Hell’s Paradise: Sagiri’s True Feelings for Gabimaru, Explained

Sagiri and Gabimaru clearly have a complicated relationship in Hell's Paradise, and the manga eventually unveils the truth of their feelings.

After watching the first season of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku , many fans may have questions about the nature of Gabimaru and Sagiri's relationship. That seems largely by design: the reality of their relationship is often presented as ambiguous or up-in-the-air throughout most of the series, especially considering Gabimaru is forced to question whether his wife actually even exists.

Admitting to one's feelings and embracing weakness are central themes in Hell's Paradise, and it is obvious after the first season that Gabimaru is in some way the source of Sagiri's own weakness. Similarly, Sagiri gives Gabimaru strength by both healing him and believing in him when he's at his lowest points. Whether that all equates to true love has yet to be shown in the anime adaptation, but by the end of the series the truth of the matter does become a bit clearer.

Does Sagari Love Gabimaru?

As Hell's Paradise goes on, it becomes more and more clear that Sagiri not only empathizes with Gabimaru, but that she genuinely cares about him. She is no longer content with just completing her mission in the interest of the Shogun. Instead, she only wants to get the elixir so that she can help Gabimaru receive his pardon. However, her feelings for Gabimaru are not selfish in that she wants him all to herself, rather, she is visibly happy for him whenever he mentions his wife.

Sagiri has an undeniable love for Gabimaru, but it is purely as a close friend and never as a lover. Even though they both put their lives on the line to protect each other throughout their time on the island of Shinsenkyo, Sagiri's relationship with Gabimaru is strictly platonic, in which she admires Gabimaru and wants to protect him, but also respects his relationship with his wife far too much to ever try to be anything more than friends.

Sagiri's Other Relationships Paint a Broader Picture

Gabimaru is not the only person that Sagiri grows to deeply care about throughout Hell's Paradise. Multiple hints are also pointed at Sagiri's other relationships throughout the series, and her very nature as a conflicted character is part of that. She is meant to walk the middle path, and her relationships truly embody that as well. This is shown in her relationship with Yuzuriha which–while not cut-and-dry – at times suggests that there could be more between them. Yuzuriha loves to tease Sagiri with sexual innuendo, and the latter rarely ever knows how to respond. Yuzuriha is an infamous flirt throughout the series as that is part of her Ninjutsu, but she seems to have different intentions in how she treats Sagiri because she often compliments her even when it doesn't serve Yuzuriha's personal agenda. By the end of the series, the two end up traveling together – clearly showing that at the very least, Yuzuriha has grown attached to Sagiri. Their relationship may be more like very close sisters than lovers, but the truth of the matter is left up to the reader to interpret.

Sagiri is also emotionally attached to Shugen later in the series. In the past, Shugen was the only one that stood up for Sagiri in suggesting she become a Yamada Asaemon executioner. Though that role is ordinarily reserved for men and Sagiri appeared too weak in the eyes of her fellow clansman, Shugen recognized her skills and stuck his neck out for her when no one else would. According to Fuchi, Shugen was also Sagiri's first crush – though Sagiri vehemently denies this fact, stating that she merely admired him and appreciated his help in acquiring her rank in the clan.

Of course, Shugen and Yuzuriha are not the only ones on the island that Sagiri cares deeply for. By the end of the series, it becomes increasingly clear that Sagiri truly cares about all the remaining convicts and Asaemon in their own way. She ultimately refuses to try to escape the island unless everyone can make it out alive. That fact says a lot more about her character than her feelings toward any one person ever could. Sagiri is an individual who holds a lot of love, and who can tell what is in another person's heart regardless of what their actions in the past may have indicated.

Sagiri is More Like a Motherly-Figure to Gabimaru Than a Lover

In the symbolism of the Yin and Yang prevalent in Taoism, fire is often associated with Yang, while Yin is often associated with the element of water. Gabimaru's element is more Yang than Yin in this sense because he channels the element of fire. However, Sagiri's element is wood, which serves as the middle balance between the Yin and Yang. That's because wood is strong against water, but weak against fire, thus placing Sagiri firmly in that middle point between them. This makes her the perfect person to set an example for Gabimaru on Shinsenkyo, because he has always only known how to utilize the pure Yang in combat. Even though Gabimaru is effectively her weakness, Sagiri's natural disposition toward the Middle Way serves as the perfect role model for Gabimaru in what he wants to become.

In this way, Sagiri became almost like a motherly-figure to Gabimaru, fulfilling a caring role that he clearly was unable to experience growing up as a Shinobi in a village that reduced all women to mere objects. Not only do woman take a passive role in Iwagakure society, but Gabimaru's own mother was killed alongside his father when Gabimaru was only a baby. The chief took this opportunity to raise Gabimaru himself into the most ruthless assassin possible, and his planned worked extremely well. However, it had adverse effects on Gabimaru that were finally brought to the forefront when he experienced love for the first time through his wife.

Throughout the series, Sagiri not only encourages Gabimaru to fight for his wife, but when he succeeds, she looks on with pride. Similarly, Sagiri feels disappointment and worry when he reverts to his old ways, as she is concerned with his overall well-being. At the end of the series, Yui even tells Sagiri that she feels that she and Sagiri are like sisters now, clearly indicating that Gabimaru told Yui how much Sagiri helped him and appreciates her friendship. In becoming as a sister to his wife, it further solidifies that Sagiri has become like family to Gabimaru, and truly loves him as such.

Do Sagiri and Gabimaru End Up Together?

While Gabimaru and Sagiri don't end up getting together in a relationship as lovers, that doesn't mean that they're companionship ends when their mission is over. At the end of the series, Sagiri makes it her mission to seek out Gabimaru in order to check in on him, as well as to meet his wife, Yui, who she heard so much about. Joined by Yuzuriha, Sagiri eventually finds and meets Yui, though Gabimaru is asleep in the next room. It is ultimately implied that, while they don't end up together in a relationship, Gabimaru and Sagiri do end up having a strong, long-lasting friendship after all is said and done.