Hell’s Paradise: What Are the Monsters Seen in Kotaku? Meet the Sōshin and the Mōnshin!

And while the recently-premiered anime adaptation of Hell’s Paradise promises to be a big hit, fans have, naturally, begun to ask questions about the series’ protagonist, Gabimaru. But, while Gabimaru is undoubtedly a very intriguing character in every aspect, we have decided to dedicate this article, based on what happened in the most recent episode of the anime, to a set of newly-introduced characters – the monsters known as the Sōshin and the Mōnshin. In this article, we are going to tell you what the monsters Gabimaru and the others have fought are and what their overall role in the story of Hell’s Paradise is, as well as how they are connected to the mission that the main characters are on at the moment of writing.

The Sōshin and the Mōnshin are both lower-ranked monsters that live in Eishū, in Hōjō, and are there to kill any trespassing humans. They are forbidden to enter the Hōrai. Both of them lack intelligence, and while the Sōshin vary in appearance, the Mōnshin are all identical. They are frightening and have the ability to defend themselves. 

The rest of this article will focus on the Sōshin and the Mōnshin and their role in the plot of Hell’s Paradise, as well as the story behind their creation. The Sōshin and the Mōnshin might be secondary villains in the series, but they are nevertheless very important for understanding the whole lore, which is why we will tell you everything you need to know. Be careful, though, as the article will be filled with spoilers.

The Sōshin are more varied

If you’ve been a diligent little pupil, you’ve probably noticed a number of strange and odd creatures that appeared in Kotaku. These creatures at first seemed to be insects and other animals, but as it turned out, they were actually strange and deformed creatures that proved to be quite dangerous, such as when a “beautiful” butterfly landed on Tamiya Gantetsusai’s hand and stung him, forcing him to cut it off in order to not transform into a flower and start blooming. And while these creatures had been hinted at before, this was the first time we had seen them in action. These creatures are called the Sōshin, meaning “Stove God” (written as 竈神 in Japanese).

The Sōshin are lower-ranked monsters that live in the Kotaku. They live in the Eishū in Hōjō and are strictly forbidden from entering the Hōrai. Their main role is to protect Kotaku from trespassing humans, and they serve as the first line of defense. They are mindless creatures, lacking intelligence and acting purely on instinct. They come in different shapes and sizes, and while they don’t really have any special powers, they can defend themselves, are capable of fighting, and some can use their biological traits to harm the enemy (for example, they can emit poisonous gas or have stings that can infect the target and turn them into a flower).

As for their appearance, it varies. All the Sōshin are wholly deformed, and they have either humanoid or animalistic traits, or even a combination of that (for example, a butterfly with a human face or a fish-like Sōshin with human limbs); those that have human faces usually have a creepy, deformed grin permanently imprinted on their faces. They also vary in size, from extremely small ones (like the butterflies) to larger ones (the centipede-like creatures or the fish-like Sōshin); they can also be gigantic in size. Some of them wear religious garments, which makes them look like deformed monks or deities, and some of them are also capable of carrying and using various weapons.

Biologically, they have muscles and skeletons, but they don’t have many internal organs and no genitals, which means that they have no gender. It is known that some of them are capable of speech, suggesting that some of them, at least, have vocal cords and similar organs. But, as it was discovered, their anatomy varies significantly, even among those Sōshin that belong to the same type, but it is a fact that they have little to no internal organs. Diversity – in every aspect – is a common trait of all the Sōshin. It also seems like they are not capable of feeling pain.

As for their behavior, we have said they lack intelligence and act purely on instinct. They are capable of understanding what is happening around them, and some of them are even capable of speaking, but all of that is very rudimentary. They cannot sense danger and are focused exclusively on eliminating their targets, without any tactical approach whatsoever, so they most often attack in groups as strength is in numbers. When they see one of their own killed, they usually say that killing is a sin, probably due to prior conditioning. They are also extremely obedient and loyal and can be easily controlled by the Sennin, as they will do anything they are ordered to do.

All of the Mōnshin look the same

Going back to Tamiya Gantetsusai, who seems to be an ideal example for all of our monster-related introductions, we have to remember a large monster that was walking in the woods, taller than all the trees, with two arms protruding from its eyes. And while these monsters did not engage Tamiya Gantetsusai or anyone else, they are still important, which is why we have decided to introduce them here as well, as they are part of the lore introduced in the most recent episodes of the anime series.

These monsters are called Mōnshin, literally meaning “Gate God” (in Japanese, they are written as 門神). They are based on the Menshen, similar creatures from Chinese folklore, divine guardians of doors and gates who encouraged the entrance of good people and blocked the bad ones out. It is, thus, understandable why they look like this and what their role in the lore is going to be.

Unlike the Sōshin, the one major trait of the Mōnshin is complete uniformity. They are also lower-ranked monsters that live in Kotaku and are, like the Sōshin, located only in the forests of Eishū in Hōjō and are forbidden to enter the Hōrai. All of the Mōnshin look exactly the same – they are about five meters tall, corpse-looking, and have arms protruding from their eyes. They also have long dark hair and don’t seem to be capable of speech. Their overall appearance is humanoid, but they are so deformed that they look more like corpses than actual humans.

The Mōnshin, like the Sōshin, also lacks any intelligence and are completely mindless, which is why they only listen to the users and of the Horse Flute, regardless of who they are; this actually means that the Mōnshin will obey even the humans who use the Horse Flute, which shows just how mindless they are as entities. But what they lack in brains, they compensate for in brawns.

Namely, the Mōnshin are extremely powerful and strong. They also don’t have any special powers, but due to their size, they are quite formidable and scary, which is why people fear them. They are physically imposing and are significantly stronger than the Sōshin in every aspect. A group of them could easily deal with a group of Iwagakure shinobi. Their stamina is also excellent, as they can run to the Hōrai without stopping. Another major trait is their durability, as they are quite strong and difficult to kill, so much so that defeating one of them is considered a real feat that only the strongest and most skilled ones can achieve.