Aza Chōbei

Aza Chōbei is a major supporting character and one of the antagonists/anti-villains turned anti-hero in the manga and anime series Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. Chōbei was a famous leader of a band of thieves in Iyo, known as the Bandit King, and committed numerous crimes.

Before being arrested and sentenced to death, Chōbei is scouted by his older brother, Aza Tōma, who infiltrates the Yamada Clan to reunite with Chōbei and join an expedition called Vanguard Party to compete with other death row convicts to obtain an Elixir of Life for the shogun from an island believed to be Shinsenkyō, thereby gaining a pardon and being freed from his past crimes.

Appearance[]

Chōbei is a tall, lean, muscular man with unkempt blonde hair, with a single braid on the right side. He has a very noticeable scar on the right side of his face and a missing eye, which he inflicted on himself in the past to protect his brother. During his mission to retrieve the Elixir of Life, he initially wore a torn black coat over a torn red kimono, a beaded necklace, bracelets on his wrists, and slippers. During his journey to Hōrai, Chōbei stole the clothing of a defeated Dōshi. After his battle with Gabimaru, the robe was scorched and tattered by the ninja's fire ninjutsu. After allying with Lord Tensen, Chōbei began wearing a black robe with a flower surrounded by leaves in the middle, belt straps, white pants, and boots. He was also given a fighting path. Upon accessing the Tao of Waitanhua flower, Chōbei's skin turns pitch black, his veins become visible, tentacle tendrils sprout from his body, his hair stands on end, his eyes become hollow, his scars turn into black patterns that spread across his face, and his fingers and toes grow short claws. Upon revival, Chōbei's build becomes smaller, roughly the size of a toddler. His scars have decreased in size, and his trademark braids now reach his shoulders. In terms of clothing, Chōbei wears a Chinese-style robe, trousers, and sandals. Upon accessing the Waitanhua Flower Tao Mode, Chōbei's body returns to its original height, but in the process, his clothes stretch, which Chōbei finds annoying.

Personality[]

Chōbei is a ruthless criminal who chose to live by his own rules. He is very barbaric and prefers to resort to violence rather than talk to his enemies. For example, he attacked one of the Dōshis when the latter tried to solve the problem by force without sending him and Tōma back to the hole. He is also very sadistic whenever he fights his enemies, which is manifested by his brother, Chōbei always insists on taking on the role of the villain and holds a grudge against those who beat him. A good example is when he keeps pouring a bottle of Water Tao on Ju Fa's head while smiling, slowly causing him to die while reminding him of how he started the fight with him and his brother. Chōbei has been very protective of Tōma since he was born and will do anything to ensure his safety. Like his brother, Chōbei is guided by his own philosophy that adapting to the environment is the key to surviving life. Though he was prone to barbaric behavior, he is a rational thinker who quickly decides on the best course of action in serious situations. After being captured by Rien, Chōbei learned that even if he tried to fight back he would lose to the Tensens, so he decided to cooperate with Lord Tensen in order to reunite with Tōma. Chōbei also cooperated with Gantetsusai and Fuchi in defeating the Demon Sea forms Ju Fa and Taofa, guiding them on what to do and working with them to find an escape route from the island. He is also very clever, such as using flattery to get the very prideful Gantetsusai to cooperate with his plans and storing two bottles of Water Tao in his stomach for when the time for a rematch with Gabimaru came.

Background[]

Chōbei and Tōma were born as vassals to Asano Takanori, the lord of Akō Domain. However, after attacking the nobleman Kira Yoshinaka in Edo Castle, Asano Takanori was sentenced to commit seppuku. As a result, his father and other vassals were stripped of their licenses and became ronin, leaving the family in poverty. Eventually, their mother died of illness, their father was executed for his involvement in the Akō incident, and the two siblings had to fend for themselves. Eventually, the two were captured by a group of thieves and were about to be sold, but after Chōbei became the leader of the group, they began living together. During their time as thieves, Chōbei and Tōma were cornered and almost arrested. Chōbei told Tōma to run away, believing that he would rescue him from prison. After being arrested and interrogated for a month, Tōma comes to infiltrate the Yamada Clan to rise in rank and free Chōbei. He then gives Chōbei the mission of finding the Elixir of Life given to him by the Shogun. Chōbei was interested in it.

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Gabimaru the Hollow | Yuzuriha | Nurugai | Tamiya Gantetsusai | Aza Chōbei

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