The fourth episode of “Jigokuraku” takes a kaleidoscopic view of the situation on the deadly island of Shinsenkyo, telling the story from the perspective of the remaining killers on the island. We also see Gabimaru dealing with his emotions and making a pact with the cunning Yuzuriha.
Spoilers Ahead
Episode 4: Recap- Hell And Paradise
The episode begins by showing Tamiya Gantetsusai, better known as the ‘Blade Dragon’, walking into a village after having demolished every man that came to fight him. He is made an officer by a village lord who calls himself a ‘dragon’ as well, simply because there’s a dragon drawn at his estate’s entrance. Tamiya erupts with anger when the Lord jokes about his ability to really cut down a dragon and proceeds to slash his entrance door in half with only one stroke of his sword. This was Tamiya’s origin story, after which the village hounded him, and he ended up in prison.
Searching for the Elixir of Life on the mysterious island, he finally has a chance to gain the official pardon and be set free. We are introduced to probably the cutest Yamada: Fuchi, who is assigned as Tamiya’s monitor. They tread an unknown path until suddenly, several giant figures rise all along the island. The perspective shifts as we leave Tamiya and catch up on Gabimaru, who had just finished his soul-searching thanks to Sagiri. In the previous episode, we left Gabimaru right here, where he was getting ready to fight a giant creature with the features of both a fish and a man combined.
Gabimaru finds himself, once again, in the middle of a conundrum. He remembers the Shinobi rule of not engaging with an unknown enemy. Having just admitted his emotions about not killing Sagiri, the dilemma of running away alone or together with her distresses him. Before he could come to a conclusion, he is attacked by the fish monster. Blood! Thick red blood oozes out of Gabimaru’s body for the first time, and Sagiri panics seeing Gabimaru’s condition. The notion of his invincibility is quashed right then and there. The island is much more dangerous than Gabimaru thought it would be.
Gabimaru is left with no choice but to galvanize all his powers to kill the rising giants. He uses the secret power of Ninpo (The Ascetic Ablaze) and takes down every giant that arose from the ground. He stops only when Yuzuriha enters the scene.
Yuzuriha, the cunning seductress, killed Moro Makiya (another killer) and gained some invaluable information about the island. She now begins to plan to find the elixir. She first starts by praising Gabimaru for his achievement of killing the giants alone. Meanwhile, Gabimaru and Sagiri notice something strange: Yuzuriha walks safely with not one but two monitors behind her. Sagiri chimes in and questions Yamada Genji about him monitoring her. Genji, who was originally assigned to Moro Makiya, explains that he joined Yuzuriha after she ended up killing him. Sagiri realizes he has been seduced by Yuzuriha.
Yuzuriha tries the same tactics with Gabimaru, but the unflinching Gabimaru resists all temptations. Resolute and determined to reunite with his wife after gaining the official pardon, he shows no intention of falling into any traps set by Yuzuriha. She realizes that tricking Gabimaru is not an option here, which is why she proposes to make a deal with him. She offers all her information about the island in exchange for Gabimaru’s powers to defend against the monsters. Sagiri sees the deal go down and feels dejected because of the inessential nature of her presence on the island. She had not overcome even one obstacle since she arrived on the island. Debilitated by these thoughts, she grows weak and collapses.
‘Jigokuraku’ Episode 4: Ending Explained: Aza Chobei And Toma’s Origin Story
The kaleidoscopic episode shifts to the story of the killer siblings: Aza Chobei and Toma the Younger. Toma first rescues Aza Chobei and tells him about the expedition to Shinsenkyo, which will get him the pardon provided he finds the elixir. On the island, Toma is sure that his invincible elder brother will find it, no matter the obstacles. He credits Chobei’s ability to adapt to any situation as his main weapon. Chobei, however, seems fierce beyond belief. With fang-like teeth and an immense appetite to kill, he makes up a deadly duo with his brother.
All the remaining killers, including Gabimaru and Chobei, head towards the interiors of the island in the hope of finding the coveted Elixir of Life.
Episode 4: Review
The fourth episode seems disjointed in its storytelling. Having the burden of both following Gabimaru and introducing the viewer to other killers as well takes a toll on the episode’s structure. The episode jumps from one killer to the next without any implicit motivation. The good thing is that we have done away with most of the killer’s backstory, albeit hastily. The sooner we know all the killers, the faster their interactions can become more dynamic, unpredictable, and hence more engaging.