Shut Hell

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Shut Hell

Shut Hell (also known as Shuto Heru) is a Seinen manga by Itoh Yu.

The story opens in present-day Japan, where a young man called Sudou is plagued with recurring vivid dreams of bloody ancient battles in which a young girl and her comrades defend a doomed fortress. While meeting friends, Sudou is approached by Susuki, an apparently shy and quiet schoolgirl who has sought him out for some reason. Sudou's family were musical instrument makers, and when Susuki visits his apartment she feels compelled to play an instrument he made. As she plays, Sudou is mystically transported to ancient China, where he awakes to find he is now a woman nicknamed Shut Hell, and Susuki is now Yurul, a young Mongol prince.

The story takes place in the early 13th century, in what is now North-western China. Genghis Khan has united the Mongol clans, and sent his forces to attack the territory of the Western Xia (called the Tangut Empire in the manga). Our heroine was a Tangut soldier nicknamed "Little Sparrow", sole survivor of a unit massacred by forces led by Mongol prince Harabal. Now driven by vengeance, she is feared by the Mongols as "the Evil One" for her merciless killing. She accompanies Yurul as he flees his Mongol family for Sou territory to preserve a vital collections of writings, knowing that Harabal will follow them, giving her a chance to kill him.

Tropes used in Shut Hell include: