‘Hell’s Paradise’: What Is the Tao Power System & How Does It Work?
Hell’s Paradise has become a major hit in the world of anime and manga thanks to the recently-premiered anime series, which doesn’t really surprise us, as we’ve seen what a great show it actually is. In light of that fact, fans have, naturally, begun to ask questions about the series and its lore, and one of these questions has actually inspired this article today. Seeing how the Hell’s Paradise series is truly one of the season’s biggest hits, we have decided to dedicate yet another article to the wonderful world of this manga and reveal some additional information about one of the major concepts of the series – the Tao system. As you know from the recent episode, Tao is something that flows within each person’s body, but harvesting it is difficult; if one succeeds, though, they are given almost divine powers. This is why Tao is important, and in preparation for what is to come, we are going to tell you everything about it.
Tao is the name of the life force energy that is present in living and non-living things, regardless of their origin. The Tao in the series is based on Taoist concepts and consists of several main concepts, the most important of which are Yin and Yang and elemental attributes. Mastering and utilizing Tao is quite difficult, but if one succeeds in doing it, one can gain almost divine powers and abilities.
The rest of this article will focus on the Tao system and its role in the overall lore of Hell’s Paradise, as well as the importance of this power and force for the story of the manga. The Tao system is essential for the evolution of the story and its fights, as it enabled many characters to become much stronger, which is why we will tell you everything you need to know. Be careful, though, as the article will be filled with spoilers.
Everyone has Tao, but mastering it so that it can be utilized is extremely difficult and complex
Looking back at his fight against Zhu Jin, we remember that Gabimaru managed to overwhelm Tensen’s Yang form, stopping him from regenerating quickly. At that moment, Zhu Jin resorted to their ultimate technique, the Kishikai Transformation, turning into a monstrous plant-like entity that finally managed to overpower Gabimaru. Gabimaru stood no chance against the powerful Kishikai, especially after the monster fired numerous lightning bolts at him. Gabimaru wanted to set himself on fire and kill Zhu Jin at the same time, willing to sacrifice himself, but at that moment, Mei appeared and saved him.
How did she do it? She freed him from the Tensen’s grasp and then created a special circular barrier, which she used to slide down from the Horai’s gates to a river canyon. She then lost consciousness, and the barrier disappeared as well. Later, as Mei regained consciousness, she explained to Gabimaru that the power she was able to manifest was Tao. At the same time, Hoko explained the concept of Tao to Sagiri and the others, who were looking for Mei and Gabimaru:
All that exist comes from the never-ending flow of Tao. To tap into it is to touch upon the very origins of creation.
Hoko
The concept of Tao is actually based roughly on the Taoist concept known as dantian. Dantian is a term from Taoism that describes the “energetic centers” of the body. In the teaching of Tai Chi and Qigong, Dantian refers to a person’s energetic focus. In healing, energizing, and Taoist meditation, attention is drawn to these regions. The Dantian are associated with the Taoist concepts of vitality, energy, and enlivening spirit.
Several dantian are distinguished in the human body. The traditionally most important are the lower, the middle, and the upper dantian. The fourth and so-called rear dantian is also often mentioned in this respect, despite not being a traditional dantian (it is practiced in Qigong). The dantian are not specific points in the body, but regions that are also important in traditional martial arts.
As Senta explained, the whole system in Hell’s Paradise, which was a very meta moment, believe us, was based on concepts taken from various religions and unified into one human-made system. This is how the Tao system came to be and how it was elaborated in the series.
The main component of the Tao system in Hell’s Paradise is the concept of Yin and Yang, best embodied in the Tensen, who are able to change their Yin and Yang forms as they wish. But, if a human wants to use their Tao and manifest their powers, they have to find the so-called Middle Way. Since Yin and Yang are opposing forces, the Middle Way actually means that a person must accept their own contradictions their opposing sentiments and balance them out in themselves. This is when Tao can be activated, although there have been cases where a person would emanate Tao on an unconscious level, but these are quite rare, and in such cases, the person in question cannot really control what happens.
And while all creatures can use Tao, the purest and best Tao is present in humans. This is because humans are the only living creatures that embody contradictions in a perfect way. The extremes present in people (strengths and weaknesses, rage and serenity, intensity and tranquility, stillness and motion, dark and light, life and death, etc.) are ideal because they are precise and truly extreme. This is why the Tao emanated by humans is so pure and so powerful. The Tensen, who cannot manifest such extremes, cannot create such pure Tao, which is why they use humans to cultivate it and create the Tan elixir.
The latter process is closely related to Flower Tao, a special brand of Tao derived from flowers that grant user vitality, regenerative skills, and, ultimately, immortality. Flower Tao is great for the Tensen, but it can be harmful to humans, as it is unusually potent. When exposed to Flower Tao, humans will go through a process known as Arborification, which will eventually turn them into trees if they cannot fight it off (it is possible to fight off this transformation, but only under special circumstances).
This is why Flower Tao is so dangerous for humans, but why the Tensen can use it freely, as their cores are actually plant-based, and they are plant-based creatures themselves.
And these are the basics of the Tao system in Hell’s Paradise. We will be revealing more information about it as the story progresses, and we hope that you’ll stick around for new articles related to this topic. Namely, the Tao system will become an exceptionally important element later on, as the protagonists will learn how to utilize it and will use their Tao-based powers to defeat the Tensen. But we won’t be spoiling too much here, so just stick around for more information.