Hell’s Paradise: Who Are the Lord 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 group of dangerous new enemies known as Lord Tensen. In this article, we are going to tell who the Lord Tensen are, as they are a group of enemies that Gabimaru and the others have and are going to have to fight in the future. Let’s see their overall role in the story of Hell’s Paradise, as well as how they are connected to the main characters’ mission at the moment of writing.
The Lord Tensen are a group of seven powerful beings, the Tensen, who live on Kotaku and protect the island, especially the Hōrai, against intruders. They are exceptionally powerful and dangerous, so they serve as the main villains in the series. They are led by Rien, who also created them and lied about their origins and their creation to create a perception that they are divine beings.
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 and Lord Tensen are similar, but not identical
In the lore of Hell’s Paradise, there are two similar, although not completely identical, terms – Tensen and Lord Tensen. The Tensen is a term used for a group of powerful, synthetic humans that live on Kotaku and protect it. 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.
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.
And while the name is quite similar, Lord Tensen is a term that is not completely identical. Namely, Lord Tensen refers to a group of seven Tensen, led and created by Rien, established and organized to continue Jofuku’s research in creating an Elixir of Life and gaining completely perfect immortal bodies through mastering Tao.
The Lord Tensen are an organization of antagonists from the series who are tied to the false legends taught them about Jofuku, their supposed creator. On the other hand, the truth related to them is quite common and has nothing to do with the legendary origins implied by Rien; Gui Fa would later discover this truth.
So, here, it is important to distinguish that the Tensen are a type of being living on Kotaku, while Lord Tensen is an organization of seven Tensen led by Rien who were grouped together for a common goal. Now, we shall provide you with more details about them.
Members of Lord Tensen
As we have said, the Lord Tensen are a group consisting of eight members, seven Tensen and led by Rien, and we are going to quickly introduce each of them here:
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. She experimented with Tao in ways never seen before, all to revive her late husband, Jofuku, for whom she was willing to eliminate life in all of Japan.
Her elemental attribute was Earth. Being a Tensen, Rien possessed supernatural abilities that were superior to those of the Sennin that served under her and unmatched by any mortal. She was also far more powerful than the other Tensens under her leadership.
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.
On the other hand, Gui Fa discovered the truth about Tensen and Rien’s lies, which is why he rejected them at one point. He is the only member of Lord Tensen, alongside Mei, who survived the events of the series.
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 Fu is one of the Kotaku commanders, which means he controls the Dōshi, Mōnshin, and Sōshin. He is a skilled fighter and quite strong physically, which is why he defeated both Aza brothers with relative ease when they fought.
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.
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, despite the fact that she was an exceptionally skilled kunoichi. Mu Dan’s elemental attribute was Earth.
He had enormous physical strength and was one of the strongest Tensen in the group; he could also use several special techniques that made him even more dangerous in that aspect.
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. He was skilled in Dō’in, which made him a formidable fighter, so much so that even Gabimaru had trouble fighting him despite his skills.
He was also focused on battle a lot; it is known that he was a lot stronger than even the powerful Mu Dan. Ran’s elemental attribute was Water. His Kishikai Transformation was exceptionally strong and more monstrous than others.
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 has a playful and cheerful personality but is extremely loyal to Lord Tensen, so she can become quite scary when her comrades are offended or attacked.
She can effectively use her Yin and Yang chi in battle, the combination of which makes her a formidable foe even when she is not using her full powers and abilities. Her elemental attribute is Wood.
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. Like Ju Fa, he is gender fluid, meaning he is both male and female.
When they first faced him, Shion immediately realized that Zhu Jin was too powerful to fight, although he was not alone. He has enormous strength and complete mastery of his Tao, so he is also close to killing Gabimaru in their fight. He is also a commander in Lord Tensen.