In Chapter 2 of Shonen Jump’s new series, Ayashimon, Urara finally confesses her reasons as Maruo takes on his fiercest opponent yet.
In the opener of Hell’s Paradise, author Yuji Kaku’s Shonen Jump debut, Ayashimon, Maruo Kaido finds himself lured into the underground realm of yokai yakuza after failing to secure a job. While moping about his terrible luck, he encounters a female rushing away from a bunch of men in suits. Inspired by his favourite manga, he knocks out several members of the group and helps her escape. In return for supporting her, Urara promises Maruo a seat in her group. Initially, he resists, saying his dream is to be a manga protagonist. Still, after realizing that Urara and the gang after her are actually monsters, he accepts, spurred by the thrill of fighting something that can match his own unfathomable might.
Chapter 2 begins up after the second fight, and Maruo accepts the post, with Urara detailing how the former Oyabun, a guy named Kioh, controlled Shinjuku’s underbelly. However, after his death, everything has been flipped upside down, with several gangs competing for dominance. She further says that currently, her gang just consists of Maruo and herself. But Urara isn’t worried about their lack of numbers, as merely having two will make things less complicated, especially with Maruo’s super-strength.
Their first goal is to beat the border guard in Shinjuku, Hashihime. At first, Maruo underestimates “Chopstick Princess”, as he calls her, but quickly understands that there’s a real fight to be had once he sees her. However, she smacks him hard, sending him flying into the neighbouring river. ] Hashihime then transforms to her human form, a lovely woman, and mocks Maruo, stating a fly would give her more trouble. She then kneels before Urara, urging her to turn back and not go to Shinjuku.
It’s then that Urara is discovered to be the illegitimate child of Kioh. Hashihime took her out of Shinjuku to protect her from other Ayashimon who might try to kill her, but now, she has returned. Urara doesn’t believe that her father died naturally — he was slain. She hopes to find the murderers, seek her revenge and take back the family crest, the only thing her father left her. She also intends to undermine the empire her father established from the inside out.
Maruo then resurfaces, delighted that this is the type of combat Shinjuku has to offer. Hashihime then readies herself for another round, determined to block Urara from returning to Shinjuku. Maruo charges at her, but she pushes him back with numerous punches, explaining that her armour is tougher than steel. Despite this, Maruo shatters one of her arms, startling her. She’s astounded at his power and speed, and the struggle continues as Urara watches on.
She muses that she realized Maruo is distinct from other humans and even Ayashimon. It’s because he’s so odd that others are caught off-guard, and if he ever proves to be too much to manage, she’ll just get rid of him. To her, he’s merely a pawn in her quest for retribution. After the fight finishes, she approaches the fallen Hashihime, who realizes that Maruo is nothing more than a pawn to Urara. She says she’s proud of how strong Urara has become. She then lists the groups to watch out for in Shinjuku to Maruo: the New Enma Syndicate led by the Second Chairman, the biker gang collective known as the Todoroki Alliance, the Ayakashi ☆ B-Stars who control the nightclubs and cabarets, and finally the Kori Hotel Group who are an outsider faction.
