# Hell's Paradise season 1
**Hell's Paradise season 1** (*Jigokuraku*, [地獄楽](https://www.edgepedia.org/hells-paradise-jigokuraku)) is the first season of the television anime adaptation of Yuji Kaku's manga *Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku*, produced by MAPPA and broadcast on [TV Tokyo](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-tokyo) and affiliated stations from April 1 to July 1, 2023, in 13 episodes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01) • [2](https://sp.shonenjump.com/p/mediainfo/jigokuraku/). The season adapts roughly the first half of the 13-volume manga, which ran in Shueisha's Shonen Jump+ from January 2018 to January 2021[3](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/search/search.html?order=1&seriesid=51506) • [4](https://butwhytho.net/2023/07/hells-paradise-season-1-review/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Broadcast | April 1 to July 1, 2023, Saturdays at 23:00 on TV Tokyo and other stations; 13 episodes[2](https://sp.shonenjump.com/p/mediainfo/jigokuraku/) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01) |
| Studio and director | MAPPA; directed by Kaori Makita[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/) |
| Main staff | Series composition Akira Kindaichi; character design Koji Hisaki; music Yoshiaki Dewa[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/) |
| Theme songs | Opening "W●RK" by millennium parade × Shiina Ringo; ending "Kami Hitoe" (紙一重) by Uru[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/) |
| Lead cast | Chiaki Kobayashi as Gabimaru; Yumiri Hanamori as Sagiri Yamada Asaemon[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/) |
| Source material | Yuji Kaku's manga, serialized on Shonen Jump+ January 2018 to January 2021, 13 collected volumes[3](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/search/search.html?order=1&seriesid=51506) |
| Follow-up | A second season was announced in December 2023 and began broadcasting in January 2026[6](https://www.jigokuraku.com/) |
## Premise and story
The season follows Gabimaru the Hollow, a ninja assassin from the village of Iwagakure who sits on death row. Every attempt to execute him fails, and he himself has lost the will to live. The executioner [Yamada Asaemon Sagiri](https://www.edgepedia.org/sagiri-character) offers him a pardon on one condition: he must travel to Shinsenkyo, a mysterious island southwest of the [Ryukyu Kingdom](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryukyu-kingdom) rumored to hold the elixir of life, and bring it back for the shogunate[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01) • [7](https://animevania.com/is-hells-paradise-worth-watching/).
Gabimaru is one of several condemned criminals sent to the island, each paired with an Asaemon executioner who carries both a sword and the duty of testing the elixir. The first episode establishes the setup through a series of failed executions and a last-rites interview in which Gabimaru tells two versions of his own story, and ends with him accepting the mission and unleashing his fire-based ninjutsu on the guards around him[8](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a43055868/hells-paradise-anime-review/). On the island, the expedition thins its own numbers in a brutal free-for-all before the survivors confront the island's monstrous inhabitants and the immortal beings called Lord Tensen, whose power derives from a force called Tao[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01).
The season's episode titles pair opposing concepts, from "The Death Row Convict and the Executioner" through "Yin and Yang" to the finale "Dreams and Reality" on July 1, 2023[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01). The finale adapts about half of the manga and ends with the survivors still stranded on the island, with a post-credits scene showing a new batch of Asaemon being dispatched to Shinsenkyo[4](https://butwhytho.net/2023/07/hells-paradise-season-1-review/) • [9](https://www.uk-anime.net/Anime/Hell%27s_Paradise_Season_1.html).
## Production
MAPPA, the studio behind *[Jujutsu Kaisen](https://www.edgepedia.org/jujutsu-kaisen-tv-series)* and *Chainsaw Man*, produced the adaptation with planning by Twin Engine[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/) • [8](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a43055868/hells-paradise-anime-review/). Kaori Makita directed, with series composition by Akira Kindaichi, character designs by Koji Hisaki, art direction by Junichi Higashi, and music by Yoshiaki Dewa[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/). The opening theme "W●RK" was a collaboration between millennium parade and singer-songwriter Shiina Ringo, announced in February 2023 alongside the second promotional video[10](https://www.mappa.co.jp/news/info/2023/2213/) • [5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/).
The voice cast pairs Chiaki Kobayashi as Gabimaru with Yumiri Hanamori as Sagiri, supported by Ryohei Kimura as Aza Chobe, Kensho Ono as Yamada Asaemon Toma, Rie Takahashi as [Yuzuriha](https://www.edgepedia.org/yuzuriha), Tetsu Inada as Tamiya Gantetsusai, and [Mamiko Noto](https://www.edgepedia.org/mamiko-noto) as Gabimaru's wife[5](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/). The anime was announced at the manga's final chapter in January 2021 and took two years to reach broadcast[2](https://sp.shonenjump.com/p/mediainfo/jigokuraku/).
## Reception
Critics received the season well. On Rotten Tomatoes the season holds a 93% tomatometer from four critic reviews[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01). Kate Sánchez of But Why Tho? rated it 8/10, calling it "beautiful, thoughtful, and in moments, mean as hell" while criticizing the finale for spending its last episode on setup rather than a decisive ending[4](https://butwhytho.net/2023/07/hells-paradise-season-1-review/). Ross Locksley of UK Anime Network scored it 9/10, praising the visual style and the way the plot expanded beyond a simple criminal redemption arc, and noted that the Asaemon executioners are rooted in real history[9](https://www.uk-anime.net/Anime/Hell%27s_Paradise_Season_1.html). Reviewers grouped the show with MAPPA's *Jujutsu Kaisen* and *Chainsaw Man* as part of the fan-named "dark trio of shōnen", a label reflecting their darker tone, more complex protagonists, and gorier violence compared with lighter series[8](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a43055868/hells-paradise-anime-review/).
Some criticism targeted the adaptation's craft rather than its story. A retrospective review noted inconsistent animation quality between episodes, attributing it to MAPPA's concurrent production load[11](https://letterboxd.com/inmysoma/film/hells-paradise/). The adaptation itself was judged largely faithful to the manga, with only superficial changes to character names and event order[12](https://attackofthefanboy.com/anime/hells-paradise-all-major-differences-between-the-manga-and-the-anime/).
## Legacy and continuation
The season was nominated in Crunchyroll's 2024 Anime Awards[13](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GJ0H7Q5ZJ/hells-paradise?pubDate=20250603). A second season was announced in December 2023 with a teaser visual, and began broadcasting and streaming in January 2026, continuing with the same studio and director[6](https://www.jigokuraku.com/). The franchise also expanded into a stage play, a novel, and the survival RPG *Jigokuraku Paradise Battle*, whose scenario was supervised by series composer Akira Kindaichi[2](https://sp.shonenjump.com/p/mediainfo/jigokuraku/).
## References
1. [Hell's Paradise: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/hells_paradise/s01)
2. [地獄楽｜ジャンプ＋メディア情報局, Shueisha](https://sp.shonenjump.com/p/mediainfo/jigokuraku/)
3. [地獄楽 search results, Shueisha Books](https://www.shueisha.co.jp/books/search/search.html?order=1&seriesid=51506)
4. [REVIEW: 'Hell's Paradise' Season 1 Balances Action And Characters, But Why Tho?](https://butwhytho.net/2023/07/hells-paradise-season-1-review/)
5. [制作陣｜「地獄楽」公式サイト](https://www.jigokuraku.com/staffcast/)
6. [「地獄楽」公式サイト](https://www.jigokuraku.com/)
7. [Is Hell's Paradise Worth Watching?, Animevania](https://animevania.com/is-hells-paradise-worth-watching/)
8. [Hell's Paradise episode one puts characters first and earns its 'dark trio' spot, Digital Spy](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a43055868/hells-paradise-anime-review/)
9. [Hell's Paradise Season 1, UK Anime Network](https://www.uk-anime.net/Anime/Hell%27s_Paradise_Season_1.html)
10. [『地獄楽』第二弾PV＋OPテーマ公開！, MAPPA](https://www.mappa.co.jp/news/info/2023/2213/)
11. [Hell's Paradise review by inmysoma, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/inmysoma/film/hells-paradise/)
12. [Hell's Paradise: All Major Differences Between the Manga and the Anime, Attack of the Fanboy](https://attackofthefanboy.com/anime/hells-paradise-all-major-differences-between-the-manga-and-the-anime/)
13. [Watch Hell's Paradise, Crunchyroll](https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GJ0H7Q5ZJ/hells-paradise?pubDate=20250603)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Seasons, episodes, and installments › Screen seasons › Anime series seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license