Why Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Is the Anime to Watch In Spring 2023

There are a ton of new anime coming our way as part of the wave of new releases hitting in the Spring 2023 anime schedule, but Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku's anime might be the standout one to watch among all of the new hits! The Spring is largely dominated by franchises coming back for new episodes such as Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc, but there are some manga that are getting their anime adaptation debuts too. Yuji Kaku's Hell's Paradise manga might have completed its run a while back, but that gives its anime a clear runway to tell the best version of the story possible. 

Hell's Paradise's anime is currently slated to launch next month, and is admittedly in a little bit of trouble when it comes to actually getting some attention from fans. Produced by Studio MAPPA, the same company behind Chainsaw Man's anime and the upcoming Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku is promising a very unique kind of setting with a central story that will surely hook fans thanks to how much is on the table in terms of fights, character deaths, and more. 

Spent the last few days reading through Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku ahead of its anime debut this Spring, and this is gonna be a big one folks. It's so damn cool. There's also a lot of nonchalant nudity so curious to see how that works out haha pic.twitter.com/jFHc5j5EIy

— Nick Valdez (@Valdezology) March 7, 2023

How to Watch and Read Hell's Paradise

Hell's Paradise's release date is currently scheduled for a launch on April 1st, and Crunchyroll will be streaming the new series for international fans shortly after its initial launch in Japan. The series follows a deadly ninja known as Gabimaru the Hollow. He's sentenced to execution following a betrayal by his clan (which happens when he admits he wants to live a normal life with his wife, who is also the clan head's daughter), but gets a reprieve when he's tasked with heading to a mysterious island in search of the Elixir of Life for the shogun. 

Ten criminals end up "qualifying" for this mission through bloody means, and if they are able to get the Elixir of Life and bring it back to the Shogun then they will be granted a full pardon. Things only explode from there as the island is full of wild looking monsters (with religious influences) and the real enemy introduces themselves. Hell's Paradise is a fairly shorter series in the grand scheme of things, but it doesn't skimp on the action. Characters die left and right, you'll find yourself rooting for unexpected characters, and there's even a power system that unfolds as the series rolls on. 

If you wanted to read Hell's Paradise before the new anime hits, you can now find the entire 127 chapter long series with Viz Media's digital Shonen Jump library (with a paid subscription). There are a few things that might not make it to the anime given the extent of the nudity of some of the characters, so the manga might be the way to go! 

But where does Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku rank among your most anticipated anime of the Spring 2023 season? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!