‘Hell’s Paradise’: Meet Doshi, New Monsters That Gabimaru and the Others Are Fighting

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 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 a new group of enemies that have appeared in the series – the Doshi. These mysterious fighters were seen in recent episodes, and their role has increased with time, so we have decided to tell you everything you need to know about them.

The Doshi are a special group of rational, humanoid monsters that live on Kotaku. As per their own words, they serve as students, servants, and military forces to Lord Tensen. The Doshi have human bodies, but their heads are strange and look either insect- or plant-like. Four of them have been named in the series, but there seem to be more. They are intelligent, capable of speech, and exceptionally powerful, much more than the other monsters on the island; they are actually very close to the Tensen in terms of powers and abilities, and they serve them loyally.

The rest of this article will focus on the Doshi and their role in the plot of Hell’s Paradise and the story behind their creation. The Doshi might be secondary villains in the series, but they are nevertheless 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 Doshi are the “missing link” between the Tensen and the mindless monsters that usually roam the island

If you’ve been a diligent little pupil, you’ve probably noticed several strange and odd creatures that appeared in Kotaku. These creatures at first seemed to be insects and other animals, but as it turned out, they were actually strange and deformed creatures that proved to be quite dangerous, such as when a “beautiful” butterfly landed on Tamiya Gantetsusai’s hand and stung him, forcing him to cut it off to not transform into a flower and start blooming.

And while these creatures had been hinted at before, this was the first time we had seen them in action. These creatures are called Soshin and are, along with the Moshin, the most common types of monsters on Kotaku.

But, more diligent followers of the series will know that they are not the only creatures living on this beautiful yet strange island. Even if we exclude the Tensen, who cannot be classified as monsters, there is still a special category of creatures that live on the island and have appeared in recent episodes. They are the Doshi, and their names literally mean “Way of the Earth” (Japanese: 道士).

The Doshi are exceptionally interesting monsters as they are completely different from all the other creatures we’ve seen on the island. They’re not humanoid powerhouses like the Tensen, and from a purely visual standpoint, you’d be quick to categorize them as regular monsters, but the difference between them and the other monsters on Kotaku is enormous.

The Doshi actually have human bodies, save for their heads, which are either insect- or plant-like, although they can also have other abnormalities. Everything else looks completely human, and since they were all former samurai, they are biologically male.

Like the Tensen, who have plant ovules instead of hearts, the Doshi also have special hear-like organs in their tandems; if these organs are destroyed, the Doshi die. As for their appearance, their basic attire is the changshan, but they’ve also been seen with more traditional Taois robes, beaded necklaces, and a traditional headpiece bearing the Yin-Yang symbol.

Although there are more of them, only four of them have actually been introduced. They don’t seem to have names but are called based on what their heads look like. They are:

• The Butterfly Dōshi is a Doshi who observed Gabimaru and Gentetsusai after they met, not long after Gabimaru’s encounter with Zhu Jin of the Lord Tensen. His head looked like the head of a butterfly. He was ultimately killed in the battle against Gabimaru and Gentetsusai.
• The Centipede Dōshi is the first Doshi who came to observe Gavimaru and Gentetsusai, and who was later joined by the Butterfly Doshi. His head looked like the head of a centipede, hence the name. He was also killed in that same battle.
• The Tentacle Dōshi is the Doshi who came to observe Toma and Chobei as they were escaping the pit. His head looked like a bunch of tentacles, hence the name, although it did not look like anything in particular. Chobei ultimately killed him during their fight.
• The Lettuce Dōshi is the final Doshi to be named, and he came to “meet” the second landing party, trying to kill them. His head looked like lettuce, hence the name. He was eventually defeated by the newcomers and was left impaled, leaving his fate unknown.

A manga panel also showed a corn-like Doshi, a fly-like Doshi, and another insect-like Doshi, but these were never named.

Unlike the other monsters, the Doshi were fully intelligent. They were capable of speech. They were rational, and, in fact, they were all human, save for their heads and their powers, which were supernatural. This is why they could pledge their loyalty to the Tensen and serve as their right-hand men, as they were, unlike the other creatures, capable of actually doing it.

As for their history, it has to be noted that the Doshi were actually former samurai. It is unknown whether they actually came to Kotaku with Jofoku a long time ago, like the Hoko, or if they are samurai who landed on the island at a later time while probably looking for the Elixir of Life, like most of the people who arrive on Kotaku.

At some point, these samurai met Lord Tensen, who used an unknown process to morph them into the Doshi, erasing all traces of their former selves, including their memories. This made them into a powerful and loyal army.

Now, it is interesting to consider whether the samurai willingly subjected themselves to this procedure or not, but sadly, we don’t have an answer for you there. Due to the author revealing little to no information about their pasts, we don’t actually know whether the samurai willingly accepted to be transformed or whether the Tensen forced this transformation upon them.

Be that as it may, after being transformed, the Doshi were allowed to enter the Horai, which was a great honor, and were taught Taoism by Lord Tensen, who also taught them how to use Tao. You can now understand why the Doshi were so loyal to Lord Tensen and so proud to be their right-hand men.

As for their powers and abilities, we’ve said that the Doshi were able to use Tao. This was an ability they’d been taught to use by the Lord Tensen themselves, which is why they became so proficient with this skill. Among the abilities that the Doshi learned after learning how to use Tao are enhancing their physical strength, hardening their bodies, reading the movements of their enemies, and sending out invisible projectiles.

On top of that, some of them were able to control the animals (centipedes and butterflies) on the island, but since they were the highest-ranked monsters on the island, they were also able to control the other monsters, which is why they summoned them to fight the humans on the island.

They could also effectively use various weapons, such as spears, a feat that the other monsters could not do. The Doshi looked down on the other monsters, considering them lower forms of life.

Another interesting thing about them is that they could regenerate almost as effectively as the Tensen. This was shown on more than one occasion during the series, as the Doshi were able to regenerate when their opponents attacked them. Their regeneration skills are not on the level of the Tensen’s skills, but they are quite close.

They can do this because they have Flower Tao and can use it. But, like the Tensen, they have a weak point, the heart-like organ located in their tandens; if this organ was destroyed, the Doshi would die. Also, they died if being incinerated or cut in half, unlike the Tensen, which also shows that they were not as powerful as the Tensen.