Hell’s Paradise: What Is the Monster that Gabimaru Faced in Front of the Gate? Kishikai Transformation Explained!

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 will not tell you about the Tensen in general but rather about one specific and monstrous power they have, called the Kishikai Transformation. Gabimaru had the pleasure of experiencing it firsthand, and we will explain everything you need to know about it in this article.

The Tensen are able to use a monstrous ability called Kishikai Transformation, which transforms them into monsters known as Kishikai. The Kishikai 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, as it uses a lot of the 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.

The rest of this article will focus on the Tensen and their Kishikai Transformation power in Hell’s Paradise and the story of this powerful technique. The Tensen are not only the principal antagonists of the whole series, but they are also very important for understanding the whole lore. We will tell you everything you need to know about their most powerful move. Be careful, though, as the article will be filled with spoilers.

The Kishikai Transformation is a unique skill of the Tensen

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.

Now, being so important, the Tensen are, of course, exceptionally powerful creatures. They have mastered the Five Training Methods of Immortality. While they are not really invincible and immortal, as discussed in an earlier article, they are exceptionally difficult to defeat due to their almost unique powers, making them so powerful and dangerous. We shan’t be telling you about all of their powers and abilities here (as you can read up on it in our other article), but rather about the Kishikai Transformation.

As they are effectively monsters, the Tensen are also able to use a monstrous ability called Kishikai Transformation, which transforms them into monsters known as Kishikai. The Kishikai 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.

The Tensen use Kishikai Transformation only as a last resort, which is because it is quite dangerous for them, as well as powerful. So, a Tensen will only resort to transforming into a Kishikai (Japanese: 鬼き尸し解かい, Literally meaning: Demonic Corpse Release) if their enemy corners them and have absolutely no other way of winning.

In most cases, the power boost provided by the transformation is more than enough to overwhelm their opponent, but the risk always remains, which is why this technique is rarely used. Also, if the transformation is performed at a moment when the Tensei’s body has been severely damaged with little Tao left, the Tensen will completely lose their minds in their transformed state and will become mindless beasts. That is also why they keep avoiding it unless absolutely necessary.

Every Tensen can use this technique, and it can be full or partial. Also, the appearance of each transformation is wholly unique for each Tensen, but they are most often a combination of the Tensen’s Yin and Yang forms (Rien and Mei are the exceptions in this case) and have a lot of flower and/or plant-like elements. A partial transformation consumes less Tao than a full one while, at the same time, granting a Tensen the use of the transformation’s special powers and a boost in power, but both are significantly weaker than when in their fully-transformed modes.

As stated, if a Tensen doesn’t eliminate their opponent in a set period, they will lose their transformer form and revert back to their weaker body form. This leaves them open for an attack. But, even if they do manage to win, the amount of energy drained will be such that they will need to recover for a longer period of time through the cycling of chi or the consumption of Tan.

The Tensen’s Kishikai Transformations explained

Now, as we have said, all Tensen are able to use this technique, but not all of these transformations have been seen in the manga. In this article, we will present each Lord Tensen member and their Kishikai. Here we go:

Rien (leader)

Rien is the main antagonist in the Hell’s Paradise manga and its most powerful character, without a doubt. Rien was the actual ruler of Kotaku, the creator of the Tensen, and the leader of Lord Tensen, all at the same time. Rien herself couldn’t become a Kishikai, but she could use her doll to do it. When in this state, the doll gained six arms, like a Hindu deity, and it also received a significant power boost. Her reflexes and perception also increased, which is why she could see Gabimaru’s sneak attack coming.

Her mastery of Tao became such that she could dismantle a whole ship with just a light attack and use some additional abilities. Her defenses also increased, and she could trigger Arborification in people after touching them. This form was so powerful that Rien could maintain it for only half an hour before turning into her weak body form.

Gui Fa

Gui Fa was a minor antagonist in the series and a very specific character. He was a member of Lord Tensen and a powerful Tensen, so he had all the usual powers and abilities that all the other Tensen had, making him exceptionally powerful. His elemental attribute was Metal, and he had complete mastery over his Tao, which is why he was so powerful.

As for his Kishikai transformation, we have no doubt that Gui Fa was able to use this powerful technique, but he is the only character in the series whose Kishikai Transformation was never revealed, but we assume that it had the same features as all the other Kishikai Transformations. The reason why his transformation was never revealed has not yet been revealed.

Ju Fa

Ju Fa is one of the major antagonists of Hell’s Paradise and one of the most powerful members of Lord Tensen, also known as the Great Emperor Akshobhya. He maintains the male gender, although he is gender-fluid. His elemental attribute is Fire. Ju Fa’s Kishikai was exceptionally powerful. We saw his partial transformation into a clone of his; although he himself has never used it, his full Kishikai was quite special.

First, he could only achieve it when he merged with Tao Fa, i.e., he could not do it alone. Once achieved, the Kishikai became gigantic and could fly. Its speed also increased significantly. The monster could burst someone’s eardrums with a loud shriek, release powerful vines from its combined heads or bottom, and release spores that could affect a person’s mental state. The monster had a defensive and offensive form, making it unique.

Mei (former)

Mei is a Tensen who lives and Kotaku with her friend, the talking tree known as Hōko, who acts as her father figure. She rebelled against her former ally, Lord Tensen, and was banished from the group after being reverted to her child form. She will later become an ally of Gabimaru and his group, helping them escape from the island and find the Elixir. Mei’s Kishikai looked like the blend between a butterfly and a flower. As such, she could fly and use her petal-like wings to create powerful gusts of wind to attack her opponents.

Mu Dan

Mu Dan was a powerful Tensen and a member of Lord Tensen, which made him (he generally maintained the male gender) a partial ruler of Kotaku. He was an exceptionally powerful and dangerous opponent, as his mere presence was enough to scare away Yuzuriha, even though she was an exceptionally skilled kunoichi. Mu Dan’s elemental attribute was Earth.

In Ju Fa’s case, he saw his partial transformation into a clone of his, although he himself has never used it. His full transformation was a monstrosity with two torsos and necks that combined together in a single bud-like head. He could summon multiple vines with flower-shaped stingers; if even scratched by them, the target would immediately undergo Arborification. This monstrosity was also able to fire Tao lasers with destructive power.

Ran

Ran is one of the major antagonists in the series, an exceptionally powerful and dangerous Tensen and a member of Lord Tense, which also made him a partial ruler of Kotaku. His Kishikai Transformation was exceptionally strong and more monstrous than others, but save for increased physical power, it did not give him many additional powers. In his Kishikai form, Ran was enormously strong and resilient, but also fast, but as it seems, he did not gain any additional powers, save for his four arms.

Tao Fa

Tao Fa is a Tensen and a co-ruler of Kotaku, as she was a member of Lord Tensen. Although she is gender-fluid, she maintains the female gender. She is playful and cheerful but extremely loyal to Lord Tensen. Her elemental attribute is Wood. We saw her partial transformation into a clone of her, although she herself has never used it, just like in Ju Fa’s case. Since her full Kishikai is tied to Ju Fa’s, we won’t repeat what we’ve said about it above, as you can check above if you want to know more.

Zhu Jin

Like the others, Zhu Jin is another major antagonist in the series and one of the most powerful members of Lord Tensen in Kotaku. He is known as Tathātā Yuanjun, and his elemental attribute is Water.

Zhu Jin’s Kishikai was the first one we’ve seen in the series, and it showed that the Tensen could become powerful monsters. Also, Zhu Jin is the only Tesnesn who willingly accessed partial Kishikai transformation (the others ones were all clones). The full transformation looks like an animal- or reptile-like flower, and its main feature is the ability to shoot powerful blasts of lightning at the opponent.