Hell’s Paradise: What Are the Tensen?

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’ characters. But, while Gabimaru is the most popular character in the series and the one who is the most talked-about, 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 – a new group of beings that live on Kotaku, the Tensen. In this article, we are going to tell you what these synthetic humans whom Gabimaru and the others have and are going to fight 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 Tensen are a group of synthetic humans that were created by combining Human and Flower Tao. They are the highest-ranking Sen’nin and have completely mastered the Five Training Methods of Immortality. They are fully human in appearance and completely conscious and also have some amazing supernatural abilities that make them quite dangerous.

The rest of this article will focus on the Tensen and their role in the plot of Hell’s Paradise and the story behind their creation. The Tensen are not only the principal antagonists of the whole series, but they are also 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 Tensen are the most dangerous beings on Kotaku

Living on Kotaku are several types of dangerous beings, usually known as Monsters. And while most of them are true monsters, a group of “monsters” looks nothing like actual monsters and don’t behave like monsters; the only monstrous thing about them are their powers and abilities. These beings are actually synthetic humans and are known as Tensen. The Tensen are the most powerful beings on Kotaku, and they are charged with protecting the Hōrai, the central part of the island.

The Tensen were created a long time ago by Rien from a single Tao puppet of herself, although the truth was actually hidden from them for a long time; they were told that they had been created using Jofuku’s mystic Tao and Flower Tao. It wasn’t until much later that Gui Fa, one of the Tensen, discovered the truth. In total, there have been eight Tensen, as the name is both a “species” designation and a title, which includes Rien and the seven synthetic humans created by her.

The Tensen are the only beings on Kotaku that actually look and behave like humans, although they are not humans because they have been created from a human-looking doll. Interestingly enough, they all look more or less the same, and when they don the same clothes, it is almost impossible to tell them apart, save for the color of their hair, as they all have colorful, plant-like hair (except Rien and Mei).

Due to their specific biologies, they can be both male and female, being able to freely change from one gender to another whenever they want; each Tensen picks their “main” gender based on their personal preferences.

As for their biology in general, they resemble humans. While they are actually plant-based organisms, they have – more or less – an anatomy similar to those of humans. Instead of a heart, they have a plant ovule, which also has an important defensive purpose in their bodies.

They are incapable of feeling any pain, save for that associated with the Tao which is their main source of energy. This makes it extremely difficult to fight them, but they are not invincible, as they are vulnerable to Tao-suppressing attacks and if they use too much of their own Tao, they become significantly weaker and can be defeated, as their bodies revert back to a weaker form.

They are able to have sexual relations as they can feel pleasure, but they cannot reproduce naturally. This is because they have been artificially created, which hinders any form of biological reproduction in them.

As for their psychologies, they are even more human-like. Unlike the other monsters on Kotaku, who are mostly mindless beasts with little to no signs of intelligence, the Tensen are highly intelligent creatures and are also completely individual, meaning they have a highly-evolved sense of themselves.

They can also feel and express certain emotions such as anger, happiness, despair, and grief, although they probably have a very limited emotional specter they can express. This is evidenced by the fact that they generally don’t feel empathy and cannot really care for others, which is a consequence of their biological constitution. On the other hand, they can experience biological and psychological pleasure. Mei and Gui Fa seem to be exceptions to this.

Their powers and abilities are exceptional

As for their powers and abilities, the Tensen are exceptionally powerful creatures. They have mastered the Five Training Methods of Immortality. While they are not really invincible and immortal, as discussed above, they are exceptionally difficult to defeat due to their almost unique powers, making them so powerful and dangerous.

We have said above that they can change genders, and this Yin-Yang ability is a pronounced trait. And while it can be used for aspects unrelated to battle, this ability is not just for show. Namely, as a Tensen can change between their female (Yin) and male (Yang) bodies, they can change their physical attributes, which is useful in battle; namely, the female bodies are lighter and more mobile, while the male bodies are physically stronger and sturdier.

The Tensen most often use this ability when practicing Bōchū Jutsu. The fact that both genders’ chi flows within the Tensen at the same means that their powers and abilities are significantly increased.

The Tensen have also consumed Tan, the Elixir that Gabimaru and the others are searching for to bring to the shogun. This gives them exceptional abilities, raising them above general human limitations.

They have also practiced and mastered Tao, which gives them even more powers and abilities; this makes them exceptionally dangerous as, alongside their physical skills, they can use Tao-based attacks and techniques, which is absolutely incredible. This is why they had effectively defended the island’s central part all this time and why everyone feared them.

On top of that, the Tensen are able to regenerate. As they are plant-based organisms, they can be cut down with relative ease (although not always), but that is exactly why they have such powerful regenerative abilities.

The anime has already shown us how effective this is, but we can tell you that you can expect even more in the future. The regeneration skills are quite fast and extremely effective; it usually takes them only several seconds to fully regenerate, although they have control over this skill, which means that they can prolong it if they want to.

As they are monsters, effectively, the Tensen are also able to use a monstrous ability called Kishikai Transformation, which transforms them into monsters known as Kishiki. The Kishiki are significantly stronger, obtaining a powerful power boost that enables them to crush their opponents, although the transformation per se comes with a high price.

Namely, the transformation uses a lot of Tensen’s Tao in a short period of time, and if they are not successful in eliminating their opponents in that time, they will be reduced to their weakened state, which leaves them open to an enemy’s attack.