Jigokuraku

Jigokuraku, also known as Hell's Paradise, was serialized by Kaku Yuuji on the Shonen Jump+ digital platform between 2018 and 2021. The series emerged during a period of rising popularity for darker, supernatural-themed shonen manga, grounding its narrative in the Edo period while incorporating elements of Japanese folklore and Buddhist mythology. Kaku, who previously assisted on Chainsaw Man, focused the story on a group of death-row convicts and executioners searching for an elixir of life on a mysterious, surreal island.

The aesthetic of the series is defined by the sharp contrast between the gruesome violence of the characters' pasts and the lush, disturbing beauty of the island's flora and fauna. Kaku sought to explore themes of redemption and human connection through a lens of extreme visceral horror. The work was well-received for its intricate character designs and its ability to balance high-stakes action with philosophical questions, eventually leading to a successful anime adaptation and a solidified legacy within the seinen and dark shonen genres.