Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 is the penultimate episode of the first season that keeps the viewers on edge for the finale episode.
In this episode, we will come to know about the actual truth of the island and the existence of the Elixir of Life.
We will get to know more about the functionality of Tan and its potential, how it makes the Tensen invincible and immortal and the unforeseen death of a Yamada Asaemon.
The major part of the episode deals with the confrontation between Mu Dan and Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta-Dono.
Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 Recap: What is the truth about the island and the Elixir of Life?
The episode opens with the scene where Mu Dan greets them with the beheading of Hoko, congratulating them for being the first humans to reach Horai in a thousand years.
The moment they realise that he is not an ordinary human, Yuzuriha tries to flee when she is caught by Mu Dan by her hair, letting her know that he does not intend to cause any harm to her yet.
Sagiri understands why she tried to escape. She analyses her opponent and ascertains that he is stronger than any of the adversaries they have faced so far.
She courageously pulls out the sword from the sheath and aims at him, demanding the release of Yuzuriha and the revelation of his identity.
It is then Hoko, who is still alive, announces that their opponent is one of the seven Tensens, the peony spirit Jiujin Amoghavajra.
Knowing that Hoko is still alive, Mu Dan confirms to them that merely beheading him is not enough to kill him. It will accelerate his transformation procedure of turning a tree permanently.
Hoko accepts his sorrowful fate and wishes to get his soul invited to Hoko according to the myth which has been followed for years.
Mu Dan breaks it to them that all these myths related to Horai, the entire religious configuration of the island, and the Jiujin business are fabricated and are in truth, rubbish. To secure and preserve the order and decorum of the island, Soshi created it.
He further reveals the true purpose of this island and says that the island is a laboratory of life where they conduct experiments on every other creature rendering them simple prototypes.
The human who ever steps on the island turns out to become guinea pigs for their experiments. He points out to his playthings the distorted human-like creatures, Kyoshi.
Mu-Dan-Yuzuriha-and-KyoshiHowever, high-quality humans serve another purpose. They are turned into Tan, which is indispensable to them. It is the reason behind their eternal youth and immortality.
When he brought up the topic of Tan, Santa-dono immediately recognised it as the Elixir of Life, for which they were sent to this unknown and dangerous island.
To their dismay, Mu Dan informs them that there is no such thing on this island, leaving the three stunned.
Ordinary people can consume tan. It only turns them into trees, just like Hoko. They might attain immortality but not eternal youth.
When Mu Dan reveals the non-existence of the Elixir of Life, the first thought that pops into Sigiri’s mind is about Gabimaru’s pardon for life. If there is no elixir, to begin with, there is no way for him to be released from his death sentence.
And now, there is no way for them to escape from the clutches of Mu Dan.
Mu Dan’s Interest in Yuzuriha: what does he offer her?
When he looks to his left, he does not see Yuzuriha, who was bound by his Kyoshis.
We have already seen Yuzuriha’s skill set in previous episodes. She, too, was a Shinobi, like Gabimaru. Her combat abilities, agility, and fighting style are akin to Gabimaru’s.
She attacks him from behind, shooting blades in his direction. It succeeds in chopping off his head and temporarily disabling him.
In the meantime, Yuzuriha prepares herself and others to escape the island to save their lives.
When they are about to run away, Mu Dan regenerates. He is highly impressed with the quality of Yuzuriha’s skills. He takes a liking to her.
He attacks her with his Kyoshis, but she successfully dodges their cumulative attack. This impresses him even more.
Mu Dan now understands why she can evade his attacks. He tells her that she is capable of perceiving and manipulating Tao.
Now that Yuzuriha is aware of the deal with Tao, she confirms his assumption, stating that it is known as Ki in her culture.
Though a rookie at comprehending and using Tao as a strategic weapon, Mu Dan shows his growing interest in her and offers to teach her to wield Tao.
Also, if she possesses the talent, he is willing to teach Bochu Jutsu. But if she demonstrates that she is worthless in it, she can become an exquisite Tan.
Midway through, he is interrupted by the assigned Asaemon of Yuzuriha, who states that if the offer involves her life and death, he must go through him first.
This guy pays no attention to the Asaemons who are present. He dismisses their existence, claiming that they are simply worthless, even if they have the aptitude for it.
Seeing Santa-Dono draw his sword for her, which he usually does not, compels Sagiri to wonder if he has some special feelings towards her.
Mu Dan clearly states his eager interest in none but the Shinobi girl. Anyone who comes his way between Yuzuriha and him will be killed by him.
With the same intention, he attacks Sagiri with an invisible Distant Strike that throws her away at a distance.
Before he starts teaching her the core fundamentals of accumulating Tao and launching it as an attack, Santa-Dono interrupts him again reminding him to go through him first before attacking Yuzuriha.
But Yuzuriha is an adamant Ninja. Despite her being a coquette most of the time, her remarkable abilities in a fighting area are put to show in this episode. She asks Santa-Dono to back off and let her handle her enemy.
Since her enemy is immortal and invincible, she wants to try out everything at her disposal. Saying this, he gulps the content of the bottles she carries.
She attacks him consecutively with the poisonous power techniques that allow her to metabolize the medicines she swallows and secrete them, Ninpo: Slime String followed by Ninpo: Nectar Prison and Ninpo: Grim Garrote.
Yuzuriha-attacks-Mu-DanIt smashes his upper body entirely, but it could not outdo his regenerative abilities.
Seeing him able to withstand her attacks shocks her. Her attack techniques, he says, are the practical application of Tao.
He hooks onto her and suggests that she should work on her Tao manipulation and techniques hence attempting to persuade her to accept his offer.
Santa-Dono suggests creating the right opportunity to bring him down. They test it on him by attacking him simultaneously.
But Mu Dan grabs Yuzuriha in the middle of their attacks and uses her to push away Santa-Dono.
Grabbing her by her feet, he states that Tao should be felt. By enveloping oneself with it, one can perceive everything around him. He could predict their attacks and movements, thanks to Tao.
Her movements are so lousy and predictable because she has not learnt the proper way of channelling her Tao, and she lacks the spiritual state and natural talent. And attacking a Tensen with that power is stupidity.
He also says that her Substitution techniques are similar to what he wields. Merely thinking of it fascinates him that her training can lead her very close to Hojutsu.
Sagiri’s Battle Against Mu Dan: what is the true potential of Sagiri?
Right when he tries to finish off the Asaemon, Saigiri attacks him, which startles him.
He claims that because she has a normal amount of Tao, she will be unable to harm him.
It does not discourage her, and she rushes towards him with her sword, attacking him near his navel, referred to as Tanden, as per Hoko’s advice.
Legend has it that Tao is generated from Tanden and travels through the body in a continuous cycle. If the Tanden is severed, the cycle gets disrupted.
Now, in this episode, these three become aware of his weakness.
This legend reminds me of the Indian Ayurvedic concept of Chakras (energy centres in the body). It is a widely held belief in many other religions, albeit under different names.
In Ayurveda, the navel is regarded as the source of life and development. One can access an equilibrium state of mind and strength by activating the navel chakra (Manipura Chakra).
To their surprise, he regenerates his wounds and claims that no human has mastered enough Tao to defeat him.
After ascertaining her speculation from close quarters, Sagiri releases a burst of her Tao and attacks him. This time it made a cut on his face, showing no sign of regeneration.
Stupefied by this phenomenon, Mu Dan concludes that Sagiri is the type who can instantaneously manifest Tao by using breathing techniques.
Sagiri tells them that she felt a distinct aura around him, similar to the auras produced by Gabimaru and Rokurota, the Giant of Bizen. If that’s what Tao is, then she might know how to cut it.
Mu Dan takes it as a challenge; as he says,
Such an unusual type of Tao. Not only that, but it’s poison to me.
It intrigues him, and he starts to wonder what kind of tan she will produce or if she will kill him.
How does the face-off between the three protagonists and Mu Dan unfold?
Now, it’s a face-off between the three and Mu Dan. He tries to attack Sagiri by vanishing, but Yuzuriha sees through his ruse and blocks his attack.
The substitution trick she pulled on him at the beginning of the episode is the same as this.
When Sagiri is about to cut him, he uses his distant strike on her again and orders his Kiyoshis to kill Yuzuriha. But they were killed by Santa-Dono before they could attack her.
He keeps evading Sagiri’s attacks, whose breathing is getting shallower with every passing moment because of exhaustion.
They attack him relentlessly to give him less time to regenerate, but his Hojutsu training and Tao manipulation help him levitate.
He shapeshifted into the female form, declaring himself to be God. Using Senjutsu: Tin Splinter, she attacks them.
In the meantime, Sagiri bleeds from her nose because of too much stamina consumption.
Yuzuriha asks her not to give up since Sagiri’s Tao appears to be a weapon against her. She tells Sagiri to kill her.
Yuzuriha stops her, withstanding her attacks, and manages to pull her down on the ground while saying,
I’ll kill everyone who interferes with my life. I’d even kill a real god.
But she gets back on her feet and comes back to her male form. At that very moment, Santa-Dono strikes him above the heart from behind and strangleholds him, creating the perfect opportunity for Sagiri to attack his Tanden.
She does it. However, she could not believe that she defeated a Tensen so easily.
Mu-Dan-defeatedThey discuss the main issue that lies in front of them now: No elixir.
However, Yuzuriha is upbeat about their chances of figuring a way out.
What happens to Gabimaru during this episode?
We come back to Gabimaru’s scene, where they end by killing the Insect and Butterfly Doshi.
Gabimatu politely reaches out to Mei to tell them whatever she wants them to know. He also expresses gratitude to her for saving his life twice.
When Fuchi notices him showing concern for Mei, he compares it to Sagiri’s records about Gabimaru and discovers that his current behaviour differs from what she had mentioned. Fuchi immediately wonders if Gabimaru’s newly discovered soft side will affect his job.
During their conversation, Mei notices Gabimaru bleeding from his nose, and we see him faint.
Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 Ending Explained: The Transformation of Mu Dan and how do they fight against him?
While resting, Santa-Dono remarks on Yuzuriha’s tenacity. Sagiri asks him right away if he has feelings for her.
He becomes flustered but accepts that he is envious of her free-spirited nature, which is a foreign concept to him, and that he must have been taken in by her ninjutsu.
It takes us to his backstory, and we learn how he was forced to become a Yamada Asaemon. Sagiri may not have been in his shoes, but she understands how he feels.
Yuzuriha notices a bunch of flowers and wonders if they were there from the beginning.
Flowers. Mu Dan’s corpse is blooming. Bad news for them. The real fight is just getting started.
Yuzuriha is caught off guard, and Senta-dono takes the attack aimed at her.
In no time, flowers bloom on his face, and we see the sheer amount of disbelief in Sagiri’s eyes when she sees him turning into a flower.
To their horror, Mu Dan begins transforming into a monster and is about to attack them with stringers when our “hot sensei,” Yamada Asaemon Shion, arrives heroically and slices the stringers.
Also Read:
