All Hell’s Paradise Arcs Ranked From Worst to Best

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the Hell’s Paradise manga! Hell’s Paradise returns with a second season this month as part of the Winter 2026 lineup. This dark fantasy follows Gabimaru, the strongest and most ruthless assassin from the village of Iwagakure. As he finds himself on death row, he gets one chance to gain his freedom and return home to his wife, Yui. Initially hesitant to take the offer, he remembers Yui waiting for him to return. However, the task assigned to him is almost impossible, as he is supposed to find the mythical Elixir of Life on a mysterious island from which no one comes back alive.

Gabimaru isn’t the only one, as his fellow convicts are also eagerly looking for the same legendary elixir. The manga only released 128 chapters divided into four arcs, as each of them offers a new set of challenges for the main characters. While Season 2 returns to adapt the second story arc, the manga has long since ended. Although each arc is incredible in its own right, there’s always something better than the other.

4) Island Arc

The series kicks off with this arc with a strong premise as it lays down the foundation of the story while introducing the main characters and setting up the mysteries of the island. Gabimaru gets an unexpected opportunity to be free of his crimes and live a happy life with Yui, which is why he embarks on a dangerous mission with Yamada Asaemon Sagiri. Not only does he have to look out for the strange creatures on the island, but he must compete with other criminals who also wish to be pardoned while taking on the same risks as him.

3) Lord Tensen Arc

The second arc begins unraveling the mysteries of the island as Gabimaru and the others meet the two natives of the island, Hōko and Mei. They get their first lead on the Elixir of Life as they learn that not only does it exist, but it’s guarded by the island’s seven immoral rulers, Lord Tensen. The team also confronts the island’s rulers, unaware that another expedition team is on their way to the island, since the shogun is too impatient to wait.

2) Departure Arc

Hell’s Paradise is considered to have one of the best endings in Shonen, and the Departure Arc will prove why. Although the Zhu Jin-fused Banko was destroyed, the members of the first and second groups had to stop Rein from eradicating the citizens in Japan. After the mission ended in success, the survivors returned to Japan, and the criminals received their pardon while the Shogun got the fate he deserved. Each character got their version of the happy ending as they continue to lead happy lives, including Gabimaru, who reunites with his wife.

1) Hōrai Arc

As the third arc of the manga, it features the main battles against the villains, forcing Gabimaru’s group into a corner. After witnessing the terrifying powers of Lord Tensen firsthand, the surviving criminals and the Yamada Asaemon join forces to defeat the villains and escape the island after acquiring the Elixir of Life. However, the arrival of the second expedition only makes matters worse for them, as Gabimaru’s group finds themselves fighting another threat. Not only that, but one of the island’s rulers, Zhu Jin, uses the Banko, a gigantic flower grown from a culmination of multiple assimilated Arborified humans, to take over the island.

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