The seventh episode of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku is a major one in the developing narrative of the anime for the various bits of new information that come to the fore. A little girl catches the attention of Gabimaru and the group while spying on them, and given the nature of the island, her presence is perhaps one of the more surprising things on Shinsenkyō.
Accompanied by a sentient arboreal entity by the name of Hōko, Mei's introduction to the cast of characters signals the start of a new phase in the Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku story. After a rough first encounter with Gabimaru, Mei appears to have gotten attached to Sagiri; however, mystery looms over the child as she is mute, and her identity remains largely unknown. So, just who is this Mei?
– Caution: this article contains spoilers for Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku.
Wrong Foot
Mei is introduced after being caught spying on Gabimaru and the group consisting of his attendant, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri; the kunoichi Yuzuriha and her attendant Senta. Gabimaru chases after her because he thinks that she might have some valuable information about the island, leaving Yuzuriha, Senta and Sagiri to deal with the little girl's tree-man companion. Despite her appearance, the little girl displays incredible agility and strength, catching Gabimaru off-guard when she flipped him over effortlessly. When cornered by Sagiri and Gabimaru, the girl reveals a trump card, with her balled fist glowing with a mysterious light. Her punches were able to inflict damage upon Gabimaru even though he had his guard up. Eventually, Gabimaru manages to subdue the little girl with a trap that he set, making her cry uncontrollably. On the other end, the tree-man speaks for the both of them as he begs the group to return the little girl to him. Surprised that the monster can speak, the group is reluctant to trust him when he offers to take them back to their village and tell them about the Elixir of Life; however, the prospect of a bath convinces them all to take the risk.
Ruins
Upon arriving at their destination, the group is greeted by the desolate ruins of a village with no inhabitants. The tree-man tells them that it wasn't as forlorn a thousand years prior, which takes them all by surprise given that it is improbable for any known living thing to be that old. While the ladies take a bath, Gabimaru and Senta are offered food and drink by their monstrous host. When Gabimaru asks the tree-man about his relationship to the little girl, he refuses to answer. He tells them that the island is known to its residents as Kotaku, the legendary place where the gods live: Shinsenkyō. He tells them that the Elixir of Life is real, going as far as to prove that he has taken it once. He knows it by a different term; "Tan", through a legend passed down over generations. In this introduction to Mei and Hōko, the little girl does not yet have the significance to the Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku plot that she eventually comes to bear, and her silence makes her appear to be just a little girl living among monsters. However, as Sagiri and Gabimaru recall after the meeting, Hōko explained that both he and Mei were born and raised on Kotaku and have lived there for centuries.
Tensen
Mei is an extremely reserved and timid child who is quick to cry when frightened. She is generally a good-natured and thoughtful little girl who takes quickly to Sagiri's kindness. Despite her sheer aversion to pain, Mei's body is very badly beaten up according to Sagiri's observations, and a huge scar runs diagonally down from her left shoulder to her back. The reason for Hōko's refusal to explain the nature of his relationship with Mei to Gabimaru lies in the events that took place on the island prior to the ruin of their village. In Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku episode 7, Hōko tells Gabimaru and company about the existence of monsters far more terrifying than anything they may have come across up until this point: the Tensen, the legendary undying hermits who are eternally youthful and immortal, beings whom entities like Hōko revere as the very gods of the island. He also explains the truth about the nature of the Elixir of Life, which is referred to as Tan by the residents of Kotaku and is derived from the very life force of countless human beings.
The various flowers strewn across the island are the very evidence of human lives being converted into this fabled commodity. Mei is the very first Tensen to emerge on Kotaku, and she was created by Rien, the wife of Jofuku, the Chinese explorer who made it his life mission to investigate the secret to immortality. Mei exists as the precursor Tensen to the ones who currently rule over the island; however, she defected from her alignment to Rien because she disapproved of her actions in furthering Jofuku's research and the perfection of the Elixir of Life. This lead to a harsh punishment from Rien. Evidently, Mei is a major supporting character in the Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku narrative in the exciting arc that has just begun.