Gabimaru

Gabimaru
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku character
Illustration of Gabimaru by Yuji Kaku
First appearance	"Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Chapter 1" January 22, 2018
Created by	Yuji Kaku
Portrayed by	Tsubasa Kizu
Voiced by	Japanese Chiaki Kobayashi English Alejandro Saab
In-universe information
Full name	Saku (朔)
Nickname	Gabimaru the Hollow
Gender	Male
Occupation	Shinobi
Nationality	Japanese

Gabimaru (Japanese: 画眉丸), also known as Gabimaru the Hollow (がらんの画眉丸, Garan no Gabimaru), is a fictional character and the main protagonist of Yuji Kaku's dark fantasy manga series Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. He served as Iwagakure's most infamous shinobi. He planned to quit however, which resulted in him being handed over to the authorities to be executed. When the shogun calls for death row convicts to compete in acquiring the Elixir of Life from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō in exchange for a pardon for their past crimes, Gabimaru receives an invitation from Yamada Asaemon Sagiri to join the competition.

Kaku created Gabimaru and made him a married character, with the mindset that he needed a strong, immediate motivation for his hero to fight to survive, making Gabimaru's wife his core driving force. The character was praised by critics for his role in Hell's Paradise, coming across as an anti-hero in his backstory, while also developing a deep relationship with Sagiri upon the revelation of their connection.

Gabimaru originates from Yuji Kaku's idea to focus on the main character's growth.^[1] While writing, he realized themes had shifted more towards the Middle Way, with paradoxes and conflict, and felt that it should be Sagiri who deals with it, "so for me, Sagiri became the protagonist of the latter half".^[1] Kaku intended for Gabimaru to have a distinct driving force.^[2] He would comment on the creation of Gabimaru: "the main character really needs a strong motivation to survive. He needs to be driven to get this over with as soon as possible. So I made his wife the driving force for Gabimaru. I'll admit that was something that I hadn't originally put too much thought into. It was really just a small aspect of his character initially. But afterwards, I realized I had created something unusual here with a married shōnen manga main character."^[2] He initially established Gabimaru as a central figure in the survival story, making him a married protagonist with a unique motivation to survive for his wife, and then gradually developing his character—from a hollow, bloodthirsty assassin to a more empathetic person.^[2][3] In an interview with Crunchyroll, Kaku stated, "Despite condemned criminals and executioners being difficult characters to empathize with, if they share our perspective, then we feel close to them, and they stand out as unique characters" in the Edo period, when people had totally different ideas about ethics and human rights.^[1] When asked "what do you think makes Gabimaru the protagonist of this story?" He responded "Both Gabimaru and Sagiri have the same values as someone living in the 2020s. This is also the reason the story is set in the distant past during the late Edo period. The people of that time had totally different ideas about ethics and human rights. Despite condemned criminals and executioners being difficult characters to empathize with, if they share our perspective, then we feel close to them, and they stand out as unique characters in an Edo Period setting."^[1] Kaku felt that he made Gabimaru "unique".^[1]

In the Hell's Paradise anime adaptation, Gabimaru is voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi in Japanese,^[4] who was chosen by director Kaori Makita for his "calm" voice.^[4][5] Makita would say "Casting the voice actors for Gabimaru and Sagiri was the most difficult part. When reading the manga, every reader imagines a different voice for the characters. The character's personality and age are the clues I use when deciding who to cast. Sometimes the actual age of the character is really different from their personality and their physicality, but all of that is taken into consideration when casting."^[5]

The first stage play adaptation for Yūji Kaku's Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku was revealed on November 28, 2022, with a new visual, Tsubasa Kizu portraying Gabimaru,^[6][7] and its February 2023 debut at the Hulic Hall in Tokyo.^[7]

English voice actor Alejandro Saab,^[8] would comment on Gabimaru's character saying "Speaking for Gabimaru, he's doing it for love. As cheesy as that may or may not sound, it's such a relatable thing to just get back to the one you love. That's his whole motive. He's like, 'I'm only doing what I'm doing right now to get back to my wife. That is my whole mindset.' I feel like a lot of people can relate to that. Whether they're in a relationship, seeking a relationship, or long-distance, you know, sometimes it's tough. To have that joy with someone, whoever it is, and to be reunited is such a relatable thing."^[9]

Saku (朔), better known by the aliases "Gabimaru" and "Gabimaru the Hollow",^[10] is the strongest ninja from Iwagakure,^[11][12] where he was taken from his parents as a child by the village chief and trained to become a killer. He is known as Gabimaru the Hollow for his lack of emotion during his gruesome work. When he wanted to cut ties with the village and live a normal life with his wife, the chief arranged for him to be captured and sentenced to death. Gabimaru sets on a journey to retrieve Elixir of Life to receive a full pardon for his crimes and return to his wife,^[3] who is the village chief's daughter.^[11][13]

He was well received by the series' readers and critics. Gabimaru was nominated for Boy of the Year at the 10th Anime Trending Awards.^[14] Yoan Sover's performance as Gabimaru was also one of the nominees for Best Voice Artist Performance (French) at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards.^[15]

Critical response to Gabimaru has been generally favorable. Writing for Polygon, Isaac Rouse, in his review of the upcoming second season, said he was "hardened by years of brutal training, Gabimaru survives every form of execution attempted, from beheading to burning at the stake."^[16]