Few franchises can match second season of Hell's Paradise on the horizon, Demon Slayer fans have to add this must-watch series to their list.

Hell's Paradise follows Gabimaru and his attendant Yamada Asaemon Sagiri. Born in an elite shinobi village called Iwagakure, Gabimaru becomes the village's most notorious assassin. He eventually marries and decides to leave his assassin days behind him, causing his village to report his crimes to the authorities.

Faced with execution, Gabimaru enters a death game called by the Shogun: travel to a mysterious island and return with the Elixir of Life in exchange for a pardon. Gabimaru receives an invitation from Yamada, and the two pair up in the hope that Gabimaru can finally have a peaceful life with his wife.

Hell's Paradise Twists Demon Slayer's "Second Chance"

What Does Redemption Really Mean?

One of Demon Slayer's most climactic early moments is when, despite showing clear signs that Nezuko is still capable of human reason despite having become a demon, several Hashira clamor for her execution. Despite having done nothing wrong, her very status as a demon is enough to justify her death. Tanjiro and Nezuko eventually make their case for a "second chance" to prove that Nezuko can be an asset.

This "second chance" trope, where somebody's life is dependent on demonstrating their own humanity despite harboring a malevolent force, originates mostly from raising the stakes of Naruto's jinchuriki mechanics. It doesn't just appear in Demon Slayer, but in Jujutsu Kaisen and Black Clover, too. Hell's Paradise flips it on its head by having the basis for Gabimaru's execution be crimes already committed.

This makes Hell's Paradise's moral ambiguity a deeply intriguing evolution for shōnen moralities. Demon Slayer asks what to do with people who become monsters by chance, but remain good. Hell's Paradise, on the other hand, ups the ante. It's shown that Iwagakure is a village of intense training with a ruthless outlook on life and the world outside, and Gabimaru didn't ask to be born there. Hell's Paradise asks what to do with people who become monsters by chance, and then do monstrous things, but want to leave that life behind.

Both Series Are About Restoring Families, But In Different Ways

Hell's Paradise Complicates The Straightforward Morality Of Demon Slayer

In Demon Slayer, Tanjiro and Nezuko gain many allies, like Tamayo and Yushiro, with the end goal of restoring Nezuko's humanity. In the meantime, Nezuko has to prove that her soul is still human and refrain from hurting anybody but demons. Conversely, Gabimaru's ultimate motivation in Hell's Paradise is to return to a normal life with his wife. Both frequently engage with the idea of family and loss, but they do so in ways that contrast.

In Hell's Paradise, alliances form sporadically, and all kinds of relationships emerge: betrayals, romance, and heartfelt friendship. While Demon Slayer's end goal of restoring a normal family is noble, there's an irony that Hell's Paradise's restoration is not only dependent on bureaucracy but based on the sheer chance of being first to retrieve the Elixir of Life and benefit the political order in turn. The tangible forces of good and evil in Demon Slayer dissolve into ambiguity for Hell's Paradise, where the power to decide right/wrong and good/evil is based on strength and authority.

Demon Slayer depends on a concrete moral dichotomy (humans are good, demons are bad) for Tanjiro and Nezuko to restore the possibility of a normal life. This is reflected by the fact that Nezuko is supposed to become literally human again. Conversely, the arbitrary social forces in Hell's Paradise declare Gabimaru a criminal, and in a way, "inhuman" to himself and to others.

Mistreatment and degradation of perceived criminals are a part of everyday life in Hell's Paradise. Executions are commonplace, and 70% of those who go to the island die before arriving. Rather than being an uplifting tale of good prevailing over evil, Gabimaru's reunion with his wife depends on a morality that comes down to power and the ability to seize chance as brutally as necessary. Hell's Paradise ends up being a much more biting critique of government and punishment as a result.

Hell's Paradise Is Slick, Stylish, And Brutal

Demon Slayer And Hell's Paradise Share Love For The Garish

Demon Slayer's adaptation has always been warmly received. Koyoharu Gotouge's art is supplemented by Ufotable's meticulous and evocative production. Hell's Paradise matches Demon Slayer in both the beauty of its combat animation and the brutality of the combat itself. Demon Slayer and Hell's Paradise share a fascination with contrasting gore, artistic combat, cutesy characters, soft-hearted sentimentality, and overt sexuality. Both series excel at making the viewer feel like watching them is a gleeful transgression because of this confusion of contrasting stimulations.

The series hands in juxtaposing these vastly different aesthetic intensities, but Demon Slayer is generally less on the nose. Hell's Paradise, on the other hand, is more brazen in its contrast of fantasy, horror, and sensuality. In fact, it's more brazen in every respect. Regardless, either series scratches a sort of unconscious itch in a way that few other series try to do.

They're beautiful watches, not despite but because of their disconcerting presentations, which instead serve as a vessel for their wonderfully unexpected stories. In that way, their frenetic disarray becomes impossible to put down, proving the central theme of tantalizing one's own eye to look beyond the grotesque for deeper humanity. For fans of Demon Slayer, Hell's Paradise is an immediate, emphatic recommendation.

When Can Fans Expect Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2?

The Unfortunately Long Wait For One Of MAPPA's Best Anime

Much has been said about how well Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku complements Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and that begs the question of when people can expect season 2 to come out. While season 2 was announced immediately after the season 1 finale, there was nothing else to go along with the announcement, and fans of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku have been left wondering when it will continue for over a year. MAPPA has undoubtedly been preoccupied with other high-profile projects like Lazarus, Ranma 1/2, and especially Jujutsu Kaisen, but the lack of updates has still been disappointing, regardless.

Fortunately, there's finally been a major update for season 2. Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku was one of many anime to be featured at Jump Festa 2025, and there, it was finally revealed that Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku season 2 will premiere in January 2026. That's almost a three-year gap between season 1 and season 2, so it's still a long wait, but hopefully, the quality of the production will more than make up for it.

As for what to expect from season 2, that's easy enough to guess at. In addition to the surviving characters all having to master Tao to fight the Tensen, based on the season 1 finale, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku season 2 will introduce new conflicts like the arrival of more executioners from the Yamada clan and Gabimaru questioning if his wife was real. Those plot points and others will continue to make Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku just as fun to watch as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, and it will be great to see it all play out come January 2026.