6 Reasons Why Hell’s Paradise Is Different From Other Shonen Anime

After watching Hell’s Paradise, considering it as something similar to Naruto or Bleach does not make sense. However, it is also regarded as Shonen because, at the end of the day, it is geared towards young adults.

But, where a typical Shonen anime depicts the hopefulness and the positive aspects of life, Hell’s Paradise points towards bleakness. Thus, let us discuss the 6 reasons why Hell’s Paradise is different from other Shonen anime.

1) Dark and mature themes

Normally, in a Shonen, the primary focus is on the power of friendship. Here, friendship is a by-product of Gabimaru’s journey and not something he actively seeks. We also deal with heavy and philosophical themes of duality and mortality.

The name Hell’s Paradise in itself is an oxymoron where the dual meaning of hell and paradise clash together to create a sense of horror and beauty. This idea embodies the Kotaku island, which on the surface looks beautiful and promises immortality, whereas stepping there only guarantees death in the ugliest way possible.

2) Well-written female characters

The Shonen anime genre is infamous for being inept at portraying good female characters. This becomes more apparent with characters like Sakura from Naruto, whose personality has been disliked by fans from the moment she was introduced.

However, the female characters of Hell’s Paradise are all built differently. Most of them do not fall into any common trope, especially Sagiri, who is not the love interest but takes on the role of the male best friend, typical in Shonen. She also presents remarkable abilities that are not linked to the male protagonist’s strength.

3) The emotional growth of almost all of its characters

In any Shonen, the main hero is the one who is guaranteed any emotional development. Apart from him, his male best friend or companion can also have some character growth.

However, in Hell’s Paradise, even the minor characters, at least the ones who still stay alive long enough, go through remarkable emotional maturity. Yuzuriha, for example, matures from being an entirely self-centered individual to saving Gabimaru when fighting against Ran.

4) Self-contained storytelling

Almost all Shonen anime branches off in various directions after its start. At least, that is the case with many old-gen shows like One Piece, where the plot keeps getting stretched.

But in the case of Hell’s Paradise, the plot builds on a concise setup. Here, every arc hardly takes 5 or 6 episodes, forming a much tighter structure. The manga of Hell’s Paradise also only lasted till chapter 128, which is an alien concept to other long-running Shonen.

5) Lack of traditional and cliche power-scaling

Shonen anime like Dragon Ball and Naruto rely heavily on drastic power scaling that adds to the hype of these series. But when it comes to Hell’s Paradise, the approach is a lot more realistic, even though the setup is highly mythical.

Gabimaru, indeed, has skills and powers that make it extremely difficult for him to die. However, Sagiri can very much kill him if she wants to. Gabimaru also does not go through frequent power-ups and often faces defeat while confronting his enemies on the island.

6) Liberal s*xual ideas

Another aspect that separates Hell’s Paradise from other Shonen is the explicit and unapologetic use of s*xual themes throughout the show. Romance or sensuality are not given much importance in a Shonen anime, but here, we see these being very essential.

Gabimaru’s whole fight for existence stems from his love for his wife. There have also been very liberal depictions of relationships where the supreme being or Tensen takes part in s*xual acts, utilizing their gender fluidity.

These qualities of Hell’s Paradise have definitely given it a shock factor that other Shonen anime lacks. But that does not mean one is better than the other. Both have their separate audience bases where they enjoy significant fame.

Watch Hell’s Paradise on Netflix.