Hell’s Paradise: No, Gabimaru Is NOT Immortal! Here’s Why!

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. Gabimaru is a truly intriguing character with numerous aspects to his story and personality that could easily intrigue fans, which is why we have decided to dedicate this whole article to him. In this article, you will find out why Gabimaru is not actually immortal, although it might seem like he is, based on what we’ve seen.

Since the only known source of immortality in Hell’s Paradise is the Elixir of Life, and we know that Gabimaru did not consume it, we can confirm that Gabimaru is not immortal. As an Iwagakure shinobi, though, Gabimaru has superhuman strength and endurance and is able to perform various strange moves with his body, as well as endure various types of attacks. Still, he is not immortal.

The rest of this article will focus on Gabimaru and his (im)mortality in the Hell’s Paradise series. Gabimaru was initially introduced as a character who wanted to die but could not, and as the story progressed, it was revealed that his death wish was just a ruse, which is why we decided to talk about this specific topic. This article will contain some spoilers from the Hell’s Paradise manga, so be careful how you approach it.

Gabimaru initially claimed he wanted to die

Gabimaru is the protagonist of the Hell’s Paradise manga and anime. He was raised in a killing culture and is the strongest ninja in Iwagakure. Due to his lack of feeling, he is called “Gabimaru the Hollow.” He is in love with his wife, the village chief’s daughter, who treats him differently than other people. To live a regular life with his wife, he intended to sever all links with his community, but he was falsely accused and taken prisoner by his allies. His elemental attribute is Fire.

Shinobi prodigy Gabimaru has been thought to be far too dangerous to face. Growing up, Gabimaru had a natural gift that not only helped him become one of the select few kids to make it through Iwagakure’s brutal training regimes. Because of his notorious propensity for killing his targets, society perceived him as a maniacal monster. Gabimaru had demonstrated that he was more than capable of defeating his adversaries on his alone, even when outnumbered. After reaching Kotaku, Gabimaru became one of the first people in a thousand years to have made it through the island’s challenges and made it to Horai, where Lord Tensen had formerly lived and escaped.

When we first see him in the series, Gabimaru the Hollow is introduced as a convict scheduled to be executed. But, due to some supernatural abilities, he cannot be killed by the magistrates, surviving numerous execution attempts and methods, including decapitation, burning at stake, and hot oil. While he is waiting for the next unsuccessful execution, we see him talk to a girl who seems to be recording his story in written form. She is actually the royal chronicler and executioner, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri.

During the conversations between the two, we find some additional details about his history and life. It is revealed that Gabimaru was a very skilled shinobi with a high kill count and that he was feared around Japan; his life was struck by tragedy when the chief of his village murdered his parents and took him in.

He claims to be completely emotionless and that he has absolutely no attachment to life, i.e., that he wants to die, but he simply cannot die. From his point of view, he doesn’t really fight it – death just does not want to take it, but we see that his reactions don’t seem to be reflexes but rather manifestations of his will, regardless of how much he keeps denying it.

This fact would make you think that he was immortal. But he actually isn’t. It is a known fact that Gabimaru does have exceptional, superhuman durability, which is a result of the fact that he is a former Iwagakure shinobi. Namely, due to their village chief’s morbid behavior and ideals, the Iwagakure shinobi are known for being exceptionally strong, ruthless, and efficient. They can perform some amazing feats and are subjected to intense training.

This makes them exceptionally strong and durable. Namely, Gabimaru has shown that swords cannot cut his skin, that they cannot be burned, that he can resist and break other powerful weapons, as well as powerful physical attacks, and that they can also dislocate his neck and other joints effortlessly. The fact that he cannot be stabbed or beheaded amazed both fans and the characters from the story, so it is only natural that the idea that Gabimaru could be immortal presented itself as an option. And while everyone thought he was, this was soon proven incorrect.

He knew very well why he couldn’t be executed

Namely, Gabimaru stated that he wanted to die and that all the failed execution attempts were out of his control, i.e., that he simply could not die (although he himself never implied that he was immortal, interestingly enough). When we compare this to his former master, the Iwagakure village chief, who was immortal (and survived having his guts slashed and his head pierced with a katana), the difference becomes more than obvious.

So, how was Gabimaru’s mortality proven? Well, when it was revealed that Yamada Asaemon Sagiri was actually a royal executioner, Gabimaru was shocked. Sagiri revealed to him that she knew that he was willingly resisting being executed, using his superhuman traits to resist being killed. But, as a royal executioner, Saigiri was definitely able to pierce through his defenses, which she ultimately did, almost decapitating him with ease. This was when it was completely proven that Gabimaru was not immortal. So why did he resist?

At one point, it is actually discovered that the reason for his surviving all the execution attempts is that he has a strong attachment to life, as he wants to see his wife, Yui, once again. As it turned out, their marriage was indeed arranged and awkward initially, but that is because they were both quite peculiar people. Yui was given to Gabimaru because no one really wanted to marry her because of her facial scar, which she received from her father because she did not want to be an obedient child with no free will.

But, as it turned out, Yui was an exceptionally kind, gentle, and intelligent person. She genuinely liked Gabimaru, and he liked her. Still, it took some time before she broke through his defenses by not treating him as a monster, but rather with love and respect, which was enough for him to open up to her; he listened to her advice, he allowed her to help him, and he was there for her.

After a while, the arranged marriage became true love, and Gabimaru wanted to quit being a shinobi to spend time with Yui. He told her father that while the chief agreed, he actually set up a trap for him, which resulted in him being sentenced to death. Once his lie is discovered, he is offered an official pardon but under the condition that he goes to Hell’s Paradise and retrieves the Elixir of Life from there. Of course, he accepts, which is how the story of Hell’s Paradise begins.