that Sagiri would only get in his way of finding the elixir. As they continue to clash swords, Sagiri knew that she would have to execute Gabimaru for making an illegal action but strangely could not see him as an enemy and also finds herself hesitating in her attacks. Just when Gabimaru was gaining the upper hand, he apologizes to Sagiri about having no choice but to end her life. Sagiri questioned his apology, saying that someone like him could not feel sentiment. Gabimaru agreed with her and later pins her down in a murderous intent. Before Gabimaru could deal the final blow, Sagiri sees him stop in confusion and crying while stating that he won't be able to survive and see his wife again if he gives in to his emotions. After realizing that there is another side to Gabimaru, Sagiri disagrees with Gabimaru and tells him that by not running away from his emotions he will become strong. Sagiri also tells him that she will overlook his actions in trying to kill her and vows to support him throughout his trials if he were to face his emotions while reclaiming his life back. Finally, Sagiri tells Gabimaru that he is no longer the man he was before and puts his sword back in its scabbard.

   Soshin approaches Gabimaru and Sagiri Sagiri and Gabimaru encounter a Sōshin. After the fight, the two encounter a strange fish creature that prepares to attack. Gabimaru tells Sagiri to stay back and engages in battle. However, the creature thrashes him around and Gabimaru believes that it would be save for them to flee. Before they could find a window of opportunity to escape, they are surrounded by more large, strange creatures. Believing that there was no way out, Gabimaru massacres the horde. Sagiri watches in horror and becomes overwhelmed when realizing how much her life changed when she came to the island. She then notices that she is about to be attacked from behind, but Gabimaru manages to save her subconsciously. Sagiri thanks Gabimaru for saving her but suddenly has his head wrapped by one of the creatures' tentacles.

   Just when Gabimaru was in danger, Yamada Asaemon Genji appears and kills the monster. He then appears with Yamada Asaemon Senta and Yuzuriha who introduces herself. Sagiri wonders as to why the kunoichi has two Asaemon's and asked. Genji explains that Yuzuriha killed his original assigned criminal, Moro Makiya and made the judgement of follow her, seeing as she was to dangerous to be left with one Asaemon. However, Gabimaru and Sagiri were not fooled and knew that Genji fell for her charms. Yuzuriha proposes in teaming up to find the elixir but Gabimaru refuses. She then persuades them by providing the two with information regarding the human-faced butterflies and Senta tells them about the monsters and statues have attributes involving Buddhism and Tao gives his opinion of the the island not being the Pure Land. Sagiri agrees and says that though the monsters appear as sacred beings they are simply living creatures based on their anatomy. After conversating with each other, Gabimaru agrees with pairing up. Sagiri looks back on the events that had occurred since she came to the island, she becomes overwhelmed and feels powerless. She then faints in front of everyone.

   Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's group alliance Sagiri and the others going over what they know about the island. After having a nightmare about her father, Sagiri wakes up and finds herself in a cave. She then sees the others working while she was a sleep. Gabimaru then explains his findings after roaming around the island and Senta includes his analyzes on the statues. Sagiri gives them information on the monsters, explaining that while she was cutting them she did not detect any signs of internal organs or genitalia and that their characteristics were random. Upon hearing this, Gabimaru smiles in excitement knowing that the elixir may actually exist. Senta tells them that they should investigate further on the monsters.

   Genji telling Sagiri to leave the island Sagiri being ordered by Genji to leave the island. Sagiri steps outside and notices that the sun is setting. She is then met by Genji who orders her to leave the island and return to the mainland. Sagiri wishes to stay, saying that it is her duty to watch over Gabimaru. However, Genji believes that she does not possess enough skill to survive the island and her gender limits her. Senta overhears their conversation and tells them that escaping the island may not be so easy as the dispatched samurai never returned. However, Sagiri is told by him to depart at dawn. Senta tells believes that it would be a good idea but also believes that she should stay to watch Gabimaru because he knows he can't return home without her or for another unknown reason for his change of heart.

   When it came midnight, Sagiri keeps watch over Gabimaru. He says that he is not going to sleep but she says that it was her duty. Gabimaru then asked if she was recovering, which surprises Sagiri since this something unexpected coming from Gabimaru. She listens to Gabimaru being grateful for helping him find his resolve and compliments on her strength. She stares at him in confusion wondering what he meant. After Gabimaru tells her a quote from his village about finding oneself, Sagiri uses this as encouragement.

   Episode 5 Sagiri pleading to Genji to accept the path she has taken. The next day, Sagiri meets Genji and tells him that she will not be leaving. Remembering the times she was shunned by everyone, including her father, about becoming a samurai, she explains that she could not bear to leave. Genji felt that its only natural for her to live a life as a woman but Sagiri pleads to him to view her as a samurai and the fact that this is the life she choice to live. Genji becomes furious and attacks Sagiri with his sword. Sagiri intercepts his attack and catches his blade, reminding him of the lesson he taught her yesterday. As Genji angrily snatches his blade away, Sagiri tries to warn him of Rokurōta standing behind him.

   Sagiri being given Genji's sword Sagiri being entrusted by Genji to kill Rokurōta. Genji sees Rokurōta about to attack and pushes Sagiri out the way. Rokurōta sends Genji crashing and Sagiri runs to his aid, not aware that Rokurōta is about to attack. Fortunately, Gabimaru arrives and sends the giant crashing with a kick. Sagiri sadly realizes that Eizen is not with him which meant that he was killed. Gabimaru tells Sagiri to fall back so that she would not endanger herself. Sagiri moves Genji to a save location to heal his wounds. Genji tells her that it was no use and gives her permission to leave him behind, but Sagiri refuses. Genji found it confusing as how Sagiri acted as a man earlier but is now acting as a woman. Sagiri didn't care whether she was acting either one as long as she can help him. Hearing her words, Genji finally understands Sagiri and gives her one of his swords, putting his faith in Sagiri to take down Rokurōta. Sagiri joins Gabimaru and manages to cut one of Rokurōta's fingers. The two then proceed to ask each other for their assistance in battle.

   Sagiri deflects Rokurota's attack Sagiri defending herself against Rokurōta. Since his neck is too high for her too reach, Sagiri tells Gabimaru that she can't decapitate Rokurōta. Gabimaru tells her to cut his legs to get him on his knees but Sagiri tells him that it would not be an easy task. After Gabimaru deflects his attack, Sagiri gets behind him and gets ready to cut his right leg, however, she remembers Eizen's demise and Genji wounded, causing her to be unable to cut his leg. She dodges his attack and tries to focus on leaving her emotions behind and rely on reason. She tries another attempt at his arm but is unable to cut him once again, noting that his bones are in the way while rampaging. After the giant's stomach rumbles and cries in hunger, Rokurōta slams Gabimaru to the ground and manages to injure him. She comes to his aid and sees another attack coming. Remembering Genji's words, Sagiri relies on both her emotions and reason to stop Rokurōta. Sagiri blocks everyone of Rokurōta's attacks, causing him to fall back and gain an opportunity to sneak behind him. However, before she could execute him, Rokurōta jumps out of Sagiri's attack. Gabimaru notes how their normal tactic is not working and comes up with a plan that is extreme.

   Sagiri holding Rokurota's head Sagiri beheads Rokurōta and lays his soul to rest. Gabimaru sets himself on fire and sends multiple flaming ninjutsu attacks towards Rokurōta who deflects it away to the trees. Gabimaru explains that he purposely wanted Rokurōta to deflect the attacks away to cause a forest fire so he can have him suffocate from the smoke. Once Rokurōta goes down on his knees, Sagiri comes in to behead him while Gabimaru holds him down. Sagiri focuses and makes the cut. After beheading Rokurōta, Sagiri holds his head and lays his soul to rest. Before leaving with Gabimaru, Sagiri thinks of Genji but tells herself that she must remain strong.

   Hoko village discovered Sagiri and the others discover a ruined village. After Gabimaru suggests going towards the direction the monsters came, Sagiri is asked by him if she was worried about her comrades. She states that worry about her fellow clansmen would only bring dishonor and that completing the mission quickly would free them of their current responsibilities. The two then catch up to Yuzuriha and Senta as they look in shock to see an abandoned village in the distance.

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Gabimaru notices someone is watching them and chases after them, discovering that it was a little girl. He then dodges an attack coming from a tree monster but instead of engaging in battle, Gabimaru decides to chase after the girl, thinking she might know more about the island. Seeing as how she can't let him out of her sight, Sagiri goes after Gabimaru and leaves the rest to Yuzuriha and Senta. Sagiri is shocked to see Gabimaru thrown by the child and assures her that they don't intend to cause any harm to her. After the girl stops running, Sagiri approaches her but the girl prepares to throw a punch towards Sagiri. Gabimaru comes in to block her attack and restrains her. Sagiri tells Gabimaru to let her go after the girl cries from Gabimaru's intimation. She then calms her and brings her back with them. Gabimaru wanted to ask her about the elixir but Sagiri tells him that it wouldn't be possible with her crying. She is then shocked to hear the tree monster talking, ask for them to unhand the girl and that it could tell them about the elixir and also guide them to the village.

   Gabimaru and Yuzuriha group hosted by Hoko and Mei Sagiri and the others being hosted by Hōko and Mei. The tree monster persuades the group to come to the village, however, Sagiri doubts whether they should trust it. The monster says that it will not trick them and the village is save from monsters, later revealed to be called the Sōshin, and butterflies. After they arrive to the village, Sagiri joins Yuzuriha in the bath to keep watch over her but feels too relax after entering the bath. The girl brings them towels and Sagiri thanks her but notices that she doesn't speak. Finishing with their bath, Sagiri and Yuzuriha join Gabimaru and Senta. The tree monster reveals that the Elixir of Life exist and can be found at the center of the island. However, the monster also reveals that they would have to get past Lord Tensen, immortal beings who will allow none to leave the island. Feeling threaten, Gabimaru and Yuzuriha point their weapons towards the tree monster but assures them that it was only telling them the truth. After it shows them proof that the elixir exist by demonstrating its regenerative abilities, Gabimaru points his sword to the girl and asked if she also has the same ability. Sagiri berates him for pointing his sword at her.

   Sagiri washing Mei Sagiri washing Mei's hair. Later, Sagiri follows Gabimaru to the bath and discusses whether they should trust Mei and Hōko. Once they entered, they accidentally walk in on Mei undressed. Sagiri is shocked once Gabimaru proceeds to undress after explaining that he used to bathe with the people in his village. She notices that Gabimaru is wounded from behind and Mei has a strange marking on her back. She then prepares a proper bath for the two of them and washes Mei. After noticing Mei trying to hide her marking, Gabimaru advises her not to try to hide it and appearance doesn't matter. Sagiri becomes dumbfounded with Gabimaru showing signs of respect. After finish bathing the three walk back to the lodging. While walking, Sagiri starts to notice that Gabimaru's personality is beginning to change. Once they had arrived, Sagiri sees that Senta has exhausted himself from gathering research and tells him that he should rest while she keeps watch. Senta insists that he keeps to his job and remains on lookout for the night with Gabimaru at his side. However, Senta ends up falling asleep and gives Gabimaru the opportunity to head to Hōrai by himself.

   Hoko guiding to Horai Sagiri and her allies travel to Hōrai. After Senta apologies to Sagiri for allowing Gabimaru to leave his sight, Sagiri accepted the matter but says that they should quickly search for him. However, Yuzuriha was not on board but quickly changed her mind once Hōko offered to guide them through the mist. Once they departed, Sagiri wonders to herself why she was feeling concern for Gabimaru's safety. While traveling to Hōrai, Hōko explains to them that Lord Tensen are a group of seven immortals and talks about the history of the villagers undergoing Aborification. Sagiri then listens as Senta gives an analytical explanation of the religious qualities of the island and his theory that the island's creator was planning something. Yuzuriha believes that they don't stand a chance and Gabimaru and Mei are dead. However, Sagiri believes this claim to be false and that Gabimaru was indeed alive because of his one goal. Later, Sagiri listens to Hōko's explanation of Lord Tensen's power known as Tao, life energy found in everything.

   Mu Dan confronts Sagiri and the others Sagiri's group encountering Mu Dan upon entering the Hōrai gate. After traveling for a day, the group reaches the gate of Hōrai. Sagiri wonders about Gabimaru's whereabouts. Hōko informs her that it was possible he took a different route to get to Hōrai. Once the gates open, Sagiri becomes shocked to see Hōko's head severed from his body. The group is then met by a mysterious man, who Yuzuriha sense was dangerous and attempts to flee. However, the man instantly catches Yuzuriha from behind. Sagiri also sensed that the man was stronger than the other creatures on the island. She draws her sword demanding that he unhand her and to introduce himself. Still alive, Hōko tells them that he was one of the members of Lord Tensen, Mu Dan. Mu Dan then took the opportunity to tell Hōko that his religious beliefs were a lie, the Elixir of Life doesn't exist, and presents the Kyōshi. After hearing that the elixir doesn't exist, Sagiri becomes worried with Gabimaru's situation of not being able to potentially receive his pardon. Yuzuriha manages to escape from Mu Dan by swapping her body with a tree and attacks him. She then approaches Sagiri in gratitude and states that even though the elixir doesn't exist, their main focus should be trying to survive. Sagiri grabs Hōko's head, but before they could run away, Mu Dan regenerates from his wounds and attacks Yuzuriha by having his Kyōshi explode. She survives the explosion, which causes Mu Dan to sense that she is able to perceive Tao. Sagiri and Senta then prepare to assist Yuzuriha after Mu Dan wishes to see how far she can go with Tao.

   Not wanting to fight her, Mu Dan dashes towards Sagiri and strikes her from a distance, causing her to feel immense pain. While he fights Yuzuriha and Senta, Sagiri asks Hōko if Mu Dan has a weakness she can exploit. Hōko views him as being too powerful but Sagiri begs him help her after mentioning not being able to see Mei again. Shortly after, Sagiri attempts to attack Mu Dan from behind but dodges it. After being warned by Senta about Mu Dan being able to perceive his opponent's intent, Sagiri throws her sword at his abdomen and uses the advice Hōko gave her to cut his tanden. Mu Dan survives, stating that without Tao she has no hope of defeating him. However, once she confirmed her suspicion up close, Sagiri unleashes a burst of Tao and cuts Mu Dan's face. Yuzuriha and Senta then notice that Mu Dan's wound wasn't healing.

   Sagiri cuts Mu Dan's tanden Sagiri finishes off Mu Dan. Sagiri explains to the two that she is able to use Tao from her experience on the island and believes that she knows how to defeat Mu Dan. He then vanishes from her sight and appears in front of her ready to attack. Yuzuriha sees through his technique and restrains him with her strings of mucus, allowing Sagiri to come in and strike back. However, Mu Dan releases a blast of Tao from his mouth and kicks Sagiri away from him. She then tries attacking from behind, however, Mu Dan reads her movements to avoid every single one. With the help of Yuzuriha and Senta, Mu Dan is immobilized, after having his right leg cut, and rapidly receives damage. Before Sagiri could attempt to finish him off, Mu Dan sets himself afloat in the air to escape from their attacks. He then creates large water droplets to have them rain down on the three. Sagiri takes cover but starts to overexert herself with her breathing techniques. Yuzuriha informs Sagiri that her type of Tao might be Mu Dan's weakness since he has been trying to avoid only her attacks and that it might be possible to kill him. After stepping out in the open and taking heavy damage from his attack, Yuzuriha pulls Mu Dan down with her strings and Senta holds him from behinds to allow Sagiri to cut him down. Sagiri comes in and completely slices throw his tanden, killing Mu Dan.

   Mu Dan transforming in front of Sagiri and Yuzuriha Sagiri and Yuzuriha witnessing Mu Dan's transformation into his Kishikai form. After successfully killing Mu Dan, Sagiri comes to Hōko's aid and is relieved that he is still alive. She then starts to recap the nature of Tao and becomes upset realizing that the Elixir of Life doesn't exist. Yuzuriha says that they would have to move on and come up with another plan of action. After hearing Senta's comment on Yuzuriha's indomitable spirit, Sagiri questions Senta whether he had any feelings for her. Senta denies this speculation and goes on to explain that he admires Yuzuriha's ability to be true to herself. After listening, Sagiri sympathizes with Senta about being inspired by a criminal and wonders if its possible for everyone that came to the island to work together. Shortly after, Sagiri panics as she sees Yuzuriha about to be attacked by a stinger produced from Mu Dan's blooming corpse. Senta moves in quickly to push Yuzuriha aside and is stabbed by the stinger. Sagiri and Yuzuriha tremble in fear as Senta's head starts blooming flowers and of Mu Dan's monstrous transformation in front of them. As they are about to be attacked by more stingers, Yamada Asaemon Shion and Nurugai arrive in time to save them. Shion then tells Sagiri that he will fight the monster.

   Sagiri cutting Mu Dan's stingers Sagiri fending off Mu Dan's attacks. Sagiri asks Hōko if there was anything they can do to help Senta but unfortunately tells her that there was nothing he could do. Yuzuriha then steps in to give him medicine to stop the bleeding. Sagiri then worries about Shion preparing to fight the monster, but Nurugai relieves her. The three watches in shock as Shion handles himself well against the monster. Noticing that his injures aren't healing, Sagiri thinks to herself that Shion possesses the same Tao attribute as her as a way to harm it. She is then shocked as Shion sprouts flowers from his body from the scratches he received. Sagiri wishes to fight alongside Shion after seeing his loss of blood from removing the flowers and encourages Nurugai to fight as well. However, Yuzuriha decides to not join, saying that she doesn't have enough energy. This prompts Nurugai to hug her and Sagiri as a way to restore their strength. Sagiri and Nurugai then coat themselves with bandages and Yuzuriha's fluid as way of preventing themselves from being grazed by the monsters stingers. Sagiri tells Shion of their plan of being decoys while he gets behind Mu Dan and cuts his tanden. The monster comes in close to attack Nurugai but Sagiri manages to intercept its attacks by sensing its Tao. Sagiri and Shion continue to fight it but starts to feel near her limit. As Shion slashes his way through, Sagiri holds down one of the monsters hands with her sword to allow Shion to make the killing blow.

   After finally bringing down Mu Dan, Sagiri rushes towards Senta and begs Yuzuriha to give him more medicine. Yuzuriha refuses her quest as Senta was close to death and believes that the medicine would be better used for Shion. She then tearfully watches as Yuzuriha comforts Senta and allows him to peacefully pass away. With his death and her gratitude towards Yuzuriha and Nurugai, Sagiri states her resolve to have everyone on the island cooperate to escape the island and return home safely.

   Sagiri becomes frighten Sagiri learns from Yuzuriha that Gabimaru's wife might not exist. Sagiri and her allies enter Hōrai and take refuge in one of the settlements to review what they know about Tao. After bringing up the Elixir of Life and how they can't return home without it, Sagiri states that the elixir must exist because of Gabimaru's village chief benefitted from it. However, Yuzuriha talks about the possibilities of the chief using an illusion to fool others into thinking he was immortal. With this in mind, Yuzuriha discusses the theory of Gabimaru's wife not existing, which causes Sagiri to become frighten as she explains her theory.

   She later sits outside and is joined by Shion. Sagiri expresses her sadness for her clansmen's deaths and wonders if Gabimaru is okay. This statement causes Shion to ask if Sagiri has developed feelings towards Gabimaru but she stops him and denies his allegation. Sagiri explains that she is able to see that Gabimaru is not truly a bad person and feels sorry for him because of his horrible past. Shion tries to reassure her that Yuzuriha's theory may not be true since she saw women from Iwagakure after visiting once and cheers her up by making a pun.

   The remaining survivors The remaining survivors of the mission gathered together. The next day, Sagiri suggests going outside the gate to check on the earthquake she felt earlier and reunite with Gabimaru and the others. Yuzuriha responds with refusal, seeing as how the elixir doesn't exist and that they should focus more on escaping the island. Sagiri sees through her lie knowing that she plans to use the Asaemon as safety measures when she stands before the shogun. She reassures her that she plans to have everyone including her return home safely but questions whether Gabimaru managed to reach the gates. Yuzuriha tells her that she found evidence at the front gate that indicates that Gabimaru made it to Hōrai. After coming to the gate, the group are met by Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Gabimaru unconscious, Mei, Tōma, and a enslaved Dōshi. Sagiri and Fuchi then asked what has happened to them since they reunited.

   Sagiri tries to help Gabimaru Sagiri uses force to help aid Gabimaru's recovery. After reuniting with Mei, Sagiri comforts her after seeing the state she is in. She then tries to stop Gantetsusai from harming Tōma even though he is a traitor and justifies that he is not a threat. The group then draws their attention towards Gabimaru's critical condition after his battle with Aza Chōbei. Gabimaru then wakes up and looks at everyone gathered around him. Sagiri suggest that they tend to his wounds but hears him declines, stating that he was okay if his wounds ends up killing him. After hearing this, Sagiri questions who he was. Gabimaru answers with his epithet and makes Sagiri realize that Gabimaru is not his former self. Gabimaru then attempts to attack Sagiri after she becomes suspicious of him but is protected by Shion and Fuchi. Sagiri explains that Gabimaru's Tao has been disruptive which resulted in lose of memory. She then tries to have him calmly understand that she is his ally and wants to use a Tao Restoration to help him recover. After being pushed away repeatedly, Sagiri resorts to using force by pinning Gabimaru down and explains to him that they need his help in order to return home and that he must return home to his wife. Having maintained physical contact for a good amount of time, Gabimaru's Tao is restored, and regains his memories.

   The group relocates to a cave to escape from Lord Tensen's sensory field. Sagiri is relieved that Gabimaru has regained his memories and remembers his goal of wanting to receive the pardon in order to reunite with his wife. She then tries to stop Yuzuriha from explaining the possibility that his wife might be an illusion. After she was finish explaining, Gabimaru tells them that he was confident that she was real based on his time with her and that the only way he could be sure is to see her once again. She then becomes delighted by his resolve.

   While the men and Nurugai help Gabimaru with his training outside, Sagiri and Yuzuriha look after Mei who is feeling ill. Fuchi steps in and agrees to make medicine for Mei but demands that she tells him everything they need to know about herself and Lord Tensen. He then asks Sagiri to make the medicine while he translates Mei's words. From what he interprets from Mei's words, Fuchi tells them that the monsters, the island, and Lord Tensen were created from a Hōshi in order to research the secrets of immortality. He then goes on to tell them about Lord Tensen practicing the inner and outer way of Tan to achieve immortality, which is meditation and creating an elixir. This causes Sagiri and Yuzuriha to realize that the Elixir of Life truly exists. Fuchi explains that although the elixir gives them extra life they can be killed if their Tao is depleted. After Yuzuriha asks why the Tensens are going further with their research, Mei answers that the possibility lies with the will of their creator Jofuku. Hearing Fuchi's story of Jofuku's journey, Sagiri becomes frightened of the thought that Jofuku might still be alive after 1,000 years.

   After learning more about Jofuku, Sagiri sees Mei fall back exhausted and her arm turned into a branch. Mei explains that her body has been damaged by Rien and needs assistance in healing, which Hōko offers by having her absorb his Tao. After Mei absorbs Hōko and reverts back to her child body fully healed, the four gather back with the others and are about to hear their next plan of action. However, Mei warns the others that she senses another party with strong Tao.

   The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. After being asked by Gabimaru whether Shugen was an ally, Sagiri answers yes and vouches for Shugen's strength but is warned by Yuzuriha that Shugen has an infamous reputation. Sagiri explains Shugen's story about him executing the entire Silver Serpent yakuza group but assures them that he is a good person deep down. Fuchi then adds that Shugen was Sagiri's first crush, which blushingly shocks her explains that she merely admires him since he is the reason why she managed to earn a ranking in the clan and believes that he will come to their aid. However, Shion denies this fact and explains the full story of how Shugen not only executed the Silver Serpent group but also their families, causing the group to become shock and horrified. He then goes on to explain how he does not work with criminals and that he will not allow Asaemon to work with them as well. Moving on, the group hears Shion's plan of divide everyone into two teams, one finding Tan and the other finding an escape route. They also listen to his strategy of using their Tao attributes to hinder each member of Lord Tensen and defeat them. However, after Yuzuriha suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding, Shion gives everyone the option of either working alone or moving forward with Shion's plan. Ultimately, everyone unanimously follows Shion into the cave and decides to work together in completing the mission.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc Mei provides the group with information regarding the ships located deep within the palace as a way to escape the island and reveals that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. Sagiri and the others then sit in on Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's lessons on espionage using Tao. After the lessons were over, Sagiri talks to Gabimaru about how she found it odd that everyone is now cooperating to accomplish the same goal and hopes that the group manages to survive. She is then placed in the Elixir Retrieval Team along with Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the elixir team since she wishes to leave the island. Sagiri listens to Gabimaru as he asks Mei if there was something she had to do before leaving the island. Mei confesses that she wishes to see her creator, Jofuku, and Rien to ask why they underwent a major change in the past and then leave the island to start a new life. Sagiri then watches as Gabimaru promises Mei to have her see the two again.

   While planning their infiltration strategy, Gabimaru explains that he and Yuzuriha will sense the Tao layout of the palace building and attack the guards while switching in and out of their Tao suppression. Knowing that part of the plan is to avoid confronting Lord Tensen, Sagiri wonders about the possibility of that situation ever occurring. Gabimaru explains that if their plan were fail then they would have to move on to their second plan of fighting back against them. Going with the strategy they planned out, the group decides to infiltrate the palace tonight.

   Elixir Team meets Ran The Elixir Retrieval Team encounters Ran. The Elixir Retrieval Team infiltrates the palace and warns the Escape Route Securing Team that the area is clear. Sagiri asks Gabimaru if the time has finally come to put an end to the mission, which he replies yes. The team senses the layout of the castle. Sagiri and Mei become disturbed by the corpses they sensed in Rien's laboratory and is surprised that Gabimaru and Yuzuriha managed to remain calm. After taking down the Dōshi guards and successfully entering the palace, the team suddenly runs into Ran, who has suppressed his Tao waiting for their arrival after being informed by Chōbei. Ran tries to plead with Mei to return back to their side, revealing that they have finally completed the Elixir of Life. However, Mei refuses and explains that she came to say goodbye. Though he is disappointed, Ran says that the Rite of Just Consumption will have to continue, which is to capture all of the humans and serve them as sacrifices for the grandmaster.

   Sagiri and Mei arrive at the Rentan Palace Sagiri and Mei arrive at the Rentan Palace. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them. Gabimaru tells Sagiri and Mei to search for the elixir while he and Yuzuriha fight Ran. However, Ran reveals to them that they are in the Dō'in Palace after had changed the layout of the palace, before they arrived, using his control over the inorganic Tao. While the two shinobi fight Ran, Sagiri frees Mei from Ran's bindings and tells Gabimaru that she and Mei will proceed to the Rentan Palace. Later, Sagiri and Mei hear loud noises coming from the Dō'in Palace. Sagiri assures Mei that Gabimaru is okay since she knows that he has a backup plan in store but soon starts to panic and worry after learning from Mei what the plan entails. Sagiri understands that Gabimaru will resort to using this plan since he desperately desires to be with his wife but regains her composure by focusing on her task at hand. After arriving at the Rentan Palace, Sagiri resolves to turn back and assist Gabimaru after acquiring the Elixir of Life.

   Sagiri offers ceasefire Sagiri requesting to Gui Fa in ending the conflict. Sagiri and Mei enter the palace but sees that Gui Fa is in the room instead of Rien. The Tensen then says that they are willing to spare them if they were to not move from their spot but will do the opposite if they were to take a step forward. Sagiri asks as to what the Tensen has around them. Gui Fa explains that the items allows them to tell the current status of the ones fighting against Lord Tensen. Sagiri then reaches for her sword after thinking that she can stop Lord Tensen from tracking their movements but is crushed under the weight of Gui Fa's Tao and is asked by the Tensen to move her hand away. Sagiri puts down her sword and explains that she does not wish to fight but rather to apologize to Gui Fa on behave of the humans that have trespassed on their territory. She then asks if they would allow her group to return home safely and end the conflict between the two sides. Gui Fa allows Sagiri to move and says that they will honor her request, however, they also warn her that it would be pointless for the suriving humans to return to Japan. Through an illusion created with Tao, Gui Fa explains Rien's plan to depart to Japan and release the Paradise Butterflies to turn every human into Waitanhua flowers and connect them to Banko to create more of the perfected Tan. After the illusion had ended, Sagiri becomes horrified and asks why Lord Tensen was going so far, to which Gui Fa answers that Lord Tensen only sees the human race as subjects to create more of their elixir and that it was pointless for her to try to reason with them.

   Sagiri vs the Doshi and Iwa shinobi Sagiri and Mei on guard against the Dōshi and Iwagakure shinobi. Later, the ritual circle reveals that the Tensens have all been defeated, leading Gui Fa to report back to Rien. Sagiri asks if they harbor any motivates to avenge their comrades, to which they explain that they do not. The three then feel the palace starting shake after the unexpected arrival of the second party. Sagiri and Mei find themselves confronted by a group of Dōshi and Iwagakure shinobi. Sagiri fights them off but tries focus on not trying to kill the ninja who were reinforced by the shogun. Two Dōshi charge at Sagiri and Mei but are saved by the arrival of Yuzuriha, much to their happiness. Sagiri thinks that they can cooperate with the shinobi since they were sent by the shogun but is told by Yuzuriha that it would not work since they are out to kill the criminals and they are to focus on having everyone escape the island with the elixir. With this in mind, Sagiri asks Mei if she was willing to confront Rien. Yamada Asaemon Isuzu then appears and is glad to see that Sagiri is okay but is shocked to see her with Yuzuriha. Sagiri tries to explain to Isuzu that the Asaemon had no other choice but to work with the criminals since it was their best chance at survival. However, Isuzu tells Sagiri that Yuzuriha is their enemy after reading the many crimes she has committed and asks that she join her side.

   Sagiri protects Yuzuriha Sagiri protecting Yuzuriha from Isuzu. Despite making her point, Sagiri cannot bring herself to allow Isuzu to bring harm to Yuzuriha and jumps in to move her out of the way of her attack which angers Isuzu for her choice to interfere. Sagiri and the others then bear witness to Hōrai's setting changing after the Banko fuses with Zhu Jin and fight off the monsters created by it. Sagiri tries to persuade Isuzu into joining up with the criminals but is turned down due to her faith in Shugen. She then sees Gantetsusai return while carrying Fuchi and becomes shocked to learn that he died trying to save him. As Sagiri becomes conflicted with everyone quarreling amongst each other, Yamada Asaemon Jikka arrives, along with Shion, Nurugai, Chōbei, Tōma, and a few Iwagakure shinobi, and states to everyone that he has a plan to take down the Banko that requires cooperation from both teams.

   Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. After being alerted that they need to destroy the Banko's tandens scattered around the palace, the group fight off a horde of the Banko's monsters approaching them. Sagiri then ducks after she senses a fireball coming from behind her, which incinerates the monsters in front of her, and turns around to see that the fireball was created by Gabimaru who is in bad condition from the Banko disrupting his Tao. Sagiri starts to worry for him but quickly regains her composure after Gabimaru stated that her condition was more important due to the requirements of the mission. As the group goes over the plan, Yuzuriha asks Sagiri if they can count on Jikka after seeing his personality, to which Sagiri answers that she is also unsure of him based on his bad reputation. The two teams then take the opportunity to procure shinobi equipment from a few defeated Iwagakure shinobi after a failed assassination attempt towards Gabimaru. While scavenging, Sagiri becomes conflicted with the situation of everyone having to start over with fighting monsters, as well as Gabimaru's problem, but is told by him that it is possible that the situation is different from before. With everyone ready and paired up in correspondence to the Tao Restoration cycle, the group sets out to destroy the five tandens.

   Sagiri and Gabimaru manage to make it to the Banko's Metal tanden where they find clones of Gui Fa created from it. They then receive unexpecting visit from Shija who instantly takes out the clones and becomes excited to reunite with Gabimaru. Sagiri watches as Gabimaru talks to Shija and tells him that they are wasting time, but is told by him that he is not in the right state to fight Shija and needs to reason with them in order to not have the shinobi as their enemy. Sagiri then suggests that she perform a Tao Restoration to heal him, causing Shija to become anger after she attempts to touch him and runs towards her. Gabimaru tells Shija to stand down just in time before they could cut Sagiri's throat and ask that they support him. Shija agrees to help but tells them that they will help by awakening his true fighting instincts in a fight. After the Gui Fa clones are brought back, Sagiri takes on the task of fighting them while Gabimaru handles fighting Shija.

   Shija drugs Sagiri Sagiri being drugged by Shija. After Gabimaru is sent crashing to a statue and is unable to fight back, Shija targets Sagiri after realizing that she is here to restore Gabimaru's Tao. Sagiri hears Gabimaru yelling out to her to run but refuses as she chooses to stand her ground against Shija. However, despite using Tao sensory to sense her intent, Sagiri is quickly taken down. She then uses a ninja powder to have Shija back away from her. Shija asks Sagiri as to why she is choosing to help Gabimaru despite her main job is being his monitor, Sagiri answers that she has come to understand Gabimaru and believes that it is possible to do the same with others such as the Tensens and Iwagakure. After hearing her answer, Shija restrains Sagiri and uses the drug she tried to use on them earlier while telling her of their time in Iwagakure. Sagiri then listens to Shija trying to explain to Gabimaru about the fake relationship he has with his wife and smiles as Gabimaru stands back on his feet with his body recovered after Shija confirmed to both of them that Yui does exists.

   Gabimaru prepares to destroy the Metal tanden Sagiri and Gabimaru prepare to destroy the Banko's Metal tanden. Sagiri manages to free herself from her restraints and witnesses Gabimaru's victory over Shija. With the ninja down, Sagiri restores Gabimaru's Tao and proceed together to destroying the Banko's Metal tanden at the sound of the next signal. Though the group was successful in their coordinated attack on the tandens, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko is brought back to life after being rejuvenated by the morning sunlight and puts the survivors in a difficult situation after exhausting their strength. However, Aza Chōbei manages to destroy the plant monster after coming up with the plan to destroy its roots to cut off the regeneration link to the tandens.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc With the Zhu Jin-fused Banko destroyed, Sagiri and Gabimaru regroup with everyone at the entrance to the floodgates. The survivors enter but find that the ships have all been destroyed with the exception of one but is unable sail due to the wreckage blocking the currents. Sagiri watches as Gabimaru makes a desperate attempt at removing the wreckage and decides to help support him. The two then witness Mei transforming into her Kishikai to help clear a path for the group, which worries them since she is at risk of losing her life. Sagiri becomes relieved to see Mei transform back to normal as she embraces both her and Gabimaru but hears her say her goodbyes, thanking Gabimaru for giving her courage and thanking Sagiri for caring for her hair. She then has them transported on to the ship, revealing that their last moment together was an illusion. As the survivors finally sail away from the island, Sagiri cries out to Mei as she watches her form crumble away.

   The Survivors on Rien's ship The survivors confront Rien. The survivors' ship manages to reach Rien's burning ship after Gantetsusai (who managed to board the ship earlier) slightly damages it. Though Gabimaru was originally the one willing to fight Rien alone, the survivors climb on board as well to put an end to their struggle of surviving. After the survivor's manage to deal damage to Rien, Sagiri and Shion bisects Rien, destroying her tanden in the process. However, Sagiri finds out that the events that had occurred was a Tao illusion created by Rien, which revealed in the real world that all her allies had fallen. She then becomes one of the few to witness the Tensen enter her Kishikai. Sagiri stabs Rien's tanden but finds that her attack was too weak against her and leaves herself open for Rien to control her Tao. Shugen manages to move Sagiri out of the way of Rien's Tao manipulation and orders Isuzu and Kiyomaru to move the criminals over to the other ship. Sagiri is told by Kiyomaru to come along with him but becomes hesitant about the situation. Before they could escape, Rien unleashes her power and causes the exterior of the ship to dismantle. By the time the wave ends, Sagiri looks up in shock to see Kiyomaru's body crushed under a piece of lumber.

   Sagiri stands back up Sagiri stands back up after coming to accept who she is. Sagiri falls into despair and believes she is powerless after reflecting on the times she could not do anything against her past enemies. She looks towards Gabimaru for help but becomes shocked to find him Arborified after he tried to attack Rien. Sagiri is then told by Shugen, who becomes badly burned by Gabimaru's ninjutsu, to return back to the survivors' ship since her resolve has been lost due to doubt and that she have Jikka onboard to assist him. After having a flashback of Shugen congratulating her on earning a ranking within the Yamada clan, Sagiri asks him if people without doubt exist, and if they do, does it mean that they are strong. She then tells him about the times she has faced doubt, as well as how she noticed the doubt and struggle in her strong allies, and states that she refuses to become a samurai if it meant that she had to give up on that feeling. Sagiri also tells Shugen that she has remained imperfect till the end and that she is grateful to Shugen for making her realize this. As a result, Sagiri's Tao starts to react, which is noted by Shugen to be neither fueled by intensity or tranquility. She then looks back at the Arborified Gabimaru and asks him in her mind if she was allowed to have faith.

   Sagiri helping Gabimaru recover Sagiri attempts to save Gabimaru. Sagiri stands in front of Gabimaru's Arborified body and tells him that he needs to continue to live while accepting the burdens that come with it. She then takes a drastic approach to save him by beheading him, amputating his deeply rooted limbs, and pressing his tanden to hers in order to achieve success in their Tao Restoration. Sagiri sees that Gabimaru has fully recovered but worries about their path to victory since their allies have been lost as well as Rien being unharmed, but is reassured by him after he tells her that as long as their alive they cannot give up until they are dead.

   Sagiri defeats Rien Sagiri defeats Rien. Sagiri fights with Gabimaru using coordinated attacks against Rien. She is then pulled out of the way of Rien's Tao lightning attack by Gabimaru and hands her sword to him to strike the Tensen's tanden. However, the attack is ineffective due to the Wood hindering attribute losing the power needed after the sword was in his possession. Desperate, Gabimaru attempts to use Sagiri as a human sword by grabbing her by her legs but dismisses the idea after realizing that it was not the perfect plan, which the female Asaemon berated him for trying. Knowing that she is critical to taking down Rien, Sagiri strengthens her Tao by accepting both her strength, weakness, and doubt and attacks Rien while Gabimaru hides in the shadows. Going with the plan they laid out before, Gabimaru makes his way towards Jofuku's gilded corpse, as well as the cargo of the Paradise Butterflies, to destroy them both and give Sagiri an opening to strike Rien's tanden after being stricken with anger. The plan becomes successful after Rien witness in horror as Jofuku's body is cut in half by Shugen and leaves herself vulnerable to Sagiri's sword strike to her tanden. Sagiri then falls into the ocean, after becoming completely exhausted, and grabs onto a piece of wood to keep herself afloat.

   Having finished off Rien, Sagiri starts to see the ship falling apart due to it no longer being held together by the Tensen's Tao. She is then called out by Gabimaru to grab his hand while they get off the ship. Before leaving, Sagiri yells out to Shugen to come with but becomes sadden to see that the Asaemon is dead after using up too much Tao in his attack to destroy Jofuku's body. Sagiri then finds herself with a gaping hole in her stomach and is revealed to have been done by Rien, who managed to survive being bisected. While lying down barley conscious, Sagiri thinks of trying to stop the bleeding on her wound, after remembering back to Eizen's lesson on how damage to the abdomen when performing seppuku does not cause instant death, but realizes that her injury is too severe. She then starts to believe in Gui Fa's past words in that the only thing that each opposing sides can do is kill each other. However, after Gabimaru manages to convince Rien to accept Jofuku's passing, Sagiri and Gabimaru's wounds are healed by her and watch as her body crumbles away.

   Gabimaru and Sagiri say goodbye Sagiri and Gabimaru part ways. With a clear path back home, Sagiri becomes depressed after the group realize that only one criminal will be allowed to be pardon once the elixir has been delivered. Yuzuriha tells Sagiri that, in the end, a peaceful resolution was not possible and asks if an executioner such as herself became attached to criminals. Sagiri admits to this, telling them that she sees them as being very dear to her and asks if it was wrong of her to not have a solution to the problem. Yuzuriha replies no and says that she is not a villain unlike the others onboard, which leads to a comedic conversation. Sagiri and the others are then shocked to see Gabimaru laughing after Yuzuriha and Gantetsusai accused his wife of being evil, which leads to Sagiri asking if Gabimaru was experiencing Arborification again. After she is brought up, Sagiri and the others asks Gabimaru to explain more about her to pass the time, to which he agrees. Later, Gabimaru and Yuzuriha decide that Gantetsusai should be the one to receive the pardon and prepare themselves to sail off on boats. Sagiri is then told by Jikka that he will handle the task of clearing things. When the time came for their departure, Sagiri receives a hug from Nurugai before she sets sail with Shion. Sagiri then sees Yuzuriha about to depart and says her farewells as the kunoichi makes her leave. Finally, Sagiri sees that Gabimaru is the last one to leave and the two meet each others gazes. They then prepare to say their final words to each other but decide to part ways with a smile instead.

   After ten days passed since their return to Edo, Sagiri and Jikka present themselves as the only Asaemons to have returned back alive and reports that the criminals were executed with the exception of Gantetsusai who returned back with the Elixir of Life. After receiving the pardon, Aoki prepares to close the meeting but is ask by Jikka about the arrangements with the Iwagakure chief. Sagiri then hears that the Iwagakure chief was executed for treason against the shogun and was transformed into a tree after being forced to consume the Elixir of Life. Having managed to convince that the elixir was beneficial, Sagiri sees Jikka relieved after everything went according to plan. Sagiri then thinks about the others, which Jikka takes note of and tells her that the only thing they can do is hope that they are happy after their tale came to end, much to Sagiri's happiness.

   Epilogue

   After a year passed, Sagiri decides to leave home for a while to travel the provinces in hopes of improving her blade-testing skills. At some point during her travels, Sagiri goes to visit Gabimaru and Yui with Yuzuriha accompanying her. She then becomes happy to see Yui outside her house and has a conversation with her and Yuzuriha while leaving Gabimaru to his rest.

   Future

   Upon returning to the Yamada clan after her long journey, Sagiri, who has grown to become a lot stronger, declares her refusal in being forced to marry the current clan head, Yamada Asaemon Jikka, as the clan's heiress and challenges him for his position.[12]

   Abilities and Powers

   Sagiri vs Rien Sagiri putting pressure on Rien, the leader and strongest member of Lord Tensen. Sagiri is a highly skilled swordswoman who managed to gain the title of an Asaemon in the Yamada Clan and earn the rank of twelfth for becoming the next suitable head of the clan. Despite being one of the Yamada clan's top sword testers, Sagiri was limited as a fighter due to her lack of battle experience. However, as pointed out by her peers, Sagiri is credited to be more than capable of holding her own against dangerous opponents when she has a strong resolve, such as Gabimaru, Rokurōta, and the powerful Sennin beings known as the Tensen. Gabimaru also viewed Sagiri as being much stronger than him, stating that her willingness to accept the doubt within herself gave her the power to overcome the obstacles in her path, which is what became key in her fight against Rien, the strongest Tensen to exist who found herself overwhelmed fighting Sagiri unlike her other strong allies who confronted her. Ultimately, Sagiri became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have survived the ordeals the island had to offer, which included reaching Hōrai where Lord Tensen previously resided, and escape.[13] Physical Abilities

   Sagiri takes Genji's sword Sagiri disarms Genji of his sword. Sagiri has been shown to possess impressive speed and reflexes. She was able to instantly appear behind Gabimaru without him noticing a thing and almost came close to beheading him if not for the sound of her bell giving her away. She was also able to quickly disarm Genji of his sword at the same time he brought it down to attack her. Her reflexes allowed her to react quickly to a surprise attack from Gabimaru, and was even able to block every one of Rokurōta's hard fast punches.

   Kenjutsu

   Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Sagiri swordsmanship Sagiri's swordsmanship enabling her to defend against Rokurōta's relentless attacks. As an Asaemon, Sagiri is capable of decapitating a person with a single cut of her sword, a difficult feat that normally requires one to many slashes to the neck for an average samurai. Due to her being born female, Sagiri was given the lowest ranking within the hierarchy of the Yamada clan, however, when judging her on pure skill alone, which is viewed as being the least important qualification for a ranked Asaemon, Sagiri has been noted by her peers to possesses unmatched swordsmanship when her mind is set.[14] A testament to her skills was how she was able to fight on equal ground against Gabimaru with a sword in hand, as the shinobi has deadly proficiency with bladed weapons. Despite his resistance to all forms of executions that were given to him, Gabimaru knew that if he were to be executed by Sagiri she would be successful in killing him, which was proven true after she left a small cut on his neck, a feat that a normal executioner couldn't accomplish due to the ninja being able to harden his body at will.[15] Sagiri was also able to keep up and defend herself against Rokurōta's relentless punches and decapitate him. She is also able to defend herself using just her scabbard to either block attacks or cause non-fatal injuries.

   Techniques

   Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Gusokuwari (試一刀流 具足割, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Armor Splitter): Sagiri swings her sword towards her opponent to counter an oncoming attack. This is called Ittō-ryū: Armor-Splitter in the Viz Manga. Coordinated Techniques

   Tameshi Ittō-ryū Hiken: Futa wa no Tsuki (試一刀流 秘剣 二ふた輪わの月つき, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting Secret Sword: Two-Wheeled Moon): The "tenran" (展覧試, Literal meaning: exhibition) form of the Tameshi Ittō-ryū where two Yamada Asaemon synchronize their blades to cut down a target in half. In a Tao illusion created by Rien, Sagiri and Shion used this technique together to destroy a false Rien's tanden. Tao

   Further information: Tao Sagiri using Tao Sagiri using Tao to sense and cut Mu Dan's oncoming stingers. Sagiri possesses control over her Wood-attribute Tao. With its use, Sagiri is capable of sensing the presence and intent of others based on the flow of their Tao. While supporting Shion to defeat Mu Dan, Sagiri was able to read the movements of the Tensen's oncoming Kishikai stingers to cut every one of them without receiving a single scratch. Shion noted that Sagiri is adept at this ability of Tao, even admitting that she was capable of sensing attacks much faster and accurately than him. After receiving lessons from Yuzuriha, Sagiri also became able to suppress her Tao to hide her presence from others.

   Middle Way

   Middle Way Sagiri following the Middle Way. Sagiri has the capability of increasing the strength of her Tao by following the Middle Way, the state of mind that unlocks and give Tao its power within all that exists. As a way to help her mind focus on using the Middle Way, Sagiri concentrates on her breathing. She was first hinted to have accessed the Middle Way when she was prepared to execute Gabimaru, as she left an impression on the shinobi that made him get a sense of how strong she was. Gabimaru even admitted that Sagiri's access to the Middle Way allows her to surpass him in power. Sagiri once again accessed the Middle Way during her fight against Rokurōta where she blocked all of his attacks and later against Mu Dan to release a large aura of Tao. When it came down to her, Gabimaru, and Shugen to face Rien, Sagiri's accessed to the Middle Way to enhance the power of her Tao proved to even cause Lord Tensen's strongest to feel overwhelmed.

   Other Skills

   Through her duties as an executioner, Sagiri developed the sixth sense to know the true feelings of people during their final moments, which helped her to know that Gabimaru was lying to himself about wanting to die. She can also see a person's true nature through the reflection of her sword. Another skill she acquired as an Asaemon is the ability to analyze an individual's anatomy. Sagiri was able to determine that the Sōshin on the island had muscles and bones but showed no signs of internal organs or genitalia by simply cutting them down with her sword.[16]

   Equipment

   Sagiri wielding her sword Sagiri wielding her sword. Sagiri had her own katana prior to it being cut in half by Gabimaru after their confrontation on the island. She then procured a sword previously owned by Warped Keiun that was later used by Gabimaru. She then replaced it with one of Genji's swords that was given to her as his dying wish.

   Other than a katana for fighting, Sagiri also carried with her a small case of powder and camellia oil for bathing, which she used to wash Mei's hair.

3. #3Yui

   Keys: Yui

   KANJI 結 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE August 23 BIRTHPLACE Japan (Iwagakure) GENDER Female Female AGE 17 HEIGHT 154 cm HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Hazel PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood RELATIVES Iwagakure Chief (Father) † Nineteen Unnamed Sisters[2] Gabimaru (Husband) OCCUPATION Housewife AFFILIATION Iwagakure (Defected) DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 1 ANIME DEBUT Episode 1 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Mamiko Noto ENGLISH VOICE Skyler McIntosh Yui Images LESS Stick to your convictions in times of peace...Wear them proudly at times, conceal them at others...But never let go of the reins. For life is far, far longer than even the Battle of Kawanakajima. You're the general and I'm your tactician. So when I say "take it easy", that's strategic advice. YUI (CHAPTER 22)

   Yui (結ゆい) is the eighth daughter of the Iwagakure chief and the wife of Gabimaru.

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   Yui is a young woman with hazel eyes and blonde wavy hair that goes down to her shoulder blades, with bangs on the left side of her face. She has a very distinctive scar on the right side of her face that stretches down from her forehead to her cheek. Early in her marriage, Yui initially wore her hair with her bangs covering the right side of her face where her scar is; though she stated that this was not because she was concerned about her appearance. Upon Gabimaru's misunderstood request to not worry about her blemish, she has since gladly tucked them behind her ears to allow her scar to be shown. After a year passed, Yui has let her hair flow straight.

   Her attire mainly consists of wearing kimonos. Gallery

   Yui's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Yui's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Yui's concept art from the anime. Yui's concept art from the anime. Yui's previous hairstyle. Yui's previous hairstyle.

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   Gabimaru's wife telling him he isn't hollow Yui showing her love to Gabimaru. Yui has a very kind, caring and gentle personality. As Gabimaru's wife, she truly loves him for who he is as a human being, believing that he is not a heartless monster as people make him out to be. As such, she is accepting of the fact that he kills people as an Iwagakure shinobi and is not terrified being around him. Yui is also shown to be wise, having gave Gabimaru words of wisdom on why he should relax his body while giving him a bath.

   Episode 1-4 Yui teaching Gabimaru how to properly accept food. While accepting of the ways of Iwagakure, Yui desired to live a normal life as an ordinary woman. Despite her marriage to Gabimaru was nothing more than an arrangement that was only beneficial to her father, Yui implemented her sense of normalcy to the matter by introducing Gabimaru to basic customs that they should follow, believing that they should truly act like an actual married couple. Yui has also shown to be very strong willed. Though her father tried to discourage her from living out her dream by burning her face when she was young, Yui kept her hope alive by the time she was married to Gabimaru, believing that the human spirit could not be so easily shattered. She also kept her faith that Gabimaru would return to her after he was arrested and sent on the Shinsenkyō expedition.

   Gabimaru also noted that Yui is not the type of woman who would be so petty as to become angry or jealous at her husband if he were to worry about another woman.

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   Family

   Father

   Yui's relationship with the Iwagakure chief, her father, was strained. After finding out about Yui's desire to live a life as a normal woman, he responded with violent abuse by burning her face, as a reminder that her dream will never come to fruition. As a way to put her to use, the Iwagakure chief had Yui marry Gabimaru in order to have her produce offspring for Iwagakure. Having never been granted no free will of her own since her birth, Yui had no choice but to abide by her father's demands.

   Gabimaru

   Yui married Gabimaru as per her father's orders. At first, the two started off on an awkward track where they had not gotten used to being around each other, with Yui trying to hold on to her sense of normalcy while Gabimaru failing to understand her reasoning behind it all. It wasn't until she had learned of Gabimaru's guilt of killing people that she started to warm up to him and happily enjoyed being his wife. While living together, Yui puts in the effort to offer her husband a normal life that he felt that he did not deserve and sees pasts his murderous reputation, as she once happily welcomed him back home in spite of his face being covered in his victims blood from a mission. Gabimaru loves Yui dearly to the point where he can't help but feel flustered in her presence and wishes to honor her desire to live a normal life. When told about Gabimaru's arrest and willingness to embark on an dangerous mission in order to reunite with her, Yui waited patiently for his return. After completing his mission, Yui cried tears of joy upon seeing her husband alive and well and happily lived their life together in peace.

   Friends

   Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   Yui is on friendly terms with Sagiri and is grateful that she looked after Gabimaru during the struggles he had to endure on his mission. The two quickly formed a bond with each other to where Yui saw Sagiri as a sister, along with Yuzuriha.

   Yuzuriha

   Yui is on friendly terms with Yuzuriha and quickly formed a bond with her to where she saw Yuzuriha as a sister, along with Sagiri.

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   Past

   Yui was born as the eighth daughter to the chief of Iwagakure. Being born a female, Yui was not trained in the ways of the shinobi and instead lived an abysmal life within the blood stained shinobi village. Having felt miserable, Yui developed a desire to live a peaceful, normal life, however, after her father found out, Yui’s face was burned by him to make sure that she had given up on this dream.

   Married Life

   Gabimaru with Yui Yui sitting with her husband Gabimaru. After Gabimaru, Iwagakure's strongest shinobi, proved his worth to the chief, Yui was forced by her father to marry him. Though he was viewed as a monster by society, Yui saw past this and presented him with kindness and love that he never got to experience in his life. As the days went by, Gabimaru embraced his married life with Yui and wanted to give his wife a peaceful life she so desired by requesting to the village chief in abandoning his duties as a shinobi. However, Gabimaru ends up being captured by the authorities after the chief ordered his men to leave him behind on one final mission. Upon being notified of her husband's arrest, Yui went into a state of depression but soon learned that Gabimaru was temporarily set free until he completed a mission requested by the shogun. Yui then refused to speak to anyone or eat anything as she desperately waited for Gabimaru's return.

   Departure Arc

   Gabimaru and Yui reunited Yui walking off with Gabimaru after his return. Yui becomes notified by Yamada Asaemon Jikka that Gabimaru managed to survive the mission and plans to meet up with her at a designated spot in secret. After arriving, Yui spots Gabimaru and sheds tears as her husband rushes towards her. Having finally been reunited, along with Iwagakure being dissolved by the shogun, the two walk away together to start a new life.

   Epilogue

   After a year passed, Yui is visited by her husband's trusted ally, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, with Yuzuriha as her traveling companion, and happily thanks her for looking after Gabimaru during the mission. Yui then goes to wake up Gabimaru from his sleep but decides to leave him be after noticing he was sleeping heavily and gets acquainted with her visitors.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   Physical Abilities

   Though she is not categorized as a well-trained shinobi of Iwagakure, Yui has shown to possess strength that can be considered above average, as she was able to crush a chestnut with her barehand.[3] She also has the capabilities to use taijutsu, though her level of skill is unknown.[4]

   Other Skills

   Yui is shown to have proper skills in cooking, as she would usually be the one to cook for herself and Gabimaru.

4. #4Rien

   Keys: Rien

   KANJI 蓮 PINYIN Lián ALIAS Fugen Jōtei (普賢上帝, Pinyin: Pǔxián Shàngdì, Literal meaning: Highest Deity Fugen, Viz: Supreme Shangdi Samantabhadra) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human Tensen (Through her puppets) BIRTHDATE April 14 BIRTHPLACE China GENDER Female Female Male Female Male/Female (Through her puppets) AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 cm - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Violet EYE COLOR Violet PERSONAL STATUS

   ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth RELATIVES Jofuku (Husband) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Ju Fa (Ramet) † Mei (Ramet) Mu Dan (Ramet) † Ran (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Ruler of Kotaku Leader of Lord Tensen RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 53 ANIME DEBUT Episode 9 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yūko Kaida (Yin form) Junichi Suwabe (Yang form) ENGLISH VOICE Michelle Rojas (Yin form) Ian Sinclair (Yang form) STAGE PLAY Kensuke Takahashi Tatemichi Riona (Yin form) (Final Chapter) Sasaki Yoshihide (Yang form) (Final Chapter) Rien Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Hermits are those who touch upon the truths of this transient plane. The world beyond this one is all that has remained beyond my reach. However...that too will soon be within my grasp once your home of Woguo has been sacrificed. RIEN (CHAPTER 118)

   Rien (蓮リエン, Pinyin: Lián), also known by the moniker Fugen Jōtei (普ふ賢げん上じょう帝てい, Pinyin: Pǔxián Shàngdì, Literal meaning: Highest Deity Fugen), was a Tensen-class Sennin who served as the true ruler of Kotaku, the progenitor of the Tensens, and the leader of Lord Tensen.

   Throughout her lifetime on Kotaku, Rien had been plotting and experimenting in the ways of Tao in an effort to revive her beloved late husband Jofuku and had aimed to exterminate all life in Japan in order to fulfill this ambition. She is the main antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

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   In her youth, Rien had violet eyes and hair, which made up a single large bang hanging from the left side of her face. After living for a millennium, Rien became extremely advanced in age. She had lost her hair and showed traces of twigs and leaves sprouting from her head due to suffering from Arborification.

   The Tao puppets Rien controlled reflected her youthful appearance from way back and wore the same clothing, which was a white robe, a matching long-sleeved hanfu, a hakama, and black boots. For her departure to Japan, Rien had her main puppet change into Taoist robes that had a decorated pattern on the collars and belt and wore a crown on her head. Upon her ship being hijacked, Rien loses these robes to fight more comfortably against her enemies, choosing to allow the upper half of her body to be exposed while wearing a beaded necklace and revealed her hidden gold armbands. She also had a ribbon freely float loosely around her.

   In her Kishikai, Rien gained two additional pairs of arms with their own gold armbands, and three new sets of eyes; a pair underneath her originals and one on her forehead. Her skin became a dark shade, and her body received a heart-shaped marking located below her clavicles and two markings resembling flaming wreaths where her abdomen, or tanden, is. Her body also produced a ring with flowers upon the back of her neck. Upon managing to survive having her plant ovule destroyed by Sagiri, a large portion of Rien's body was formed into a bundle of lotus flowers, which included a pair of misshapen wings on her back that seemed to have come from remnants of her extra arms. Gallery

   Rien as she appeared 1,000 years ago. Rien as she appeared 1,000 years ago. Rien's departure attire to Japan. Rien's departure attire to Japan. Rien after surviving having her plant ovule destroyed. Rien after surviving having her plant ovule destroyed. A full appearance of one of Rien's puppets. A full appearance of one of Rien's puppets. Rien as she appeared in the Departure Arc. Rien as she appeared in the Departure Arc. Rien's color scheme. Rien's color scheme. Rien's face close up in her Kishikai state. Rien's face close up in her Kishikai state.

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   Rien crying Rien wishing for Jofuku to return to her. Rien possessed a sociopathic personality, having spent and endured countless years in trying to achieve her goal of reviving her late husband Jofuku by going through horrendous lengths involving the lives of humans. She felt nothing for humanity, viewing humans as inferior beings whose only redeeming quality is their Tao that she could use to create Tan without a shred of guilt or remorse, and was more than willing to sacrifice all human life in Japan if it meant that she could have Jofuku back in her life again. This unfeeling attitude also applied to other living things such as the Hōko, having used them for her research against their will and allowing the Tensens to absorb their Tao.

   While Rien usually maintained a calm and collected composure, she was not excluded from feelings of emotions, such as irritation and anger, which was usually when she found herself faced with things that are an interference with her plans. During her departure to Japan, Rien wept in front of Jofuku's gilded corpse and embraced it as she expressed her desire to see him again. Later, she displayed happiness at the thought of her plans finally coming close to completion and made preparations for the momentous occasion by laying out items for a married couple. In fact, the only times she remembers being happy was when Jofuku was still by her side. In the past, Rien was noted by the Tensens to have been much kinder and caring. However, following the start of her Arborification, Rien's apathetic personality developed since she found that time was running short for her to complete her research.

   “ So very irritating. Listen well, human scum. I am Shinsen. All hermits surpass humanity, and I am the highest class of hermit. By nature an insect such as yourself cannot touch me. ” — Rien expressing her superior status to Shugen.

   Rien looking down Rien looking down on Shugen as she casually sits on his sword. Since she had acquired transcended powers, Rien had a severe god complex, believing that all mortals were beneath her and that none could come close to even laying a single scratch on her in an act of defiance. Similar to her colleague Zhu Jin, Rien was often vexed when she had to handle confronting troublesome humans who were brave enough to fight against her, as she found it absurd that the surviving humans who had made it off Kotaku would have the audacity to think that their low-level capabilities could stand a chance against a Sennin such as herself. Despite her low opinion of humans, Rien did acknowledge the fact that they are not all weak and that there are a rare few who have superior capabilities, such as Gabimaru, Aza Chōbei, and Shija.

   Despite being perceived as cold-hearted, Rien did possess a sense of camaraderie and compassion on a few rare occasions. After discovering Mu Dan's corpse, Rien went outside of Hōrai for the purpose of seeking out his killer and expressed her vengeful attitude after encountering Chōbei by asking if he was the one responsible for her subordinate's death. After welcoming Chōbei into Lord Tensen, Rien agreed to the human's request to leave his brother out of the Rite of Consumption ritual after cooperating with Lord Tensen. If anything, despite her neglection to humans, Rien expressed what little compassion she had by wishing Gabimaru pleasant dreams as he Arborified. After receiving words of sympathize from Gabimaru, as a married man, Rien finally learned to accept Jofuku's passing and showed mercy by healing the wounds she inflicted on Gabimaru and Sagiri before allowing herself to move on into the afterlife.

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   Family

   Jofuku

   Rien with Jofuku Rien and Jofuku. Rien is the wife of Jofuku. She was happily married to him and was supportive of her husband's dedication to his research throughout their time on Kotaku. As time passed, Rien took care of him up until his death as his body to started to grow frail. After his death, Rien was unable to let go of his passing and chose to commit herself solely and tirelessly to finding a solution to resurrect him no matter what the means were. After preserving his body in gold, Rien viewed her husband's corpse as her master and would bow in respect while making reports. Once all her plans were on track, Rien became overjoyed of the thought that she would be reunited with Jofuku after 700 years. However, after receiving words of sympathy from Gabimaru, Rien ultimately decided to accept Jofuku's passing and join him in the afterlife.

   Tensens

   Lord Tensen Rien alongside the other members of Lord Tensen. Rien held a genuine attachment towards her own creations, the Tensens, as she sees them as the only family she had left after Jofuku's death and wanted them to see each other the same way. As such, she disliked it when there was conflict within the group and believed that they should all remain united. After finding the dead body of Mu Dan, Rien felt vengeful to seek out the one who killed him, an action that strayed away from her main goals.

   However, her care for the Tensens only went so far. Despite not wanting to see any harm come between the six, Rien made it clear that, as their leader, only she had the right to harm any one of them. This mainly occurred if a Tensen were to become insubordinate, which was the one thing Rien could not tolerate. If betrayed, Rien would not hesitate to cruelly punish them, as with the case of Mei in the past, having broken her tanden and sentencing her to engage in Bōchū Jutsu with the Dōshi. As a result of her merciless attitude, the Tensens came to know their place, as admitted by Tao Fa who stated that Rien was too frightening for her to defy if she chose not to follow her orders in capturing the invading humans. Rien was also willing to sacrifice the Tensens if they just so happen to meet their demise as a result of following her orders; although her confidence in their capabilities made her believe that this was less likely to happen to them. From Gui Fa's point of view, since the Tensens were simply clones of their creator, Rien would have viewed their deaths as noble self-sacrifice. Another possible reason for her being able to willingly risk their lives could stem from the fact that she knew that the Basin could reincarnate them using replica plant ovules.

   Despite not being hesitant in punishing one of her own, Rien was not without suffering if it had come to this, as Mei recalled her shedding a tear at the time of her exhale. It has also been pointed out by a few of the Tensens that Rien was recognized as being much kinder in the past before her Arborification. Upon finding out from Gui Fa that the Tensens were slain (along with many other unfortunately events), Rien felt distraught despite claiming that she would accept their fates. Her orders to Gui Fa to protect the Basin also gives evidence to the fact that she was not willing to part ways with them.

   Allies

   Aza Chōbei

   Aza Chōbei was the first human Rien encountered from the group comprising of criminals and executioners. After confronting him, Rien discovered that Chōbei's special Tao was the answer to her research and offered him a position within Lord Tensen if he cooperated instead of turning him into Tan like the rest of the humans. Upon his agreement to cooperate, Rien treated Chōbei as an ally of Lord Tensen by introducing him to their ways, having the Tensens treat him with respect, and even letting him in on their secrets. She also accepted his request in allowing his brother to join Lord Tensen after becoming a major help in anticipating the surviving human's raid on Hōrai.

   Unknown to Rien during her preparations to Edo, Chōbei's alliance with Rien was cut short as he immediately betrayed Lord Tensen after reuniting with Tōma and was responsible for the deaths of Ju Fa and Tao Fa.

   Enemies

   Vanguard and Additional Landing Party

   After only the third day of their arrival, Rien became wary of the first group of humans that were sent by Japan's shogun, having discovered a dead Monshin in the forest and Zhu Jin being crippled from a battle with one of them. As assurance to see to it that they did not cause any problems for Lord Tensen, Rien had the Dōshi locate to their positions on the island and have them dealt with. Rien eventually came to make an alliance with one of them, Aza Chōbei, as he possessed special Tao that was key to her research. Having discovered Mu Dan's corpse at the entrance to Hōrai, along with Chōbei vouching for their capabilities, Rien came to fully realize how remarkably strong these humans were. Upon being informed that they would come to raid Hōrai, Rien viewed them as valuable Tao specimens for the Rite of Just Consumption.

   Gabimaru

   Yamada Asaemon Shugen

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   Past

   Rien in mourning Rien grieving over Jofuku's passing. At some point during 3rd century BC, Rien was married to Jofuku and went along in his voyage to the East to acquire the Elixir of Life for the ruler of the Qin Dynasty between 219 BC and 210 BC. Their journey in the end led them to an island where they decided to instead use their resources and knowledge of Taoism to discover the secrets to gaining immortality, resulting in many experimental creations. As part of their research, Rien used her Tao to create a clone of herself that she could remotely control. After receiving a new body, Rien used the Tao puppet to create another fabricated clone named Mei, who assisted both her and Jofuku, along with six fabricated newborns. These seven then came to be known as Tensens. Decades later, an elderly Jofuku became infected with Arborification and ultimately died from his illness, leaving Rien alone and heartbroken.

   Refusing to accept her husband's death, Rien made a commitment to revive him, starting off by incasing his body in gold in order to keep it preserve. With the Tensens she created, Rien formed the group known as Lord Tensen to maintain order over the island and trained the six young ones in the ways of Tao. Eventually, Rien started to suffer from the same illness as her late husband and had to remain bedridden for the rest of her life. Seeing as how time was running out, Rien developed a drastic change in behavior by allowing herself to sacrifice the lives of others for the sake of her research. After coming to view the Outer Way of Tan to be a stepping stone in her plans to revive Jofuku, Rien attempted to create a potion of immortality by extracting the Tao of the Hōko and allowed the Tensens to do the same in order to replenish their lost Tao in the midst of their training. Having found her method of sacrificing lives to be wrong, Mei tried to stop Rien from going any further but is met with punishment for her defiance, resulting in Rien breaking her plant ovule, shrinking her body down to a small child's, and sentencing her to participate in Bōchū Jutsu with the Dōshi. At some point, Rien would come to realize that Mei had managed to escape but did not concern herself with her whereabouts.

   After several centuries had passed, the Hōko started to face extinction from Arborification and left the six young Tensens worried for their lives since they were at risk of dying if they were to lose their Tao source. The Tensens then came up with the idea of using humans from the mainland as substitutes and successfully managed to lure them out to the island after sending out a boat with an Arborified Hōko. As a result of extracting human Tao, which was found to be more exquisite than the Hōko, Rien managed to create a prototype elixir known as Tan and went along with the idea of luring out more humans to the island to create more as the years passed by. Rien then developed a plan of extracting the Tao from the entire populace of Japan to create the perfected Tan elixir and have it transferred over to Jofuku's gilded corpse, thereby successfully reviving him. To see this through, Rien created the Banko in her laboratory but was met with constant failure in trying to keep the flower alive and had to wait for centuries for it to bloom once more. Rien would then continue on with her work all the way towards Japan's Edo period.

   Edo Period

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen having a meeting. Rien gathers the other Tensens for a meeting to discuss matters about the humans who have been causing a lot of trouble since their arrival. After reviewing that Ju Fa and Zhu Jin have confirmed the deaths of their victims, Rien closes the meeting with a toast to Sōshi and their longevity.

   Later, Rien gives a lesson to one of the Dōshi about Tao but is interrupted by Tao Fa who shows them the modifications she has done to the training area. After finishing Bōchū Jutsu training with Ran, Ju Fa asks Rien the whereabouts of Mu Dan, who answers that he is at the gate waiting for the human travelers.

   Rien defeats Chobei Rien knocks out Chōbei and decides to take him back to the palace. The next day, Rien finds Mu Dan's corpse and leaves the area. After entering the valley of Hōjō, Rien finds Aza Chōbei and questions if he was the one who killed Mu Dan. She then unleashes her Tao on Chōbei and becomes impressed to see that he has achieved hybridization after being infected by the Waitanhua flower down at the pit. She then attempts to examine Chōbei further and becomes shocked to see him enter into his transformation. Rien becomes overwhelmed by Chōbei and their puppet body is destroyed after Chōbei pierced their tanden. However, another Rien puppet steps out behind Chōbei and reveals the other puppets that came along with them. Rien then smiles in glee after Chōbei demonstrated his control over the Tao of the Waitanhua flower, stating that he was "beautiful", and knocked him unconscious to take him back to the palace.

   Rien explaining to Chobei Rien explaining to Chōbei the reason why he is crucial to completing her research. After Chōbei wakes up restrained to a bed, Rien has her puppet assume its Yin form and tells Chōbei that his Tao may help in completing their research. She then undresses and says that she wishes to engage in Bōchū Jutsu as a way to help his Tao cycle and better understand it. Before Chōbei could cooperate, he demands that she tell him everything about the island, which she agrees to. Rien explains to him that the island is a laboratory meant to create and observe the immortal life of the monsters and the people known as Hōko. They also explain how the Tensens came to be and that she wishes to study Chōbei's invaluable Tao so that Lord Tensen can perfect the elixir and turn every human on the mainland into Tan. Rather than turning him into Tan as well, Rien offers Chōbei a chance to join Lord Tensen if he cooperates. Chōbei accepts and the two proceed with their engagement in Bōchū Jutsu.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc After welcoming Chōbei in, Rien and the other members of Lord Tensen perform a Dōshi ritual. After they were finish, Rien sees Ju Fa starting a fight with Chōbei and orders him to stand down. She then has Chōbei follow her into her laboratory and shows him the Banko, a giant Waitanhua meant to process greater Tan, and tells him that she requires his rare Tao to complete her research using his limbs that she plans to pick a part. During the dissection, Rien is told by Chōbei of the possibility of the human survivors eventually invading the palace. Seeing this as an opportunity to gather more Tao for Jofuku, Rien orders the Tensens to initiate the Rite of Just Consumption for when the time came for the survivors to come. Chōbei then makes an agreement to cooperate as long as they spare his brother Tōma.

   Shija vs Rien Rien vs. Shija. While the Tensens confront the humans for the ritual, Rien reviews the situation regarding the outcomes and presents Jofuku the completed Elixir of Life, announcing that she is ready to depart to Japan to create more of the elixir from the humans in Japan. Later, while down at the floodgates in preparation for her departure, Rien is warned by Gui Fa that the Tensens have been defeated, the Rite of Just Consumption has failed, and the second group of humans have arrived to raid Hōrai. Rien orders the Dōshi to eliminate the intruders and for Gui Fa to go to the Main Palace Annex to protect the Basin. Rien is then approached by Shija, with a team of shinobi, who have come to stop her from leaving the island. She tries to stop Shija and their forces from burning the ships containing the Paradise Butterflies but ends up dropping her guard, which allowed Shija to quickly steal the Elixir of Life from her in the process and have the shinobi take it outside. Later, Rien senses that Zhu Jin has fused with the Banko, causing the puppet's body to react negatively.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc Rien battles Shugen Rien fighting against Shugen. After she supposedly killed Shija, Rien sets sail on a burning ship but sees that Yamada Asaemon Shugen has arrived to stop her. Rien fights Shugen but also tries to be cautious as to not damage the ship in the process. She is then caught by Shugen's sword attack to her tanden but is unharmed since Shugen's Tao attribute is Water, and uses her Tao to puncture a hole through his chest. Shugen manages to endure the attack after Tenza's metal headband manages to slightly reduce the damage and fights Rien once more with his skill to recreate the swordsmanship of his clansmen. Rien senses Shugen's Tao is acting odd and confirms that he has the power to alter his Tao attribute after being harmed by an attack that Yamada Asaemon Shion would use. With no other option, Rien changes into her Yin form, allows the flames to rise on the ship (which she tried to subdue using Tao), and severs Shugen's right arm using a feathered fan.

   The Survivors on Rien's ship Rien confronted by the survivors. After making quick work of bringing down Shugen, Rien picks up the Elixir of Life she found next to Shugen and comes to see the golden statue of Jofuku with delight in knowing that everything will be going as planned. Shortly after, Rien finds that her ship has been damaged by Gantetsusai and steps outside furious for the action he committed. After the survivors' ship manages to reach Rien's, Gantetsusai warns both her and Shugen (who had already regained consciousness) that someone much stronger than him will take his place to defeat them, which is revealed to be Gabimaru who jumps on to the burning ship ready to put an end to everything. Rien found her situation with the humans to be annoying and clashes with both Gabimaru and Shugen in combat. The Tensen manages to out best the two male humans but received a sudden attack by Sagiri to her tanden and finds the other humans onboard her ship ready to confront her, to which she found meaningless. As a counterattack, Rien casts an illusion upon the survivors to have them fall unconscious and decides to enter her Kishikai to put an end to their resistance.

   Gabimaru Arborified Rien causes Gabimaru to Arborify. After transforming, Rien blasts Gabimaru with a bolt of Tao lighting after noticing him about to use a technique against her. Rien's tanden is then stabbed from behind by Sagiri but tells her that her Tao was too weak to make a fatal blow. She then sees an opening to crush Sagiri's body with Tao manipulation but is avoided after Shugen jumps in to move her out of the way. After hearing the humans plan to escape, Rien unleashes her power to dismantle the exterior of the ship while leaving Jofuku's room intact. She then targets Isuzu using Tao manipulation and crushes her body in front of Shugen, which caused the Asaemon to go into a blind rage. While being confronted by Shugen in the front, Rien is grabbed by Gabimaru from behind and is set on fire. However, after remembering his wife, Gabimaru's flames are ceased as his body starts to be influenced by Rien's Tao, which results in him undergoing Arborification. After wishing Gabimaru pleasant dreams as he Arborifies, Rien takes note on how her departure to Japan will go as plan while the humans will either burn within the fire or lose their will to fight. She then finds herself face to face with a persistent Shugen despite the Asaemon being badly injured.

   While defending herself against Shugen, Rien becomes drawn towards the Tao being emitted by a recovered Gabimaru and Sagiri, which she found irritating. She then goes on the defense against Gabimaru and Sagiri's coordinated attacks and shots a bolt of Tao lightning to ward them off. Gabimaru pulls Sagiri out of the way of the attack and slashes Rien with Sagiri's sword. However, Rien remains standing due to the Wood hindering attribute losing the power needed after the sword was in his possession. Rien then witness Gabimaru's desperate attempt by swinging Sagiri towards her. Seeing as how Gabimaru is the one assisting Sagiri whose Wood Tao is critical to taking her down, Rien strengthens her arms and prepares to attack Sagiri before more time is wasted.

   Sagiri defeats Rien Rien defeated by Sagiri. As she continues to fight Sagiri, Rien notices in panic as Gabimaru rushes towards Jofuku's gilded corpse in an attempt to destroy it but sees him cease his assault. However, Rien witnesses in horror as her deceased husband's body is slashed in two by Shugen's powerful Tao-imbued sword. Having been distracted, along with her Tao being weakened from a glimpse of rage, Rien leaves herself open for Sagiri to come in to bisect her body and cut her plant ovule. The upper half of the puppet's body then falls into the ocean and begins to crumble away.

   Rien reunited with Jofuku Rien reunited with Jofuku in the afterlife. However, Rien manages to survive, after regenerating half of her body into flowers, and blows a gapping hole in Sagiri's stomach. She then targets Gabimaru and vows in anger to take away everything from him and the other humans. As she starts to have him suffer, Rien asks him as to why he hesitated to kill Jofuku's body. After hearing him answer that it was because he received a vision of his wife, Rien starts to envision Jofuku's face and hears words of sympathy from him. Having looked back on the loving memories she had with Jofuku, Rien heals Gabimaru and Sagiri's wounds and comes to terms with Jofuku's passing. Rien then allows herself and her puppet to crumble away, which allows her soul to reunite with Jofuku's in the afterlife.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   As a Tensen, Rien had otherworldly powers that were above those of the other Sennin below her, and was unrivalled by any mortal. Her prowess were also much stronger than the other Tensens she commanded. As such, Rien could be considered the biggest threat in the Jigokuraku manga. With little effort, she was able to push Aza Chōbei, a superhuman who obtained the powers of Flower Tao, into transforming and defeated him in an instant with a single Tao attack. While limiting her power, Rien was capable of holding her own against a squad of Iwagakure shinobi. Shija, an Iwa shinobi chosen to become Iwagakure's next strongest shinobi, admitted that not even they stood a chance at fighting against Rien in a proper fight and had to resort to using foul play. Rien was also able to defeat Yamada Asaemon Shugen, the strongest Asaemon within the Yamada clan, with little to no time wasted, and later could even handle fighting against him and Gabimaru, Iwagakure's strongest shinobi in history, simultaneously with ease. Using his special institution, which he claims is 100% accurate, Jikka concluded that even if he and the nine human survivors accompanying him were to fight Rien 10,000 times there would be no possible strategy to successfully win against her. Intelligence

   Rien dissects Chobei Rien dissecting Chōbei for her research. Rien was a brilliant researcher with tremendous knowledge and understanding in the field of Taoism. With her complete understanding of Tao, along with using the concept of the Outer Way of Tao, she was able to cultivate a prototype elixir of immortality, and eventually, a perfected elixir. Along with the elixir, she was also able to create the Banko, another experimental achievement that was able to harvest more of the Elixir of Life. Other works included converting humans into loyal servants by draining them of their humanity. Rien was also a practitioner of I Ching, which she could use to read the current status of a person's lifespan and any future prophecies.

   Physical Abilities

   Rien had been shown to be quite formidable in close-range combat, being able to outmatch both Gabimaru and Shugen in a three-way battle with little difficulty and handled her own against Gabimaru and Sagiri's synchronized attacks. In her Yin body, Rien displayed impressive agility as she quickly moved out of the way of Shugen's close-range sword attack and then balanced herself on his blade. Using her Yang chi, Rien could opt for an increase in physical strength, as she planned to "break" Sagiri whose Wood Tao acted as the "spear" to defeat her using her six muscular Kishikai arms.

   Tao

   Further information: Tao Rien's Tao Rien's immense Tao being emitted from her puppet. Rien possessed Earth-attribute Tao that was remarkably powerful, noted by Chōbei to be far above the other Tensens, and was a true master at wielding it. Having spent 1,000 years of training in the ways of Tao, Rien's Tao became greatly refined to where others could view her abilities as god-like. As a Tao user, Rien was able to sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of her opponents, and enhance her physical attacks. With a single Tao strike, Rien was able to easily defeat Chōbei in his Waitanhua Flower Tao transformation. Rien's great control allowed her to fire invisible Tao bullets from a mere flick from her puppet's fingers that had enough power to puncture her enemies bodies to inflict major damage and was also capable of gathering her Tao in a single highly concentrated ball of energy that could cause massive destruction upon launched.

   Rien controlling flames Rien controlling the Tao of flames. Rien also had the ability to control the Tao of living and non-living things, which she first demonstrated to Chōbei by lighting an incense. During her fight with Shija, Rien controlled the flames released by the shinobi's Ninpō: Hibōshi to fire bullets with enough force to cause major damage to the other Iwagakure shinobi reinforcing them. This ability also came in handing for when the time came for her departure to Japan as she remotely controlled the Tao of her ship to set sail. Her command over the ship's Tao, as well as anything else that was destructively inorganic, had been noted to make her departure impossible to be stopped by any normal means, as she subdued the Tao of the flames that were set by Iwagakure shinobi from completely burning the ship, and could instantly repair any damage done if it were to come under attack, such as the major damaged caused by Gantetsusai's sword slash that almost came close to splitting the burning vessel in two. When controlling the Tao of living things, Rien could either kill her opponents, by simply gripping her hand to cause their bodies to be crushed, or heal their wounds.

   Rien had also shown the ability to create illusions using her Tao, which she used against the human survivors to create a false moment in reality in which they managed to defeat her.

   Techniques

   Tōate (遠当, Literal meaning: Distant Strike): Rien could launch Tao from a distance as invisible projectiles, which are strong enough to cause major damage from within the targets body. Puppets

   Rien's clones Rien's puppets. Rien had the ability to use her Tao to create various puppet clones of herself and could remotely control them from another location to act as a body double. Rien used one puppet to act as her main body to conduct experiments, command the Tensens, and fight against any enemies, while also having a few puppets to look after her in bed. In the event that one of her puppets were destroyed, Rien could transfer her connection over to another puppet. In addition, Rien could also create alternate puppets with their own personalities, characteristics, and will of their own, which was used to create the Tensens. This ability of Tao manipulation was considered to be unique as Gui Fa stated that not even the Tensens are capable of performing this feat. In order to maintain connection with her puppet, Rien had to keep her Tao and her control from weakening.

   Regeneration

   As Tensens, the Riens possessed the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao. Rien had been shown to regrow her fingers, eyes, and survived incineration and mortal wounds such as sword slashes. The limitation to the puppets' regeneration is that they can be weakened if they were to face an opponent who is a Wood-attribute Tao user, and the only known way of destroying her puppets is if the said Wood-attribute Tao user completely destroyed their tandens, or their plant ovules.

   Yin-Yang

   Rien could also have her puppets switch chis of either Yin or Yang to augment her Tao and recover any lost. As the Riens switch in and out, their sex changes to match the chi, which is put to use whenever they engage in Bōchū Jutsu training. Similar to Tao Fa's way of fighting, Rien could choose to perform a partial chi switch on parts of her puppets' bodies to acquire the specific physical attribute needed for battle, such as strengthening her six Kishikai arms by changing them into their Yang forms.

   Kishikai Transformation

   Rien's Kishikai Rien's Kishikai Transformation. As a Tensen, Rien could have her puppet enter a Kishikai state. Upon entering, Rien gained six arms that gave her an increase in her offensive. Her Tao abilities were heighten to where she could cause her entire ship to become dismantled by unleashing a wave of her power. Rien's perception and reflexes were noticeably much sharper, as she caught Gabimaru on time when he was about to use a technique on her and blasted him with Tao converted into lightning, similar to Zhu Jin's ability, before he had a chance to perform it. Her body became more resistant to Wood Tao users as she thought that Sagiri's sword attack towards her tanden felt like a mere tickle. Rien was also able to trigger Gabimaru's Arborification by resonating her Tao with his after physical contact was made.

   Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Rien could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before she became reduced to a weakened body.

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   Rien's fan Rien's fan. Rien wielded a feathered fan that had great cutting power, capable of severing Shugen's right arm, and was blunt enough to knock down her opponents.

5. #5Aza Chōbei

   Keys: Aza Chōbei

   KANJI 亜左 弔兵衛 VIZ MANGA Aza Chobe BIRTH NAME Fuwa Chōbei (不破長兵衛) ALIAS Bandit King (賊王, Zoku-ō) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE August 4 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 20 HEIGHT 176 cm HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Orange PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal RELATIVES Aza Tōma (Brother) CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Underworld Ruler Bandit Leader RANK Dōshi AFFILIATION Himself Vanguard Party Lord Tensen (Defected) DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Ryohei Kimura Minami Hinata (young) ENGLISH VOICE Nazeeh Tarsha Brittney Karbowski (Child) STAGE PLAY Yunosuke Matsushima Aza Chōbei Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Shut up already. Sins, sins, sins…Think I give a damn about all these sins?! When you're the ones who came up with that crap?! All of you, slaves to doing things right and proper! Just damned puppets without desires of your own! Well, I ain't gonna listen to the garbage anymore. From now on, I'm doing things my way!! I'm my own master! I'm my own god!! AZA CHŌBEI (CHAPTER 9)

   Aza Chōbei (亜あ左ざ弔ちょう兵べ衛い) is a well-known bandit leader in Iyo, known as the Bandit King (賊ぞく王おう, Zoku-ō), who is responsible for multiple crimes committed. He serves as a major supporting character and minor antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

   Before receiving the death sentence after his arrest, Chōbei became recruited by his brother Aza Tōma, who infiltrated the Yamada clan to reunite with Chōbei, to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes.

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   Chōbei is a tall, lean, muscular man with messy blonde hair and a single braid on his right side. He had very noticeable facial scars on the right side of his face, including a missing eye, which he self-inflicted to protect his brother in the past. During the mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life, he initially wore a torn black coat over a torn red kimono with a beaded necklace, bracelets on his wrists and slippers.

   During his travel to Hōrai, Chōbei stole the clothing of the Dōshi he defeated. After his fight with Gabimaru, the robes became charred and ragged from the shinobi's fire ninjutsu.

   After allying with Lord Tensen, Chōbei switched to wearing a black robe bearing a flower in the middle encircled by leaves, a belt strap, white pants, and boots. He was also given a dao for combat.

   When accessing the Tao of the Waitanhua flower, Chōbei's skin became pitch black with visible veins, tentacle vines sprouted from his body, his hair stood up, both his eyes become blank, his scar turned into black markings and spreads across his face, and he grew short claws on his fingers and toes.

   Upon being resurrected, Chōbei's body decreased in stature, becoming about the size of a toddler. The size of his scar has been reduced and his signature braid reaches down to his shoulder. For his attire, Chōbei is seen wearing a Chinese robe, pants, and sandals. When accessing his Waitanhua Flower Tao Mode, Chōbei's body would grow back to its original height, which he found annoying since it would only end up stretching out his clothes in the process. Gallery

   Chōbei's color scheme in the manga. Chōbei's color scheme in the manga. A close-up of Chōbei's face. A close-up of Chōbei's face. A close-up of Chōbei's face after having his Tao disrupted by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. A close-up of Chōbei's face after having his Tao disrupted by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Chōbei after going into poverty. Chōbei after going into poverty. Chōbei after starting his life as a bandit. Chōbei after starting his life as a bandit. Chōbei's initial outfit. Chōbei's initial outfit. Chōbei's outfit after his fight with Gabimaru. Chōbei's outfit after his fight with Gabimaru. Chōbei after procuring shinobi equipment. Chōbei after procuring shinobi equipment. Chōbei's concept art from the anime. Chōbei's concept art from the anime. A close-up of Chōbei's face in his Waitanhua Flower Tao Mode. A close-up of Chōbei's face in his Waitanhua Flower Tao Mode. Chōbei as a child. Chōbei as a child. Chōbei after the death of his parents. Chōbei after the death of his parents. Chōbei after scarring himself. Chōbei after scarring himself. Chōbei wearing the Dōshi's clothing. Chōbei wearing the Dōshi's clothing. Chōbei's outfit after previously allying with Lord Tensen. Chōbei's outfit after previously allying with Lord Tensen. Chōbei's appearance in the epilogue. Chōbei's appearance in the epilogue. Video Games

   Chōbei in Monster Strike. Chōbei in Monster Strike. Chōbei in Tower of Saviors. Chōbei in Tower of Saviors. Chōbei in Grand Summoners. Chōbei in Grand Summoners. Other

   Chōbeiin the stage play (Part 1). Chōbeiin the stage play (Part 1). Chōbei in the stage play (Final Chapter). Chōbei in the stage play (Final Chapter).

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   Chobei smiling Chōbei smiling as he brings down Ju Fa. Chōbei is a ruthless individual who chooses to live by his own rules. He is extremely barbaric as he would rather resort to violence than talk things through with his enemies, such as when he attacked one of the Dōshi when it attempted to settle matters without having to use force to send him and Tōma back down to the pit. He is also very sadistic whenever he engaged in fights with his enemies, which was made apparent by his brother, stating that Chōbei always stuck to taking on the role of the villain, and holds grudges to those that have bested him. A great example being how he smiled while continuing to pour bottles of Water Tao on Ju Fa's head to have him slowly die while reminding him how he started the fight with him and his brother. Chōbei is very protective of Tōma ever since he was born and goes to great lengths to make sure that he is safe. Like his younger brother, Chōbei is guided by his own philosophy that adapting to one's environment is the key to surviving in life.

   Although he tended to act like a brute, Chōbei is a rational thinker who quickly determines the best course of action in a serious situation. After being captured by Rien, Chōbei knew that he was outmatched by the Tensen if he attempted to fight back and made the decision to cooperate with Lord Tensen in order to reunite with Tōma. Chōbei was also willing to cooperate with Gantetsusai and Fuchi to defeat the Kishikai form of Ju Fa and Tao Fa, as well as help guide them on how they should go about it, and worked together to find an escape route off the island. He is also very clever as he used flattery to have the highly prideful Gantetsusai cooperate with his plan and stored two bottles of Water Tao in his stomach for when the time came for him to have a rematch with Gabimaru.

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   Tōma

   As his only brother and living relative, Chōbei is very protective of him, coming to his aid whenever he is in danger.

   Vanguard Party

   Gabimaru

   Tamiya Gantetsusai

   Yamada Asaemon Fuchi

   Additional Landing Party

   Yamada Asaemon Jikka

   Lord Tensen

   Ju Fa

   Rien

   History

   Past

   Chōbei and Tōma were born as sons to a retainer under the service of the daimyō of Akō Domain, Asano Takunori. However, after Asano Takunori attacked the court official Kira Yoshinaka at Edo Castle, he was sentenced to commit seppuku. As a result, their father and the rest of the retainers had their status removed and were left as rōnin, leaving their family in poverty. Their mother eventually died of an illness and their father was executed for being a part of the Akō Incident, leaving the two siblings left alone to defend for themselves. They were eventually taken by bandits who planned on selling them but later came to live amongst them after Chōbei managed to become their leader.

   Sometime during their years as bandits, Chōbei and Tōma were cornered and were about to be arrested. Chōbei tells Tōma to escape and trusts that he would come and rescue him from prison. After being arrested and interrogated for a month, Tōma comes to free Chōbei after infiltrating the Yamada Clan and rising to their ranks. He then presents him the mission given by the shogun to find the Elixir of Life which Chōbei found interesting.

   Island Arc

   Main article: Island Arc Chōbei accepts the mission given by the shogun and is grouped together with a few death criminals in Edo. After being told that they would have to kill each other until only a few remain to leave for the island, Chōbei starts off the massacre and becomes one of the few that managed to survive. He then leaves with Tōma as his assigned Asaemon.

   Before arriving on the island, Chōbei is strangled by Hōrubō but manages to break out of his grasp and kill him. His Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Jikka, thanked him in gratitude and returned to the mainland. Once they arrived on the island, the two encounter monsters and makes the decision to kill them. After being attacked by one of them, the two brothers hear them speak of sin which enrages Chōbei and slaughters them. He then states that he will kill everyone on the island and claim the elixir for themselves.

   Aza brothers defeated by Ju Fa Chōbei and Tōma defeated by Ju Fa. After finish slaughtering the monsters, Chōbei drinks their blood to stay hydrated but finds it disgusting. He then asked Tōma about the Hermits residing on the island, to which he explains were old men who are superhuman, wielded strange magic and are immortal. Chōbei found their existence ridiculous and states that he will kill them if he were to come across them. The two then stumble across two women on top of ruins engaging in sexual intimacy. Chōbei senses danger coming from the two and makes them out to be monsters. One of the women then asked if they wanted to join them, much to their confusion. The other woman becomes angry and transforms into a man, declaring that he will kill them. This causes Chōbei and Tōma to be on guard. Chōbei cuts the man in half but manages to regenerate himself and shortly defeat them.

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Chobei climbing out the Tan pit Chōbei climbing his way out of the pit while carrying Tōma. After their defeat, Chōbei and Tōma were dropped down a pit of blooming human corpses. They later escape after Chōbei carries Tōma on his back while climbing his way out. Tōma suggested leaving the island and tending to their wounds but Chōbei furiously vowed to get revenge on the two. Tōma says that they should dives a strategy, which Chōbei explains that he discovered their weakness lies within their lower bodies after seeing their regeneration. He then offers him a severed limb from the pit for nourishment but hears him turning it down. While talking they are approached by a monster called a Dōshi who politely ask them to return to the pit. Chōbei refuses and attacks. He breaks off the Dōshi's hand and demands that he tell them everything they need to know about Lord Tensen. The Dōshi regenerates his hand and summons the Sōshin to attack them. Chōbei tells Tōma to handle fighting the Sōshin while he focuses on the Dōshi. Chōbei continues to fight the Dōshi but his attacks have no effect on him. After finding an opening, the Dōshi rips out Chōbei's throat and causes him to fall.

   Chobei defeats the Tentacle Doshi Chōbei defeats the Dōshi. Tōma rushes to his aid but Chōbei wakes up conscious and injures the Dōshi. He then questions as to why Tōma left fighting the Sōshin. He then looks towards the Dōshi and states that he is able to sense a strange aura emitting from him. As the two continue fighting, Chōbei starts to get a sense of how the Dōshi is becoming powerful and becomes satisfied with his new powers. The Dōshi questions whether he was okay accepting the fact that he was on the verge of losing his humanity, in which he states he was. He then states that there was one thing that would never change though he says that someone like him would never understand, causing him to remember the time he scarred his face to protect his brother. Chōbei rushes forward and sees through the Dōshi's invisible attacks and manage to injure him by striking his navel. He then asked to see how he controls his Tao but crushes his hand before he had the chance to launch another attack. After seeing how he gathered Tao in his hand Chōbei does the same thing and strikes back. He smiles in enjoyment knowing that he can kill him and stomps on his injured body. Chōbei pulls up the head of the Dōshi and asked where were Lord Tensen. After looking at him strangely, Chōbei asked Tōma if there was anything wrong and tells him to help restrain the Dōshi.

   Gabimaru vs Chobei Chōbei fights Gabimaru. The two travel to Hōrai and takes the injured Dōshi as a guide. The three then run into Gabimaru, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, and Mei travelling up a cliff. Chōbei smiles and immediately kicks Gabimaru. Gabimaru fights back and gets on top of Chōbei to snap his neck. He falls down but gets up after his injure heals and grabs Gabimaru to throw him crashing to the ground. He then blocks one of his kicks and grabs his leg to swing him crashing down. Chōbei thinks the fight is over, however, he hears Gabimaru laugh and prepares to go into his killing instincts. Chōbei dodges a rock Gabimaru launches but has his eye scratched out by him to rob Chōbei of his senses. However, Chōbei manages to kick Gabimaru but gets his tendon bitten. He then dodges Gabimaru's attempts to bite at his vital areas but gets caught as Gabimaru bites at his carotid. Chōbei automatically heals this wound and stomps on the ground to cause Gabimaru to lose his footing. He calls Gabimaru out to be weak compared to what he was on the mainland and uses his Tao to enhance his fist to strike Gabimaru. Gabimaru throws a punch at Chōbei but he reads his Tao block it and deliver an uppercut. He then sees that his fingers were bitten off by him and comments on Gabimaru's ugly way of fighting. During their match he calls out to Tōma to fight the others.

   Chobei transforms Chōbei enters his Waitanhua Flower Tao Mode. Chōbei continues to gain the upper hand but gets engulfed in flames after Gabimaru ignites his body and releases a torrent of fire. He tries to escape but gets punctured from rocks Gabimaru launches. Gabimaru gets on top of him and prepares to incinerate him and Chōbei. Chōbei becomes surprise that Gabimaru is willing to sacrifice himself. Gabimaru explains that he had nothing to live for but sees that Chōbei does by wanting to be by his brothers side and tells him that he never could triumph. Chōbei hears this and thanks Gabimaru for making him realize his resolve to abandon everything as long as he has Tōma. He then starts to undergo a transformation and loses control of himself while attacking Gabimaru. As he continues on rampaging, he realizes that he has been unknowingly attacking Tōma who tries to make him come to his senses. Chōbei reverts back to normal and falls down a massive crater after Mei releases her Tao to stop Gabimaru from killing himself. The ninja then tries to his last attempt to attack by sending a few rocks. Chōbei pushes Tōma out of the way and tells him to wait for him as he falls down the valley.

   Chobei vs Rien Chōbei fighting against Rien. After reaching the bottom of the valley and regenerates, Chōbei reflects on his actions and analyses the layout of Hōjō. He then sees a group of Sōshin and decides to practice his Tao on them. Once he was done killing the Sōshin, Chōbei is met by Rien who questions if he was the one who killed Mu Dan. Chōbei unleashes his transformation seeing how strong Rien is and manages to completely destroy his body. However, Rien reveals that he has created clones of himself and becomes impressed with Chōbei's usage of the Waitanhua Tao. Chōbei is then knocked out by Rien and is taken to the palace in Hōrai.

   Chōbei wakes up restrained to a bed and sees Rien as a female. Rien undresses and wishes to engage in Bōchū Jutsu with Chōbei so that she can understand his Tao better. Chōbei agrees to cooperate if Rien tells him everything he needs to know about the island. Rien explains that the island is a giant laboratory meant to create and observe the immortal life of each experimental creatures such as the Hōko. After explaining the nature of Tao, Rien states that Chōbei's Tao is invaluable and wish to study it for her cause of creating perfect Tan and turn every human on the mainland into Tan. He is then offered a chance to join Lord Tensen instead of becoming Tan as well. Chōbei thinks about his options and agrees to cooperate, proceeding with their engagement in Bōchū Jutsu while hoping that Tōma waits for him to come back.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc Chōbei joins the members of Lord Tensen in a ritual. After they were finish, Chōbei gets into a scuffle with Ju Fa and becomes impressed with how strong he has gotten since their last encounter. He then follows Rien to his laboratory. While following him, Chōbei learns about the changing interior of the palace and takes note of how strong Rien is, believing that he is not ready to fight him quite yet. After entering the laboratory, Rien unveils to Chōbei the Banko, a giant Waitanhua meant to process greater Tan, and requires his rare Tao to complete his research. Chōbei becomes puzzled and worries that they plan on using Tōma to create more Tan. Rien then tells Chōbei that he plans on cutting his body parts and asks that he hone his Tao so it may benefit him, which Chōbei agreed to.

   Rien dissects Chobei Chōbei undergoes Rien's experimentations. During the experimentation, Chōbei tells Lord Tensen about the survivors of the mission and how they plan to invade the palace. He agrees to keep them updated on the groups arrival by keeping track of their Tao in exchange for keeping Tōma alive. Later, Rien tells Chōbei that Tōma has a bad omen based on the ritual setup. Before leaving, Chōbei steals a few bottles containing Water Tao from Rien's lab and swallows them, planning to use them when he fights Gabimaru again.

   Aza Brothers vs Ju Fa Chōbei and Tōma fight against Ju Fa for the second time. After the survivors entered the palace and fall into Lord Tensen's trap, Chōbei, along with Ju Fa and Tao Fa, reunites with Tōma accompanied by Gantetsusai and Fuchi in the Bōchū Jutsu Palace. Chōbei tells Tōma to come by his side since Lord Tensen plans to offer them immortality. Tōma joins his brother upstairs and helps him attack Ju Fa and Tao Fa after noticing his undone braided hair, signaling that he was lying. Chōbei becomes impressed with Tōma's improvement and allows Gantetsusai and Fuchi to fight Tao Fa as gratitude for keeping his brother safe. The Aza Brothers then fight against Ju Fa after he has fully healed himself and manage to gain the upper hand with their improved skills. Chōbei attempts to use his transformation to increase his abilities, however, he is stopped by Tōma. The brothers then see Ju Fa reaching out to grab Tao Fa's hand, who has transformed after having her tanden cut by Gantetsusai, and fuse together to enter their Kishikai mode.

   Gantetsusai, Fuchi, Chobei, and Toma work together Chōbei and Tōma agreeing to fight alongside Gantetsusai and Fuchi. After entering his transformation, Chōbei jumps in to attack the two combined Tensens by slashing Tao Fa's tanden, which causes them to experience intense pain. However, Chōbei is pierced by the vines they release and is thrashed around the area. After being sent back inside, Fuchi suggests that all four of them should cooperate in order to defeat the Tensens. Chōbei enters into an augment with Gantetsusai about cooperating with each other but is told by Fuchi that they can focus on fighting each other later after they manage to kill the monster, which provided reason enough for Chōbei and Tōma to collaborate with the two. Chōbei fends off the monsters vine attacks towards the others and tells them to stand back. After analyzing the Tao elements needed to take down Ju Fa and Tao Fa, and not wanting his brother to get hurt, Chōbei makes the decision to fight alone. However, he sees Tōma step in to protect him from one of the vines and grabs Fuchi's hand to use the restoration method of strengthening Fuchi's Metal Tao against Tao Fa. Gantetsusai jumps in to attack but causes the monster to fly up in the air and change to a defensive form. Seeing as how they need to both of the combined Tensens tandens at once, Chōbei orders everyone to split into two groups where he partners with Gantetsusai to defeat Ju Fa while having Tōma partner with Fuchi to defeat Tao Fa. After being asked for instructions by Tōma, Chōbei punches him on the head demanding that he make his own decisions, saying that he has faith since he notices that he has grown.

   Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Chōbei and the others defeat Ju Fa and Tao Fa. The four pushes forward while fighting off the monster's attacks. Chōbei notes that they are on their last legs but needed to put an end to their battle. Gantetsusai manages to get under the monster by entering the pool and slashes Ju Fa and Tao Fa apart. Chōbei and Fuchi then come in to deliver the finishing blow to their tanden and end their Kishikai form. Ju Fa, in their weakened form, comes in to attack Chōbei. Chōbei pierces his stomach and pulls out the two bottles of Water Tao that he was planning on using against Gabimaru's Fire Tao. He then pours the liquid on Ju Fa to keep him from regenerating while enjoying the sight of them dying. Gantetsusai comes in to make the finishing blow to Ju Fa, causing Chōbei to think that he was putting the dying Tensen out of their mercy. The four then rest after the battle was officially over.

   Jikka talks to the Aza Brothers Jikka attempts to make a deal with Chōbei and Tōma. After the battle was over, Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Tōma take the time to recuperate from their injuries but is told by Chōbei that they are wasting time after revealing Rien's plan. Knowing that their plans have not changed, Fuchi asks Chōbei if he is willing to join in assisting the survivors, however, before he could answer, the four starts to feel the palace shaking. Once the tremors ceased, they are approached by Iwagakure shinobi from the second landing party, as well as a Dōshi army, entering into a three-way conflict. Chōbei and Tōma run away from the skirmish with Gantetsusai and Fuchi and decide to split up until they find a route off the island. The brothers are then surrounded by Iwagakure shinobi and are approached by Yamada Asaemon Jikka. With no way out, Chōbei and Tōma surrender. Jikka then tries to strike a deal with the Aza Brothers in that he will offer to write up a false report to the shogun about the brothers having died on the island if they can manage to kill Shugen, as well as Sagiri and Shion if they get the chance, so that he can take his place as the head of the Yamada clan.

   Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. Chōbei and Tōma follow Jikka with the older brother waiting for a chance to make an escape. However, after Zhu Jin merges with the Banko, Chōbei finds his body starting to negatively reacting to its influence. With the situation becoming serious after the monster takes over the palace, Chōbei and Tōma follow Jikka and the Iwagakure shinobi to the Rentan Palace where all the survivors are gathered to discuss matters on how to defeat the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Chōbei relays the information Mei told him and warns everyone that the palace has basically turned into the Banko's body, the Tan fragments in the air will cause Arborification, similar to the condition he is going through, if breathed in, and that he can sense that the Banko has five tandens of each element scattered around the palace. The group then comes under attack by the giant monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko and are warned by Chōbei that anything unrecognizable inside its body will be eliminated. Fortunately, Gabimaru makes his arrival and sets the monsters ablaze but reveals to everyone that he is suffering from the same effects as Chōbei. After hearing Shion take note of the difficulty in having everyone continue fighting due to fatigue, Chōbei comments that they all have no other options left but to fight and walks up to Gabimaru asking if he has anything to lose since he is in the same situation as him. Gabimaru answers yes, which pleases Chōbei. With everyone on board, as well as being equipped with shinobi wear in preparation, the group form duos in accordance to the Tao Restoration and go off to destroy the Banko's tandens.

   Chobei's signal attack Chōbei leaps in to destroy the Banko's Wood tanden. Chōbei and Tōma arrive at the Wood tanden and are forced to try and get pass clones of Tao Fa created that are protecting the tanden from intruders. While fighting them off, Tōma asks Chōbei if they should try to find a way off the island or follow through with Jikka's deal. With the Tao Fa clones becoming a problem after entering a partial Kishikai state, Chōbei prepares to use Tao. However, he starts to feel his body suffering from the Banko's effects on his Tao and also senses that Tōma is gradually suffering from the Tan particles in the air. After reviewing his options, Chōbei puts his faith in Tōma in going through with Jikka's plan without him and that the only thing he can do is to wreck havoc until the others manage to destroy the other tandens. Momentarily after the sounding of the next signal, Chōbei leaps towards the Wood tanden and perfectly times his attack with the others, successfully destroying all tandens and bringing down the Zhu Jin-fused Banko as planned. However, after morning comes around, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko is resurrected and has its tandens slowly regenerate.

   Chobei prepares to destroy the Banko Chōbei making a last-ditch effort to destroy the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. After noticing the Wood tanden slowly regenerating from the sun, Chōbei finds himself out of stamina to perform another synchronize attack. He then hears Tōma requesting to abandon his task of destroying the tanden and try to find a way they can both leave the island, as well as asking him not to die similarly to their late father. After hearing his brother out, Chōbei looks at Tōma, mutters the word "curse", and uses his vines to dig into the Wood tanden to reach the others and destroy their roots with his remaining strength left, thereby cutting off the regeneration link to the main body. His plan ends up becoming a success as the Zhu Jin-fused Banko begins to crumble away.

   Chobei asking for forgiveness Chōbei asking his deceased parents for forgiveness for his wrong doings. Having exhausted every last bit of his power, Chōbei falls to the ground and hears Tōma crying out to him by his side. He then receives memories of the time he worried to his parents about how he thought a baby Tōma was feeling delicate but then noticed how he grabbed on to him as if it was for dear life. His parents then makes him happily to realize that he is now an older brother and is responsible for protecting Tōma. In the afterlife, Chōbei sees his parents and kneels before them, apologizing for the sins he had committed in his life but was happy to know that he was good enough to become a decent older brother, which brought his parents to tears. Chōbei's spirit runs to his parents with open arms but then turns around to see an unknown figure placing their hand on his shoulder.

   Chōbei is eventually revived after Gui Fa chooses to help Tōma by placing his brother's plant ovule in the Basin and using the Tao Restoration to increase the process. He and Tōma then escape the island on a ship.

   Epilogue

   After escaping the island, Chōbei and Tōma arrived in Hong Kong, right after the British occupied the colony, and began to increase the amount of chaos that was already set forth between the British forces, the underworld, and the secret agents of the Qing Dynasty. The pair then became known as the Way of the Twins.

   At some point, Chōbei takes down a few British soldiers and declares himself the ruler of the underworld. After one of the men insults him on his height, Chōbei unleashes his transformation to kill the Brit but becomes annoyed that he was forced to ruin his clothes.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   Chōbei is a strong criminal that is capable of taking charge of a village full of bandits and strike terror in Iyo. In Jikka's opinion, Chōbei's criminal record was so high that he could have earned up to a hundred death sentences. His skills impressed one of the Dōshi, a disciple of Lord Tensen, and showed him that he had the potential to use Tao. Another testament to his skills was that just when he awakened his Tao, Chōbei quickly understood how to manipulate it by using the Dōshi as a prime example and ultimately overpower him even though the Dōshi was more well-versed in Tao and received special training from Lord Tensen. He was capable of fighting on par with, and eventually overpowering, the likes of Gabimaru (who reverted back to his old self as "Gabimaru the Hollow" where he acted as his most dangerous). With the help of his brother, Chōbei was capable of causing Ju Fa, a powerful Tao user, to struggle in their second fight and endured long enough to kill both him and Tao Fa in their Kishikai form. Physical Abilities

   Chobei crushes the ground Chōbei crushing the ground with a stomp of his foot. Chōbei has impressive physical strength, which he acquired after undergoing serious training as a bandit. A few noticeable feats include being able to kick a man six feet up in the air and wielding a large axe effortlessly to kill the Sōshin. During his fight with Gabimaru, Chōbei lifted him with a single hand and destroyed the ground with a single stomp of his foot. He also has great reflexes as he was able to react quickly to one of Gabimaru's kicks.

   He also possesses superhuman durability and endurance. Despite being badly injured from his confrontation with Ju Fa, Chōbei managed to climb up the Tan pit while carrying Tōma, even though Mu Dan noted that such a feat was not possible, and had enough strength in him to fight the Dōshi and take on direct Tao blows that are supposed to cause serious internal damage. Although his Tao was being disrupted by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, which caused him extreme pain, Chōbei had enough willpower to endure it and fight against clones of Tao Fa, while also mustering up the strength to destroy all of the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's roots connected to its tandens.

   Tao

   Further information: Tao Chobei using Tao Chōbei using Tao. Chōbei possesses Metal-attribute Tao. After being infected by the vines deep within the Tan pit, Chōbei awakened his Tao and acquired the powers of Flower Tao. While fighting the Dōshi, Chōbei's Tao continued to grow at an astonishing rate, and by the time he encountered Gabimaru, Mei sensed that Chōbei had massive reserves of it. Through its usage, Chōbei can enhance his strong punches to cause major damage and read his opponents movements, allowing him to avoid and counter attacks that are aimed at him.

   Flower Tao

   Further information: Flower Tao Chobei regenerating Chōbei's arms healing themselves. After being thrown down the Tan pit barely alive, Chōbei's body accidentally managed to achieve a perfect balance of his Tao and Flower Tao from the Waitanhua flower. As a result, Chōbei became an immortal that could instantly heal and regenerate any form of damage done to his body automatically. During his fight with a Dōshi, Chōbei was able to heal all the damage inflicted upon him, such as having his throat ripped out and his wrists broken. He was also able to survive having his neck snapped and being burned alive by Gabimaru's fire ninjutsu, and even managed to regrow his destroyed limbs towards the end of his battle. The effect of the regeneration leaves temporarily strange vine-like markings to the healed area. The drawback to this ability is that the more times he regenerates, the more Chōbei had to resist the vines from taking over his body and undergoing Arborification. Also, since he possesses Metal Tao, Chōbei's regeneration can be weakened if he were to face a Tao user that possesses the Fire Tao-attribute, and the only known way of killing him is if the said Fire Tao user completely destroys his plant ovule within his tanden.

   Waitanhua Flower Tao

   Chobei's Waitanhua Flower Mode Chōbei using the Tao of the Waitanhua flower. Upon unleashing the Tao of the Waitanhua flower, Chōbei transforms into an demonic form of himself. In this state, Chōbei sprouts vines from his body and uses them to lash at his opponents with fierce striking power. He can also use the vines to shield himself from attacks and shape them into weapons such as an axe or a scythe. His speed and power are also greatly enhanced. At first, Chōbei was unable to maintain control of his mentality after entering this form, causing him to attack others indiscriminately. He eventually learned how to prevent the vines inside his body from taking over, although he noted that it was a difficult feat to accomplish. He is also capable of unleashing the vines without undergoing the transformation.

   Intelligence

   Chōbei is well-noted to have high levels of adaptability that has managed to help him survive since he was a child, leading him to become a leader of a group of bandits. This innate ability is what allowed him to survive Kotaku's ordeals and adjust to the new abilities he acquired. He could quickly identify his opponent's weaknesses from just one analysis of a small detail and could devise a plan of action. He thought very carefully as to what options would be the best for him and had good instincts to know when the time was right for him to take down his enemies. When faced with an extreme situation, Chōbei could calmly survey the situation and devise an approach that would ensure success; and if the plan ends in failure, he is able to come up with alternative ideas on the spot. Chōbei is socially clever, demonstrated by how he is able to keep those around him from defying him. Additionally, he anticipates even far-off obstacles and makes preparations to defeat his enemies, demonstrated by how he stole two bottles of Water Tao from Rien's lab and carried them inside his stomach, intending to use them when it came time to fight Gabimaru again but ending up coming in handy to kill Ju Fa.

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   Chōbei originally wielded a sword resembling a khyber knife. He later traded it in for a large axe previously owned by one of the Sōshin. Using both weapons, Chōbei was able to easily slaughter them. Upon his later encounter with Ju Fa, the axe was destroyed.

   After joining Lord Tensen, Chōbei was given a Dao and showed great skill in wielding it. He then chose to discard the sword after his battle with Ju Fa and Tao Fa, but soon obtained another one from a fallen Iwagakure shinobi.

6. #6Yamada Asaemon Shugen

   Keys: Yamada Asaemon Shugen

   KANJI 山田浅ェ門 殊現 OTHER NAMES Shu-kun (殊しゅーくん) (by Fuchi) Black 2-Year Old (黒くろニに才さい, Kuro Ni Sai, Viz: Kiddo in Black) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE July 26 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 20 HEIGHT 177 cm HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Black PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water (Affinity) Wood Symbol Wood Fire Symbol Fire Earth Symbol Earth Metal Symbol Metal CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Assistant Instructor Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 2nd AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 36 ANIME DEBUT Episode 13 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Ryota Suzuki Yamada Asaemon Shugen Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Yamada Asaemon Shugen (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん殊しゅ現げん) is a minor antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. He was the Yamada clan's 2nd rank Asaemon and a previous Assistant Instructor.

   After the shogun became impatient of the first team acquiring the Elixir of Life on Kotaku, Shugen became the de facto leader of a second team sent to acquire the elixir. Upon landing on the island and finding evidence of his Asaemon allies dead, Shugen ordered the team to eliminate the surviving criminals and any monsters they found on sight.

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   2/2

   Shugen had chin-length hair with bangs that frame the sides of his face and slight hints of shadow below his eyes. His attire differed from the standard uniform of an Asaemon, being that he was clad in black due to wearing a black robe and hakama, instead of the standard white, and wore a matching colored kataginu.

   After his confrontation with Rien, Shugen lost his right arm up to his elbow. Shugen also received burned marks to his face after recklessly charging towards Rien to attack while she was set on fire by Gabimaru's fire ninjutsu. Gallery

   Shugen's full appearance. Shugen's full appearance. Shugen after being burned by Gabimaru. Shugen after being burned by Gabimaru. Shugen's initial appearance. Shugen's initial appearance. Shugen as a child. Shugen as a child. Other

   Gantetsusai in the stage play (Final Chapter). Gantetsusai in the stage play (Final Chapter).

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   Shugen crying Shugen crying after having thought about one of his Yamada clansmen. Shugen was very dignified and diligent in his duties as an executioner and took great pride in being an Asaemon. He cared greatly for his Yamada clansmen, having spent his years with them and being taught what they know, which was reflected in his abilities. He greatly expressed his concern for their safety on the island and vowed to bring them back home no matter what the means were. Furthermore, Shugen had a tendency to become emotional whenever he thought about his comrades. Even though the Yamada clan view women as inferior of becoming an executioner, Shugen was one of the rare few who do not believe in this belief as he vouched for Sagiri's qualifications in receiving a ranking and also did not think ill of Isuzu. It seemed that the only member he had a low opinion of was Jikka, who acted as his complete opposite, and did not take it lightly when he did not conduct himself in a dignified manner. Nevertheless, Shugen referred to him properly as his senior. Among his clan members, Shugen showed the most concern for Eizen, who was the one who took him in when he was young and promised to oversee his maturity as a Yamada Asaemon. After finding his corpse, Shugen broke down into tears and took the time to lay his soul to rest with a prayer.

   Shugen greatly despised all criminals and truly believed that they are evil no matter who they are. At a young age, Shugen could not understand the Yamada clan's way of thinking when executing criminals and believed that they should all deserve a painful death. He believed that it was pointless to task the criminals from the vanguard party to retrieve the Elixir of Life and expressed his concern of the thought of one of the assigned criminals completing the mission and receiving the pardon, stating that it would leave him with nightmares. He also did not place his trust in the Iwagakure ninja and viewed them no better than criminals as well. Shugen's disdain towards criminals originated from the time his parents were killed by a murderer and sought revenge against the killer by executing them.

   “ Such unpleasantness could not be avoided. Your execution alone would not stop your wicked ways from being carried on by your relations. The blame in such cases lies not only with the corrupt soul of a single man but also with the environment that produced him. ” — Shugen's words to the boss of the Silver Serpent yakuza group.[1]

   The Silver Serpent Incident Even if they are an infant, Shugen shows no mercy to anyone who are connected to criminals. Shugen believed in order of all things in the world; the order in which those who abide by the law are to be protected while those who break them should be punished without mercy. As an executioner, Shugen had shown a great display of mercilessness when performing his duties. A great example is when he executed the captured underlings of the Silver Serpent yakuza group in order for their boss to reveal the remaining members that were not arrested and execute them as well. However, despite completing the task he was given, Shugen did not feel that justice had truly been fulfilled and moved towards executing the entire families of each member, showing no mercy in killing men and women, young or old, to infants. Although he was merciless in his duties, Shugen showed what little sympathy he had prior to executing the boss, shedding tears in hoping that he, along with the rest he executed, became righteous in the afterlife. Shion noted that no matter how critical the situation was Shugen would not stoop so low as to ally himself with criminals or allow any Asaemon to ally themselves with criminals as well, even going so far as to state that his arrival on the island only made matters worse rather than good for the allied leftover criminals and Asaemons of the vanguard. Isuzu also vouched for this when she explained to Sagiri that Shugen places this brand of justice above his own desires, which was proven true when he cut down Fuchi who protected Gantetsusai from his wrath despite the years they spent together as comrades. Despite this betrayal, Shugen still thought of Fuchi as a comrade and ordered the Iwagakure shinobi to help him if he was still alive as he made his way to Hōrai's floodgates.

   After finding the corpse of his fallen mentor, Shugen unleashed his ruthless, cruel nature and developed a more vengeful attitude, shedding a single tear of blood and furiously declared that he would kill every living thing on the island. He also became more violent and sadistic as he slowly carved away at a Dōshi until he told him everything he needed to know about the island. As they continue to travel the island and find the death of two more Asaemon, Jikka took note at how Shugen was acting more psychotic after resorting to using the whistle the Dōshi had earlier to summon the Monshin and carry them to Hōrai.

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   Yamada Clan

   Yamada Asaemon Eizen

   Yamada Asaemon Jikka

   Yamada Asaemon Genji

   Yamada Asaemon Fuchi

   Yamada Asaemon Tenza

   Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   Yamada Asaemon Isuzu

   Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru

   Enemies

   Criminals

   Kotaku's Monsters

   History

   Past

   Shugen was born as an only child and lived in a large shop owned by his parents. While still sound asleep one night, Shugen's parents were murdered after a young man broke in and robbed the shop.[2] After finding about his parents' murder at the hands of a criminal, a young Shugen went into a state of depression and started to develop a disdain towards those who commit illegal actions. Wanting to seek revenge for the yet to be captured criminal who took his parents away from him, Shugen ended up at the doorsteps of the Yamada clan and was looked after by Yamada Asaemon Eizen who had promised to be there for him to see that he learned the ways of the clan. Blinded by his anger and resentment towards his parents' killer, Shugen failed to get along with the members of the clan and focused his time on seeking out the murderer in his neighborhood, believing that it could very well be the same murderer who killed his parents. However, after Eizen and other clan members came to rescue him from the murderer who caught and beaten him up severely, Shugen came to see the Yamada clan as his new family and swore to protect everyone who gathered under its roof.[3] After he was certain he was accepted, Shugen devoted himself to learning all that he could from his clan members, leading to him earning his name as a Yamada Asaemon, the position of second rank as a potential candidate to become the clan's next head, and being recognized by his peers as being the strongest member within the clan, with quite a few members willing to become his followers. Some time ago, Shugen felt that Sagiri was qualified for a ranking and begged for his superiors to consider in giving her one.

   During one of his duties as an executioner, Shugen executed the captured members of the Silver Serpent yakuza group in order for their boss to reveal the remaining members hidden within the Castle Town. After successfully executing all twenty members of the group, Shugen moved towards executing the families of each member, with the shogun present, while having the boss watch in horror before executing him last. This event caused Shugen to have an infamous reputation but also caught the approval of the shogun who rewarded him with a sword named Fuributsu Kaneki and ceremonial clothing.

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc The other Asaemon Shugen and the other Asaemon prepare to depart to Kotaku. Shugen sits next to Yamada Asaemon Jikka as he explains to the officials how he managed to return from the island. After angering them, Shugen apologizes for Jikka's behavior. They overlook this incident and explains to them the next course of action written in the shogun's message, which is to send out another team of Asaemon to the island. Once they were done discussing matters, Shugen scolds Jikka's behavior but is met with disrespect by the senior Asaemon, causing him to become furious and speaks bluntly that he can not tolerate his attitude. After Jikka apologizes, he wonders if there were any more criminals to send. Shugen informs him that the shogun has hired shinobi from Iwagakure instead of criminals and says that he will also be joining the next team as ordered by their leader, Yamada Asaemon Kichiji. He then sheds a tear after realizing that Eizen has failed to report back to him and becomes worried of his other fellow Asaemon members. A worker then comes up to Jikka asking what they should do with the giant monster head he had killed and brought back. Shugen gets close to the monster's head but the worker warns him that it may still be alive. However, Shugen says that the monster was dead after sensing no waves of life force. He then meets up with two additional allies and tells them that the four of them shall make preparations to depart to the island.

   After departing the next day, Shugen thinks that Aoki is feeling uncomfortable with the ninjas presence and informs him that he can correct this. Aoki then becomes concerned with Kiyomaru and Isuzu being unranked Asaemon and wonders if they where capable of handling the mission. Shugen tells Aoki that despite not having a ranking they are skilled enough to handle themselves while also including Jikka, saying that he was adequate and declares that they will be determined to help his clansmen on the island. He then watches as one of the ninjas kills himself after being given the order by Kiyomaru to prove his loyalty and is approached by Kiyomaru asking if they can truly trust them. Shugen tells him that he never trust them to begin with and views them no better than criminals. He then expresses his resolve to kill the criminals on the island so that his clan members can return home. However, after being asked if they were already dead, Shugen becomes angry at the thought and tears up hoping that they are safe.

   Shugen finds Eizen's body Shugen emotionally breaks down after discovering Eizen's corpse. After the landing party arrives on Kotaku, Shugen encounters a group of Sōshin and defends the team by fighting them barehanded. Once he quickly dealt with the monsters, Isuzu and Kiyomaru come to his aid but Shugen reassures them that as their senior he will take on the responsibility of taking care of lesser matters like fighting the monsters. Jikka becomes pleased to hear this but Shugen reminds him that he is his senior. As he proceeded to continue on with the mission, Shugen shockingly comes across the corpse of Yamada Asaemon Eizen and breaks down into tears. Feeling to distraught over the death of his master, Shugen uses his time to lay Eizen's soul to rest with a prayer before agreeing to continue on with the mission. While praying, the group fights off a horde of Monshin commanded by a Dōshi to attack them.

   Shugen angry Shugen declares vengeance upon everything living on the island. After finishing with his prayer, Shugen cuts the leg off a Monshin that attempted to attack him from behind and uses its shakujō to chip away continuously at his blade. He then declares in anger that he will exact his revenge by killing every living thing on the island. Shugen manages to quickly defeat the Dōshi commanding the Monshin and attempts to extract information from him about the island by carving away at his head until he answers all his questions. Jikka tries to reason with him by saying that they should return home, however, Shugen angrily scolds Jikka, saying that under no circumstances are they allowed to return to the mainland. After being calmed down by Isuzu, Shugen apologizes to Jikka but demands that the Dōshi provide him with information he needed. One of the ninja then comes up to Shugen suggesting that the ninja handle this matter since they specialize in interrogation and torture.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc The Treasure Barge departs Shugen commanding the Monshin to transport him and the Asaemon to Hōrai. While traveling to Hōrai, Shugen becomes furious after the ninja reveals to him evidence of Tenza's and Genji's deaths. Shugen then decides to use the Horse Flute used by the Dōshi to call upon the Monshin. Once the Monshin were summoned, Shugen orders them to quickly transport him and the Asaemon to Hōrai.

   Upon arriving in Hōrai, the Monshin breach the walls of the palace, allowing Shugen's team to enter. Shugen commands the ninja to confront and eliminate the convicts but spare the Yamada Asaemon. Shugen then charges forward as an army of Dōshi advances to attack the intruders but are all taken down by Shugen who warns the others that the Dōshi's tandens are their weakness.

   Gantetsusai and Shugen clash Shugen clashes with Gantetsusai. Shortly after, Shugen finds Yamada Asaemon Fuchi and demands an explanation from him as to why his criminal, Tamiya Gantetsusai, hands are untied. He then senses Gantetsusai's "blood lust" and silences him while he hears Fuchi's reason, who explains that the Yamada Asaemon had no other choice but to ally with criminals to survive the dangers of the island. Shugen accepts this excuse and tells Fuchi that he no longer has to cooperate with Gantetsusai since he is here and ask that he execute him before joining his side. Fuchi refuses Shugen's order, saying that the time for crime and punishment will have to come later after they escape the island. After noticing how the missing tsuba on his sword was used as Gantetsusai's eyepatch, Shugen becomes shocked and angry seeing as how Fuchi mistreated his Asaemon soul. Shugen then clashes swords with Gantetsusai after he insults the Yamada clan. Shugen loses his footing but regains it after imitating Kishō and blocks Gantetsusai's next attack. He then begins to tell Gantetsusai about the memories he had with Yamada Asaemon Genji and releases the same strength Genji possessed to push Gantetsusai back. Recalling Gantetsusai's insult earlier, Shugen challenges him and states that he will use the power of all the Yamada Asaemons. Shugen gains the upper hand in his fight with Gantetsusai by using the skills of Genji and Kishō with his swordplay and prepares to deliver the final blow after bringing Gantetsusai to his knees.

   Shugen cuts Fuchi Shugen slashes Fuchi. However, Fuchi blocks Shugen's attack and tells him that despite Gantetsusai being a criminal he is not "evil" as he makes him out to be and also says that he does not wish to see more people die. Shugen ceases the assault on his blade and sees that Fuchi's caring side for others has not changed since the day they met. However, Shugen forces himself to cut Fuchi, saying that he wields his sword for the sake of the world. Gantetsusai tells Shugen that he is insane for cutting down one of his comrades. Shugen replies that what he did was determination and says that he is prepared to execute him. However, Shugen becomes distracted with the changing of the layout after Zhu Jin's fusion with the Banko. After bringing his attention back to Gantetsusai, Shugen sees that the criminal and Fuchi's bodies are covered in flowers. He then receives notice from a group of shinobi that Rien is preparing to leave the island and is handed the captured Elixir of Life. Before leaving Shugen orders the shinobi to kill Gantetsusai underneath the flower bed if he is still alive while sparing Fuchi if he also alive.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc Shugen loses his arm Shugen loses his arm to Rien. As he races towards the underground floodgates to halt Rien's escape, Shugen senses something ominous about the Elixir of Life and decides to taste test it for poison before the time came to hand it over to his superiors. He then concluded that it was safe to consume. Later, Shugen manages to arrive on time to the floodgates, gets on board Rien's burning ship, and attacks the Tensen. Shugen strikes at Rien's tanden but finds out that it did not have any effect due to him not possessing Wood Tao and is punctured from the chest by Rien's Tao attack. Luckily, Shugen finds that he was slightly protected by Tenza's metal headband, which he was happy to know, and tries another attempt at attacking Rien using his skill replication of the Yamada Asaemon. After mimicking Shion, Shugen lands an effective strike on Rien, with the Tensen discovering that Shugen is capable of altering his Tao attribute. Shugen then sees the flames rising from the ships after Rien decides to put their full attention on him and unexpectedly has his right arm severed by Rien in their Yin form wielding a feathered fan. He is then quickly defeated by the Tensen and is left onboard unconscious and severely injured.

   Shugen reacts to the elixir Shugen feeling the effects of the Elixir of Life. Shugen soon wakes up from his unconscious state and sees Gantetsusai standing in front of him who wishes to avenge Fuchi. Shugen manages to block Gantetsusai's sword attack but is unable to fight properly due to his body taking too much damage. However, Shugen refuses to give up due to his pride as a samurai, which causes Gantetsusai to angrily beat him barehanded, stating that it was the same pride that caused him to kill Fuchi. After getting back up and grabbing back his sword from the fire, Shugen cauterizes his right arm to heal his injury and does a few practice swings with his left arm. After managing to quickly adjust to wielding his sword using the knowledge Fuchi gave him in the past about the human body, Shugen lectures Gantetsusai about his duty as a samurai to protect all he holds dear in the Yamada clan and that he has abandoned sentimentality. After stating his conviction, Shugen senses that the Elixir of Life has started to take its effects on his body. He once again fights Gantetsusai but unexpectedly sees him kneel shortly after and hear him explain why he became known as the Blade Dragon. Shugen then becomes shocked to see the burning ship damaged after Gantetsusai unleashes a powerful slash with his sword. This action causes Rien to step outside and confront the two men in anger. With his job of slowing down the ship in time for the survivors to reach it completely, Gantetsusai prepares to leave but tells both Shugen and Rien that someone stronger than him will be on the ship to defeat them, which turns out to be Gabimaru who jumps on board and approach the two individuals.

   Gabimaru vs Shugen vs Rien Shugen battling both Gabimaru and Rien. After announcing his resolve to fight for both the world and for the Yamada clan, Shugen engages in battle against both Gabimaru and Rien. However, both men soon realize that they are outmatched by Rien's power. Shortly after, Shugen sees Isuzu and Kiyomaru boarding the ship along with the other survivors from the vanguard. While Shugen's wounds is tended by Isuzu and Kiyomaru, the survivors fight against Rien but are caught victim to her Tao illusion. Shugen then becomes one of the few to witness Rien enter her Kishikai. After Sagiri's attack on Rien's tanden failed, Shugen jumps in to move her out of the way of Rien's Tao manipulation and orders Isuzu and Kiyomaru to move the criminals to the other ship since he did not want the monster to take away the Yamada clan's task of executing them. However, Rien unleashes her power upon the humans by dismantling the exterior of the ship, which resulted in the death of Kiyomaru. Shugen then bares witness to Isuzu being killed right in front of him by Rien. Fueled by blind rage, Shugen rushes towards Rien to try and attack while Gabimaru tries to incinerate her but is also caught in the fire as well. Though he was badly injured from Gabimaru's flames, Shugen pushes himself to continue fighting, since he desires to make Isuzu and Kiyomaru proud by carrying out his clan's duty, and orders Sagiri to return to the other ship after noticing how she has lost her resolve to fight due to doubt. Though this was the case, Shugen hears Sagiri boldly speak about how her imperfections are what forms her and senses her Tao reacting as a result.

   Shugen slashes Jofuku Shugen unleashing his final attack to destroy Jofuku's corpse. After she manages to help in Gabimaru's recovery, Shugen watches as Sagiri and Gabimaru fight alongside each other against Rien and starts to see Sagiri in a new light as she holds her own against the monster. In an attempt to create an opening for Sagiri to destroy Rien's tanden, Gabimaru targets Jofuku's gilded body in order to weaken Rien's Tao after she becomes stricken with anger. However, Gabimaru becomes hesitant after realizing that, like his relationship with Yui, Rien and Jofuku are a married couple. Shugen then comes in to finish the task with complete devotion to his duties and cuts Jofuku's body in half with a powerful Tao-imbued sword slash. As a result of overexerting too much of his Tao, Shugen passes out with the right side of his face crumbled away and dies.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   Shugen was viewed by his peers as being the strongest Asaemon in the Yamada clan. Being the second ranked Asaemon, Shugen's suitability for becoming the next head of the clan rivalled that of his mentor, Eizen. After arriving on Kotaku, Shugen was capable of single-handedly defeat a group of Sōshin without the use of his sword and easily cut down a Monshin with no signs of worrying. He was also able to defeat a Dōshi, students of Lord Tensen who are well-versed at using Tao than any human. Furthermore, Shugen was able to overwhelm Gantetsusai, a powerfully well-known swordsmen, and almost came close to slaying him. Ultimately, Shugen became one of the few humans in 1,000 years to survive and escape the horrendous ordeals that Kotaku had to offer, such as the monsters and the members of Lord Tensen. Physical Abilities

   Shugen kills a Soshin Shugen sends a Sōshin's head flying. Shugen possessed impressive physical strength, being able to break the leg of a large Sōshin and effortlessly lift its arms when it was trying to hold on to him. Combined with his knowledge of anatomy and his ability to sense Tao, Shugen was able to fight barehanded against a group of Sōshin and easily defeat them without a single scratch. Using his copying ability, Shugen could further increase his strength to match that of Yamada Asaemon Genji's, which was capable enough to overpower the likes of Gantetsusai. Shugen had also shown to have great endurance to pain as he kept his composure after his right arm was severed by Rien. His reflexes were also great enough to dodge a Tao attack directed at him by Rien.

   Kenjutsu

   Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Shugen beheading the Doshi Shugen beheading multiple Dōshi. Shugen was known to have great skill and knowledge in swordsmanship than any other member in the Yamada clan. As an Asaemon, Shugen was capable of decapitating his victims with a single cut of his sword. After chipping away at his blade, Shugen was able to execute cuts modeled after the execution method known as Sawing (鋸のこ引びき, Nokogiribiki), where he would carve away at his opponent if they refused to answer his questions as a means of interrogation. During the raid in Hōrai, Shugen gracefully beheaded every Dōshi while they were riding on horses. By applying his mimicry of every skill of the ranked Yamada Asaemons to his swordsmanship, Shugen was able to best Gantetsusai, an incredibly strong and highly experienced master in swordsmanship, and bring him to his knees. Using his knowledge of the human body imparted to him by Fuchi, Shugen made a remarkable feat of quickly adapting to wielding his sword with his left arm, after his right arm was cut off by Rien, in only a matter of seconds.

   Techniques

   Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Kabutowari — Genji Bājon (試ためし一いっ刀とう流りゅう　兜かぶと割わり 源げん嗣じ追悼バージョン, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Helmet Splitter — Genji Version): Shugen brings out enough strength in his wrists to equal that of Yamada Asaemon Genji's and applies a huge amount of force to his sword when clashed with another, causing his opponent to fall forward. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Helmsplitter Genji Style in the Viz Manga. Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Mura Shigure — Kishō Bājon (試ためし一いっ刀とう流りゅう　村むら時雨しぐれ 期き聖しょう追悼バージョン, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Autumn Shower — Kishō Version): Shugen uses the Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Mura Shigure combined with a calm mentality equaling that of Yamada Asaemon Kishō's to overwhelm his opponent. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Harvest Shower Kisho Style in the Viz Manga. Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Kabutōchi — Genji Bājon (試ためし一いっ刀とう流りゅう　兜かぶと落うち 源げん嗣じ追悼バージョン, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Helmet Drop — Genji Version): Shugen brings out enough strength in his wrists to equal that of Yamada Asaemon Genji's and applies force to a single swing of his sword. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Helm Divest Genji Style in the Viz Manga. Tameshi Ittō-ryū Gaiden: Shunjin no Tsuki — Senta Bājon (試ためし一いっ刀とう流りゅう　外がい伝でん 俊しゅん迅じんの突つき 仙せん汰た追悼バージョン, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting Gaiden: Excellent Swift Thrust — Senta Version): Shugen uses Senta's style of swordsmanship to rapidly pierce his opponent from a distance while adding more force behind his blade. This is called Ittō-ryū School Gaiden: Swift Thrust — Senta Style in the Viz Manga. Tao

   Further information: Tao Shugen possessed Water-attribute Tao and was capable of using it. With its use, Shugen could sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of his opponents, and enhance his physical attacks, which included imbuing his sword.

   Skill Replication and Attribute Alteration

   Shugen copying Genji and Kisho Shugen fighting as both Genji and Kishō against Gantetsusai. Having spent his time carefully analyzing the ranked Yamada Asaemons personalities, strengths, and weaknesses, Shugen became able to copy their unique abilities as if his opponent was actually fighting the ranked Asaemon he chose to emulate. Fuchi characterizes this ability as being akin to possession where it seems as though Shugen is being taken over by the Yamada Asaemon he chooses to fight as. After Shugen chose to fight as Genji, Gantetsusai had a look of confusion as if he was clashing swords with someone else. By switching in and out of each skill he uses, Shugen's opponents became overwhelmed as if they were actually fighting more than one Yamada Asaemon. In addition, not only could Shugen use their talents to their fullest, but he could also compensate for any weaknesses they may have by applying his own skill.

   As confirmed by Rien, Shugen's clear grasp of his clansmen strengths and weaknesses did not just merely allow him to copy their abilities but also inexplicably allowed him to transform his Tao attribute to match theirs exactly, thereby making him suitable to fight against Flower Tao users other than those who had Fire Tao. Even a Tao master such as Rien never thought such an ability could be possible.

   Yamada Asaemons

   Yamada Asaemon Genji (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん源げん嗣じ): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Genji's monstrous wrist strength in his swordsmanship. In his fight against Gantetsusai, Shugen was able to beat him in a feat of strength when they clashed swords, causing him to be pushed back a good distance and fall down from the weight. By adding fluidity with this ability, Shugen improved upon Genji's swordplay. Gantetsusai had also taken note that the pure raw power prevented him from counterattacking even if Shugen was left with plenty of openings. Yamada Asaemon Kishō (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん期き聖しょう): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Kishō's calm mentality to foresee incoming attacks as if he had saw a moment into the future, allowing him to avoid them and deliver a counterattack. Due to his attribute alteration ability, it was also possibly for Shugen to replicate Kishō's Earth-attribute Tao. Yamada Asaemon Senta (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん仙せん汰た): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Senta's swordsmanship where he extended his arm to perform thrusting and cutting attacks. Shugen used this ability to fight at mid-range from the monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko to avoid being turned into flowers. By adding twisting force behind his attacks to make them more destructive, Shugen improved upon Senta's swordplay. Yamada Asaemon Tenza (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん典てん坐ざ): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Tenza's fast swordsmanship. Due to his attribute alteration ability, it was also possibly for Shugen to replicate Tenza's Fire-attribute Tao. Yamada Asaemon Shion (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん士し遠おん): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Shion's swordsmanship, as well as his Wood-attribute Tao. Yamada Asaemon Fuchi (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん付ふ知ち): Shugen was able to replicate Yamada Asaemon Fuchi's agile movements. Due to his attribute alteration ability, it was also possibly for Shugen to replicate Fuchi's Metal-attribute Tao. Flower Tao

   After test tasting the Elixir of Life for poison, Shugen acquired the healing abilities of Flower Tao. However, due to only consuming, and spitting out, a small sample of the elixir, Shugen's healing factor was much weaker than most Flower Tao users since his wounds took longer to heal themselves, rather than instantaneously, and could not regenerate any lost limbs. The effects also did not automatically activate until later on. Upon awakening the power, Shugen's cauterized right arm healed itself without him being aware. His resistance to pain had been heighten, as he was able to continue fighting Rien even after his body was heavily scarred by Gabimaru's fire ninjutsu.

   Intelligence

   Shugen possessed knowledge taught to him by a few of his fellow clansmen, such as Fuchi's understanding of anatomy and the workings behind Tao from Shion. These two studies combined allowed Shugen to easily defeat his opponents in a fight even without the use of his sword.

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   Fuributsu Kaneki Shugen's sword: Fuributsu Kaneki. Having impressed the shogun, Shugen was given the named blade, Fuributsu Kaneki. After arriving in Kotaku, Shugen acquired the Horse Flute that was previously owned by a Dōshi he defeated. He later used it to call out the Monshin from their nest to have them carry him and the Asaemon to Hōrai.

7. #7Mei

   Keys: Mei

   KANJI メイ めい BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE December 3 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Female Female AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 128 - 171 cm HAIR COLOR Pink EYE COLOR Gold PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Hōko (Adoptive Father) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Ju Fa (Ramet) † Mu Dan (Ramet) † Ran (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Vanguard Party Lord Tensen (Formerly) TEAM Elixir Retrieval Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 16 ANIME DEBUT Episode 7 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Konomi Kohara ENGLISH VOICE Macy Anne Johnson STAGE PLAY Takanori Aoba (Child) Rio Sawada (Young) Mei Images LESS Overview Image Gallery I was fed up with it all. I fled. I turned my gaze. I told myself I was powerless and that there was no use in fighting back. Because once again, I was fed up with my own weakness for having fled and fled. MEI (CHAPTER 114)

   Mei (メイ) is a Tensen-class Sennin who was formerly affiliated with Lord Tensen, having been banished by Rien for acting defiant. After being found by Hōko, Mei went into hiding and chose to live out her remaining time on Kotaku being raised by him as his daughter. Several years later, she becomes a close ally of Gabimaru, Sagiri, and the other surviving humans in their attempt to retrieve the elixir known as Tan from Lord Tensen and escape the island. She is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

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   1/2

   Mei is a child with pink eyes and long hair that she wears in two braided Chinese-style buns at the back of her head. As for attire, she wears a red, long sleeve robe, a skirt, and walks around barefoot.

   Initially, during her time spent in Lord Tensen, Mei was a full-grown woman and wore a lavender robe. However, after defying Rien, she received a scar-like mark that ran down across her back and had her body reduced to that of a child's. After her first use of Tao, Mei's face and body started to mature and grew about the same height as Fuchi. Her body eventually grew back to what it original was after releasing her Tao for the second time to save Gabimaru. After honoring Hōko's wish by extracting his remaining Tao to rejuvenate herself, Mei reverted back to her former child body.

   In her Kishikai state, Mei resembles a gigantic moth with many pistil-shaped tentacles on her thorax and five large petal-like wings, shaped exactly like plum blossoms.

   After several years passed since the Edo Period, Mei is revived back to her former child body and is shown wearing similar clothes as she did in the past. Gallery

   Mei's manga design. Mei's manga design. Mei during her time in Lord Tensen. Mei during her time in Lord Tensen. Mei as a young girl. Mei as a young girl. Mei's appearance after the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's effects on her Tao. Mei's appearance after the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's effects on her Tao. Mei's color scheme. Mei's color scheme. Mei's concept art from the anime. Mei's concept art from the anime. Mei's child body. Mei's child body. Mei after reverting back to her original body. Mei after reverting back to her original body. A close up of Mei's face in her Kishikai. A close up of Mei's face in her Kishikai.

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   Mei is a shy, quiet, and innocent girl who becomes easily frightened when harm comes to her. She is especially kind and caring to the people around her that she views as her allies and is also accepting of others when seeing their good qualities. When they first met, Mei was afraid of Gabimaru because of his intimidating demeanor but, after showing signs of respect towards her, she wasn't afraid to come near him. Mei also has a sense of knowing what's right from wrong, believing that Rien's cruel research on the Hōko needed to be stopped. Unlike the Tensens, Mei does not have a low opinion on humans, or have any reason to look down on them, and was willing to help the survivors who came to the island in any way she could. Relationships

   Family

   Rien

   Tensens

   Hōko

   Vanguard Party

   Gabimaru

   Gabimaru initially had gotten off to a bad start with Mei after committing actions that caused her to become scared of him, such as pursuing, restraining and threatening her into giving out information about the Elixir of Life and pointing a sword at her to see if she had regeneration powers like Hōko. It was only after Gabimaru showed her respect while the two were taking a bath that Mei saw him as a good person and felt comfortable being near him. Later, after Gabimaru decided to travel to Hōrai by himself, Mei followed him and saved Gabimaru from being killed by Zhu Jin. Though he was not obligated to look after her, Gabimaru became attached to Mei, as he wanted to protect her from the Dōshi and felt that it was only right that he repay her for saving his life from Zhu Jin. Mei in turn also felt connected to Gabimaru. She was concerned about Gabimaru's mental state after sensing that his Tao was not fully restored from his first usage of Tao. After Gabimaru was prepared to risk his life to defeat Chōbei, Mei cried out to him to stop and rushed in to put an end to his fight by using her Tao, knowing full well that it would speed up the process of her Arborification. When the time came for survivors to raid Hōrai, Mei was most concerned about Gabimaru since she was aware of his backup plan that involved him losing his humanity and rushed to his side after his Tao had been negatively influenced by Zhu Jin. Ultimately, in her last moments, Mei chose to happily say her goodbyes to both Gabimaru and Sagiri in a Tao illusion and tells Gabimaru that during their time together she has come to see him as a source of courage.

   Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   Tamiya Gantetsusai

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   Past

   Mei's banishment Mei being punished by Rien. 1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Mei was the first Tensen created from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien but was born to believe that her creator was Rien's husband, Jofuku. She then served as Jofuku's disciple and obeyed all practices of Tao as part of his research in discovering immortality. She also helped to nurture six young Tensens while they trained in the ways of Tao. As time went by, Mei started to develop feelings of disapproval for all that had been going on around her, and upon discovering that Rien had been sacrificing many of the Hōko's lives after favoring the Outer Way of Tan, Mei tried to stop her from going any further. This however led to her being punished by Rien by having her plant ovule broken, her body reduced to a child's, and being sentenced to engage in Bōchū Jutsu with the Dōshi. She eventually managed to escape from Hōrai and was found by Hōko. Mei then went on to being raised by him and lived happily in the abandoned Hōko village, while also choosing to not concern herself with the activities of Lord Tensen.

   Edo Period

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Gabimaru restrains Mei Mei captured by Gabimaru. Mei spots Gabimaru, Sagiri, Yuzuriha and Senta gazing at the village. Gabimaru senses her presence and goes after her. After being captured by him she cries from his frightening behavior. Sagiri calms her down and takes her back to the group with Hōko taken down. Hōko then persuades them into coming to the village.

   While Sagiri and Yuzuriha are taking a bath, Mei supplies them with towels and leaves. She then joins the group discussing about the elixir, the island, and Lord Tensen. Hōko shows them that the elixir exists by separating its hand and regenerating it. Gabimaru looks towards Mei with his sword and asked if she is also blessed with this ability, resulting in her becoming scarred. She then goes to take a bath but is walked in by Gabimaru and Sagiri and screams in panic. Sagiri provides the two with a proper bath and offers to clean Mei. After noticing Mei's marking on her back, Gabimaru advised her that appearance do not matter and that she should not try to hide her marking. Mei notices Gabimaru's respectful behavior and finds it safe to come near him. The two then return to the lodging and rest for the night.

   Mei saving Gabimaru Mei saves Gabimaru from Zhu Jin. Right after Gabimaru left for Hōrai and was on the verge of death from battling Zhu Jin, Mei appears besides him and helps him escape by creating a crater leading down a cliff. While asleep, the two are found by Tamiya Gantetsusai and Yamada Asaemon Fuchi. She later wakes up slightly grown which surprises Gabimaru. After speaking for the first time to Gabimaru, he quickly asked her if she knew anything about the elixir and her strange power. Mei says that her power is called Tao but confuses them with her odd explanation. The group are then approached by the Sōshin. Wanting to know how to use Tao, Gantetsusai carries Mei on his shoulder and asked her to teach him how to master it while fighting the Sōshin.

   Gabimaru comes to Mei's side Gabimaru comes to Mei's side. Gantetsusai ask Mei for reports on his progress of awakening Tao as he kills the Sōshin. Mei says no because he was using too much of his strength. Gantetsusai then pointed to Gabimaru but Mei says that he is also using too much of his strength. After looking at her with a scary expression she starts to cry much to Gabimaru's disappointment. Mei is then captured by a Dōshi who is pleased with meeting her and addresses her in a polite manner. The Dōshi explains to them that Mei is similar to Lord Tensen and ask her to return to Hōrai for guidance. She then looks towards Gabimaru with tears in her eyes and instantly appears by her side. He explains that even though she was none of his concern he still wanted to protect her.

   Gabimaru asks the Dōshi why they wanted Mei. The Dōshi explains that she is a part of their training in Bōchū Jutsu where they preform sexual congress and join their Yang with her Yin, which causes her to become frighten. She continues to tremble as he explains to them her past of being banished from the palace, being scarred by Rien and given the option of dying or being part of the Dōshi's training. Hearing enough of what they had to say, Gabimaru and Gantetsusai stand behind Mei to defend her from the transformed Dōshi's.

   Mei helping Gabimaru sense Tao Mei helps Gabimaru awaken his Tao. After Fuchi interpreted Mei's words about Tao, Mei helps Gabimaru try to sense his Tao by touching his hand. Gabimaru finds it hard to believe that by accepting his weakness he will be able to learn Tao. However, after Mei states that strength derives from weakness, Gabimaru manages to understand and awakens his Tao. After he steps forward to confront the Dōshi's once again, Mei comments on how Gabimaru possess a huge amount of Tao. She then watches as Gabimaru dodges the Dōshi's invisible attacks. Gantetsusai states that Gabimaru was able to understand Tao quickly because of his ninja training, but Mei shakes her head in disagreement. The three are then shocked to see Gabimaru dispel the Dōshi's transformation.

   After Gabimaru and Gantetsusai finish off the Dōshi, Fuchi suggests asking Mei for guidance but Gantetsusai thinks that it would be best for her to return home. Gabimaru tells Mei that he was still indebted to her and was willing to go along with whatever she wanted to do. Before she had a chance to make up her mind, she is shocked to see Gabimaru bleeding from his nose and faints. They then travel halfway up the valley and settle in a cave. After Gabimaru awakens, Mei provides information about what she knows about Tao and has Fuchi interpret her words. The group then decides to get some rest for tomorrow. Mei comes out to see Gabimaru and asked if he was okay. He answers that he was okay, however, Mei becomes frighten when she sees that a part of Gabimaru's Tao is missing.

   The next day, the group travels up the valley to reach Hōrai. Upon making it to the top, they encounter Aza Chōbei and Aza Tōma. After Chōbei attacks Gabimaru, he counter attacks by snapping Chobe's neck, but after surviving and throwing Gabimaru to the ground, Mei warns Gabimaru that Chōbei had a large amount of Tao.

   Mei creates a crater Mei puts an end to Gabimaru's fight with Chōbei. While fighting Chōbei, the three notices that Gabimaru is acting unusual. Mei explains that Gabimaru's Tao is acting strange and has lost the thing that made him strong. While fighting Gantetsusai, Tōma orders the enslaved Dōshi to attack her and Fuchi, however, Fuchi draws out his swords to guard Mei. She then watches as Gabimaru fights a transformed Chōbei while in critical condition. After Gabimaru sees an opponent to attack, Mei runs to stop him before he attempts to use up his remaining life. Mei ends the fight by releasing her Tao to create a massive crater. Gabimaru and Tōma remain save on the edge while Chōbei falls down the valley. Mei's body then matures further.

   She is then given Gantetsusai's robe for coverage and travels with the group to the front gate of Hōrai where they meet Sagiri, Yuzuriha, Yamada Asaemon Shion and Nurugai. Seeing Mei's state, Hōko asked if she used her power which she answers yes. He then expresses his gratitude that the group kept Mei safe. She is then comforted by Sagiri after seeing the state she is in. After realizing that Gabimaru has loss his memories after shortly waking up, Sagiri pins him down to have him cooperate and restore his Tao. Gantetsusai thinks that they are performing Bōchū Jutsu but Mei blushes saying that it was different yet similar.

   The group then relocates to a cave to escape from Lord Tensen's sensory field. Mei body becomes ill and Sagiri asks Fuchi to help make a medicine for her. Fuchi agrees but demands that Mei tells him everything they need to know. Mei relays the information to Fuchi, translating that a Hōshi came to the island in search of ways to achieve immortality, resulting in the creation of the monsters and Lord Tensen who have been practicing the inner and outer way of Tao for 1,000 years. After Yuzuriha hears that a prototype elixir known as Tan has been created by Lord Tensen, she asks why they were going so far in their research. Mei answers that it is possible that they are following the will of Jofuku, the Hōshi that created Lord Tensen.

   Mei absorbs Hoko Mei absorbs Hōko's Tao. Mei's conditions worsens and the three see that her arm starts to transform into a tree. Mei explains that her usage of Tao is causing her to turn into a tree and has little Tao due to having a broken tanden caused by Rien. Hōko offers Mei his Tao to recover but can't bring herself to use him as a sacrifice. Hōko insists, explaining that he hopes she forgives him for not fulfilling her desire to leave the island after seeing her as his late daughter. Mei breaks out into tears honoring his final wish and tells him that she sees him as father. After extracting his Tao, Mei reverts back into a child and says goodbye to Hōko.

   The vanguard party join forces Mei joins the survivors to help them complete their mission and escape the island. The four then gather back to the group. Mei returns Gantetsusai's robe and sees that he is disappointed that her body has shrunken back to her child body. She then senses strong Tao that has just landed on the island coming from either a person or a group of people. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements, along with another group of criminals. While Sagiri tells everyone that Shugen will be helpful in assisting them, Shion informs them that Shugen despises criminals and gives proof by revealing the story of Shugen executing the Silver Serpent yakuza group and their families. The group moves on by listening to Shion's plan of splitting everyone into two teams for finding Tan and an escape route off the island. They also listen to his strategy of using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat Lord Tensen. After hearing Yuzuriha's suggestion of abandoning the goal of the mission and leave the island in hiding, Shion gives everyone the option of following their own objective or working together in completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone follows Shion and chooses to cooperate in finding the elixir and escape the island together.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc Gabimaru promises Mei Gabimaru promises Mei to have her see Rien and Jofuku for the last time. Mei provides the group with information regarding the sea monsters guarding the island and the ships located deep within Hōrai as a way to escape the island. She also tells them that the elixir is located in Rien's, and her previous, laboratory. The group then sits through lessons instructed by Gabimaru and Yuzuriha on how to use Tao. Once they were done, Mei assists Gantetsusai after becoming exhausted from the lessons by massaging his shoulders. She is then assigned to the Escape Route Securing Team. Gantetsusai suggests that they send her departing without having her wait for the Elixir Team. However, Gabimaru asks Mei if there was anything she wanted to do before leaving the island. Mei confesses that she wishes to live a normal life off the island but to also reunite with Jofuku and Rien to know why they underwent a major change in the past. Gabimaru honors Mei's request and promises to have her see the two again.

   During the making of their strategy in infiltrating the palace, Mei tells them about the layout of the palace building and the palaces each Tensen reside in. After finish strategizing, the group decides to make their move tonight. Mei then takes the time to explain to Gabimaru and Tōma how Chōbei managed to fuse with the Flower Tao of the Waitanhua flower. They then walk back to Mu Dan's corpse where Gabimaru takes one of his plant stingers, using the fusion of Flower Tao as his backup plan. Mei is against this idea since it is a dangerous risk and certain conditions must be met in order for someone to obtain the powers of Flower Tao. However, Gabimaru is aware of how Chōbei took control and knows what he has to do in order to do the same.

   Elixir Team meets Ran The Elixir Retrieval Team encounters Ran. Mei joins the Elixir Retrieval Team and infiltrates the palace. The teams signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it was safe to enter and then senses the layout of the palace, which causes Mei and Sagiri to become disturbed by the corpses they sense in Rien's laboratory. They then enter successfully into the building but are met by Ran who knew that Mei would be the one to guide them.

   Ran tries to have Mei return to Lord Tensen's side, revealing that the Elixir of Life has finally been completed. Mei explains that she is different from the rest of them and came to say goodbye before leaving the island. Despite his disappointment, Ran says that the Rite of Just Consumption will have to continue, which is to capture the humans and offer them as sacrifices to the grandmaster. Seeing as how their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them. Gabimaru tells Sagiri and Mei to find the elixir, however, Mei warns Gabimaru that they are not in the Rentan Palace. Ran reveals that he has rearranged the layout of the palace before they arrived. He then traps Mei by controlling the Tao on the ground. While Gabimaru and Yuzuriha fight Ran, Sagiri frees Mei from her bindings and the two proceed to head to the Rentan Palace.

   While heading to the Rentan Palace, Mei and Sagiri hear loud noises coming from the Dō'in Palace. Sagiri assures Mei that Gabimaru will be okay since he has a backup plan, causing her to worry since she knows what it entails. Sagiri becomes shocked and horrified after Mei explains what Gabimaru plans to do but knows that they must move forward after arriving at the Rentan Palace.

   Rentan Palace encounter Mei and Sagiri encounters Gui Fa in the Rentan Palace. Mei and Sagiri enter the palace but see that Gui Fa is in the room instead of Rien. The Tensen then says that they will stop them if they take a step forward from their spot but is told by Sagiri that she does not wish to fight and would like to apologize to Gui Fa on behave of the humans that have trespassed on their island and asks if her group would be allowed to return home safely. Gui Fa says that they will honor her request but warns her that it would be pointless to return to Japan by revealing Rien's plan to turn every human into Waitanhua flowers and form the giant Banko to create more perfected Tan. Sagiri asks Gui Fa why would they go to such lengths, to which Gui Fa explains that the Tensens only see humans as material to create more Tan. Mei disagreed, saying that Jofuku tried to help humanity with his research and that using human lives was wrong. However, Gui Fa explains that their plans have changed ever since humans first came to the island in the past.

   After the ritual circle reveals that all the Tensens were defeated, Gui Fa prepares to report back to Rien with no intentions on avenging their comrades. However, before leaving, Gui Fa asks Mei why she chose to come back to Hōrai. Mei answers that she finally understood what life meant after remembering her time with Hōko. The three then feel the palace starting to tremble from the Monshin breaching the walls outside, allowing the second landing party to enter the palace. Mei and Sagiri come under attack by both the Iwagakure shinobi and the Dōshi but are saved by Yuzuriha, who they become happy to see again. After being aware that Iwagakure shinobi and the Dōshi have raided the palace, Mei is asked by Sagiri if she was willing to accompany them to confront Rien. However, before she could answer, Yamada Asaemon Isuzu appears with the intention of eliminating Yuzuriha, as ordered by Shugen to take down the convicts, but is hindered by Sagiri.

   Mei being effected by Zhu Jin Mei under the influence of the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. After Zhu Jin fuses with the Banko, Mei's starts to witness her body changing due to her Tao going into disarray from Zhu Jin's influence and worries for her situation. After the remaining surviving humans gather together, Mei explains to everyone that morning is when the Banko will bloom and the Arborification will take effects on those who breath in the Tan particles in the air. The survivors then decide that their best option is to work together to destroy the Banko and scattered to their designated tandens; with Mei being in charge of locating the tandens for the group while staying by Yuzuriha's side to give out the signal to perform a coordinated attack on the tandens.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc Mei shocked Mei shocked after learning the truth about Jofuku. After the group manages to destroy the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, Mei and Yuzuriha run outside the palace and encounter Gui Fa, as a child, holding the Basin. Gui Fa then tells them the secrets they found in the Rentan Palace, revealing that the Rien they know is actually one of the many puppets created by Rien, the wife of Jofuku who plans to depart to Japan and turn every citizen into Tan in order to revive her husband Jofuku, which will happen within two hours, shocking both Mei and Yuzuriha. Not knowing what they should do after this revelation, Gui Fa asks Mei for her suggestion. Before she could answer, Yuzuriha tells Mei in panic that they need to make haste off the island. Before leaving, Gui Fa warns them that if they choose to go after Rien then only two men and one female will survive based on the I Ching ritual they found in the palace.

   Mei helps the survivors escape Mei clears a path for the survivors to sail off. The survivors gather at the entrance to the floodgates and enter. The group sadly sees that all the ships have been destroyed with the exception of one but is unable to set sail due to the wreckage blocking the water from flowing. As Gabimaru, Sagiri, and Nurugai make a desperate attempt at removing the wreckage, Mei, despite knowing the risk of her life ending, makes the decision to enter her Kishikai to clear a path for the others. Using her large petal wings, Mei blows away the debris and gives everyone the opportunity to head towards the ship. Gabimaru yells out to Mei and reminds her that if she stays in her Kishikai she will die and not have a chance to live a normal life. After hearing him, Mei creates an illusion of herself and hugs Sagiri and Gabimaru, telling them both that this was the only way she could take responsibility and face her fate and thanks them for all they have done for her. She then ends the illusion and have Gabimaru and Sagiri transported on to the ship. After the ship leaves, Mei's crumbling soul apologizes to the people that helped her for not being able to flee with them, to Hōko, to the Tensens, and to Rien for not realizing how sadden they were when they banished her and for not being able to stop them.

   At some unknown point in time before leaving the island, Gui Fa had managed to acquire either a replica or the original plant ovule of Mei's and had it cultivated within the Basin to allow her to be revived along with the other Tensens.

   New Era

   After several centuries had passed (presumably during the Reiwa Era), Mei becomes fully resurrected after finishing her cultivation period within the Basin and is currently living amongst the humans with Gui Fa, who has become an online teacher. After checking in on the deceased Tensens' plant ovules, Mei informs Gui Fa that Ju Fa and Tao Fa are starting to develop earlier and walks along with them to go and revisit.

   ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

   Tao

   Further information: Tao Mei possesses Water-attribute Tao and has knowledge of its principles. Despite her small body, she has been shown capable of using it to enhance her physical strength and cause harm to her targets. Mei is also able to release a large amount of her Tao to create craters. However, after her tanden was broken, Mei's Tao usage was limited as any large quantity she lost would cause her to mature until she reached her original body and slowly Arborify. This side effect could only be reversed if she absorbed another beings Tao to rejuvenate herself, similar to the consumption of Tan. During her final moments, Mei was also shown capable of creating Tao illusions.

   Regeneration

   As a Tensen, Mei possesses the regeneration abilities of Flower Tao. Since she possesses Water Tao, Mei's regeneration can only be weakened if she were to be attacked by a Tao user who possesses the Earth-attribute, and the only known way of killing her was if the said Earth Tao user completely destroys her plant ovule within her tanden.

   Kishikai Transformation

   Mei's Kishikai Mei's Kishikai Transformation. As a Tensen, Mei is able to enter into a Kishikai state, which takes the form of a giant moth with five large petal-like wings. Using her wings, Mei is capable of flight and can release a large gust of wind to blow away anything in her path by flapping them.

8. #8Shion

   Keys: Shion

   KANJI 士遠 FORMER NAME Yamada Asaemon Shion (山田浅ェ門 士遠) ALIAS Kuon (久遠) OTHER NAMES Sword God's Child (剣神の子, Kenjin no Ko, Viz: Divine Blade Boy) Shio-san (しおさん) (by Fuchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE June 13 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 27 HEIGHT 178 cm HAIR COLOR White PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood RELATIVES Unnamed Mother CLASS Rōnin (Formerly) OCCUPATION Samurai (Formerly) Yamada Asaemon (Formerly) RANK 4th (Formerly) AFFILIATION Yamada Clan (Formerly) TEAM Vanguard Party Escape Route Securing Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Chikahiro Kobayashi ENGLISH VOICE Reagan Murdock STAGE PLAY Taro Nakamura Shion Images LESS Overview Image Gallery This is a lesson you immortals will soon learn. The fleeting nature of a mortal life. That weight. That terror. SHION (CHAPTER 42)

   Shion (士遠), previously known as Yamada Asaemon Shion (山田やま浅だあェえも門ん 士遠), is the former 4th rank Asaemon of the Yamada clan. He is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

   After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Shion joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal Akaginu.

   Appearance

   Shion is a blind man with short, spiky silver hair in a faux hawk cut. He has three long, distinctive scars crossing his face; two vertical running from forehead to cheek crossing the center of each eye, and one horizontal across the top of his nose through each eye. He wears the standard attire of the Asaemon, however, he does not carry the bell around his collar. After his confrontation with Zhu Jin, Shion wears a bandage around his neck to keep the wound he received from opening.

   After briefly settling in Hōrai, Shion changed from his Asaemon attire to a light blue robe with a pattern running down the collar and cuffs and wears matching pants. He then switches to wearing a black Iwagakure shinobi robe, along with matches pants, gaiters, gauntlets, sandals, and wears white tasuki to hold his sleeves.

   A year later, Shion removes the bandages around his neck and allows the throat scar he received from Zhu Jin to be visible. He is seen traveling in a simple robe. Gallery

   Shion's manga design. Shion's manga design. Shion as a child. Shion as a child. Shion in his previous Yamada Asaemon attire. Shion in his previous Yamada Asaemon attire. Shion after procuring shinobi equipment. Shion after procuring shinobi equipment. Shion's color scheme in the manga. Shion's color scheme in the manga. Shion's concept art from the anime. Shion's concept art from the anime. Shion after 2 years of joining the Yamada clan. Shion after 2 years of joining the Yamada clan. Shion's second outfit. Shion's second outfit. Video Games

   Shion in Tower of Saviors. Shion in Tower of Saviors. Other

   Shion in the stage play (Part 1). Shion in the stage play (Part 1). Shion in the stage play (Final Chapter). Shion in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

   As a samurai under service to the Yamada clan, Shion believes that it is not his place to defy the era he lives in in terms of the criminal justice system, even if the criminal in question has been convicted unjustly. As such, he could not allow Tenza to go against the Yamada clan by protecting Nurugai, as he viewed it as being an act of rebellion that could end up jeopardizing the clan's name and reputation. However, Shion at heart is a kind, caring and virtuous man. Despite his loyalty to the Yamada clan, he is not so unreasonable as to make exceptions to the rules if given a good enough reason, as he did with Nurugai after hearing out Tenza's justification as to why his assigned criminal was worth going against the Yamada clan. His kindness also extends to his work. When he executed Akaginu, he noted that he did it in a way to ensure her death was painless, as decreed in his clan's execution methods, despite her failed attempt to seduce and kill him. While not on duty as an executioner, Shion opts to spend his free time helping others, such as when he saved Tenza from a life of crime by taking him in as his student in the Yamada clan.

   Shion lecturing Shion lecturing Tenza on his poor swordsmanship. He is also very serious and strict. As a teacher at heart, Shion has a tendency to act as such during certain matters. After escaping from Zhu Jin, Shion hit Tenza with his sword for his sloppy swordsmanship he displayed in his fight against the Tensen and felt the need to quickly correct him. Even though he refused to become her teacher, Shion was ignorant to the fact that he was teaching her the proper way of using a sword while fighting the Sōshin. After settling in one of the buildings in Hōrai, Shion clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and review what they know about Tao. This also gives him a quality of a great leader, as he is able to take initiative by having his allies focus on the task at hand and come up with clever strategies, as well as take into account of their opinions on whether they are willing to follow his plan or not.

   Shion joking Shion making a pun about his eyesight. At the same time, however, Shion can also be very humorous, as he often can't help himself but to make puns about his eyesight if presented with a perfect opportunity to do so or to lighten the mood in a dark situation. This ultimately overshadows his serious and strict behavior as the people who know him well enough find this to be his major character trait. Shion also had been pointed out by Sagiri to have a noticeably bad habit of assuming romantic intent. After Sagiri expressed her worries over Gabimaru, Shion blushed thinking that she had feelings for him, much to her denial. Shion admitted to this quirk and stated that it most likely stemmed from his fondness for dodoitsu poems.

   Shion's eyes Shion's expressing his desire to kill Zhu Jin. Shion possesses an extremely vengeful side and a high sense of responsibility if the people close to him get harmed. Having been forced to leave Tenza behind to fight off Zhu Jin, resulting in his death at the Tensen's hands, Shion was driven by revenge and guilt to continue forward on Kotaku in order to find and put an end to his student's murderer, even restricting himself from grieving or mourning his death until he has done so. As a consequence to his mind becoming clouded with nothing but rage and hatred, Shion became willing to risk life and limb no matter what obstacles he had to face. During his battle with Mu Dan, Shion showed no hesitation in causing himself to suffer heavy amounts of blood loss and persisted on until the Tensen was slayed. Upon finally reuniting with Zhu Jin, Shion expressed a deep desire to kill them that even the Tensen found terrifying and was ultimately willing to sacrifice his life if it meant that he can finally bring justice to Tenza's death.

   Following his escape from Kotaku, Shion made the decision to relinquish his status as a samurai and the Yamada Asaemon name to serve as Nurugai's protector, as he could not condone executing an innocent and believed that he cannot change as a man if he remained a samurai. After a year passed since he assumed his role as her guardian, he has developed a protective attitude towards her that is akin to a doting father, having sacred off a few men who were hitting on her and gave her a lecture as to why she should avoid men while cleaning her face. Relationships

   Family

   Mother

   When he was a young boy, Shion worked alongside his mother as street performers. During the time he spent with her, Shion was treated rather poorly, as his mother willingly carved scars onto his face in order to add more depth to his act and was given a false backstory after he was accepted into the Tōdōza and the Yamada clan. Despite all this, Shion cared enough to go along with the fabricated story his mother gave him since going against it would bring shame to his mother's honor.

   Yamada Clan

   Yamada Asaemon Tenza

   Tenza was Shion's most recent student and his mentee. Shion took him out of streets when he was a child and started to teach him because he saw potential on the boy. The two shared a strong bond and a deep respect for each other. Shion claimed that Tenza was not only his student, but also a dear comrade and because of this he chose to respect Tenza's wish and ran away with Nurugai while he fought Zhu Jin. The death of Tenza made him feel extremely guilty due to not being able to protect his student and made a vow saying that he wouldn't pardon himself until he kills Tenza's murderer.

   Yamada Asaemon Tesshin

   Shion's first student years before taking Tenza in to the Clan.

   Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

   Yamada Asaemon Shugen

   Yamada Asaemon Jikka

   Yamada Asaemon Eizen

   Shion seemed to be on good terms with Eizen. Through flashbacks it can be assumed they had a close friendship, with Shion confiding Eizen his story with his first student, Tesshin, and also the situation with Tenza. Eizen seemed to have a degree of respect for Shion, intervining and advising Tenza about the path he would choose to follow.

   Vanguard Party

   Nurugai

   Additional Landing Party

   Enemies

   Zhu Jin

   History

   Past

   Shion was born blind to the mother of a traveling street performer. At a young age, Shion awakened his ability to sense Tao and was able to perceive the world around him. Because of this, Shion's mother used him as a way to raise money and gave him the nickname Sword God's Child (剣神の子, Kenjin no Ko, Viz: Divine Blade Boy) where he would go on to perform for others by dodging the participating customers wooden sword swings at him. As part of the act, Shion's mother also carved scars on her son's face. He eventually caught the attention of the Grand Kengyō and was welcomed into the Tōdōza along with his mother. Through their connections, Shion was also brought into the Yamada clan and trained in the ways of an executioner. Upon entrance to both housings, Shion's mother fabricated a false story about him being born as an illegitimate child to a renowned swordsman and was given his scars from first seeing battle at a young age. Shion went along with this story knowing that it would besmirch his mother's honor if he were to stray away from it and hid his past throughout his years from the people close to him in the Yamada clan. He then spent his time following the ways of the clan and eventually earned his name as Yamada Asaemon Shion, along with proving himself to be worthy enough to receive the 4th ranking to become the clan's next potential leader. When not engaged in his work as a sword tester, Shion took some time off in helping others, which led him to Tenza off the streets. He then persuaded the young man into joining the Yamada clan and took him in as his student.

   Island Arc

   Main article: Island Arc Shion is one of the Asaemon assigned to escort a criminal searching for the Elixir of Life on an island ordered by the Shogun.

   Shion beheads Akaginu Shion executes Akaingu. After arriving on the island, Shion is almost immediately accosted by Akaginu when she tries to seduce him. However, Shion executes Akaginu due to her breaching the rules of the assignment. Having completed his mission, he tries to find a suitable current to return. However, the one optimal current he found was overshadowed by strange sounds and an unfamiliar presence. Shion decides to search for other Asaemons to help him escape the island.

   Lord Tensen Arc

   Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Shion beheads Zhu Jin Shion beheads Zhu Jin. Later, Shion encounters Tenza and Nurugai as they are running from an unknown immortal being. He throws his sword and decapitates the immortal while he is regenerating, allowing the three of them to escape into the forest. He is relieved to see Tenza alive, but promptly begins lecturing Tenza on his sloppy fighting against the immortal. Shion tells Tenza and Nurugai of his experience on the island, but then turns his sword on Nurugai, asking Tenza why he is covering for his criminal. While he is aware of Nurugai's past, he points out that the Asaemon are simply blades for the era to wield, and Tenza's rebellion could put the Yamada clan in danger. But Tenza is able to convince Shion that Nurugai is worth protecting, preventing Shion from carrying out the execution. When Shion says he will allow her to live, Tenza and Nurugai are astonished that he could tell Nurugai's gender.

   Shion fleeing with Nurugai Shion forcing himself to flee with Nurugai and leave Tenza behind to fight Zhu Jin. As the three are discussing a plan for dealing with the immortal, it appears behind Tenza and Nurugai in its female form. Shion manages to grab the two out of the way, narrowly avoids being killed by her, but gets his throat cut in the process. Enraged, Tenza attacks her, only to be severely wounded. As Shion moves to attack the immortal, Tenza desperately tries to yell at him to run. Hearing this, Shion, knowing they are no match for the immortal, grabs Nurugai and runs away while Tenza sacrifices his life to buy them time. As they are retreating, Shion swears he will take vengeance for Tenza.

   Nurugai and Shion fighting the Soshin Shion and Nurugai fighting off the Sōshin. In the forest, Shion demonstrates his perceptive powers when Nurugai attacks him from behind. He knocks Nurugai's sword out of her hands, moving her out of the way before the sword comes back down and hits her. Although Nurugai begs him to teach her swordplay, he refuses, stating that they do not have the time for her to master the sword. Shion intends to fight the battle alone, unwilling to let another young life die before him. However, upon further pleading from Nurugai, Shion explains how he "sees" by perceiving the "waves" of everything around him, which allow him to sense his surroundings as well as boost him physical abilities. He explains that, to tap into this power, one requires a balanced spirit, not too intense, not too tranquil. When the two are approached by the Sōshin, Shion begins teaching Nurugai the proper stance and grip for swordplay. Nurugai wonders whether Shion has changed his mind or is simply absent-minded. Shion cuts down the Sōshin as he explains, telling Nurugai that he will not be her sensei but that she is free to learn as she sees fit. He then wonders how he will be able to develop his swordsmanship enough to be able to kill the monster that killed Tenza.

   Shion vs Mu Dan Shion fighting against Mu Dan. After reaching Hōrai, Shion and Nurugai arrive just in time to save Sagiri, Senta, and Yuzuriha from the transformed Mu Dan. Shion faces Mu Dan alone, testing the use of his Tao attribute and successfully deals some damage. However, Mu Dan laughs as flowers bloom from numerous gashes on Shion's body from his stingers. Shion quickly reacts, slashing all the flowers from his flesh but briefly drops to his knees from blood loss. Sagiri and Nurugai assists him coated with Yuzuriha's fluid to protect them from the scratches that causes blooming. Sagiri suggests that they act as decoys while Shion strikes from behind to cut through both the monster's tanden, what she believes to be its weak point. The three fight Mu Dan, slowly overwhelming him as he takes a long time to regenerate each time. While Shion continues losing blood, he is driven by his hatred and regret at Tenza's death, swearing to kill the monster or die trying. When Sagiri immobilizes Mu Dan, Shion gets behind the monster and concentrates his Tao into his sword.

   Shion kills Mu Dan Shion kills Mu Dan. Just before striking, Shion hesitates, unable to sense strong waves of Tao emanating from the tanden. Senta yells out that the ovule at the centre of the petals is the monsters true weak point. Shion reacts in time to cut through the ovule just before Mu Dan's stingers attack, finally killing the monster. Shion and the rest of the group then comes to Senta and watches as he passes away in peace from being stung earlier by one of the stingers. After burying his body, Shion recommends taking a break and figuring a way out. He then listens to Sagiri's resolve in having the criminals and executioners cooperate to survive and return home.

   The group enters Hōrai and takes settlement in one of the buildings. Shion starts to review everything they know about Tao, including the attributes and how they can exploit it to use against Lord Tensen. After Nurugai brings up the Elixir of Life, Yuzuriha tells them that the elixir they are looking for is not beneficial. Shion figures that they can not return home without it but Sagiri mentions Gabimaru's village chief benefitting from the elixir. However, Yuzuriha explains the possibilities of the chief using an illusion to fool others into thinking he is immortal. He then becomes one of the few to listen to Yuzuriha's theory of Gabimaru's wife being an illusion. He later changes out of his blood soaked clothing and meets with Sagiri feeling depressed over the deaths of her clansmen and for Gabimaru's situation. As he was about to make the conclusion that she has feelings for Gabimaru, Sagiri stops him and denies this claim. She explains to him that she feels pity for Gabimaru if it turns out his reason for survival has been a lie. Shion sympathies with Sagiri and believes that he is in no position to criticize, saying that he will "overlook" this matter. This causes Sagiri to laugh at his pun which delights Shion.

   The remaining survivors The remaining survivors of the mission gathered together. The next day, the group goes back to the gate to see if others were able to make it to Hōrai. After coming outside, the group becomes captivated with the clear setting. Once they reached the gate, they encounter Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Gabimaru unconscious, Mei, Tōma, and a Dōshi. Seeing how there are a small number of survivors, Shion expresses his regret but is told by Gantetsusai that it was pointless since the condemned criminals were fated to kill each other including the executioners that were tasked with the mission. Looking towards Gabimaru's injured body, Shion senses that he has lost too much of his Tao and senses a particular aura. After waking up, Sagiri sees that Gabimaru is not who he was before. Shion and Fuchi block a sudden attack from Gabimaru and hear Sagiri explain that he has lost his memories. Shion senses that Gabimaru's soul has been damaged due to his extensive amount of fighting. After refusing to cooperate, Sagiri pins Gabimaru down to restore his Tao. Shion becomes surprised with Sagiri's approach and comments on how they have a connection in which he cannot understand.

   Gabimaru training Shion, Gantetsusai, Tōma, and Nurugai sparring with Gabimaru. The group relocates to a cave to not be sensed by Lord Tensen but is warned by Shion that they should still be cautious. He then looks towards Gabimaru about his experience fighting one of them. After Yuzuriha informs him that his wife may be an illusion, Shion and the rest of the group listens to Gabimaru's confidence that she is real. Shion senses that Gabimaru's Tao has grown and believes that this sensation gives proof that his wife exist since people become strong if they have something to lose. He is later called out, along with Gantetsusai, Tōma, and Nurugai, by Gabimaru who requests that they help him train. After Gabimaru tells Tōma to use his hatred towards him after fighting his brother, Shion warns him that he will not allow it and is prepared to cut him down. The group then engages in sparring while Gabimaru starts to understand Tao and planning out how to defeat Lord Tensen. After they are done fighting, Shion becomes impressed with Gabimaru's strength but wonders if he should put his faith in a criminal and trust Tōma after realizing his true identity.

   The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Later, Shion discusses with Gabimaru the group's next course of action and prepares to announce it to everyone. However, Mei warns everyone that she senses that someone or another group has arrived on the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Although Sagiri vouches for Shugen in being great help to the group, Shion disagrees since Shugen despises criminals and anyone who is connected with them. He then gives evidence by revealing the full story behind Shugen not only executing the Silver Serpent yakuza group but also their families. With this in mind, Shion calls upon everyone to listen to his plan of forming two teams where one finds an escape route and the other retrieves the Tan elixir. He also explains his strategy of attrition by using their Tao to hinder and defeat each Lord Tensen member. After hearing and understanding Yuzuriha's suggestion of finding a way off the island and go into hiding instead of completing the mission due to the many mysterious presented, Shion gives everyone the option of following through with the mission by working together or go their separate ways. After walking inside the cave, Shion senses the presence of everyone following him and willing to cooperate but is asked by Shion if they were sure of their decision. Everyone answers yes and Nurugai punches Shion thinking that he was ready to leave her but is corrected by the blind Asaemon.

   Hōrai Arc

   Main article: Hōrai Arc Mei provides the group with information regarding the sea monsters and says that they are trained to not attack any departing ships within the palace's floodgate, which Shion recalls having found earlier during his scouting on the beach. They also learn that they can use the ships located within the palace to escape and capture the elixir located in Rien's laboratory. Believing that they have to act fast, Shion pulls Gabimaru and Yuzuriha over to have them instruct the group in espionage with Tao applied. After finishing the lessons, Shion places everyone into the Escape-Route Team and the Elixir Retrieval Team. Nurugai comes up to Shion to ask him a question but Shion tells her that he has not forgotten. The group then reviews their strategy on infiltrating the palace. Once they were finish, the two teams decide to deploy tonight.

   Shion and Nurugai vs Zhu Jin Shion and Nurugai reunites with Zhu Jin. After sneaking into the palace, the Elixir Retrieval Team signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it is okay to enter. The team advances into the palace but are met by a sudden mist, causing Shion and Nurugai to get separated by Gantetsusai, Fuchi and Tōma. The two then encounter Zhu Jin once again, who plans to offer them as sacrifices to the grandmaster. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.

   Shion uses Gabimaru's advice about destroying Lord Tensen's body until they run out of Tao. He manages to slice through Zhu Jin's body two hundred and fifteen times and sees that his regeneration is slowing down. Shion continuous to cut his lower body completely but becomes exhausted using too much of his Tao. Zhu Jin leaves some distance between him and Shion and recovers in a weakened state. Shion and Nurugai are then attacked by the thrown remains of Zhu Jin, however, Shion knew that this was a ploy to buy time to recover and cuts them to pieces. Shion attacks by throwing the tip of his broken sword at Zhu Jin's tanden but becomes exhausted afterwards. Nurugai rushes in to help but Shion tells her to stay back. Zhu Jin then takes the opportunity to crush Shion with his corpses that he manipulates. However, Shion cuts his way out and causes to Zhu Jin to ask why he was going so far for his deceased student. Shion tells him that he hasn't had time to grief, mourn, or rage as long as the Tensen continuous to live and asks in anger how many times he should cut Zhu Jin until they die. Shion then dodges his broken blade that Zhu Jin manipulated to attack but senses him falling into the water behind. Shion calms himself knowing that he will not have time recover their Tao. However, Shion becomes shocked after Zhu Jin emerges from the water fully recovered after choosing to combine their Yin and Yang form. Zhu Jin then decides to face Shion and Nurugai by partially transforming into their Kishikai.

   Shion vs Zhu Jin Shion fights Zhu Jin. Shion fights Zhu Jin enraged and tells Nurugai to stand back as he prepares to attack Zhu Jin alone. After managing to disembody Zhu Jin, Shion opens up their stomach to reveal the ovule and presses down with his sword to put an end to the Tensen's life. Vines then emerge from the ovule to protect it by invading Shion's body, however, Shion ignores their assault and continuous to press his sword down. Shion is begged by Nurugai to stop but yells out to her to regroup back with the others and that he must stay in order to avenge Tenza's death. As Nurugai forces herself to leave, Shion feels his life slowly fading away. However, Nurugai returns to push Shion away from his blade, removes the vines, and embraces him to restore his Tao. Nurugai tells Shion that they have to use their chance to escape instead of finishing off Zhu Jin and further explains to Shion that Tenza died without any regrets because he wanted the both of them to live on and, instead of taking revenge, she wishes to learn more about him. After looking at his blade and envisioning Tenza beside him, Shion thanks Nurugai and agrees to leave off with her.

   Shion defects from the Yamada clan Shion announces to Kiyomaru his defection from the Yamada clan. As they make their way out, Shion gets down on one knee and promises to Nurugai that he will keep her safe until he is able to find another mountain clan she can settle in after returning to Japan. Unexpectedly, the two starts to feel the palace shaking. Shion could tell that what caused the tremors was something massive but was unable to sense anything in front of him. The two then finds themselves cornered by Iwagakure shinobi from the second landing party who have come to eliminate any criminals alive and a Dōshi army tasked with eliminating all intruders. Shion fights back against both groups but lays down his weapon after Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru appears. Upon being reminded by him that protecting a criminal such as Nurugai would mean treason against the shogun, Shion tells Kiyomaru that he has decided to defect from the Yamada clan since he cannot bring himself to execute an innocent and ask that he overlook what he saw here.

   Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. Shortly after, everyone in Hōrai bear witness to the changing layout of the palace after Zhu Jin emerges from the Main Palace completely fused with the Banko. With the situation changing, Shion, Nurugai, Kiyomaru, and the Iwagakure shinobi regroup with everyone gathered at the Rentan Palace where Jikka proposes that everyone cooperate to bring down the Zhu Jin-fused Banko by destroying its tandens that are scattered around Hōrai. After everyone becomes clear on the plan and pair up with a partner based on the Tao Restoration cycle, Shion and Nurugai run off to the Earth tanden to destroy it.

   After arriving and hearing the sound of the signal by Yuzuriha, Shion throws a Tao boosted sword at the tanden but sees that the cut was made to shallow. Shion then sees the monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko about to approach him and Nurugai and tells her to stay behind while he wards them off. However, Nurugai rushes in to take down the monsters and manages to awaken her Tao. Shion then hears Nurugai explain that in order to survive she needs to use her own strength and tells him that she prefers to have him as a partner to fight with instead of as a guardian to protect her. Shion becomes pleased to hear this from her and asks that she take the lead until the next sound of the conch. In an unexpected turn of events, Shion and Nurugai witness clones of Mu Dan sprout from the Earth tanden and enter into a partial Kishikai transformation.

   Shion and Nurugai at the Earth tanden Shion and Nurugai prepare to destroy the Banko's Earth tanden. Later, Shion and Nurugai manage to get near the Earth tanden and commence their next attack, which successfully manages to coordinate with the other attacks towards the tandens. However, due to it already being morning, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko starts to recover and has its tandens slowly regenerate. Luckily, Aza Chōbei comes up with the idea of using his vines to destroy the roots of the tandens in order to cut off its regeneration link to the main body, resulting in the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's destruction.

   Departure Arc

   Main article: Departure Arc With the path to the floodgates cleared, Shion, Nurugai, and all the survivors gather together at the entrance. Sagiri becomes worried that the Aza brothers have not yet returned but is told by Shion that they maybe planning on escaping of their own accord. The group then enters but becomes disappointed to see that all the ships have been destroyed with the exception of one. Despite having a ray of hope left, Shion warns everyone that he senses that the currents are blocked by the wreckage and will be unable to sail off with the ship. Knowing this, Mei decides to enter into her Kishikai and clear away the debris, giving the survivors the opportunity to board the ship and leave off.

   The Survivors on Rien's ship The survivors confront Rien. The survivors' ship manages to reach Rien's burning ship after Gantetsusai (who managed to board the ship earlier) slightly damages it. Though Gabimaru was originally the one willing to fight Rien alone, the survivors climb onboard as well to put an end to their struggle of surviving. After dealing damage to Rien, Shion and Sagiri bisect Rien to destroy her tanden and gain victory. However, Rien reveals that their victory was false after releasing her Tao illusion and that the survivors had been taken down, with Shion coughing up blood after being wounded. Shortly after, Shion regains consciousness and holds onto Nurugai as Rien, in her Kishikai, dismantles the exterior of the ship. The two drop into the ocean and carry the unconscious bodies of Gantetsusai and Yuzuriha as they board their ship with Jikka intoxicated. Shion and Nurugai then watch as Gabimaru and Sagiri battle Rien and later watch as the Tensen admits defeat, allowing them to retrieve the Elixir of Life.

   As they make their way back home, Shion tells everyone that he and Nurugai will not be returning to Edo and reminds Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, and Gantetsusai about their situation with choosing who will present the elixir. The topic however is ignored after the survivors enter into a comedic conversation about each one of them being villainous and become shock to see Gabimaru laughing after he reacts to Gantetsusai and Yuzuriha targeting Yui as being evil. Shion and the others (except Gantetsusai) then asks Gabimaru to tell them more about Yui to pass the time, to which he agrees. Later, after Gabimaru and Yuzuriha decide that Gantetsusai should be the one to receive the pardon, Shion and Nurugai say their goodbyes and depart on their boat.

   Epilogue

   Shion and Nurugai traveling Shion traveling with Nurugai. After escaping the island, Shion travels with Nurugai in search for her people as he had promised. While traveling from town to town, the two would frequently come across trouble and take it upon themselves to help fix them. Rumors then began to spread of the traveling blind swordsman and the girl that was accompany him, making them known as the "Blind Wolf and Cub".

   After a year passed, Shion gives his opinion on Nurugai's new appearance and wards off a few men who tried to hit on her, much to her disappointment. After grooming and giving a stern lecture, Shion and Nurugai continue their journey off to the North.

   Abilities and Powers

   Shion fighting Mu Dan Shion holding his own against a Tensen in their Kishikai. As the former fourth ranked Asaemon, Shion was recognized by the Yamada clan as one of its strongest members and was viewed by the Yamada clan as being one of the next suitable heads. While traveling on Kotaku, Shion became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer and reached Hōrai where Lord Tensen currently resides. During his fight with Mu Dan at his strongest, Shion was able to hold his own against his attacks and ultimately kill him. Physical Abilities

   Shion possesses great speed, reflexes, and agility. After noticing Zhu Jin behind Tenza and Nurugai, he was able to quickly grab them out of the way from his attack and was able to arrive on time to save Sagiri and Yuzuriha from being attacked by Mu Dan's stingers. During his fight with Mu Dan in his Kishikai form, Shion was fast enough to quickly avoid his stingers while running along a couple of golden head statues. When combined with his swordplay, Shion can execute extremely fast sword strikes and cut objects into many pieces in an instant.

   Shion has shown to possess impressive endurance. After sprouting flowers from Mu Dan's stingers, Shion didn't hesitate in cutting away at his body in order to remove them. Also, despite losing large amounts of blood, Shion had enough strength left in him to continue fighting and ultimately kill Mu Dan. He also possesses enough physical strength to send Mu Dan far back with a single kick.

   Kenjutsu

   Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Shion cutting a Soshin Shion instantly cuts down a Sōshin. Shion is a master swordsmen. He is skilled enough to wield his sword using both the normal and reverse-grip style and execute swift sword slashes with great precision. Being an Asaemon, Shion is capable of decapitating his victims with a single cut of his blade. Shion's sword drawing speed is so fast that he is capable of using Iaidō where he unsheathes his blade to rapidly slash his enemy and then re-sheathes it after completing the attack. Combined with his ability to sense Tao, Shion is able to time his sword strikes perfectly well enough to counter oncoming projectiles. He was able to easily kill multiple Sōshin and defend himself against all of Mu Dan's attacks and lasted long enough to finish him off.

   Techniques

   Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Kiu (試一刀流 鬼雨, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Demon Rain): A sword technique where Shion jumps high up to deliver a downward slash to his opponent. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Fiend's Flurry in the Viz Manga. Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Shūrin (試一刀流 秋霖, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Long Autumn Rains): While in the air, Shion drops downwards delivering a series of quick slashes. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Autumn Rains in the Viz Manga. Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Mura Shigure (試一刀流 村時雨, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting: Autumn Shower): Either using the normal grip or the reverse-grip style, Shion unleashes instantaneous slashes to shred his targets to bits using rapid sword movements that makes it appear that he only swung his sword once. This is called Ittō-ryū School: Harvest Shower in the Viz Manga. Coordinated Techniques

   Tameshi Ittō-ryū Hiken: Futa wa no Tsuki (試一刀流 秘剣 二ふた輪わの月つき, Literal meaning: One Sword School Test Cutting Secret Sword: Two-Wheeled Moon): the "tenran" (展覧試, Literal meaning: exhibition) form of the Tameshi Ittō-ryū where two Yamada Asaemons synchronize their blades to cut down a target in half. In a Tao illusion created by Rien, Shion and Sagiri used this technique together to destroy a false Rien's tanden. Tao

   Further information: Tao Episode 10 Shion sensing the Tao around him. Shion possesses Wood-attribute Tao and has shown proficient usage in it. Shion awakened the ability to sense Tao to compensate for his blindness at a very young age, which he describes as perceiving the signature "waves" that flow around all things. The sensation allows him to operate as well as (or better than) a person with sight, as he is able to throw his sword with pinpoint accuracy and defend attacks from all angles. After experimenting with Tao during his travel to Hōrai, Shion learned how to cloak himself in it and use it in conjunction with his swordsmanship.

   Intelligence

   As a teacher, Shion has high knowledge of swordsmanship. He critiqued Tenza's swordsmanship from his fight with Zhu Jin and instructed Nurugai in how she should properly wield a sword. Similar to Gabimaru, Shion showed that he is a fast learner that is able to figure out the nature of certain things without any proper guidance. After experimenting on the Sōshin, Shion was able to quickly learn the properties of Tao in just a single day.

   Weapons

   Shion's Sword Shion's sword. As an executioner, Shion carries around his own katana. The sword was later broken in half during Shion's fight with Zhu Jin but was still useable up until Shion procured himself another sword from an Iwagakure shinobi. Creation and Conception

   Shion and Akaginu's Concepts Shion's and Akaginu's early concepts. According to Hideaki Sakakibara, Yūji Kaku intended for Shion to have a crazy personality similar to Kazuo Kiriyama from Battle Royale but was changed to the kind teacher he is now. The crazy personality was instead given to Shugen

9. #9Adachi Matagorō

   Keys: Adachi Matagorō

   KANJI 安達又五郎 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE Japan GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Takaaki Torashima Adachi Matagorō Images LESS Adachi Matagorō (安あ達だち又また五ご郎ろう, Adachi Matagorō?) was a criminal put on death row and a candidate to partake in the expedition to Shinsenkyō.

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   Matagorō held a sinister facial expression and wore a robe with a cross shape patterns.

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   Matagorō was a cruel man who took enjoyment of killing women and children, even thinking of taking his chance of being pardon as an opportunity to continue killing. He also seemed to dislike the idea of being treated as a sacrifice. History

   Island Arc

   At Edo, Matagorō and other death row criminals gathered together for the hearing of the Shinsenkyō expedition for a chance to be pardon of their crimes if they complete the task of retrieving the Elixir of Life from the island for the shogun. However, before any of them could go any further, they were ordered to reduce their numbers to determine the ones who were most qualified. After Aza Chōbei starts the massacre by killing one of the criminals, Matagorō becomes his next victim and is killed.

10. #10Akaginu

    Keys: Akaginu

    KANJI あか絹 ALIAS Cannibal Courtesan (人喰い花魁 Hito Kui Oiran?) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE February 25 GENDER Female Female AGE 17 HEIGHT 163 cm HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Yellow PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire OCCUPATION Oiran TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 Akaginu Images LESS "Cannibal Courtesan" Akaginu (人喰い花おい魁らん あか絹ぎぬ, "Hito Kui Oiran" Akaginu?) was a well-known criminal put on death row. However, before receiving the death penalty for her arrest, Akaginu became recruited to join in an expedition team where she would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt her of her past crimes.

    Appearance

    Akaginu was a beautiful woman with long flowing strands of hair that were attached with pins. She had a curvaceous figure, wore a slightly loose kimono decorated with skulls, snakes, and tree peonies that opened at the top to reveal her shoulders and her cleavage, and tall geta sandals. Gallery

    Akaingu's manga design. Akaingu's manga design. Akaginu's full appearance. Akaginu's full appearance. Akaginu's criminal profile. Akaginu's criminal profile. Personality

    Akaginu was described as a very seductive and vile woman. As her alias is self-explanatory, she was a cannibal who had a taste for male flesh whenever she killed them after first making them succumb to their sexually temptations with her beauty. In addition, her appetite also causes her to see men as food rather than people, as she viewed Shion as being an "Onden" (隠田), and can start to feel cravings whenever she meets a man that comes off as being different from her other victims, seeing it as a chance to "try something new".[2] History

    Past

    At some point, Akaginu became a criminal who had a reputation for killing and cannibalizing upon the men she lured in.[3] Eventually, she was arrested by the authorities and was given the death penalty, however, Akaginu was offered by Yamada Asaemon Shion a chance to be pardon from her crimes if she were to complete a mission that required her to venture to an island that is said to possess the Elixir of Life and return back with it for the shogun to consume. Having favored this option, Akaginu agreed to participate.

    Island Arc

    Upon agreeing to the mission, Akaginu is taken to a gathering spot were other death row criminals are interested in joining the expedition. After they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island, Akaginu becomes one out of the ten criminals to survive and is assigned Yamada Asaemon Shion as her monitor.

    Shion beheads Akaginu Akaginu executed by Shion. Upon sailing towards the island, Akaginu had hoped of having Shion become her next victim. However, after making landfall, she sees that Shion is immune to her charms, which causes the cannibal to become excited to know that she can try out a new delicacy. She then makes her move by trying to violate Shion, resulting in her execution in the process as the Asaemon did not give in to her advances.[4]

    Abilities and Powers

    As a well-known death row criminal, Akaginu was deemed to be a woman who was too dangerous to be left alive. She was known to be very skilled in manipulating the minds of men in order to feast on them. She was more than qualified to participate in the expedition to Shinsenkyō, as she was capable of surviving a killing spree full of death row convicts like herself, with her hands restrained nonetheless.

11. #11Aki

    Keys: Aki

    KANJI アキ BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Female Female HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Green PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive RELATIVES Unnamed Father † Unnamed Mother Unnamed Brothers DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Forest of Misfortune Aki Images LESS Aki (アキ) is a girl who came across Gabimaru outside her village.

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    Aki is a young girl with short, spiky, black hair and green eyes. As for attire, she wears a black robe with her sleeves being held by white tasuki.

    Prior to her father's death, Aki's hair was much longer.

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    Aki was initially a timid young girl while living a peaceful life with her family. However, following the death of her father and the adults of her village becoming plagued with an illness, Aki changed into becoming resolute in putting all her effort into caring and protecting both her family and her village. She is also somewhat courageous, as she was willing to face the outsider Gabimaru for the sake of the village despite her suspicions of him being dangerous. However, this amount of bravery was only shown to be minor, given her young age, as she became paralyzed with fear upon seeing Gabimaru give a frightening expression and begged for her life. History

    Forest of Misfortune

    Abilities and Powers

    Aki has agricultural knowledge from being raised by her father on how to farm for her family.

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    Aki used a hoe in her attempt to kill Gabimaru.

12. #12Aoki

    Keys: Aoki

    KANJI 青木 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE November 1 GENDER Male Male AGE 30 HEIGHT 175 cm HAIR COLOR Black PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water OCCUPATION Samurai Retainer AFFILIATION Tokugawa Nariyoshi DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yuu Wakabayashi ENGLISH VOICE Aaron Roberts Aoki Images LESS Aoki (青木, Aoki?) is one of the shogun's retainers.

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    Aoki is a man whose hair is tied into a topknot and has a noticeable long scar on the left side of his face that runs down from his forehead to his cheek. He wears a dark robe, a kataginu, and a hakama held together with a waist cord, and sandals. He also carries two swords at his waist.

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    Aoki presents himself to be a loyal samurai to the shogun. However, despite being of service to him, Aoki views the shogun as a foolish and not very bright individual. He thought that the shogun's idea of reducing the number of criminals who were candidates for the Shinsenkyō expedition was meaningless since the massacre would only end with badly injured participants. He also thought it was idiotic of the shogun to decide hiring a squad of Iwagakure for the second expedition team since the numbers would not guarantee success. Despite his low opinion of the shogun, Aoki knows he cannot step out of line and tries to keep his thoughts to himself. He is shown to be capable of fully grasping situations. While boarding the ship carrying the second landing party, Aoki found that it was obvious that, based on the number of Iwagakure shinobi, the Iwagakure chief had his own motives on the mission. He also could not tolerate misbehavior, as he announced to a few criminals that they were guarantee a place on the shogun's mission if they were to kill Gabimaru since the shinobi refused to participant in the massacre as instructed. After being baffled by Kumokiri following Kiyomaru's irrational order in committing suicide, Aoki angrily demanded to both Kiyomaru and the Iwagakure shinobi to return back to their positions to avoid anymore conflict.

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    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc In Edo, Aoki stands present with the other samurai by the shogun's side as they look to see the many convicted candidates for the mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life from a mysterious island in exchange for a pardon. Aoki allows the criminals to remove their face masks and presents the bloomed man that return from the last expedition team to the island. After being asked by Nurugai about the possibility of the elixir not existing, Aoki replies that they are free to quit and sees that one of the criminals is making this decision. Having done so, Aoki points to the criminal as an order to have one of the Asaemons behead him, which brings him to the topic of the Asaemons accompany the criminals on the mission and how they needed to return back with them as a requirement. After lending his ear to the shogun, Aoki announces to the criminals that they must participant in a massacre in order to only have a hand full of candidates. As the killing commences, Aoki listens as one of the samurai goes over the list of note worthy criminals. Aoki then raises his guard up after Gabimaru walks up close to him and the shogun and hears his refusal in joining in the massacre. Having become irritated by this, Aoki offers a place on the mission to a few nearby criminals if they kill Gabimaru, which causes the shinobi to have no choice but to kill them. After successfully reduces their numbers, Aoki orders the ten criminals left standing to cease their actions and have them journey off to the island with their assigned Yamada Asaemon.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Two days after the first expedition team left, Aoki is called in by the shogun and hears his decision in forming another expedition team, comprised of four Yamada Asaemons and hired shinobi from Iwagakure, to retrieve the elixir. While boarding on the same ship with the group, Aoki thinks back as to how foolish the shogun's idea was and believes that the Iwagakure chief has a motive depending on the numbers sent. Yamada Asaemon Shugen then confronts Aoki after noticing how he was feeling uneasy and is told that he was ready to deal with the shinobi if they were the problem. Aoki wonders if he and the other three were capable of leading them and becomes concern with the two Asaemons that were unranked but is reassured by Shugen that Kiyomaru and Isuzu, as well as Yamada Asaemon Jikka to some extent, are more than capable enough. After Kiyomaru becomes displeased with Aoki doubting his ability, the young Asaemon tries to show off his skills by slashing off the mask of an Iwa shinobi, which leads to Isuzu warning Kiyomaru to behave himself by drawing out her sword. Aoki then wonder if he should instead worry about the Asaemons. After watching in shock as a Iwa shinobi follows Kiyomaru's orders in killing himself, to prove his loyalty, Aoki yells out to both Kiyomaru and the rest of the shinobi squad to return to their positions. He is then approached by Jikka who asks if bringing the people on this mission was a good idea. Aoki states that these were orders by the shogun in hopes that the group would cooperate with the other expedition team to hasten the conclusion of the mission. Having heard this, Aoki is warned by Jikka that the real purpose of the second expedition team is to end the lives of the first group and that no one would be returning home alive, much to his shock.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc After a day had passed, Aoki and the shogun are warned that a ship has returned from the island while only carrying two men and one woman — Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, Yamada Asaemon Jikka, and Tamiya Gantetsusai. Upon being notified by Jikka that the Iwagakure shinobi from the second expedition team truly had a secret assignment given to them by their leader, Aoki sought to have the village leader arrested, executed, and forced to test taste the acquired Elixir of Life for any ill side effects.

    Ten days later, Aoki has the surviving Asaemons present their report to the shogun. After the report, Aoki tells Tamiya Gantetsusai to bow to the shogun as he is given the pardon. With all matters settled, Aoki prepares to close the meeting. However, Jikka asks if the situation with the Iwagakure chief was dealt with. Aoki replies yes but wonders if the elixir served its purpose after the village leader ended up turning into a tree. Though the effects were not ideal, Jikka tells Aoki that if the shogun were to drink the elixir, in exchange for his humanity, then he would become a divine tree that would symbolize peace and tranquility as he watches over his clan for centuries. Aoki becomes convinced by Jikka's words but believes that he would have to wait for further decisions until then.

13. #13Aza Tōma

    Keys: Aza Tōma

    KANJI 亜左 桐馬 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE September 21 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 16 HEIGHT 175 cm HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Black PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth RELATIVES Aza Chōbei (Brother) OCCUPATION Strategist Bandit Asaemon (Unofficial) (Former) AFFILIATION Aza Chōbei Yamada Clan (Formerly) TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Kensho Ono Miyū Ogura (young) ENGLISH VOICE Matt Shipman Emi Lo (Child) STAGE PLAY Tabuchi Rui Aza Tōma Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Aza Tōma (亜あ左ざ 桐とう馬ま) is the younger brother and right-hand man of the infamous bandit Aza Chōbei. He is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    After his brother was arrested, Tōma infiltrated the Yamada clan in order to reunite with Chōbei in prison and presented him with the shogun's mission to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō. With the reward being a pardon exempting the criminal of their past crimes, Chōbei accepted and was assigned Tōma as his Yamada Asaemon monitor.

    Appearance

    Tōma is a young man with long black hair, eyes, and an androgynous appearance. Tōma's hair later becomes short, after he cuts it to show his dedication to Gantetsusai in wanting to become stronger, and makes a small braid on the left side, mirroring that of his brother's. He also receives a small scar on the right bridge of his nose after Chōbei accidentally injured him in a rampaging state.

    For his attire, Tōma wears the Yamada clan's standard uniform, which is a white robe with a red lining running down the collars, a hakama with a single red band at the left gusset that is held together with a red waist cord, which holds his katana at his left hip, a funerary bell tied to a red piece of cloth at the center of his collar, and sandals. He later loses his funerary bell after trying to stop his brother from going berserk.

    After a year passed since escaping the island, Tōma grows his hair back to its original length and supports a longer braid. The scar on his nose has also seemingly vanished. As for his attire, Tōma wears Chinese clothing with a dragon at the center of his robe. Gallery

    Tōma's color scheme in the manga. Tōma's color scheme in the manga. Tōma as a child. Tōma as a child. Tōma after the death of his parents. Tōma after the death of his parents. Tōma's during his time as a bandit. Tōma's during his time as a bandit. Tōma after procuring shinobi equipment. Tōma after procuring shinobi equipment. Tōma's concept art from the anime. Tōma's concept art from the anime. Tōma after going into poverty. Tōma after going into poverty. Tōma after starting his life as a bandit. Tōma after starting his life as a bandit. Tōma as an Asaemon. Tōma as an Asaemon. Tōma's appearance in the epilogue. Tōma's appearance in the epilogue. Video Games

    Tōma in Monster Strike. Tōma in Monster Strike. Other

    Tōma in the stage play (Part 1). Tōma in the stage play (Part 1). Tōma in the stage play (Final Chapter). Tōma in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

    Tōma believes that the key to surviving in life is adapting to one's environment, and views his brother as a prime example of this perspective. He is very caring and loyal to Chōbei since he has been his protector since they were children, and stresses out whenever harm comes to him. Because of how his father died fighting for his allies, Tōma is reluctant to cooperate with anyone except for his brother. In his own eyes, Tōma views himself as an extension of his brother instead of an ally and stated that the bandits that followed the two were merely pawns for them to use. However, Tōma soon realizes that his reliance on his brother to protect him interferes with his growth and ability to look after himself. Upon being separated from Chōbei, Tōma is willing to swallow his pride and cooperate with the survivors if it means that he could reunite with his brother and become strong enough to not only fight by his side, but to rely on his own strength to fight his battles.

    When away from his brother's side, Tōma tends to act rather unfriendly when someone tries to communicate with him on friendly terms. He also displays a cocky attitude– after withstanding the Tao lessons Gabimaru and Yuzuriha instructed, Tōma smiles, thinking that he has surpassed Gantetsusai after seeing him heavily exhausted from the training. History

    Past

    Tōma and Chōbei were born as sons to a retainer under the service of the daimyō of Akō Domain, Asano Takunori. However, after Asano Takunori attacked the court official Kira Yoshinaka at Edo Castle, he was sentenced to commit seppuku. As a result, their father and the rest of the retainers had their status removed and were left as rōnin, leaving their family in poverty. Their mother eventually died of an illness and their father was executed for being a part of the Akō Incident, leaving the two siblings alone to fend for themselves. They were eventually taken by bandits who planned on selling them, but later came to live amongst these same bandits after Chōbei managed to become their leader.

    At some point after spending years as bandits, Tōma and Chōbei were cornered inside a building and were about to be arrested. Chōbei told Tōma to escape and trusted that he would return to rescue him from prison. After infiltrating the Yamada Clan and rising through their ranks over the course of a month, Tōma was given a chance to take on an execution. He then came to free Chōbei from prison by presenting him with the shogun's mission to find the Elixir of Life.

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc After Chōbei became one of the few that survived the massacre order by the shogun, Tōma was assigned to be his Asaemon and they departed to the island.[2]

    Before arriving on the island, Tōma watched as Chōbei was being strangled by Hōrubō but managed to break out and kill him. His Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Jikka, then thanked him in gratitude and returned to the main land. Once they arrived on the island, the two were approached by monsters and fight them off. Later, the monsters started to speak and Tōma became fearful of them. Hearing them speak of sin, Chōbei unleashes his rage on them and slaughters them while Tōma watched in admiration. Chōbei declares that he will kill all of the criminals on the island and they will claim the elixir for themselves. Tōma smiles and makes a statement to Chōbei, saying that only the strong will survive the dangers of the island while the weak will not.

    Ju Fa defeats Chobei and Toma Tōma and Chōbei defeated by Ju Fa. During the next day, the two brothers continue to slaughter the monsters in their path. Tōma sees Chōbei drinking the monsters body fluids to keep himself hydrated, commenting on how he is adapting too well. After Chōbei asked about the Hermits mentioned earlier, Tōma describes them as immortal, superhuman old men who possessed magic, however, Chōbei wasn't convinced but declares that he will kill them if he were to come across them. The brothers then discover two females sitting on top of ruins having sexual intimacy. Chōbei becomes frighten by one of them and sees them as monsters. The first woman asked if they wanted to join, much to their confusion, while the second turns herself into a man and says that he will kill them, causing Tōma and Chōbei to go on guard. They are then defeated by the man.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Chobei escaping from the pit Chōbei carrying Tōma out of the pit. After their defeat, Tōma and Chōbei were dropped down a pit of blooming human corpses. Tōma gazes in horror and finds his brother entangle in vines. He rushes to his aid but is also entangle by the vines. Chōbei later escapes along with Tōma on his back by climbing his way up. Tōma suggests leaving the island and tending to their wounds but Chōbei vows revenge on the two. He recommends devising a strategy but Chōbei says that he had already figured out their weakness. Chōbei then offers him a severed limb from the pit for nourishment but turns it down. While talking they are approached by a monster called a Dōshi who politely ask them to return to the pit. Chōbei refuses and engages in battle. The Dōshi becomes furious with his behavior and summons the Sōshin to attack. Tōma is ordered by Chōbei to fight the Sōshin while he handles fighting the Dōshi.

    After the Dōshi ends their battle by ripping out Chōbei's throat, Tōma screams in horror and rushes to his aid but sees that Chōbei wakes up with his neck fully healed. Chōbei then asked Tōma why he wasn't fighting the Sōshin which caused Tōma to apology and continues where he left off. While fighting, he worries over Chōbei's condition. After the Dōshi receives damage from Chōbei, he tries to call forth the Sōshin but Tōma smiles stating that he had already killed them, allowing Chōbei to end their fight. Tōma notices that the markings on Chōbei were beginning to spread. He then gives him a frightening gaze and asked Tōma if there was anything wrong. Tōma tells him that there was nothing wrong and apologies. This scene starts to make Tōma become even more worried.

    The next day, Chōbei and Tōma has the injured Dōshi guide them to Hōrai where they stumble upon Gabimaru, Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Mei. Chōbei attacks Gabimaru while Tōma is ordered to fight the other three. Tōma attacks Gantetsusai first since he sees that he is missing his left hand. However, Gantetsusai catches and his blade and easily strikes him down. Gantetsusai becomes furious with Tōma that he attacked him first because of his handicap and demands that he picks up his sword so they can begin fighting.

    Gantetsusai vs Toma Gantetsusai fights Tōma. Tōma is unable to land an attack on Gantetsusai and takes on direct blows. He is then criticized by Gantetsusai on his lack of battle experience because of how he resorts to relying on his brother and how it would have been a wise choice to team up with his party. Tōma expresses his hatred for alliances and tells him how he is only an extension of his brother. After adjusting the grip on his blade, he orders the Dōshi to attack Fuchi and Mei. Tōma then suddenly watches in fear as Chōbei transforms into a demonic form to fight Gabimaru. Remembering what Gantetsusai told him about Chōbei fighting to protect him, Tōma rushes to try to save him from losing his sense of self and ends up getting attacked. The brothers are then caught in a massive crater created by Mei trying to stop Gabimaru from ending his life with his next attack. Chōbei pushes Tōma out of the way and tells him to wait for him. He is then hit by rocks thrown by Gabimaru, causing him to fall down the valley.

    Toma pleading to Gantetsusai Tōma pleading to Gantetsusai to train him. Tōma falls into despair and is forced to accompany the group traveling to the Hōrai gate where they meet Sagiri, Shion, Yuzuriha, Nurugai and Hōko. The group then relocates to a cave to hide from Lord Tensen. Tōma follows Shion, Gantetsusai and Nurugai who are called out by Gabimaru to help him train. Gabimaru insists that Tōma uses his hatred towards him to take revenge for his brother. After being given Gantetsusai's sword, Tōma rushes in to strike. Gabimaru senses the movements of Tōma's Tao and dodges his attacks. Later, after finishing their sparring, Tōma begs Gantetsusai to teach him how to wield a sword and shows his resolve by cutting off his hair. Gantetsusai agrees to teach him and moves to another spot to train in private. While following him, Tōma states to himself that he sets on becoming strong so that he can fight equally alongside his brother and hopes that he waits for his return.

    The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Later, Tōma thanks Fuchi for treating his nose injure but has his gratitude rejected by the Asaemon. The group is then warned by Mei that someone or another group has arrived on the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Although Sagiri vouched for his cooperation, Shion denies this after explaining the full story of the Silver Serpent's group execution and how he does not cooperate with criminals or allow any Asaemon to work with them as well. Moving on, Shion presents his strategy of finding the Tan elixir and an escape route by separating everyone into two teams and using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat each member of Lord Tensen. However, Yuzuriha suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding. Shion takes her recommendation into account and gives everyone the option of working separately or working together in completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion into the cave and work together for their own personal reasons.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc Using the information Mei provided, the group strategies on how to escape the island by using the ships located within Hōrai and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. Shion then pulls Gabimaru and Yuzuriha over to have them instruct the group on espionage using Tao. After the lessons were over, Tōma sees Gantetsusai exhausted from the training and comments on how he might have become stronger than him, which irritates the swordsman and challenges him to a fight. Tōma is then placed in the Escape-Route Team along with Gantetsusai, Shion, Fuchi, Nurugai, and Mei. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the Elixir Retrieval Team since she wishes to leave the island. However, after Mei confesses to everyone that she wants to reunite with Rien and Jofuku to ask them why they underwent a major in the past before leaving, Gabimaru promises to fulfill her wish. After reviewing their strategy to infiltrate the palace, the group decides to make their move tonight.

    Aza Brothers vs Ju Fa Tōma and Chōbei fight against Ju Fa for the second time. The Elixir Retrieval Team sneaks into the palace and signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it is okay to enter. The team advances into the palace but are met by a sudden mist, causing Tōma, Gantetsusai, and Fuchi to get separated from Shion and Nurugai. The three then encounter Tao Fa and Ju Fa who plan to offer them as sacrifices to the grandmaster. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them. Tōma then reunites with Chōbei and is allowed by Gantetsusai and Fuchi to be by his side without worrying about him being their enemy. After walking upstairs to join his brothers, the two smile and attack Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Chōbei comments that Tōma became slow but the latter objected saying that he knew that his undone braid signaled that what he was saying before was a lie. Chōbei corrects him saying that he meant that he was talking about his movements but then retracts his statement and says that he is impressed with Tōma's new improved skills. The Aza Brothers fight against Ju Fa after he has fully healed and manage to gain the upper hand with their new skillsets. Tōma sees Chōbei about to enter his transformation but stops him with full confidence that they can defeat Ju Fa. However, they see Ju Fa reaching out to grab a transformed Tao Fa's hand and fuse together, resulting in activation of their Kishikai.

    Gantetsusai, Fuchi, Chobei, and Toma work together Tōma and Chōbei agreeing to fight alongside Gantetsusai and Fuchi. Chōbei prepares to jump in to attack the fused Tensens. Tōma tries to stop him but is told by his older brother not to. Chōbei commences his attack but is quickly defeated, causing Tōma to panic. Tōma then defends his brother after Chōbei and Gantetsusai start to insult each other after Fuchi suggests that they should team up. Ultimately, the brothers agree to cooperate after Fuchi brings up the point that the monster is their main target. While Tōma argues to Gantetsusai and Fuchi that they need to follow his brothers orders, the three are about to be attacked by the monster but are protected by Chōbei. Tōma then comes in to cut one of the vines that was about to attack Chōbei and grabs Fuchi's hand to use their idea of strengthening the Asaemon's Metal Tao to harm Tao Fa. Gantetsusai jumps in to attack but cause the monster to flee in the air. Tōma complains to Gantetsusai for his actions but is warned by Chōbei that the monsters form has changed. He then places Tōma and Fuchi together to take down Tao Fa while he partners with Gantetsusai to attack Ju Fa. Tōma asks his brother what he should do but is hit in the head by Chōbei, telling him to think for himself and that he has faith in his abilities.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Tōma and the others defeat Ju Fa and Tao Fa. The four fend off against the monsters vine attacks. Gantetsusai rushes cutting away at the vines to give Tōma and Fuchi an opening to attack. Tōma senses the monsters spore attack aimed at Fuchi and protects him with his own body, reasoning being that his Tao is important in his brothers strategy. After Gantetsusai enters the pool and slices through the Kishikai body from the bottom, Tōma senses Tao Fa located at the bottom right and relays the information on to Fuchi to attack. Fuchi and Chōbei deliver the final strike to the two Tensen's tanden, putting an end to the Tensen's Kishikai.

    Jikka talks to the Aza Brothers Jikka attempts to make a deal with Tōma and Chōbei. The four take the time to recover but are told by Chōbei's about Rien's plan of creating more Tan from the humans on the mainland. They then feel the palace starting to shake after the second team uses the Monshin to breach the palace's walls and are caught in a three-way conflict with the Iwagakure shinobi, who have been ordered by Shugen to eliminate the criminals, and the Dōshi sent by Rien to eliminate all invaders. After making their way out, Tōma and Chōbei temporary splits with Gantetsusai and Fuchi to find an escape route. The brothers are then stopped by Jikka and surrender after being outnumbered. Jikka then tries to strike a deal with the Aza Brothers in that he will offer to write up a false report to the shogun about the brothers having died on the island if they can manage to kill Shugen, as well as Sagiri and Shion if they get the chance, so that he can take his place as the head of the Yamada clan.

    Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. While walking with their hands restrained, Tōma panics as Chōbei suffers from his arm sprouting flowers after Zhu Jin fuses with the Banko. With the out of control Zhu Jin taking over Hōrai, Tōma and Chōbei's bindings are undone by Jikka and follow him to the Rentan Palace where he proposes to everyone gathered that they should cooperate in order to survive. With everyone on board after realizing the situation their in, the group form duos in accordance to the Tao Restoration and go off to destroy the Banko's tandens.

    After arriving at the Banko's Wood tanden, Tōma and Chōbei are confronted by clones of Tao Fa created from the tanden and are forced to try to get pass them. Tōma asks his brother if afterwards they should escape with the others or go along with Jikka's request earlier but wonders if they can trust him. Tōma then worries for Chōbei as he starts to suffer from his condition while unknowingly succumbing to the effects of the Tan particles in the air. He then panics as Chōbei undergoes his transformation to wreck havoc until the others prepare for the coordinated attack on the tandens.

    Toma mourning Tōma mourning his brother's death. Later, after the sound of the next conch signal by Yuzuriha, Tōma watches as his brother destroys the Wood tanden that manages to sync with the destruction of the other tandens. However, due to it already being morning, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko remains alive after being rejuvenated by the sunlight, which starts to cause its tandens to slowly regenerate. Tōma suggests to Chōbei in leaving behind their task and escape the island than have him die in the same way as their father. Despite Tōma's plea, Chōbei sees that he is the only one who can put an end to it all and sends his vines to reach the roots of all the tandens and destroy them to cut off the regeneration link to the main body. Tōma cries out to his brother and painfully watches as he slowly passes away. He then starts to mourn Chōbei's death and holds onto what seems like a plant ovule.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc While still sadden over Chōbei's death, Tōma encounters Gui Fa who offers to help revive his brother by placing his plant ovule in the Basin while having Tōma use his Tao to increase the process. Later, the two watch from afar as Rien's puppet crumbles away on her ship after she came to accept Jofuku's passing. Tōma then acquires a ship and sails away from the island with his brother fully revived.

    Epilogue

    After escaping the island, Tōma and Chōbei arrived in Hong Kong, right after the British occupied the colony, and began to increase the amount of chaos that was already set forth between the British forces, the underworld, and the secret agents of the Qing Dynasty. The pair then became known as the Way of the Twins, with Tōma acting as his brother's strategist.

    At some point, Tōma stands by Chōbei's side as he takes down the occupying British soldiers and declaring himself the ruler of the underworld. After one of the men insults Chōbei on his height, Tōma translates for him and witness his brother unleash his transformation to kill the Brit. Though he is annoyed that he was forced to ruin his clothes, Tōma reminds Chōbei that he has a wide collection of apparel.

    Abilities and Powers

    Despite not being an official Asaemon, Tōma was trusted to take on the shogun's life-risking mission, testifying to his abilities. He was strong enough to easily kill multiple Sōshin, who were trusted by Lord Tensen to eliminate any trespassers, and soon became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer and reach Hōrai where Lord Tensen currently resides. After training under Gantetsusai and undergoing Tao lessons, Chōbei and Ju Fa noted that Tōma's skills has improved considerably, being able to keep up with his brother in fighting the Tensen and deal damage, which he was unable to do the first time they fought, and was able to handle the Tao lessons taught by Gabimaru and Yuzuriha, which Gantetsusai, the one who improved his swordsmanship, could not endure. Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Toma's swordsmanship Tōma instantly cutting down multiple Sōshin. Tōma is very talented with a sword, being credited as the fastest member in the Yamada Dojo to earn his license after only a month, and easily massacring the Sōshin without any aid. With the skills he gained from the Yamada clan, Tōma is capable of decapitating his target with a single cut of his sword. Although he possessed talent, Gantetsusai noted that Tōma had yet to release his full potential prior to the invasion in Hōrai. After training under Gantetsusai to improve his skills, the quality of Tōma's swordsmanship has become a lot higher than it was before, being taught to face danger head on and strike, which was shown during his fight against Ju Fa as he managed to land a critical hit on the Tensen.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Tōma possesses Earth-attribute Tao. After learning how to awaken and use it by Gabimaru and Yuzuriha, Tōma is capable of at least sensing the Tao around him.

    Weapons

    Tōma carries around his own katana.

14. #14Butterfly Dōshi

    Keys: Butterfly Dōshi

    BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Dōshi BIRTHDATE Kotaku GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS

    CLASS Sennin RANK Dōshi AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 32 ANIME DEBUT Episode 11 Butterfly Dōshi Images LESS This Dōshi was a subordinate of Lord Tensen and was one of the few that were ordered to observe the humans that made landfall on Kotaku.

    Appearance

    The Dōshi had the appearance of a butterfly and wore ceremonial Chinese clothing adorned with a beaded necklace, along with a crown bearing the Yin-Yang symbol. Personality

    The Dōshi was silent, cooperative with assisting another fellow Dōshi, and was willing to follow orders from Lord Tensen. Plot

    Lord Tensen Arc

    The Butterfly Dōshi appears behind the Centipede Dōshi after declaring that they will bring Mei back to Hōrai and turn Gabimaru and his group into Tan.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai vs Centipede and Butterfly Doshi The two Dōshi confront Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. The two Dōshi's summon a swarm of their respective insects and attack Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. After ending their brief battle, the Butterfly Dōshi listens as the Centipede Dōshi explains their reason for wanting Mei. Gabimaru reacts in frustration after hearing the Centipede Dōshi's disrespectful remarks. The Dōshi's start to take them seriously and perform a transformation using their insects.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai kill the Doshi The two Dōshi defeated. The Butterfly Dōshi dodges an attack from Gantetsusai and attacks Gabimaru with a swarm of butterflies. After Gantetsusai warns Gabimaru that the butterflies were dangerous, Gabimaru expels out a torrent of fire to ignite them and to separate them. Later, Gabimaru charges and dodges the Dōshi's Tao attacks and dispels the Centipede Dōshi's transformation. Thinking that he let his guard down because of Gantetsusai, the Butterfly Dōshi sends out another Tao projectile towards Gabimaru and the Centipede Dōshi attacks with his centipede's. Gabimaru reacts quickly and kicks the centipedes towards the Butterfly Dōshi and Gantetsusai cuts down the Centipede Dōshi, defeating the duo.

    Abilities and Powers

    As a disciple of Lord Tensen, the Dōshi was a powerful being and had the authority to control the Sōshin and Monshin. Along with another Dōshi as his partner, he was able to put up a good fight against Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. Physical Abilities

    The Dōshi's combat skills were good enough to fight against Gabimaru and Gantetsusai and caused them to have a lot of trouble.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao The Dōshi was skilled in the use of Tao, being capable of releasing invisible projectiles to attack his opponents from a distance. As his appearance suggests, this Dōshi had the power to call upon the Paradise Butterflies and have them fight alongside him by controlling their Tao. He could also gather them together to form butterfly-shaped wings to achieve flight.

    Techniques

    Tōate (遠当, Tōate? Literal meaning: Distant Strike): The Dōshi launches his Tao from a distance as invisible projectiles and is strong enough to cause major damage from within the targets body. Senjutsu: Gikishikai (仙術ギキシカイ, Senjutsu: Gikishikai?): The Dōshi had the Paradise Butterflies gather together to form butterfly-shaped wings around his back, giving him the ability to fly as a result.

15. #15Centipede Dōshi

    Keys: Centipede Dōshi

    BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Dōshi BIRTHDATE Kotaku GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS

    CLASS Sennin RANK Dōshi AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 30 ANIME DEBUT Episode 10 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yuichi Mizuguchi ENGLISH VOICE David Novinski Centipede Dōshi Images LESS A Dōshi who was one of the few ordered by Lord Tensen to observe the humans that made landfall on Kotaku.

    Appearance

    The top part of the Dōshi's head resembled a centipede while the lower part, as well as the rest of his body, was human. His arms also had traces of an exoskeleton. Like the other Dōshis, he wore ceremonial Chinese clothing adorned with a beaded necklace, along with a crown bearing the Yin-Yang symbol. Personality

    As a Dōshi, he was loyal to Lord Tensen and was dedicated to the completion of his training in the ways of Tao, as he got on his knees and begged Mei to return to her previous role as being the Dōshis training partner in Bōchū Jutsu. Plot

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Upon being ordered by Lord Tensen to take inspection on the humans that landed on the Kotaku, the Centipede Dōshi watches the actions of Gabimaru, Gantetsusai and Fuchi.

    While observing their scuffle with the Sōshin, the Dōshi spots Gantetsusai carrying Mei on his shoulders and takes the opportunity to capture her. He then greets her politely and asks beggingly for her to return to Hōrai for guidance. He then witnesses as Gabimaru comes to Mei's side wanting to protect her. He finds his interference a nuisance and declares to them that he, along with another Dōshi that appears behind him, will turn them into Tan and will ring Mei back to Hōrai.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai vs Centipede and Butterfly Doshi The two Dōshi confront Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. The two Dōshi's summon a swarm of their respective insects and attack Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. The Centipede Dōshi questions as to why they were concern with Mei's well-being and Gabimaru answers saying that he was simply repaying a debt and wonders why the Dōshi wanted Mei. The Centipede Dōshi reveals that they wish to combine their Yang energy with Mei's Yin energy to complete their Tao training by engaging in sexual intercourse. He then goes on to explain that Mei was banished from the palace and was "marked" by Rien for being seen as an inferior being but was also given the option to either die or act as a partner for the Dōshi's training. Hearing him calling her scar as a "mark", Gabimaru becomes angry at the Dōshi. Seeing as how they need to take them seriously, the two Dōshi's transform using their insects and the Centipede Dōshi declares that they will die. In response, Gabimaru and Gantetsusai stand behind Mei ready to fight.

    The Centipede Dōshi blocks a kick from Gabimaru and attacks with a barrage of invisible Tao projectiles. After the Butterfly Dōshi sends a swarm of butterflies towards Gabimaru, he creates a torrent of fire to ignite them and shields himself from the Dōshi. After having his Tao awaken with the help of Mei, Gabimaru manages to sense the Centipede Dōshi's Tao projectiles and finds his weak spot in the Dōshi's arm, causing the transformation to crumble. Noticing his skills, the Centipede Dōshi compares Gabimaru's power to Lord Tensen. With his defeat, Gabimaru states that he was ready to fight Lord Tensen.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai kill the Doshi The two Dōshi defeated. Gabimaru demands for the Centipede Dōshi to tell him everything he needed to know. Having no choice, the Centipede Dōshi tells him that the Dōshi were ordered by Lord Tensen to observe the movements of the humans that landed on the island and to see if they pose a threaten. After Gabimaru gets distracted by Gantetsusai rushing in to make the final blow, the Centipede Dōshi attempts to attack Gabimaru with his centipede's but is bifurcated by Gantetsusai when Gabimaru reacts quickly to his attack.

    Abilities and Powers

    As a disciple of Lord Tensen, the Dōshi was a powerful being and had the authority to control the Sōshin and Monshin, as well as the Paradise Centipedes. Physical Abilities

    The Dōshi was shown to be skilled in combat. He was able to fight on par with Gabimaru and Gantetsusai and cause them to have a lot of trouble. He was also very agile, being able to dodge an attack from Gantetsusai and quickly capture Mei off from his shoulders.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao The Dōshi was skilled in the use of Tao, being capable of sending out invisible projectiles to attack his opponents from a distance. As his appearance suggests, the Dōshi had the power to call upon the Paradise Centipedes and have them fight alongside him by controlling their Tao. He could also form a transformation by having them wrap around his body. After taking on his transformation, the Dōshi made use of the centipedes Tao by hardening their bodies and bombarding his opponents with Tao projectiles from their mouths.

    Techniques

    Senjutsu: Gikishikai (仙術ギキシカイ, Senjutsu: Gikishikai?): The Dōshi has the Paradise Centipedes wrap around his body to form a monstrous transformation. Senjutsu: Stabbing Tin (仙術・スズサシ, Senjutsu: Suzusashi?): Using the Paradise Centipedes' Tao, the Dōshi launches multiple invisible blasts of Tao from their mouths to overwhelm his opponent.

16. #16Ginkakubō

    Keys: Ginkakubō

    KANJI 銀閣坊 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE April 19 GENDER Male Male AGE 16 HEIGHT 168 cm PERSONAL STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth OCCUPATION Shinobi RANK Jōnin AFFILIATION Iwagakure TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 46 Ginkakubō Images LESS Ginkakubō (銀ぎん閣かく坊ぼう) was a jōnin-class shinobi of Iwagakure.

    Appearance

    Ginkakubō was a bald man with his eyes covered in shadows and tattooed of a snake coiled around his entire head. As a Iwagakure shinobi, he wore the standard uniform, which is a black robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a black tattsuke bakama, and a white sash tied at the waist. He also wore a mask. Personality

    Ginkakubō was a silent individual that only responded with grunts. He had great respect for the current Gabimaru since he is looked as Iwagakure's strongest shinobi, even after his abandonment of the village, and kneeled before him after their reunion. Despite his admiration, Ginkakubō followed his duties as a Iwagakure shinobi and was willing to kill Gabimaru, however, rather than using force, he and Kinkakubō pleaded to him to take his own life in order to fulfill the promise the village chief stated in preserving his honor in Iwagakure if he were to kill himself. History

    Lord Tensen Arc

    After the shogun hired Iwagakure to capture the Elixir of Life from a mystic island, Ginkakubō departs with a shinobi squad with a secret mission given by the village chief to eliminate Gabimaru, who has joined the first expedition team, while following the orders of the four Yamada Asaemon.

    The team makes their arrives on the island but are met with confrontation by a Dōshi commanding a group of Monshin. The team manages to put a swift end to the monsters and make their way to Hōrai.

    Hōrai Arc

    Kinkakubo and Ginkakubo finds Gabimaru Kinkakubō and Ginakakubō approaches Gabimaru. Upon the second team's arrival to Hōrai, Ginkakubō and Kinkakubō finds Gabimaru and transform their faces to match the Iwagakure chief and Yui to fool him, however, Gabiamru tells them that their strategy was ineffective against him since he is a shinobi. Ginkakubō and Kinkakubō then became cooperative by telling him everything they know so far since coming to the island and pleaded to him to take his own life by consuming Ginkakubō's toxic saliva. Gabimaru refuses since he will not allow anyone to stand in his way of returning home and does not believe in Kinkakubō's words in that Yui does not exist since he knows how Iwagakure operates. The two then moves towards using the genin to fight Gabimaru to the death. However, Gabimaru easily intercepts their attack and kills them along with Ginkakubō who was also caught in between.

    Abilities and Powers

    As one of Iwagakure's elites, Ginkakubō was a shinobi of higher caliber and had authority over the low-ranking genin. Ninjutsu

    Ginkakubō was taught Transformation Jutsu by Shija and received praised by Gabimaru for pushing the ninjutsu even further by imitating the body structure and voices of the person they transform into, however, he also noted that their inability to hide their killing intent could not fool an experienced shinobi such as himself.

    Ninpō

    Henge no Jutsu (変化の術): Ginkakubō restructured his face to have it look identical to the person they are trying to impersonate. He was also able to imitate the person's musculature and voice to add to the deception. Other Skills

    Ginkakubō possessed toxic saliva which he could use to bring death to those who consumed it.

17. #17Gui Fa

    Keys: Gui Fa

    KANJI 桂花 PINYIN Guì Huā ALIAS Monju Kōkō (文殊公々, Pinyin: Wénshū Gōngō, Viz: Decorous Gonggong Manjusri) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE September 1 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Female Male/Female AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Apricot Yellow EYE COLOR Blue PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Ju Fa (Ramet) † Mei (Ramet) Mu Dan (Ramet) † Ran (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Online Teacher Partial Ruler of Kotaku (Formerly) RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Lord Tensen (Formerly) DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 26 ANIME DEBUT Episode 9 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yūko Kaida ENGLISH VOICE Michelle Rojas STAGE PLAY Sasaki Yoshihide Gui Fa Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Humans are beings full of doubt and indecision. That, in fact, is the essence of Tao. Wavering between the extreme is what makes humans just so exquisite. Love and hate. Life and death. We Tensen know nothing of love, nor death. So, to search for a more suitable material, at this point...? Simply unthinkable. And now that the elixir is complete? All the more so. Coming to an understanding with you people, now is quite impossible. GUI FA (CHAPTER 81)

    Gui Fa (桂グイ花ファ, Pinyin: Guì Huā) is a Tensen-class Sennin affiliated with Lord Tensen, being the member who specialized in the mystic art of Shu'itsu, and a partial ruler of Kotaku who went by the moniker Monju Kōkō (文もん殊じゅ公こう々こう). They are a minor supporting antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

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    1/2

    Gui Fa has short, apricot yellow colored hair, and blue eyes. Because of their shyness, Gui Fa is almost always seen keeping their face concealed by a book. When revealed, Gui Fa displays a face that is expressionless. Rather than siding with either a male or female form like their fellow Tensens, Gui Fa chooses to assume a body that combines both sexes together. Also, unlike the other Tensens, Gui Fa is unique in that their eyes are permanently surrounded by dark sclera instead of temporarily activating when experiencing intense emotions due to the body they possess.[2]

    During their affiliation with Lord Tensen, Gui Fa wore a white robe with their sleeves fastened to their wrists, a hakama tied together with an obi bearing a gem, and walked around bare foot. After expending their Tao trying to protect the Basin, Gui Fa's body became reduced to that of a child's.

    After living up to the 21st century, Gui Fa's body eventually progressed back to its previous form and they started to wear a strip turtleneck sweater, pants, and shoes.

    As a child 1,000 years ago, Gui Fa lacked the dark sclera around their eyes. Gallery

    Gui Fa's full appearance. Gui Fa's full appearance. A clone of Gui Fa in their Yin form. A clone of Gui Fa in their Yin form. Gui Fa covering their face with a book. Gui Fa covering their face with a book. Gui Fa as they appeared during Mei's explanation. Gui Fa as they appeared during Mei's explanation. Gui Fa as they appeared 800 years ago. Gui Fa as they appeared 800 years ago. Gui Fa after the events of the Hōrai Arc. Gui Fa after the events of the Hōrai Arc. Gui Fa's appearance in the epilogue. Gui Fa's appearance in the epilogue. A clone of Gui Fa in their Yang form. A clone of Gui Fa in their Yang form. Gui Fa's unformed head. Gui Fa's unformed head. Gui Fa as a child 1,000 years ago. Gui Fa as a child 1,000 years ago.

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    Gui Fa's shyness Gui Fa hiding their face from Sagiri. Gui Fa maintains a complete deadpan demeanor and is known to be extremely shy around others, as they prefer to cover their face with a book at all times to avoid making eye contact. According to Mei, Gui Fa was shy even in the past and has noted that it has gotten worse over time. After being approached by Sagiri, Gui Fa desperately tried to make sure that she did not see their face by shifting their position. The only rare times Gui Fa is willing to show their face to others is if they were to become serious or would be in a situation where they would need to use their hands for other things.

    As a Tensen, Gui Fa lacks the emotional compacity to understand the feelings of other living things, and as such, shows no sympathy towards humans, only seeing them as material to create Tan. Gui Fa even admitted that they believe that their kind and humans are incapable of coming to an understanding and that they found Sagiri's attempt at a negotiation with them to be pointless. Regardless, they have shown no signs of hostility when encountering them and would rather not engaged in conflict. Gui Fa is a firm believer that a Tensen is solely meant to follow the way of Tao and things such as bonds and emotions were less of a priority, evening going so far as to view Mei's emotions as her simply "play-acting". After five members of Lord Tensen were defeated by the human survivors, Gui Fa stated that they did not feel a sense of vengeance since they took their passing as part of their training and knew that they can be simply revived back with the Basin.

    Upon learning the truth about how they and the other Tensens truly came to be, along with being left behind by Rien, Gui Fa started to develop a change in behavior. Despite their previous statement on how a Tensen like themselves do not harbor emotional feelings of attachment, even towards their own kind, Gui Fa told Mei that they were glad to see that she was still alive in the midst of the Banko's chaos and made the decision to watch over the deceased Tensens that were cultivating in the Basin for a millennium with Mei at their side, which they also had hoped that they would resurrect sooner than what was required. In regards to humans, Gui Fa started to allow themselves to show sympathy towards the race they subsisted on for centuries, such as warning Yuzuriha about the I Ching concerning the fates of the human survivors, along with helping Tōma revive Chōbei using the Basin. Despite their role as a Tensen to only focus on the way of Tao, it has been hinted by Gui Fa that they deeply desired to understand the meaning of life. Upon hearing Mei explain how she learned what it means to live after being raised by Hōko, the Tensen admitted for a brief moment that they felt a sense of envy towards her. Ultimately, Gui Fa would make the decision to leave their past on the island behind and start a new life where they would learn to adapt to human society.

    Unlike the other Tensens (with Zhu Jin as an exception), Gui Fa prefers to take the middle ground in that they do not side with one gender and instead choose to maintain a body that showcases both sexes. Because of this point of view, Gui Fa finds the Bōchū Jutsu training to be a ridiculous concept and believes that their method is more effective.

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    Lord Tensen

    Rien

    Tensens

    Enemies

    Vanguard Party

    History

    Past

    1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Gui Fa and the other Tensens were unknowingly born from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien as part of her and Jofuku's research in discovering the secrets to immortality. Together, the Tensens served as the rulers of Kotaku known as Lord Tensen and lived to serve Jofuku, who they believed was their creator and master and was secretly busy with his research alone, which forbidden the Tensens, other than Rien, from meeting him. Throughout their life, Gui Fa and the other young Tensens trained in the ways of Tao under Rien's tutelage and were each assigned one of the five forms of training in immortality; with Gui Fa being assigned in the realm of Shu'itsu. They were also introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao. However, after 200 years passed, the Hōko began undergoing Arborification and left the Tensens at risk of dying if they were to run out of Tao. During a meeting, in which Ju Fa expressed his frustration to the others, Gui Fa presented their idea of using the humans from Japan as another source of Tao. Mu Dan, Tao Fa, and Ju Fa took this idea into consideration and sent a Arborified Hōko as bait to lure in humans to the island.

    After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into an elixir known as Tan that could increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.

    Edo Period

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen having a meeting. Gui Fa joins the other Tensens in a meeting to discuss about the humans that made landfall. Once Ju Fa and Zhu Jin confirmed that the humans they encountered were dealt with, the Tensens toast to their longevity and to their grandmaster.

    Later, while Tao Fa shows off the new training area, Gui Fa commented that they found the Bōchū Jutsu bed chambers ridiculous and suggested taking a "central position" like them.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc After Rien allowed one of the humans, Aza Chōbei, to ally with Lord Tensen due to having special Tao that could complete his research, Lord Tensen introduces to him the Hermit Ascendance Ritual.

    Lord Tensen then gather and are informed by Chōbei about the remaining human survivors and their plan of invading the palace to acquire the Elixir of Life. Knowing that they plan to make their arrival at the palace, Rien initiates the Rite of Just Consumption and have the Tensens place in their respective palaces.

    Rentan Palace encounter Gui Fa approached by Sagiri and Mei in the Rentan Palace. Later, Gui Fa takes Rien's place in guarding the ritual circle while he prepares to depart to Japan. Gui Fa then encounters Sagiri and Mei after the two enter into the Rentan Palace. Gui Fa warns them not to take a step or they will be force to attack. Gui Fa tells them about Rien's whereabouts and explains that the ritual circle will be able to tell her of the current status of the humans. Sagiri then reaches for her sword, causing Gui Fa to direct their Tao towards her and force Sagiri on her knees, demanding that she remove her hand. Sagiri explains that she does not wish to fight but to apologize on behave of the humans that trespassed on their territory and wish to cease the fighting by allowing her allies to return home. After noticing how her Tao reacted, Gui Fa honors Sagiri's request but tells her that it will all be pointless once they return to Japan and explains by creating an illusion using their Tao. Gui Fa tells them that Rien plans on using the Paradise Butterflies to spread across the land ad turn every human into Waitanhua flowers to form the giant Banko, creating more perfected Tan in the process. Sagiri asks why they would go to such lengths, to which Gui Fa answers that they found humans to be valuable material ever since they first landed on the island and are now depended on them on achieving immortality. Gui Fa also says that it was meaningless for Sagiri in trying to come to a mutual understanding with each other and that all the two sides can do now is kill each other. They then look towards Shion's talismans which starts to burn, indicating that his life is slowly diminishing.

    After the ritual revealed that all the Tensens were defeated, Gui Fa prepares to go to the floodgates to report back to Rien with no intentions of fighting Sagiri and Mei or avenging their comrades. Before leaving, Gui Fa becomes curious to know Mei's reason for coming back to Hōrai after so long and asks her, to which she answers that she had finally come to understand the meaning of life. Upon hearing this, Gui Fa stated that they envy her. The three then suddenly feel the palace starting to shake after the second landing party made their arrival, to which Gui Fa remarked that it was not a good sign.

    Gui Fa finds the hidden door Gui Fa discovers a secret door in Rien's laboratory. Gui Fa reports back to Rien in that the Tensens have been defeated, the Rite of Just Consumption has failed, and another party of invading humans have arrived in Hōrai. While having the Dōshi take care of matters outside, Gui Fa is ordered by Rien to go to the Main Palace Annex to protect the Basin. After arriving, Gui Fa questioned if the item was really Rien's true objective. While there, Gui Fa does further investigation in Rien's laboratory and discovered a secret door that hid research material aimed at reviving a soul and found a Hōko in bed while being guarded by clones of Rien. Gui Fa then came to realize the truth; Lord Tensen's true master is Rien, the Arborified wife of Jofuku who has been using a Tao puppet to complete her goal of bringing back her husband by creating more Tan out of Japan's citizens. Gui Fa also stumbled upon the burnt talismans used for Rien's I Ching to determine the fates of those who will survive in the future events to come and learns that only two men and one woman will make it out alive. While performing their duty of protecting the Basin, Gui Fa's body shrunk as a result of expending too much of their Tao to do so.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc Gui Fa's warning Gui Fa warns Yuzuriha about the I Ching's prophecy. After the ending of the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's rampage, Gui Fa comes outside while carrying the Basin and encounters Mei and Yuzuriha. The Tensen then tells them that in less than two hours they will not be able to stop Rien from making it to Japan and shows them through a Tao illusion of what they discovered while at Rien's laboratory, much to Mei and Yuzuriha's shock. Not knowing on whether they should support Rien or try to stop her after learning the truth, Gui Fa turns to Mei for an answer but is interrupted by Yuzuriha who wishes to hurry to the floodgates. Before going their separate ways, Gui Fa tells Yuzuriha about the fates of how many will survive in the future based on the I Ching they found earlier and warns her to not doubt the ritual.

    At some point, Gui Fa encounters Aza Tōma holding his brother's plant ovule and offers to help revive him by using the Basin. Shortly after, the two watch from afar as Rien's puppet crumbles away on her ship after she came to accept Jofuku's passing. Gui Fa then decides to leave the island and settle in the mainland amongst the humans.

    New Era

    After living for another several centuries (presumably during the Reiwa Era), Gui Fa currently works as an online teacher and lives with Mei after she had been fully revived. After they had finished teaching an online class, Gui Fa is informed by Mei that the plant ovules of Ju Fa and Tao Fa have started to sprout, much to their surprise, and hopes the same progress will happen with the other Tensens as they walk with Mei.

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    As one of the rulers of Kotaku, Gui Fa had partial authority over everything that went on and could command the Dōshi, Monshin, and Sōshin. Tao

    Further information: Tao Gui Fa possesses Metal-attribute Tao and has complete mastery over it. After spending 1,000 years of training, Gui Fa's Tao has been greatly refined to where others could view their abilities as god-like. With its use, Gui Fa can sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of their opponents, and enhance their physical attacks.

    Gui Fa is capable of creating illusions using their Tao, which they primarily use to explain to people past events that are in accordance to their memories or events that will happen in the future based on their depiction. By releasing and targeting their Tao, Gui Fa is also able to make their enemies fall to their knees from the pressure they emit and diminishes their ability to move.

    Regeneration

    As a Tensen, Gui Fa possesses the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao. Since they possess Metal Tao, Gui Fa's regeneration can only be weakened if they were to face a Tao user that possesses the Fire-attribute, and the only known way of killing them is if the said Fire Tao user completely destroys their plant ovule within their tanden.

    Yin-Yang

    Gui Fa is able to switch chis of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any lost. As Gui Fa switches in and out, their sex changes to match the chi, which is put to use whenever they engage in Bōchū Jutsu training. However, unlike the Tensens, Gui Fa maintains a body that represents both sexes by cycling between their Yin and Yang chis. As a result, their chi cycle will continue to flow and allow Gui Fa to gather more Tao.

    Kishikai Transformation

    As a Tensen, Gui Fa is able to enter into a monstrous transformation where they are able to unleash overwhelming power. Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Gui Fa could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before they became reduced to a weakened body.

18. #18Hōko

    Keys: Hōko

    KANJI 木人 PINYIN Mù Rén BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Hōko BIRTHDATE February 6 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Male AGE 500+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 220 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal RELATIVES Unknown Wife † Unknown Daughter † Mei (Adoptive Daughter) DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 17 ANIME DEBUT Episode 7 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Chō ENGLISH VOICE Jim Foronda Hōko Images LESS This is the article on Mei's guardian. For the race of experimental immortals, head to Hōko. Hōko (木ほう人こ, Pinyin: Mù Rén) was a Hōko from Kotaku.

    Appearance

    Hoko design Hōko's manga design. Hōko's entire body was made up of tree bark due to the effects of the Arborification taking over his former body. His head had a single hole, which acted as his eye, along with a nose and a mouth. Personality

    Hōko was polite and showed no signs of hostility. He provided Gabimaru's group with food, a bath and was willing to provide them with information about the elixir and the island. This act of kindness was mainly due to the fact that he honored the final wishes of those who come to the island, knowing their eventual fate to meet their demise by the hands of Lord Tensen. He stated that he was incapable of lying. Despite Hōko's accommodating demeanor, he wished to live peacefully on the island and made it clear, albeit bluntly, that he did not want Gabimaru and his group to cause any problems for himself or Mei.

    Hōko was a firm believer of the religious façade Lord Tensen provided and viewed them as gods because of their overwhelming power. Even after learning from Mu Dan that his religious beliefs were false, Hōko still viewed him as a god and thought of his actions as divine punishment. However, after being persuaded by Sagiri, he was willing to defy Lord Tensen out of good reason. History

    Past

    1,000 years ago, on Kotaku, Hōko lived with his wife and daughter in the village of Hōjō. During those times, his family, along with the villagers, started to undergo Arborification. A while after both his wife and daughter’s Arborification had completed, Hōko's Arborification started to take effect and left him with no choice but to travel to Hōrai to join the other Arborified villagers. This then led to him finding Mei unconscious, after she had escaped from Lord Tensen, and deciding to raise her in the abandoned village.

    Edo Period

    Lord Tensen Arc

    After Gabimaru chases Mei, Hōko appears to defend her but is taken down by Yuzuriha. Hōko asked them to unhand Mei and offers to tell them about the elixir and take them to the village. Yuzuriha rejects his offer but he persuades her by telling her about the village having a bath. As they are traveling, they wonder if Hōko would turn on them but he assures them that he will not, and that the village is safe from the Sōshin and human-faced insects. They arrive to Hōko's house and he offers them food. Hōko explains to them that the Elixir of Life, also known as Tan, exist on the island and guarded by Lord Tensen at the center of the island. He tells them that they will soon meet their end once they meet them, and he was honoring their last wishes. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha point their weapons at Hōko, thinking that he was showing hostility. Hōko reassures them that he was only speaking the truth. Hōko then shows them proof that the elixir exists by demonstrating his regenerative abilities to them.

    Hōko offers the group lodging before they depart. Later, the group finds out that Gabimaru has left for Hōrai while Hōko notices that Mei has also left. Hōko offers to guide them through the thick fog to find the two, as he has the ability to navigate through it. After Yuzuriha asked Hōko about Lord Tensen, Hōko explains that Lord Tensen is not a single entity, but seven different immortal beings who were once one whole. He then goes on to explain the villagers having undergone Arborification and how he and his family were also among them, although he was one of the few still alive after everyone else succumbed. Along with this information, he explains to them about how Lord Tensen uses a power known as Tao and that everything that exists possesses it.

    Once the group had finally reached the gates of Hōrai and entered, Hōko's head is severed from his body and sees that it was caused by one of the Tensen, known as Mu Dan, who he addresses from his religious epithet. Mu Dan figures that he will still stay alive but knows that the Arborification would soon start to take effect. Hōko accepted his fate, believing that his soul will rest in Hōrai. After hearing this, Mu Dan bluntly tells Hōko that his religious beliefs were a lie in order to maintain order on the island, which baffles him. Mu Dan then attacks the group while Sagiri asks Hōko if Mu Dan has a weakness they can use against him. Hōko believes that it is impossible to defeat him and says that he accepted this punishment. Sagiri encourages him to give her any hints by mentioning the fact that he won't be able to see Mei again. After Sagiri attempts to fight Mu Dan, Hōko yells out to her to cut his tanden, which is his source of power to emit Tao. Sagiri's attack has no effect but not until she releases her own Tao and cuts Mu Dan's face, causing his healing process to stop. In the end, Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta manage to defeat Mu Dan. Afterwards, Sagiri comes to Hōko worried about his Arborification, but says that he will endure for now. He then witnesses Mu Dan transform into his true form while fighting Yamada Asaemon Shion who has arrived to protect them. After removing the flowers from his earlier infection from Mu Dan, Sagiri asks Hōko if there was anything they can do to help Senta, to which he answered, saying that it was beyond his control. He then witnesses the events of Mu Dan's demise and accompanies them as they enter Hōrai.

    The next day, as the group travels back to the gate to see if other have made it, Hōko reflects on what Mu Dan said about humans being experiments on the island and how the current humans might bring a change to Kotaku, since they were able to bring down one of the Tensen. After arriving at the gate where they meet with Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Gabimaru unconscious, Mei, and Tōma, Hōko sees that Mei has changed for the better since she used her power and expresses his gratitude to the group that they kept her safe. He then asks if they traveled from the Sōshin nest, which Gantetsusai confirms and states that they killed all the Sōshin. He then becomes shocked to see that they have a Dōshi hostage, upon which Fuchi then tells him that they have also defeated two others. Hōko becomes speechless that they have managed to achieve such feats and wonders if Lord Tensen attracted humans beyond comprehension.

    After relocating to a nearby cave, Hōko sees that Mei's conditioning is worsening and offers her his Tao to recover. Mei becomes hesitant but Hōko insists, stating that this was a way for him to atone for his sins since he did not honor her wish to leave the island ever since they met and only wanting to raise her as his daughter. Mei accepts his offer and tells Hōko that she believes that they are family. After absorbing Hōko's Tao, Mei returns to her child body and says goodbye to her father.

    Abilities and Powers

    Having been Arborified, Hōko received the powers of Flower Tao, giving him the ability to regenerate broken limbs instantly. However, this ability was less than beneficial since the more he regenerated the more he would succumb to the effects of Arborification, resulting in him losing consciousness as his body accelerated more into a tree.

19. #19Hōrubō

    Keys: Hōrubō

    KANJI 法流坊 ALIAS Killing Buddha (殺し念仏, Koroshi Nenbutsu) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE November 5 GENDER Male Male AGE Unknown HEIGHT 130 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 Hōrubō Images LESS "Killing Buddha" Hōrubō (〝殺し念仏〟法ほう流る坊ぼう, "Koroshi Nenbutsu" Hōrubō) was a well-known criminal put on death row. However, before receiving the death penalty for his arrest, Hōrubō became recruited to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes.

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    Horubo's profile Hōrubō's criminal profile. Hōrubō was a very elderly man with sunken eye sockets and a bald head. He wore a dark, frayed monk's robe with a rakusu. His body was also strangely constructed, possessing coiled limbs that are able to extend for at least 2 meters.[2]

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    As a death row criminal, Hōrubō was a brutal individual and was shown to be quite murderous, as he intended to take an opportunity at sea to kill Aza Chōbei before the two landed on Kotaku. History

    Past

    Before being sentenced to death for his horrendous crimes, Hōrubō was given a chance to be pardon by Yamada Asaemon Jikka if he were to complete a mission that required him to venture to an island that is said to possess the Elixir of Life and return back with it for the shogun to consume. Having favored this option, Hōrubō agreed to participate.

    Island Arc

    Upon agreeing to the mission, Hōrubō is taken to a gathering spot were other death row criminals are interested in joining the expedition. After they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island, Hōrubō becomes one out of the ten criminals to survive and is assigned Yamada Asaemon Jikka as his monitor.

    While still sailing at sea, Hōrubō attempted to kill Aza Chōbei but failed as the latter managed to free himself from the monk's restraint and is killed by him, which gave Jikka the right to return to Edo.

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    As a death row criminal, Hōrubō was considered to be a man that was too dangerous to be allowed to live. Hōrubō had the unique ability to stretch or contort his arms or legs to restrain and constrict his opponents due to how his body is constructed. He was also one of the few criminals that managed to survive a massacre full of criminals that were also sentenced to death.

20. #20Iwagakure Chief

    Keys: Iwagakure Chief

    KANJI 石隠れ衆長 RŌMAJI Iwagakure Osa BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE March 29 GENDER Male Male AGE Unknown HEIGHT 179 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth RELATIVES Yui (Daughter) Nineteen Unnamed Daughters[2] Gabimaru (Son-in-Law) OCCUPATION Village Chief AFFILIATION Iwagakure DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 1 ANIME DEBUT Episode 1 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Mugihito ENGLISH VOICE Bill Jenkins Iwagakure Chief Images LESS The Iwagakure Chief (石いわ隠がくれ衆長おさ, Iwagakure Osa) was the leader of Iwagakure, as well as the father of Yui.

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    The Iwagakure chief was a tall, bald old man with a long flowing beard that went all the way down to his waist line. As for his attire, the chief wore a simple robe underneath a black haori.

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    The Iwagakure chief was a cruel and ruthless man who held little to no love for anyone, even his own children, who he scarred one of them to crush her dreams of living a normal life. He valued seeing the shinobi under him develop into strong and merciless assassins and taught them into believing that sentimentality would make them weak. He was also very cunning as he used genjutsu to trick the shinobi he commanded into believing that he was immortal as a way to keep them in line and tricked Gabimaru into granting him his wish of living a peaceful life with Yui if he were to take on one last mission that was set up for him to be arrested and executed. When in business, the chief acted professional and politely, and sought to please his clients.

    He also saw all his fellow shinobi as dispensable pawns and more as tools rather than humans. When he found out Gabimaru went on the mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life he granted the shogun a large amount of his army because on that island was "something that belonged to him", proving that he was also extremely possesive and egoistic, refusing to let anyone be outside of his supervision.

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    Family

    Yui

    The Iwagakure chief had no love for his own child and made sure she abandoned any hope of having a normal life by burning her face. He viewed his daughter as a prize as he allowed Gabimaru to marry her because he recognized his abilities.

    Gabimaru

    The Iwagakure chief had Gabimaru's parents executed after learning of their plan to leave the village, he then took it upon himself to raise Gabimaru. Although that was the case, it seems he held no love for him, seeing as he easily had Gabimaru captured and sentenced to death after he was told of Gabimaru's plans to leave the village in order to live a normal life with his own daughter.

    History

    Past

    During his leadership of Iwagakure, the Iwagakure chief created a fabricated story that soon spread famously about how he became an immortal man after a merchant sold him the legendary Elixir of Life, which was a measure so that no one under him would dare to oppose his authority. Using his mastery of genjutsu, he managed to fool people, including his fellow shinobi, into believing that the story was true by having his illusionary body heal itself from life threatening injuries. He soon came to raise ten daughters and scarred his eighth child Yui after she wished to live a normal life. At some point, the Iwagakure chief took in an infant after the baby's parents had planned to leave Iwagakure and raised him to become Iwagakure's strongest "Gabimaru the Hollow". After proving his worth, the chief gave Gabimaru the privilege to marry Yui, which resulted in the young ninja becoming attached to her and wanted to start a new life. The chief disapproved of his wishes and tricked him into taking on one last mission where it would result in him being captured.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc The shogun comes to the chief in wanting to hire shinobi from Iwagakure to partake in a mission to acquire the Elixir of Life from an unknown island. Upon learning that Gabimaru is a part of the first expedition team, the Iwagakure chief happily accepted the mission, stating that "something of his" was in fact on the island. He then gave the order to his shinobi to find and kill Gabimaru in order to reclaim back the alias. He also gives the same order to Shija personally in hoping that they will become the next Gabimaru the Hollow.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc Having find out about the chief's scheme through Yamada Asaemon Jikka, which was viewed as treason against the shogun, the Iwagakure chief gets arrested by the authorities, which results in Iwagakure being dissolved. Before being executed, the Iwagakure chief is forced to consume the acquired Elixir of Life to test its effects and transforms into a tree. His head is then presented to Sagiri and Jikka as evidence, which also proved that the story about him being immortal was false.

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    As the chief of Iwagakure, he held a great amount of authority. Genjutsu

    According to Yuzuriha, the Iwagakure chief was a well-known master in genjutsu. Using this ability, the chief managed to fool his people, including Gabimaru, into believe that he was an immortal that could heal from any mortal wounds on the spot after supposedly consuming the Elixir of Life.

21. #21Jofuku

    Keys: Jofuku

    KANJI 徐福 PINYIN Xú Fú BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased RELATIVES Rien (Wife) † OCCUPATION Ruler of Kotaku Hōshi AFFILIATION Kotaku Qin Emperor DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 53 (Mentioned) Chapter 66 Jofuku Images LESS Jofuku (徐じよ福ふく, Pinyin: Xú Fú) was a well-known explorer that was formerly in service to the ruler of the Qin Dynasty to seek out the Elixir of Life. His voyage soon came to an end after making landfall on an island and deciding to invest his time in unlocking the secrets to immortality by following the principles of Taoism.

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    While alive, Jofuku was a man with black hair that he had kept tied into a bun and sported a beard and a moustache. As for his attire, Jofuku wore a simple black robe that was held together by a white obi. Due to living for centuries, Jofuku became very frail in his old age, developed deep wrinkles, his hair turned white, his beard grew in length, and required a cane to move about.

    After Rien encased his corpse in gold, Jofuku's was dressed with Taoist robes, adorned with three beads (the first reaching down to his chest, the second reaching to his stomach, and the third reaching all the way down to his torso), and a crown on his head. Gallery

    An elderly Jofuku. An elderly Jofuku. A standard depiction of Jofuku. A standard depiction of Jofuku. A full appearance of Jofuku's gilded corpse. A full appearance of Jofuku's gilded corpse.

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    Jofuku was a man dedicated to his research, along with being extremely loyal to the Qin Emperor, having spent years in trying to create an elixir of immortality for him and built Hōrai for when the time came to welcome him to the island after his task was complete. He was also a loving husband to his wife Rien. History

    After the ruler of the Qin Dynasty, Qin Shi Huang, desired a way to live forever, Jofuku declared to the emperor that the Elixir of Life resided on the three immortal islands of the east known as Eishū, Hōjō, and Hōrai. In 219 BC, Jofuku was entrusted with the task of retrieving the elixir and sailed off to the three islands with his wife Rien, a fleet of several dozen barques, 3,000 children from respectful families, 100 craftsmen, piles of treasure, and the Five Grains of China. However, after several years passed, Jofuku never returned back to the Qin Emperor and his whereabouts were lost with historical records stating that his journey came to an end when he arrived to a place with "flat plains and wide swamps" and proclaimed himself ruler.

    Jofuku and Rien Jofuku working with his wife Rien. Unknown to the rest of the world, Jofuku landed on an island, which came to be known as Kotaku, and committed himself in researching the secrets to immortality by following Taoism. His experimentations with the life energy known as Tao led him to create artificial creatures and a race with longer lifespans by experimenting with the fleet of people who came along with him. After Rien became bedridden, due to becoming ill with the effects of Arborification, Jofuku helped her to create a new body for her to use by using her own Tao. Having done so, Rien and Jofuku used the Tao puppet to create Mei, a divergent clone of his wife who acted as his students, along with five artificial infants. At some point, Jofuku also started to suffer from Arborification and was supported by his wife up until his death at a very old age.

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    Rien bowing to Jofuku Rien bowing down to Jofuku's gilded corpse. After Jofuku's passing, Rien became deeply depressed over her husband's death and vowed to revive him. Knowing that the soul can be revived with high quantities of Tao, Rien developed a plan to convert every human in Japan into Tan and have them transferred over to Jofuku's corpse, which Rien kept preserved by encasing his body in gold. While acting as the true mastermind behind Lord Tensen, Rien kept Jofuku's passing a secret from the Tensens and had them believe that he was still alive while acting as their leader.

    After 1,000 years had passed, Rien managed to successfully create the Elixir of Life and departed to Japan to have the humans connect to the Banko to create the necessary amount of Tan needed for her revival plan. However, upon defending her ship from a group of humans who survived the chaos on Kotaku, Jofuku's gilded body was destroyed by Yamada Asaemon Shugen and ended Rien's plan to bring him back to life. As a result, Rien vowed vengeance upon the people responsible but soon accepts her lose with the help of Gabimaru. Rien then has her puppet and her main body wither away to allow her soul to be with Jofuku in the afterlife.

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    Intelligence

    Jofuku was a highly intelligential sorcerer who was trusted by the Qin Emperor to retrieve the Elixir of Life. He was particularly knowledgeable in the ways of Tao to a high degree, having experimented with Tao to create hybrid creatures as part of his research.

22. #22Ju Fa

    Keys: Ju Fa

    KANJI 菊花 PINYIN Jú Huā ALIAS Ashuku Taitei (ア閦大帝, Pinyin: Achù Dàdì, Literal meaning: Great Emperor Ashuku, Viz: Dadi Aksho) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE September 1 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Female Male/Female (Maintains the male gender) AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Gold PERSONAL STATUS STATUS) ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Mei (Ramet) Mu Dan (Ramet) † Ran (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet/Other Half) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Partial Ruler of Kotaku RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Jofuku Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 16 ANIME DEBUT Episode 6 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Junichi Suwabe (Yang form) Yūko Kaida (Yin form) ENGLISH VOICE Ian Sinclair (Yang form) Michelle Rojas (Yin form) STAGE PLAY Sasaki Yoshihide Ju Fa Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Crazy? No. Not us. It's the world around us that's mad. Everything else. Mad. But not us. JU FA (CHAPTER 76)

    Ju Fa (菊ジュ花ファ, Pinyin: Jú Huā) was a Tensen-class Sennin who was affiliated with Lord Tensen, being the member, alongside his partner Tao Fa, who specialized in the mystic art of Bōchū Jutsu, and part ruler of Kotaku, going by the moniker Ashuku Taitei (ア閦しゅく大たい帝てい, Pinyin: Achù Dàdì, Literal meaning: Great Emperor Ashuku). He is a major antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Appearance

    Ju Fa was of average height, with long, yellow flower petal hair that resembled locks, golden colored eyes, and possessed either a well-toned, muscular body when assuming their Yang male body or a slender, feminine build when assuming their Yin female body. His attire consisted of a pale-yellow robe underneath a haori, a beaded necklace with a golden flower amulet, a loose black hanfu, a white hakama tied with a black obi, and black boots.

    In his and Tao Fa's Kishikai state, their bodies melded together to create a large, bulb body, resembling somewhat like a heart, formed from their Yin and Yang bodies, with unusually shaped petals acting as feathers/wings, and vines protruding from the bottom as tails. The head of the Kishikai possessed four faces, two from the left being Ju Fa's Yin and Yang faces while the right being Tao Fa's. Upon switching to their defensive form, the body releases multiple spore vines and their faces switch places. According to Fuchi, he felt that their Kishikai was the embodiment of "love". Gallery

    Ju Fa's concept art from the anime. Ju Fa's concept art from the anime. Ju Fa as an infant. Ju Fa as an infant. Ju Fa as he appeared 800 years ago. Ju Fa as he appeared 800 years ago. Ju Fa's full appearance. Ju Fa's full appearance. Ju Fa after removing his robes. Ju Fa after removing his robes. Ju Fa as a child. Ju Fa as a child. Ju Fa and Tao Fa's combined faces in their Kishikai. Ju Fa and Tao Fa's combined faces in their Kishikai. Personality

    Ju Fa was very short tempered and had aggressive tendencies towards anything that irritated him in the slightest, which even applied to his fellow Lord Tensen members, as he destroyed Zhu Jin's head for allowing Gabimaru, a human, to get the better of them in a fight. While it's true that all members of Lord Tensen have a complete disregard for human life, Ju Fa was the one Tensen who truly despised the race with a passion, believing them to be nothing more than "livestock" in creating more Tan. After Aza Chōbei joined Lord Tensen, Ju Fa did not bother properly addressing him by his name, instead referred to him as "it", and refused to have Tao Fa become friendly with him. He also expressed his disgust in being in the same room as him.

    Aside from this personality, Ju Fa possessed a genuinely strong love and care for his partner and other half Tao Fa. He has been very protective of her ever since the two were little, as he could not bear to see her injured even if their bodies were capable of healing itself, and had also sympathized with her deep sorrow of wanting to end Lord Tensen's pursuit of immortality. Though Tao Fa showed signs of being mentally ill as she tried coping with her depression, Ju Fa did not look at her in this light, rather viewed the world they lived in as being mad.

    Ju Fa preferred to assuming their Yang form as they found the male gender to be well-suited for them because of their moods and ease of handling. In terms of their Yin form, Ju Fa was opened to using the female body for Bōchū Jutsu. History

    Past

    1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Ju Fa and the other Tensens were unknowingly born from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien as part of her and Jofuku's research in discovering the secrets to immortality. Upon his and Tao Fa's birth, Rien stated that the two were special in that they are in fact two of a whole. The five then began their training led by Rien as children, though Ju Fa came to dislike his studies. Despite their ability to heal themselves, Ju Fa hated when Tao Fa got hurt and was told by Mei that he cared greatly for Tao Fa as his partner. The six were then introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao and were assigned the five forms of training in immortality by Rien, with Ju Fa and Tao Fa being assigned as partners in Bōchū Jutsu. While engaging in Bōchū Jutsu, Ju Fa hears Tao Fa express her pity about using the Hōko as tools, to which he says that he feels the same way as well. As the Tensens training regiments started to grow more brutal, Ju Fa stayed by Tao Fa's side in order to protect her.

    After 200 years had passed, the Hōko started undergoing Arborification and left the Tensens at risk of dying. Ju Fa expressed their dilemma in frustration and fears that either he or the others have gone into madness through the endless training. He later enters the floodgate to find Tao Fa and Mu Dan preparing to send out a boat with a bloomed Hōko corpse in order to lure in humans to the island as replacements. Ju Fa asks Tao Fa if she was willing to do this, to which she answers yes. He then comforts her and agrees to cooperate, believing that it is okay to use the humans for their own use.

    After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into Tan where they can increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.

    Edo Period

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc Aza brothers defeated by Ju Fa Ju Fa preparing to throw Chōbei and Tōma into the Tan pit after defeating them. In Eishū, Ju Fa and Tao Fa engage in Bōchū Jutsu but are interrupted by the sudden appearance of Aza Chōbei and Aza Tōma. Ju Fa questions as to why a couple of humans have made it up to this point of the island and if the Sōshin were continuing to do their jobs in killing every human trespasser on site. Ju Fa then shifts into their Yang form and angrily declares that he will kill them for interrupting the two Tensen's previous activity. After defeating the two brothers, Ju Fa throws them down the Tan pit.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen gathered for a meeting. He later joins with his Lord Tensen members to discuss matters about the humans on the island. He looks towards Zhu Jin in disappointment after failing to eliminate the humans and being reduced of his Tao. After blowing up Zhu Jin's head, Ju Fa is scolded by Rien for this action. He then reports to him that he sent the humans he encountered down the pit, however, Rien warns him that they should not be underestimated. The group then toast to their longevity and to their grandmaster.

    Later, Ju Fa participates in Bōchū Jutsu with Ran in the bed chamber. After finishing, Ju Fa is offered a cup of Tan from Tao Fa and asks about where Mu Dan was.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc After Rien allows Chōbei to join them, Lord Tensen introduces to him the Hermit Ascendance Rite. Once the ritual was over, Tao Fa prepares to introduce herself to Chōbei but is told by Ju Fa not to do so since they should only see him as "livestock". He then attacks Chōbei after the two exchange insults but has his attack blocked by the human. Ju Fa is then ordered by Rien to stand down since Chōbei is his guest. Later, Rien initiates the Rite of Just Consumption after they are informed by Chōbei that the human survivors will eventually make their arrival to the palace and agrees to cooperate as long they don't harm Tōma.

    Aza Brothers vs Ju Fa Ju Fa fighting Chōbei and Tōma for the second time. After the humans enter and fell into their trap, Ju Fa, Tao Fa, and Chōbei encounter Tōma, Gantetsusai, and Fuchi in the Bōchū Palace. Chōbei persuades Tōma to join Lord Tensen and has him walk upstairs. However, Chōbei betrays Ju Fa and Tao Fa by attacking them with his younger brother's help. Ju Fa regenerates from his injuries and becomes mad after they harmed Tao Fa. He then fights the brothers but finds that they have become stronger than the last time they met. Ju Fa becomes irritated with his difficulty in fighting Chōbei and Tōma and decides to ignore the ritual by coming at them with the intent to kill.

    During his battle with the brothers, Ju Fa senses that Tao Fa is in danger. Ju Fa tells Chōbei and Tōma that they are fools in thinking that they can defeat them and says that the only thing they have in common is that they believe that a pair is more than enough. He reaches out to Tao Fa transformed and join together.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Ju Fa and Tao Fa's tandens destroyed by Chōbei and Fuchi. Ju Fa and Tao Fa first unleashes a loud screeching cry to cause pain to their opponent's ears and releases multiple spores to infect them. Chōbei jumps up transformed to attack them and cuts Tao Fa's tanden, causing them pain. They fight back by attacking with vines and has him crashing outside the palace. After sending him back into the room, Chōbei and Tōma agree to cooperate with Gantetsusai and Fuchi in fighting against the fused Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Ju Fa and Tao Fa attack again with vines but have them blocked by Chōbei. Tao Fa's tanden is then cut by Fuchi whose Tao is strengthen by Tōma. The two flee just before Gantetsusai jumps to deliver his attack and changes to their defensive form. The Tensens attack with their vines and cause the four humans to struggle. However, after entering the pool to get below their body, Gantetsusai slashes through the Kishikai body, separating Tao Fa and Ju Fa and leaves them vulnerable to have their tandens destroyed by Chōbei and Fuchi.

    Ju Fa's tattered body climbs out of the pool and attacks Chōbei as they stress out over Tao Fa. Chōbei then pulls out two bottles of Water Tao, he stole from Rien, out of his stomach and pours it over Ju Fa to stop them from regenerating. They are then cut in half by Gantetsusai to deliver the final blow. In the afterlife, Ju Fa apologizes to Tao Fa about not being able to protect her. They then embrace each other after Tao Fa says that she was glad that he was her partner.

    Soon afterwards, Gui Fa acquired a replica of Ju Fa's plant ovule within Rien's laboratory, along with the other deceased Tensens, and had it transferred over to the Basin for cultivation, which would allow Ju Fa to be resurrected after a millennium had passed.

    New Era

    After several centuries had passed (presumably during the Reiwa Era), Ju Fa and Tao Fa's plant ovules are noticed by Mei to have started growing and informs Gui Fa, who becomes surprised since they developed sooner than anticipated.

    Abilities and Powers

    As a Tensen-class Sennin, Ju Fa was an extremely powerful being with centuries worth of refined ascended powers. Along with his status as partial ruler of Kotaku, Ju Fa had authority over the island's inhabitants, such as the Dōshi, Monshin, Sōshin and Hōko. With ease, he was able to single-handedly take down Aza Chōbei and Aza Tōma, the former being deemed a highly dangerous criminal with superhuman strength and the latter being a highly talented swordsman with skills attained from the infamous Yamada clan. After merging with Tao Fa to enter their Kishikai, Ju Fa's true power was enough to overwhelm the combined efforts of the Aza brothers (whose abilities improved by the time they fought Ju Fa a second time), the infamous swordsman Tamiya Gantetsusai, and the Yamada clan's ninth ranked swordsman Yamada Asaemon Fuchi. Physical Abilities

    Ju Fa had incredible physical strength. Although Chōbei managed to block his attack upon meeting a second time, Ju Fa had enough physical power to damage his hand that needed to be repaired with Flower Tao. Ju Fa also proved to be the better fighter in hand-to-hand combat against the Aza brothers during their first confrontation.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Ju Fa using Tao Ju Fa using Tao to shatter Chōbei's axe. Ju Fa possessed Fire-attribute Tao that had been greatly refined from the 1,000 years of training with his fellow Tensens. As a Sennin, Ju Fa had complete mastery over his Tao to where his usage could be seen as being god-like. With its use, Ju Fa could sense the presence, movements, and weak spots of others, and enhance his physical attacks, as shown when he easily shattered a giant axe wielded by Chōbei with one hand.

    Techniques

    Tōate (遠当, Literal meaning: Distant Strike): Ju Fa can launch his Tao from a distance as invisible projectiles, which are strong enough to cause major damage from within the targets body. Senjutsu: Suzusashi (仙術 錫刺, Literal meaning: Senjutsu: Stabbing Tin): Ju Fa creates multiple Tao orbs around him and launches them at his opponent. This is called Senjutsu: Tin Splinter in the Viz Manga. Regeneration

    Ju Fa regenerating Ju Fa regenerating. As a Tensen, Ju Fa possessed the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao. After having his upper body chopped off by Chōbei, Ju Fa was able to instantly regenerate his body, along with being able to survive being decapitated. Since he possessed Fire Tao, Ju Fa's regeneration could only be weakened if he were to face a Tao user that possessed the Water-attribute, and the only known way of killing him was if the said Water Tao user completely destroyed his plant ovule within his tanden.

    Yin-Yang

    Ju Fa chi shifting Ju Fa shifting from their Yin chi to their Yang chi. In addition to regeneration like all Tensens, Ju Fa also possessed the ability to switch chis of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any that was lost. As another result of switching in and out of Yin and Yang chi, Ju Fa's body took on the sex that matched the chi they chose to assume, which was put to use whenever they engaged in Bōchū Jutsu training.

    Kishikai Transformation

    OffensiveOffensive | DefensiveDefensive

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa Kishikai Ju Fa and Tao Fa's Kishikai Transformation – Offensive. Ju Fa and Tao Fa Kishikai Defense Form Ju Fa and Tao Fa's Kishikai Transformation – Defensive. As a Tensen, Ju Fa was able to enter into a Kishikai state, however, unlike the other members of Lord Tensen, Ju Fa must fuse with Tao Fa as a requirement. Once entered, the two were capable of flying at high speeds, despite their large body and unusual feathers/wings, and could release a powerful shriek to cause pain to their opponents eardrums. By opening their combined heads from the middle, Ju Fa and Tao Fa could release vines to slash and pierce their enemies and use the vines from the bottom of their form to create and scatter multiple spores to infect their opponents mental state, causing them to laugh uncontrollably, or launch them with high velocity as bullets. When entering into their defensive form, their Kishikai create multiple spore vines from their body to add to their attack power.

    Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Ju Fa and Tao Fa could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before they became reduced to their weakened bodies.

23. #23Kinkakubō

    Keys: Kinkakubō

    KANJI 金閣坊 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE January 25 GENDER Male Male AGE 19 HEIGHT 214 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire OCCUPATION Shinobi RANK Jōnin AFFILIATION Iwagakure TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 46 Kinkakubō Images LESS Kinkakubō (金きん閣かく坊ぼう) was a jōnin-class shinobi of Iwagakure.

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    2/2

    Kinkakubō was a large, stocky man. He was hairless, had wide eyes with dilated pupils, a very noticeable flower tattoo on the middle of his face, whiskers, and a small nose. Kinkakubō wore the standard Iwagakure shinobi uniform, which is a black robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a black tattsuke bakama, and a white sash tied at the waist. He also wore a mask.

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    Kinkakubō had great respect for the current Gabimaru since he was looked as Iwagakure's strongest shinobi, even after his abandonment of the village. As such, Kinkakubō insisted on referring to him as "most revered Gabimaru". After reuniting with the rogue shinobi, Kinkakubō prostrated himself and became obedient in providing him with information on past events. Nevertheless, Kinkakubō kept in mind of his duties as a Iwagakure shinobi and followed the village chief's orders of killing him, however, Kinkakubō's respect for the young man made him sought out a more suitable method. Rather than trying to use force, Kinkakubō begged Gabimaru to consume Ginkakubō's toxic salvia that would kill him painlessly in order to fulfill the promise the village chief stated in preserving his honor in Iwagakure if he were to kill himself. History

    Lord Tensen Arc

    After the shogun hired Iwagakure to capture the Elixir of Life from a mystic island, Kinkakubō departs with a shinobi squad with a secret mission given by the village chief to eliminate Gabimaru, who has joined the first expedition team, while following the orders of the four Yamada Asaemon.

    The team makes their arrives on the island but are met with confrontation by a Dōshi commanding a group of Monshin. The team manages to put a swift end to the monsters and makes their way to Hōrai.

    Hōrai Arc

    Kinkakubo and Ginkakubo finds Gabimaru Kinkakubō and Ginakakubō approaches Gabimaru. Upon the second team's arrival to Hōrai, Kinkakubō and Ginkakubō finds Gabimaru and transform their faces to match the Iwagakure chief and Yui to fool him, however, Gabiamru tells them that their strategy was ineffective against him since he is a shinobi. Kinkakubō and Ginkakubō then became cooperative by telling him everything they know so far since coming to the island and pleaded to him to take his own life by consuming Ginkakubō's toxic saliva. Gabimaru refuses since he will not allow anyone to stand in his way of returning home, leading Kinkakubō to tell him that his return would be pointless since Yui does not exist. Gabimaru says that he does not believe in his words since he knows how Iwagakure operates. Although he declined their offer, Kinkakubō says that he is delighted with his decision since this allows the Iwagakure shinobi to fight him to the death. He commands the genin to attack Gabimaru but sees that he has gotten stronger after quickly killing each and everyone. He then decides to face Gabimaru himself using his ninjutsu but is immediately killed by him.

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    As one of Iwagakure's elites, Kinkakubō was a shinobi of higher caliber and had authority over the low-ranking genin. Physical Abilities

    Kinkakubō had shown to be strong enough to carry one of the Monshin's large shakujō on his shoulder.

    Ninjutsu

    Kinkakubō was taught Transformation Jutsu by Shija and received praised by Gabimaru for pushing the ninjutsu even further by imitating the body structure and voices of the person they transform into, however, he also noted that their inability to hide their killing intent could not fool an experienced shinobi such as himself.

    Ninpō

    Henge no Jutsu (変化の術, Literal meaning: Transformation Technique): Kinkakubō restructured his face to have it look identical to the person he was trying to impersonate. He was also able to imitate the person's musculature and voice to add to the deception. Ninpō: Tekki Buyō (忍法 鉄てっ騎き舞ぶ踊よう, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Iron Knight Dance): Kinkakubō hardens his body to the point where it becomes rocks to increase his offensive and defensive power.

24. #24Kiō

    Keys: Kiō

    KANJI 鬼鷗 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS OCCUPATION Shinobi AFFILIATION Tashiro Sukezaemon DEBUTS NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume Kiō Images LESS Kiō (鬼き鷗おう) was a shinobi of service to Tashiro Sukezaemon who falsely claimed to have held from Iwagakure as their strongest shinobi.

    Appearance

    Kio's full appearance Kio's full appearance. Kiō was a man with a shaved mohawk and a tattoo engraved on the left side of his face. He also possessed a long tongue that he stuck out at times. He was clad in a black shinobi garb that was similar to the style of a Iwagakure shinobi except without the frayed sleeves. Personality

    Kiō was a cruel, sadistic and violent man whose preferred method of intimidating people was to crush their spirits by destroying their valuables rather than inflicting pain. Upon entering Meoto-ya, Kiō caused Heikichi to become distraught after destroying his ingredients that he figured was important to him. He took satisfaction in mocking Heikichi and Oryō's predicament of being in debt, as he told Oryō that he would charge her for slapping him in the face, and twisted her arm in retaliation. Kiō was also arrogant and prideful, as he told Gabimaru (unaware of his identity) that he was no match for him and that he should be honored that he was moments away from being killed by his sword, while also using the Iwagakure name. History

    Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume

    Abilities and Powers

    Physical Abilities

    As a shinobi, Kiō naturally possessed above average strength, as shown when he was able to effortlessly twist Oryō's arm.

    Ninjutsu

    Kiō was capable of using wind-based ninjutsu. However, as pointed out by Gabimaru, his one ninpō was seen as being mere child's play that would not even qualify as a technique developed from regress training.

    Ninpō

    Ninpō: Kamaitachi (忍法 かまいたち): Kiō creates a sharp gust of wind with the use of his sword that cuts his targets in an instant. Weapons

    Kiō carried around a sword with him that he uses in conjunction with his ninjutsu

25. #25Kumokiri

    Keys: Kumokiri

    KANJI 雲霧 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE October 16 GENDER Male Male AGE 17 HEIGHT 180 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal OCCUPATION Shinobi RANK Jōnin AFFILIATION Iwagakure TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 46 Kumokiri Images LESS Kumokiri (雲くも霧きり) was a jōnin-class shinobi of Iwagakure.

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    Kumokiri had short black, a left eye that has a white iride and a dark sclerae, and wore the standard Iwagakure shinobi uniform, which was a black robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a black tattsuke bakama, and a white sash tied at the waist. He also wore a mask.

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    Kumokiri followed the shinobi's rule of conduct, which is to follow the orders given to him by either his employer or the people overseeing the mission no matter what he is ask to do, even stating that he was willing to offer his own life if ask to do so, which was proven when Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru ordered him to kill himself before he had a chance to set foot on Kotaku. History

    At a young age, Kumokiri was placed among the other young candidates to become the next "Gabimaru the Hollow" of Iwagakure. He soon completed his training and was classified as an elite shinobi.

    During one mission, Kumokiri and the other elite shinobi were led by Gabimaru to retrieve a ledger from a Temple Commissioner. The squad completed the mission but were oddly ordered by Gabimaru to only knock the men unconscious and not cause any bloodshed. Kumokiri begins to notice that Gabimaru has been acting strange in that he has stopped killing his enemies on his missions and believes that it was because he was married to the chief's daughter. The other shinobi also begin to question his behavior but are told by Gabimaru that he has not changed. Later, the squad is assigned on another mission to kill their previous employer and his wife. However, after Gabimaru refuses to finish them off, Kumokiri watches as the shinobi attack him. Shija becomes outraged by their actions but is informed by Kumokiri that they were carrying out orders from their chief to test Gabimaru's worth as a ninja. In the end, the two watch as Gabimaru kills the ninja and allows the employer and his wife to walk freely.

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    Lord Tensen Arc

    After the shogun hired Iwagakure to capture the Elixir of Life from a mystic island, Kumokiri, the other elite shinobi, and a squad of fifty genin were assigned with a secret mission by the village chief to eliminate Gabimaru, who has joined the first expedition team. While departing, the shinobi became obedient to the four Yamada Asaemon who were put in charge of leading the ninja.

    While departing, Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru boasts about his abilities compared to everyone on board and looks towards Kumokiri to demonstrate. Kumokiri says that he is willing to act as his dummy and sees him swings his sword but notices that his attack was directed towards Shija's mask. This results in Kiyomaru getting into conflict with Yamada Asaemon Isuzu for his actions towards the ninja in serve. Kumokiri assures them that she should not worry about them since shinobi are viewed as pawns towards their master and states that they are free to select any one of them to be thrown overboard or killed to lessen their doubts. Wanting to see how far his loyalty went, Kiyomaru ordered Kumokiri to kill himself. Kumokiri gladly accepts and passes on the leadership position to Shija. He then uses one of his swords to stab his neck while giving a chant, fulfilling the order he has been given.

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    As one of Iwagakure's elites, Kumokiri was a shinobi of higher caliber and had authority over the low-ranking genin. He was known to be an "all-rounder" type of shinobi that was capable of handling a wide-range of missions. Along with Shija, Kumokiri overall abilities stood out to be second best when placed next to Gabimaru.[2] Ninjutsu

    As a shinobi, Kumokiri was capable of using ninjutsu.

    Ninpō

    Ninpō: Hige Uchimono (忍法 髭ひげ打うち物もの, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Hairforged): Kumokiri uses his hair to shape whatever tool they wish, such as senbons.

26. #26Lettuce Dōshi

    Keys: Lettuce Dōshi

    BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Dōshi GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Unknown CLASS Sennin RANK Dōshi AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 58 Lettuce Dōshi Images LESS This Dōshi is a subordinate of Lord Tensen and attempted to capture the additional landing party after they made landfall on Kotaku.

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    1/2

    The top part of the Dōshi's head resembles lettuce leaves, while the rest of his body is human. Prior to meeting the second landing party, the Dōshi wore ceremonial Chinese clothing adorned with a beaded necklace. After battling Shugen, the Dōshi was left badly damaged.

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    The Dōshi is very loyal to Lord Tensen in following orders and showed no intentions of defiance or revealing important information. He is also very ambitious, as he hoped to achieve the rank of Chisen by presenting Shugen's head to Lord Tensen as a gift. History

    Lord Tensen Arc

    The Dōshi arrives at the coast commanding a group of Monshin to capture a group of humans as ordered by Lord Tensen. While the group handles fighting the large monsters, the Dōshi listens to Shugen's declaration about killing every living thing on the island to avenge Eizen's death. The Dōshi confronts Shugen and prepares to fight him but is quickly dealt with after having his body cut limb from limb. He is then interrogated by Shugen so that he may tell him everything about the island but is then handed over to the Iwagakure shinobi. The Dōshi is then left impaled through a staff badly wounded and forced to accompany the group to Hōrai. His whereabouts and his status then became unknown.

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    As a disciple of Lord Tensen, the Dōshi is a powerful being with his years of training in the ways of Tao. Tao

    Further information: Tao As a Dōshi, the being has been trained in how to use Tao and has demonstrated in his confrontation with Shugen to be well-verse in wielding it.

    Regeneration

    The Dōshi is capable of regenerating like his other colleagues.

27. #27Moro Makiya

    Keys: Moro Makiya

    KANJI 茂籠牧耶 ALIAS The Apostate (ころび伴天連, Korobi Bateren) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE February 6 GENDER Male Male AGE 24 HEIGHT 191 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 Moro Makiya Images LESS Moro Makiya (茂も籠ろ牧まき耶や), also known as The Apostate (ころび伴天連, Korobi Bateren), was a well-known criminal who was put on death row. However, before receiving the death penalty for his arrest, Makiya became recruited to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes.

    Appearance

    Makiya's profile Makiya's criminal profile. Makiya was a man with short hair that was braided from the back, prominent eyelashes and lips. He also had slightly pointed ears that had three piercings and sharp nails. He wore a dark jacket with a large collar. Underneath he wore a shirt and a necklace with an upside down cross. Personality

    Makiya was known to be an individual who was quite ambitious and manipulative, having brainwashed people into believing his fabricated religion in order to overthrow the shogun. He was also susceptible to a woman's charms, which end up leading to his death after easily being taken advantage of by Yuzuriha.

    Makiya also spoke with a tone of a woman.[2] History

    Past

    At some point, Makiya developed an ambition to overthrow the shogun and went about it by forming a cult that was based off of multiple religions. Eventually, he was arrested by the authorities and was given the death penalty, however, Makiya was offered by Yamada Asaemon Genji a chance to be pardon for his crimes if he were to complete a mission that required him to venture to an island that is said to possess the Elixir of Life and return back with it for the shogun to consume. Having favored this option, Makiya agreed to participate.

    Island Arc

    Upon agreeing to the mission, Makiya is taken to a gathering spot were other death row criminals are interested in joining the expedition. After they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island, Makiya becomes one out of the ten criminals to survive and is assigned Yamada Asaemon Genji as his monitor.

    After making landfall, Makiya encounters Yuzuriha who wishes to form a alliance. He agrees to this but is used by the kunoichi as bait to gain intel on the nature of the human-faced insects. His body then becomes a blooming corpse and is left to be consumed by the human-faced centipedes.

    Abilities and Powers

    As a death row criminal, Makiya was considered to be a man who was too dangerous to be left alive. He was known to be very skilled in manipulation that allowed him to create a religious cult. He was also capable of surviving a killing spree full of criminals who were also marked for death. In terms of defending himself, Makiya possessed sharp nails that he used to inflict harm to his opponents.

28. #28Mu Dan

    Keys: Mu Dan

    KANJI 牡丹 PINYIN Mǔ Dān ALIAS Fukū Jūkun (不空就君, Pinyin: Bùkōng Jiùjūn, Viz: Enthroned Jiujun Amoghavajra) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE September 1 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Female Male/Female (Maintains the male gender) AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 cm - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Red EYE COLOR Golden PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Deceased (Temporarily) ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Ju Fa (Ramet) † Mei (Ramet) Ran (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Partial Ruler of Kotaku RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 26 ANIME DEBUT Episode 9 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Junichi Suwabe (Yang form) Yūko Kaida (Yin form) ENGLISH VOICE Ian Sinclair (Yang form) Michelle Rojas (Yin form) Mu Dan Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Ahh. Beautiful…Gallantly facing down death…Hovering between this world and the next…A state we could never hope to reach. Yin and Yang, in perfect harmony…I only wish…I could have told Rien of this. One thousand years, I have waited. Thank you. MU DAN (CHAPTER 43)

    Mu Dan (牡ムー丹ダン, Pinyin: Mǔ Dān) was a Tensen-class Sennin affiliated with Lord Tensen, being the member who specialized in the mystic art of Shūten, and part ruler of Kotaku, going by the moniker Fukū Jūkun (不ふ空くう就じゅ君くん, Pinyin: Bùkōng Jiùjūn). He is a major antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Appearance

    Mu Dan was of average height, with short red, flower petal hair, golden colored eyes, and possessed either a well-toned, muscular body when assuming their Yang male body or a slender, feminine build when assuming their Yin female body. He wore a dark long sleeve Taoist robe with a Yin-Yang diagram at the center, a beaded necklace with a peony flower attached at the end, baggy pants, and dark boots.

    In his first appearance, Mu Dan's head was not completely formed and was instead substituted with peony flowers.

    In their Kishikai form, Mu Dan had a pair of emaciated bodies representing their Yin and Yang forms that were locked together from the head. The bodies had long, elongate necks and one thin long arm. The bodies were attached from the trouser to a large, bloomed flower and were being supported by two legs that split from the bottom forming two thin sticks. Gallery

    Mu Dan's full appearance. Mu Dan's full appearance. Mu Dan as a child. Mu Dan as a child. Mu Dan's unformed head. Mu Dan's unformed head. Mu Dan's head close up in their Kishikai state. Mu Dan's head close up in their Kishikai state. Mu Dan as he appeared 800 years ago. Mu Dan as he appeared 800 years ago. Video Games

    Mu Dan in Monster Strike. Mu Dan in Monster Strike. Mu Dan in Tower of Saviors. Mu Dan in Tower of Saviors. Mu Dan (Kishikai) in Tower of Saviors. Mu Dan (Kishikai) in Tower of Saviors. Personality

    Mu Dan sits on a Kiyoshi Mu Dan casually using a Kyōshi as a chair. Mu Dan had a calm and carefree attitude, as he usually carried around a smile on his face, while having a blunt way of speaking. Under his carefree demeanor, Mu Dan possessed a cruel and sadistic personality towards humans, as Tao Fa noted that he was well-known within Lord Tensen for his love of toying with the race. While the main goal of Lord Tensen is to extract Tao from humans to create Tan, Mu Dan took the group's complete disregard for human life a step further by modifying the humans who venture to the island into his personal minions that he can use however he wishes, whether it's to have them fight on his behalf or merely act as his chair. He also goes so far as to not think of them as servants, rather as his toys. This mistreatment can be seen as an obsession, as Mu Dan expressed his love for tinkering as he sat on a Kyōshi and joyful thought of the ways he had planned to modify Sagiri, Senta, and Yuzuriha once he captured them.

    As a Tensen, Mu Dan valued humans for their exquisite Tao and would become more delighted to come across one that showed promise. When he sensed that Yuzuriha was able to perceive Tao, Mu Dan's curiosity opened up as to how far she could go if he could teach her how to wield it properly through battle, which would benefit him since he could subjugate her to Bōchū Jutsu. In his final moments, Mu Dan became captivated by the state of Shion's Tao that leaned towards the concept of Yin-Yang harmonizing.

    Like the other members of Lord Tensen, Mu Dan lacked feelings of empathy and sympathy towards even his own colleagues, as he showed no signs of pity towards Zhu Jin after they had been reduced to a weakened state and simply mocked them along with Tao Fa. Despite this, he is supportive of Lord Tensen's goal to achieve perfect immortality. 200 years ago, Mu Dan spoke with disappointment in his voice that Lord Tensen would soon fail their mission if the Hōko were to die and gave into desperation, along with Tao Fa and Ju Fa, in resorting to luring out humans from the mainland to the island.

    Mu Dan's final moments Mu Dan accepting his death. After living for another few centuries, Mu Dan eventually gave up on his will to live and wished to be free of his only purpose in life. After entering his Kishikai, Mu Dan went berserk expressing whether he will kill the opponent he faces or if they will kill him. During his final moments, Mu Dan looked in awe to see Shion's Tao reacting to the Yin-Yang of life and death, a state he expressed was perfect and something he could never attain, and gave his gratitude to Shion for putting him to rest after waiting 1,000 years for this very moment.

    Mu Dan stated that he was a believer in functional beauty and preferred the male gender because there was nothing wasted in its composition. History

    Past

    1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Mu Dan and the other Tensens were unknowingly born from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien as part of her and Jofuku's research in discovering the secrets to immortality. Together, the Tensens served as the rulers of Kotaku known as Lord Tensen and lived to serve Jofuku, who they believed was their creator and master and was secretly busy with his research alone, which forbidden the Tensens, other than Rien, from meeting him. Throughout their life, Mu Dan and the other young Tensens trained in the ways of Tao under Rien's tutelage and were each assigned one of the five forms of training in immortality; with Mu Dan being assigned in the realm of Shūten. They were also introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao. However, after 200 years passed, the Hōko began undergoing Arborification and left the Tensens at risk of dying if they were to run out of Tao. Although he was sadly willing to accept this, Mu Dan made a desperate attempt with Tao Fa and Ju Fa in trying to lure out humans from Japan as replacements by sending out an Arborifed Hōko in a boat as bait.

    After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into an elixir known as Tan that could increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.

    Edo Period

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen having a meeting. After an unusually strong group of humans make landfall on the island, Mu Dan and the other Tensens are summoned by Rien for a meeting to discuss matters regarding the humans, believing them to be possible threats than the past humans who trespassed on the island. Later, Mu Dan engages in Bōchū Jutsu with Tao Fa and removes her doubts of the possibility of a human escaping from the Tan pit.

    Mu Dan confronts Sagiri and the others Mu Dan confronts Sagiri, Yuzuriha, Senta, and Hōko. At the Hōrai gate, Mu Dan allows Sagiri, Senta, Yuzuriha, and Hōko entrance after they arrived and surprises them by cutting Hōko's head. After commending them for being the first humans to make it to Hōrai, Mu Dan restrains Yuzuriha after she attempted to run away, having sensed how dangerous he is, and tells her he was not quite ready yet to kill her. Sagiri points her sword at Mu Dan, demanding that he let her go and identify himself. Still alive, Hōko introduces Mu Dan based on his epithet, which prompts the latter to reveal the truth to Hōko that his people are products of experimentation and that their religious beliefs were all fabricated lies to maintain order on the island. Mu Dan also shows them the Kyōshi as examples of human experimentation done on the island and tells them that high quality humans become Tan. After speaking of Tan, Senta questions if he is referring to the Elixir of Life. Mu Dan becomes confused at first as to what he was talking about until he remembers the other names Tan is referred to, leading to him clarifying that the Elixir of Life does not exist since it does not benefit humans. He then tells them to surrender but is caught off guard and attacked by Yuzuriha after she substitutes herself with an Arborified Hōko. Mu Dan survives after his body regenerates itself and becomes impressed with Yuzuriha's skills. He then commands his Kyōshi to attack her by self-destructing but sees that she had avoided the detontation, leading to Mu Dan noticing that she can perceive Tao. Becoming impressed with her potential, Mu Dan declares that he will teach her how to wield Tao through their battle.

    Yuzuriha and Senta vs Mu Dan Mu Dan effortlessly dodging Yuzuriha and Senta's attacks. Not interested in fighting the two, Mu Dan leaps towards Sagiri and attacks her from a distance. He then explains to Yuzuriha how he managed to accomplish this feat and says that he will start by teaching her the core fundamentals. However, Senta interferes and cuts both Mu Dan's hands and right foot. This gives Yuzuriha an opportunity to attack with her ninjutsu, but Mu Dan quickly regenerates from her attacks and comments that her technique needs improvement. Senta cuts the top of his head, figuring that without his sight they may stand a chance. After hearing this, Mu Dan proves them wrong by not regenerating his eyes and dodges every one of their attacks, explaining that Tao allows him to feel out their intent. He then takes note of Yuzuriha's previous technique early, saying that she possesses the same attribute he does and how she was close to achieving hōjutsu. Mu Dan avoids a sneak attack from Sagiri and says that she is powerless against him. Knowing that he can predict her attacks, Sagiri throws her sword towards Mu Dan's stomach and cuts his lower half, using the advice Hōko provided about cutting his tanden. However, Mu Dan survives Sagiri's attack due to not using Tao against him. Having gotten close to him to confirm her suspicion, Sagiri unleashes a burst of Tao. Mu Dan reads her next attack and jumps back, but has his face slightly cut. Mu Dan realizes that Sagiri can also use Tao but sees that there is more to it and smiles in delight.

    Sagiri cuts Mu Dan's tanden Mu Dan cut down by Sagiri. Mu Dan smiles in satisfaction after learning that Sagiri possesses Tao that is toxic to him and wonders which one of them will come out on top. He seemingly vanishes from their line of sight and tries to attack Sagiri first. However, he is restrained by Yuzuriha's mucus strings, giving Sagiri the chance to attack. Mu Dan counterattacks by emitting a blast of Tao from his mouth and commands the Kyōshi to attack Yuzuriha. After Senta protects her, Mu Dan frees ones of his hands and attacks Yuzuriha with a Tao projectile. She sees the attack coming and jumps out of the way to have Senta take the hit. Mu Dan then dodges Sagiri's sword strikes but has his feet cut by Yuzuriha and Senta. He then takes a lot of damage by their combined attacks, but shortly moves out of the way by having himself float in the air. Mu Dan transforms into his Yin form and controls the Tao in the air to form large spheres. He then has them rain down to destroy the whole area. Yuzuriha tries to restrain his leg, but Mu Dan sends his attacks towards her way. However, Mu Dan is pulled down by Yuzuriha still conscious. He is then stabbed by Senta from behind, giving Sagiri the chance to completely slice through his tanden, killing Mu Dan.

    Shion fighting Mu Dan Mu Dan fighting against Shion. Shortly after, Mu Dan's corpse starts to bloom and sends a stinger towards Yuzuriha but instead stings Senta. Mu Dan then transforms into his Kishikai form and attacks Sagiri and Yuzuriha. However, Yamada Asaemon Shion arrives in time to cut the stingers and prepares to fight the monstrous Mu Dan. Mu Dan faces off against Shion and manages to leave scratches on his body using his stingers, causing him to sprout flowers. Mu Dan notices that Shion possesses Tao that can harm him and release more stingers. He then fights against Sagiri and Nurugai who act as decoys to have Shion kill Mu Dan. After having all his stingers cut by Sagiri, he sees Shion about to attack and kicks him backwards. However, he plants himself on the ground and quickly rushes in to slash away at his feet, immobilizes Mu Dan. Shion pushes through while Sagiri restrains one of his hands with her sword. Shion manages to get behind Mu Dan and attacks his two tandens with a Tao-enhanced sword strike.

    Shion kills Mu Dan Mu Dan killed by Shion. As Shion swings his sword down, Mu Dan senses that he has stopped his blade after not sensing any strong amounts of Tao coming from his two bodies. He then regenerates his stingers and attacks Shion, however, the Asaemon dodges after he is warned that Mu Dan's weakness is his ovule located at the center of the Tensen's flower. Shion cuts the ovule and sees a gathering of heads resembling Mu Dan. One of Mu Dan's heads becomes captivated by Shion's Tao as he faces death and wishes that he could tell Rien of this scene. After Shion brings his sword down, Mu Dan happily thanks Shion for making him experience death. Upon dying, Mu Dan's corpses causes the surrounding area to bloom peony flowers.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc Soon afterwards, Gui Fa acquired a replica of Mu Dan's plant ovule within Rien's laboratory, along with the other deceased Tensens, and had it transferred over to the Basin for cultivation, which would allow Mu Dan to be resurrected after a millennium had passed.

    Abilities and Powers

    Mu Dan overwhelms Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta Mu Dan overwhelming Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta with her mastery over Tao. As a Tensen-class Sennin, Mu Dan was a very powerful being whose god-like powers could only be rivalled by his peers of Lord Tensen. Along with his status as partial ruler of Kotaku, Mu Dan had authority over the island's inhabitants, such as the Dōshi, Monshin, Sōshin and Hōko. He was able to overwhelm the combined efforts of Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta, three highly formidable combatants, with the two females being Tao wielding humans as well, and take control of the first half of their battle without needing to take them seriously. Using his true power in his Kishikai, Mu Dan forced Shion to push past his limits to where the fourth ranked Asaemon could have died in battle if not for the assistance of Sagiri and Nurugai fighting alongside him. Physical Abilities

    Mu Dan had enough strength to damage a golden statue with his bare hands. He possessed incredible speed, being able to catch Yuzuriha in an instant as she tried to flee without having Sagiri and Senta notice him after bypassing the two. He was also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter, capable of taking on the combined efforts of Yuzuriha, Senta, and Sagiri with little effort.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Mu Dan Tao Mu Dan's Tao. Mu Dan possessed Earth-attribute Tao that had been greatly refined from the 1,000 years of training with his fellow Tensens. As a Sennin, Mu Dan had complete mastery over his Tao to where his usage could be seen as being god-like. With it, he was capable of sensing the presence and intent of others to anticipate and dodge attacks, demonstrated when he dodged both Yuzuriha and Senta's attacks simultaneously without the use of his eyes and avoided a sneak attack from Sagiri. Other basic usage included the ability to enhance his physical attacks to cause internal damage.

    As a Sennin, Mu Dan could fire invisible Tao projectiles to attack his opponents from a distance and could use senjutsu to opt for more stronger Tao attacks. Through it, he could expel Tao from his mouth, instead of with his hands, and bombard his opponents with multiple Tao projectiles that could devastate an area. He could also use hōjutsu to either conceal his presence as a way to sneak up and attack his opponents or control the Tao in the air to give himself flight.

    Techniques

    Mu Dan using Distant Strike Mu Dan using Tōate. Tōate (遠当, Literal meaning: Distant Strike): Mu Dan gathers Tao in his hand and launches it as an invisible projectile, which is strong enough to cause internal damage from within the target's body. Senjutsu: Tōate (仙術 遠当, Literal meaning: Sage Technique: Distant Strike): A senjutsu version of Tōate where Mu Dan expels a burst of Tao from his mouth. Hōjutsu: Tsuchinoto no i — Yakei (方術 己の位 夜詣, Literal meaning: Hōjutsu: Earth Yin — Night Pilgrimage): Mu Dan uses his Tao to conceal his presence from his opponent's line of sight and sneaks up to make a surprise attack. This is called Hojutsu: Earth Yin Night Pilgrim in the Viz Manga. Hōjutsu: Tsuchinoe no i — Kūkei (方術 戊の位 空詣, Literal meaning: Hōjutsu: Earth Yin — Sky Pilgrimage): By controlling the Tao in the air, Mu Dan is able to levitate, which helps him to distance himself from opponents. This is called Hojutsu: Earth Yang Sky Pilgrim in the Viz Manga. Senjutsu: Suzusashi (仙術 錫刺, Literal meaning: Senjutsu: Stabbing Tin): Mu Dan creates multiple Tao orbs and has them bombard on his opponents. This is called Senjutsu: Tin Splinter in the Viz Manga. Regeneration

    Mu Dan regenerating Mu Dan regenerating. As a Tensen, Mu Dan possessed the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao and greater longevity with Tan. He was able to regrow his head in mere seconds after being beheaded by Yuzuriha, along with being freed of the kunai stuck to his body, and later regenerated his upper body that was shredded by Yuzuriha's ninjutsu. He also demonstrated enough fine control over his regeneration to stop certain parts of his body from healing if he wishes. This was shown when he purposedly didn't heal his eyes to demonstrate to Senta and Yuzuriha on how Tao allows him to avoid their attacks.

    Since he possessed Earth Tao, Mu Dan's regeneration could only be weakened if he were to face a Tao user with the Wood-attribute and the only known way of killing him was if the said Wood Tao user completely destroyed his plant ovule within his tanden.

    Yin-Yang

    Mu Dan shifting chis Mu Dan switching from their Yang chi to their Yin chi. In addition to regeneration like all Tensens, Mu Dan also possessed the ability to switch chis of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any that was lost. As another result of switching in and out of Yin and Yang chi, Mu Dan's body took on the sex that matched the chi they chose to assume, which was put to use whenever they engaged in Bōchū Jutsu training.

    Kishikai Transformation

    Mu Dan's Kishikai form Mu Dan's Kishikai Transformation. In this monstrous transformation, Mu Dan was able to produce multiple vines with flower-shaped stingers, that when stung, or given the smallest scratch, caused his targets to undergo Arborification. He was also able to shoot multiple Tao laser beams that caused a huge amount of destruction. Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Mu Dan could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before he became reduced to a weakened body.

    Intelligence

    The Kyoshi Mu Dan showcasing the Kyōshi. Mu Dan was highly intelligent in the field of science and biology, as he created the Kyōshi, humans the Tensen modified and programmed to obey his every command as if they were his "toys".

29. #29Nurugai

    Keys: Nurugai

    KANJI ヌルガイ ALIAS Koto (コト) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE December 25 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Female Female AGE 12 HEIGHT 138 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water RELATIVES Shion (Guardian) Nurugai's Grandfather † AFFILIATION Sanka (Formerly) TEAM Vanguard Party Escape Route Securing Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Makoto Koichi ENGLISH VOICE Cassie Ewulu STAGE PLAY Azusa Yoshihama Nurugai Images LESS Overview Image Gallery I've always been prepared to deal with who I am, and what this era thinks about that. I gotta use my own strength to keep surviving. So I don't need some kinda guardian. Starting here…and from now on…I'd prefer a partner, if you'll have me! NURUGAI (CHAPTER 101)

    Nurugai (ヌルガイ) is the last remaining member of her Sanka tribe and a wrongly convicted death-row criminal. She serves as a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Before being sentenced to death, Nurugai became recruited to join in an expedition team where she would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt her of her past crimes.

    Appearance

    Nurugai has quite an androgynous appearance, with her Asaemon having only figured out that she was a girl after undressing. She has dark tanned skin and long, black, messy hair that reaches down past her shoulders when left untied; although she usually ties the hair up above her head. Later in the chapters, Nurugai's hair becomes smoother. Her body is also noticeably muscular.

    She is seen wearing very scrappy clothes, her top lacking sleeves, a bone necklace, and bandages wrapped around both of her wrists. She also wears black pants that end somewhere halfway down her calves, also lacking any footwear.

    After briefly settling in Hōrai, Nurugai changed into an orange vest with a mandarin collar and black pants. She keeps her bone necklace and carries her sword on her back.

    A year later, Nurugai chooses to allow her hair to flow back, continues to wear her hoop earrings, and wears a kimono. According to Nurugai, she decided to appear this way after taking note of how the girls around her look, which made her appear a lot more feminine and attractive to men, much to her fancy. Gallery

    Nurugai's manga design. Nurugai's manga design. Nurugai's initial appearance. Nurugai's initial appearance. Nurugai's second outfit change. Nurugai's second outfit change. Nurugai's appearance in the epilogue. Nurugai's appearance in the epilogue. Nurugai's color scheme in the manga. Nurugai's color scheme in the manga. Nurugai's concept art from the anime. Nurugai's concept art from the anime. Nurugai's first outfit change. Nurugai's first outfit change. Nurugai after procuring shinobi equipment. Nurugai after procuring shinobi equipment. Video Games

    Nurugai in Tower of Saviors. Nurugai in Tower of Saviors. Other

    Nurugai in the stage play (Part 1). Nurugai in the stage play (Part 1). Nurugai in the stage play (Final Chapter). Nurugai in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

    Nurugai originally looked down on samurai, viewing them as stupid. Her disdain for them stems from the fact that they were partially responsible for killing her people. Because of this incident, Nurugai felt a strong guilt for leading her village's extermination, even believed that the reason why she is on a dangerous mission is because she was receiving divine punishment for her actions and accepted death. However, after Tenza makes Nurugai take her own desires into account, Nurugai realizes that she wants to stay alive to return back to her home. After being influenced by Tenza and being by Shion's side, with his task of protecting her, Nurugai's opinion of samurai may have changed and sees that not all of them are bad.

    Nurugai cares greatly towards the people she has a deep connection with. She cherished the time she had with her grandfather and felt that she needed to be punished for causing his death. After the death of Tenza, Nurugai begged Shion to teach her swordsmanship and his ability to sense Tao to avenge him, stating that she could not stand by and watch as more people she cares for die in front of her. During her and Shion's fight with Zhu Jin, Nurugai ran out of the Taisoku Palace with tears running down her face after Shion begged her to leave him as he prepares to sacrifice himself to kill the Tensen. However, after remembering how Tenza opened up her resolve, Nurugai returned to save Shion and counselled him into giving up his vengeance.

    Nurugai is also very helpful. She was generous enough to guide a group of samurai that were lost (not knowing that their mission was to execute her people). She removed Senta's flowers from his Arborified body just in time, tried to help Yuzuriha by unknowingly using the Tao restoration and assisted Sagiri in helping Shion fight Mu Dan in his Kishikai. Nurugai also showed that she has a lowest level of modesty, having no shame when she exposed her naked body to Tenza. Despite not always expressing it, Nurugai can sometimes bring out her feminine side. After being charmed by Tenza's chivalry, Nurugai vowed to make him her groom and wanted to try on new clothes with Yuzuriha. Relationships

    History

    Past

    Nurugai was raised with the Sanka Mountain People in a village where she had lived with her grandfather. Nurugai and her grandfather were in a friendly, familial relationship where she would learn off her grandfather's wisdom.

    Her village however were considered rebels against the current shogunate, refusing to submit to Tokugawa. Because of this, samurai were sent to locate the hillside tribes they defined as Emishis. One day, Nurugai crossed paths with a party of lost men, encouraging Nurugai to offer her help by seeking rest in the security of her village. Nurugai recognized her mistake when she realised that these men were samurai under the order of Tokugawa, who began a mass killing of her village that would leave her as the sole survivor.

    The samurai later imprisoned Nurugai in order to reveal the location of other Sanka settlements; promising to execute her once they had gotten what they needed. During her captivity, Nurugai met Yamada Asaemon Tenza who invited her to partake in the search for the elixir to avoid execution.

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc After coming to Edo, Nurugai is grouped together with death row criminals and was told the details of the mission. She asked if the Elixir of Life doesn't come to exist on the island but the questioned was ignored. They were then told to massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. After the massacres ends, Nurugai survives and leaves for the island with Yamada Asaemon Tenza.

    After making land, the two stumble upon a monster, however Tenza manages to slay it. He decides to take Nurugai to the shogun's ship so she can return back to the mainland, believing that she is innocent. While talking down to him, Nurugai felt that it would be pointless to return since she didn't acquire the elixir. Tenza assured her that he would talk to his superiors but Nurugai doubted that would work. After the fog clears, Tenza finds the ship but later turns out to be wreckage from the boats that were departing. Nurugai then notices two shadows through the fog.

    Tenza and Nurugai fight Nurugai and Tenza fighting off the large tentacle creature. Tenza draws his sword but Nurugai warns him not to. A large tentacle then suddenly attacks them, but they manage to dodge it in time. They are then surrounded by more large tentacles. Tenza suggests that they find a boat to escape. While running, Nurugai thinks back as to how she led her grandfather and her people to their demise. The two stop and find the blooming corpse of Yamada Asaemon Kishō who causes Nurugai to envision her dead grandfather. She gives up on trying to survive and believes that she is receiving divine punishment for her crimes. Tenza refuses to allow her to be killed by the creature and tells her that he couldn't accept her resolve and asked her whether or not if she wanted to make the choose to live or die. Remembering the peaceful times she had with her grandfather, Nurugai tells him that she wanted to live and return home. Tenza gives Nurugai a sword and tells her to fight alongside him until they can get to Kishō's boat.

    The two managed to escape from the beast and landed back on the island, later washing off the blood. As Nurugai begins to undress, Tenza notices that her body is quite feminine for a male, which she corrects him, saying that she was female by exposing herself to him. Tenza becomes shocked and shrugs off her statement of making him her groom. After cleaning and dressing themselves, Tenza suggest finding an escape route and find his fellow Asaemon for help.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc While wandering aimlessly on the beach, Nurugai and Tenza are unable to find a current away from the island. They then run into a mysterious woman who transforms into a man and starts to attack them. Tenza is injured but fights back and tells Nurugai to run, however, he catches up to them. The man is then beheaded by a sword thrown by Yamada Asaemon Shion

    As they are given an opportunity to run to safety, Nurugai notices that despite him being blind Shion was maneuvering well in the forest. After relocating to a save area, Tenza introduces his master Shion to Nurugai who scolds him for his sloppy swordplay against his opponent. Shion reveals to them that while he was prepared to leave he found an optimal current that could lead them away from the island. He then draws his sword towards Nurugai and asked for an explanation as to why Tenza was protecting her. At first Shion could not accept Tenza's actions in protecting her because she was innocent but he is later convince by Tenza to not carry out the execution. Nurugai greets Shion by calling him sensei but Shion says that calling him sensei was not necessary since he did not teach her anything. They are then shocked that despite his blindness that he was able to tell that Nurugai was female.

    Shion fleeing with Nurugai Shion forcing himself to flee with Nurugai while leaving Tenza behind to fight Zhu Jin. Before they could go to the current, they take into account of the immortal being that attacked them and try to come up with an plan. However, it instantly shows up behind Tenza and Nurugai as a female and prepares to attack. Shion pushes them out of the way but has his throat slashed by her. Tenza engages in battle against the female but is hit by a devastating blow. Nurugai runs towards him in horror but is stopped by Shion. After Shion senses Tenza's desperate plead for them to escape, Shion grabs Nurugai and runs off. Nurugai begs him to stop but he explains that he was honoring Tenza's last wish and he will avenge him.

    In the forest, Nurugai tries to attack Shion but is easily intercepted with his perceptive powers. Nurugai pleads for Shion's to teach her swordsmanship and his surrounds, explaining that she doesn't want to see the people she cares for to die. Shion refuses but explains to Nurugai that his perceptive powers comes from sensing waves within everything around him and tells her that it would be difficult for her to learn. Although he objected, Nurugai receives lessons from him while fighting the Sōshin and wonders if he is either doing this on purpose or if he is absent-minded. The two then continue to move forward.

    The two arrive in Hōrai and lend their aid to Sagiri, Yuzuriha and Senta in facing off against the monstrous Lord Tensen. Nurugai removes the blooming flowers from Senta's head and assures Sagiri's worries about Shion. The three then watch in amazement as Shion fights on par with the monster. However, they are shocked by flowers emerging from Shion's scratched body. Sagiri makes the decision to join him after seeing him loose blood from removing the flowers but Nurugai recommends not to because of her condition. Despite this, Sagiri says that she could not stand by as Shion risks his life. Her words encourages Nurugai to join her but Yuzuriha decides to not help them since she does not have enough energy. Thinking about the time she was with her grandfather and Shion, Nurugai embraces Yuzuriha and Sagiri as way to restore their strength. She and Sagiri then wrap themselves in bandages and have Yuzuriha coat them in her fluid to prevent them from being infected by the monsters stingers.

    After relaying their plan to Shion, the monster comes up to Nurugai and attacks. However, she manages to dodge and cut its stingers. She then sees it extend its hand towards her but Sagiri comes in and intercepts it, as well as protect her from the rest of its oncoming attacks. After Sagiri cuts every one of its vines, Shion gets behind the monster and kills it with his sword. Once the battle was over, Nurugai and the rest comes to Senta and watches as a dies in peace in Yuzuriha's arms. Nurugai then listens to Sagiri's resolve to have every criminal and executioner cooperate to return home safely.

    The remaining survivors The remaining survivors of the mission gathered together. The group enters Hōrai and settles in a building. Yuzuriha and Nurugai take the time to change outfits and listen to Shion's review of Tao and how they can defeat Lord Tensen. Nurugai then changes the topics about finding the Elixir of Life. Yuzuriha points out that from what she learned from Mu Dan the elixir does not benefit humans. Sagiri interjects saying that according to Gabimaru, his village chief is immortal because of the elixir, but Yuzuriha explains the possibilities of the chief using an illusion to fool his villagers. Later, she sleeps with Yuzuriha during the night.

    The next day, the group heads to the gate to see if the others have made it to Hōrai. After arriving at the gate, they are met by Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Gabimaru unconscious, Mei, Tōma, and a Dōshi. The remaining survivors then relocate to a cave to hide from Lord Tensen. Nurugai, Shion, Gantetsusai, and Tōma are then asked by Gabimaru to assist him in his training. After Gantetsusai and Tōma made their attacks, Nurugai joins in as well. Gabimaru sees her attack coming and grabs and swings her to knock Gantetsusai, Tōma, and Shion back. Nurugai becomes impress with Gabimaru's skills and finds that he is strong enough to fight Lord Tensen but the ninja says that he is far from ready. The group later gather together and are warned by Mei that someone or another group has arrived on the island.

    The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Shion and Fuchi believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements by Eizen, along with another group of criminals. Although Sagiri vouched for his cooperation, Shion denies this after explaining the full story of the Silver Serpent's group execution and how he does not cooperate with criminals or allow any Asaemon to work with them as well. Moving on, Shion presents his strategy of finding the Tan elixir and an escape route by separating everyone into two teams and using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat each member of Lord Tensen. However, Yuzuriha suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding. Shion takes her recommendation into account and gives everyone the option of working separately or working together in completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion into the came and work together. Nurugai then punches Shion thinking that he wanted to leave her after giving everyone the two choices.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc Using the information Mei provided, the group strategies on how to escape the island by using the ships located within the palace and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. The group then sits in on Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's lessons on espionage using Tao. Later, Nurugai, Gantetsusai and Fuchi are seen exhausted from the training. After being put in the Escape Route Securing Team, Nurugai prepares to ask Shion a question but is told by the Asaemon that he has not forgotten. The group then review their strategy on infiltrating the palace. Once they were finish, the two teams decide to deploy tonight.

    Shion and Nurugai vs Zhu Jin Nurugai and Shion reunites with Zhu Jin. After sneaking into the palace, the Elixir Retrieval Team signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it is okay to enter. The team advances into the palace but are met by a sudden mist, causing Nurugai and Shion to get separated by Gantetsusai, Fuchi and Tōma. The two then encounter Zhu Jin once again, who plans to offer them as sacrifices to the grandmaster. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.

    Nurugai watches form the sidelines as Shion continuous to cut away at Zhu Jin's body until he loses Tao. She then tells Shion that he has cut them two hundred and fifteen times. Zhu Jin manages to reform back but in a weakened and attacks them with his corpses. Nurugai becomes frighten and worries for Shion's condition. Shion knew that Zhu Jin was attempting to buy enough time to recover and cuts the corpses to bits. Shion continuous to attack but becomes exhausted from using too much Tao, causing Nurugai to rush to his aid. Shion tells her to stay back and is suddenly crushed by Zhu Jin's corpses. However, he escapes and dodges his broken blade manipulated by Zhu Jin, giving him a chance to fall back into the water. Shion and Nurugai becomes shock after Zhu Jin emerges from the water fully recover after combining their Yin and Yang form and partially transforms in their Kishikai.

    Nurugai saves Shion Nurugai saves Shion from losing his life. Nurugai fights together with Shion and sees that the blind Asaemon is determined to kill Zhu Jin at all costs. He disembodies Zhu Jin, opens up their tanden to reveal the plant ovule, and presses his sword down to end the Tensens life but is assaulted with vines. Nurugai begs Shion to stop since he will die if he goes any further but is told by Shion to leave him to avenge Tenza. Nurugai, unable to do anything about the situation, painfully forces herself to leave the palace. However, after remembering Tenza's words to her, Nurugai sees a vision of him in front of her. Having seen his face once again, Nurugai remembers the words Tenza said that made her realize her will to live and returns to the palace to save Shion. Nurugai jumps in to push Shion away from his sword, removes the vines from his body, and embraces him to restore his Tao. Nurugai tells Shion that Tenza's final wishes was not have them sacrifice their lives to get revenge but to keep on living after witnessing how he smiled knowing that he protected the both of them. Instead of seeking revenge, Nurugai asks that Shion come with her to regroup with the others and tell her more about Tenza later. After hearing her plea, Shion agrees to leave Zhu Jin and expresses his gratitude to Nurugai for saving him.

    As they walk off, Nurugai listens to Shion as he promises to be her protector until they return to Japan and find a suitable home for her. Unexpectedly, the two starts to feel the palace shaking and finds themselves cornered by Iwagakure shinobi from the second landing party who have come to eliminate any criminals alive and a Dōshi army tasked with eliminating all intruders. Nurugai and Shion try to escape from the warfare but are forced to stand down after Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru appears with the intent of executing Nurugai. After Shion lays down his sword, Nurugai hears him announcing to Kiyomaru his defection from the Yamada clan since he can not bring himself to execute an innocent such as Nurugai and asks that he overlook the situation with them. The group then bare witnesses to Zhu Jin emerging out of the Main Palace completely fused with the Banko, causing Hōrai to be taken over. With the situation changing, Nurugai, Shion, along with Kiyomaru and his Iwagakure forces regroup, with everyone gathered at the Rentan Palace where Jikka proposes that everyone cooperate to defeat the Zhu Jin-fused Banko by destroying its tandens that are scattered around Hōrai. After everyone becomes clear on the plan and pair up with a partner based on the Tao Restoration cycle, Nurugai and Shion run off to the Earth tanden to destroy it.

    Nurugai awakens Tao Nurugai awakens her Tao and takes down the Banko's monsters. After arriving at the tanden and hearing the sound of the signal by Yuzuriha, Nurugai lends her sword to Shion to target the tanden while boosting his Tao but makes a shallow cut. Nurugai is then told by Shion to stay behind him as the monsters approach them, telling her that she is in danger without mastering the ability to use Tao. She then recalls the other times Shion has protected her, including their encounter with Kiyomaru, and asks him if he really meant what he said at that time, to which he replies yes. After thanking him, Nurugai rushes straight towards the monsters and manages to awaken her Tao, which allowed her to cut down the monsters. Nurugai then tells Shion that she needed to use her own strength to survive and prefers to fight alongside him as a partner rather than a guardian. Shion agrees to change his view of her and ask that she take the lead until the next sound of the horn, much to her happiness. In an unexpected turn of events, Nurugai and Shion witness clones of Mu Dan sprouting from the Earth tanden and are forced to fight them off after they enter into a partial Kishikai transformation.

    Shion and Nurugai at the Earth tanden Nurugai and Shion prepare to destroy the Banko's Earth tanden. Later, Nurugai and Shion manage to get near the Earth tanden and proceed to commence their next attack, which successfully manages to coordinate with the other attacks towards the tandens. However, due to it already being morning, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko starts to recover and has its tandens slowly regenerate. Luckily, Aza Chōbei comes up with the idea of using his vines to destroy the roots of the tandens in order to cut off its regeneration link to the main body, resulting in the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's destruction.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc With the path to the floodgates cleared, Nurugai, Shion, and all the survivors enter the floodgates but become disappointed to see that all the ships have been destroyed. Nurugai notices that one ship is left intact but hears Shion's warning about the currents being blocked by the wreckage, making the ship unusable. She then sees Gabimaru and Sagiri making a desperate attempt at clearing the wreckage and joins in to help. With no other choice, Mei decides to enter into her Kishikai at the cost of her life and clears away the debris, giving the survivors the opportunity to board the ship and depart from the island.

    The Survivors on Rien's ship Nurugai and the survivors confront Rien. The survivors' ship manages to reach Rien's burning ship after Gantetsusai (who managed to board the ship earlier) slightly damages it. Though Gabimaru was originally the one willing to fight Rien alone, Nurugai makes a point earlier about their chances at survival being higher if they were to fight all together and later climbs onboard with everyone to defeat Rien. After the battle commences, Nurugai comes in to attack Rien and manages to cut her arm. She is then grabbed by the neck by Rien's severed arm but is soon freed by Gantetsusai. The survivors are then victorious after Sagiri and Shion's combined attack finishes off Rien. However, Rien reveals that the events was a Tao illusion created by her, which knocks out Nurugai and her allies in the real world, and transforms into her Kishikai. Nurugai manages to regain consciousness and is carried away by Shion. The two fall into the ocean, after Rien unleashes her power on her ship, and carries Gantetsusai and Yuzuriha's unconscious bodies to their ship with Jikka intoxicated. The two then watch as Gabimaru and Sagiri work together to fight Rien. Nurugai witnesses Rien's defeat after Sagiri destroys her plant ovule but panics after the Tensen reforms its body with a vengeance to kill the humans. Nurugai attempts to provide support after Gabimaru is in danger but is stopped by Jikka who tells her that power alone would not stop Rien. The survivors then watch as Rien's body crumbles after coming to terms with Jofuku's death with the help of Gabimaru.

    As they make their way back home, Shion tells the others that he and Nurugai will not be returning to Edo and will go their separate ways together. Shion also reminds Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, and Gantetsusai that they have their situation with who will be presenting the Elixir of Life to the shogun but the topic is ignored after the survivors enter into a comedic conversation about each one of them being villainous. After they become shock to see Gabimaru laughing after his wife was accused of being evil by Gantetsusai and Yuzuriha, Nurugai and the others wish to hear more about Yui to pass the time, to which Gabimaru agrees. Later, after Gantetsusai is chosen by Gabimaru and Yuzuriha to be the one to receive the pardon, Nurugai gives Sagiri a goodbye hug and departs with Shion on a boat.

    Epilogue

    Shion and Nurugai traveling Nurugai traveling with Shion. After escaping the island, Nurugai travels with Shion in search for her people as he had promised. While traveling from town after town, the two would frequently come across trouble and take it upon themselves to fix them. Rumors then began to spread of the traveling blind swordsman and the girl, making them known as the "Blind Wolf and Cub".

    After a year passed, Nurugai hears Shion's concern about the way she chooses to look in public but tells him that she preferred her current appearance since she was trying to model after the other girls around her. Nurugai is then hit on by a couple of men, which she found flattering, but becomes disappointed to see Shion driving them away. After being given a stern lecture, Nurugai heads North with Shion while sitting in the wagon they borrowed.

    Abilities and Powers

    While still only a child, Nurugai was capable enough to survive a massacre of multiple death row criminals and soon became one of the few in 1,000 years to survive the horrendous ordeals that Kotaku had to offer, such as the monsters and the members of Lord Tensen. Physical Abilities

    Nurugai is very agile and has fast reflexes, shown as she avoided a direct attack from Zhu Jin, who themselves complimented on her being quick for a human. Sagiri was also amazed by how nimble Nurugai was when she managed to evade and cut Mu Dan's stingers easily. Nurugai's muscular build also suggests that she underwent extensive training.

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū With a sword at hand, Nurugai displayed enough skill to help Tenza slash away at the Wadatsumi's tentacles and escape. Her swordsmanship later improved after receiving a lesson from Shion on how to properly wield a blade and was able to assist him in his fight with Zhu Jin. She was also able to take down the monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, and showed during the battle against Rien (in a Tao illusion) that she developed the skills to execute a Tameshi Ittō-ryū technique that was created by Tenza.

    Nurugai using Roaring Rain Tameshi Ittō-ryū Ōgi: Shinotsukuame. Tameshi Ittō-ryū Ōgi: Shinotsukuame (試一刀流奥技 篠突く雨, Literal meaning: One Sword Style Test Cutting Secret Technique: Roaring Rain): A technique invented by Yamada Asaemon Tenza that was later passed on to Nurugai. After seeing this technique once and received lessons in swordsmanship from Shion, Nurugai developed the skills needed to use this technique. This is called Ittō-ryū Ultimate: Pounding Torrent in the Viz Manga.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Nurugai possesses Water-attribute Tao. At first, Nurugai started off not being able to use Tao due to her being unable to believe what she cannot see. However, after soon overcoming this inability, Nurugai managed to unlock this power and used it to sense the Tao of the monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko and swiftly cut them down.

    Weapons

    Nurugai wields a sword given to her by Tenza.

30. #30Oryō

    Keys: Oryō

    KANJI おりょう BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Female Female HAIR COLOR Black PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive RELATIVES Heikichi (Husband) OCCUPATION Inn keeper AFFILIATION Meoto-ya DEBUTS NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume Oryō Images LESS Oryō (おりょう) is the co-founder of the inn Meoto-ya, alongside her husband Heikichi.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    2/2

    Oryo full appearance Oryō's full appearance. Oryō is a slim woman with black hair. She is recognized by Sagiri and other men to be quite beautiful. As for attire, she dresses herself in an old kimono.

    ADVERTISEMENT Personality

    Oryō is an outspoken woman who cares very much for her husband Heikichi, going so far as to try and attack an official for his sake. As an inn keeper, Oryō behaves in a professional manner, possessing a sales smile whenever new people come in, and is very strict towards her husband about upholding the policies she employed on to both of them that centers on giving good hospitality to their guests. While a good hostess, she can be very presumptuous about her guests (at least ones who come in pairs), as she presumed that Gabimaru and Sagiri were either a couple or two people engaging in an illicit affair, which prompted her to put their futons together for the night.

31. #31Heikichi

    Keys: Heikichi

    KANJI 平吉 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive RELATIVES Oryō (Wife) OCCUPATION Inn keeper Cook AFFILIATION Meoto-ya DEBUTS NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume Heikichi Images LESS Heikichi (平へい吉きち) is the co-founder of the inn Meoto-ya, alongside his wife Oryō.

    Appearance

    Heikichi full appearance Heikichi's full appearance. Heikichi is a thin man with hair fashioned into a topknot. Personality

    Heikichi is humorously described by his wife Oryō as a man of few words since he has a hard time interacting with people. He is very caring and loving towards Oryō. After Oryō came to his side as he was being beaten by Shichimatsuya's men who came to collect the money he owed, Heikichi tried putting her out of harm's way by standing in front of her. As an inn keeper, Heikichi can be careless when following the policies his wife employment that dictates that they should treat their guests with hospitality. As a cook, Heikichi has a great passion for food and is always looking for ways to improve his cooking, as he had hoped to receive feedback from Gabimaru and Sagiri after serving them. He also takes great pride in seeing his guests enjoy his cuisines. History

    Jigokuraku: Utakata no Yume

    Abilities and Powers

    Heikichi is an excellent cook who is able to bring out the umami in his food using nothing but cheap ingredients and his own unique recipes that he developed from his time training at a restaurant.

32. #32Ran

    Keys: Ran

    KANJI 蘭 PINYIN Lán ALIAS Jundei Teikun (准胝帝君, Pinyin: Zhǔn Zhī Dìjūn, Literal meaning: Emperor Juntei, Viz: Deified Dijun Cundi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE September 1 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Female Male/Female (Maintains the male body) AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Blue EYE COLOR Golden PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ) ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Ju Fa (Ramet) † Mei (Ramet) Mu Dan (Ramet) † Tao Fa (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Partial Ruler of Kotaku RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 26 ANIME DEBUT Episode 9 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Junichi Suwabe (Yang form) Yūko Kaida (Yin form) ENGLISH VOICE Ian Sinclair (Yang form) Michelle Rojas (Yin form) STAGE PLAY Tatemichi Riona Ran Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Try and try again…nothing will change. I have seen through your scheme. This…half-baked teamwork…your…futile struggle…and yet…beautiful to behold! RAN (CHAPTER 69)

    Ran (蘭ラン, Pinyin: Lán) was a Tensen-class Sennin affiliated with Lord Tensen, being the member who specialized in the mystic art of Dō'in, and part ruler of Kotaku, going by the moniker Jundei Teikun (准じゅん胝でい帝てい君くん, Pinyin: Zhǔn Zhī Dìjūn, Literal meaning: Emperor Juntei). He is a major antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Appearance

    Ran was of average height, with long, purple leaf hair that was tied back into a ponytail and a white flower on the right side of his face, golden colored eyes, and possessed either a well-toned, muscular body when assuming their Yang male body or a slender, feminine build when assuming their Yin female body. He wore a changshan with a flower pattern, a sleeveless shirt underneath that also bear flower patterns, dark pants, and sandals.

    In their Kishikai state, Ran's body grew to an enormous size, was made entirely from long black and white leaves, and a single dark left breast. They had four arms, each pair representing his two chi's. They also had a pair of heads representing their Yin and Yang, and were conjoined from the mouth. The heads were surrounded by leaves that they could close to protect their face, resembling a burgonet helmet. Gallery

    Ran's full appearance. Ran's full appearance. Ran's unformed head. Ran's unformed head. Ran after covering their face in their Kishikai state. Ran after covering their face in their Kishikai state. Ran as a child. Ran as a child. Ran after removing his changshan. Ran after removing his changshan. Ran's face close up in their Kishikai state. Ran's face close up in their Kishikai state. Ran's weakened form. Ran's weakened form. Ran as he appeared 800 years ago. Ran as he appeared 800 years ago. Personality

    Ran was very loyal to Rien and carried the same view of seeing the Tensens as family. Upon being reunited with Mei, after the two were separated for so long, Ran was filled with joy and tried pleading with his banished sister to rejoin Lord Tensen, stating that it broke his heart after finding out that she left and believed that Rien only banished her out of love. Even after she refused, Ran still desired to have her return even if he had to use force.

    Like all the members of Lord Tensen, Ran had no sympathy for humans and used them as he saw fit. He believed that it was a futile effort for the trespassers to invade the palace and try their hand at opposing the Tensens, showing signs that he views them inferior compared to his family. However, he is not above praising or admiring them if they show impressive skills.

    Due to specializing in Dō'in, Ran was extremely passionate about the physical workings of the body and fighting styles that can only be obtained through diligent training. As such, he had a tendency to stretch his body even in conversation. Upon transforming into his Kishikai, Ran expressed his physicality while attacking Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. He was also up to the challenge of facing the two in their use of ninjutsu in order to strengthen his Dō'in training. History

    Past

    1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Ran and the other Tensens were unknowingly born from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien as part of her and Jofuku's research in discovering the secrets to immortality. Together, the Tensens served as the rulers of Kotaku known as Lord Tensen and lived to serve Jofuku, who they believed was their creator and master and was secretly busy with his research alone, which forbidden the Tensens, other than Rien, from meeting him. Throughout their life, Ran and the other young Tensens trained in the ways of Tao under Rien's tutelage and were each assigned one of the five forms of training in immortality; with Ran being assigned in the realm of Dō'in. They were also introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao. However, after 200 years passed, the Hōko began undergoing Arborification and left the Tensens at risk of dying if they were to run out of Tao. Desperate, the Tensens, Tao Fa, Mu Dan, and Ju Fa, plotted on luring out humans from Japan as replacements by sending out an Arborifed Hōko in a boat.

    After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into an elixir known as Tan that could increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.

    Edo Period

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen having a meeting. Ran joins the other Tensens in a meeting to discuss about the humans that made landfall. Once Ju Fa and Zhu Jin confirmed that the humans they encountered were dealt with, the Tensens toast to their longevity and to Soshi.

    Later, Ran engages in Bōchū Jutsu training with Ju Fa. Ran's body erupts from Ju Fa's intense efforts and comments in delight.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc After Rien allows Chōbei to join them, Lord Tensen introduces to him the Hermit Ascendance Ritual. Once the ritual was over, Ran and the others Tensens are given information about the humans that made landfall by Chōbei. Knowing that they plan to make their arrival at the palace, Rien initiates the Rite of Just Consumption. Ran wonders if they should be concerned about the second landing party but is informed by Rien that the Dōshi were ordered to handle them. Ran and the other Tensens then waited for the intruders arrival.

    Elixir Team meets Ran Ran encountering the Elixir Retrieval Team. In the Dō'in Palace, Ran suppresses his Tao to avoid being sensed by the human invaders and encounters the Elixir Retrieval Team. After explaining how Chōbei became their informant, Ran becomes delighted to have the opportunity to ask Mei to rejoin them, stating that she does not have to oppose them no longer since they have managed to finally create the perfect Tan that does not require Arborified humans and only need to start the Rite of Just Consumption. Despite his plead, Mei declines, stating that she came to say goodbye to all of them. Ran becomes disappointed but sees that the ritual will still have to continue. Sagiri asks Ran what was the purpose of the Rite of Just Consumption. Ran explains that the ritual is to capture the human trespassers possessing the Five Elements and offer them as sacrifices to the grandmaster. However, Gabimaru openly states to Ran that they refuse to allow the Tensens to do as they please and plan on defeating them so they can escape the island. Seeing as how they are prepare to oppose him, Ran readies himself for battle.

    Gabimaru vs Ran Ran fighting Gabimaru. Ran starts his attack on the team and reveals that they are in the Dō'in Palace, explaining that he has rearranged the layout of the palace before they arrived. Ran then controls the Tao of the ground to restrain Mei. Ran engages in fight with Gabimaru and is unharmed by his attacks due to having the elemental advantage. He then deflects Yuzuriha's kunai using a strong cloak of Tao. Ran easily defeats Gabimaru a second time and hears him talk to Yuzuriha about starting another strategy. Ran sees Gabimaru rushing towards him but senses that nothing has changed in his Tao, however, he is dealt a hit by the ninja after having his Tao redirected. He then becomes shocked by the sudden event and bleeds from his mouth. Ran fights Gabimaru once again but continues to have his Tao redirected by the ninja and receives damage. Ran becomes impressed with how far Gabimaru and gone with Tao and comments on his talent with it. However, he hears Gabimaru disagreement with his statement about his talent with Tao and explains that everything that is happening is due to everyone's efforts and sacrifices. Ran then sees Mei and Sagiri trying to escape and attempts to restrain them. He then sees Gabimaru coming in for another attack. Knowing that he is going to use his own Tao against him, Ran lowers the volume of his Tao but is cut in half by Yuzuriha. Ran becomes impressed with Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's skills and sees that he can no longer take them lightly, having no choice but to enter his Kishikai state.

    Kishikai Ran attacking Ran overwhelms Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. Ran overwhelms the shinobi and causes them to make a hasty retreat. However, Ran catches up to them and sends an attack which is blocked by Gabimaru. Having had enough with his resistance, Ran forces his hand down and splits Gabimaru's shoulder. He then tosses him to a pillar but sees him standing up after injecting himself with Plant Tao from one of Mu Dan's plant stingers he hand on him. Ran continues to fight Gabimaru but can no longer leave any lasting damage due to his regenerative abilities. He then takes on the combined efforts of him and Yuzuriha and brushes off their various ninjutsu attacks. His body then suddenly cracks and completely falls apart, having been overstimulated by Gabimaru's earlier attack and consuming too much Tao for a long period of time in his battle with the two shinobi.

    Yuzuriha kills Ran Yuzuriha kills Ran. Ran, in his decrepitude state, tries to recover his lost Tao by switching from Yang to Yin. Gabimaru attacks and yells out to Yuzuriha to make the killing blow. Ran notes that Yuzuriha was not willing to give up her life to kill him since she is low on Tao, however, Yuzuriha makes the choice to make the final attack. Ran then defends himself by forming spikes from the ground. Yuzuriha avoids the spikes by being lifted up in the air by Gabimaru and comes down to destroy Ran's tanden. Ran then slowly dies with his last thoughts about Rien.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc Soon afterwards, Gui Fa acquired a replica of Ran's plant ovule within Rien's laboratory, along with the other deceased Tensens, and had it transferred over to the Basin for cultivation, which would allow Ran to be resurrected after a millennium had passed.

    Abilities and Powers

    As one of the rulers of Kotaku, Ran had partial authority over everything that went on and could command the Dōshi, Monshin, and Sōshin. Because of his Dō'in training, Ran's combat prowess was on a whole other level and was even noted to be a lot stronger than Mu Dan. During their infiltration mission, Ran posed as a challenge to Gabimaru, Iwagakure's strongest shinobi, and Yuzuriha, a capable kunoichi who was an experienced Tao user, being able to outmatch them in skill and easily defend against their attacks. After entering his Kishikai state, Ran completely overpowered the two shinobi and almost succeeded in killing Gabimaru. Though he met his demise by Yuzuriha, Ran managed to push her to her limits and almost succeeded in causing her death. Physical Abilities

    Gabimaru and Yuzuriha vs Ran Ran defending himself against Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. As a master of Dō'in, Ran was extremely battle-oriented. He was physically strong, able to cleanly destroy a pillar with his bare hands, and extremely fast enough to easily dodge his opponents attacks. Ran's body was also extremely flexible and agile, capable of bending himself all the way back to his legs and keep his upper body balance using his fingers. His hand-to-hand combat skills were noted to be higher than Mu Dan's and was enough to take on the combined efforts of Gabimaru and Yuzuriha.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Ran possessed Water-attribute Tao and had mastery over it. After spending 1,000 years of training, Ran's Tao had been greatly refined where others could view his abilities as god-like. With its use, Ran could sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of his opponents, and enhance his physical attacks. Ran also had proper control of his flow of Tao to where he could suppress it to hide his presence from others.

    Due to the harmonization between his Tao and his muscles, Ran was capable of using a higher level defensive Tao cloak. By stretching his Tao into fine threads and bundle them together around his body, Ran could create a sort of "Tao Armor" that acted similarly to tough, yet flexible, muscle fibers. Unlike traditional armor, Rien's Tao Armor was said to have no signs of gaps or blind spots for his enemies to exploit. After Yuzuriha threw a Tao imbued kunai towards Ran, his body caused the weapon to simply bounce off despite her Tao being able to hinder his.

    Ran inorganic control Ran controlling the Tao of inorganics. Ran also had the ability to take control over the Tao of inanimate objects, which made him suitable for the task of Feng Shui and constructing buildings and statues for the palace. Before the vanguard party infiltrated the palace, Ran instantly changed the interior layout and noted that it was hardly a difficult feat to accomplish. Since the Tao of inanimate objects emit the same Tao as corpses, Ran was also able to trick the Elixir Retrieval Team into thinking that they were about to enter the Rentan Palace. In battle, Ran could control the Tao of the surface he was standing on to create spikes for either attacking or restraining his opponents.

    Regeneration

    As a Tensen, Ran possessed the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao. Since he possesses Water Tao, Ran's regeneration could only be weakened if he were to face a Tao user that possessed the Earth-attribute, and the only known way of killing him was if the said Earth Tao user completely destroyed his plant ovule within his tanden.

    Yin-Yang

    Ran was able to switch chis of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any lost. As Ran switched in and out, their sex changed to match the chi, which was put to use whenever they engaged in Bōchū Jutsu training.

    Kishikai Transformation

    Ran Kishikai Ran's Kishikai Transformation. As a Tensen, Ran was able to enter into a Kishikai state. In this monstrous transformation, Ran possessed four arms and gained a boost in strength at a tremendous level, being able to launch a massive air compressed punch, destroy a part of the Dō'in Palace, and create craters on the ground with a stomp of his foot. His four arms allowed him to brutally pummel his target in repeated successions and rip through flesh with ease. He was also fast enough to quickly catch up to Yuzuriha trying to escape with Gabimaru. Ran's body was very sturdy and resilient, being able to withstand the cutting power of Yuzuriha's mucus strings and the blazing effects of Gabimaru's Ninpō: Hibōshi (though his Tao attribute had him at a disadvantage). Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Ran could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before he became reduced to a weakened body.

33. #33Rokurōta

    Keys: Rokurōta

    KANJI 陸郎太 ALIAS The Giant of Bizen (備前の大巨人, Bizen no Daidarabotchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE October 6 GENDER Male Male AGE 8 HEIGHT 321 cm HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Red PERSONAL STATUS STATUS

    ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Hinata Tadokoro Kyouko Chikiri (Child) ENGLISH VOICE Ray Hurd Morgan Lea (Child) Rokurōta Images LESS "The Giant of Bizen" Rokurōta (〝備び前ぜんの大巨人だいだらぼっち〟陸ろく郎ろう太た, "Bizen no Daidarabotchi" Rokurōta) was a well-known criminal who was put on death row. However, before receiving the death penalty for his arrest, Rokurōta became recruited to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes. He serves as a minor antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Appearance

    Rokurōta was a child who presumably suffered from an abnormal case of gigantism, standing larger than Yamada Asaemon Genji who is quite tall himself. He had messy dark hair, wore a mask covering his entire face with only a single eye hole, and had an immensely muscular body. His attire was a sleeveless worn-out robe that was held by a sash. Gallery

    Rokurōta in comparison to the size of Genji and Sagiri. Rokurōta in comparison to the size of Genji and Sagiri. Rokurōta as a child. Rokurōta as a child. Rokurōta as an infant. Rokurōta as an infant. Rokurōta after his abnormal growth spurt. Rokurōta after his abnormal growth spurt. Personality

    Rokurota starving Rokurōta crying out of starvation. Rokurōta was a brutishly violent individual who went on wild, animalistic rampages that endangered the people around him. In addition, he was constantly starved to where his stomach would growl loudly and cause him to cry if he went too long without a single scrap of food. While appearing and acting as a monster on the surface, Rokurōta's behavior is actually mannerisms of a child, as the giant was merely an oversized little boy who wanted to play and satisfy his never-ending hunger. It was because of his child mentality that Rokurōta lacked the understanding to communicate with others as well. History

    Past

    Rokurōta was born as a large infant with a loving mother and father. As his body started to develop immaturely, he spent much of his time eating and playing with anything with his hands, which led to the death of both his parents and his entire village as his childish behavior caused him to become uncontrollable. From then on, he grew up in the mountain provinces of Bizen, causing terror with his constant rampaging and hunger, leading to him being known as The Giant of Bizen who was marked for death as a criminal.

    At some point, Rokurōta was caught by the authorities but had his death sentence put on hold after he became chosen as a candidate for a mission that required him to venture to an island believed to be Shinsenkyō and return back with the Elixir of Life for the shogun to consume.

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc Eizen's Death Rokurōta kills Eizen. At Edo, Rokurōta becomes gathered together with the other death row criminals for the Shinsenkyō expedition for a hearing on the mission. However, in order to qualify, the criminals are ordered to reduce their numbers. During the massacre, Rokurōta chooses to do nothing as the criminals fruitlessly try to harm him and ends up becoming one of the ten qualified participants to leave for the expedition. The giant is then hauled out on a raft while asleep as he and his Asaemon monitor, Yamada Asaemon Eizen, sail towards the island. After landing on the island, Rokurōta wakes up feeling hungry and kills Eizen.

    Episode 6 Rokurōta facing Gabimaru and Sagiri. After a day had passed, Rokurōta finds Yamada Asaemon Genji and Yamada Asaemon Sagiri and fatally wounds the male Asaemon. Gabimaru then arrives to kick Rokurōta away before he could proceed to attack Sagiri. Rokurōta picks himself up and directs his attention to attacking Gabimaru. While failing to land an attack on him, due to the shinobi becoming wary of his fatal palm strikes, Rokurōta becomes unharmed by Gabimaru's long-range ninjutsu, which presents a problem for him. Rokurōta then finds himself facing Sagiri as well after she arrives and cuts off his little finger, causing him to cry out in pain. After the bleeding on his finger stops, Rokurōta charges in attack the two. Gabimaru blocks Rokurōta's punch while Sagiri comes in from behind to cut Rokurōta's right leg but ends up failing to leave a cut on his tough body. Shortly after, Rokurōta starts to cry from his stomach rumbling out of hunger and comes to slam Gabimaru to the ground after his eyes became irritated from Rokurōta's loudly stomach. He then faces Sagiri who manages to block all of his attacks, which ends up having him fall to the ground. Sensing Sagiri from behind as she gets ready to behead him, Rokurōta jumps out of the way and gives himself distance away from her.

    Sagiri holding Rokurota's head Rokurōta beheaded by Sagiri. Rokurōta is then attacked by a barrage of flaming ninjutsu performed by Gabimaru but avoids taking damage by deflecting them towards the forest. However, he ends up falling for Gabimaru's trap to suffocate from the burning smoke of the forest fire he caused and falls to his knees, giving Sagiri an opportunity to behead him. Rokurōta sees Sagiri and tries to attack her but is held down by Gabimaru, who requests for Sagiri to make the finishing blow before his strength gives out. After Sagiri brings her blade down on him, Rokurōta receives visions of his past of wanting to play and be rid of his hunger. Rokurōta's soul is then laid to rest by Sagiri as she holds onto his severed head.

    Abilities and Powers

    Gabimaru vs Rokurota Gabimaru running out of options to fight Rokurōta in a one-on-one battle. Having been marked down as a death row criminal, Rokurōta was deemed as an extremely dangerous individual who could not be kept alive. Out of all the numerous death row convicts gathered for the expedition to Shinsenkyō, Rokurōta was marked by the shogun's retainers as being one of the most noteworthy candidates for the mission. Upon landing on the island, Rokurōta was able to effortlessly kill Yamada Asaemon Eizen, the highest-ranking member of the Yamada clan, with a single blow. Another testament to his formidableness was how he put Gabimaru in a difficult position in a one-on-one fight, as the legendary shinobi determined that he would be dead instantly if he were to engage him in close quarters combat and that none of his arsenal of long-range ninjutsu could work against him, which ultimately concluded for him that Rokurōta could only be taken down if he had a partner fighting alongside him. Physical Abilities

    Rokurota's strength Rokurōta fatally wounding Genji and sending him flying with a single swing of his hand. Ever since he was an infant, Rokurōta was born with tremendous physical strength, which led to him killing his parents and slaughtering his entire village uncontrollably. The destructive power in his hands were deadly enough to create craters on the ground and instantly kill a person with ease using a single palm strike, as he destroyed the entire upper half of Eizen's body and leave a giant gaping hole in Genji's torso, with the force also being great enough to send him flying. In his battle with Gabimaru, Rokurōta was able to effortlessly grab a tree out of the ground with one hand and throw it in his direction. Sagiri likened Rokurōta's palm thrust attacks to that of a cannon.[2] Even Gabimaru, a shinobi with superhuman strength to move foes with greater size than him, admitted that Rokurōta had him beat in physical strength and determined that guarding against his attacks were nearly impossible, as a single graze could mean the end.[3][4] With a single blow, Rokurōta was able to bypass Gabimaru's durable body and leave him badly wounded.

    Despite his size, Rokurōta possessed superhuman speed and reflexes, being able to keep Gabimaru on full alert from his quick palm strikes. He was fast enough to catch Gabimaru by surprise after he had reached him from a mid-distance away to slam him to the ground (albeit the loud screech from the giant crying out of hunger contributed to him dropping his guard down for a second). He was also quick to jump out of the way of Sagiri's sword attack after momentarily falling to the ground.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Tao defense Rokurōta withstanding a sword strike from Sagiri. In addition to his tremendous superhuman strength, Rokurōta also possessed tremendous superhuman durability due to him subconsciously using Tao to coat his body, as sensed by Sagiri. The sturdiness of his body was compared to be that of an Iwagakure shinobi by Gabimaru.[5] In his record as a death row criminal, Rokurōta was known to be able to resist being penetrated by bladed weapons such as swords or spears, which was evident in his fight against Sagiri as the Asaemon's sword was unable to leave a cut on his limbs. He was also able to withstand a strong kick from Gabimaru, whose bare hands and legs are capable of penetrating any living being's body with ease, and was left uninjured by a barrage of stones launched as projectiles by the shinobi.

34. #34Saya

    Keys: Saya

    KANJI 小夜 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Female Female HAIR COLOR Yellow EYE COLOR Orange PERSONAL STATUS STATUS RELATIVES Unnamed Parents † Yuzuriha (Sister) Noramaru (Pet) DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 8 ANIME DEBUT Episode 4 NOVEL DEBUT Jigokuraku: Namima no Tsuioku Saya Images LESS Saya (小さ夜や) was the late younger sister of Yuzuriha.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    Saya Anime Infobox Saya's appearance in Yuzuriha's flashback. Saya was a little girl with light-pigmented yellow hair and orange eyes. Due to her illness, she had a very frail body. As for attire, she wore a simple robe.

    ADVERTISEMENT Personality

    While being bedridden because of her sickness, Saya tried to cheer herself up whenever she felt sadden by closing her eyes and envisioning things she liked; whether it was a domestic cat, a person she loved, or a family member. Relationships

    Family

    Yuzuriha

    As siblings, Saya cared deeply for her elder sister. She was aware of Yuzuriha's willingness to become a kunoichi for her sake and became worried for her as she came home exhausted. During her last moments with Yuzuriha, Saya's dying wish was for her elder sister to live out her life freely as she felt guilty that she had spent most of it looking after her.

    Others

    Noramaru

    Saya enjoyed the company of the stray cat she named Noramaru while Yuzuriha was away on her missions.

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    At a young age, Saya had contracted an incurable disease that left her bedridden for the remainder of her life. After the death of her parents, Saya was looked after by her older sister Yuzuriha who secretly became a Kai shinobi in order to earn enough money to purchase a special medicine that could cure Saya's illness. She also took in a stray cat named Noramaru who kept her company while Yuzuriha was off working. At some point, she became aware of Yuzuriha's job after Noramaru had discovered her blood-stained kunoichi uniform she kept hidden but could not to bear to tell her that she knew.[1]

    Sometime ago, after Yuzuriha came back from a mission, Saya was fed and asked by her sister if she desired anything. Saya answered that she wanted to see fireworks but felt depressed after realizing that her condition would make it impossible for her to go outside. The next day, Saya worried for Yuzuriha as she noticed that she was feeling exhausted and told her not to push herself too much, only for Yuzuriha to assure her that she was doing okay and that she would continue to take care of her. After Yuzuriha had returned to her house from giving a deposit to a peddler to secure the special medicine, she noticed Saya coughing up blood as she tried to feed Noramaru and that her body was becoming light, which was a sign for her that Saya's condition was worsening and that she had to quickly obtain the special medicine. A few days later, Saya watched and became overjoyed as Yuzuriha granted her wish to see fireworks by putting on a display for her using the firearms she stole from the Kai clan. The moment soon came to an end after Yuzuriha rushed over to Saya coughing up blood. Saya then thanked her sister for what she had done.[2]

    After a few days passed, Saya's condition had gotten worse and only had a few moments left with Yuzuriha at her bedside. Saya told Yuzuriha that she knew about her dangerous job as a kunoichi to support her and requests that she now live her life freely, as she apologized for the time she spent pushing herself for her sake. Yuzuriha then watched as Saya closed her eyes as she passed away.[3]

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    Yuzuriha chose to bury Saya next to the graves of their parents and mourned her death before leaving her house. Honoring her late younger sister's wishes, Yuzuriha lived her life solely for herself and put the people around her at arm's length. After Saya's death, Yuzuriha killed the peddler who lied to her about the special medicine and tricked her into becoming a Kai kunoichi. She then invaded Sagiwa Castle where the feudal lord and the Kai chief were meeting, as the two also had a hand in cheating her. After killing the Kai chief, Yuzuriha spared the life of the feudal lord in favor of watching the fireworks going off at the castle town.

    “ The mission? All that honor-bound duty crap? Don't need it anymore. You can rest now. Your whole life, you've been lying to yourself, yeah? It's the end of the road, so be honest now...Go ahead and think about whatever you want. Your family? A pet cat, maybe? Or a lover you left behind? Picture yourself pressed against her. And pass on within that beautiful vision. ” — Yuzuriha referring to Saya's words to console Senta before he dies

    Senta's final moments Yuzuriha consoling Senta during his last moments. Yuzuriha was then arrested for her crimes and was given the death penalty but not before joining in on a competition mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life from an island for the shogun in exchange for an official pardon. During the mission, Yuzuriha mentioned her past with her younger sister to one of her competitors Gabimaru but wrote it off as a lie after she failed to convince him. Later, Yuzuriha held Yamada Asaemon Senta in her arms as he was about to die and referred to Saya's words in having him envision something beautiful to pass away peacefully. Around the time the surviving criminals and executioners gathered together, Yuzuriha revealed her backstory about the time she had with Saya to Sagiri, who was moved to tears by the end but became slightly disappointed after Yuzuriha decided to lie stating that it was a made-up story.[4] After her battle against Ran of Lord Tensen, Yuzuriha flashed back to her memories of Saya and apologized to her deceased sister as she believed that her life was about to come to an end after being wounded badly and overexerting herself.

35. #35Shija

    Keys: Shija

    KANJI シジャ ALIAS Gabimaru (画が眉び丸まる) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE Feburary 18 GENDER Unknown Unknown AGE Unknown HEIGHT 165 cm HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Red PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water OCCUPATION Shinobi AFFILIATION Iwagakure TEAM Additional Landing Party Bakurō Squad Ishifudō Squad DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 36 ANIME DEBUT Episode 3 Shija Images LESS Overview Image Gallery This is the article on the next potential carrier for the name, Gabimaru the Hollow. For the series protagonist, head to Gabimaru. For other uses, see Gabimaru (disambiguation). Intimacy with death makes us yearn for life. What a shame to die, we think. Yes, death! Death, which embodies life itself! Death, which comes for us all! True life is only found in that moment of parting! SHIJA (CHAPTER 105)

    Shija (シジャ) was the next chosen Iwagakure shinobi to potentially succeed Gabimaru of the alias Gabimaru the Hollow (がらんの画眉丸, Garan no Gabimaru).

    After the shogun came to Iwagakure for assistance in retrieving the Elixir of Life from Kotaku, having become impatient with the first group, Shija and a squad of Iwa ninja was assigned by the village chief to the second team to hasten the completion of the mission. In actuality, the Iwagakure shinobi squad's true mission was to kill Gabimaru, who was assigned to the first team, and take back the alias, which became Shija's personal goal.

    Appearance

    Shija had long, slick dark hair, slight hints of shadow below their eyes, and a shade of lipstick. Underneath their hair covered a scar on their forehead above their right eye, which was self-inflicted in their past attempt to mirror Yui. Their attire consisted of the standard uniform of a Iwagakure ninja, which was a black robe with long sleeves that are frayed, a black tattsuke bakama, and a white sash tied at the waist. They also wore a hannya mask that was later cut in half by Kiyomaru.

    As they prepared to go into battle, Shija tied their hair into a small bun in the back and had a bang parted to the right side of their face. Gallery

    Shija's color scheme. Shija's color scheme. Shija with their hair down. Shija with their hair down. Shija's cut off mask. Shija's cut off mask. Shija as a child. Shija as a child. Shija's scar. Shija's scar. Shija after fashioning their hair. Shija after fashioning their hair. Shija smiling. Shija smiling. Personality

    As a Iwagakure shinobi, Shija viewed themselves as a pawn for their master and only prioritized on the orders they had been given on a mission no matter what the situation was. To this extent, they held no sense of concern for their fellow ninja allies since they too have the same mindset. After Kiyomaru ordered Kumokiri to kill himself, Shija was unfazed by his death and merely followed his orders of leading the squad before his passing. Another example being how they ignored the fact that a hand full of their subordinates were slaughtered by a Monshin and simply gave the order to one of them that was still alive to kill it despite the state they were in. They also only spoke when it was necessary. On the other hand, Shija is a Iwagakure shinobi first and foremost, as they put the chief's orders above the mission if they are connected.

    Shija love struck Shija's infatuated demeanor when around Gabimaru. Shija had respect and a deep infatuation towards Gabimaru, as a meeting with him, or even a mere thought about him, would have Shija break out in an excited, love-struck behavior. They believed that he was truly worthy of the name "Gabimaru" and would not stand by as others doubted him. Even after he had defected from the village and was seen as an embarrassment by the chief, Shija still maintained their respect for Gabimaru, believing that the dangers of Kotaku would not be enough to kill him.

    However, Shija was a psychotic and unstable individual, as their love for Gabimaru could be seen as being a twisted, borderline obsession. They thought of themselves as Gabimaru's supporter and was driven to commit horrendously violent acts from the shadows for his sake in the past, having killed all the young candidates that were training for the title. Years later to when Gabimaru became appointed as the next Hollow, Shija killed a few jealous Iwagakure shinobi after they had badmouthed Gabimaru behind his back. Shija also expressed to Gabimaru their willingness and honor to die by his hands and that the only person they desperately desired to kill was him alone. Shija's love for Gabimaru even prompted them to burn their face to mirror Yui after he became married to her. After being sent to Kotaku, Shija was driven to find and engage in a death match with Gabimaru no matter what.

    Shija also found death to be fulfilling, believing that it was the only way to truly understand life from the fear and despair that comes from the experience. Having been stripped of the sensation to feel pain from their Iwagakure training, Shija suffered a life of boredom in the past and only came to relish the pleasures of death after coming close to it by Gabimaru's hands.

    In battle against their opponents (with the exception of Gabimaru), Shija was very ruthless and sadistic. They believed that battles were not won through strength but by playing dirty as they fought by exploiting their opponent's vulnerability (or their "love") and took pleasure in it. While fighting Rien, Shija took advantage of the ships being of high importance to the Tensen by attempting to set them on fire and passed the Elixir of Life to the ninja, presenting them an opening to attack with shuriken and set Rien ablaze while distracted. Through this, Shija was shown to be very perceptive as they figured out that Rien was holding back her power to not damage the ships and knew that the gourd she had on her was the Elixir of Life based on her reaction to when they stole it. During their confrontation with Sagiri, Shija had her restrained to violently drug her.

    For reasons unknown, Shija had a rather odd perspective of men and women, viewing everyone they encounter (with the exception of Gabimaru) as being old regardless of their correct age and referred to them as such. History

    Past

    Shija running away from Gabimaru Shija running away after their first encounter with Gabimaru. When they were young, Shija and their brothers underwent intense ninja training, along with many other children, to become Iwagakure's next "Gabimaru the Hollow". While they managed to endure the gruesome training, Shija was left as the only surviving sibling and one of the few children to survive the screening. At some point, Shija was tasked by the village chief to confront one of the candidates in a trial match but immediately ran away after the boy radiated a sense of danger to Shija. After being overwhelmed with a sensation of what seemed like fear for the first time, Shija developed feelings for the young boy and saw him befitting of inheriting the title of "Gabimaru", which they made sure would happen by killing the other candidates one by one. Shija also spent their years carefully observing him and received training.

    As a result of completing their ninja training, Shija found that they were living a dark and gloomy life due to their inability to feel any form of pain. However, after coming close to death at the hands of the young man they were admiring, Shija realized that they are still capable of dying and developed a fixation for it, which also caused their infatuation for the young man to grow even more. When the time came for a new "Gabimaru the Hollow" to be appointed, Shija happily watched the young shinobi become the next "Gabimaru" as they had hoped after completing the Rite of Succession ceremony. After the ceremony, Shija noticed how a few of their peers became jealous of Gabimaru and dealt with them by skinning them alive. Shija was then found by Gabimaru at the scene and confessed their love, explaining that they have been supporting him ever since they were young and would be honored to either die by his hands or have the opportunity to kill him. After receiving news that Gabimaru married the village chief's daughter, Yui, Shija became envious and made an effort to appear the same as her by burning their forehead.

    During one mission, Shija, along with the other elites led by Gabimaru, were task with retrieving a ledger from the Temple Commissioner. The squad completed the mission but were oddly ordered by Gabimaru to only knock the men unconscious and not cause any bloodshed, causing them to become suspicious of him as a shinobi. Later, the squad takes on a mission to kill their previous employer and his wife but instead attack Gabimaru after he had refused to kill them. Shija becomes outraged but is informed by Kumokiri that they were carrying out orders from their chief to test Gabimaru's worth as a shinobi. They then watch in delight as Gabimaru kills the ninja and allows the employer and his wife to walk freely.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Having become impatient with the first departed group to capture the Elixir of Life from a mystic island, the shogun hires Iwagakure and holds a screening where criminals had to fight to the death to determine the next participants. Shija participated in the screening and became one of the four ninja that had survived. Having caught wind that Gabimaru is part of the first expedition team, the Iwagakure chief assigns the ninjas with their main task of eliminating him while following the orders of the four hired Asaemon on the mission: Kiyomaru, Isuzu, Jikka, and Shugen. Shija is then told by the chief that they have been chosen as the next successor to become Gabimaru the Hollow but must first kill the current Gabimaru in order to take their rightful place.

    Iwa shinobi Shija and the Iwagakure shinobi departing to Kotaku. During the departure, Shija's mask is cut off by Kiyomaru after boosting about his skills. He then orders Kumokiri to kill himself to prove their loyalty, but before following through with the order, Kumokiri passes on the task of leading the genin to Shija, which they accepts. Having proven himself, Shija assures the Asaemon of their duties and asks that they put their faith in them.

    Upon arriving on the island, Shugen breaks down into tears after finding the corpse of Yamada Asaemon Eizen and holds a prayer. While this was proceeding, Shija takes note of the Asaemons odd personalities and remembers their duties of eliminating Gabimaru. The group are then attack by a horde of Monshin led by a Dōshi. Shija stands by and orders the genin to assist the Asaemon in killing the monsters. After finishing his prayer to the deceased Eizen, Shugen takes down the Dōshi and attempts to extract information from him. Shija requests that the ninja handle this task since they specialize in interrogation.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc Shija reports to Shugen that the genin have found traces of two more deceased Asaemon and found the Monshin nest for Shugen to use the Horse Flute to summon the Monshin. After using the flute, Shugen has the Monshin carry the Asaemon to Hōrai while the ninja follow them on foot.

    Shija vs Rien Shija fights Rien. After the second landing party arrives and infiltrates Hōrai, Jikka tells Shija that he could tell that Iwagakure has their own plans in store on the mission but is told by Shija that the shinobi are only here to kill who they are ordered to. Despite this statement, Shija remembers their leader's goal, as well as their own ambition, of finding Gabimaru in order to kill him. Shortly after, Shija arrives at the underground floodgates hoping that Gabimaru would arrive as well and approaches Rien who prepares to leave for the mainland. The Dōshi are ordered by Rien to attack Shija but are quickly defeated after the ninja uses the Ninpō: Hibōshi to burn them. Shija then orders the shinobi to destroy the ships except for one while they handle fighting Rien. Shija takes note of Rien's mystic powers and regeneration and opts to cause distress to the Tensen by having the shinobi burn the ships. Rien tries to stop the shinobi from doing so, which gives Shija the chance to quickly grab the Elixir of Life right from under her and toss it to the shinobi, ordering them to take it outside. Later, Shija retreats from their battle with Rien by substituting themselves with another shinobi and takes on their face by using the Transformation Jutsu.

    Shija searches for Gabimaru Shija going out to search for Gabimaru. Shija reunites with Shugen and relays everything that has happened and gives him the captured Elixir of Life. Shugen tells them that the flower bed in front of him hides the bodies of Tamiya Gantetsusai and Yamada Asaemon Fuchi and orders them to confirm the convicts death and have the Asaemon cared for and brought to him if he is still alive. After he leaves, Shija undo's their disguise and ignores Shugen's orders by throwing two kunai at the flowers to make sure the two individuals are dead. They then order the shinobi to follow Shugen to the floodgates while they go look for Gabimaru to have him dead. Shija jumps on top of a roof and becomes captivated by the scenery of the palace while taking note that the the large flower monster causing chaos can not be stopped by mere mortals. They then jump for joy of the thought of facing Gabimaru in a death match with this setting and asks that he wait for them.

    Gabimaru vs Shija Shija battling Gabimaru. Later, Shija manages to find Gabimaru, along with Yamada Asaemon Sagiri at his side, at the location of the Banko's Metal tanden and takes out clones of Gui Fa. Shija becomes overjoyed to finally reunite with him and has a hard time putting their thoughts into words. After seeing Sagiri put her hand on him, Shija becomes furious and comes in an attempt to kill her but is ordered by Gabimaru to cease their assault. They are then asked by Gabimaru for their support, which they happily agree to do. However, Shija finds that the only way they can help is if they engage in battle with him in order to bring out his true self as "Gabimaru the Hollow" to complete the mission. Having said that, Shija rushes in to attack and thanks Gabimaru for the honor of fighting against them. Shija starts off by creating and launching multiple hair kunai and engages in hand-to-hand combat against Gabimaru. After the two clash with their own Ninpō: Hibōshi, Shija tells Gabimaru that they are capable of predicting his every move and thoughts, giving them an advantage against him. However, because of his Tao abilities, Gabimaru says that he can counter against their intuition. Shija sends Gabimaru crashing towards a giant statue with a kick and figures that he allowed this to happen in order to make an attempt to destroy the Banko's tanden. Shija also says that they can tell that Gabimaru was trying to protect Sagiri and wonders if she is the reason for his current state. Shija double knees Gabimaru's body and becomes saddened to see that he has lost his deadly nature from the effects of his weakened Tao regeneration. Knowing that one of the only ways he can recover is through a Tao Restoration, Shija realizes that Sagiri is here for this reason and furiously targets her.

    Ninpo Fire Monk Maximum Fire Power Shija being set ablaze by Gabimaru. Shija pins Sagiri down but backs away after she tries to use a shinobi drug she had on her. Shija asks Sagiri as to why she is trying to help Gabimaru since her job on the mission is to be only his monitor. Sagiri answers that she has come to understand that it is possible to form an understanding with others including Iwagakure. Upon hearing her answer, Shija restrains Sagiri and makes her take harmful drugs as they describe the ways of Iwagakure. Shija looks back at Gabimaru and asks why he is desperately clinging to life, to which he answers that he desires to live a normal life with his wife. Shija begs Gabimaru to revert back to his former identity as they try to explain that the purpose behind the marriage was to mask the murders committed in the past. After saying what needed to be said, Shija looks at Sagiri who begins to smile and then looks back at Gabimaru who is completely recovered after Shija confirmed to him that Yui exists. Shija is warned by Gabimaru that he will end their life if they continue to get in his way, causing them to cry with tears of joy after having heard his resolve. Shija once again clashes with Gabimaru but takes damage while he recovers. Despite the circumstance, Shija continues to enjoy their battle and uses everything they were taught by Gabimaru in the past in how to fight. After using the Fire Monk, Shija comes in to strike Gabimaru's heart, which earned them praise from the shinobi for almost succeeding in killing them if he had maintained his humanity, and is set ablaze by his Ninpō: Hibōshi Saidai Karyoku.

    Shija wishes Gabimaru luck Shija wishing Gabimaru luck on his path before passing away. Shija falls back with their body completely scorched and remembers the time they developed feelings for Gabimaru. With their last bit of strength left, Shija creates a whistle from their hair to command the Iwagakure shinobi to kill themselves in order to clear path for Gabimaru. Shija then tells him that Yui is indeed alive and has not been harmed by the chief and asks him if they were to be reborn would he fight them again, to which Gabimaru answers yes. Shija happily thanks Gabimaru and wishes him luck in his upcoming battles ahead as they die.

    Abilities and Powers

    Having been chosen to become the next potential successor to the alias, Gabimaru the Hollow, Shija was recognized by Iwagakure as its strongest shinobi. During a screening held by the shogun where criminals had to fight to the death, Shija was capable of killing every criminal on the spot.[2] As an elite shinobi, Shija had the authority over the genin and had the capabilities of leading them as well. Despite not being a Tao user, Shija was capable of holding their own against Rien, the strongest member of Lord Tensen, and managed to easily steal the Elixir of Life from her without any trouble. Among the Iwagakure shinobi who were sent to kill Gabimaru, Shija was the only one who could handle going toe-to-toe with him (albeit at a weakened state during most part due to the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's influence) and received praised from him, stating that if it were not for his regeneration abilities he would have died by their hands. Gabimaru had also stated earlier that Shija was an even bigger problem than facing Lord Tensen. Physical Abilities

    Shija's speed Shija instantly takes down the Gui Fa clones. Shija possessed speed at an inhuman level, being able to quickly take out clones of Gui Fa in a blink of an eye and instantly got behind Sagiri without her noticing and almost came close to slitting her throat if it were not for Gabimaru's order to stand down. Shija was capable of keeping up with Gabimaru's speed in a fight, despite his Tao abilities allowing him to read their movements, and was even able to bypass Sagiri's Tao sensory, who has been noted to read and react to Tao movements better than Shion. Shija's stamina and endurance was also superhuman as they were able to run on foot to Hōrai, while also keeping up with the pace of the Monshin carrying the Asaemon until nightfall. At a young age, as part of Iwagakure's training, Shija endured taking a drug that stimulated their pain receptors for three days and nights and became one of the few children to survive.

    As an Iwagakure shinobi, Shija's body was built incredibly sturdy. During their battle with Gabimaru, Shija received devastating blows but was still capable of fighting properly. Shija also admitted to having a high tolerance to pain, which they found to be troublesome for them in the past as an Iwagakure shinobi.

    Along with their speed, Shija is also inhumanly strong, able to destroy a large statue after sending Gabimaru flying with the force of a single kick. Their combat prowess was also good enough to match him while handicapped.

    Taijutsu

    Iwagakure-ryū: Kamakubi (石いわ隠がくれ流 鎌かま首くび, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Sickle-Shaped Neck): A taijutsu technique where Shija throws a strong roundhouse kick to their opponent. Ninpō: Kagiate (鉤いわ当がくれ流 鉤かぎ当あて, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Hooking Strike): A taijutsu technique used where Shija throws an open handed hook strike to their opponent. This is called Iwagakure Style: Thorn Prick in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Kibisuzume (石隠流 踵きびす爪づめ, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Heel Talon): A taijutsu technique where Shija throws a strong heel kick. The kick has demonstrated to be powerful enough to counter a sword attack from an Asaemon. Iwagakure-ryū: Katanatori (石いわ隠がくれ流 刀かたな捕とり, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Sword Capture): A taijutsu technique used against Gabimaru. This is called Iwagakure Style: Katana Hunt in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Gekishin (石いわ隠がくれ流 撃げき針しん, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Firing Pin): A taijutsu technique used against Gabimaru. Iwagakure-ryū: Kage Nui (石いわ隠がくれ流 影かげ縫めい, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Shadow Sewing): A taijutsu technique used against Gabimaru. This is called Iwagakure Style: Shadow Stitch in the Viz Manga. Iwagakure-ryū: Ōnata (石いわ隠がくれ流 大おお鉈なた, Literal meaning: Hidden in Stones Style: Broadsword): A taijutsu technique used against Gabimaru. This is called Iwagakure Style: Onata Blade in the Viz Manga. Ninjutsu

    As a shinobi, Shija was capable of using ninjutsu that range from reshaping their face, hair manipulation to releasing fire. Gabimaru even credited Shija to having a much bigger arsenal of ninjutsu than he does.

    Ninpō

    Shija using Fire Monk Ninpō: Hibōshi. Ninpō: Hibōshi (忍法 火ひ法ぼう師し, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Fire Monk): Shija sets themselves on fire by raising their body temperature to ignite the oil in their skin. Using this technique, Shija is capable of engulfing and incinerating their opponents. This is called Ninpo: Ascetic Blaze in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hi no Hashi (忍法 火ひノ橋はし, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Fire Bridge): Shija takes a deep breath and expels a large torrent of fire to ignite their target. This is called Ninpo: Pyro Bridge in the Viz Manga. Henge no Jutsu (変化の術, Literal meaning: Transformation Jutsu): Shija restructures their face to have it look identical to the person they are trying to impersonate. Ninpō: Kawarimi (忍法 忍法 変わり身, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Body Replacement): Once their opponent drops their guard, Shija instantly switches themselves with another object of the same size. To escape from Rien, Shija used this technique by quickly replacing themselves with a Iwagakure shinobi using the Transformation Jutsu to act as their body double. This is called Ninpo: Substitution in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Hige Uchimono (忍法 髭ひげ打うち物もの, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Hairforged): Shija uses their hair to shape whatever tool they wish. Ninpō: Shunte (忍法 瞬しゅ手んて, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Flashhand): Shija swiftly comes in to deliver a chop to their opponent. Ninpō: Kami Shibari (忍法 髮かみ縛しばり, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Hair Binding): Shija controls their hair to dig underground and restrain their target. This is called Ninpo: Knotted Locks in the Viz Manga. Ninpō: Harisen Hon (忍法 針千本, Literal meaning: Ninja Art: Thousand Needles): Shija controls their hair to form sharp tendrils and aims them at their target. Tactical Skills

    Shija was well-versed in the fundamental shinobi tactic of exploiting their opponent's weakness in battle through psychological warfare. Knowing that Rien's ships were carrying valuable cargo, Shija ordered the genin to burn them to have the Tensen go into a state of panic and become distracted, giving Shija openings to attack and steal the Elixir of Life right from under her. They were also clever in mixing in their mask with the Elixir of Life after Rien tried to stop the genin from taking it outside but was unable to tell which one of the two items was the elixir.

    Espionage

    Shija had skills in stealth and infiltration, capable of entering and escaping a fortress made by Hattori Hanzō's descendants that was meant to confuse shinobi spies with its maze-like layout and traps.[3] Through unknown means, Shija was somehow able to get past Rien's Tao sensory and instantly arrive at the underground floodgate in a matter of seconds after just arriving in Hōrai.[4]

36. #36Tamiya Gantetsusai

    Keys: Tamiya Gantetsusai

    KANJI 民谷 巌鉄斎 BIRTH NAME Tetsunosuke (鉄ノ助) EPITHET Blade Dragon (剣龍, Kenryū) Eight Provinces Unparalleled (八州無双, Hasshū Musō) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE November 23 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 40 HEIGHT 222 cm HAIR COLOR Black EYE COLOR Orange PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Doctor Swordsman TEAM Vanguard Party Escape Route Securing Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Tetsu Inada ENGLISH VOICE Phil Parsons STAGE PLAY Naoya Gomoto Tamiya Gantetsusai Images LESS Overview Image Gallery I'll perform feats to shake the Earth and Heavens! Then, my name will pass down through the generations and become legendary. Until they're telling bedtime stories about me! The name "Tamiya Gantetsusai" will live forever! Believe it! My image, my words! They'll paint pictures and pen tales far into the future and beyond! That is true immortality!! TAMIYA GANTETSUSAI (CHAPTER 27)

    Tamiya Gantetsusai (民たみ谷や 巌がん鉄てつ斎さい) is a renowned master swordsman known throughout as the Blade Dragon (剣けん龍りゅう, Kenryū) and Eight Provinces Unparalleled (八はっ州しゅう無む双そう, Hasshū Musō). He is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    Before receiving the death penalty for cutting down a damiyo's property, Gantetsusai became recruited to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes.

    Appearance

    Gantetsusai is a large man with dark hair split into three sections and tied in a ponytail, along with a mustache and a beard also split into three section. His wardrobe consists of a yukata along with a hakama, tied together with an obi.

    After cutting off his left hand after it was infected by the Paradise Butterflies, Fuchi helps replace it with a hook. After his battle with Tao Fa and Ju Fa, Gantetsusai received a few minor facial scars and a tsuba eyepatch from Fuchi after ripping out his left eye in order to properly sense Tao.

    Upon taking on the task of destroy the Banko's tandens, Gantetsusai procures shinobi equipment and starts wearing a headband and tasuki to hold up his sleeves. After returning to Edo to present the Elixir of Life to the shogun, Gantetsusai changes into a different robe.

    A year later, Gantetsusai chooses to remove his left hook hand and wears a doctor's robe for his business. Gallery

    Gantetsusai's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Gantetsusai's color scheme by Yūji Kaku. A close up of Gantetsusai's face prior to the Hōrai Arc. A close up of Gantetsusai's face prior to the Hōrai Arc. Gantetsusai in his youth. Gantetsusai in his youth. Gantetsusai as a young adult. Gantetsusai as a young adult. Gantetsusai after procuring shinobi equipment. Gantetsusai after procuring shinobi equipment. Gantetsusai's concept art from the anime. Gantetsusai's concept art from the anime. A close up of Gantetsusai's face after the events of the Hōrai Arc. A close up of Gantetsusai's face after the events of the Hōrai Arc. Gantetsusai in his adolescents. Gantetsusai in his adolescents. Gantetsusai's left hook hand. Gantetsusai's left hook hand. Video Games

    Gantetsusai in Tower of Saviors. Gantetsusai in Tower of Saviors. Other

    Gantetsusai in the stage play (Part 1). Gantetsusai in the stage play (Part 1). Gantetsusai in the stage play (Final Chapter). Gantetsusai in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

    Gantetsusai considers fighting to be fun and lives to seek out and battle strong opponents that can make him feel a thrill whenever he has to draw his blade. Even when critically injured, Gantetsusai carries a satisfied smile from the adrenaline he gets from fighting and feels as though he is becoming stronger with each injury. However, he is not very disciplined, preferring to recklessly fight his opponents head-on without thinking of a clear strategy, or listening to his allies, and hates it when others try to interfere with his enjoyment. Gantetsusai has also shown to be honorable as he thought it would not feel right to attack an unconscious Shugen after finding him, regardless of it being a perfect opportunity to avenge Fuchi. He is shown to be immune to intimidation, or possibly even fear, as he kept a straight face when Fuchi drew his sword towards him and when he first encountered one of the Monshin on the island, only finding it as being disturbing. However, he can be shocked when unexpecting events occur. Gantetsusai also does not bother remembering people's names and instead gives them nicknames, although he will remember the names of those who made a big impact on him.

    Gantetsusai expressing his goal Gantetsusai expressing his desire to become a legendary warrior. Gantetsusai has a massive ego and wishes to go down in history as a legendary figure. He believes that by performing extraordinary feats and people remembering his name throughout generations is the true form of immortality rather than gaining the Elixir of Life. He original thought that fighting strong opponents would guide him on this path but after arriving on the island, he believes the path lies in slaying monsters and immortal beings such as Lord Tensen, which is the reason why he allied himself with Gabimaru. His high view of himself causes him to think that even strong allies, such as Gabimaru, are beneath him and believes that he should be the one to take down the strong opponents. After Gabimaru successfully defeated one of the Dōshi, Gantetsusai jumped in to claim victory and take credit, though he was not satisfied with how the ninja took control in the end.

    Gantetsusai underestimated Gantetsusai's angry reaction after being underestimated. Gantetsusai hates being underestimated and tends to lash out in anger; the reason for his death sentence being that a daimyo did not believe that he could cut down a dragon based on his epithet, which resulted in Gantetsusai cutting down his gate which bore a dragon to prove that he was wrong. He also holds grudges, as he vowed to return to the damiyo's mansion to cut it down and wanted to kill the Butterfly Dōshi after coming under the impression (based on his appearance and control over the Paradise Butterflies) that he was the one responsible for forcing him to cut off his left hand after it became affected with Arborification from one of the butterflies. After Tōma prepared to attack Gantetsusai first (between choosing Fuchi and Mei) because of his handicap, Gantetsusai grabbed his sword and quickly grew angry after knowing that Tōma thought he would be easy to defeat.

    Gantetsusai perversion Gantetsusai's perverted nature. Gantetsusai also has a perverted side. During the tryout for the departure group of criminals to Kotaku, Gantetsusai had taken note of Yuzuriha's physique during the massacre and later commented this to Fuchi upon landing on the island.[2] He became depressed that Mei reverted back to her child body after he had hoped that he could carry her while fully grown. He also reacted with excitement upon seeing Tao Fa's exposed body as she prepared to fight against him and Fuchi. Despite his perverted behavior, Gantetsusai also has morals. He believes that a swordsman such as himself should not engage in womanizing since it was "an enemy of the sword"; the reason being that he is familiar with geishas is because he once acted as a security guard for a brothel.[3] He is shown to act polite towards young and innocent females. After Gabimaru caused Mei to feel threatened by his glare, Gantetsusai reprimanded him by splattering the ninja with Sōshin blood and took the liberty of carrying her on his shoulder as they made their way to Hōrai. He also felt disgusted of the thought of the Dōshi using her for Bōchū Jutsu to complete their Tao training.

    Gantetsusai is also loyal to his comrades and is willing to put in the effort if it is for a worthy cause. He can also show kindness and compassion, such as going out of his way to carry Mei on his shoulders for the majority of his travels and thought it might be safer for her to escape the island alone instead of waiting for the survivors to acquire the elixir. He was also willing to train Tōma after seeing his devotion to become stronger and allowed him to be with his brother instead of forcing him to stay on the survivors' side.

    While he is a battle hungry man, Gantetsusai draws the line when it comes to fighting in a warzone after his past experience on the frontlines. He believes that luck determines whether a person gets to live or die on the hellish battlefield, which he considers to be unenjoyable compared to a proper fight, and that there is nothing to be gained such as pride. After a three sided conflicted ensued in Hōrai between the survivors, the Iwagakure shinobi, and the Dōshi army, Gantetsusai made the decision to flee with Fuchi, Tōma and Chōbei instead of fighting, explaining to them that one of the only ways to survive in a war is to run rather than fight.

    Gantetsusai working Gantetsusai devoting part of his life to treating the wounded. Upon reflecting on Fuchi's understanding for the value of life after he had died to save him, Gantetsusai had underwent a major change, realizing that his desire to fight monsters was an escape from growing old and was no longer motivated to do so. Rather than jump onboard Rien's ship to fight Shugen and the Tensen, Gantetsusai solely focused his mind on slowing it down by trying to cleave it in two for the survivors to catch up and was prepared to board the other ship without a second thought, stating that he was not about to throw away the life he had been given. Gantetsusai has also learned to recognize and admit to those he thinks are stronger than him, as he told both Rien and Shugen in confidence that a certain superior man would come to take his place and defeat them. After receiving the pardon, Gantetsusai chose to live his life as both a doctor who treats people and as a swordsman who is willing to take on strong challengers.

    Gantetsusai has a habit of touching his chin underneath his yukata. Relationships

    Vanguard Party

    Yamada Asaemon Fuchi

    Gabimaru

    Gantetsusai was also a convicted criminal who joined the expedition, he encountered an injured Gabimaru my a river and asked the ninja was he ready to die, Gabimaru bowed his head and asked the Samurai to join forces, Gantetsusai then attacked Gabimaru to test his resolve, after Gabimari didn't flinch they joined forces, however due to Gantetsusai arrogance and pride, he saw it as him taking on Gabimaru as his underling, so whenever they fought together Gantetsusai was seen barking orders at Gabimaru, despite this they can fight well together and they were able to defeat the Doshi together, however Gabimau was abouts to kill both Doshi, but Gantetsusai told Gabimaru not to hog all the fun and told him that the final blow was his to take not Gabimaru.

    Aza Tōma

    Aza Chōbei

    Additional Landing Party

    Enemies

    Lord Tensen

    Dōshi

    Yamada Asaemon Shugen

    Others

    Mei

    Gantetsusai seemed to care about Mei, he put her on his shoulder to protect her and so that she could teach him Tao, Gantetsusai was angered when he heard that the Doshi were raping Mei on a regular basis and he said that he was going to puke. Gantetsusai was also protective of Mei when he scolded Gabimaru for making her cry and he told him to stop making the kid cry

    History

    Past

    At a young age, Tetsunosuke was trained in the art of swordsmanship. After being defeated by his master, Tetsunosuke asked how he was able to despite his old age, in which his master explains to Tetsunosuke that he has become greedy with wanting to become stronger and says that he must learn to throw away his strength in order to see everything in what he has left. Despite this lesson, Tetsunosuke was unable to understand what his master was telling him. As he grew up, Tetsunosuke spent his life searching for strong opponents to fight and soon renamed himself to Tamiya Gantetsusai after taking part of the name from the Ganryū's Dōjō from which he proved his worth after storming the place. Eventually he grew bored of fighting people and sought out to fight monsters instead to challenge himself. At some point he came across his first "monster", which was the "keel" (龍りゅう骨こつ, ryūkotsu) of a ship, and managed to pull off the feat of cutting it down, earning him the alias Blade Dragon (剣けん龍りゅう, Kenryū) as a result. Gantetsusai also at some point in time participated in an unknown war and learned from his experience on the battlefield.

    At some point in time, Gantetsusai was invited by a daimyo to come and work for him. Right after they got acquainted, the daimyo had doubted the fact that he could actually slay a dragon based on his epithet. After hearing his statement, Gantetsusai becomes furious and lashed out by cutting the daimyo's gate in half, which resulted in him being kicked out and being sentenced to death. Before being sentenced to death, Gantetsusai was given a chance to be pardon of his crimes if he were to acquire the Elixir of Life for the shogun on an island.

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc After being gathered together with a group of criminals in Edo, they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island. Gantetsusai survived and left with his Asaemon, Yamada Asaemon Fuchi.[4]

    Gantetsusai encounters a Monshin Gantetsusai encounters a Monshin. After arriving on the island and explaining how he got sentenced to death to Fuchi, Gantetsusai tells him his plan of taking down the noteworthy criminals while searching for the elixir. He finds a butterfly on his left hand and notices that it has a face. Remembering what happened to the guard that returned from the island, Gantetsusai cuts off his hand and is approached by strange looking insects. After becoming excited about going into battle, he spots a large monster from behind and becomes disturbed. He later kills the monster and proceeds to traveling.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Gabimaru allying with Gantetsusai and Fuchi Gantetsusai and Fuchi forming an alliance with Gabimaru. While traveling in Hōrai, the two approach Gabimaru who is badly injured from his fight with Zhu Jin. Gantetsusai smiles seeing Gabimaru's predicament and asked if he felt like dying. The two criminals then predict each other’s movements before making any attempt to attack. Fuchi stops them from this exchange, believing that it was pointless and wanted to extract information from Gabimaru. Gabimaru requested teaming up with them, causing Gantetsusai to draw his sword to see whether he was trying to trick. He became disappointed with Gabimaru for acting weak in front of him. The ninja then told them of his experience on the island. After hearing him, Gantetsusai was shocked to hear that someone like Lord Tensen existed and was convinced into teaming up with him. Fuchi asked if he was making a good decision since Gabimaru was also seeking the pardon. Gantetsusai says that he had no interest in the pardon and only seek to become a legendary figure. Having taken interest in Lord Tensen, the two teamed up with Gabimaru. Gabimaru then notes to the group that Mei has grown up after awaking. After Gabimaru asked her what the power was she used to save him, Mei tells them that she uses Tao but confuses them with her odd explanation. The group are then approached by a crowd of Sōshin. Gantetsusai attacks and asked Mei to teach him Tao after becoming interested in it.

    Gantetsusai asks Mei if he was making any progress in using Tao as he continues to slash away at the Sōshin. Mei shakes her head saying no because of how he is using too much of his strength. Seeing Gabimaru doing the same, Gantetsusai asked her if he was getting anywhere as well. Mei says that he is also using too much of his strength. After making Mei cry, Gantetsusai slashes a Sōshin and splatters its blood on Gabimaru, stating that he will never be liked by females. Gabimaru remarks that he had no problem with this since he was already married, shocking both Gantetsusai and Fuchi though the former states that that was not what he meant by. The ninja then asked if he was also married which Gantetsusai answered saying that he had multiple wives. He then blocks a surprise kick from a Dōshi who manages to retrieve Mei off his shoulders. He hears that the Dōshi tells them that Mei is similar to Lord Tensen and is in need of her assistants in Hōrai. After Gabimaru comes to her side and decides to protect her, the Dōshi prepares to fight alongside another Dōshi with the appearance of a butterfly. Gantetsusai sees the Dōshi and states that he was in a killing mood.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai vs Centipede and Butterfly Doshi Gantetsusai and Gabimaru confronted by two Dōshi. After summoning a swarm of butterflies Gantetsusai quickly leaps in and cuts them down. He then states that he seeks revenge on the Butterfly Dōshi for causing him to lose his left hand. As he was about to attack, the Centipede Dōshi hits Gantetsusai with an invisible attack and perceives this as Tao. Gabimaru and Gantetsusai fight off the Dōshi's attack but end up attacking each other. He then complains to Gabimaru to not get in his way. Gabimaru asked the Dōshi why they wanted Mei, to which they answer saying that she is a part of their training in terms of Bochu Jutsu where they perform sexual congress. Gantetsusai becomes confused and asked Fuchi what it meant. Fuchi answers saying that it meant sexual intercourse which Gantetsusai becomes disgusted by and makes a joke suggesting a woman he is familiar with. Continuing to listen to the Dōshi's explanation of Mei, Gantetsusai becomes furious and tells Gabimaru that he will kill the two Dōshis. However, he is surprised to see the ninja angry as well. The two then stand together ready to face the transformed Dōshis.

    Gabimaru and Gantetsusai kill the Doshi Gantetsusai and Gabimaru defeat the Dōshi. Gantetsusai swings his sword at the Butterfly Dōshi and dodges a swarm of butterflies coming his way. He then becomes dizzy after breathing in the powder from the scales and asks for Gabimaru's assistant who is busy fighting the Centipede Dōshi. After Gantetsusai warns him that the butterflies are dangerous, Gabimaru expels out a large torrent of fire to ignite the swarm coming towards him. He then hears Fuchi yell out to Gabimaru that in order to learn Tao he must accept both strength and weakness. After Mei briefly helps him unlock his Tao, Gantetsusai watches as Gabimaru manages to see through the Dōshi's invisible attacks and comments on how his ninja training helped him understand Tao quickly. He is then shocked to see him dispel the Centipede Dōshi's transformation. Wanting to become the victor in the battle, Gantetsusai jumps in to finish off the Dōshi. Gabimaru jumps back and allow Gantetsusai to kill the Centipede Dōshi while he kills the Butterfly Dōshi, though the swordsman states that he is not happy with the outcome. Once the battle was over Fuchi suggests using Mei as a source of information, but Gantetsusai recommends returning her home. Since Gabimaru was indebted to her he was willing to do whatever she requested of him. However, before she could make up her mind, the group sees Gabimaru bleed from his nose and faints.

    The group travels halfway up the valley with Gantetsusai carrying Gabimaru's body. They stop to rest at a cave and sees that Gabimaru has woken up. He then demands that Gabimaru light up the campfire to warm himself. The group then goes over everything they know about Tao and how they can use it to defeat Lord Tensen. During the end of the discussion, Gantetsusai falls asleep.

    The next day, the four travel up the cliff and stumble into Aza Chōbei and Tōma. Gantetsusai becomes thrilled with Chōbei suddenly making an attack towards Gabimaru but becomes disappointed once Gabimaru ends the fight quickly by snapping Chōbei's neck. However, the bandit survives and battles Gabimaru. Gantetsusai watches as Gabimaru fights Chōbei, commenting on how he is fighting ugly using his teeth to bite away at Chōbei's vitals. He then asked Mei the reason for his change but is unable to understand here explanation. Tōma is order by Chōbei to attack the others and goes after Gantetsusai first. However, Gantetsusai catches his sword and becomes angry knowing that Tōma came at him first because he lost his hand. He grabs and headbutts Tōma and tells him to pick up his sword to get ready to fight him.

    Gantetsusai vs Toma Gantetsusai fights Tōma. Gantetsusai punches Tōma and criticizes him for his lack of fighting experience by relying on his brother. He listens to Tōma as he explains his hatred for people teaming up and that he is simply an extension of his brother. Gantetsusai notices Tōma adjusting the grip on his blade and comments his way of thinking was ridiculous. He then becomes one of the few witnessing Gabimaru fighting a transformed Chōbei to the death. Gantetsusai wonders why he wasn't using Tao and was willing to risk his life. He then panics as Mei runs into the battlefield but is shocked seeing her create a massive crater to end the fight. Gantetsusai and Fuchi wonders if this was another use of Tao. The two are then shock as they turn around to see her fully matured. Fuchi suggests a quick dissection for answers but Gantetsusai found him to be ridiculous and wishes that they had some answers to the mysterious events that had occur. He later gives Mei his robe for coverage and carries an unconscious Gabimaru.

    The remaining survivors The remaining survivors of the mission come together. After finally reaching the Hōrai gate, the group are met by Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, Yamada Asaemon Shion, Yuzuriha, Nurugai, and Hōko. Hōko gives his gratitude for keeping Mei save and asks if they traveled from the Sōshin nest. Gantetsusai answers that they did and managed to kill the Sōshin. Once they were all gathered together, Gantetsusai comments on Shion being filled with regret that are only a few survivors, saying that it was wasted since the criminals were planning to kill each other from the start and realizes that he was hoping that his clan members were all alive to return home. He then looks towards Tōma since he is a traitor and offers to get rid of him but is stopped by Sagiri stating that he was not a threat to them. Yuzuriha draws their attention towards Gabimaru's critical condition and suggest that they treat him. He then wakes up and makes everyone around him realize that he has lost his memories. Gantetsusai watches as Sagiri tries to help restore Gabimaru's Tao by force and wonders if what they were doing was Bochu Jutsu.

    Gabimaru training Gantetsusai, Shion, Tōma, and Nurugai sparring with Gabimaru. The group relocates to a cave Gantetsusai picked out. Shion says that they must be cautious of Lord Tensen being able to sense their presence, causing Gantetsusai to reply that he was acting cowardly. He then receives criticism from Yuzuriha and Nurugai from their experience with fighting Mu Dan. After Yuzuriha reveals to Gabimaru the possibility of his wife being an illusion due to certain circumstances, Gantetsusai and the rest listens to Gabimaru's confidence that she is real. Gantetsusai likes his attitude and finds it ideal for the position as his right-hand man. He is later called out, along with Shion, Tōma, and Nurugai, by Gabimaru who requests that they help him train. Gantetsusai agrees but refuses to act as his training dummy. After Gabimaru avoids Tōma's attack, Gantetsusai comes in to make his attack. Gabimaru dodges and kicks Gantetsusai in his weaken Tao area around his chest, causing him to feel discomfort. He then starts to become serious with fighting Gabimaru and comes in to strike him in the face.

    The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. Later, after the four are finish sparring, Gantetsusai is asked by Tōma to teach him how to wield a sword. Gantetsusai is reluctant to fulfill his request, however, after seeing his resolve by cutting his hair, Gantetsusai agrees to teach him and walks over to a private place where they can begin training. Later, Gantetsusai sees that Mei has reverted back to her child body and expresses his disappointment. He then complains about Gabimaru taking charge of the group after discussing with Shion about the group's next plan of action. Before they could move on, Mei warns everyone that she senses strong Tao coming from either a person or a group that has just arrived on the island. Shion and Fuchi believes that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon who were sent as reinforcements, along with another group of criminals. While Sagiri stated that Shugen will provide help for them, Shion reveals Shugen's infamous story of how he executed the Silver Serpent yakuza group along with their families since they were connected to criminals, giving proof that Shugen will not cooperate with the group. Moving on, Shion presents his plan of splitting everyone into two teams where one finds the Tan elixir and the other finds an escape route off the island. He explains his strategy of defeating Lord Tensen by using their Tao attributes to hinder each member. After Yuzuriha suggests another option of leaving the island and go into hiding, Shion gives everyone the decision of working separately or working together on completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion's plan. Knowing that only one criminal can receive the pardon, Gantetsusai speculates that the assigned criminals would have to fight for it.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc Using the information Mei provided, the group strategies on how to escape the island by using the ships located within Hōrai and learns that the elixir is located in Rien's laboratory. Shion then pulls Gabimaru and Yuzuriha over to have them instruct the group in terms of espionage using Tao. While Yuzuriha teaches her lesson on masking one's presence using Tao, Gantetsusai loses focus after becoming distracted by Yuzuriha's rear, resulting in him being whacked by her. Gabimaru then teaches the group on how to use Tao physical and starts them off by having them practice dislocating their necks, joints, and stopping their hearts, but is yelled at by Gantetsusai, Shion, and Tōma that it would be impossible for them. After the lessons were over, Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Nurugai become heavily exhausted. Gantetsusai then becomes angry after being mocked by Tōma for being able to handle the Tao lessons and challenges him to a fight. He is then placed in the Escape Route Securing Team along with Shion, Nurugai, Fuchi, Mei and Tōma. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the Elixir Retrieval Team since she wishes to leave the island. However, after Mei confesses that she wants to reunite with Rien and Jofuku to ask them why they underwent a major change in the past before leaving, Gabimaru promises to fulfill her wish.

    Bochu Palace Trap Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Tōma encounters Ju Fa and Tao Fa. After reviewing their strategy to infiltrate the palace, the group decides to make their move tonight. The Elixir Retrieval Team sneaks into the palace and signals the Escape Route Securing Team that it is okay to enter. The team advances into the palace but are met by a sudden mist that causes Gantetsusai, Fuchi and Tōma to get separated from Shion and Nurugai. The three then encounter Ju Fa, Tao Fa, and Aza Chōbei in the Bōchū Palace who plan to offer them as sacrifices to their master. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.

    Gantetsusai and Fuchi vs Tao Fa Gantetsusai and Fuchi fighting Tao Fa. Upon reuniting with his brother, Gantetsusai and Fuchi allows Tōma to be by his side. After walking upstairs to join him, the brothers attack Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Gantetsusai and Fuchi then become shocked to see Tao Fa back on her feet regenerating near them. After removing her robes to get ready to fight the two, Gantetsusai and Fuchi gives compliments about her exposed body. She then dashes towards Gantetsusai first and sends him crashing to a pillar with increased strength. Gantetsusai gets up from his injury and becomes excited to know that he can fight someone like her. He and Fuchi fight Tao Fa but are unable to counter against her Tao abilities. She suggests that they give up, however, Gantetsusai refuses and speculates that she is having fun with their battle since she and Lord Tensen have a history of toying with humans. However, he listens to Tao Fa's depression on how she and Lord Tensen have been struggling to gain immortal bodies and falls done after receiving her next attack. Gantetsusai, along with Fuchi, gets up with full excitement with their ambitions in mind. He runs to Tao Fa and suddenly senses something coming towards his way and dodges, shocking Tao Fa. With no time to react, Tao Fa is slashed from the top by Gantetsusai.

    Tao Fa's tanden destroyed Gantetsusai cuts Tao Fa's tanden. Gantetsusai believes that he is able to sense Tao, however, Tao Fa disagrees and sends him back with another attack. Fuchi jumps in to fight Tao Fa himself while asking Gantetsusai to observe so he can perceive Tao further. Although he is not able to see Tao Fa's next move, Gantetsusai feels that Fuchi is in trouble. After remembering what Shion said about using his senses in order to perceive Tao, and the accidental blood blinding him in his right eye, Gantetsusai gouges out his left eye to not rely on his sight. He then gains the ability to sense Tao and manages to grab Fuchi out of the way of Tao Fa's Tao projectiles, becoming excited as a result of getting stronger. Gantetsusai continuous to cut Tao Fa limb from limb but is not able to stop her from regenerating due to not having the right attribute. Since he has Metal Tao, Fuchi grabs Tao Fa from behind to hinder her Tao and tells Gantetsusai to cut her tanden. Remembering his master’s words, Gantetsusai uses his Tao sensory ability to not harm Fuchi as well. He then successfully destroys Tao Fa's tanden.

    Gantetsusai, Fuchi, Chobei, and Toma work together Gantetsusai and Fuchi team up with Chōbei and Tōma. After delivering the final strike to Tao Fa, Gantetsusai and Fuchi watch as she transforms and reaches to Ju Fa. The two then fuse together to transform into their Kishikai state. The monster then releases a loud scream causing pain to Gantetsusai and Fuchi's ears and flies up after Chōbei attempts to attack. Gantetsusai mocks the bandit and is then told by Fuchi that he needs to apply first aid to his injuries. Gantetsusai refuses and says that his only focus is to slay the monster. He then starts to laugh uncontrollably from the spores the monster scatters in the air. Fuchi helps by removing the spore from his neck and the two watch as Chōbei fights the monster. After he is quickly defeated by the monster, Fuchi suggests that the four of them team up to defeat Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Instead of agreeing to his recommendation, Gantetsusai and Chōbei exchange insults but are reminded by Fuchi that their enemy is the monster in front of them and they can focus on fighting each other later. The four then ultimately decide to work together.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Gantetsusai and the others defeat Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Gantetsusai is told by Tōma that he has to follow his brother’s orders but refuses, saying that he will be the one to defeat the monster. Chōbei fends off the vines attacking them while Tōma and Fuchi attack Tao Fa. Gantetsusai jumps in to attack but fails as the monster flees out to the air. Chōbei warns them that the monsters form has changed and that they need to cut both tandens. Gantetsusai is then told by Chōbei to par up with him to kill Ju Fa while Tōma and Fuchi handle killing Tao Fa. Gantetsusai is reluctant to follow his orders but is persuaded after Chōbei compliments his abilities. The four then fight off the monster’s attacks. Gantetsusai rushes in to cut away the monster’s vines and give Fuchi and Tōma an opening to attack. He then dives into the pool and gets under the monster to cut Ju Fa and Tao Fa in half. Chōbei and Fuchi then attack the two Tensen's tandens, reducing them to a weakened state. As Tao Fa slowly starts to die, Chōbei pours Water Tao from a bottle he had to stop them from regenerating. Gantetsusai comes in to cut the Tensen in half, making Chōbei think that he was showing mercy. Gantetsusai explains that he wanted to be the one to kill them but also thinks about Tao Fa's past statement during their battle. He then places a peach from Tao Fa's corpse next to Ju Fa and thanks her for the "fun".

    Once the battle ended, Gantetsusai receives Fuchi's tsuba from his sword as an eyepatch to treat his left eye and recovers. As the four start to discuss matters going forward, the palace begins to shake from the breach in the walls caused by the Monshin. They are then approached by Iwagakure shinobi from the second landing party and an army of Dōshi and enter into a three-way conflict. Seeing as how the area has turned into a war zone, Gantetsusai yells out that they needed to retreat.

    Gantetsusai and Shugen clash Gantetsusai clashes with Shugen. Gantetsusai and Fuchi separate from the Aza Brothers for time being and makes their way in trying to secure an escape route. However, Yamada Asaemon Shugen appears and becomes furious to see that Fuchi has allowed Gantetsusai's hands to be unbind. Fuchi tries to explain the situation to Shugen but only manages to anger the Asaemon after he notices that his tsuba is being used as Gantetsusai's eyepatch. Gantetsusai becomes displeased with Shugen in his talk with Fuchi thinking that he will be executed and tells him that his abilities as an executioner is no match against swordsman that has gone into battle such as himself. He then clashes swords with Shugen and analyses that his size will give him the advantage since Shugen will be knocked back with each clash. However, he finds himself overpowered as Shugen unleashes his ability to imitate Yamada Asaemon Genji's strength and Yamada Asaemon Kishō's calm mind. Gantetsusai receives many cuts to his body and falls on his knees as he loses stamina. Fuchi comes in to block Shugen's next attack and tries to convince Shugen that Gantetsusai is not a bad person but is ultimately cut down by him, causing Gantetsusai to become shock that Shugen would kill one of his own comrades. Before he could come in to deliver his final attack on Gantetsusai, Shugen's attention is drawn to the sudden explosion of the Main Palace casued by Zhu Jin who has fused with the Banko. As a result, the palace becomes blanketed with flowers including Gantetsusai's and Fuchi's unconscious bodies, much to Shugen's wonder.

    Gantetsusai carries Fuchi Gantetsusai distraught over Fuchi's death. After Iwagakure shinobi arrive to warn Shugen that Rien is preparing to set sail off to Japan and presents him the captured Elixir of Life, Shugen rushes to the floodgates and orders the shinobi to uncover their bodies and confirm their status. One of the shinobi reveals themselves to be Shija in disguise and throws two kunai to make sure that the two are dead as they make their way to confront Gabimaru. Shortly after, Gantetsusai wakes up fully recovered and finds Fuchi lying dead in front of him, causing him to cry out his name after realizing that he sacrificed himself to save his life. Gantetsusai becomes furious with the turn of events and carries Fuchi's body.

    At the Rentan Palace, Gantetsusai reunites with Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Mei who try to get Yamada Asaemon Isuzu to join forces with them. Gantetsusai objects to this after what had happen to Fuchi but chooses to not disclose the details. After giving Fuchi's body a burial, Gantetsusai lashes out his anger on Isuzu since she is sided with the enemy. He then sees her about to commit seppuku in order to hold herself accountable for her comrades deaths and happily offers to serve as kaishakunin, much to Sagiri and Yuzuriha's dismay. However, after the arrival of all the survivors, everyone decided that they needed to concentrate on destroying the Zhu Jin-fused Banko in order to proceed to the floodgates. Knowing that the Banko can only be brought down by destroying its five tandens, everyone split up into pairs based on the Tao restoration cycle; with Gantetsusai pairing up with Jikka since his Fire Tao can strengthen Earth.

    After the two arrive at the main body holding the Water Tao, Gantetsusai prepares himself for the signal to initiate the coordinated attack with Jikka. Despite his readiness, Gantetsusai sees Jikka relaxing on the ground who explains that they will know when the timing is right to take down the main body based on his judgment on the roots connected to the tandens. Gantetsusai then becomes suspicious of Jikka after he hints at a scheme he setup.

    Gantetsusai and Jikka vs Banko Gantetsusai and Jikka prepare to take down the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Later, Gantetsusai is alarmed by Jikka that their time has come to take down the main body but warns him that the time they spent waiting allowed the Zhu Jin-fused Banko to take on another transformation after the day almost becomes morning. Jikka lets Gantetsusai know that he can handle the task, strips down to his loincloth for spiritual concentration, and asks Gantetsusai for his sword. As the monster reacts to their presence, Gantetsusai tells him that a sword may not be able to take it down but agrees to cooperate. Gantetsusai watches as Jikka avoids the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's branches and becomes shocked after the Asaemon manages to decapitate the monster's head. After recalling the time he saw Fuchi allow the Dōshi the Aza brothers enslaved to roam free, Gantetsusai reaches out to a baby clone Zhu Jin created from the monster and tells himself that he no longer feels the urge to defeat monsters. Before Jikka could cut the tanden, Gantetsusai warns Jikka that since Chōbei's and Gabimaru's Tao are connected to the monster they may be affected if the tanden is destroyed. Despite the warning, Jikka proceeds to cut the tanden. Though they followed through with the plan, Gantetsusai and Jikka become shock to see the Zhu Jin-fused Banko rising back up. Gantetsusai tells Jikka that it is because of the morning sun replenishing its Tao, as warned by Mei earlier, and that he has to make another attempt at cutting it down. However, with the help of Aza Chōbei, Gantetsusai and Jikka witness the monster being destroyed after the bandit destroys its regeneration link to the tandens. Gantetsusai then looks at the infant clone of Zhu Jin decaying in his arms as a result.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc Gantetsusai in the floodgates Gantetsusai rushes towards Rien's ship before it leaves the floodgates. After mostly everyone arrives at the entrance to the floodgates, Gantetsusai hears the sound of Rien's burning ship departing and decides to move on ahead of everyone before it leaves Kotaku. He manages to make it aboard the burning ship and later finds Shugen on deck lying on the floor badly injured with his right arm severed, figuring that the Tensen was responsible. After Shugen wakes up, Gantetsusai prepares to bring his sword down to avenge Fuchi but is managed to be intercepted by the Asaemon. Gantetsusai tells Shugen that its pointless for him to fight back since he can no longer wield his sword properly but is told by the Asaemon that he can not give up due to his pride as a samurai, much to Gantetsusai's anger. Gantetsusai lashes out at Shugen for his statement, saying that his pride as a samurai is what caused him to kill Fuchi. He then turns his back on Shugen, calls him pathetic, and states that he does not care if he burns to death. Before leaving, Gantetsusai turns around to see Shugen cauterizing his severed arm with his blade caught on fire and doing practice swings. He then becomes shock to see that Shugen has quickly learned how to wield his sword with his left arm and receives a lecture from him about a samurai's sense of duty. Gantetsusai prepares to fight Shugen again but suddenly senses something off about him.

    Rien's ship damaged Gantetsusai slashes Rien's ship. The two once again clash swords, however, after he notices Shugen using Fuchi's movements, while looking back on how the deceased Asaemon saved his life, Gantetsusai remembers as to why he came on the ship and that it was not to fight Shugen. After letting Shugen in on how he came to be known as the Blade Dragon, Gantetsusai smiles as he brings his sword down and slashes the ship. As a result, Gantetsusai's wounds open up and notices that his attack wasn't enough to split the ship in half but believes that another attempt would. The two men are then confronted by Rien, who becomes angry with Gantetsusai. Though he wasn't able to completely destroy the ship, Gantetsusai says that he has done his job of slowing them down as the survivors' ship pulls up next to Rien's. Not wanting to waste the life he has been gifted, Gantetsusai decides to leave and warns Shugen and Rien that someone stronger than him will come to defeat them in his place. He then becomes glad to see Gabimaru on the other ship and receives praise from the ninja for the work he has done.

    The survivors join Gabimaru as he confronts Rien. Having exhausted his strength, Gantetsusai asks to sit it out but is yelled at by Nurugai to cooperate. After the battle commences, Gantetsusai cuts Rien's arm to free Nurugai and coordinates his next attack with Gabimaru to slice Rien in half, giving Sagiri and Shion the opportunity to bisect Rien to destroy her tanden. However, the events were revealed to be a Tao illusion created by Rien, which caused Gantetsusai and his allies to fall unconscious in the real world. Gantetsusai's unconscious body is then carried by Shion and Nurugai to the other ship while Gabimaru, Sagiri, and Shugen handle fighting Rien. Shortly after the Tensen allows herself to be defeated, Gantetsusai regains consciousness and sails off with the others to Edo.

    While sailing off, Gantetsusai, Gabimaru, and Yuzuriha are reminded that only one of them can return with the retrieved Elixir of Life and receive the pardon. After Sagiri confesses her attachment to them, despite being criminals, Yuzuriha says that she does not blame her for not having a solution, since she does not view herself as being a villain, but makes fun of Gantetsusai and the others for being evil, which leads up to a comedic conversation. Upon the topic of being evil is targeted at Gabimaru and his wife by Gantetsusai and Yuzuriha, Gantetsusai and the others react in shock after they witness Gabimaru react in laughter about the silly idea of his wife being a villain. Gantetsusai comments on how he is getting tired of hearing his wife coming up frequently and tries to ignore Gabimaru's explanation about Yui with the others. Later, Gabimaru and Yuzuriha decide that Gantetsusai should be the one to receive the pardon while they go their separates and have Jikka make a false report about their deaths.

    Gantetsusai receiving the pardon Gantetsusai receiving the pardon as the "sole" surviving criminal. After ten days passed since returning to Edo, Gantetsusai presents himself to the shogun as the only criminal to make it out alive from the island after retrieving the Elixir of Life. Having receiving the pardon, Gantetsusai is set free and is exonerated for his crime.

    Epilogue

    After a year passed since receiving the pardon, Gantetsusai earned a high reputation as the "Deadly Bone Setter" after opening up a dōjō dedicated towards medicine and swordsmanship. Despite the dōjō also focusing on medicine, Gantetsusai finds himself receiving more challengers than patients.

    At some point after finishing up with a patient free of charge, Gantetsusai is visited by a challenger at the door but yells at him to quiet himself.

    Abilities and Powers

    Gantetsusai is a powerful swordsman who is widely known in Japan, having been recognized by a daimyo who offered him a position to work for him. He was qualified enough to partake in the shogun's mission to acquire the Elixir of Life after surviving a massacre full of death row criminals while his hands were restrained. After his arrival on Kotaku, Gantetsusai was capable of cutting down a Monshin, a feat Rien noted to be anything but ordinary for a human and became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer, reach Hōrai where Lord Tensen previously resided, and successfully escape. During the raid in Hōrai, Gantetsusai was able to last long enough to bring down Tao Fa, a Tensen-level Sennin, as well as help defeat the combined Kishikai of Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Physical Abilities

    Gantetsusai swinging a man Gantetsusai swinging a man by the legs. Gantetsusai possesses impressive physical strength, capable of lifting and swinging around a man by the legs with one hand to fight back against other opponents. He was able to easily defend himself against Tōma's sword attack by catching his weapon by the blade and easily fought him barehanded with little effort. He is also extremely fast and has quick reflexes. He was able to quickly dash forward to cut a horde of Sōshin and block an oncoming kick from a Dōshi. He was also fast enough to dodge a swarm of Paradise Butterflies.

    Gantetsusai has shown to have immense endurance and a high tolerance to pain. After having his left hand infected by one of the Paradise Butterflies, Gantetsusai did not hesitate to cut it off and did not show any signs of pain afterwards. During his battle with Tao Fa, Gantetsusai endured taking on physically enhanced attacks, Tao attacks that causes major damage from within his body and ripping out his left eye to sense Tao. Even though Fuchi noted that he had lost too much blood and received multiple critical injuries internal and externally, Gantetsusai was still able to stand on his feet and continue fighting Ju Fa and Tao Fa in their Kishikai, taking on slashing and piercing vine attacks to give his allies an opening.

    Kenjutsu

    Gantetsusai destroys daimyo's gate Gantetsusai cuts a gate in half with one sword swing. Gantetsusai has powerful mastery of swordplay. Even before he had to cut off his left hand, Gantetsusai's high level skills with his sword allows him to fight with one hand (though he tends to swing his sword as if he is using both hands). He was capable of decapitating a massive creature known as a Monshin. He was also able to cleanly slice through multiple Sōshin with a single swing of his sword and completely bisect a Dōshi. An impressive testament to his skills as a swordsman is that Gantetsusai can create air compressed slashes that can slice through a large gate in half and the giant bulb body of Ju Fa and Tao Fa's Kishikai. Gantetsusai has also shown great precision in his swordsmanship, being able to swiftly cut multiple Paradise Butterflies in an instant.

    By using the sensation of Tao with his swordsmanship, Gantetsusai can perform delicate swordplay that only highly skilled swordsmen such as the Asaemon can use, being able to cut Tao Fa's tanden with "Neck Flap" precision in order to not harm Fuchi holding her from behind.

    Techniques

    Monpigiri (門もん扉ぴ斬ぎり, Literal meaning: Gate Slash): Gantetsusai swings his sword to create a powerful slash attack that is capable of slicing through an entire gate in half. Mujigen-ryū Chōhissatsu Waza: Karatakewari (無む慈じ眼げん流りゅう　超ちょう必ひっ殺さつ技わざ 空から岳たけ割わり, Literal meaning: Ruthless Eye Style Ultra Certain-Kill Technique: Vacuum Mountain Splitting): Gantetsusai makes a diagonal slash to his opponent that is strong enough to cleave them in two. Tao

    Further information: Tao Gantetsusai senses Tao Gantetsusai dodging Tao Fa's Tao projectiles. Gantetsusai possesses Fire-attribute Tao and managed to awaken his ability to sense Tao after blinding himself during his battle with Tao Fa. With it, he was able to sense Tao Fa's Tao projectiles and dodged them with quick succession. He was also able to use the sensation to target Tao Fa's tanden without harming Fuchi from behind her.

    Intelligence

    After choosing to become a doctor after escaping the island, it can be presumed that Gantetsusai managed to acquire some degree of medical knowledge.

    Weapons

    Gantetsusai's sword Gantetsusai wielding his sword. Gantetsusai wields a sword that is rather befitting for someone of his large stature.

37. #37Tao Fa

    Keys: Tao Fa

    KANJI 桃花 PINYIN Táo Huā ALIAS Ratona Taisei (ラトナ大聖, Pinyin: Ratna Dàshèng, Literal meaning: Great Sage Ratna, Viz: Sagacious Dasheng Ratna) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Tensen BIRTHDATE September 1 BIRTHPLACE Kotaku GENDER Male Female Male/Female (Maintains the female gender) AGE 1000+ (Chronologically) HEIGHT 173 - 185 cm HAIR COLOR Pink EYE COLOR Gold PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ) ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood RELATIVES Rien (Progenitor) † Gui Fa (Ramet) Ju Fa (Ramet/Other Half) † Mei (Ramet) Mu Dan (Ramet) † Ran (Ramet) † Zhu Jin (Ramet) † CLASS Sennin OCCUPATION Partial Ruler of Kotaku RANK Tensen AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 16 ANIME DEBUT Episode 6 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Yūko Kaida (Yin form) Junichi Suwabe (Yang form) ENGLISH VOICE Michelle Rojas (Yin form) Ian Sinclair (Yang form) STAGE PLAY Tatemichi Riona Tao Fa Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Fun, you say? No. Not at all. All this time, we've trained in pursuit of immortality. We lure humans here and subsist on them. Over and over and over and over and over, for a thousand years. And yet after all that we still haven't achieved perfect immortal bodies. Mu Dan realized it. Ju Fa too. I think we all have. If I stop smiling, I'll probably lose it for real! Or maybe I only smile cuz I'm already insane? But no, it's not fun. TAO FA (CHAPTER 73)

    Tao Fa (桃タオ花ファ, Pinyin: Táo Huā) was a Tensen-class Sennin affiliated with Lord Tensen, being the member, alongside her partner Ju Fa, who specialized in the mystic art of Bōchū Jutsu, and a partial ruler of Kotaku who went by the moniker Ratona Taisei (ラトナ大たい聖せい, Pinyin: Ratna Dàshèng, Literal meaning: Great Sage Ratna). She is a major antagonist of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

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    Tao Fa was of average height, with short, pink flower petal hair that formed a flower at the top of her head, golden colored eyes, and possessed either a slender, feminine build when assuming their Yin female body or a well-toned, muscular body when assuming their Yang male body. She wore a pink hanfu with two ribbons, a black robe underneath, a beaded necklace with a golden peach amulet, a white hakama tied with a yellow obi, and black boots. Underneath her layer of clothing, Tao Fa wore a silk bikini top and a skirt.

    In her and Ju Fa's Kishikai state, their bodies melded together to create a large, bulb shaped body, resembling somewhat like a heart, formed from their Yin and Yang bodies, with unusually shaped petals acting as feathers/wings, and vines protruding from the bottom as tails. The head of the Kishikai possessed four faces, two from the right being Tao Fa's Yin and Yang faces while the left being Ju Fa's. Upon switching to their defensive form, the body releases multiple spore vines and their faces switch places. In Fuchi's opinion, the appearance of Tao Fa and Ju Fa's Kishikai was the embodiment of "love". Gallery

    Tao Fa's color scheme. Tao Fa's color scheme. Tao Fa's full appearance. Tao Fa's full appearance. Tao Fa wearing a swimsuit. Tao Fa wearing a swimsuit. Tao Fa as a child. Tao Fa as a child. Tao Fa as she appeared 800 years ago. Tao Fa as she appeared 800 years ago. Tao Fa's concept art from the anime. Tao Fa's concept art from the anime. Tao Fa after removing her robes. Tao Fa after removing her robes. Tao Fa as an infant. Tao Fa as an infant. Tao Fa and Ju Fa's combined faces in their Kishikai. Tao Fa and Ju Fa's combined faces in their Kishikai.

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    Tao Fa's cheerfulness Tao Fa's cheerful demeanor. Tao Fa was outwardly cheerful and friendly, as she was rarely ever seen in a bad mood, which was a stark contrast to her partner Ju Fa. Even after Chōbei's betrayal where the human cooperated with his brother to attack and slice off her head, Tao Fa did not express any anger towards him for his actions but rather disappointment for thinking that they had formed a friendship. Her demeanor also applied to humans as well, or at least ones that were willing to cooperate with Lord Tensen's plans such as Chōbei. However, she still carried the same view of using them as tools to create Tan and showed no signs of remorse towards them.

    Tao Fa flirtatious personality Tao Fa flirting with Chōbei and Tōma. Because she specialized in Bōchū Jutsu, Tao Fa was quite vulgar and often liked to flirt with others. After meeting with Chōbei and Tōma for the first time, Tao Fa asked if they wanted to join her and Ju Fa in Bōchū Jutsu and offered herself to Fuchi despite him being her enemy, seductively stating that she was willing to show him anything he wanted to see, whether it was her organs that Fuchi was only interested in. She also had a preference as to who she found attractive. During their encounter, Tao Fa took a liking to Fuchi because she thought that he looked cute, while brushing off Gantetsusai because of his old age and felt disgusted when he expressed his perverted behavior towards her body.

    Tao Fa not smiling Tao Fa losing her smile after Gantetsusai's offensive comment about Lord Tensen. While presented as a cheerful individual on the surface, it was later revealed and admitted by Tao Fa herself that this was only a coping mechanism for her to painfully endure Lord Tensen's 1,000 year struggle to gain true immortality. On the other hand, Tao Fa also gave speculation that her behavior in general was a sign that she was already mentally unstable. In the past, Tao Fa felt sorry for the Hōko and didn't like the idea of using them as tools to replenish their Tao. However, after the Hōko were on the verge of extinction, and realizing that Lord Tensen's training would be all for not if they died, Tao Fa no longer felt any sympathy for the Hōko or anything living as long as it meant that Lord Tensen would be finished with their pursuit for immortality. This was proven when she used one of the Hōko's corpses as bait to lure in humans from the mainland as new sources of Tao, an action that gave birth to her constant smiling. After Gantetsusai commented on how Lord Tensen enjoyed "toying" with humans, Tao Fa immediately lost her smile from Gantetsusai's misunderstanding remark and expressed her grief.

    Tao Fa had stated that they preferred the female gender because of their liking to their appearance. As such, they also acted feminine on top of their appearance.

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    Lord Tensen

    Ju Fa

    Mu Dan

    Enemies

    Vanguard Party

    History

    Past

    1,000 years ago on Kotaku, Tao Fa and the other Tensens were unknowingly born from the Tao of a single Tao puppet created by Rien as part of her and Jofuku's research in discovering the secrets to immortality. Upon her and Ju Fa's birth, Rien stated that the two were special in that they are in fact two of a whole. As a child, Tao Fa feared the Sōshin and was protected at all times by Ju Fa. The six then began their training led by Rien and were introduced to the Hōko as tools they could use to replenish their Tao. Rien then assigned them the five forms of training in immortality, with Tao Fa and Ju Fa being assigned as partners in Bōchū Jutsu. Tao Fa expressed her pity to Ju Fa about using the Hōko as tools and felt glad that he also agreed with her. However, as the Hōko started undergoing Arborification, and left the Tensens at risk of dying, Tao Fa and Mu Dan came up with the idea of sending a corpse of a Hōko to lure in humans to the island as replacements. Ju Fa comes in and asks Tao Fa if she was willing to do this, to which she answers yes.

    After several centuries had passed, the Tensens successfully managed to lure in the first group of humans to Kotaku and attacked. Since then, Lord Tensen has been turning humans that came to the island into Tan where they can increase their life spans and gain a step closer to creating an Elixir of Life.

    Edo Period

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc Ju Fa and Tao Fa found by the Aza brothers Ju Fa and Tao Fa found by Chōbei and Tōma. While engaging in Bōchū Jutsu with Ju Fa in Eishū, the two are interrupted with Aza Chōbei and Aza Tōma's appearance. Ju Fa becomes angry with their sudden arrival but Tao Fa finds them cute and asked if they wanted to join them. The brothers are then quickly dealt with by Ju Fa and are thrown down the Tan pit.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Lord Tensen Meeting Lord Tensen having a meeting. After dropping the two humans down the pit to become Tan, Tao Fa joins the other Tensen in a meeting to discuss about the humans that made landfall. Once Ju Fa and Zhu Jin confirmed that the humans they encountered were dealt with, the Tensens toast to their longevity and to their grandmaster.

    Later, Tao Fa engages in Bōchū Jutsu with Mu Dan and talk about how fascinating the creation of the Tan pit was. She then wonders of the possibility of a human escaping the pit but is reassured by Mu Dan that the pit is too deep and a human would be too weakened to climb out.

    Tao Fa interrupts Rien's lesson of Tao to a Dōshi and becomes disappointed that they would use the bedchamber for this purpose. She then excitingly shows Rien the changes she made to the training area but becomes upset with Gui Fa's disapproving comment about the Bōchū Jutsu chamber. After finish engaging in Bōchū Jutsu with Ran, Tao Fa offers Ju Fa a cup of Tan made fresh by Mu Dan.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc After allowing Chōbei to join them, Lord Tensen introduces to him the Hermit Ascendance Rite. Once the ritual was over, Tao Fa reverts back to their Yin form and introduces herself to Chōbei but is told by Ju Fa not to do so. Later, Lord Tensen gathers to inform them that they will initiate the Rite of Just Consumption after they are informed by Chōbei that the human trespassers will invade the palace and agrees to cooperate as long as they don't hurt his brother Tōma.

    Bochu Palace Trap Tao Fa and Ju Fa approaches Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Tōma. Tao Fa, Ju Fa, and Chōbei step out into the Bōchū Palace and encounter Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and Tōma. Chōbei persuades Tōma to join their side and has him come upstairs. However, she and Ju Fa are attacked by the brothers and is sent down to the first floor. After regenerating, Tao Fa becomes upset with Chōbei's betrayal and sees that Gantetsusai is ready to fight her. Tao Fa removes her clothing and first attacks Gantetsusai, sending him crashing to a pillar. She then looks at Fuchi and offers to engage in Bōchū Jutsu with him before having him turn into Tan. Fuchi responds by cutting off her hand and rejects her advances.

    Gantetsusai and Fuchi vs Tao Fa Tao Fa battling Gantetsusai and Fuchi. Due to their inability to perceive Tao, Tao Fa gains the advantage in battle and recommends that the two give up. Gantetsusai refuses and taunts Tao Fa on how she must be having fun fighting them since Lord Tensen has spent a long history of toying with humans. After hearing this, Tao Fa loses her smile and disagrees with his statement, explaining the grief Lord Tensen had to handle with trying to gain immortal bodies. She then inflicts heavy damage to the two but is shocked to see them standing back up with high ambitions as indicated in their Tao, which made her think that they were insane. After Gantetsusai charges towards her, Tao Fa sends out a Tao projectile to attack him. However, she becomes shocked to see that he managed to dodge it, which left her open for Gantetsusai to cut her from the top. Having done so, Gantetsusai believes that he is finally able to sense Tao but is sent back by Tao Fa with another invisible attack who tells him that he only got lucky. She then fights Fuchi who attempts to have Gantetsusai understand Tao better by observing their fight. Tao Fa grabs Fuchi and attacks him with a barrage of Tao projectiles. She then comments on how she found it sweet that he was willing to help his "friend" but hears Fuchi denying her allegation on Gantetsusai being a friend. Tao Fa creates more Tao projectiles and sends them towards Fuchi but are avoided after Gantetsusai grabs him out of the way. She then sees that Gantetsusai is now able to sense Tao after blinding himself and becomes excited with how strong she has made him. Tao Fa continuous to have her body get cut to pieces by Gantetsusai's slashes but regenerates with no worries since he does not possess Metal Tao to hinder her. Knowing that his Metal Tao is the only thing that can weaken her, Fuchi restrains Tao Fa from behind and has Gantetsusai cut through her tanden. After having her tanden destroyed, Tao Fa calls out to Ju Fa in pain and transforms to reach him. The two then fuse together to enter their Kishikai.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Tao Fa and Ju Fa's tandens destroyed by Chōbei and Fuchi. After transforming, the combined Tensens emit a loud scream that caused pain to the humans' eardrums and then fly in the air to release multiple spores to infect their opponent's mental state. They are then attacked by Chōbei after he jumps in the air to cut Tao Fa's tanden, causing the right half to scream in pain. The Tensens defend themselves by attacking him with vines, have him crash throughout the outside area, and send him back inside the palace. Tao Fa and Ju Fa attack again with vines but have them blocked by Chōbei. Tao Fa's tanden is then cut by Fuchi whose Tao is strengthen by Tōma. The two flee just after Gantetsusai jumps to deliver his attack and changes to their defensive form. The Tensens attack again with their vines and cause the four humans to struggle. However, after entering the pool to get below their body, Gantetsusai slashes through the Kishikai body, separating Tao Fa and Ju Fa in the process, and leaves them vulnerable to have their tandens destroyed by Chōbei and Fuchi.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa in the afterlife Tao Fa joins Ju Fa in the afterlife. The tattered body of Tao Fa climbs out of the pool and is held by Fuchi, telling them that it was over as they slowly start to die. In the afterlife, Tao Fa reunites with Ju Fa and tells him that she was glad that he was her partner. She then embraces him as their bodies start to crumble away.

    Soon afterwards, Gui Fa acquired a replica of Tao Fa's plant ovule within Rien's laboratory, along with the other deceased Tensens, and had it transferred over to the Basin for cultivation, which would allow Tao Fa to be resurrected after a millennium had passed.

    New Era

    After several centuries had passed (presumably during the Reiwa Era), Tao Fa and Ju Fa's plant ovules are noticed by Mei to have started growing and informs Gui Fa, who becomes surprised since they developed sooner than anticipated.

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    As a Tensen-class Sennin, Tao Fa was an extremely powerful being whose powers surpassed all living things. Along with her status as partial ruler of Kotaku, Tao Fa had authority over the island's inhabitants, such as the Dōshi, Monshin, Sōshin and Hōko. In combat, Tao Fa proved to be a handful against the two highly skilled swordsmen Tamiya Gantetsusai and Yamada Asaemon Fuchi without having to take them seriously in their battle. After merging with Ju Fa to enter their Kishikai, Tao Fa's true power was enough to overwhelm the combined efforts of Gantetsusai, Fuchi, and the Aza brothers (whose abilities improved by the time they fought Ju Fa a second time). Physical Abilities

    By using their Yang chi, Tao Fa's strength was greatly enhanced, capable of sending the large Gantetsusai flying back with one kick that caused him to have a severe head injury and was able to lift Fuchi by the throat with one hand. While using their Yin chi, Tao Fa became very fast and agile. With their leg strength in this form, Tao Fa was able to break apart the ground from launching herself towards Gantetsusai and reach him in seconds from a mid-distance away.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Tao Fa using Tao Tao Fa using Tao. Tao Fa possessed Wood-attribute Tao and had mastery over it. After spending 1,000 years of training, Tao Fa's Tao had been greatly refined to where her abilities could be seen as god-like and had massive reserves due to her constant consumption of Tan. With its use, Tao Fa could sense the presence of others, the movements and weak spots of her opponents, and enhance her physical attacks. As a Sennin, she could fire invisible Tao projectiles to cause internal damage to her opponents, which works effectively against those who can not sense Tao.

    Techniques

    Tōate (遠とお当あて, Literal meaning: Distant Strike): Tao Fa launches her Tao as a invisible projectile, strong enough to cause major damage from within the targets body. Senjutsu: Suzusashi (仙せん術じゅつ 錫すず刺あし, Literal meaning: Senjutsu: Stabbing Tin): Ju Fa creates multiple Tao orbs around him and launches them at his opponent. This is called Senjutsu: Tin Splinter in the Viz Manga. Regeneration

    Tao Fa regenerates Tao Fa regenerating. As a Tensen, Tao Fa possessed the regenerative abilities of Flower Tao. She was able to regrow her head after it was cut off by Chōbei and was able to fully regenerate her body from being cut to pieces by Gantetsusai. Since she possessed Wood Tao, Tao Fa's regeneration could only be weakened if she were to face a Tao user that possessed the Metal Tao-attribute, and the only known way of killing her was if the said Metal Tao user completely destroyed her plant ovule within her tanden.

    Yin-Yang

    Tao Fa chi switching Tao Fa's partial chi switch on her arm. Tao Fa was able to switch chi's of either Yin or Yang to augment their Tao and recover any lost. As Tao Fa switched in and out their sex changed to match the chi, which was put to use whenever they engaged in Bōchū Jutsu training.

    Tao Fa was able to make use of their chi shifting ability in a fight by partially changing parts of their body, using the physical attributes the two chi's had to offer. The bulky male body of Tao Fa's Yang chi offered them an increase in physical strength, while the light weight female body of Tao Fa's Yin chi offered them an increase in mobility.

    Kishikai Transformation

    OffensiveOffensive | DefensiveDefensive

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa Kishikai Tao Fa and Ju Fa's Kishikai Transformation – Offensive. Ju Fa and Tao Fa Kishikai Defense Form Tao Fa and Ju Fa's Kishikai Transformation – Defensive. As a Tensen, Tao Fa was able to enter into a Kishikai state, however, unlike the other members of Lord Tensen, Tao Fa had to fuse with Ju Fa as a requirement. Once entered, the two were capable of flying at high speeds, despite their large body and unusual feathers/wings, and could release a powerful shriek to cause pain to their opponent's eardrums. By opening their combined heads from the middle, Tao Fa and Ju Fa could release vines to slash and pierce their enemies and use the vines from the bottom of their form to create and scatter multiple spores to infect their opponents mental state, causing them to laugh uncontrollably, or launch them with high velocity as bullets. When entering into their defensive form, their Kishikai created multiple spore vines from their body to push back and overwhelm their opponents from coming any closer to them.

    Since the Kishikai exerts too much Tao, Tao Fa and Ju Fa could only hold the transformation for up to half an hour before they became reduced to their weakened bodies.

    Other Skills

    Tao Fa was able to change her body into a tree formed from multiple arms and legs. Attached to the tree branches were peaches with Tao Fa's face that she was able to speak from. It is unknown if this transformation offered any combat or enhanced abilities as Tao Fa used this form to get close to Ju Fa in order to fuse together and enter their Kishikai mode.

38. #38Tentacle Dōshi

    Keys: Tentacle Dōshi

    BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Dōshi BIRTHDATE Kotaku GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive CLASS Sennin RANK Dōshi AFFILIATION Lord Tensen DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 30 ANIME DEBUT Episode 10 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Takahiro Sumi Tentacle Dōshi Images LESS A Dōshi who was ordered by Lord Tensen to check to see if Aza Chōbei and Tōma were still in the pit becoming Tan.

    Appearance

    The Dōshi's head is made entirely of finger-like tentacles. He wears ceremonial Chinese clothing along with a crown. His lower body was then destroyed by Chōbei and had his wardrobe stolen by the bandit. Personality

    The Tentacle Dōshi is polite and non-violent, preferring to use peaceful solutions rather than using force. However if this were to fail he will have no choice but to fight back. He has great pride in his status and looks down on the low class such as the Sōshin and Monshin, viewing them as trash for their lack of intelligence and found it insulting when Chōbei thought he was one of them.

    He is somewhat overconfident in his abilities, believing that Chōbei's defeat was imminent because of his intelligence. This caused him to let his guard down and allowed Chōbei to strike back and injure him.

    Though he keeps himself calm and compose, he can be pressured when he is put in a difficult situation. After Chōbei managed to inflict damage to him and sensed that his Tao was continuing to grow, he feared for his life and even resorted to call on the Sōshin for support, the beings he looks down on. The pressure later overwhelmed him when he could not comprehend how Chōbei managed to master Tao.

    He is loyal towards Lord Tensen, however, after being enslaved by Chōbei and Tōma, he was forced to guide them to Hōrai.

    The Tentacle Dōshi also has a speech disorder where he stutters at the beginning of his sentences. History

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Doshi injures Chobei The Tentacle Dōshi ripping out Chōbei's throat. The Tentacle Dōshi departed to the pit after being ordered by Lord Tensen to assure that Aza Chōbei and Tōma were in the process of becoming Tan. After arriving, he finds that the two brothers have escaped from the pit and asked for them to return. However, Chōbei attacks in responds. The Dōshi becomes furious with Chōbei's actions and summons the Sōshin. He continues to defend himself against Chōbei while Tōma fights the Sōshin. Seeing as how Chōbei's attacks are having no effect on him due to his Tao being imbalance, he finds an opening and rips out Chōbei's throat.

    Chobei defeats Doshi The Tentacle Dōshi defeated by Chōbei. As he was about to return him to the pit, Chōbei gains consciousness and injures him. The Dōshi sees that his neck has regenerated and believes that the vines have affected him. Chōbei states that he is able to see his aura but finds it hard to believe that a human could achieve such a feat. After sensing how strong his Tao has grown, the Dōshi believes that Chōbei is a threat to Lord Tensen and comes to the conclusion that he must be killed. He manages to break his arms but Chōbei manages to instantly regenerate them. He then senses that his Tao continues to grow and questions whether Chōbei was in acceptance with losing his humanity after his transformation. Chōbei states he was but also states that there was one thing that would never change. The Dōshi believes that he was referring to ones sense of self but Chōbei denies this statement, saying that someone like him would not understand. The Dōshi continues to defend himself from Chōbei's assault with Tao. However, Chōbei manages to sense his attacks and dodges them. He strikes a blow to the Dōshi's navel, causing him to suffer damage. Seeing as how Chōbei's Tao continued to grow, the Dōshi calls on the Sōshin for support but witnesses that they were all slaughtered by Tōma. He prepares to strike back with Tao once again but has his hand crushed by Chōbei. After seeing how he gathered Tao in his hand, Chōbei does the same and causes the Dōshi to panic. He is then struck by Chōbei's enhanced punch and has his body crushed by his foot. After being enslaved to the brothers, the Dōshi explains to Chōbei about his Tao and agrees to guide them to Hōrai.

    Upon entering Hōrai, the three run into Gabimaru, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Yamada Asaemon Fuchi, and Mei and attack their group. While Chōbei fights Gabimaru and Tōma fights Gantetsusai, Tōma orders the Dōshi to attack the other two. The Dōshi follows his orders and recognizes the girl as Mei. After Fuchi manages to ward off his assault, the Dōshi witnesses the fight between Gabimaru and Chōbei come to an end after Mei unleashes her Tao. He is then forced to accompany the group to the Hōrai gate where they encounter Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, Yamada Asaemon Shion, Yuzuriha, Nurugai, and Hōko. The Dōshi is then set free by Fuchiwho is in no mood to examine him.

    Abilities and Powers

    As one of Lord Tensen's disciples and right-hand men, the Tentacle Dōshi can be seen as being very powerful compared to the other beings on the island. Because he is of higher class, he has authority over the Sōshin and can summon them to his beckon call. Physical Abilities

    The Dōshi is able to match Aza Chōbei in speed and strength and was able to easily defeat him (before he had awaken his Tao) by ripping out his throat.

    Tao

    Further information: Tao Tentacle Doshi's Tao The Dōshi using Tao. The Dōshi has mastery over Tao. He can cloak his body in it to augment his physical strength, being able to break Chōbei's arms with a single blow. He can also manifest it in his palm to launch an invisible attack strong enough to destroy a pillar.

    Regeneration

    Like Lord Tensen, the Dōshi is able to regenerate any damage he might take in an instant. However, his weakness lies within his tanden and if it were to be struck or destroyed by a strong Tao user, he will suffer a great deal of damage and will be unable to heal himself

39. #39Tokugawa Nariyoshi

    Keys: Tokugawa Nariyoshi

    KANJI 徳川斉慶 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE January 30 GENDER Male Male AGE 48 HEIGHT 153 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Unknown ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth OCCUPATION Shogun AFFILIATION Japan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 1 ANIME DEBUT Episode 1 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Chafuurin Tokugawa Nariyoshi Images LESS Tokugawa Nariyoshi (徳と川く斉なり慶よし) is the eleventh shogun of Japan. After learning about the existence of the Elixir of Life, Tokugawa gave the order to send a group of criminals sentenced to death to go to retrieve the elixir and give it to him, with the reward of a pardon for all their crimes.

    Appearance

    Tokugawa Nariyoshi is a rather stocky man who is slightly bald, wears a topknot, a small moustache and goatee, and has closed eyes. His main attire consists of wearing fashionable pattern kimonos. Personality

    The shogun is characterized as an extremely greedy and irrational individual. Having discovered that the legendary Elixir of Life existed on an mystical island, the shogun obsessively sent out teams in order to acquire it, in spite of the many failures, until he came to the decision to send out a group of death row criminals in hoping that results will be made. Upon gathering the recruited criminals, the shogun requested that they all engage in a massacre as a way to find the ones who were the most qualified, only to become unaware that this would only result in badly injured participants as noted by Aoki. On top of his greedy demeanor, the shogun is also rather impatient as he could not wait any longer for the vanguard party to retrieve the elixir after only two days had passed since their departure and decided to send out another team to speed up the progress, while also not considering that the people he hired had their own agenda depending on the numbers his employer dispatched. The shogun is also oblivious towards the well-being of others or anything that could be seen as gruesome or unnatural. He was not spooked at the slightest when only a single bloomed man came back from each expedition team he sent was lost and found enjoyment in watching the gathered death row criminals massacre each other. During the execution of all the family members from the Silver Serpent Group by Yamada Asaemon Shugen, the shogun happily watched as a spectator and ended up rewarding the Asaemon with a famed blade and clothing for his service. Though the shogun claimed that he had only chosen people who had exceptional skill for the second landing party, Isuzu knew that this was false and the truth was that the members were rather pawns for the shogun's amusement since she knew that if success were to be made on the mission then the shogun would have sent Shugen from the very beginning.

40. #40Ura

    Keys: Ura

    KANJI ウラ RŌMAJI Ura CHARACTERISTICS RACE Demon GENDER Female Female Ura (ウラ, Ura?) is a demon girl who lives a life of survival with her companion Amurowa. She was a character that was part of the initial story idea for Jigokuraku.

    Appearance

    Ura and Amurowa color scheme Ura's color scheme. Ura was designed as a girl with red skin, dark spiky hair, and two horns protruding from her head. As for her attire, she wears a robe with large stains. Since she is a demon, Ura's size is quite large.

41. #41Warped Keiun

    Keys: Warped Keiun

    KANJI いがみの慶雲 RŌMAJI Igami no Keiun ALIAS Hunter of the Hundred (百本狩り, Hyappongari) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE September 16 GENDER Male Male AGE 35 HEIGHT 210 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS

    ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal OCCUPATION Sōhei TEAM Vanguard Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Shun'ichi Maki ENGLISH VOICE William Ofoegbu Warped Keiun Images LESS "Hunter of the Hundred" Warped Keiun (百ひゃっ本ぽん狩がり いがみの慶けい雲うん, "Hyappongari" Igami no Keiun) was a sōhei who was put on death row. However, before receiving the death penalty for his arrest, Warped Keiun became recruited to join in an expedition team where he would compete against other death row convicts in acquiring the Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon that would exempt him of his past crimes.

    Appearance

    Keiun was an extremely large and muscular man. He wore a red mask that concealed his rugged, scarred face and a white headcowl with a scratched metal headband. He wore yellow beads, a frayed sleeveless traditional monk's robe, a thick rope tied around his waist, white pants, and wooden sandals. Along with having multiple scars around his body, he had armor grafted to his arms and chest, which he called his "Living Armor".[2] Gallery

    Keiun's manga design. Keiun's manga design. Keiun's grafted armor. Keiun's grafted armor. Warped Keiun's full appearance. Warped Keiun's full appearance. Keiun without his mask. Keiun without his mask. Keiun's criminal profile. Keiun's criminal profile. Personality

    Keiun was a man who had a blood thirsty passion for weapons and believed that he could bring out the true capabilities of every weapon he used. From Gabimaru's perspective, his love for weapons can be seen as being perverted. He was ruthless and cunning, as he came up with the idea of slaughtering the criminals sent to Kotaku so he can take his time searching for the Elixir of Life. History

    Past

    While undergoing training as a sōhei, Keiun developed an obsession for weapons and armor and decided upon himself to take his training to the next level by slaughtering martials artists, including well-known master swordsmen, and building up a collection of weapons that he stole from them, which led to him being branded as a criminal.[3] He was eventually arrested by the authorities and was given the death penalty, however, Keiun was offered by Yamada Asaemon Kishō a chance to be pardon for his crimes if he were to complete a mission that required him to venture to an island believed to be Shinsenkyō that is said to possess the Elixir of Life and return back with it for the shogun to consume. Having favored this option, Keiun agreed to participate.

    Island Arc

    Upon agreeing to the mission, Keiun is taken to a gathering spot where other death row criminals are interested in joining the expedition. After they were told to start a massacre until only a few were available to leave for the island, Keiun becomes one out of the ten criminals to survive and is assigned Yamada Asaemon Kishō as his monitor.

    Gabimaru kills Keiun Gabimaru kills Keiun. Soon after arriving on the island, Keiun encounters Gabimaru and attempted to kill him with a surprise attack from one of his weapons in order to eliminate the competition. However, he sees that the shinobi survived after he dislocated his neck at will and gets annoyed when Gabimaru chooses to ignore him. He then commences his attack on Gabimaru by using weapon after weapon until he notices that the ninja had not suffer any damage while mainly focusing on tying his hands as commanded by his Asaemon earlier. After finishing with his bothersome task, Gabimaru lifts Keiun using his spear and kicks the bladed weapon towards his chest. Keiun manages to survive the lethal blow after revealing that he had armor grafted to his skin underneath his robes and tells Gabimaru that he will "teach" him how to properly utilize a weapon. Moments later, Gabimaru had killed Keiun with a dozen of his weapons that had pierced his Living Armor. Kishō then decapitated the deceased monk's head as proof to the shogun that Keiun is dead and prepares to return to Edo.

    Abilities and Powers

    As an infamous death row convict, Keiun was deemed too dangerous of an individual to be left alive. He was able to defeat several martial artists and swordsmen to acquire their weapons and became one of the few death row convicts to become qualified for the Shinsenkyō expedition after surviving a massacre selection, which he had to accomplish while his hands were restrained. Weapons Specialist

    Keiun carried over a hundred weapons and claimed to be capable of bringing out to their fullest potential in battle

42. #42Eizen

    Keys: Eizen

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 衛善 OTHER NAMES Ei-san (衛えいさん) (by Fuchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE March 9 GENDER Male Male AGE 28 HEIGHT 180 cm HAIR COLOR Red PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Wood Symbol Wood CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 1st AFFILIATION Yamada Clan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Makoto Furukawa Yamada Asaemon Eizen Images LESS Yamada Asaemon Eizen (山田浅ェ門衛えい善ぜん) was the 1st rank Asaemon of the Yamada clan.

    After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Eizen joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal Rokurōta.

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    41:20

    Eizen had long spiky red hair and wore a large eyepatch that covered his missing left eye. He wore a dark haori underneath the standard attire of a Asaemon, which is a white robe with a bell tied to the left collar and a hakama held together by a waist-cord.

    When he was younger, Eizen's hair was much shorter and wore a different eyepatch at the time. Gallery

    Eizen's concept art from the anime. Eizen's concept art from the anime. Eizen's manga design. Eizen's manga design. A younger Eizen. A younger Eizen. Eizen without his eyepatch. Eizen without his eyepatch.

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    Eizen had great pride for the Yamada clan and believed that no task was impossible for them when it came to executing convicted criminals, even his assigned criminal Rokurōta who was known to be impervious to all sorts of weapons. As an executioner, Eizen acted professional in his line of work as he knew that defiling the execution grounds by trying to bring pain to the condemned with his blade would defile the magistrate and followed the Yamada clan's ideal way of ending lives by cutting his victims painlessly, a concept which he tried to impart to a young Shugen. He found it atrocious at how Gabimaru ruthlessly dealt with the criminals in the death match for the expedition to Shinsenkyō. Eizen was also kind and caring as he promised to look after Shugen when he was young, which brought a great influence to him in the present. Eizen seemed to be also a good mentor, having taught Shugen about the ideals of being an executioner and helped a young Tenza to think about the path he should choose by telling him about the history between Shion and his late student Tesshin.

    Like a few of his fellow clansmen, Eizen believed that women in the Yamada clan should not follow the path of a samurai, which caused him to have a conflicting relationship with Sagiri. He was fully aware of Sagiri's fear of taking the life of another and tried using this to discourage her from taking on the shogun's mission. Eizen also bluntly told her to her face that as a woman she was not suited to become an executioner and that her place was to live a comfortable life within the household. Despite his disapproval, Eizen did try to look after her as a fellow clansman as he attempted to protect her from a few convicted criminals that targeted her (though this may also have been because of his doubt that she could handle killing them).

    He seemed to act a bit reckless, being prone to react quickly without thinking further and the consequences of his actions, this is what caused his demise, as he was shocked when Rokurōta destroyed his sword, subsequently killing him.

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    Island Arc

    Eizen beheads a criminal Eizen beheads a criminal. Eizen, along with other members of the Yamada clan, stand on guard as the gathered criminals are told in detail about the mission to capture the Elixir of Life for the shogun. When one of them declined the mission, Eizen comes in to cut off his head since refusal of the mission was not an option. After the criminals were told to start a massacre in order to lower the number of participants, Eizen tries to discourage Sagiri from taking on the mission and bluntly stated that he disapproves of her being an Asaemon since she is a female. After the killing ended, Eizen got assigned to watch over Rokurōta and departed to the island.

    Eizen killed Eizen is killed by Rokurōta. As Rokurōta was being transported, the helping staff was wondering if he was as dangerous as the villagers said and worried about him waking up. Eizen assured them to not worry since he stated that the Asaemons were well suited for jobs such as this. After arriving, Rokurōta awakens from his sleep and was beginning to feel hungry. Seeing Rokurōta about to attack, Eizen tries to intercept it but fails and is ultimately crushed by Rokurōta's hand.

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    Eizen had a profound influence on Shugen as he was the one person the young man looked up to the most. Before leaving to Kotaku, Eizen promised Shugen that he would report back on the second day, causing him to become suspicious of his time on the island after three days had passed and cried in his absence. Shugen later went on to make it his goal of having Eizen and the other Asaemons return home in one piece after being order by the shogun to journey off to the island with a second team. After arriving on the island, Shugen becomes devastated after finding Eizen's corpse and took the time to lay his soul to rest despite the fact that his team was being under attack by Monshin. Eizen's death went on to impact Shugen on his mission as he vowed to kill all monsters and criminals on the island to avenge his fallen master. Abilities and Powers

    Being the first ranked Yamada Asaemon, Eizen was undoubtedly strong and the most likely candidate to become the next suitable head of the clan. Though he was given the first rank, Eizen was noted to have very poor combat skills and was not viewed as the clan's strongest member, a title that was rightfully earned by his protégé, Yamada Asaemon Shugen. Due to the nature of the hierarchy within the Yamada clan, which focuses less on a member's abilities, Eizen was given the first rank due to having outstanding qualifications for becoming the next head of the clan. Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū As an Asaemon, he had the capabilities of decapitating a person with a single cut of his sword.

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    As an executioner, Eizen carried his own katana

43. #43Fuchi

    Keys: Fuchi

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 付知 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE May 20 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 20 HEIGHT 148 cm HAIR COLOR Blonde EYE COLOR Brown PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 9th AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Vanguard Party Escape Route Securing Team DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Aoi Ichikawa ENGLISH VOICE Justin Briner STAGE PLAY Yu Miyazaki Yamada Asaemon Fuchi Images LESS Overview Image Gallery I still bear in mind our respective positions. And I do not mean to excuse your crimes, whatever they may be. But we've touched upon something here. Executioners are human too. Connections we make lead to genuine feelings. In the short yet rich time we've spent together, we've cut deep to expose our hearts…extracted them…and shared ourselves. Through feeling like that, we observe that samurai are no different from convicts. We are made up of blood and flesh and bone and a great desire to live. It's no different from a dissection. So I say, for the first and last time…From the bottom of my own heart, I wish for a safe return for all of us. Though you will not hear that from me again. YAMADA ASAEMON FUCHI (CHAPTER 74)

    Yamada Asaemon Fuchi (山田やま浅だあェえも門ん 付ふ 知ち) was the 9th rank Asaemon in the Yamada Clan. He is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Fuchi joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal Tamiya Gantetsusai.

    Appearance

    Fuchi was a young man with below-average height, being 2 centimeters shorter than Gabimaru who stands at 150cm, blonde hair with bangs and a hime-cut. He also had an ahoge on the top of his head. His most noticeable feature was the shadow below each of his eyes. As an Asaemon he wore the standard uniform, which was a white robe with a bell tied on the left collar, along with a hakama held together with a waist cord and sandals. Over it he wore a dark kataginu and had a pair of pouches at his waist cord that held his dissection tools. He carried two swords strapped to his back, which was a short sword with a hook tip and a saw blade. Gallery

    Fuchi's color scheme in the manga. Fuchi's color scheme in the manga. Fuchi when he joined the Yamada clan. Fuchi when he joined the Yamada clan. Fuchi's second color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Fuchi's second color scheme by Yūji Kaku. Video Games

    Fuchi in Tower of Saviors. Fuchi in Tower of Saviors. Other

    Fuchi's concept art from the anime. Fuchi's concept art from the anime. Fuchi in the stage play (Part 1). Fuchi in the stage play (Part 1). Fuchi in the stage play (Final Chapter). Fuchi in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

    Fuchi was a rational thinker that had a good sense of judgement in situations and carried a no-nonsense view when it came to matters that he deemed were unscientific, pointless, and illogical, such as Gantetsusai's and Gabimaru's imaginary battle and the time he spent wasting on trying to unlock the ability to use Tao. To best get around obstacles, Fuchi focused on gathering and gaining a clear understanding of new information. This included wearing down his enemies instead of trying to kill them in order to extract intel.

    He had great pride as a Yamada Asaemon and did not tolerate anybody speaking disgracefully about the Yamada clan. He was very close with his Asaemon comrades and would give them nicknames instead of using honourifics. After having learned that a few of his comrades' lives were taken, Fuchi became heart broken and briefly went into a more serious demeanor when talking to Mei, stating that his eyes had become more opened to the situation and bluntly told her that he was willing to hold her partially accountable, since she was cut from the same cloth as Lord Tensen, depending on the information she gave him. He also did not care for traitors as he brushed off Tōma's gratitude for healing his wounded nose.

    Episode 10-1 Fuchi's obsession for dissecting. Even though the Yamada clan mainly deal with testing new swords and executions, Fuchi preferred, and had a deep passion, for studying the human anatomy to improve medical science that came with the trade. He whole-heartedly believed that anatomical research would save lives and despised those who thought so little of this study. This does not only apply to humans, Fuchi could become intrigued by any organism that had special qualities, such as the undying Lord Tensen or the Sōshin. When Gabimaru explained to Fuchi and Gantetsusai about Lord Tensen, Fuchi became startled to hear of such a being and asked many questions to know more about them. It was for this reason that Fuchi was willing to ally with him. This preference however can be seen as an obsession. After Gabimaru and Gantetsusai killed many Sōshin, Fuchi cackled in delight as he got the chance to examine their corpses and was quick to think that a dissection would reveal a few answers to Mei's mysterious growth rate. During his fight with Tao Fa, Fuchi expressed his satisfaction in knowing that he could revolutionize medical science from his first-hand experience of feeling pain from her Tao attacks, prompting the Tensen to go so far as to state that he was crazy in the head. This behavior became sort of a running-gag as the series went on.

    Fuchi prepares to heal Gantetsusai Fuchi ignoring his injuries as he prepares to heal Gantetsusai. Fuchi was also a kind and selfless person who put the lives of others first before himself, which acted as his driving force to pursue anatomical research. He treated Gantetsusai's amputated left hand by replacing it with a hook, took the time to heal Gabimaru's injuries as much as he could after his fight with Aza Chōbei, treated Tōma's wound despite him being a traitor of the Yamada clan, and used the tsuba on his sword as Gantetsusai's eyepatch, which was noted by Shugen as misplacing his Asaemon soul. Upon learning about the deaths of his Asaemon comrades, Fuchi stated that he understood the value of life that he could not learn from his studies. It was for this reason that he allowed the Aza brothers' enslaved Dōshi to roam free instead of dissecting him as he had hoped. He had wished that both the surviving criminals and executioners together would be able to return home safely and was willing to defy Shugen from attacking Gantetsusai if it meant not seeing another life taken away. Fuchi's kindhearted nature carried with him towards the end. Even though his life was in great peril after getting cut down by Shugen, Fuchi chose to use whatever strength he had to treat Gantetsusai's injuries instead and did not carry any ill feelings for Shugen's actions.

    Although he was an executioner, after his experience working together with the surviving convicts, Fuchi found that both "crime" and "evil" were entirely different from one another, with Tamiya Gantetsusai as an example. From a scientific viewpoint, Fuchi found that samurai and criminals were not so different since they are structured the same and both had a will to live, which he found was reason enough for the survivors to band together in trying to return home. History

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc Fuchi became one of the few Asaemons who got assigned to a criminal and sent to search for the Elixir of Life on an island ordered by the shogun.[2]

    Gantetsusai and Fuchi arrive on Kotaku Fuchi and Gantetsusai make landfall on the island. After arriving on the island with his assigned criminal, Tamiya Gantetsusai, Fuchi hears his story on how he got arrested. He then hears him mock the Yamada clan and sets him straight. Later, Gantetsusai tells him his plan of finding the elixir by eliminating the competition. Fuchi wonders if this will end well for him since only a few criminals will survive on the island and the shogun may send out a "certain stronger group" if he becomes impatent, which causes Fuchi to be frighten of the thought. After Gantetsusai cuts off his hand from being stung by a strange butterfly, Fuchi is shocked to see it blooming with flowers. They are then attacked by insects and a monster. They then move on having dealt with the monster.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc Gabimaru allying with Gantetsusai and Fuchi Fuchi and Gantetsusai forming an alliance with Gabimaru. While traveling in Hōrai, the two stumble upon Gabimaru who is badly injured. Before they can attack, the two criminals predict each others movements. Believing that it was pointless, Fuchi stops them and wanted to extract information from Gabimaru's experience on the island. Gabimaru wanted to team up with them and gave them information on what he acquired on the island. The ninja then told them of his experience on the island. After hearing him, Fuchi became interested in Lord Tensen's regenerative abilities and asked about its internal organs. Gantetsusai becomes convinced and agreed to teaming up but Fuchi asked if it was a good idea since Gabimaru was also seeking the pardon. Gantetsusai says that he had no interest in the pardon and only seek to become a legendary figure, which Fuchi found ridiculous. Taking interest in the undying organism known as Lord Tensen, Fuchi also agrees to teaming up with Gabimaru as well. Fuchi suggest exchanging intel which Gabimaru agrees and starts off with Mei but is shocked to see her age. After Gabimaru asked her what was the power she used to save him, Mei tells them that she uses Tao but confuses them with her odd explanation. The group are then approached by a crowd of Sōshin.

    Fuchi dissecting the Soshin Fuchi excitingly examining the Sōshin corpses. As Gabimaru and Gantetsusai kill the Sōshin, Fuchi starts to examine their corpses in delight. The three then notice that Mei has been taken by a Dōshi who is pleased with their meeting and addresses her in a polite manner. After learning from the Dōshi that Mei is similar to Lord Tensen, Fuchi asks Gabimaru if they should be concern with the situation. He sees that Gabimaru has instantly appeared by Mei's side and tells the Dōshi that he would protect her and prepares to fight him along with another Dōshi that appears beside him. He watches as Gantetsusai and Gabimaru fight the Dōshi's. He then listens as the Dōshi's explain why they needed Mei, which was to have her as their partner for intimate congress so they can combine their Yang with her in Yin and achieve mastery of Tao. Gantetsusai becomes confused as to what intimate congress meant and looks towards Fuchi, who answers saying that it meant sexual intercourse. After hearing enough of their reasoning for wanting Mei, Gantetsusai and Gabimaru become furious and defend Mei from behind while Fuchi stands by her side.

    After interpreting Mei's words about Tao and seeing as Gabimaru and Gantetsusai are having trouble fighting the Dōshi's, Fuchi yells out to Gabimaru that in order to learn Tao he must accept both his strength and weaknesses. Mei helps Gabimaru sense his Tao by touching his hand but still has difficulty awakening it. Fuchi further explains that he must accept his weakness but sees that he is still having a hard time understanding quickly. However, Gabimaru says that he got the idea and steps forward to face the Dōshi's once more. Fuchi, Gantetsusai, and Mei watch in shock by how Gabimaru is managing to dodge the Dōshi's invisible attacks and how he was able to dispel the Centipede Dōshi's transformation. After the battle ended with Gabimaru and Gantetsusai killing the Dōshi's, Gabimaru faints and is carried along with them halfway up the valley.

    The group stops and takes refuge in a cave. Once Gabimaru awoke, Fuchi begins discussing what they know so far about Tao. Fuchi goes over the hindering attributes and states that it might be the key to killing Lord Tensen. He then ends the discussion so they can rest for tomorrow.

    The next day, the group travels up the valley and suddenly encounter Aza Chōbei and Tōma. After Chōbei attacks Gabimaru, Fuchi sees that Tōma is no longer an ally and has been collaborating with Chōbei. Fuchi watches from the sidelines as Gabimaru viscously fights Chōbei, comparing their battle to a fight between beasts. Chōbei orders Tōma to attack the others, which the Asaemon becomes shocked after hearing Tōma call him brother. Gantetsusai gets angry after Tōma went after him because he is missing his left hand and angrily fights back. Fuchi tells him that he can't allow it since he is still a member of the Yamada clan, however, Gantetsusai refuses to listen.

    Fuchi guarding Mei Fuchi guarding Mei from the Dōshi. While fighting Gantetsusai, Tōma orders the Dōshi they enslaved to go after Fuchi and Mei. Fuchi takes out his swords and stands by Mei to protect her. After warding off the Dōshi, Fuchi spots Chōbei transformed. While observing their fight, Fuchi notices that Gabimaru is in critical condition and becomes confused as to why he was risking his life to kill Chōbei even though his goal was to receive the pardon. He then witnesses the fight end after Mei releases her Tao to create a massive crater and has Chōbei fall down to the valley. Fuchi and Gantetsusai wonders how she was able to accomplish this and are shocked to see her body mature once again. Fuchi suggests a dissection to find answers but Gantetsusai found him to be ridiculous. The two then wish they had some answers to all the mysterious they had witnessed.

    Fuchi mourning Fuchi in mourning after learning about the deaths of the Yamada Asaemons. The group travels to the Hōrai gate and are met by Sagiri, Shion, Yuzuriha, and Nurugai. He then asked Sagiri what has happened to them since they arrived and the whereabouts of Tenza and Senta. After he sees Hōko's head talking in Sagiri's hands he becomes fascinated and answers yes to his question about them defeating the Dōshi's they encountered. Later, after learning about the deaths of his Asaemon allies, Fuchi mourns their passing near Senta's grave. He then walks back to the group explaining that Gabimaru's injuries came from his constant fighting and that he tried to do what he can to heal him. Gabimaru regains consciousness and attacks Sagiri after she becomes suspicious about what happened to him but is blocked on time by Fuchi and Shion. Sagiri explains to them that Gabimaru has lost a lot of his Tao, and as result, he has also lost his memories. They then watch as Sagiri tries to restore Gabimaru's Tao and return him back to his former self.

    The group then relocates to escape enemy territory. Seeing as how he is not in the mood to dissect him after finding out the death of his fallen comrades, Fuchi allows the captured Dōshi to leave. He then walks back over to the cave and finds that Mei is feeling ill. He agrees in helping to heal Mei's illness but demands that she tell him everything they need to know about herself and Lord Tensen. After interpreting Mei's words, he tells Sagiri and Yuzuriha that Lord Tensen, the monsters, and the island were created by a Hōshi in order to research the secrets of immortality. He then explains that the potion known as Tan is created from the Tao harvest and extracted from the lives of humans and lengthens Lord Tensens life spans but can be killed if their Tao is depleted. After, Yuzuriha asks why the Tensens are going further with their research, Mei answers that the possibility lies with the will of their creator Jofuku. Mei then falls back from exhaustion and shows that her arm has turned into a branch. She explains that her body has been damaged by Rien and needs recovery from another source of Tao, which Hōko kindly offers. After she absorbs his Tao and reverts back to her child body fully healed, the four gather back with the others.

    The vanguard party join forces The survivors joining forces to complete the mission and escape the island. After regrouping, Mei warns everybody that she senses a second party arriving on the island. Fuchi and Shion believe that it is Shugen and the other Asaemon as reinforcements, along with backup criminals. Sagiri vouches for Shugen's strength and believes that he is kind hearted even though he is known for his bad reputation for the execution of the Silver Serpent yakuza group. Hearing Sagiri back up Shugen, Fuchi adds that he was Sagiri's first crush, though she explains that she merely admires him. Shion denies that Shugen will become an ally after explaining the full story of the Silver Serpent's group execution and how he does not cooperate with criminals or allow any Asaemon to work with them as well. Moving on, Shion presents his strategy of finding the Tan elixir and an escape route by separating everyone into two teams and using their Tao attributes to hinder and defeat each member of Lord Tensen. However, Yuzuriha suggests finding a way off the island and go into hiding. Shion takes her recommendation into account and gives everyone the option of working separately or working together in completing the mission. Unanimously, everyone decides to follow Shion into the came and work together.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc Fuchi translates Mei's words and relays the information to the group, revealing that Hōrai has a floodgate harboring many ships that they can use to escape the island. The group then proceeds to learn how to use Tao from Gabimaru and Yuzuriha in preparation for their infiltration mission. After the lessons were over, Fuchi is placed in the Escape Route Securing Team along with Gantetsusai. Shion, Nurugai, and Mei. Gantetsusai suggests that they should have Mei depart alone without having to wait for the Elixir Retrieval Team since she wishes to leave the island, however, Gabimaru asks her if there was anything she needed to do before leaving. Fuchi offers to translate for Mei but instead chooses to talk for herself, confessing that she wanted to confront Rien and Jofuku before leaving, which Gabimaru promises to fulfill.

    Bochu Palace Trap Fuchi, Gantetsusai, and Tōma encounters Ju Fa and Tao Fa. After reviewing their strategy to infiltrate the palace, the group decides to make their move tonight. The Escape Route Team receives a signal from the Elixir Team that it is okay to enter. The team advances into the palace but are met by a sudden mist, causing Fuchi, Gantetsusai and Tōma to get separated from Shion and Nurugai. The three then encounter Ju Fa and Tao Fa, along with the appearance of Aza Chōbei, in the Bōchū Palace who plan to capture them as sacrifices for their master. Knowing that their plan to avoid Lord Tensen has failed, the group moves on to their second plan of fighting against them.

    Upon reuniting with his brother again, Fuchi and Gantetsusai allow Tōma to be by his side with no worries about him being a threat. After walking upstairs to join him, the brothers attack Ju Fa and Tao. Fuchi and Gantetsusai then watch in shock as Tao Fa stands back up regenerating in front of them and compliments her body after she removes her robes in preparation for their fight. She first rushes towards Gantetsusai and sends him crashing to a pillar and then draws her attention to Fuchi who she found to be cute and offers to preform Bōchū Jutsu with him. Fuchi responds by slicing off her hand and declines her advances, saying that he only had interests in her organs.

    Gantetsusai and Fuchi vs Tao Fa Fuchi and Gantetsusai fight Tao Fa. Gantetsusai and Fuchi fight Tao Fa but are unable to counter against her Tao abilities. Fuchi tells Gantetsusai that they need to form a strategy against her but is told by the swordsman that he refuses to listen. The two are quickly defeated but stand back up with full excitement of their own ambitions. Fuchi sees that Gantetsusai has managed to somehow dodge one of Tao Fa's Tao attacks and slices through her. However, he is immediately sent crashing back with the Tensen believing that it was only pure luck. Fuchi jumps in to attack Tao Fa single handedly so Gantetsusai can observe how Tao works but is grabbed by the neck as Tao Fa hits him with a number of invisible Tao projectiles. She remarks that she found it sweet that he was willing to take her attacks head on in order to help his "friend". Fuchi disagrees with her statement but remembers his past statement of believing that they have a relationship that came close to friendship since the criminals and executioners on the mission have formed a connection with one another. Tao Fa then prepares to attack with another set of Tao projectiles, causing Fuchi to sense that he is in danger but is suddenly grabbed by Gantetsusai who has gained the ability to sense Tao after blinding himself.

    Tao Fa's tanden destroyed Fuchi hindering Tao Fa while Gantetsusai makes the cut through her tanden. Despite his success in being able to sense Tao, Fuchi knows that in order to defeat Tao Fa he needs to use his Metal Tao. He then comes up with the idea of holding on to Tao Fa to weaken her Tao and have Gantetsusai make the cut to her tanden. Gantetsusai manages to make a precise cut through Tao Fa's tanden and defeat her. However, the two see that Tao Fa has transformed and reaches out to Ju Fa. The two then fuse together to enter their Kishikai.

    Fuchi and Gantetsusai try to cover their ears after the monster starts to emit a loud scream. Once the loud noise ceased, Fuchi warns Gantetsusai that he needs to administer first aid before he can continue fighting but has it turned down. He then notices Gantetsusai starting to laugh uncontrollably by one of the spores released by the monster. Fuchi cuts the spore and has Gantetsusai return to normal. They then watch as Chōbei fight Ju Fa and Tao Fa but is quickly defeated. Fuchi suggests that the four of them should work together, reminding them that their main enemy is the monster and fighting each other comes later.

    Ju Fa and Tao Fa defeated Fuchi and the others defeat Ju Fa and Tao Fa. Chōbei defends against the monsters vines while Tōma grabs Fuchi's hand to strengthen his Metal Tao. Fuchi then comes in close to cut Tao Fa's tanden. The monster flees after Gantetsusai jumps in to attack and changes to its defensive form. Since the monster has two pair of tandens, Fuchi is told by Tōma to par up with Tōma to kill Tao Fa while he and Gantetsusai try to kill Ju Fa. Gantetsusai rushes in to cut away at the monsters vines to give Fuchi and Tōma an opening to attack, however, Fuchi notices that Gantetsusai has almost reached his limit. Fuchi is then protected by Tōma from being hit by the spores, reason being that he is crucial in his brothers plan. Gantetsusai manages to get below the monster by entering the pool and slashes through it, separating Tao Fa and Ju Fa. After being told Tao Fa's location within the body, Fuchi comes in with his Tao strengthen by Tōma to strike Tao Fa's tanden while Chōbei destroys Ju Fa's tanden. With the Kishikai body destroyed, the Tensens come out of the pool with their bodies in tatters. Fuchi holds Tao Fa and tells them that it was over for them as they slowly die.

    After the battle ends, Fuchi administers first aid to the others and takes his tsuba apart from his sword to give it to Gantetsusai as an eyepatch for his missing left eye, followed by an argument with Tōma about its positioning. Chōbei reveals Lord Tensen's plan of using the Paradise Butterflies to infect the human race to create more Tan with the Banko. Knowing that the plan to stop Rien and leave the island has not changed, Fuchi asks Chōbei if he was willing to ally with the survivors, however, before he could get an answer, the palace starts to shake from the walls being breached by the Monshin horde led by the second landing party. Iwagakure shinobi then approach them with the order to eliminate the convicts, followed by the appearance of a Dōshi army who have come to eliminate the invaders. Hōrai then becomes a warzone with both sides fighting against one another. Not wanting to get caught up in the conflict, Fuchi, Gantetsusai, Chōbei, and Tōma leave the scene and splits up until they find an escape route.

    Shugen cuts Fuchi Fuchi cut down by Shugen. Fuchi and Gantetsusai continue forward but are met by Shugen who demands an answer from Fuchi as to why his criminal's hands were untied. Fuchi explains to Shugen that he and the surviving Asaemons had no other choice but to ally with the convicts in order to escape the island. Shugen accepts Fuchi's reasons but tells him to execute Gantetsusai now that he has arrived. Fuchi refuses since, stating that their top priority should be on finding a way off the island. Upon noticing that the tsuba on one of Fuchi's sword is being used as Gantetsusai's eyepatch, Shugen becomes provoked and engages in a fight with Gantetsusai. Shugen overpowers Gantetsusai and prepares to cut him down, however, Fuchi steps in to stop his attack. Fuchi explains that Gantetsusai is a criminal but he is not evil and says that he is prepared to defy him if it meant that no one else dies. Shugen sees that Fuchi still has a kind heart for others and ceases his assault, however, Shugen slashes Fuchi with no other choice but to follow his path of justice. Having been dealt with a critical wound, Fuchi falls down unconscious.

    After Zhu Jin fused with the Banko, causing the palace to be blanketed with flowers, Fuchi and Gantetsusai's unconscious bodies became covered in flowers in front of Shugen. The Iwagakure shinobi arrive to give Shugen the Elixir of Life and warns him that Rien is about to depart from the floodgates. Shugen prepares to make his way to the floodates and orders the Iwagakure shinobi to confirm Gantetsusai's death underneath the flowers and to have Fuchi be brought to him if he is still conscious. After Shugen leaves, Shija undo's their transformation as a Iwa ninja and throws two kunai to make sure that both are dead and leaves.

    Fuchi dead Fuchi dies after healing Gantetsusai. Fuchi wakes up back on his feet but starts to suffer from his wound. Seeing as how Gantetsusai is still badly injured, Fuchi musters up the rest of his strength to administer first aid. After finish healing his wounds, Fuchi lies down dead in front of Gantetsusai and hears him panicking over him after waking up. He also becomes delighted to hear that he called him by his name for the first time but knows that he does no have the strength to respond back. As Gantetsusai carries his body, Fuchi, in his last thoughts, warns Shugen not to underestimate the survivors since they are not willing to die easily and wishes the best of luck to both his allies and enemies.

    Abilities and Powers

    As the ninth ranked Asaemon, Fuchi was viewed as being one of the next suitable heads of the Yamada clan. After arriving on Kotaku, Fuchi became one of the first few in 1,000 years to have managed to survive the ordeals the island had to offer and reach Hōrai where Lord Tensen currently resides. He was able to ward off a Dōshi from attacking him and Mei (though the Dōshi was already badly damaged from his previous fight with Aza Chōbei). Physical Abilities

    Fuchi was quite agile when fighting against his enemies, a physical trait he was known for by Gantetsusai and Shugen. During his fight against Tao Fa, Fuchi was able to quickly maneuver out of the way of Gantetsusai's sword attack after the Tensen managed to dodge it and adjusted himself to cut Tao Fa's feet.

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Like every Asaemon, Fuchi had the capabilities of decapitating his victims with a single cut of his sword.

    Intelligence

    Fuchi possessed great medical knowledge that offered him skills in dissecting, creating medicine, and administering quick first aid. He possessed a high understanding of anatomy and has the skills to create medical drugs from the corpses he dissect. Out of the Yamada Asaemons who all have some level of medical knowledge, Fuchi was looked at as an expert who had the most knowledge. Although it was never confirmed, this is presumably the reason why he earned a ranking. Even though she had skillfully analyzed a Sōshin's anatomy based on her swordsmanship, Sagiri knew that Fuchi could understand them at a deeper level[3], which was proven true as Fuchi was able to thoroughly examine the corpses of the Sōshin and determined that they were all structured differently.

    Fuchi also had knowledge in translation by using the same method as Japanese scholar, Sugita Genpaku. This skill had mainly been used for interpreting Mei's words. Through this, Fuchi had also managed to gain an understanding of Tao.

    Weapons

    Fuchi carried around two swords strapped to his back, one being a sword with a hook tip and the other being a jagged, saw-like blade. In addition, he also carried tools used for dissecting strapped to his waist.

44. #44Genji

    Keys: Genji

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 源嗣 OTHER NAMES O-Gen (お源げん) (by Fuchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE March 3 GENDER Male Male AGE 19 HEIGHT 205 cm HAIR COLOR Black and White PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water RELATIVES Yamada Asaemon Isuzu (Sister) CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 8th AFFILIATION Yamada Clan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Volcano Ota Yamada Asaemon Genji Images LESS So, that's... the life you've chosen. You choose not to differentiate "strength" and "weakness", "male" and "female". Truly, yours is the Middle Path... I suppose that is your conviction. I finally understand... If you are indeed a samurai... then I shall no longer tell you that you must run. YAMADA ASAEMON GENJI

    Yamada Asaemon Genji (山田浅ェ門 源げん嗣じ) was the 8th rank Asaemon in the Yamada clan.

    After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Genji joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal Moro Makiya.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    00:00

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    Genji was a large, muscular man with dark and white hair and large eyebrows split into three sections. He wore the standard attire of a Asaemon, which was a white robe with a bell tied on the left collar along with a hakama held together with a waist cord that holds his two swords, and sandals. Instead of having the standard tasuki, Genji costumed his uniform with chains. Gallery

    Genji's concept art from the anime. Genji's concept art from the anime. Genji's manga design. Genji's manga design. Genji's full appearance. Genji's full appearance.

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    Genji was best described as a man who was only best suited to martial arts and had trouble with other activities. Like a few of his fellow clan members, Genji believes that women in the Yamada clan should not follow the path of a samurai. He stated to Sagiri that he believed that her only duty was to become the bride of the next head of the clan and that her skills were inferior when it came to surviving on the island. However, after understanding how Sagiri chooses to live her life, Genji came to accept her as a samurai and entrusted her to kill Rokurōta with his sword as his last dying wish.

    As a samurai, Genji was a very strict man when it came to bushidō. He believed that a samurai's sword contains the wielders soul and felt disappointed after he noticed how Sagiri lost her original sword. He also became enraged with how she spoke her mind about wanting to live her life, stating that what she said was not the way of a samurai.

    Despite his serious demeanor and intimating appearance, Genji had a weakness for women, something he was known for by his fellow clansmen. Although he was a slow learner, Genji was determined to write a letter to a woman he had feelings for with the help of Shugen teaching him calligraphy that took him a year to learn. Instead of returning home as instructed after his assigned criminal was killed by Yuzuriha, Genji fell for her charms and decided to watch over her while making up the excuse of saying that she was too dangerous to be escorted by one Asaemon.

    Genji was also kind and caring as he showed his gratitude to Shugen for helping him learn calligraphy by writing a letter of thanks and reading it out loud in front of the public despite the embarrassing moment. He also gave his little sister words of encouragement about her stature.

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    Island Arc

    Genji became one of the few Asaemons who got assigned to a criminal and sent to search for the Elixir of Life on an island ordered by the shogun.

    After arriving on the island, Genji's assigned criminal, Moro Makiya, was baited and killed by Yamada Asaemon Senta's assigned criminal, Yuzuriha. Although he no longer needed to stay on the island anymore, Genji easily fell for her charms and decided to keep watch with Senta. Later, the three encounter Gabimaru and Sagiri battling monsters and lend them their support. Noticing that Yuzuriha has two Asaemon, Sagiri asked why Genji was escorting her, which he replied saying that he found that she was too dangerous to be escorted by a single Asaemon and made the judgement of watching over her. However, Gabimaru and Sagiri saw right through him. After Yuzuriha convinced Gabimaru into pairing up to find the elixir, Sagiri falls unconscious from the toxins spread through the human-faced butterflies.

    Gabimaru and Yuzuriha's group alliance Genji and the others going over what they know about the island. Once they brought Sagiri to a cave to recuperate, Genji watches over her while the rest contribute to a certain workload. Once Sagiri wakes up, the group start discussing what they discovered on the island. Gabimaru explains how he and Genji found different types of plants and how they are connected to the samurai that were first dispatched. Senta and Sagiri then discuss about the statues and monsters characteristics and decided that they should do further research. Genji approaches Sagiri outside and demands that she return to the mainland, seeing as how her skills were unfit for surviving on the island. Senta overhears their conversation and tells them about the samurai who went missing after departing to the island. However, despite the warning, Genji tells Sagiri to leave at dawn. By nightfall, Genji watches over Yuzuriha.

    The next day, Genji is told by Sagiri that she will not be leaving and tries to have him accept the path of a samurai. Feeling angered by her words, Genji draws out his sword and attacks Sagiri but has his sword snatched by her. He then yells at her for this act, only for Sagiri to try to warn him of Rokurōta standing behind him. Genji notices Rokurōta behind him and pushes Sagiri out of the way as he is about to attack them. He then receives a grievous wound to his torso and is sent flying after being hit by the attack. Sagiri rushes towards his aid while Gabimaru arrives and fights Rokurōta.

    Genji putting faith in Sagiri Genji giving his sword to Sagiri as he puts his faith in her to execute Rokurōta. Genji tells Sagiri to leave him behind but hears her refuse. Genji found it strange how Sagiri was starting to act like a woman compared to how she was talking like a man earlier. Sagiri says that she didn't care if she was acting as either a man or a woman as long as she can help out a comrade. Hearing her words, Genji finally understands how Sagiri views herself and gives her his sword, putting his faith in Sagiri in killing Rokurōta. After Rokurōta sets the whole area on fire, Genji succumbs to his wounds and dies in the fire.

    ADVERTISEMENT Abilities and Powers

    Since he was the 8th ranked Asaemon, Genji was recognized by the Yamada clan as one of its strongest members and a suitable candidate to become the next head. Physical Strength

    Befitting his bulk, Genji was known for his unparalleled monstrous strength. As shown by Shugen's ability to imitate his strength, Genji's physical power became great enough to even beat Tamiya Gantetsusai who was physically strong himself.

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū According to, and demonstrated by Shugen, Genji's swordsmanship was complimented by his wrist strength that can cause swordsmen to lose in a clash of swords. Like every Asaemon, Genji was capable of decapitating a person with a single cut of his sword. He was even capable enough to behead a Sōshin with a single cut.

45. #45Gagimo

    Keys: Gagimo

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 蘿麾 ALIAS Jet-Black Shinigami (漆黒の死神, Shikkoku no Shinigami) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human GENDER Male Male AGE 16 HEIGHT 172 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Fire Symbol Fire CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 6th AFFILIATION Yamada Clan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Asaemon Chapter Yamada Asaemon Gagaimo Images LESS Yamada Asaemon Gagaimo (山田浅ェ門 蘿がが麾いも) is the 6th rank Asaemon of the Yamada clan.

    Appearance

    Gagaimo is a young man with long black hair and dark eyes. As an Asaemon he wears the clan's standard attire, which is a white robe with a red lining running down the collars, a hakama with a single red band at the left gusset that is held together with a red waist cord, and a funerary bell tied to a red piece of cloth at the center of his collar. Instead of the standard dark haori, Gagaimo wears one that is clear and has a floral pattern. Personality

    Gagaimo is a fully devoted follower of Shugen who is willing to support him wherever he goes, even declaring to him that he would enter the cauldron of Hell if he were to say the word. History

    Asaemon Chapter

    Before allowing him to depart to Kotaku, Gagaimo and Tsumutsumu beg Shugen to have them accompany him. Despite their plea, the two agreed upon Shugen's request to watch over the household while he is away.

    Abilities and Powers

    As the sixth ranked Asaemon, Gagaimo is viewed as being one of the next suitable heads of the Yamada clan. Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Like every Asaemon, Gagaimo has the capabilities of decapitating his victims with a single cut of his sword. According to Shugen, Gagaimo's swordsmanship is viewed as a treasure of the Yamada clan that is able to attract the attention of swordsmen and the local town girls to the execution site.

46. #46Isuzu

    Keys: Isuzu

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 威鈴 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE May 9 GENDER Female Female AGE 17 HEIGHT 215 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Water Symbol Water RELATIVES Yamada Asaemon Genji (Brother) CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon Female Combat Instructor AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 46 Yamada Asaemon Isuzu Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Yamada Asaemon Isuzu (山田浅ェ門 威い鈴すず) was an unranked Asaemon in the Yamada clan. After the shogun became impatient of the first team acquiring the Elixir of Life, Isuzu and Kiyomaru were chosen to join Shugen and Jikka to be a part of the second team sent to acquire the elixir. In addition, the group was ordered by Shugen to eliminate the criminals of the first team, as well as every being on the island, and protect the monitoring Yamada Asaemons.

    Appearance

    Isuzu was a very tall, dark-skinned woman with long, unruly hair. She wore the standard attire of an Asaemon, which was a white robe, a hakama, a red waist cord that held her two swords at her left hip, a bell tied to her left collar, and sandals. Like her brother, Isuzu also wore chains to act as her tasuki. She also previously wore a dark haori on top of her robe during her departure to Kotaku.

    After taking on the task of destroying the Banko's tandens, Isuzu procured shinobi equipment such as gauntlets, a pair of gaiters, and a metal plate headband with four spikes. She also started to wear her brother's tasuki chains as a necklace. Gallery

    Isuzu as a child. Isuzu as a child. Isuzu after procuring shinobi equipment. Isuzu after procuring shinobi equipment. Personality

    Isuzu was very respectful when working with her allies and wished to avoid any conflict between them, though she became rather timid when trying to exercise authority. However, in battle, or when one of her allies were to step out of line, Isuzu behavior drastically changes to where she becomes more serious and fiercer. Isuzu was also capable of self-restraint, which was greatly expressed on her face, when dealing with a troublesome situation, such as when she tried holding back her anger to reason with Sagiri as to why she should not continue defending the criminal Yuzuriha from her.

    Like Kiyomaru, Isuzu was greatly loyal to Shugen and did whatever she could if it was all for his sake. She followed his view of justice in believing that all criminals should not be given mercy, or to those that protect them as well, and also believed that he was never in the wrong. To this point, she was not willing to cooperate with criminals even if dire circumstances arise. However, Isuzu was willing to temporarily set aside her morals just once by working together with the criminals of the vanguard to destroy the Banko and reunite with Shugen.

    Isuzu prepares for seppuku Isuzu preparing to commit seppuku. Like her brother Genji, Isuzu followed the samurai code of honor known as bushidō. After Gantetsusai brought Fuchi's dead body, Isuzu was prepared to commit seppuku for the death of her fallen Asaemon comrades on the island and hoped that her death would appease the shogun.

    As a child, Isuzu was sensitive about her stature and would often be referred to her as a gorilla. However, after receiving words of encouragement from her brother about gorillas being strong animals, Isuzu no longer took it as an insult and believed that gorillas embody the concept of bushidō. History

    Isuzu and her older brother Genji joined the Yamada clan when they were young and eventually earned their names as Yamada Asaemons. At times, Isuzu was mocked because of her appearance and had to cope with the harsh insults. During one of her duties, Yamada Asaemon Shugen came to her defence after she received discrimination from the castle women she came to instruct and felt grateful to him. Isuzu then went on to pledge her loyalty towards him in hoping she can repay the kindness he showed her. Plot

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc After being assigned to be a part of the second team to retrieve the Elixir of Life, Isuzu and Kiyomaru meet with Shugen and Jikka and are told to make preparations for the departure.

    During their time sailing, Isuzu tries to calm Kiyomaru down after he becomes annoyed with Aoki concern about them being unranked. She then see him boasts about his superiority by cutting one of the ninjas mask. Isuzu draws her sword and strictly demands that he behaves himself. She then apologies to one of the ninjas for his behavior but the ninja says that there was no problem since they are absolutely loyal, causing Kiyomaru to order the ninja to kill himself to prove his statement. Isuzu shockingly watches as the ninja follows his orders by stabbing his neck with a sword and becomes impress with the man's resolve. The group then arrives on Kotaku.

    Isuzu and Kiyomaru vs Monshin Isuzu and Kiyomaru protecting Shugen from the Monshin. After finally making landfall on the island, Isuzu holds Shugen's sword as he is about to fight a group of Sōshin that approaches the group. She and Kiyomaru watches in amazement as he defeats them and comes to his aid to see if he is injured. They are then reassured that as their senior he will take on the responsibility of handling lesser matters that do not involve their purpose as executioners, causing them to feel delighted. As the group moves forward they stumble upon Eizen's corpse, causing Shugen to cry over his death and takes the time to lay his soul to rest. However, they are met with conflict by a horde of Monshin commanded by a Dōshi. As one is about to attack Shugen, Isuzu and Kiyomaru protects him as he continues to grieve over Eizen's death. However, one Monshin slips past them and charges at Shugen. They are then relieved after Shugen notices the monster and cuts its legs but are shocked to see him chipping away at his sword and declaring vengeance for the death of Eizen.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc While traveling to Hōrai, Isuzu breaks down in anguish after the ninja presented her evidence of Genji's death. Having found out more of his comrades have died, Shugen takes drastic measures by using the Dōshi's whistle to summon the Monshin from their nest and uses them to quickly transport him and the Asaemon to Hōrai.

    Isuzu fights Yuzuriha Isuzu fights Yuzuriha. After arriving in Hōrai, Isuzu and Kiyomaru follow Shugen as he makes his way forward. Isuzu arrives in the Rentan Palace where she reunites with Yamada Asaemon Sagiri but becomes displeased to see that she has chosen to cooperate with the criminal, Yuzuriha. Though she had her reasons, Isuzu asks that Sagiri join her side as she fights Yuzuriha. Shortly after, Isuzu hears the Iwagakure shinobi signaling that they have captured the Elixir of Life, meaning that the mission is complete. Sagiri begs her to stop from fighting Yuzuriha but is furiously told by Isuzu that once the elixir has been captured the lives of the criminals should be of no concern and sees no other way of settling matters with them.

    Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. After hearing an explosion from outside, Isuzu checks and witnesses the setting in Hōrai change by Zhu Jin fused with the Banko. She then defends herself against the monsters created. Despite the situation unfolding and Gantetsusai bringing Yamada Asaemon Fuchi's dead body, Isuzu continues to refuse to cooperate with the criminals since she has faith in Shugen's abilities and prepares to commit seppuku to atone for the lives of her deceased comrades. However, Jikka arrives with the convicts and Iwagakure shinobi to tell her that they need everyone to join forces since it is the only way to take down the Banko and return home. Although she swore on the passing of her late brother that she would not conspire with the criminals, Isuzu gives in to the fact that cooperation is essential and temporarily puts off Shugen's orders. Isuzu pairs up with Kiyomaru, in accordance to the Tao restoration match up, and sets out to destroy the tandens of the Banko.

    Isuzu and Kiyomaru at the Fire Tanden Isuzu prepares to destroy the Banko's Fire tanden. As they make their way to the Shu'itsu Palace, Isuzu feels herself becoming exhausted and overwhelmed by the crisis she is in, which makes her start to realize why she had to cooperate with criminals. Isuzu is then scolded by Kiyomaru for starting to doubt Shugen and tells her to honor her loyalty towards him after reminding her of the time Shugen stood up for her in the past. Isuzu recalls the time Shugen saved her from discrimination and thanks Kiyomaru for reassuring her. After fighting off the Banko's monsters, Isuzu and Kiyomaru arrive at the Shu'itsu Palace where the Banko's Fire tanden is located and are forced to get pass clones of Ju Fa protecting the tanden. After they hear the next signal by Yuzuriha, Isuzu finds herself heavily exerted of her strength but pushes herself to commence her attack on the tanden at the same time as the others. Though everything went as plan, Isuzu sees the tanden slowly regenerating due to the Zhu Jin-fused Banko being replenished by the sun. However, the Zhu Jin-fused Banko is ultimately destroyed after Aza Chōbei's quick thinking of destroying the roots of the tandens to cut off the monster's regeneration link.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc With the Banko destroyed, Isuzu and Kiyomaru regroup with the others at the entrance to the Main Palace's floodgates. Sagiri worries about leaving the Aza brothers since they have yet to return but is told by Isuzu that they can return to the island at a later time after stopping Rien. After entering the floodgates, the group finds that only one ship has been spared from the rest that have been burned and witness Mei entering her Kishikai to a clear path for the group to get onboard the ship and sail off.

    Isuzu's death Isuzu killed by Rien. Shortly after, the survivors ship manages to reach Rien's burning ship after Gantetsusai (who managed to board the ship earlier) slightly damages it. Isuzu and Kiyomaru then climb onboard with the others to confront Rien and reunites with Shugen. While tending to his wounds, Isuzu, Kiyomaru, and Shugen watch as the fighters fall victims to Rien's Tao illusion and witness her entering her Kishikai. Not wanting to allow the monster to take away the Yamada clan's duty of executing the criminals, Kiyomaru and Isuzu receive orders from Shugen to get the criminals to safety on the other boats. However, Rien unleashes her power to dismantle the exterior of the ship, causing the lumber to scattered. As a result, Kiyomaru is killed after his body is crushed under a piece of the wreckage, much to Isuzu's and Sagiri's shock. Isuzu rushes over to their direction, however, she is left open to Rien's Tao manipulation, resulting in her death after her body was crushed by the Tensen.

    Abilities and Powers

    Despite being unranked, Isuzu was undoubtedly skilled as her skills were vouched by Shugen and became employed by the shogun as a Female Combat instructor. She was capable of defeating a group of Monshin, a feat Rien noted was anything but normal for a human, and keep them at bay from attacking Shugen. Isuzu was also able to bring the highly skilled kunoichi Yuzuriha to her knees (though the latter did note that she could not fight at full strength due to not being fully recovered from her earlier battle with Ran). Ultimately, she had became one of the known survivors to escape the dangerous island known as Kotaku that has brought many humans to their death for over 1,000 years. Physical Abilities

    Isuzu's strength Isuzu shattering the ground. Isuzu had impressive physical strength, being able block a Monshin's attack, causing it to get knocked off balance, and cut off its limbs. She also had enough raw power to shatter the ground to send out rubble towards her opponents as an attack.

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Isuzu was noted by Shugen to be talented with a sword that only a rare few can match. She was able to dual wield a pair of swords and perform instant slashes. Once combined to form a double-bladed sword, Isuzu was able to deflect attacks that were complimented from her strength and cut large targets like the Monshin to pieces. She could also use her katanas to fight from mid-range by striking the ground to send out large amounts of rubble aimed at her targets. As an Asaemon, Isuzu was capable of decapitating her victims with a single cut of her sword.

    Tao

    Isuzu possessed Water-attribute Tao and was shown capable of using it to imbue her sword in order to destroy the Banko's Fire tanden.

    Weapons

    Isuzu's sword Isuzu's combined double-bladed sword. Isuzu carried two katanas that she could combine to form a double-bladed naginata.

47. #47Jikka

    Keys: Jikka

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 十禾 OTHER NAMES Jikka (ジッカ) (by Fuchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE April 10 BIRTHPLACE Japan GENDER Male Male AGE 28 HEIGHT 177 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Head of the Yamada Clan Samurai Yamada Asaemon RANK 3rd (Former) AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 36 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 Yamada Asaemon Jikka Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Yamada Asaemon Jikka (山やま田だ浅あさェえ門もん十じっ禾か) is the current head of the Yamada clan and the former 3rd rank Asaemon. He is a major supporting character of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.

    After the shogun called for death row convicts to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island believed to be Shinsenkyō, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Jikka joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal Hōrubō. However, his mission was cut short after his assigned criminal was killed at sea by Aza Chōbei and was given the privilege of returning back to the mainland. He was later ordered to depart back to the island onboard with a second landing party and continue with finding the elixir.

    Appearance

    Jikka has violet hair tied in a topknot, bangs that frame the sides of his face, and small amounts of facial hair. He is usually seen with a relaxed expression. He wears a dark haori with the standard attire of a Asaemon underneath: a white robe, along with a hakama held together with a waist cord, and sandals. He chooses to not wear his funerary bell tied to his collar and has the the two threads hang loose.

    During the report to the shogun regarding the completion of the mission, Jikka makes himself look more presentable by choosing to shave his facial hair, have his bangs tied back to his topknot, and wears his funerary bell with his Asaemon robe. Gallery

    Jikka during the meeting with the shogun. Jikka during the meeting with the shogun. Jikka in the stage play (Final Chapter). Jikka in the stage play (Final Chapter). Personality

    Jikka is a laid-back individual who compared to his fellow clan members, especially Shugen, is less dedicated to his work as an Asaemon. He mainly describes himself as someone who is very well patient in life and that all things will come his way as long as he remains in this state of mind. However, he also admits to being an opportunist at times if he sees that there is a chance that he can slightly push his agenda forward. Because of this behavior, very few people are unable to gain the slightest read on his motives. Jikka also admits to not being a believer in plans and that it is better to not raise his hopes up when working with others, or even himself to this extent.

    Jikka's lifestyle Jikka's overall way of life. Jikka stated that he is an individual that prefers to enjoy life to the fullest rather than focus on status and rank. This way of thinking greatly shows in his life as an executioner as he has been reported to attend his execution assignments while intoxicated and even sold his own sword as a way to collect money for his sexual exploits. He has no problem in being dishonest as he lied to the shogun's officials about how he felt guilty of not completing the mission after his criminal was killed by Aza Chōbei, when in actuality, Jikka expressed great joy at the time and shook Chōbei's hand in gratitude. He can also come off as rather rude and disrespectful to others around him regardless of who they are, even towards his fellow Asaemon. As a result of his despicable personality, Jikka has received a bad reputation amongst his peers in the Yamada clan, which causes to have his skills doubted. Instead of taking his work as an executioner seriously, Jikka finds that his ideal way of living his life is being promiscuous, which he refers to as indulging in "pleasures of the flesh". This characteristic shows itself whenever Jikka is around both sexes in public, tending to act out rather perverted and flirtatious. He is fond of the Red-Light District and stated that his drive for wanting to leave the island is to continue his sexual adventures with multiple people from specific areas.

    Jikka believes that it is unwise to be involved in dangerous situations, preferring not to have anything to do with Kotaku after witnessing how dangerous the island was and believes that those that did were foolish. To this extent, he was not above insulting the shogun. After being forced to depart to Kotaku once again, Jikka spent his time sulking and tried to convince Aoki in to returning to the mainland and tried another attempt at persuading Shugen after witnessing the monsters that attacked the second landing party.

    Jikka lacks the capacity to feel empathy, remorse, or guilt, traits not unlike that of a psychopath. Solely driven by his ambition to ascend as the head of the Yamada clan and escape the drudgery for a luxurious life, Jikka confesses to having no emotional ties to his fellow clansmen. After finding the corpse of Eizen, Jikka did not show any signs of emotional distress or join in with Shugen, Isuzu, and Kiyomaru in giving him a proper burial, only wishing to leave the island. Jikka even went to go so far as to conspire with Chōbei and Tōma in killing Shugen, Sagiri, and Shion to become the only ranked Asaemon to survive and secure his place as the next head. From this, Chōbei, a ruthless person himself, characterized Jikka as someone who was "clearly missing a soul." Jikka believes his actions are justified, as he views the pursuit of greater achievements as a natural aspiration for any man. The only times he is willing to help others is if all goes his way to achieving his goals. In turn for killing the surviving ranked Asaemons, Jikka agreed to turn a blind eye to the Aza brothers' escape from the island and make up a false report to the shogun. After the battle against Rien, Jikka agreed to make a false death report to the shogun about the surviving death row convicts and executioners of the vanguard, as them being out of the way would not hinder him from becoming the Yamada clan's next head. He was also willing to make sure that Yuzuriha's village would not come after her and had setup a meeting place for Gabimaru to reunite with Yui, as well as have Iwagakure become disbanded. History

    Past

    Ever since he was young, Jikka became blessed with a special intuition that allowed him to know how things or people will move accordingly, which proved useful to him in knowing how to inflict fatal injuries to people. While living a life of poverty in a small town full of deception and robbery, a fifteen-year-old Jikka broke into a large shop late at night and committed burglary. He then made his leave but not before killing the shop's owners who were a husband and wife. Unknowingly, Jikka spared the life of the couple's child who was asleep at the time of his parents' murder.[2]

    At some point, Jikka decided on using his special talent to become a samurai. Not wanting to become a warrior who participates in wars, Jikka chose to join the Yamada clan as a way to avoid this and managed to earn his name as a Yamada Asaemon, as well as earn the 3rd rank to become the clan's next head. After gaining his status, Jikka took his occupation as an executioner less seriously, having attended his execution assignments while intoxicated and had even sold his sword in order to earn money for his sexual activities with different partners. This resulted in him earning a bad reputation within the clan.

    After the shogun turned towards the Yamada clan for help in gathering death row criminals for a mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life from an island, Jikka ended up being assigned to Hōrubō and offered the monk the mission if he wished to be pardon for his crimes, to which he agreed to.

    Island Arc

    Main article: Island Arc Jikka cuts down a Wadatsumi Jikka cuts down a Wadatsumi along his way back home. After Hōrubō became one out of the ten death row criminals to survive the massacre ordered by the shogun, Jikka is assigned to be his Asaemon monitor on the mission and sails off towards the island. However, before he and his criminal had the chance to land on the island, Aza Chōbei kills Hōrubō after the latter attempted to kill the bandit on board his boat. Knowing that he can return back to the mainland since he is unable to complete his mission, Jikka happily shakes Chōbei's hand in gratitude. However, due to the strong currents, Jikka is forced to land on the island. He later makes another attempt at escape but is attacked by a Wadatsumi at sea. By using his special intuition, Jikka cuts down the monster's head and proceeds to safely return to the mainland while bringing the head back with him, thinking that he might be able to convince his superiors how dangerous the island is.

    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc The other Asaemon Jikka, Shugen and the other Asaemon prepare to depart to Kotaku. Upon his return, Jikka's superiors ask him to explain how he returned safely. After explaining and cutting his story short, Jikka says that he wanted nothing to do with the island and comments that only foolish people would want to be involved. The officials take this as a direct insult to the shogun, causing Yamada Asaemon Shugen to step in and apology for Jikka's behavior. The officials overlook this and gives them their next orders by the shogun, only for Jikka to ignore their reading of the message and figures that the request is to send more Asaemon to the island. After the meeting, Shugen scolds Jikka's behavior towards the officials, but Jikka shows disrespect about his presence being of use to him, causing Shugen to become furious. Jikka apologies and wonders if there were anymore more criminals to send. Shugen informs him that the shogun has hired Iwa ninja instead of criminals and tells him that he will also depart once again for the island, much to the latter's disapproval. After listening to Shugen's worries about his comrades, Jikka is asked by a worker what they should do with the large monster head he had brought back. He apologies to the workers after forgetting to bring up the monsters on the island to the officials and offers an invitation to accompany him to the Red-Light District or to join him in his quarters. Once done inspecting the monster, Shugen informs Jikka and the two additional allies to prepare to leave for the island.

    The next day, as he departs with the second team, Jikka sits down sulking. He then talks to Aoki about how bringing all these suspicious people were going to make the mission difficult. Aoki replies that this was a way of providing the other party on the island aid. However, Jikka replies that the true purpose of this team was not to provide aid but to bring more death and chaos. He then tries to persuade him into thinking it would be a good idea to turn back home.

    After finally making landfall on the island, Jikka and the others watch as Shugen fights the Sōshin and is pleased to hear Shugen claiming that he will take care of handling the monsters but is reminded by the young Asaemon that he is his senior and was mainly informing Isuzu and Kiyomaru. As the group moves forward they stumble upon Eizen's corpse, causing Shugen to cry out in pain. Shugen then lays his soul to rest which Jikka found displeasing. The group is then attacked by a horde of Monshin commanded by a Dōshi. Jikka makes a request to settle things without fighting but hears the Dōshi refusal. The team then manages to take down both the Monshin and the Dōshi. Jikka makes a suggestion to Shugen to leave the island after seeing at how dangerous it is but is yelled out by him that they are not allowed to leave under any circumstance.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc While traveling to Hōrai, the Asaemon become exhausted with the long walk and are informed by Shugen that he would use the Horse Flute formerly used by the Dōshi but is told by Jikka that it would not be a good idea. However, after the ninja presented evidence of Tenza and Genji's death, Shugen becomes furious and uses the whistle to summon the Monshin from their nest, much to Jikka's disturbance. He then commands them to carry the Asaemon to Hōrai.

    Jikka talks to the Aza Brothers Jikka attempting to make a deal with Chōbei and Tōma. After finally arriving at Hōrai, Jikka sarcastically states that he will guard the rear while everyone charges forward to the palace. He then looks to see Shija giving him a judgmental gaze and replies that he could tell that Iwagakure has their own agenda on the mission. Later, Jikka finds Aza Chōbei and Tōma, who has come to realize his true identity since joining the Yamada clan, and have them surrender. Jikka then uses the opportunity to try and make a deal with the Aza Brothers, requesting that they kill Shugen, along with Sagiri and Shion if possible, in order to become the next head of the Yamada clan and will be willing to make false report about their status to the shogun in exchange. Shortly after, Jikka finds a Dōshi and becomes shock to see it revert back into a human and turn into a tree due to the Banko overtaking Hōrai after fusing with Zhu Jin.

    With the situation becoming serious, Jikka regroups with everyone from both parties at the Rentan Palace and declares that it is essential that both him, Isuzu, and Kiyomaru cooperate with the criminals, along with the Asaemons siding with them, in order to make it out alive. He also states that he has plan to have the criminals earn their freedom if all goes well but needs the help of Gabimaru. Jikka sees that Gabimaru has made his arrival but unfortunately sees him in a worse condition due to his Tao being disrupted by Zhu Jin, causing him to have no choice but to change his plans. The two teams agree to cooperate and readies themselves to go over the plan to defeat the Banko. While distracted, the Iwa ninja take the opportunity to attack Gabimaru with kunai but are deflected back after Jikka anticipated their attempt. The group then split up into pairs corresponding with the Tao Restoration cycle, with Jikka being matched up with Gantetsusai, and go out to search and destroyed the Banko's five tandens scattered around the palace.

    Jikka cuts the Zhu Jin Banko Jikka cuts down the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. After arriving at the main body, Jikka decides to lay down and wait for the right timing to destroy the tanden instead of relying on the signal, explaining to Gantetsusai that the roots will tell him when that will happen. He also makes Gantetsusai become suspicious of him after giving a out little hint about his deal with the Aza Brothers. Later, Jikka senses that the others are about to destroy the tandens and believes that the timing is right for him and Gantetsusai to destroy main body. Despite being warned that the Zhu Jin-fused Banko has taken on a transformation, Jikka becomes confident in himself to destroy it and readies himself by stripping down to his loincloth in order to concentrate and asks for Gantetsusai's sword. Using his special intuition to figure out the perfect conditions, Jikka manages to cut down the head of the monster and makes his way towards the tanden. Before he prepares to destroy it, Gantetsusai warns him that they might risk affecting Gabimaru and Chōbei since their Tao are connected to the monster. Despite this, Jikka proceeds to cut the tanden in order to end everything but later becomes shocked to see the plant monster still alive after it had been revitalize by the sun. Luckily, after thinking of the idea of destroying the roots connected from the tandens to the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, Chōbei brings the monster down once and for all.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc With the Banko destroyed, Jikka regroups with the others at the entrance to the Main Palace's floodgates. After entering, Jikka believes that they will be able to catch up to Rien's ship using a lighter vessel with large sails. However, the group finds that all the ships have been destroyed with the exception of one that was being blocked by the wreckage. Jikka then watches as Gabimaru tries to clear away the wreckage but tells him that it was impossible. With no other choice, Mei enters her Kishikai to a clear path for the group to get onboard the ship and sail off away from the island.

    Jikka toasts to humanity's demise Having witnessed the aftermath of the battle, Jikka toasts to humanity's defeat. Knowing that they will soon confront Rien, Jikka uses his special intuition to see which strategy will work best but unfortunately tells the others that he could not find a solution, which prompts him to make the decision to stay on the ship to guard it, as an excuse, after they reach her ship. The survivors manage to reach Rien's burning ship, after Gantetsusai got onboard earlier to damage and slow it down, and confront Rien, while Jikka stays on the survivors' ship as decided earlier. Shortly after, Jikka watches as Rien's ship becomes dismantled after the Tensen entered her Kishikai. Seeing as how his intuition was right, Jikka brings out a barrel drink and raises it up as he admits to humanity's defeat. Later, he is called down by Shion to pull him, Nurugai, and an unconscious Gantetsusai up to the ship, only to fall into the water after being intoxicated, much to the two's annoyance. After he is brought back on the ship, Jikka tells them that he has lost faith in any chance they might have at defeating Rien and starts to point out the errors in Gabimaru and Sagiri's battle strategies. Shortly after, Jikka stops Nurugai from attempting to help them after Rien seeks out vengeance for destroying Jofuku's corpse, saying that power would not be able to stop her. Jikka then watches as Rien's body withers away after she accepts Jofuku's death with the help of Gabimaru.

    As they depart back to Edo with the Elixir of Life in their possession, Jikka, while still intoxicated, tells Gabimaru and Sagiri that he had faith in them all this time, much to the others annoyance since the Asaemon did not contribute to the cause. After Gabimaru and Yuzuriha decide that Gantetsusai should be the one to present the elixir and receive the pardon, Jikka tells them that he will handle clearing things up with the shogun by falsely reporting their deaths and suggests that they abandon their names and former lives behind. Jikka also agrees to set up an arrangement for Gabimaru to meet with his wife and try to keep Yuzuriha's village from tracking her.

    Upon returning to Edo, Jikka makes a report to Aoki about the Iwagakure's chief scheme during the mission in hoping that he will be executed. After ten days passed, Jikka makes the report to the shogun and his retainers, with Sagiri by his side, that they have retrieved the Elixir of Life and Gantetsusai is the only criminal to survive after the others were executed by him. Before allowing the meeting to be over, Jikka asks Aoki if the situation with the Iwagakure leader was handle, to which he answers yes by showing the man's severed head as evidence that he was executed for his crime against the shogun. Jikka also hears Aoki's disappointment on the elixir's negative effects on the chief's body but manages to convince him that the elixir is beneficial since it will allow the shogun to live forever as a divine tree. Once the higher ups were cleared from the area, Jikka falls back in relief after managing to have his plan become successful. He then looks to see Sagiri thinking about the others and tells her that, like the tale of Momotaro, their story had to come to an end and the only thing they can do is hope for their happiness.

    Epilogue

    After a year passed, Jikka manages to get promoted to the next head of the Yamada clan as he had hoped and spends his time taking it easy.

    Future

    After she had returned back from her long journey, Jikka is challenged by Sagiri to a fight to have him step down from his status as the Yamada clan's leader, as well as refusing to go along with the arranged marriage set for her as the clan's heiress.[3]

    Abilities and Powers

    Being the third ranked Asaemon, Jikka is undoubtedly skilled since he is looked at by the Yamada clan to be one of its strongest members. He was able to cut down a Wadatsumi, sea creatures who have spent years causing explorers who attempted to leave Kotaku to meet their end, and became the first person to have ever escape Kotaku alive without experiencing any of the dangers, an achievement that not even one of his fellow Asaemon could accomplish. Gantetsusai also noted that, due to the sea's rough currents, such a feat would be difficult for a master swordsman, such as himself, to accomplish while sailing on a boat. After witnessing Jikka cut down the Zhu Jin-fused Banko without having any difficulty in doing so, Gantetsusai determined that Jikka has the powers of a man who could go down in history as a God Slayer. Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū As an Asaemon, Jikka is capable of decapitating a person with a single cut of his sword. A noteworthy feat was that he was able to easily severe the large head of a Wadatsumi with one swing from a distance. This incredible display of swordsmanship was once again demonstrated after he cut off the head of the Zhu Jin-fused Banko.

    Principle of Things

    Jikka using the Principle of Things Jikka using his special intuition to determine the wrong moves he could make. Jikka possesses a special intuition to perceive the Principle of Things (物ものの原げん理り, Mono no Genri, Viz: Truth of Things), which refers to how people or objects will move exactly. Combined with his swordsmanship, this ability allows Jikka to determine what it will take to cut down his targets by accessing when all the major factors required (eg. balance, windchill, presence, room to step, form, alignment, etc.) are working in unison. Although the sword he wields is made entirely out of bamboo, Jikka is capable of cutting his targets as if the sword is actually made out of steel. After anticipating the kunai thrown by the Iwagakure shinobi, Jikka controlled the amount of force he applied to his sword and deflected them back with perfect precision. As he prepared to take on the Zhu Jin-fused Banko, Jikka's special intuition allowed him to determine which spots would prove to be the most fatal and the conditions that needed to be met to successfully cut off its head. Jikka claims that his special intuition is completely flawless and even once stated that his ability far surpasses the ability to sense Tao. Gantetsusai also noted that this power could allow Jikka to become a legend.

    Intelligence

    Jikka is a very analytical individual and is shown to be incapable of being fooled through deception. After being brought to a meeting with his superiors to read a message from the shogun, Jikka ignored the reading and already knew that the shogun had planned to dispatch more Yamada Asaemon to the island. During the departure of the second dispatch team, Jikka saw the big picture of the purpose of the group, which was not to provide support to the first team but to end their lives. Jikka even knew that Iwagakure had their own reasons for taking up the shogun's mission while supporting the Asaemons, although he admitted that he did not know specifically what it was.

    He has also demonstrated himself to be extremely cunning, as he managed to convince Aoki to have the shogun continue with his plans to consume the Elixir of Life by sugar coating its negative effects.

    Weapons

    Jikka's takemitsu Jikka's takemitsu. As an executioner, Jikka carries his own sword. However, Jikka is the only Asaemon to not carry an actual sword with him, after having sold his previous blade in the past, and instead carries a takemitsu.

48. #48Kichiji

    Keys: Kichiji

    KANJI 山田浅工門 吉次 BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human GENDER Male Male PERSONAL STATUS STATUS Alive RELATIVES Yamada Asaemon Sagiri (Daughter) CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Head of the Yamada Clan (Former) Samurai Yamada Asaemon AFFILIATION Yamada Clan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Hidenari Ugaki Yamada Asaemon Kichiji Images LESS Yamada Asaemon Kichiji (山田浅工門 吉次) was the head of the Yamada clan prior to being succeeded by Yamada Asaemon Jikka. He is also the father of Yamada Asaemon Sagiri.

    Appearance

    Like all Asaemon, Kichiji wears the clan's attire of a Asaemon, which is a white robe with a bell tied to the left collar and a hakama held together by a waist-cord. His hair is also fashioned in a topknot. Personality

    Kichiji appears to be a man that respects the traditions of his clan. He and his fellow clan members strongly believe that women in the clan should not wield a sword and looks down on his daughter for attempting to follow down the path of a samurai. Abilities and Powers

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Kichiji is a remarkable samurai who managed to gain the title of a Asaemon and previously held the position of clan head. Like every Asaemon, he has the capabilities to decapitate a person with a single cut of his sword. However, Kichiji skills are at a higher level than his peers as he once decapitated a criminal with a single stroke without the body realizing that it was already dead. His skill with a sword is what inspired Sagiri to follow the path of a samurai.

49. #49Kishō

    Keys: Kishō

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 期聖 OTHER NAMES Kinoji (期きの字じ) (by Fuchi) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE August 13 GENDER Male Male AGE 18 HEIGHT 173 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Earth Symbol Earth CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Asaemon RANK 11th AFFILIATION Yamada Clan DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 2 ANIME DEBUT Episode 2 PORTRAYAL JAPANESE VOICE Shun'ichi Toki ENGLISH VOICE Bradley Gareth Yamada Asaemon Kishō Images LESS Yamada Asaemon Kishō (山田浅ェ門 期き聖しょう) was the 11th rank Asaemon in the Yamada Clan.

    After the shogun called for criminals to acquire the Elixir of Life from the dangerous island known as Kotaku, in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Kishō joined in the expedition team as one of the Yamada Asaemon monitors and was assigned to keep watch over the criminal, Warped Keiun.

    Appearance

    Yamada Asaemon Kisho Anime Concept Art Kishō's concept art from the anime. Kishō had short hair with his face framed with bangs. He wore a dark haori with the standard attire of a Asaemon underneath, which is a white robe with a bell tied on the left collar along with a hakama held together with a waist cord, and sandals. Personality

    Kishō was an individual who was known for never losing his composure and rarely acting assertive. He was able to see the big picture in situations and found it annoying when people questioned his way of handling them. Kishō had shown that he didn't mind in taking the easy way out, offering to cut down Gabimaru to help Sagiri return home instead of following through with the mission. He also didn't like to be pushed around. After being set straight by Gabimaru, Kishō smiled saying that his time with finding the elixir will run out and the shogun had plans to have people from Iwagakure involve, which had Gabimaru concern.

    Kishō was also someone who didn't have ambition, as he did not care about who would become the new head of the Yamada Clan and wasn't interested in competing with his fellow clansmen. He was shown to not be a strickler and was rather more flexible about following rules, as seen when he allowed his assigned criminal to cut off the bindings and to fight Gabimaru. To him, every criminal is a lowlife who doesn't deserve to even argue with, to the point of beheading the corpse of Warped Keuin to prove he did not abandon the mission. Plot

    Island Arc

    Kishō was one of the few Asaemons who got assigned to a criminal and sent to search for the Elixir of Life on an island as ordered by the shogun.

    Upon arriving on the island, his assigned criminal, Warped Keiun, encountered and attacked Gabimaru in an attempt to lower the competition. Sagiri was surprised that Keiun's arms were not bound and asked Kishō the reason behind this. Kishō tells Sagiri that he would simply redo his bindings when it was time to return home and that no one is following the rules. Keiun attempted to kill Gabimaru but is met with death by the shinobi. Kishō drew his sword and cuts off Keiun's head. With his criminal dead, Kishō prepares to head back home. Before leaving, Kishō warns Sagiri that the criminals have plans of their own to find the elixir and that the rules don't matter on the mission. He also offered to kill Gabimaru in order for her to return home. Having heard enough talk from him, Gabimaru grabbed his sword and silenced him. Kishō then told Gabimaru that his time with finding the elixir will eventually run out and Iwagakure might be involved. He also tells Sagiri that the mission will determine the next head of the Yamada clan and makes his departure.

    Kisho Arborified Kishō's blooming corpse found by Tenza and Nurugai. At some point, upon his departure, Kishō somehow became infected with Arborification and immediately died. After trying to make an attempt at escaping the island, Nurugai & Tenza finds Kishō's bloomed corpse. As Tenza tries to get a response from Kishō, the dead Asaemon is split in half by the Watatsumi's large tentacle.

    Abilities and Powers

    Since he was the 11th ranked Asaemon, Kishō was recognized by the Yamada clan as one of its strongest members and a suitable candidate to become the next head. Foresight

    According to and demonstrated by Shugen, Kishō's nerves of steel disposition allowed him to predict his opponent's attacks and avoid them on time, a feat that would usually require the use Tao to do so.

    Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū As an Asaemon, he had the capabilities of decapitating a person's head with a single cut.

    Weapons

    As an executioner, Kishō carries his own katana.

50. #50Kiyomaru

    Keys: Kiyomaru

    KANJI 山田浅ェ門 清丸 ALIAS Little Kiyo (by other Yamada Asaemons) BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION RACE Human BIRTHDATE October 29 GENDER Male Male AGE 12 HEIGHT 132 cm PERSONAL STATUS STATUS ELEMENTAL ATTRIBUTE Metal Symbol Metal CLASS Rōnin OCCUPATION Samurai Yamada Asaemon AFFILIATION Yamada Clan TEAM Additional Landing Party DEBUTS MANGA DEBUT Chapter 36 Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru Images LESS Overview Image Gallery Yamada Asaemon Kiyomaru (山田浅ェ門 清きよ丸まる) was an unranked Asaemon in the Yamada Clan. After the shogun became impatient of the first team acquiring the Elixir of Life from Kotaku, Kiyomaru and Isuzu were chosen to join Shugen and Jikka to be a part of the second team sent to acquire the elixir. In addition, the group was ordered by Shugen to eliminate the criminals of the first team, as well as every being on the island, and protect the monitoring Yamada Asaemons.

    ADVERTISEMENT Appearance

    1/2

    Kiyomaru was a child with wavy hair that was brushed over to the right side of his face. He wore a dark kataginu on top of the standard attire of an Asaemon; a white robe, a hakama, a red waist cord that holds his sword at his hip, a bell tied to his left collar, and sandals.

    ADVERTISEMENT Personality

    Due to his young age, Kiyomaru was very immature, shown as he spoke rudely to one of his superiors and recklessly ordered one ninja to kill himself to prove his loyalty. Kiyomaru was also very arrogant and disapproved of being looked down on by others, as he declared that he was far superior to everyone that came along on the mission and cut off a ninja's mask to prove his strength to Aoki after hearing him doubt his abilities for being an unranked Asaemon. Aside from his childhood behavior, Kiyomaru was very loyal to Shugen and would do anything he commanded. History

    Kiyomaru was born as the son of a samurai and was taken in by the Yamada clan within the Side Branch Dōjō. He then met and trained with Yamada Asaemon Shugen who he pledged loyalty towards after the Yamada Asaemon treated him with respect.

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    Lord Tensen Arc

    Main article: Lord Tensen Arc After being chosen to participant in the second team to retrieve the Elixir of Life, Kiyomaru and Isuzu meets with Shugen and Jikka and are informed to make preparations for the departure.

    Treasure Barge The additional landing party make their arrival on Kotaku. While sailing off, Kiyomaru overhears Aoki having concerns about his and Isuzu's position as being unranked Asaemon. Kiyomaru becomes annoyed and rudely offers him to demonstrate his skills, causing Isuzu to ask that he behaves himself. He looks towards one of the ninjas on board and boasts about his superiority. After the ninja allowed him to do as he please to him, Kiyomaru draws his sword and slices another ninja's mask to see if the first one moved. Isuzu then draws her sword next to Kiyomaru neck and strictly demands that he behaves himself. He then looks back at Isuzu with a cold expression and tells her not to test him. Isuzu apologies to the ninja for Kiyomaru's behavior but the ninja states that he had no problems since it was their duty to follow their orders no matter what. Hearing this statement, Kiyomaru orders the ninja to kill himself to proof his loyalty. He becomes shocked to see the ninja following his orders and kills himself. He then goes to Shugen and asked if they can trust the ninjas. Shugen tells him that he views them no more than criminals and that they are more than enough to handle the mission and expresses his resolve to execute every criminal on the island so his clan members can return home. After asking the possibility of the clan members death, Kiyomaru becomes scared of an angered Shugen. The group then makes their arrival on Kotaku.

    Isuzu and Kiyomaru vs Monshin Kiyomaru and Isuzu protecting Shugen from the Monshin. After finally making landfall on the island, Kiyomaru and Isuzu watches as Shugen defeats a group of Sōshin without the use of his sword and comes to his aid to see if he is injured. Shugen assures them that as their senior he will take care of lesser matters that do not involve their purpose as executioners. This causes the two to feel delighted but Kiyomaru comments on how his smiles makes him look scary. As they continue to forward, the group stumbles upon Eizen's corpse, causing Shugen to cry in anguish. Kiyomaru and Isuzu then join Shugen in laying Eizen's dead body to rest but are shortly interrupted by a horde of Monshin commanded by a Dōshi. As one of the Monshin prepares to attack Shugen, Kiyomaru and Isuzu protects him and attack. However, one manages to slip past them and goes straight for Shugen. Shugen notices the monster and cuts its legs, reliving both Kiyomaru and Isuzu. They then watch as Shugen damages his sword and declares vengeance for Eizen's death.

    Hōrai Arc

    Main article: Hōrai Arc While traveling to Hōrai, the Asaemon become exhausted with the long walk and are informed by Shugen that he would use the Horse Flute formerly used by the Dōshi. Kiyomaru then wonders what he was talking about. After the ninja presented evidence of Tenza and Genji's death, Shugen becomes furious and uses the whistle. Kiyomaru asks what the whistle was for and is told by Jikka that it is meant to summon the Monshin from their nest, much to his shock. Shugen then commands them to quickly carry him and the Asaemon to Hōrai.

    Two teams united The two landing parties join forces. After arriving in Hōrai, Kiyomaru follow Shugen's lead and soon confronts Nurugai, alongside Yamada Asaemon Shion at her side, to capture her as per Shugen's orders to eliminate any convicts they find. He then becomes ashamed of Shion for trying to protect a criminal and becomes astonished to hear him renouncing his title as a Yamada Asaemon since he can not bring himself to execute an innocent such as Nurugai. Later, Kiyomaru and everyone in Hōrai witness the palace being taken over after Zhu Jin fuses with the Banko. With everyone's life at risk, Kiyomaru, along with the other survivors from the first and second landing parties, gather at the Rentan Palace to discuss matters on cooperating. After discussing the plan to destroy the Banko's tandens scattered around Hōrai, Kiyomaru pairs up with Isuzu to strengthen her Water Tao with his Metal Tao and goes after the tandens.

    Isuzu and Kiyomaru at the Fire Tanden Kiyomaru and Isuzu prepare to destroy the Banko's Fire tanden. As they make their way to the Shu'itsu Palace where the Fire tanden is located, Kiyomaru hears Isuzu talk about how the situation they are in required them to cooperate with criminals and berates her for this response, thinking that she is doubting Shugen. As he fights off the monsters, Kiyomaru explains his reason for believing in Shugen and tells her to honor her loyalty towards him after reminding her of the time Shugen stood up for her in the past. Isuzu then thanks Kiyomaru for reassuring her and the two arrive at the Shu'itsu Palace. Shortly after, Kiyomaru and Isuzu defend themselves against clones of Ju Fa created by the tanden after Zhu Jin becomes aware of the humans interference. Later, after the sound of the next conch signal by Yuzuriha, Kiyomaru and Isuzu perform the coordinated attack to destroy the Zhu Jin-fused Banko. Though they were successful, the tandens start to slowly regenerate due to the Zhu Jin-fused Banko slowly recovering from the morning sunlight. Luckily, Aza Chōbei comes up with the idea of using his vines to destroy the roots of the tandens in order to cut off its regeneration link to the main body, resulting in the Zhu Jin-fused Banko's destruction.

    Departure Arc

    Main article: Departure Arc With the Banko destroyed, Isuzu and Kiyomaru regroup with the others at the entrance to the Main Palace's floodgates. After entering the floodgates, the group finds that only one ship has been spared from the rest that have been burned and witness Mei entering her Kishikai to a clear path for the group to get onboard the ship and sail off.

    Kiyomaru's death Kiyomaru's death. After managing to reach Rien's burning ship, Kiyomaru and Isuzu jump onboard with the others to confront Rien and find Shugen onboard as well. the two then tend to his wounds while the survivors target Rien. Kiyomaru, Isuzu, and Shugen then watch as the fighters fall victim to Rien's Tao illusion and the Tensen entering her Kishikai. Not wanting to allow the monster to take away the Yamada clan's duty of executing the criminals, Kiyomaru and Isuzu receive orders from Shugen to get the criminals to safety on the other boats. However, Rien unleashes her power to dismantle the exterior of the ship, causing the lumber to scattered. As a result, Kiyomaru is killed after his body is crushed under a piece of the wreckage, much to Sagiri and Isuzu's shock.

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    Despite being an unranked Asaemon, Kiyomaru was undoubtedly skilled as he was chosen to be a part of the second team to journey off and retrieve the Elixir of Life. According to Shugen, Kiyomaru had the potential of receiving the first or second rank. He was capable of defeating a group of Monshin, a feat Rien noted was anything but normal for a human, and kept them at bay from attacking Shugen. He was capable enough to take on the monsters created by the Zhu Jin-fused Banko that were able to kill a squad of Iwagakure genin and assisted Isuzu in defeating the partially transformed clones of Ju Fa. Ultimately, he became one of the known survivors to escape the dangerous island known as Kotaku that has brought many humans to their death for over 1,000 years. Kenjutsu

    Further information: Tameshi Ittō-ryū Kiyomaru sword attacks Kiyomaru rotating attacks on a Monshin. Kiyomaru had a high level of skill in swordsmanship. Due to his small body, Kiyomaru was able to utilize spinning and rotating attacks at an incredible speed that was able to take down a Monshin. As a Yamada Asaemon, Kiyomaru was capable of decapitating his victims with a single cut of his sword.

    Weapons

    As an executioner, Kiyomaru carried his own katana.

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