Hell’s Paradise: The flowers sprouting out of people explained

One of the biggest mysteries in Hell’s Paradise is how people die by having flowers sprout out of them. It is a phenomenon that only occurs to those who visit the island of Shinsenkyo. 

Hell’s Paradise is a popular Shonen series with dark and gory themes. It is based on the manga of the same name and follows Gabimaru the Hollow, an elite shinobi assassin. Gabimaru is facing the death penalty and can only be forgiven for his crimes if he finds the Elixir of Life.

The Elixir is said to be on a mysterious island of Shinsenkyo that transcends the boundaries between hell and heaven. People call it by many names, but the island’s actual name is Kotaku. It is home to mysterious creatures.

The most peculiar thing about the island is that the only survivor came back with a strange illness that began with flowers sprouting out of him. Hell’s Paradise trailer also features a smiling corpse with flowers all around his body. Even the opening visuals have a lot of flowers, further hinting that flowers have some significance in the series.

Arborification – the process of flowers sprouting out of people in Hell’s Paradise

Arborification is the name given to this unusual phenomenon. It is a metamorphosis that causes living beings to sprout flowers from their bodies and enter into a blissful trance. Judging by the behaviour of the sole survivor of Shinsenkyo, it is easy to see that the victim loses their humanity.

The Paradise Butterflies of Kotaku have the ability to initiate the Arborification by stinging their targets. Arborification can also act like an illness, though the series does not explain how this occurs.

Furthermore, the Hoko people were born with Arborification but experienced a different process where they were turned into the “wood people.” This is how the race of immortal beings went extinct.

How can someone avoid the effects of Arborification?

In the third episode of Hell’s Paradise, Tamiya Gantetsusai gets stung by the Paradise Butterfly and immediately remembers the man with flowers coming out of his body. He doesn’t waste a second before cutting off his hand, which saves his life.

His severed palm instantly turns into a plant-like object. Another way to resist its effects is if a human is on the brink of death, where Tao is not consumed by breathing or thinking. On top of that, the victim must have a strong will to survive.

Once done, the victim will achieve a balance between their Tao and Flower Tao, gaining regenerative abilities. Though the only drawback is that if the regeneration happens frequently, the Arborification will rebound.

Hell’s Paradise can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other TV hubs below:

Attack on Titan Season 4 Part 3 | Bleach Thousand Year Blood War Part 2 | Chainsaw Man Season 2 | BRZRKR movie | Jigokuraku Hell’s Paradise | Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 | Sonic the Hedgehog 3 | Invincible Season 2